Fullmetal Alchemist is a story of two brothers who know what it is to have each other’s backs when all the world does is demand. Hiromu Arakawa, the mangaka behind the series, grew up with the understanding of equivalent exchange. According to Newton’s third law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The laws of equivalent exchange apply heavily even in alchemy. It is all about the give and take of nature. Alchemy is about maintaining balance in the world. Combining nature and science into one big experiment and creating something entirely new out of it. It is all about trial and error, but most importantly, it is about respect and sacrifice. For two brothers who were ready to sacrifice their own selves for their mother, alchemy was a dark art.
Fullmetal Alchemist Tests a Brother’s Love
In a theory proposed by a user on Reddit, Fullmetal Alchemist tests Edward and Alphonse’s sacrifices not just in the way alchemy takes from them but in the way they can give to it. In the need to bring their mother back, the Elric brothers sacrifice their leg and body respectfully. However, the former gains an astonishing knowledge of alchemy in the process. At the same time, he also sacrifices his arm to bring Alphonse’s soul back but instead in body armor.
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, … Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions by John Donne
As per the theory, the Truth tested its own limits in making the brothers choose what to sacrifice for each other. Alphonse, being the kind-hearted person that he is, chose only to give up Edward’s leg. The same, however, could not be said for the latter. He was willing to give up his brother’s entire body in the process of bringing their mother back. It wasn’t their own choice but an act of chance, it was the other’s choice instead.
Guilt-ridden, Edward works towards bringing Alphonse’s soul back. In his fight against Father in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Edward sacrifices his ability to perform alchemy. For something that has been shown so deliberately as important, as his knowledge is sacrificed, Alphonse’s soul and body reunite into one.
The Rules of Equivalent Exchange
The Truth sees Human Transmutation to be against any laws of alchemy and thus demands a high price for the same. Metaphysics is the philosophy that studies deeper into the meaning of reality and what could lie in its understanding. Edward’s ultimate sacrifice was of his alchemy, something he gained around the same time Alphonse lost his body. Giving it back essentially also undid the alchemic transformation that took place.
It wasn’t some ace up his sleeve that brought back his brother’s body but fair trade. The Truth is all about equivalent exchange and maintaining the rules of alchemy. Maintaining balance comes with making such full and fair trades. Edward giving up something he found himself so obsessed with gave way to the possibility of Alphonse’s own body being returned to him. It wasn’t the latter’s sacrifice but the former’s. He was the one who made such a difficult decision and he was the one who was able to undo it just as well.
Hiromu Arakawa’s work has always been about respecting the rules of equality, if everyone is equal in the eye of alchemy then so should their deeds be. Edward had a hand in turning his brother into a living armor. However, he was just as much response for turning him back. One sacrifice for another, the brothers always stick together and would do anything for each other, even if it meant to give up their most important parts.
