Sloth (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Sloth is a male anime and manga character who features in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
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Biography
Sloth (Japanese: スロウス, Hepburn: Surōsu) the Indolent was one of the Homunculi that were created by Father. Following the destruction of the nation of Xerxes, Father began to wander the lands and sought to accomplish his mysterious goals. Thus saw him creating new homonculi that were patterned after the Seven Deadly Sins of Man and were generated from traits in his own personality. In addition, Father created further homunculi that included Pride Envy, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, and finally Wrath. Unlike his siblings who operated through manipulation, deception, or specialized combat abilities, Sloth’s role was brutally direct: he was tasked with digging a massive transmutation circle beneath the entire country of Amestris. He carried out this work tirelessly for decades, carving tunnels by hand with his immense strength and durability, and his presence beneath the surface was kept hidden from humanity at large. This role tied him directly to Father’s grand design of sacrificing the nation’s population in a single cataclysmic transmutation. Sloth was tasked with digging a gigantic transmutation circle beneath Amestris to be used in turning the country into a Philosopher's Stone. Though he was briefly yielded in this job when he runs into the Elric brothers at Briggs Fortress, he was allowed to continue his work, finishing the circle. Sloth is always wanting to rest and finish his job so he can stop working, repeatedly stating that everything he is forced to do, and even living itself was always 'bothersome'.
when his excavation work intersected with Briggs Fortress, the northern bastion of Amestris. Bursting into the underground foundations, he brought his overwhelming size and strength against the fortress garrison, smashing stone walls and shrugging off heavy gunfire. His mindless repetition of “what a pain” contrasted with the chaos he caused, as he lumbered forward with devastating physical power while expressing apathy toward his own destruction or the soldiers’ resistance. Only the intervention of Olivier Mira Armstrong and her troops forced him back, though his durability allowed him to endure artillery fire that would have obliterated any human soldier. Sloth’s return to the battlefield demonstrated both his endurance and his true role as Father’s construct. After retreating deeper into the tunnels, he resumed his endless digging, only to be later unleashed upon the surface during Father’s final plan to complete the nationwide transmutation. At Central, Sloth engaged in a destructive clash with both Alex Louis Armstrong and Sig Curtis, whose combined strength and coordination were required to match his raw power. Despite his indifference to the conflict, Sloth’s sheer physicality threatened to overwhelm them both, his blows shattering the ground and his body absorbing punishment that would cripple any other being. In the end, his lack of cunning and his fixation on his labor became his undoing, as he was exhausted by the sustained fight, falling to his enemies not through clever strategy but through relentless attrition.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Sloth was a Homunculus who took the form of a towering, musclebound humanoid, the largest of Father’s creations. His features were brutish and heavy, with thick limbs and a massive frame that dwarfed most opponents. His long, unkempt hair and furrowed brow gave him an animalistic visage, and his constant slouched posture reflected the lethargy associated with his namesake. Despite his humanoid form, his immense bulk made him resemble more a living siege engine than a man.
Sloth’s personality was defined by indolence and apathy, which contrasted ironically with the unending labor imposed upon him by Father. He constantly complained about his work, repeating the phrase 'what a pain' as both mantra and truth, demonstrating his unwillingness to think or act beyond his assigned purpose. Unlike other Homunculi who displayed individuality and personal ambition, Sloth was almost entirely devoid of will, existing as a tool of brute force who obeyed orders and returned to his digging when left alone. His simple-mindedness did not make him harmless, however, as his lethargic demeanor concealed the catastrophic violence he could unleash when directed against an enemy.
He wondered what death felt like stating that it was such a pain. However, he also stated that it was an even greater pain to go on living.
