Solf J. Kimblee - The Psychopathic Realist (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
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Music used:
Song 1 - The First Layer (Made In Abyss)
Song 2 - Galahad Fortress (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Song 3 - Desert Wasteland (Final Fantasy VII)
Song 4 - Brothers (Instrumental) (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003)
I get the feeling that kimblee’s nihilism comes out not so much as “nothing matters, so why?” as opposed to “nothing matters, so why not?”
Nihilistic realism is a thing.
Id say, he isnt a complete nihilist, who doesent care if he dies now, in an hour or in a year, but rather he has specific things he likes to do and certain ambitions he wants to see happen, and the semi nihilism comes in to part when everything BUT THOSE things come in to play. Tl;dr he just wants to do whatever the fuck he thinks is fit and what intrigues him.
I really like your take on this.
Existentialism, baby!
I'd say Kimblee's nihilism is optimistic in a very twisted sense. His ideals literally scream, "In the end, nothing matters so that means whatever I do is what that actually matters, so why not fuck up the whole world just because I can and it gives me a reason to exist."
One of the things I liked most about Kimblee is that while he may have been a monster he was NEVER a hypocrite.
I know that this is a 10 month old comment but I need to say this. It is far better to be a hypocritical human than a ideologically consistent monster. This and many other comments seem to forget/ignore that.
Sam Seidel • 11 minutes ago yes but it was this consistency And hatred of inconsistency is inevitable what saved our main lead.
@Sam Seidel It depends on the human in question. To quote the Stormlight Archive, "Sometimes a hypocrite is just a man in the process of changing." In that case I would agree with you. In the case of Fullmetal Alchemist see Roy Mustang. In other cases hypocrites are people who talk the talk but don't walk the walk. See the higher ups in Central who tolerated the homuculi leading them. In which I disagree.
A hypocrite who cares about something is better than someone who cares about nothing.
Either way he’s a DB
How fitting that the philosopher's stone would be given to the show's biggest philosopher.
@Alexander Supertramp nah, like 9 other characters. Hohenheim, Father, and the Homunculi all get one. And there's that army of immortal zombies. Oh yeah, there's also Kimblee's other Stone, which itself gets passed around a lot.
@@samt3412 didn't Marco have one
@@maskedminister9624 he stole it
Two philosopher's stones
There were two
@@samt3412 and the gold-toothed doctor
"The one thing worse than death is to avert your eyes from it. Look straight at the people you kill, don't take your eyes off them for a second, and don't ever forget them. Because I promise that they won't forget you."
I still get shivers from that line. Between that and him absolutely slam dunking on Hawkeye, I don't think I've ever seen the heroes get such an ideological beatdown from a villain.
And one of the craziest things about it is that it's actually good advice, in regards to the situation they were in.
@@EG-cm5th And it all comes full circle when he eventually meets back up with Scar and recognizes who he is without being told.
you know this is so similar to what Ned Stark would say in a song of ice and fire. that the person handing out the judgement should carry it out. Dont divorce intent and responsibility. Though not exactly the same, i see strong parallels between the two in this regard.
What he says makes sense but it feels weird to agree with a psychopath like him. Kimblee is a fascinating character. Also Risa definitely took his words to heart. She literally tells Edward the same thing verbatim.
Solf J Kimblee always kept it real,even while being devoured by Pride. He never made any excuses and accepted his demise with bravery.
I actually did a psychological analysis of Kimblee back in college for a term paper. Ended up with an A on the paper. He truly is a fascinating character!
Lol what did you write about specifically
do you still have the picture by any chance?
@Daria T me too!
mhm
Good for you!
May i just add that he dresses classy, even better then the rest of the cast?
That suit.. god damn.
Aleczandxr you know what im watching brotherhood again, its superior to the other version by far.
Smooth criminal lol
@@jhalenhanshaw5405 ow (in MJ voice)
He looks really handsome
7:49
And I just realized how Mustang never looked away from Lust and Envy when he was incinerating them to death...
I know right it just hit me too 😳
Damn...Kimbley left his mark
@@FallenDemonFly That's especially chilling given how violent Mustang's fighting style is. I wonder just how many people he's watched burn to death. That's far worse than what Hawkeye might go through as a sniper.
A guy like Kimblee would make a great lawyer.
He would be a good prosecutor, defendant,lawyer,judge, jury and executioner
I feel like he's literally a personification of playing the devil's advocate so I guess you're right.
I thought he was a bad person before, you just took it to eleven
"I find the defendant NOT Guilty."
*Kimblee raises his palms.*
"I MEAN GUILTY! GUILTY!!! GUILTY!!! GUILTY!!!"
Fullmetal Attorney
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: an anime so great you can write a doctoral thesis on on one of its side characters, alone.
Yup, each of the side characters played a major role, and not one was left behind. This is why I love FMA.
And the power system is actually pretty accurate.At the very end it has never been a matter of "WHO'S THE STRONGEST ",but more like who knows more
You could write an entire essay on any one of the characters from this anime. You can’t say that about 99% of fiction.
