Philosopher's Stone (Fullmetal Alchemist)
The Philosopher's Stone are artifacts that feature in Fullmetal Alchemist.
Contents |
History
The Philosopher's Stone (Japanese: 賢者の石, Hepburn: Kenja no Ishi) was a substance that could be created by alchemists that could serve as a powerful transmutation amplifier.
Long ago, in the lands of Xerxes, the ailing king sought the secret of life eternal and to become immortal. To achieve this goal, he summoned the alchemist to bring a homunculi to him that had knowledge of this art. The homunculi told the king to create a massive transmutation circle around his kingdom and sacrifice numerous of his people to initiate the process. However, the homunculi betrayed the king as he was similarly sacrificed with the true center being the site where Van Hohenheim held the homunculi. As a result, the Gate of Truth opened with the two survivors transported into it. Both became embedded with a Philosopher's Stone from the people of Xerxes with the homunculi gaining a body that resembled Hohenheim in the process. The homunculi then called itself Father and departed to achieve his goals whilst Hohenheim felt responsible for this turn of events. Records later spoke of a Celestial Stone that was responsible for destroying the city of Xerxes in one night. In reality, the souls of its inhabitants were used to create a Philosophers Stone that became the heart of the Homunculi Envy.
Research into the nature of the Philosophers Stone was being conducted secretly at the Amestrian Fifth Laboratory. As part of his experiments, Father had numerous orphans raised and trained to become the future leader of Amestris. The purpose was creating a human vessel for the last of his Homunculi with this representing his Wrath. Numerous experiments were conducted with each of the subjects perishing as they had the Philosopher's Stone injected into their bodies. This was until one subject managed to survive the process who was the twelfth to undergo such a procedure. The individual was given the name King Bradley and he was to be an agent of Father in ensuring his future plans.
During the war against Ishval, State Alchemist Colonel Solf J. Kimblee was given a Stone for use in the war against that nation's inhabitants. After killing numerous Ishvallans, he was required to give back the Stone to the Amestrian superiors but Kimblee refused whereupon he killed them. This eliminated those aware of the existence of the Stone that he swallowed to hide whilst he was sent to prison.
Envy freed Kimblee and set him to find as well as kill Doctor Markoh who had escaped his imprisonment with the aid of Scar. To aid him on his mission, Envy gave Kimblee a second Philosopher's Stone for the task. In the North, Kimblee offered one of the stones to Edward Alric in exchange for his service to the Fuhrer and elimination of the Ishvallan Scar who was in the region with Dr. Marko. The Xing girl Mai was also faced with a dilemma as she sought the secret of immortality for her clan. However, upon learning the Stones required human souls, she felt like she could not return with this knowledge as Xings ruler would sacrifice countless members of their people in order to become immortal. During a fight with Edward, Kimblee lost one of the stones with Alric offering a chance to surrender until the Crimson Alchemist revealed the second stone that he used to destroy the ground at the mine.
Overview
The final ingredient of the Stone was the souls of human beings. It was for this reason that study into this field was called the Devil's research.
Thus, on appearance, it was seemingly able to ignore the laws of equivalent exchange.
In some cases, it could be used to transform an ordinary into a Homunculi hybrid. Such individuals went through the biological aging process of a human being but the enhanced traits of a Homunculi such as rapid healing. This occurred when a distilled Philosopher's Stone was injected into a host body where the human experienced incredibly pain as the Stone destroyed and then regenerated their body. In the majority of cases, those subjected to such a process died but some were able to survive and being a Homunculi.
The recuperative powers of a stone could be exceeded by powerful repeated attacks that can kill a Homunculi. Such was the case with Lust who was burnt to death by Colonel Mustang. A Philosopher's Stones power could be taxed to even prevent instant healing such as when Gluttony did not recover immediately following being repeatedly killed by Scar.
Notes
- The Philosopher's Stone was created by Hiromu Arakawa where it featured in the setting of the Fullmetal Alchemist universe.
- It was based on the mythical Philosopher's Stone.
In other media
Television
- In Fullmetal Alchemist, the Philosopher's Stone appeared in the setting of the 2003 anime television series adaptation. It was said to not really be a liquid with it being called the Sage's Stone, the Celestial Stone, the Great Elixir, the Red Teacher and as the Next Element. A poor imitation of the Philosophers Stone was shown that was called the Red Stone that was a theoretical solid pumped full of alchemic catalysts with this refined red water under a few mega tonnes of pressure till it was turned to stone. Red Stone manufacturing was a toxic material that made people suck upon exposure though this material was vital in the creation of the Stone. They afforded their user the ability to conduct alchemical abilities like those of a Philosophers Stone but we're actually inferior.
- In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the Philosopher's Stone appeared in the setting of the 2009 anime television series adaptation.
Films
- In Fullmetal Alchemist, the Philosopher's Stone appeared in the setting of the 2017 live-action film.
Video games
- In Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir, the Philosopher's Stone appeared in the setting of the role-playing video game.
Gallery
Human souls distilled to make a Stone.
Appearances
- Fullmetal Alchemist:
External Links
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