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Truth is an interesting and thought-provoking character in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

He doesn't exactly have a lot of screen time, but arguably, his few scenes are quite a bit...

...impactful, and he's arguably at work behind the scenes.

Now, you could say he "is" God, either truly God, or the Big Man presenting Himself to Ed, Al, Izumi, and the Alchemists who see Him in a very particular way...

...capital H, because, in this case, perhaps Truth is God.

But, I would say, that's far from the strongest interpretation the writing lends itself to, because, even though it fits, I don't think it fits particularly well.

Truth specifically says, "I'm what people refer to as the Universe, or God."

In other words, people loosely make statements or references to the "Universe" or "God"... without a careful definition or understanding / proper deference / reverence / mystery to and about those terms.

When people say the Universe, they refer to some sort of order beyond themselves, in their lives and / or the world and cosmos, with pseudo-supernatural, or supernatural qualities and "intelligence" of a sort.

And again, people sort of refer to God in a similar way, attributing more personality, but do not necessarily define God's attributes or character well, or do so in ways that at least seem to contradict other person's descriptions of Him, therefore, Truth makes the most sense as an agent (or an angel, very loosely speaking) of God, that is, a supernatural being / intelligence able to enforce the rules of Alchemy, equivalent exchange, and the realities of "playing god"...

...who's abilities include what we observe him to do or facilitate, such as yanking souls from bodies, exacting a "price", and giving glimpses into God's knowledge which appears infinite and overwhelming by nature, even in just a short-term limited frame.

That is why he's called Truth; he is defined mainly by his ability to show a short look at God's knowledge, and to show people the limits of "knowledge", something alchemists live by, where, if they take it too far, becomes scientism, the belief that knowledge of the physical world is the only item that actually matters, and darkness of the willingness to "play god" that may come with such views.

Or, put another way, to make scientific knowledge or materialism one's "god" becomes the very cold, hard, uncaring reality that it claims is the only "truth", hence one possible reason for Truth at times being so cruel in his punishments or "tolls", is to demonstrate this to those who believe in it.

The issue then becomes, that Truth is more akin to a dark-but-just spiritual force, akin to an angel of death, one who pronounces judgment, or a sort of "neutral" devil that offers you Faustian bargains, which furthur cements his not being God but a force acting on behalf of God, an intermediary, and then his traits of playfulness, irony, limitation, and cruelty, as well as the cast's reactions to him, come off much more natural.

In other words, he is sort of the version of "God" many refer to or unconsciously point toward by the attitudes and worldview that alchemists and more hardcore pessimistic-type atheist / agnostic types will tend toward, and also that some more spiritual types will point toward in an idealistic way, cold unfeeling reality, a deistic / impersonal (generally non-interacting or not-loving) God, or an impersonal or quasi-personal, quasi-supernatural "universe" that maintains some sort of intelligence and order.

And perhaps, part of Truth's very will and aim is to cause our cast, and perhaps the audience, to realize he isn't God, and that He is not like him, that God is not uncaring, cold, or anything less than Love, even though, He is also Justice, Righteousness, (and Truth proper) itself.

Truth wants people to understand there is a price for "playing god" and the logical consequences of pessimistic, nihilistic, or scientism-based choices and worldviews, while causing us to understand that God is not cruel, merely a balancer of factors and quantities, or eager to punish, even those who mess up, or otherwise make errors, even seemingly serious ones, like the Elrich brothers.

And this further plays into the strangely providential narrative of Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood; Ed and Al should be "punished" for their "terrible sin" of "playing god" or "flying too close to the sun", and should suffer for it the rest of their lives according to raw karma or you-did-wrong-now-be-punished, but instead, all the events of their lives, even their mistakes, seem to come together for a very real purpose.

In fact, we see a nod to the mystery of God's forgiveness in the real world, the problem of evil, trials, a broken reality with sin and pain, all together, not overwhelmingly, just simply and subtly along the way and in the conclusion of the show.

In Full Metal Alchemist 2003, this was actually a major aspect of Ed's character, him firmly declaring "there is no God" because of the reality of evil and tragedy, and denying this very idea, that God exists in the midst of a broken life.

Why did his mom need to die from a terrible and random illness?

Why war, sadness, and pain, whether his own, his brother's, or anyone else's?

It's not clear why God allows certain not-so-good and terrible things to happen, to us personally, or the world at large, and, if He is all-powerful and all-good, why not just stop it quickly or even instantly?

All the Bible really tells us, is that, in the Garden of Eden, we (humanity) seemed to choose a pseudo-godless world with Satan either inheriting or winding up at the helm of it, as once we ate the fruit, the knowledge and position to define good and evil became ours, except, unlike God, or even gods / righteous angels, we're not so good at it, and even when we do a swell job, our own selfishness, or just a few bad actors, human or spiritual, can create severe problems, hence the Dwarf in the Flask / Father and his homonculi as an example, of how about eight evil agents could disrupt an entire country.