@Cray On in fact people say the reason that unlike other shounen FMAB was so good with it's woman characters was because he creator herself was one unlike pretty much every other one.
My final research essay
"Jean Havoc: how disablility just makes you more badass"
I normally hate psychotic characters, since most of them feel hypocritical in attempting to justify their own cynicism, anger, and misanthropy. Kimblee, however, is none of those. He's a genuine observer who acts with absolute conviction and really points out some harsh truths about the world and its people. The scenes with Riza and Pride really stand out to me in that regard because both of them ring true. For that, he's definitely one of my favorite characters in Brotherhood.
Mister Bubbles What about um... Makishima (I hope I got his name right) from Psycho-Pass?
Mister Bubbles This is also why I love Yu Yu Hakusho's villains as well. Each of the villains; whether they were complete monsters or not, never made excuses for their behavior. They fully owned up to what they did, and never attempted to try and justify their actions with some lame excuse of righteousness, or some blind idea of "justice."
@@CalebCraft10 Violet Rose Eh, Makishima was a bland villain, and a gary-stu. His character was over powered, and typical; not to mention horribly designed.
@@CalebCraft10 oh I like you :) hes another favorite
I guess you are not a fan of Two Face, since he is very psychotic, but also tragic.
1:14
“Blind Ambition”
Shows video of a blind Mustang...... well played
Intentional? Who knows..
Came to the comments to see who else caught it. Well played
I got my eyes on you
I don't get it.
@@murakumo65 so it's like pussy and respect.
I think Kimblee did have genuine respect for the Rockbells. He takes great issue with people who are hypocrites when it serves their purposes and naive about the world. The Rockbells never betrayed their convictions as doctors to help those who need helping, despite the escalation of the conflict and the dangers that it posed to them. Whilst Kimblee clearly has no problem massacring innocents, he’s never shown to be outwardly hostile to the idea of helping others. He shows a similar respect to Edward when he saves him from Pride, acknowledging that Edward has stayed true to his conviction not to kill and thus earning Kimblee’s respect.
Yeah, he did have respect for them.
Something I feel you missed is the opposite of Kimblee's disdain of hypocrisy: Kimblee feels a great deal of admiration for those who stick to their guns and don't deviate, such as Winrey's parents, Ed and Al, and Scar, even if he feels that those same morals are stupid and likely to get those characters killed. He frequently points this out to Ed about his conviction to never kill, especially right before blowing him up. In his last scene though, he shows that he knows Ed very well by telling Pride that Ed would not kill him, even as Pride is panicking over being killed. He even tells Winrey that he deeply admired her parents when they were treating Ishvalans even as they were supposed to be exterminating them. It is very much like Kimblee to not tell her that he was not sent to rescue them but to kill them, despite, or because of, that same admiration.
I should've mentioned Winry's parents but I didn't miss any of the rest, just chose not to include it. The rest of that feels superfluous given that a guy who hates hypocrisy and values consistency would naturally admire the opposite of that in conviction. It's pretty apparent and didn't need stating IMO. I intentionally omitted that because it seemed redundant, and I try to iron out redundancy as much as possible these days. I do regret not mentioning his admiration for Winry's parents, though.
@@Aleczandxr Although I agree, her parents would've been a worthy inclusion; you still achieved an amazing analysis. Well done sir.
He even respected Armstrong's willingness to act on his belief and let those two women escape that he killed them himself so that there was no reason to report Armstrong.
That guy's a dick. Consistent, but still a dick.
Sounds like Anton Chigurh a little bit
Years late to this but in the manga, there was a scene where he caught Armstrong trying to sneak Ishvalans to safety. He proceeded to kill all of them but chose not to report Armstrong for any sort of treason. Yet another instance of his respect for those who stick to their beliefs.
I feel like his "Look them in the eyes and remember them because they won't forget you" line is very respectful. The reason why I think that Kimblee is so amazing is because, until the very end, he stays true to his believes.
Also, can we all admit how, if not for him, Pride would win against Ed? And that wave of the hat as he fades away? Talk about being a savage.
@@kevinkrane6471 people with his mindset and philosophy certainly have a place in this world and i think would be really welcomed. People who perform actions like him wouldnt be welcomed as much.
Its symbolic that pride wouldve won too. Ed has pride.
Kimblee’s perspective is very similar to a quote from The Joker “You see their moral code... it’s a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble, they’re only as good as The World allows them to be. I’ll show you, when the chips are down these so-called... civilized people... they’ll eat each other. You see... I’m not a monster... I’m just ahead of the curve... You have all these rules and you think they’ll save you.”
*snickers* Kimblee as the Joker would be... interesting. Or Kimblee teaming up with the Joker.
Yeah but the end neither the criminals nor the civilians pushed the buttons that would blow up the ships. Thus proving joker is wrong.
@@returnedtomonkey8886 in a movie
@@transquelaag In real life too.
