| Isaac McDougal | |
| |
| Alias | Freezing Alchemist Isaac the Freezer |
| Race | Human (Amestrian) |
| Birthplace | Amestris |
| Gender | Male |
| Professional Status | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Anti-Establishment Movement |
| Previous Affiliation | Amestrian State Military |
| Previous Rank | Major |
| Previous Occupation | State Alchemist |
| Base of Operations | Amestris |
| Personal Status | |
| Relatives | N/A |
| Abilities | |
| Alchemy | Water-Based |
| Skills | Martial Arts Expert |
| First Appearance | |
| Anime Debut | Episode 1 |
| Voices | |
| Japanese Voice | Kōichi Yamadera |
| English Voice | Bryan Massey |
Isaac McDougal is a former State Alchemist who was known as the Freezing Alchemist (氷結の錬金術師, Hyōketsu no Renkinjutsushi). He held a grudge against Furher King Bradley for his role as the orchestrator of the atrocities committed by the state military during the Ishvalan Civil War.
Appearance[]
Isaac's transmutation circle engraved on his gauntlet.
Isaac was a muscular, average sized man, being much taller then the younger Edward Elric but still dwarfed by Alex Louis Armstrong. He had long black hair which was tied back, only for one strand to hang over his face. While trying to move throughout Central without detection he donned a simple dull cloak, and underneath he wore his original State Alchemist uniform which was composed of a open jacket with the right sleeve torn and elongated leggings with a length of material hanging down the back.
Before his arrest he wore a metallic gauntlet on his right arm which had his personal transmutation circle engraved on the side, and on his left hand he had also tattooed his transmutation circle into his skin which he kept hidden with a glove. After escaping he acquired a satchel which he kept his chalk in, as well as a canteen filled with water.[1]
Personality[]
Isaac was a very determined man, who while being mentally disturbed by the the truth of what was taking place within Amestris, he also proved to be highly perceptive in combat and used all of the resources available to him in order to bring that perceived corruption to an end.
He rationalized his actions by claiming that one must sacrifice to achieve, therefore killing others for a greater purpose was within the parameters of the Law of Equivalent Exchange. He had developed a great hatred for Furher King Bradley, who he saw as an evil dictator, and who he blamed for all the atrocities committed by himself as well as the rest of the military during the Ishavalan Civil War.[1]
History[]
Isaac was a former State Alchemist who served in the Ishvalan Civil War. After the war's completion he turned in his commission and resigned from the military. He went into hiding and began working with the anti-establishment movement against the militaristic government of Amestris.[1]
Plot[]
Revenge is Best Served Cold[]
Isaac swiftly dealing with several officials.
Infiltrating Central, Isaac is shown to have begun his plan against King Bradley at his government. Drawing several transmutation circles around the city, news of his return causes the local authorities to act swiftly. He is soon confronted by several officers, however they are swiftly dealt with by his mastery of water-based alchemy.
Before he could continue further however, Isaac was forced to avoid a thrown spear from above. The attack is revealed to have come from a young Edward Elric, who berates Isaac for thinking that the "sacrifices" he was committing could be related to equivalent exchange. Transmuting the spear embedded in the ground into a spiked club, Isaac is left shocked that it was done without a transmutation circle. Preparing to defend himself from Edward's charge, Isaac is then attacked from behind by Alphonse. Bending backwards to avoid the armoured suit's punch, Isaac was also able to simultaneously block Edward's blow with his gauntlet.
Isaac being led away by a guard of officers.
Fending off both combatants, Isaac managed to get a hold of Edward's right arm and attempted to boil him from within using his alchemy. However, rather then boil the young man the transmutation instead just tears his jacket while knocking him away. Surprised, Isaac was still able to defend himself and throw away Alphonse while questioning why his alchemy had failed. Realising the arm was made of auto-mail, Isaac deduces that the boy in front of him was the renowned Fullmetal Alchemist before he is quickly defeated and finally apprehended. However, as he was being taken away by several officers, Isaac revealed to have a transmutation circle tattooed on his left hand, and with it created a smokescreen from steam and escaped.
Isaac leaving Central Prison after visiting Kimblee.
Later while visiting Central Prison, Isaac attempted to recruit Solf J. Kimblee into his plan. However he was quickly turned down by the latter, who insisted that their motivations for turning against Bradley and his country were entirely different. Disappointed, Isaac leaves the prison while telling Kimblee it was a shame he didn't want to join. Back on the streets, Isaac finished applying one of the final transmutation circles on the riverside near an alleyway. Commenting that there was only one left, Isaac then moved quickly to the final location and killed any officials that he came across.
Isaac fighting with Major Armstrong.
Just as Isaac finished laying down the final circle, he was suddenly confronted by another State Alchemist, Major Armstrong. Ploughing through a nearby wall, the Major quickly caused a scene when their respective alchemies clashed, the fallout alerting the Elric Brothers of Isaac's location and giving them the chance to arrive in time. Realising he was at a disadvantage, Isaac threw his canteen into the air and created another smokescreen from the evaporated water, escaping the alchemists and running off to another location.
Isaac surveying Central Headquarters.
After sundown, Isaac was confronted once again by the State Alchemists upon a rooftop, this time by his old comrade Roy Mustang the Flame Alchemist. While the latter mentioned it was a pity to fight an old friend, Isaac quickly rebuts this and claims to have no friends and denounces the military as corrupt dogs. Defending himself from an attack by Mustang, Isaac then douses the military with water from a nearby pipeline before creating a bridge made from ice to escape, melting it to stop any pursuers from following.