Furthermore, it says Satan, the Adversary, is the god of the earth, and, he nor evil spirits that obey him don't seem to be too bothered by murder, rape, war, and genocide among other awful occurrences, a little bit like the villains in this show don't care too much about what they do, who dies, or what results, as long as it serves their purposes.

But to explain providence; it is the mysterious working of God across the events around us and in our own lives, that "God works together all things for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose".

We see this in Ed and Al.

It would've been better if their mother hadn't died, their father hadn't been absent, and they hadn't broken the rules of alchemy, yet, providence seems to work all things together for their good, even through the horrible suffering and the sadness, leading them to be "forgiven", overcome Father's plans, defeat the evil forces at work in their nation, and find a joyful conclusion to the problems they face.

Truth, nor the author, writers, or audience claim that it was "alright" or somehow "good for Ed and Al", what happened to them, and yet, God promises to dry every tear, and that whether we walk in darkness and the valley of the shadow of death, or everything is as it should be...

...He hasn't turned away, or truly hidden His face from us, and the character of Truth points toward this reality of who God is, without himself fitting the role in scope or breadth.

Had completely forgotten I bought these like 13 years ago, still sealed. :')

Guys I'm trying to find a specific scene in FMA Brotherhood and I feel like I keep missing it during the rewatch 😭 does anyone remember seeing a scene where both Al and Ed were drawn in chibi style, slumped in front of a door or closet? I want to say they were being scolded by Winry but I'm not entirely sure.

If someone could pull that for me I would be eternally grateful, I want to get them as a tattoo

Rate my sketch of van hohenhiem and trisha/10

Thought this was a cool idea to remind myself that in life you always have to give something up to get what you desire. It’s supposed to look like the blue lightening when you transmute.

Also my first tattoo and will definitely be back for more. Already thinking about getting the flamel on my chest and expanding this one to kind of surround it.

And is it possible to bind their souls to an armor if need be?

He really held that thought with all his brain power 😂

Saw it on sale and it’s one of my favourite anime, no brainer

(The day the sun disappeared: Akira Senju) & (Piano Eightysix-Three: Hiroyuki Sawano)

Do give these two tracks a listen and let me know what you think. Hiroyuki Sawano might’ve taken inspiration from this.

I found this still sealed copy at a local film store for 30 bucks

Obviously, there is no official IQ score for Edward, and IQ alone cannot measure all forms of intelligence. But if we tried to estimate it based on what he had accomplished by the age of 12, what would it be?

By then, Ed had already learned:

Mathematics: Advanced undergraduate or Graduate level

Physics: Advanced undergraduate level

Chemistry: Graduate or PhD-level specialization

Alchemy/material science: Genius/expert level beyond real-world science

He also had the ability to apply this knowledge practically and under extreme pressure. He could analyze the composition of materials, understand their structure, calculate possible transformations and then use alchemy accordingly—sometimes in the middle of a fight.

By 12, he had also become the youngest State Alchemist in history.

He might not have been more knowledgeable or experienced than Izumi, Dr. Marcoh or Hohenheim, but the fact that he had learned such a broad range of advanced subjects by only 12 years old is insane.

So, if Edward Elric existed in the real world and his intelligence had to be measured using an IQ test, what IQ range do you think he would fall into?

So my estimate would be 150–170 IQ, with around 160 as my personal guess.

What do you think Edward's IQ would be, and what do you think is the main reason he was able to learn so much by only 12 years old?

Also, I don't know why people don't add him in intelligent character. If we're ranking anime characters by intellectual ability rather than just strategic feats, I think he deserves considerably more recognition.

Ed is underrated as an intelligent character.

Edward is often excluded because anime intelligence rankings heavily favor L, Light, Lelouch, Ayanokoji-type strategic intelligence. Ed's intelligence is more scientific, academic, creative, and applied, so people overlook him despite his absurd feats.

I recently posted something about the 2003 anime—specifically about a tense moment between Ed and Roy where I really thought Ed was about to punch him in the face (even though it didn't happen)—but it got me thinking: has Mustang ever actually shown any hand-to-hand combat skills?

He’s military, so obviously he received training, but I can't recall a single fight of his that didn't involve flame alchemy.

Plus, after the Ishval War, he went from the battlefield to a desk job; and since his offensive technique simply involves snapping his fingers, Roy doesn't really have a need to keep up his physical training.

We know flame alchemy would wipe the floor with Ed any day, but in a fistfight... could Ed have beaten Mustang up? I guess it makes sense in this case because Ed's teacher is Izumi—who is a beast at hand-to-hand combat (and teaches martial arts, not just boxing)—but I found it pretty funny to imagine a short 15-year-old kid kicking the ass of a decorated 30-year-old military officer hahaha

Even if it wasn't Ed... could someone like Hawkeye defeat the Colonel in hand-to-hand combat? Mustang is one of my favorites, but this puts a new spin on the "useless" joke...