@@ravenfrancis1476 no
Psychotic characters don't feel developed and deep since we all just consider them psychotic but sometimes when they are written well there's an entire sea underneath just waiting to be explored
Exactly. I love psychotic characters because real life psychos fascinate me. The problem with a lot of writers is that they forgot that psychos are actually people as well and not just bloodthirsty killing machines. They have their own morals, ideals, and codes they live by. There's a reason that Dexter, Hannibal Lecter and Patrick Bateman are so popular and well received. They are interesting believable characters who just so happen to be murderous psychopaths.
Kayno I agree completely but you have to admit that fictional psychopaths are very different than the real deal. I find real psychopaths to be kind of boring since you can anticipate their actions easily. The most logical choice will be their choice
not exactly killing people is never the most logical thing to do. Nor are some of the other things done by psychopaths. And i dont see how you would predict the actions of an intelligent psychopath with no remorse they do what they want not what you expect them to do or what you might anticipate.
@@frek175 In normal situation killing is wrong, but sometimes deathpenalty is only solution if the person is too dangerous to let live. But you must choose wisely.
And even psychopath can be predictable. They don't want to suprise us, but they follow their own beliefs. If we think it's unpredictable it's because we were not prepared. In any case it doesn't less psychopath's danger.
Don't you mean psychopathic? Not to knock down your comment but "psychotic" carries a completely different definition from "psychopathic."
Pride: *throws away his pride*
Kimblee: I’m about to end this mans whole career
Kimblee: "SAY THAT BITCH ASS SHIT AGAIN"
One scene that always stood out to me was when Kimblee said Ed doesn't have the resolve to kill, and Ed responses that he has the resolve not to kill, Kimblee doesn't dispute this, it looks as though he respects it.
I just realized Kimbley is basically what is called an organized serial killer with tendencies towards disorganzied serial killer. He is smart, educated, bespoken, charming even, good looking and takes good care of himself. His Modus Operandi "looks" disorganized but that`s because he enjoys it that way, not because he himself is disorganized. He is aware that his acts are "immoral/wrong" but he doesn`t care. He isn`t a full blown socio/psychopath, he can at least on a surface level empathize with people, as shown in his interaction with Winry, his morals are simply different as he does not adhere to the standards set forward by society.
In the real world he would be someone like Ed Kamper, Ted Bundy or Rodney Alcala.
While he's not my absolute favorite character in FMA:Brotherhood, Solf J. Kimblee is a character who consistently stays in my memory whenever I think of how much I love this series. I disliked many of his actions, yet I also found myself agreeing with his philosophical points sometimes. An excellent video @Aleczandxr. Keep up the exceptional work.
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed.
Aye nice to see you again
Kimberlee is probably my favorite villian due to psychopathic morals and pride (ironic since he has more pride than pride).
i always liked him since he was a sociopath yet a pragmatist
Kimberlee?
his character is so well made, So violent yet classy and with real respect for people who stay true to their ideas. He's honestly one of my favorite characters in the whole series.
Lol I'm sure he'd love being called Kimberlee 😂
Chaotic and lawful with pure neutrality.
Nerosekrieg I'd call him true neutral then
*common sense resides not in this man's head* Yeah pretty much, I always forget about true neutral for some reason. Thanks for putting that together I have no common sense.
Good point, although he chose a side for power to see the grand finale not because he believed in it like father fathom-ably did.
I don't know, I would say he was a bit more of a chaotic Neutral than a true neutral. He still had a pretty heavy murder boner. As much as he claimed to be a man of ration he still liked the screams of the dammed to be just a sociopath who didn't care about any rules aside from his own. He was still a psychopath who took pleasure in others pain.
He is closer to lawful or neutral evil than anything, honestly;
Last time I was this early ed still had his arm
Well I'm pretty late and he still has his arm
? Huh
well, you were still too late, he'd already lost his leg and his brother
Lmfao!!!! 😂😂😂
Kimblee just went from one of my least favourite characters of the series to probably my favourite just because of this video. Nice work.
Awesome. That's the best compliment I could've gotten.
my parents taught me to be honest, I'm just telling it how it is. haha
Kimblee is my 3rd favorite character than greed/ling my second favorite and Alphonse during the end of the series
My top three has to be Kimblee, Ling/Greed, then Mustang
Same
I think it's pretty hilarious that Kimblee was one of my favorite characters in FMA:B, and yet I completely forgot he was even in the first series.
The 2003 FMA just missed the entire point of his character
I mean, the character was in like one chapter when the 2003 story was written. I like in 2003 tho.
@@nanoff815 Even calling it "one scene" is generous, at that point all we had been shown is the fact that he exists, haha
I like him in 2003. He had like 5 scences and a big battle with Scar. . They killed each other. This one he did more stuff but got killed by a side character. Had some good lines though
Love the mangaka’s ability to create such multi-dimensional characters. So many have a depth that is absent in many stories.
