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Fullmetal Alchemist Anime Info

Character Bios: Ling Yao

Exclusive to the manga, he is 12th son of the Xingese Emperor. He is 15 years old, although he looks older because he is very tall for his age (much to the dismay of Edward). He is the Yao clan's heir to the throne. Due to the fatal illness of his father, he left his country to find the Philosopher's Stone so it could be used to stablize Xing, as well as to obtain the key to immortality. Although at first Ling is regarded as an annoyance by Edward (due to his habit of always making Ed pay for his meals and following him around), he shows his worth as a very skilled fighter. Despite his seeming indifference and even annoyance towards his servants, he actually does care about them, or at least Ran Fan (he sends Fu back to Xing with Maria Ross). This is also seen when he throws his sword into Envy's torso after Envy grabs Ran Fan's belt, and when he refuses to leave Ran Fan behind after she is injured by Pride (Bradley).

Afterward, Ling devises a plan with the Elrics whereby Ed and Al would lure Scar out to a battle, thus drawing out the Homonculi, who also wish to destroy Scar. Then Ling and Ran Fan would capture one and dissect it, as Ling assumes the regenerative powers of the Homoncunli is pretty close to immortality. They manage to capture Gluttony, but Ran Fan loses her arm in a losing fight against Bradley. They bring Gluttony to a house on the outskirts of town, but when Gluttony sees Mustang (who killed Lust), he assumes his true form and destroys everything in his path to get Roy. Ling and the Elrics stay behind to fight Gluttony while Envy also finds his way into the fray. In the ensuing battle, Gluttony swallows Ling. However, he also swallows Ed and Envy by accident and the three are forced to declare a cease-fire in order to escape the bowels of Gluttony's stomach.

In chapter 54, the Homunculi's father, learning that Yao is a prince, infuses the same Philosopher's Stone he drank from Greed's remains into Ling's body, causing Ling to become the second Greed. Interestingly, although Wrath still remembers parts of his life before he became a homunculus, when Ed asks, "Ling, are you okay?", Greed doesn't know who Ling is.

It has been confirmed that Ling's soul is still present in his body, and is waiting for an opportunity to take over. The first time is when Ed mentions Ran Fan, and the second time is when Führer Bradley (Pride) insults humans, and Ling says "Shut up, don't make light of humans." However, it's not known if Ling will eventually regain control.
-divinedragonking