human transmutation fullmetal alchemist tattoo

Truth is God in the sense that he possesses infinite knowledge, including that of alchemy, world history and much, much more. Any who attempt human transmutation are teleported through their own personal Gate of Truth (which allows one to perform alchemy) and brought before the being after whom the gate is named. The punishment for human transmutation is severe, not just because it goes against the law of equivalent exchange, but also because defying this law means that a human has effectively attempted to play God, God in Fullmetal Alchemist being Truth. The toll will be exacted even if the taboo is committed unintentionally or against ones will, as Roy Mustang is robbed of his sight despite being forced to perform human transmutation by Father and the Homunculus. Rebounds exact a toll from the committer of the taboo in order to rebalance the exchange: Alphonse loses his body and Edward loses a leg when attempting to revive their mother, Edward also loses an arm when bonding Alphonse's soul to the suit of armor and Izumi Curtis is robbed of numerous organs after attempting to revive her baby. If human transmutation is performed, the alchemist responsible pays a heavy price, as bartering for a soul of infinite value with materials of finite value causes the alchemic equation to be thrown off balance, causing a rebound.

This doesn't stop alchemists from trying though, as sometimes the pain of losing a loved one overrides logic. Fullmetal Alchemist establishes that the value of a human soul is unquantifiable, and as something cannot be created without an object of equal value being lost, something possessing infinite value can never be equally exchanged for.

Human transmutation fullmetal alchemist tattoo