7:00 that, that right there is when Brotherhood Kimblee went above and beyond FMA Kimblee in my opinion, he spoke the truth of the situation, and how hypocrite it was to feel distraught at one's orders, basically i felt he took Riza and Mustang's "victim complex" and chew it all over leaving it a bloody heap on the floor, i honestly believe they needed that moment in the series, it show us vulnerability on two of the most stoic, determined characters on the show and how they grew and casted their innocense away, at the same time it makes Kimblee a more mature character, i don't think Kimblee is crazy, for crazyness implies you cannot recognize and tell the difference between good and evil, he knows what he does is evil for society, yet chooses to push on regardless, doesn't makes him any sort of tragic anti-hero, simply makes him a pragmatic man that picked a path and owns up to it.
Yeah, I agree. Kimblee in FMA 2003 was fun and insane but the one in Brotherhood just goes above and beyond anything that the other one achieve in narrative terms. His maturity and eloquence were really important for adding some nuance to the cast.
He doesnt care remember? He just wants to witness events unfold. He didnt choose the path of events
Macro Mondo This. He understands who and what he is and does not run from it.
Basically
I thought he was the best way to wrap up Scar's storyline in 2003. And I really like him in 2003, fight me.
One detail that I think would have been great for this video is Kimbley's respect for Winry's parents doing their jobs to their death. His role in the war may have opposed them and he was asked to kill them, but regardless, Kimbley can respect them for sticking through with their purpose, as compared to soldiers who questioned killing during the war.
In that respect, there's some similarity with Netero, who also had respect for those willing to carry through with their intent, shown early on with his bias during the hunter exam and the willingess to set up exams that would result in the death of all those people who couldn't fully embrace the risk of death that they had signed up for by entering the Hunter exam.
Both characters value the importance of being completely determined for one's cause.
Yeah, definitely, he called their deaths admirable. Soldiers are meant to take life and doctors are meant to save it, etc etc. As such, he deemed their lives as very fulfilling. It's that consistency he advocates.
i should be doing my assignment, but here i am.
For me, Kimblee is one of the best underrated Antagonist in Anime. His character is a direct contrast to the main antagonist Father.
Kimblee is a flawed human being but with a consistent principles he believes in, while Father is a Homunculus who regards himself as a perfect being but found himself inconsistent with what he preaches. In the end, Kimblee is the one who died in the hands of a homunculus but with a satisfied soul. Father, on the other hand, died in the hands of a human and whose soul was condemned to death.
@Yuri Markov "We don't make mistakes here, we make happy little accidents" -Shou Tucker
I would really like to see Aleczandxr in a collab with Super eyepatch wolf. It would be crazy to see what they would come up with together.
I think that's a bit too much awesomeness for the world to handle.
I second this emotion.
If only SudoStef was still on youtube... It would be a goldmine of analysis
The Unknown Otaku the nerdgasm would be too real
I miss SudoStef a lot man.........
Sometimes the most craziest person would make alot of sense
Tsuria Dragon They make the most sense in a way. I've been with them(my bestfriend, gf's, and partly my mom). And while I advocate sanity, and hiding my insanity to the masses, let me tell you, the insane ones, have their chains unbroken and think scot free of the consequences. Which, is, marvelous.
None at all. The person is a psychopath that hurts innocent people...his views are as important as a turd drying in the sun. Only thing he likes is to mess with people by attacking their flaws but he is a sad person who only seeks pain on others to forget about hisnown flaws.
Yup, just like the Joker from The Dark Knight. And the thing is...
....Neither Kimblee nor the Joker is actually insane.
@@cfG21 for me. He always makes sense.
And that's terrifying 😔
Kimblee is a stylish, and fascinating antagonist, and I agree, he is very under appreciated, but Arakawa did his characterization perfectly. Would love to see your thoughts on Rurouni Kenshin or Saint Seiya The Lost Canvas as I feel they are perfect for you.
I'll be watching Rurouni Kenshin somewhat soon.
The lost canvas is so good, it's rare that a spin off is better than the original but damn is lost canvas so much better.
He's one of those villains that you can't help but respect
One of THE outstanding moments from FMA:B was Kimblee not letting Pride have Ed. Calling him on his hypocrisy regarding humans, calling him out on not knowing what Ed stood for, then smoothly tipping his hat as he turns & fades away as Pride screams!
It's simple. I see a new Aleczandxr video, I click, I watch, I enjoy. Works every time. Haha.
The Anime Dude has the
You forgot to say you leave a like brother !
Pocket Jedi You right, can’t forget that. Haha.
Much love, deuces ;)
The Anime Dude Oh you are here.
The use of dubbed clips in this video only reminds me of how much I love Eric Vale's performance. Prior to this, I only knew him as the voice of Trunks in DBZ, so his take on a more antagonistic character was especially unsettling.
He did a terrific job, I honestly prefer him to his Japanese counterpart.
Mathwiz97X I just think of a Trunks Black (like Goku Black from dbs) when hearing the voice here
A lot of people prefer the subbed versions of animes, but in my opinion the dubbed version of FMA is a lot better, at least if you only speak English. Most of the time the characters and their dialogue are butchered by translation, censoring, and rearranging for lip syncing, but not so with FMA!