Powers and abilities
Sloth was a Homunculus (人造人間ホムンクルス, Homunkurusu, Latin for "Little Human", Japanese for "Artificial Human") who was born from Father and was a representation of his creator's ego. Within his body contained a tempest of souls that were composed of the Philosophers Stone (賢者の石, Kenja no Ishi). It was responsible for granting him enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, stamina, and near-limitless regenerative abilities. Sloth was a Homunculus created by Father, and his physiology granted him overwhelming physical power and durability far beyond human limits. He was capable of breaking through fortress walls with his bare hands, lifting and hurling massive objects effortlessly, and enduring concentrated cannon fire without sustaining serious damage. His immense size and strength made him the most physically imposing of the Homunculi, and his regenerative abilities allowed him to recover from wounds that would kill any mortal opponent. His nature as a Homunculus meant that he carried the Philosopher’s Stone within his body, enabling him to survive otherwise fatal attacks as long as the stone’s energy remained intact.
In combat, Sloth uses his fists and the chains on his wrists coupled with his astonishing physical strength. He was more than capable of crushing and tearing through solid rock and steel with his bare hands and can easily crush a human body with accidental ease. His strength proved to surpass even the combined force of Alex Louis Armstrong and Sig Curtis. His strikes generated shockwaves capable of collapsing buildings, and his movements, while slow at first glance, could accelerate into bursts of speed that caught opponents off guard. This combination of overwhelming power and surprising velocity made him dangerous in prolonged combat, as even experienced warriors had to rely on coordination and endurance to survive his relentless attacks.
His durability, bolstered by regeneration, allowed him to continue fighting long after sustaining crippling injuries, making him one of the most enduring foe. Sloth's hide was also extremely tough, being capable of resisting bullets and merely being staggered by a rocket launcher - however it has weak points: such as on the top of his head and the inside of his body. Nothing short of tank or artillery fire could pierce it from a distance. In his most devastating attack, he hurls himself towards his foes at incredible speed. In fact, his speed is so formidable, he appears to have no means of controlling his momentum and was thus incapable of stopping himself without crashing into something. He claims to be the fastest Homunculus, which is fitting, as the sin of Sloth signifies a wasting of one's potential.
His regenerative abilities are notably much slower than those of the other Homunculi, though the reason for this is unknown. It is in line with his sluggish character and may be an effect of his large frame. He is able to use this to his advantage however, by stretching out the tendons in his muscles, increasing the range of his attacks. However, it has also been shown to be a hindrance as well, as Sloth did not need to be killed nearly as many times as his Homunculi brethren. A possible explanation for this phenomenon is that when Alex Armstrong impaled Sloth through the mouth with an earth spike, the Homunculus's Philosopher's Stone apparently lost a lot of energy keeping Sloth pinned before he could slowly regenerate and free himself. This incredibly slow regeneration also led to both Sig and Alex being able to inflict massive, continuous damage onto Sloth (increasing the amount of energy needed to heal himself as well) until he finally disintegrated a short time later.
Despite his slow pondering nature, Sloth when he actually used his powers was the fastest of the homunculi. He was able to go through rapid bursts of speed where he only appeared as a blur. However, he has little control over his trajectory which meant he coukd miss his targets frequently.
Ultimately, Sloth’s greatest flaw was embedded within his nature: his lethargy and lack of independent drive. Though he was the strongest Homunculus in terms of raw physicality, his mindlessness and subservience to Father’s orders prevented him from using his power strategically. Unlike Wrath or Envy, he did not scheme or manipulate; unlike Lust or Greed, he did not pursue personal desires. Instead, he embodied the deadly irony of his name: a creature of infinite strength crippled by eternal idleness, undone by his exhaustion in battle and the combined strength of humanity’s determination. Sloth is also extremely clumsy and easily fooled. While incredibly fast, he lacks proper coordination needed to fully utilize such abilities, and thus tends to have a very poor aim as well. He is very slow-witted and apathetic, resulting in opponents getting the better of him simply by outpacing him. His sluggish nature may also explain his low intelligence, as in his last moments he claims that thinking 'takes too much effort'.
Notes
- Sloth was created by Hiromu Arakawa where he featured in the setting of the Fullmetal Alchemist universe.
- The character was based on the seven deadly sins.
In other media
Television
- In Fullmetal Alchemist, a different version of Sloth appeared in the setting of the 2003 anime television series adaptation. This version was an original character which was actually a failed attempted at human transmutation and bringing back the dead.
Appearances
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood:
External Links
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