![]() ![]() The human villains were physically so, yet performed inhuman actions. plays God - all fitting villains for an anime with a strong pro-human narrative. Inhuman AntagonistsĮvery main antagonist in this story is either against humanity, or does something against the natural order, i.e. Humans create therefore, we are a worthy species. This is one of the reasons why homunculi and humanity are foils, with the narrative portraying homunculi negatively, while praising humanity. You may think you’ve reached a perfect state of being, but in truth all you’ve reached is a dead end!” “You insist on treating humans as a lower life form, but don’t you see? Only through them can a philosopher’s stone be created, and only through a stone can a homunculus arise, but what does a homunculus produce? What do you create? Creation is all, and you’ve done nothing but destroy. Homunculi cannot create, only destroy, as Hohenheim tells Father: Homunculi are artificial humans, created and powered by philosopher’s stones, which, in itself, are created with human souls. That’s how unique and priceless they are … and only humans can create them.Īrakawa also uses creation as a means to contrast the homunculi with humanity. Human souls are also the only thing an alchemist can use to bypass the laws of equivalent exchange - that’s how powerful they are. ![]() Human transmutation always fails because, in order to do it successfully, the alchemist must give something of equal value … but that’s impossible, as there is nothing equivalent to a human soul. ![]() Chimeras are created with alchemy, and the narrative constantly stresses how horrific the concept is, and when an alchemist attempts to perform human transmutation - the act of creating another human via alchemy - it always results in half-formed monsters. People are awesome.”Īlchemy cannot create life, and when it tries, it results in nothing but abominations. “Alchemists have worked for centuries, and we’re still not able to do that - a person creating another person. Ed reflects on this when witnessing the birth of a baby: True creation is the one thing alchemy could never do, but humans can, and the narrative uses this as a reason to praise humanity. This is called the law of equivalent exchange, and it is something the Truth seemed to put in place so that humans could not “play God.” By giving humans alchemy, the Truth allows humans to manipulate what has already been created, but not to create something from nothing. Alchemy allows humans to step outside of their natural bounds, so long as they have something of equal value to give in return. The ability to do this is given to humans by the Truth, the god of their universe. In Arakawa’s world, alchemy is a science that allows the alchemist to reshape matter in pretty much any way they see fit. Arakawa’s writing is an ode to humanity in various ways, and each element ties her message together perfectly. One theme that seems to be the meaning of the story: humanity, and the precious, beautiful simplicity of our existence. religion, politics, the effects of war…īut there is one theme she conveys in nearly every breath of her writing. The story of two brothers trying to reclaim what they’ve lost could have been a simple enough tale, but Hiromu Arakawa riddled her interpretation of this premise with complex themes such as science vs. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an anime known for its unique world, fantastic animation, compelling characters, brilliant writing, and insightful themes that leave an impact on its viewers. ![]()
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