Yeah, the characters and settings really fit English more than Japanese. I suppose German would fit best, but watching something in a language that isn't mine, and isn't the one it was created in/for doesn't seem like a good idea. (assuming German dubs even exist?)
Trunks black
The most intriguing character in FMA Brotherhood and one of the best shounen villains ever.
This is the kind of video I've been wanting for years.
Kimblee, for the reasons you've so thoroughly and eloquently described in this video, is a character I not only adore in a series that I hold in extremely high regard, but one of my favorite characters in both all of anime and general media. He's certainly one that I've had on my mind recently, so much so that even UA-cam knew this was exactly what I wanted to see. Excellent job.
Wow, well that's great to hear. Thanks, I really appreciate it, and I'm super glad that I was able to provide what you were looking for!
I don't understand what kind of human I am 😔
You didn't mention the part that made him my favorite character in the series. That he never forgets those he kills because he'll be damned if he lets them become nothing more then a mere statistic.
Definetely one of the most interesting sociopath character in anime/manga, also my favorite
Ok time to rewatch brotherhood. Great video I look forward to the next one.
Cheers!
Awesome... this show never gets old to me. It's so chalk full of goodness.
Thetoken Won same
Solf J. Kimblee is the type of character I love. A character who isn't bound to traditional thought or ideals and carves his own path, but loves to test those ideals in himself and those around him whenever he gets the chance. The only other character who gave me the same chilling vibes is the Major from Hellsing.
just think if he was real life might be better and would make more sense lol well probably
See many things interested me from Hellsing, vampyre lore etc. But the style wasnt for me. It was too comic book like. Like Sin City.
I'll give it its dues (regardless of not finishing it) but I just really wasnt into the style.
Two of the best anime villains no doubt.
.aqllpyl😊Aqllpyl@@CaptainCeleste
Major was cool until
*spoilers*
It was revealed he was some cyborg and shit, very silly....even within a story as ridiculous as Hellsing can be
The most logical, pragamatic and objective of all characters. Truly a brilliant character and essay
He also has a great suit.
I just started living alone for the first time ever and one week into my independent life I have gotten sick and seeing this video is like a gift. Keep doing what you are doing
Good luck dude
Good luck on your new journey, friend. Hope you feel better soon.
"Dont take your eyes off them for a second, And never forget them. Because they wont forget you" jesus.... thats the realest thing ive heard in a long time
The terrifying combination of optimistic nihilism and psychotic realism is absolutely incredible. I'm using him as inspiration for a chaotic sorcerer villain in my DND campaign and it's incredible to see what kimblee really represents
I wish both versions had more of this character. He had such great potential for narrative, but spent most of the stories in prison, recovering from time in prison, bleeding with mortal wounds and both cases, dead for the end of the story. The main reason why he's so underrated is because he didn't receive enough time to express himself. In 2003 he was basically just a madman and the Brotherhood stressed few too many times how out of touch he was, implying he would have been actually useful if he had time to recover.
But my favourite moment from is when tells fellow soldiers and alchemist to remember the faces of everyone they kill. It's so powerful statement and is backed up by the fact that he really does. He's actually more human than anyone else around him and is one of the few ones who can actually see people he's facing as humans. Other people deny, discriminate, justify their means with cold science and try to forget their past to defend themselves from facing that fact, but Kimblee openly admits that humanity. "1 murder is a tragedy, 100 is simply statistic" -mentality doesn't apply to him. Every single one of his victims is a tragedy and that's what enjoys the most
He is, in my opinion, actually the sanest person in this whole show. Everyone else is crazy.
Aside from being a psycopath, you're right
I want to know your thoughts on the following:
1. Fullmetal Alchemist:
- Father
- Scar
- Edward Elric (or his relationship with Al)
2. Berserk
- Your thoughts on the post-Golden Age arc
3. Hunter x Hunter
- Chrollo Lucilfer
- Killua's character development
- Leorio
4. Monster
- Some mysteries in the series (like Johan's "split personality" and the ending)
- Johan Liebert
- Dr. Tenma's journey
5. My Hero Academia
- Stain
- All Might
- Midoriya
Lol, well damn. A lot of that will be covered in future uploads but I'll answer one of them.
The Stain arc was one of my favourite stretches of narrative in MHA so far. By adding some grey into the "hero" idea, the story is finally opening up thematically. Episode 18 was amazing because it demonstrated the ripple effect that Stain had had on society through his last stand, and the idea that those who have risen in his name probably don't actually understand his ideals is really ironic and well done. Because of Stain, the series has the potential to do a gradual but substantial tone shift that I really think it needs to become great. The episodes post-Stain were a bit disappointing in this aspect but I have high hopes for the next season.
Aleczandxr Holy hell, I didn’t expect you to actually answer all that, good on you
Geryld Pina I only answered one of them, lol.
Well, the problem was when the series actually decided to end. Those chapter serve as a transition into the next big arc, so that's why they felt bland (at least for me).
I'm really hyped for season 3 after being caught up in the manga.
