Solf J. Kimblee (ゾルフ・J・キンブリー, Zorufu J Kinburī^?), spelt Zolf J. Kimbley in the 2003 anime and its related media, also known as the Crimson Lotus Alchemist (紅蓮の錬金術師, Guren no Renkinjutsushi^?) or simply the Crimson Alchemist, is a recurring antagonist in the Fullmetal Alchemist series. He is a former State Alchemist and special agent working under the direct orders of Führer King Bradley. Admittedly sadistic, Kimblee was imprisoned in Central City for several years after his official involvement in the Ishval Civil War for having infamously turned his unique brand of combustion-based combat alchemy on people who were not on his government-approved kill list. Due to conspiratorial acts at the top of government, Kimblee is officially exonerated of his crimes so as to serve as the Führer's hidden left hand in the secret battles to come.

As a result of the schism between the storylines of the manga and the 2003 anime series, Kimblee appears prominently in both, but is a rather different character in each.

Personality & Appearance

In the manga (and subsequently, the 2009 anime series based thereon), Kimblee is as much a philosopher as he is a psychopath. A gentleman artist through and through, he considers his alchemically-induced explosions to be of the highest aesthetic and aims to make them as "beautiful" as possible in terms of scope, destructive capability and sound - sound apparently being the most important criterion based on his oft-showcased keen ear for explosives and his manic enthusiasm for loud eruptions.

Not so much immoral as amoral, he stands as an inquisitive, apathetic observer most of the time, assessing people and situations while throwing out morality and the concept of grey areas as contaminating factors. Driven by such mindsets as "survival of the fittest" and "to the victor go the spoils", Kimblee takes great pleasure in determining whether the will and/or strength of one person or party is capable of overpowering those of another and genuinely respects people of strong will and unshakable conviction, but cares little to nothing for human lives that are affected or even lost as a consequence of the conflicts that arise. Even his own life is accountable to his unconventional ideals and he is only too glad to put his existence on the line.

Cool and mannerly, Kimblee is an avid philosopher and skilled rhetorician who argues his viewpoints well enough to silence most naysayers. However, he seems aware that his mindset and actions are not in tune with the popular veins of thought and actively shrouds these with gentlemanly decorum and clever semantics. As an analyst of human nature, Solf J. Kimblee understands exactly what needs to be said in order to hide his "heresy" from those who would not understand him. He is shown to be a very calculating and methodical man, able to seemingly perceive any and all matters at hand and use this information to better manipulate the situation, making him all the more dangerous. Kimblee also seems to offer a fair amount of respect to those who have opposing viewpoints, seeming more than happy to conduct intellectual debates and appearing to have a genuine interest in understanding those who disagree with him.

Kimblee's manner of dress after leaving the penitentiary is an all-white three-piece suit with a matching fedora and purple tie as well as white overcoat. He ties his long, black hair into a neat ponytail, leaving two long strands loose in the front. He is tall and thin with piercing eyes colored amber in the 2003 anime, deep blue in the 2009 anime, and gray in the manga.

In the 2003 anime series, Kimblee's personality is significantly less gentlemanly and more psychotic. His character is more openly sadistic and acts more often out of sheer pleasure, rather than towards any particular goal. Additionally, he seems to enjoy blood and death more than explosions, actively incorporating them into his combustive artistry rather than thinking of them as byproducts. The only thing that he retains from the original version is his nihilism, as he openly admits that he is killing just to prove that everyone, including himself, is worthless.

His appearance is more thuggish as well, with his black hair left unkempt on top while his ponytail is wrapped almost entirely in pale yellow ribbon. Kimblee's eyes are amber and he dresses in a burgundy blazer over a T-shirt with a matching pair of slacks, when not in his military uniform.

Explosion Alchemy

Kimblee's unique type of alchemy involves orchestrating explosions and is centered around the transmutation arrays tattooed on his palms. On each hand is a triangle inscribed in a circle with alchemical symbols in the center of each - the sun symbol (signifying gold) on his right palm and the moon symbol (signifying silver) on his left. When he puts his palms together the two triangles (the left pointing up to represent fire and the right pointing down to represent water) combine to form a hexagram which initiates the transmutation. Transcribed around both circles is a ring of unidentified text.

In the manga, Kimblee uses this array to transmute ordinary matter into explosives by clapping his hands together. By combining the contradictory symbols of the sun and moon, gold and silver, water and fire, the Crimson Lotus Alchemist creates an unstable imbalance of energy in whatever matter he touches, causing it to explode violently. He has also revealed himself to be capable of causing that instability to flow from one place to another at his will, essentially directing localized explosions from long range. By using only the hexagram of his transmutation circle and not the celestial runes, he can also perform more mundane transmutations that involve the alteration of matter, but not its detonation.