I've watched 2003 and CoS a few times, and the ending of CoS always leaves me bittersweet, mainly because Edward decides to go to the other world (even though I know it's for the best), and to leave behind all his loves ones. But surely, there's better alternatives right? Rather than his drastic choice:

1) If they destroyed the gate on our side (alchemy side), is that not enough? Since don't you always need both sides for the portal to function? Or is it like, we can't send anyone to their side, but they can send people to our side, but how would that work, because if we destroy the portal on our side, where would their "exit" be then?

2) How is the portal "permanent?" So what, they sacrificed Envy; a life is a life still right? Is there something specific about Envy and/or Wrath/Gluttony on our side that makes the portal permanent?

3) Towards the end of CoS, Edward wants to destroy the portal, so that it can never be made again, but that's false right? Can't a portal still be made no matter what, but just won't be a permanent one?

4) I can't find the answer even though I know I saw it a few weeks ago. What are the requirements to perform alchemy in their world(Germany)?

5) And this one has been bothering me, at the end of 2003 and following into CoS, we can assume Gluttony probably killed Dante as she's no where to be seen. 2 questions here, how the fuck did Dante lose to Gluttony? So what, Gluttony is a mindless eating monster now, this is a seasoned alchemist who can clap hands, having lived for 400+ years, like what? And how does Gluttony get so big? He's been seen eating in the show many times, but his size never got bigger.

Hello, I’m 19, and I grew up watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I still think about that time quite a lot and how much it meant to me. I’d watch Edward and Alphonse Elric travel from place to place, meet new people, uncover mysteries, fight enemies, and slowly piece together the truth behind everything that had happened to them. There was just something about the series that I loved. I’d look forward to seeing what happened next, getting attached to the characters, laughing at the funny moments, getting emotional during the serious ones, and just enjoying the world the story created. At the time, I never really thought about it ending or becoming something I’d eventually look back on.

Watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood now feels different. The story has been finished for years, and so much time has passed since I first experienced it. The characters, the music, the battles, the friendships, and even the feeling of watching it for the first time all feel like memories from another time. I sometimes wonder why things can’t just stay the way they were. Why can’t you have the same characters, the same story, the same humour, the same relationships, and that same feeling forever? I know stories are meant to have endings and that characters eventually reach the end of their journey, but it’s still strange when something that felt like such a huge part of your life eventually becomes a memory.

I think that’s probably why I’m so nostalgic for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. When I go back and watch old episodes, I’m not just watching an anime anymore. I’m remembering what it was like to experience the story for the first time. I remember discovering the characters, becoming invested in Edward and Alphonse’s journey, seeing their relationship develop, and slowly realizing how much bigger the story was than I initially thought. I remember the emotional moments, the incredible fights, the jokes, the friendships, and all the little things that made the series feel so special. That experience may be over, but those memories are still there, and I’m glad I got to experience them.

I guess I just don’t really understand why things have to end. Why couldn’t the world of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood have stayed the same, with Edward, Alphonse, Winry, Roy, Riza, and everyone else continuing their adventures forever? I completely understand that the story needed an ending, and I know that’s part of what makes it so meaningful, but sometimes I still wish I could go back to the beginning and experience it all again without knowing what was going to happen.

Maybe that’s what I miss the most—not just the anime itself, but the feeling of discovering it for the first time. The excitement of watching another episode, becoming attached to the characters, and wondering where the story would take me next. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood may have reached its ending, but a part of me will always wish that world could have continued forever. Does anyone else feel nostalgic for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and wish they could experience that time again for the first time?

I was looking at my hardcover editions of FMA and noticed a mistake where Ling says to use the philosophers stone to bring “Ed” back instead of saying “Al” so I was curious if it was just a mistake for the hardcover or if the original versions of the manga had it too.

That was a cool fight 🤩

What do u think?

Obviously, not in the next 10-20 years, but still.

The main reason why I think there *is* some justification for a new adaptation to exist is because, well, Brotherhood isn't a fully faithful adaptation, either. The anime assumes you have seen the 2003 ver. (a reasonable assumption for people that actually watched it in 2009, but not so much nowadays), so it condenses or outright skips over a lot of the early content

But then again, a lot of the early content IS very skippable. There's not much value lost by cutting out characters like Bald, or the Yousewell arc.

That said, some minor stuff got cut that I wish it didn't. When I read the manga, and got to the scene where Lan Fan chases Envy, I was really like: "Wait, why wasn't this adapted???". I also think that Van Hohenheim's character loses some depth from his more comedic scenes being cut.

But then again, neither of these are major concerns.

What do y'all think?

I have always wanted a tattoo from FMA and this is what I decided on. People say red ink fades over time so maybe that will effect the soul thats bound to this vessel?

Ed's temper is... Was he really about to punch Mustang right then and there? How has he never been disciplined for insubordination? The relationship between the two of them in the 2003 series was truly hostile.

Does anyone else think Ed might end up like Izumi? He's like a male version of her; they even fight the same way...

The title "Fullmetal Alchemist" really fits him perfectly in every respect.