DarkErrant They're pretty mediocre as far as transitioning episodes goes, at least when it comes to shifting tone. Compare them to the likes of HxH (Heaven's Arena in particular) or even YYH and they're done much worse.
Kimblee is one of the most coolest and interesting characters he’s easily one my favorite character of the whole anime
Kimblee has always fascinated me, His character initially seems like your run of the mill bad guy, but even in episode 1 when McDougall tries to get him to help, his morals are immediately laid out to see. He thought of Isaac as a coward and a hypocrite, Kimblee even states he didn't kill his superiors because of some "noble" intentions. He did it because he was bored and he wanted to keep the Stone for himself, which they were asking for back. Kimblee has a lot of respect for survivors and people who stand by their convictions, whilst he initially dismisses the Elric Brothers' ideology of not hurting anyone as naive and unachievable, when shown evidence of the contrary, he begins to show begrudging respect towards them, culminating in his soul helping Edward in incapacitating Pride during the climax. He shows great surprise upon seeing Scar and realising he managed to survive the destruction of the Kanda Region of Ishval, leading him to become enthralled with capturing Scar, now for a completely different reason to before, now it was peronal, as he didn't like any loose ends, which is what he considered Scar to be.
1:13 "blind ambition". Cuts to Roy Mustang. I see what you did there.
I really like Kimblee as a character because he's a really accurate representation of a psychopath. He doesn't fall into the typical "stabby stabby I love blood :)" bastardization of what a psychopath is.
"The one thing worse than death is to avert your eyes from it. Look straight at the people you kill, don't take your eyes off them for a second, and don't ever forget them. Because I promise that they won't forget you."
I have a few friends who are veterans and discussed this line with them a few times and they presented an interesting take on this line. As soldiers there's many different ways people rationalize killing because if you can't the guilt will literally kill you via PTSD. The way Kimblee is describing to Riza, as well as his questioning if they thought they wouldn't be asked to kill was described to me as the "Amoral Agent" mindset which interestingly enough is prevalent among marksmen . A person can process guilt by removing their own moral responsibility and passing it upwards. In essence they remove their agency and simply become weapons for the people above them.
Riza and Roy however are struggling from the incompatibility of their mindset to the situation. They have a protective mindset IE: kill the person in front of you to save the people behind you. The action of Genocide is incompatible with their mindset as they empathize with the Ishvalans.
I actually went about FMAB thinking Kimblee was the typical radical, unpopular-opinion anime character that pulls out all the cheesy lines everyone else throws around, about life and determination and hope etc. I never thought of viewing him this way!! Your video was really really enlightening and made me appreciate Arakawa's work even more than I already do. Thank you so much!!!
Awesome, that's exactly why I made this! Thanks!
Reminder that while kimblee hated the brother’s idealism and foolishness; he admires that they aren’t what he hates: Hypocrites. In his mind: Foolish and doomed to fail? Yes. Admirable for their consistency and determination? Absolutely. From his point of view, if the brothers fail, he’s right, not surprised go me. If they succeed? Then his sincere congratulations and a tip of the hat to you, Elric brothers.
It frightens me how much I truly relate to Kimble and characters like him. coming to the same conclusions holding the same ideals and having a similar moral compass (or lack there of)
I can honestly say that Kimblee is one my favorite characters in FMA. He's such an interesting character that I was kinda disappointed that he didn't get more screen time in the show.
finally a analysis of Kimblee, such a underrated character. Great video!
Thank you!
You gave me a lot to think about concerning this character. Not only does he call out the hypocrisy of the characters in story, but that of the audience too. We want to idealise those characters. We want to see our favourite characters for what's good about them, for what we love about them. We want to believe that we are good, moral people when we side with Ed and Al. And Kimblee calls us out just as much as he calls them out. He makes us feel uncomfortable in our own skin, in our own morality. And I love this about him. He's truly a chilling character.
One can never discuss Kimblee too much. He see's life through it's actual reality. While we may not want to be destructive psychopaths, he reminds us all to listen to the inner darkness since it is often connected to the reality that we sometimes have to grasp the bad and the good. "Do not remove your hand from what is good, but from the other also take hold, for the one who does will go forth with them all.'
"Look straight at the people you kill. Never take your eyes off them for a second. And never forget them... because they certainly won't forget you."
Kimblee may be a psychopath but GOD does he ever have the best lines and some of the most interesting moral insights in the entire show.