The result of the transmutation circles activation.
Discovering the transmutation circle from earlier covered in rubble but still intact, Isaac begins to excavate it only to then be called out by Edward, who was standing before him. Explaining how he had worked out that Isaac would return to that location, the Elric Brothers cut of both ends in an attempt to capture the rogue alchemist. However, Isaac activates the transmutation circle which to the surprise of both brothers causes a chain reaction around Central. The area around them begins to quickly freeze over, as the reaction from the circles began to freeze the water vapour in the atmosphere itself.
Questioning Edward on whether he knows of their country's true intents, the young man merely replies he doesn't know before Alphonse attacks Isaac from behind. Quickly overwhelming the criminal this time, Alphonse knocks him out over to the fence near the river. Questioning him about the Philosopher's Stone, Isaac just responds with apparent ignorance before being carried away by a surge of ice from the river.
The scale of Isaac's transmutation range.
Riding atop the surging pillars of ice, Isaac quickly advances on Central Headquarters with the intention of destroying it. From below, the Elric Brothers once again pursue him and manage to launch themselves onto the ice using alchemy. Resuming their fight with the rogue alchemist, Isaac manages to land a direct attack on Alphonse which resulted in his helmet being blown away. Finding the armour empty, Isaac is able to deduce that the two brothers had committed a taboo.
Upset by this, Edward quickly lands a barrage of strikes on the older man before Alphonse is able to knock him from the ice pillar. Landing on the ground, bloodied and weak, Isaac continues to resist capture by manipulating his very own blood to attack the brothers. Impaling Edward in the shoulder, he manages to escape into the alleys while Alphonse tends to his brother and the ice pillars reach Central Headquarters.
Isaac is finally stopped by King Bradley's hand.
In these alleys, Isaac finally comes across the subject of his hatred, King Bradley himself. Thinking that this was his chance for revenge, the rogue alchemist creates a spear out of his own blood and charges the man. However, he is easily cut down and killed instantly, a small Philosopher's Stone leaving his body through the blood before disintegrating.[1]
Equipment[]
Transmutation Gauntlet: Isaac wore an iron gauntlet on his right forearm, the gauntlets having two rows of spikes along the dorsal side of the mental glove. At the top of the gauntlet was the alchemical transmutation circle used in Isaac's water alchemy allowing for him to quickly use his skills without having to draw circles.[1]
Abilities[]
Marital Artist Expert: Isaac was highly skilled in the use of martial arts and was extremely agile in its implementation. He was able to fight on even terms with both Edward and Alphonse Elric simultaneously. Isaac also demonstrated great strength, as he was able to throw Alphonse's armoured body over his head without much effort.
Alchemy[]
To quickly access his alchemy, Issac has embedded his transmutation circle on his gauntlet and tattooed it on the palm of his hand. His circle consists of a point within a circle with two curves around them with make contact with the borders of another circle and two lines coming from the center touching the borders, resembling an eye with a line across and a text on an external circle.
Water Alchemy; Basic.
Water Alchemy: Isaac practices a form of alchemy that is based around the element of water. His common usage of his alchemical skill involves freezing any available water to create ice constructs. These formations usually involve building walk ways, pillars or ice shards. Isaac has full manipulation of the state of water in his immediate area allowing him to solidify water into ice, liquify that ice back into water or even create water vapor and boil water. His manipulation is so fine tuned that he can take pressurized water and use it as a weapon to cut through virtually any substance.[1]
- Steam Manipulation: Isaac's manipulation of steam was mostly restricted to creating smokescreens to escape, such as causing a nearby puddle to evaporate and creating a large amount of steam to hide his actions when he escaped from his arrest, and again later on when he caused the water in his flask to evaporate in order to avoid fighting Armstrong, Edward and Alphonse. However, due to 70% of the human body being made of water, Isaac can directly harm his opponents by boiling the water found inside their body which kills them instantly, leaving their skin red with steam coming out of them.[1]
Water Alchemy; Blood.
- Blood Manipulation: Also due to the fact that 70% of the human body is made up of water, he can also use his own blood and manipulate the same way he does average water. Using this skill Isaac was capable of manipulating and freezing his own blood to create weaponry, such as a spear to attack King Bradley or several tendrils to impale Edward. The use of this skill causes him to glow with a red aura as well as causes the blood to illuminate red. However the manipulation of blood is apparently only a last resort for Isaac to use.[1]
Water Alchemy; Ice.
- Ice Manipulation: As per his namesake, Isaac is extremely proficient with the manipulation of ice. With it, he is capable of creating large constructs quickly and unfreezing it almost immediately after. This allows for him to create things such as walk ways and bridges without the fear of his pursuers also using the constructs to follow. He is also capable flash freezing a target upon physical target, this includes inanimate objects and living beings as well. In this state they are very brittle, and if the object or person were to fall over they will most likely shatter.[1]
Infinite Ice Transmutation.
- Infinite Ice Transmutation: A extremely powerful form of alchemy, by drawing several of his transmutation circles on the ground in varying locations in a formation similar to the design of his transmutation circle, Isaac is is able to simultaneously activate them all upon activating only one. The activation of the circles causes the moisture in the air to freeze exceedingly fast, and from there create gigantic walls of ice that move along in a pattern reminiscent of Isaac's transmutation circle. The ice from the transmutation is able to constantly regenerates itself, and proved to be immune to everything including the use of Roy Mustang's Flame alchemy. Destroying the transmutation circles are the only way to disable this technique, which also proves difficult as the ice buries them endlessly.[1]