Human Transmutation and the Fear of Death

We are fragile, we are mortal, we get older and we die! Every living creature knows that this is the life cycle but we are having hard time to accept it. We are afraid from death. We don’t want to die, even though we know it is impossible we are doing everything we can to overcome death. We also miss our loved ones who passed away. If it were possible we would bring them back and this makes us human.

Ed and Al is also couldn’t accept the death of their mother and tried to get her back. In Alchemy human transmutation is forbidden but they wanted to get their mother back so badly, they broke the law and paid the price with their bodies.

It is forbidden because a human is not just a body. Humans also have soul, identity, memory and emotions. That makes every human one of a kind and it is not possible to create a human using Alchemy. Even if it were possible, should it be done?

When we think about it deeper, human transmutation is not just a scientific or alchemical problem, it is also an ethical one. If bringing someone back was possible, would they really be the same person? Or just something that looks like them? This question is what makes the whole idea disturbing. It is not only about breaking a rule, it is about breaking the natural order.

Another important point is the fear behind this action. Ed and Al did not try human transmutation because they were evil or greedy. They did it because they were afraid. Afraid of losing someone they love, afraid of being alone. This makes their mistake more understandable, but also more tragic. Because it shows that even good intentions can lead to terrible consequences.

In real life, we are not doing alchemy but we still try to “defeat” death in different ways. Medicine, technology, even the idea of leaving something behind… all of these are ways to fight against death. But no matter how much we try, there is always a limit. This is something that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood constantly reminds us.

Human transmutation represents the moment when humans try to go beyond that limit. It asks a simple but uncomfortable question: just because we want something, does it mean we should do it?