With the added amplification of the Philosopher's Stone, Kimblee's alchemy reaches much further than usual; he is able to bypass the Law of Equivalent Exchange and create far more powerful explosions with it in his possession. Additionally, he does not seem to require the use of both hands in order to transmute explosions while using the Stone.

In the 2003 anime, Kimblee's method of transmutation is quite different. Instead of creating an energy imbalance within an object, he shifts the atomic and molecular composition within objects so as to change whatever he touches into a chemical explosive. According to what he has stated in the series, he apparently specifically manipulates the metallic particles comprising an object. Edward also once states that Kimblee transmutes certain materials in his target into a "gunpowder-like substance", then compresses it rapidly to form a huge explosion. Though Kimblee has been shown to use this method on inanimate objects, he apparently prefers to use living things, especially people. With this technique, he can completely obliterate a person's being or even explode small portions of the body independently from others.

Trivia

• According to official translations and merchandise, Kimblee's name is officially spelled Solf J. Kimblee in the manga and 2009 anime, and Zolf J. Kimbley in the 2003 anime. While the 2003 anime will occasionally spell his last name Kimbly, the distinction remains between the 2 and many fans use this difference to refer to them as separate characters- as their personalities and roles are quite different in each.
• During numerous points in the manga, Kimblee is revealed to have an impeccable memory for the faces of people he's met, particularly remembering the faces of all his victims. This may indicate that he is a so-called super recogniser. Super recognisers are said to have extremely good facial recognition ability, with some being able to recall thousands of faces in graphic detail even if they've only seen them once.
• The kanji that makes up Kimblee's State Alchemist name in Japanese (紅蓮 Guren) is a source of contention among translators. While the word "Guren" can be translated as "Crimson", the kanji (紅蓮) suggests another possible translation that reads "Red Lotus" or "Crimson Lotus". As the Crimson Lotus is often used as symbolism for fiery explosions, it is most likely that Red Lotus or Crimson Lotus is Kimblee's true name despite Guren having been translated as Crimson in the subtitles of the first anime series and both English dubs.
• The voice actor for Kimblee in the english dub of both anime adaptations, Eric Vale, also voices Future Trunks in the anime Dragon Ball Z and Trunks in the anime Dragon Ball GT, along with other Dragon Ball franchises, including video games and movies.
• Like nearly all military personnel in the Fullmetal Alchemist series, Kimblee is named after a military vehicle, vessel or weapon, in this case, most likely USS Kimberly - two United States Naval Destroyers, the first, the DD-80 was a Wickes Class and served in the final months of the First World War and the second the DD-521, a Fletcher Class which served in the Second World War and which was later loaned to Taiwan in 1967 and in use until 1999.
• During the most recent character popularity poll, Kimblee ranked ninth, and before that, fourteenth.
• Hiromu Arakawa stated that inspiration for Kimblee's character came in part from Alex, the protagonist of A Clockwork Orange. She has also said that she thinks people in white suits always have this "sleazy look" on their faces.
• Yuji Ueda, the Japanese voice actor who had played Kimblee in the 2003 series, plays Jean Havoc in the 2009 series.
• Kimblee has shown several times he is able to control his regurgitation. This usually focused on how he hides the first Philosopher's Stone he received inside his stomach, only to bring it back up whenever he so chooses.
• In Chapter 13, one of the guards at the prison calls Kimblee an arsonist. Kimblee has never been known to be an arsonist however, relying on alchemical explosions for destruction in both series.
• Interestingly enough, in the 2003 anime, manga, and Brotherhood, Kimblee battles with Alphonse at some point and is fatally wounded by a third person: Scar in the 2003 series and Heinkel in the manga and 2009 anime. Additionally, both Scar and Heinkel at the time had a deep hatred towards Kimblee since he tried to kill them in the past.
• The antenna-like strands in the front of Kimblee's hair in the manga and 2009 anime changes from time to time in the manga. At first, the two strands are up instead of down, then they are down, then one is down, and so on. In the 2009 anime, though, it always stays two strands down.
• It's interesting to note that Kimblee was never reprimanded for nearly killing Edward (a precious human-sacrifice) in Baschool. Whether the Homunculi and/or Military were unaware he caused the cave-in, were aware that Edward survived, or were just desperate for manpower remains unclear.

• In the splash page of chapter 107, where the protagonists place their fists towards to center, the reader can see his hand holding his hat in the center-left, above Buccaneer's automail.

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