Fullmetal Alchemist is "just" a fantasy, and its alchemy is made up... except when it isn't. Hiromu Arakawa researched the European alchemical tradition extensively when developing the series, and it shows! From the diagrams on characters' Gates of Truth, to the principles of microcosm and macrocosm--from Jung's psychological alchemy and Shadow archetype to the way the series is structured, images and concepts from alchemy abound in both the manga and Brotherhood. So sit down, learn a little real-world alchemy, and see how it was used in the series--we promise you won't have to survive on an island for a month first!
