Still Ed...
Yes the brothers complement each other's immature behaviors we associate with youngness in both the anime and manga. Yes sometimes Al seems to be the older or not and vis versa. However I'm still going with Ed because he's running the show, not Al. Ed is the one who decided they needed to bring back mom/then Al, burn the house, set off on a trip, become a state alchemist, and so forth. Al didn't decide those things, he went along with them. I guess the point I want to make is while Ed is no adult, Al is still following along with his brother. In terms of maturity? Well, lets split that into two things: personality and actions.
Ed: Personality: Younger (maturity) Actions: Older (decision maker)
Al: Personality: Older (maturity), however, has the classic younger brother sterotype in the sense that he's shy most of the time to stand up against Ed's decisions. If you notice, Ed and Al haven't fought that much, and when they did, Al wasn't always the clear winner.
Actions: Younger, lets Ed do the decision making, is much more relaxed and allows Ed to take lead. When separated, Al doesn't do much other than collect information or keep watch over important things.
Ok, so that was a bit hazy but bleh, I know what I know kind of things. Also its harder to tell in the anime, but I think the manga puts Ed clearly in front. He grows up A LOT. Of course both of them are much more mature in the manga, and Al becomes more serious and independent, but its more about losing the fluffiness and becoming more serious about saving people he cares about. |