Okay, so a few people have shown interest in hearing an unpopular fma, so here goes: Hohenheim was not a good father. Now, before anyone immediately disagrees, Iād ask you to please hear me out, because I do have a real argument for this, and it isnāt just a post bashing Hohenheim. (And this analysis will be talking about fmab Hohenheim, because thereād be a whole lot more to say about 03 Hohenheim)
Before I say anything else, Iād like to start by saying that I like Hohenheim as a character. The way he was written was compelling, and he added so much to the plot and development of other characters. He tries his best to be a good person, and at heart, just wants to do whatās best for the people around him. And thereās absolutely no doubt that he loved his wife and two sons more than anything else in the world. And Iāve seen people argue that that fact alone makes him a great parent. Howeverā¦ that doesnāt automatically make him a great father, or even a good one.
Loving your child is not the only requirement of a parent. Being a good parent requires you to be there for your kid, to encourage them, to help shape the kind of person they are. It requires being an active presence in your childās life. And Hohenheim just didnāt have that. He left his wife and two kids at home when both Ed and Al were toddlers, and went off to travel. I understand why he had to leave, and Iām not saying this wasnāt something important. But the fact of the matter is that he left his home, and he didnāt return, didnāt even spare the time for a simple phone call for over ten years. Ten years. And he didnāt even bother calling his family to check in on them. I probably wouldnāt even be making this post if he decided to give Trisha a phone call every couple of days and talk to the boys.
He found out about his wifeās death ten years after it happened. He had no idea one of his sons became a state alchemist until three years after the fact. He just wasnāt there for so much of his sonsā lives, to the point where Ed doesnāt even recognize him as his dad anymore. Hohenheim didnāt fulfill any of the duties a father is typically supposed to fulfill, and he wasnāt there for his children at a time when they needed him most and were left on their own. Had he been at home with Ed and Al, their human transmutation attempt might not have even happened! They lived by themselves for ten years only loosely supervised by Pinako, then Izumi, then nobody.
When Hohenheim did decide to return to Resembool after ten years, thereās no doubt in my mind that he was ecstatic at the prospect of seeing his family. He obviously loved them immensely, and that love and need to protect them was one of his main reasons for leaving in the first place. But he returned to a burned down home and two broken sons (one if you count the fact that Hohenheim only met up with Al muuuuch later on in the series then Ed). This was a direct result of his bad parenting because had he been there for Ed and Al, had he been active in their lives, there would have been so much less tragedy.
Someone could argue that when Hohenheim came back for the Promised Day, he was there at a time when his sons needed him mostā¦ but what about all the other times? What about the night Ed and Al attempted human transmutation? What about Edās painful automail recovery? What about the time when Ed decided to become a state alchemist? Being there for one huge moment of your childās life and helping them then doesnāt redeem you for leaving them to their own devices for over ten years without a word. He played a minimal role in raising his kids in the couple years he did stay at home with them, then left them to grow up on their own without a dad.
Hohenheim was a good person, and he loved his family so much, but like I said earlier, love alone doesnāt make you a good parent. It requires playing an active role in raising your children, and letās face it: Hohenheim couldnāt do that.
baratheonpilled
gummygunk
