Truth:
"I am what you humans refer to as the world, also
known as the universe, or God, or true knowledge, or all, or one, and I am you.
Welcome, ignorant fool!" -Truth (Chap. 23)
“Fullmetal Alchemist”, is a Japanese manga/animation, created by Hiromu
Arakawa, that has an extensive variety of topics in the philosophical genre,
but for today let us delve into one of the characters: Truth. So many questions
can be asked, and so much more subtleties can be explored, for the vagueness of
this character is solely based on riddles and hidden messages. What I will
attempt to bring here is a clear understanding of what is, who is, why is,
Truth, as well as explore the moral and ethical implication it entails to be Truth.
Could someone become Truth? What actions does Truth take throughout the series
in contrast to the depictions of God on our world? Why does it not show any
favoritism towards our main character, nor sympathy? This will be a character
analysis on the many facets it brings to the plot, furthermore, the nuance it
conveys just by appearing, no doubt it is the most important character to
discuss. Let us analyze.
Firstly, we must address what the Japanese animation/comic
is about. FMA is the story of two brothers in search of the ultimate weapon
known to the alchemist kind: the Philosopher Stone. This stone would bring back
their mother after contracting an illness that caused her death, forcing them
to use their father’s alchemy techniques to revive her. Failing to do so caused
the youngest, Alphonse Elric, to lose his body and the eldest, Edward Elric to
lose his left leg in the hopeless attempt at reviving the dead. Here comes the
first appearance of Truth, bargaining with Edward for his brother’s soul for
his right arm. From then on, they both embark on a journey that they could
never expect, with a finality to comprehend what is existence and the meaning
of life and death.
As well as addressing the series, the character must be
described. Although rarely seen throughout the show, Truth brings the most
impact the moment it is present. It can be described as a blank canvas where we portray
our own ideals, our own thoughts, and our own desires. Physically, it is a
humanoid body, sometimes an orb, mostly sitting with one knee to the chin, the
other on the ground, a big white smile, and no eyes. It resides in a white
environment devoid of anything but a giant door brandishing a Qliphoth,
a Jewish representation of evil or impurity. The door, being dark and black, as
well as its aura, is the only contrast to the purity found in the blank
background, with the white silhouette of Truth.
Now that we know what is, we ought to know who Truth is.
Could be simplified as an arrogant, impartial, and important human aspect that
guards our conceited nature, as well as impart justice. But Truth is more than
that, it is the in-between, the intermediary of life and death, it is the one
who chooses if the exchange is equivalent as it may be. There is a rule that,
in alchemy, everything that is transformed must be equally interchanged, and
death has a price greater than anything else, similarly does life. It impedes
us from playing the game of God, attempting to toy with the lives of others.
Only one being can be all, the one, and the Truth. Identifying such character
is vital to the understanding of the why, along with, the moral and ethical
implication it entails to being said entity.
“Why?” is the fundamental and most asked question in
philosophy, in charge of searching for meaning. But, unfortunately, it is not
so simple to find such an answer in a character like this. You cannot attribute
meaning to a metaphysical concept of life and death, the core structure of
building and destroying. It is, because it is, Truth does not need a reason to
be, nor an explanation to why, there is nothing above it. On the other hand,
Truth is the embodiment of our imagination, therefore, it is based on our
individual wills, emotions, and ambitions towards destiny. Asking why is the
same as questioning our inner desires as a species. This renders any answer,
not useless, but fruitless and meaningless to any specific being, for the
answer is not singular, only multiple.
In another vein, Truth, in the series, is heavily based
on the Judeo-Christian God, the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. A
being of unknown power, residing in a nearly unreachable place, maintaining
balance in the human world. Truth serves one purpose, though, to cast judgment
on those that dare toy with the power of immortality and death and to keep
control of humanities lack of management of their sins and actions. It is the
impartiality Truth conveys that draws attention to all that watch, contrary to
any other God judging on morals, actions, and thoughts. Here is why It does not
favor the main protagonist, nor any character in the series, Truth lays the
fundamental of equivalent exchange with a firm conviction, an unbreakable rule
to sustain humanity.
To solidify this analysis, we must answer the simple
question: can one become Truth? The easy answer should be no, the complicated
one is exemplified by the actions “Father”, a homunculus with the desire to be
the one and only Truth. He searched for the philosopher stone to gain as much
power as one can, as well as immortality, in order to become a God. Evidently,
he failed to do so, for his body rejected the accumulated power he attained,
killing him in the process. Not suiting well with Truth, “Father” is punished
for eternity. The explanation I can provide is that being Truth is not based on
power nor immortality, but sheer existence, as stated in the previous
paragraph, Truth just exists, it is not born.
Impartial and just, Truth is truly one if not, the most
interesting character to analyze in the Fullmetal Alchemist series. All in
all, signaling what, who and why, in addition to motives and ethics, carries an
important role of pseudo-God with no hand in humanity's affairs, unless it
concerns death and living. Truth is the white canvas in which we plaster
ourselves once we die, in short.
"That's
the right answer, alchemist! You have beaten the truth, claim your prize. All
of it!" -Truth (Chap. 108)