I actually don't think Kimblee is under appreciated at all as an antagonist/ foil, rather that he is over appreciated because of his 'realism' and ruthlessness ( both in how he actually kills and how he tears down other people's philosophies [Roy & Riza, Ed & Al, Pride]). I do agree that He lends a lot to FMA's depth as a world through his observations and the conflict between him to R&R E&A, Scar &winry add interesting narrative depth. But I think his death isn't just to show that the fma world has chosen Ed & Al et al.'s morality over his amorality, or to necessitate that the viewer has to agree with that world reading. Rather kimblee's continued popularity over other characters like Scar imo, reflects that many people value pessimism, consistency, and accuracy in narrative v.s. self-reflection, resolution and progress. This is not to say that if you like kimblee you automaticaly don't want good things in life- but I think the point FMA was trying to make was that his unbending 'truth' and ruthlessness to stick to his guns so to speak, doesn't actually lend to survival. Kim spends a good deal of his life within the narrative in prison, he dies being betrayed by heinkle and eaten by pride, specifically because he hold's no allegiance and cares for no one beyond seeing how dedicated they are to their cause (i.e. the Rockbells were the only ones he's mentioned admiring, but that was because they died, if Scar didn't kill them, he would have done it himself after meeting them). If you don't care about other's survival (and most of the characters within the FMA narrative do to an extent- even the humonculous for each other[gluttony for lust]) nobody is going to care about your passing. He has some great last words against pride, but it says something that Selim ultimatly outlives him. The reason Selim does isn't because Pride somehow has the right 'morality' or 'amorality' over Kim. It's b/c Pride actually cared about other's despite his obedience to 'father' (Selim's last flashback before ed crushes him is regret for loss of the 'family' he had with Bradely and Mrs. Bradely, not the other 7 sins whose alliegences were mostly falcious and cruel), it's his connection to Ms. Bradly that enabled Ed to make a choice and spare him. It's also why Scar survives, despite being someone Ed & AL & Winry having legitmate reasons to hate/ never forgive, Scar survives b/c he cares about his people, vice versa, and b/c his brother's philosophies and legacy has always been about protecting not only his life but also protecting everyone else's lives. Human survival and progress can't operate on strictly unbiased realisim and rigid dedication to singularies (i.e. Kim's observe and destroy moto), it needs allowances for redemption from mistakes, moral flexibilities, compromises, varieties and changing ideas, compassion and co-operation (all the messy, complicated, but colourful gradations that make up life). At least that's what I feel was the message for fma- not that anyone one side/view is somehow greather or better or more meaningful than others.
Great thoughts, but next time leave line breakers ;-)
This is probably my favorite take on Kimblee's character when talking about his role in FMAB's themes. Tbh during his and Al's convo, I never got the impression that one side was made out to be more correct than the other. The end result of their convo topic (Al getting his body back) proved that both of them were right in a sense. Kimblee's popularity could stem from a strange romanticization of pessimism and objectivity; it's possible. I do see a tendency in some people to favor grittier, darker stories as they become disillusioned with life (usually around adolescence to early adulthood). His charming characterization and his subversion on the psychopathic killer trope definitely helps with his popularity. There is value in recognizing both Kimblee's realism and Al's idealism. The story never outright dismisses one over the other. It challenges both concepts while also highlighting their importance. They both have a place in this world.
Ah... Kimblee! One of my favorite characters in this show. He's so awesome... And so weirdly honest. Kimblee to me partly is the reason why I really love rewatching this series so many times. With him, it's like you only properly understand him, when you watch him again in retrospect.
Kimblee was the coolest character in the series. Better villain than Father imo. He deserved more instead of losing nearly every fight and being killed by some side character.
You deserve waaaay more subs!
That's really nice of you to day! The amount I have now is still really great anyway.
I hated him so much as a character, but had an immense amount of respect for said character as well. He was true to his beliefs one convictions throughout, never showing an ounce of hypocrisy or doubt. For that he’s one of my favorites even though I do loath him lol
This video highlights just why Kimblee is one of my favorite characters from the series and my favorite villain in the entire series
Ah, Kimblee. Along with Kokichi Ouma (New Danganronpa v3), Kuritsugu Emiya, Kirei Kotomine (Fate/Zero), and Meruem (HunterxHunter), he is one of the most interesting characters I have ever seen.
Griffith, Johan Leibert, and Shinji Ikari also should make that list lol
I haven't read Berserk or watched Evangelion, and it's been a long ass time since I saw Monster so I don't remember it too terribly well, certainly not enough to justify putting Johan on the list.
Hmm I guess it is subjective, but you must give Berserk a try, its my favorite manga for a reason. Though thats also subjective 😩
I know I should read it.
IMO, Griffith and Johan are comfortably more interesting than Kimblee.
This was great, Kimblee is a personal favorite of mine.
Thanks, glad you liked it.
The idea of a logical and honest psychopath is just so fascinating and another example of FMA's excellent character writing.
He is my fav character ...
bruh same
---- SPOILER --- Kimblee's philosophy is that everyone's nature is violent, but he forgets the "why" or people's "motive" for what they do. He knows about the law of equivalent exchange, but laws get trumped all the time [Winry turned the law upside down when Ed proposed to her]. I loved his character and the fact that villains / anti-heroes were so very beautifully layered in FMA [at times to me even far more so than the boss, 'Father' or 'Dwarf in the Flask'].
I just can't get myself to watch the 2003 anime for the simple reason that Kimblee was my favourite character in the manga, so the changes they made to him for the first anime simply killed all my interest in it, even if it might be good in other ways.
The mixture of a character that is both in near complete lack of remorse and still able to show genuine respect even for some of his own victims made the manga/Brotherhood Kimblee one of my all time favourite villains.
