Izumi Curtis
Izumi Curtis is a female anime and manga character who features in Fullmetal Alchemist.
Contents |
Biography
Izumi Curtis (Japanese: イズミ・カーティス, Hepburn: Izumi Kātisu) was a female human who was born as Izumi Harnet and raised in the Western region of Amestris. When she was 18 years old, she travelled to Briggs in the north of Amestris to become an apprentice of famous alchemist 'Silver Steiner in order to formally learn alchemy. However, she was told that she could not be taken on as an apprentice unless she survive a month alone in the fierce wilderness of the Briggs mountain range armed with nothing else but a machete. Izumi took on this challenge and braved the elements where she nearly died from the extreme cold and wild animal attacks. She also had to contend with the Briggs Mountain Patrol who had assume she was a Drachma spy because she stole food from their area. During this time, she came to develop her own theoretcal concept of alchemy hat was based on the idea that "One is All, All is One". She was later captured but by this point rumours began to spread of a mysterious mountain woman who had been raiding Fort Briggs with this circulating in the region for the next 20 years. Once the month was over, she returned to the town in order to declare herself fit to become Silver Steiner's alchemy apprentice. The man she spoke to though came to reveal himself to be Gold Steiner who was the older brother of Silver who had died several years ago and that he had misunderstood her when he gave her the recent trial.
However, because Silver Steiner had died some time ago, she met with his elder brother (who was famous for his Hand fighting technique) Gold Steiner. Izumi received a test for apprenticeship, which entailed surviving in the Briggs mountain for one month with only a knife. During this time, she discovered the philosophy of "One is All, All is One", which she later passed on to the Elric brothers. She also was attacked and ambushed by a number of patriots thinking she was a spy. When she found out that the Steiner she had met was not the Steiner she was looking for, she became very upset, and proceeded to beat him up (despite his martial art ability). Yet she reveals that "Steiner" didn't even put a scratch on her.
owever, she suffers tremendous guilt believing that she had killed her son twice, once at birth, and once on the transmutation circle (human transmutation in the manga does not result in Homunculi, but a corpse-like being which has no connection at all with the human that the alchemist intended to transmute). Later, Edward learns that revival of the dead is impossible, and informs Izumi that what she created on the transmutation circle could not have been her son. Izumi, after verifying this fact, is very grateful to Edward for relieving her of the guilt of her son's second death.
The fact that Izumi opened the Gate is of great interest to King Bradley, as it means that she is a qualified "human sacrifice" like Edward and Alphonse. However, she isn't a State Alchemist and is therefore beyond the Homunculus' control. Edward also suggested the Fuhrer forget the idea of recruiting her, or "prepare to lose the whole army" in order to subdue her. In recent chapters, Father is shown considering her to be one of the five "human sacrifices". In chapter 74, a pair of soldiers arrive in Dublith presumably to pick her up, but Mason tells them that she and Sig are on a trip. After a bout of questioning, the soldiers leave. In chapter 75,
Izumi and Sig later came upon Van Hohenheim on their trip and strike up a conversation, during which Izumi once again begins to cough blood. After sending Sig to fetch a car and assuring the Curtises that he knows a bit about medicine, Hohenheim questions Izumi on how she came to see the "Truth" and what she sacrificed. After she explains, Hohenheim plunges his hand into her abdomen and rearranges her organs to improve her blood flow. He states that the flesh she had lost is a symbol of her sin and cannot be returned (perhaps suggesting that things taken directly by the gate are beyond his control), but tells her that it is not yet time for her to fall. It would seem from this turn of events, that Izumi will not be suffering from her symptoms any longer.
Around 20 years later, she came to travels to Brigg and attacked the outposts in order to be captured and pass on information to the Elric brothers regarding the 'Promised Day'.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Izumi Curtis was a fair-skinned tall slender woman with a well-toned figure who had sharp eyes and upper-back length black that she often wore in box braids tied in a ponytail.
She was shown as being very proud of her status as being a housewife with this often catching her opponents by surprise.
In reality, she was a very caring, wise and perceptive woman always willing to help those in need especially children.
Izumi cared very deeply for Edward and Alphonse, and acted as a mother-figure to the two, despite her unique methods of discipline. For instance, after punishing Edward and Al for trying to revive their mother, she drew the boys into a comforting hug.
Powers and abilities
Though born a human, Izumi proved to be an extremely powerful martial artist, both in terms of armed and hand-to-hand combat. She was shown to possess shocking physical strength and proved herself capable of easily subduing multiple enemies in a flash and overpowering larger opponents such as mountain grizzly bears, and even a Homunculus.
Years ago, she came to suffer from an internal injury caused by a failed Human Transmutation which resulted in her pain regurgitating blood after any extraneous activity.
Notes
- Izumi Curtis was created by Hiromu Arakawa where she featured in the setting of Fullmetal Alchemist.
In other media
Television
- In Fullmetal Alchemist, Izumi Curtis appeared in the setting of the 2003 anime television series where she was voiced by Japanese actress Shōko Tsuda and by English actress Christine Auten in the dub. Izumi Curtis was shown as a powerful alchemist that trained under Dante who took on the eager Elric brothers as students shortly after their mother's passing. The red Flamel crest on her chest is the same insignia that appears on Edward's coat and the left shoulder of Alphonse's armor which is the sign of an alchemist. Izumi is an extremely strong woman, both emotionally and physically: along with her talent for alchemy, Izumi is also an accomplished martial artist. The Elric brothers are taught with her own unique form of sparring combined with philosophy to gain a fuller understanding of alchemy. Izumi is married to Sig Curtis, a husky and well-built butcher of few words. Like many others in the series, she despises the military and particularly State Alchemists, so when she encounters Edward "Fullmetal Alchemist" Elric again, she beats him up for his becoming a "dog of the military". Alphonse is scolded as well for helping. Like Edward, Izumi is capable of alchemy without a transmutation circle; she gained this ability from seeing the inside of the mysterious "Gate" while attempting to revive her stillborn son with alchemy. This attempt not only created the Homunculus Wrath, but cost Izumi all the organs in her abdominopelvic cavity (the implication being that it is her womb, the symbol of her connection to her stillborn son, and all the organs surrounding it); in other words, her reproductive system and part of her digestive system. Her incredible strength of will allowed her to miraculously survive, with her remaining organs picking up the slack. Her body is failing, which leaves her physically weak and drained, and causes her to cough up blood at inopportune moments, often while attempting a transmutation. Izumi saw Dante as her teacher, and it is likely that she was originally a candidate to be Dante's new body - in which case, her illness due to her human transmutation actually saved her life.
- In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Izumi Curtis appeared in the setting of the anime television series where she was voiced by Japanese actress Shōko Tsuda and by English actress Christine Auten in the dub.
Films
Appearances
- Fullmetal Alchemist:
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood:
External Links
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