Not sure what I think about his english dub though. lol
I wouldn't disregard an anime because of changes they made to a secondary character. 2003 has it's problems but I still enjoyed it and it's very thematically rich. Kimblee is much worse in it though.
Well I didn't mean that as in the sense of me looking down on the 2003 anime and more in the sense of that I loved the character so much that I'm worried that just knowing about the changes before watching would negatively affect my enjoyment of it throughout, even though I realize it probably handle other parts of the story much better.
Yeah, I know what you meant. I still wouldn't do it, but that's just me.
Yeah I agree many times I was watching and said "Well he's not wrong"
Instant voice over using the badass dub. Cool.
Amazing video. I love the way you’ve analyzed this character. You really took your time to structure out how this character fits in with the plot and his interactions with the other characters. You’ve really got an eye for insight.
Thanks so much!
If we ever get a sequel to FMA, imagine how cool it would be if the new Selim Bradley had some of Kimblee's psyche still inside him. A way for the Crimson Alchemist to live on.
I'm a simple man. I see a comparison to hisoka, I freak out
The Hunter x Hunter 2011 Dickriding Association #metoo
Yeah, Hisoka is awesome
That is a very basic thing to do.
Imagine if Kimblee, Hisoka, and Izaya were to somehow meet each other. Would there ever be an end to the madness they’d cause.
@FOR ASHINA when?
I find it interesting that everyone seems to overlook an important event in Kimblee's life (Mostly because it largely happens off screen I suppose) It is the fact that he stays in prison for the duration of his sentence despite the fact that he has a philosopher's stone in his possession the entire time. This shows how committed to his perceived role as an observer.
Also it's interesting how he is never even considered as a potential sacrifice by the homunculi. Mustang is forced to perform human transmutation but Kimblee is never even asked about it? :)
Johan Liebert,Joker,Solf J Kimblee and Makoto Shishio.
The 4 agents of chaos
He's not insane he's hypersane
Incredibly thorough as always, you know your anime/manga. Your videos are always enjoyable, I look forward to see more of your stuff in the future.
I really appreciate it!
*tips fedora* m'logic
Somehow I really like Kimblee's character despite the crazy shit he did. He's NEVER ashame of who he is and respect people who hold their value. The dude is competent at his job too, which made his tracking-the-heroes scenes really scary. He's kind of like the Joker of the FMAB.
Ayyo. I'm glad I found a video analyzing my favorite fma character
“Yeah but if he’s psycho, why is he kinda- 😳” - a person I know that is totally not me
It's been five years and this is still one of my favorite videos. Everything about it just brings me back.
That’s awesome, so glad you enjoy it that much!
Kimblee and Vicious and Hisoka play very similar roles. All 3 don't show up alot but they leave an impact nonetheless. Aleczandxr, could you do a video discussing why characters like them are so cherished by their series? Cherished may not be the best word for it but they most certainly hold up with little screen time.
Well, I talked quite a bit about using characters in moderation for narrative purpose in my Hisoka video and a little in my Ging video (and indirectly in this one) and I will talk about it a little again in my next HxH video, so I'm not sure that a video specifically on that topic is that necessary given the little tidbits on it that I sprinkle throughout my uploads. But it's an idea I'll reflect on for sure.
Although FMA2003 Kimblee is scarier, FMAB/Manga Kimblee is more dangerous, because he can hide his psychopathy.
I just realized that Kimblee is the love child of the Joker and Michael Jackson
Kimblee’s job is basically to stop characters from being retconned
Fantastic video, I love watching videos like these because while I personally never loved the show, I feel that by hearing from someone who did, I can find enjoyment in the show through others. The show has a lot to give but in my gut I knew I wasn't enjoying it for some reason. All that aside, I really love what you have to say about anime, and thanks for the displate sponsor. One of the few sponsors that I hadn't come across on youtube and I really like their stuff. I hope by using your code I helped the channel even its just a little :)
Thank you so much, I appreciate it! I get that, sometimes shows just don't connect with you even thought you can acknowledge that they're well done. It's happened to me as well, so I'm glad you got something out of this.
Kimblee is a paragon of his own virtue, authenticity. He was so moral he confronted the most evil homunculi in a philosophical battle and wiped the floor with him.
You made me simp over him more than I do
I clipped some of the fighting scenes if your interested.thx
One thing I have realised is that humans are also, animals. We ARE chaotic beings. We strive for chaos. However, in society, to enable our collective progress, man has set "laws" and "morality". Without these, we would not progress, but without these, we can gain what we truly desire. Kimblee and many other people including me can see this. It's just that that kimblee hasnt internalised it, and is smart.
Kimblee has always been a favorite of mine with his mix of enjoyable demenor through his psychopathic tendancies and brutally honest depiction of reality. Always acting as if Hisoka insanity and Griffith's charisma/style of idealizing situations met as one. Great video as always and an excelent show of who this character is in both story and building.
Thanks so much. Glad you enjoy the character like I do.