Games - Gate of Alchemy

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	Games - Gate of Alchemy

The Gate of Alchemy or Gate of Truth is a fictional metaphysical construct integral to the plot of the anime Fullmetal Alchemist
. The Gate is the source of all alchemic energy, often exemplified by the light of an alchemic transmutation. It bears a striking resemblance to Auguste Rodin's "The Gates of Hell". It is depicted as a large, black, two-doored gate that is variable in height and typically suspended in a white void.

Nature of the Gate

In the anime

The Gate seems to not be any particular location but rather a dimensional rift to be entered; Dante stated during her confrontation with Hohenheim of Light that an entrance to the Gate exists in every human soul since birth. As people age, the Gate's presence within them is weakened. However, there are certain uses of alchemy that bring a person directly to the "Gate of Alchemy". Those who call upon the Gate, or are sacrificed to reach it, usually lose a portion of their body that is drawn within it by the creatures who inhabit the Gate. These small, black creatures of unknown origin serve to regulate passage through the Gate, and they can reach outside of it by extending their string-like arms. These creatures can be circumvented by a well-trained alchemist or by an object traveling faster than they can control.

The Gate also contains what is referred to as the "Truth", which is an inconcievable amount of knowledge about alchemy. It is bestowed upon all those who manage to access the Gate. Not all of this knowledge is always immediately retrievable from memory afterwards, but the knowledge gained includes the methods for binding a soul to an object through a Blood Seal, as well as being able to transmute alchemy without the use of physical transmutation circles. (The alchemist can actually create a circle within themselves by envisioning it in their minds and then activating it with the touching of their limbs; the most common example is a clap of their hands.) The "Truth" even seems to be transferrable to Homunculi, as the Homunculus Wrath was able to perform alchemy without "circles" through his experience within the Gate (and by using the arm and leg of Edward Elric that the creatures of the Gate took from him during his attempt at transmuting his deceased mother).

Ultimately, the Gate of Alchemy is the doorway to a parallel world (Earth), which is identical to the world of Amestris except for the nonexistance of alchemy (which caused a significantly different course of history to develop).

In the manga

Like in the anime, the "Truth" exists at the Gate, but rather than being a part of the Gate itself, it originates from an entity (some call it "God" or "the World"). This being, who is featureless save for a frightening grin, meets alchemists who have attempted human transmutation and end up in front of the Gate. For a "toll" (a body part), the entity reveals to the alchemist a portion of the "Truth"; the more that is sacrificied, the more that is revealed. After the transacation, the being gains the body part (or parts) that are taken, and is usually seen grinning as the alchemist is flung back into the real world.

The Homunculus Gluttony was designed by Father as an attempt to access to the Gate, but instead is merely an imitation; a "fake" Gate. When Gluttony gets incredibly angry, he can transform into his true form, which consists of his chest opening up into a large, dark void that bears a similar single eye to the one that the true Gate possessed. It is this void where everything he consumes remains. The only way to escape from Gluttony's void is through the true Gate.

Functions of the Gate

In the anime

The Gate is the basis for alchemy in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist. The energy of alchemy (required to at least decompose and rebuild matter) in the world of Amestris is generated by the souls of deceased humans traveling through the Gate from Earth. If accessed properly, the Gate can also be used for the living to travel from one world to the other. Furthermore, the Gate serves to bestow the "Truth" to those who open it.

In the manga

The functions of the Gate of Alchemy in the manga are similar to that of the anime, but there is no mention of an alternate world existing beyond the Gate that allows for the existence of the souls necessary for the energy of alchemy in the world of Amestris.

Summoning the Gate

In the anime

Alchemists can directly summon the Gate by at least three methods: attempting human transmutation; activating the appropriate transmutation circle on an infant--whose mind/body/soul are still connected in the child's youth, allowing the Gate to be called more easily--and sacrificing all or part of a human or Homunculus; and by sacrificing humans or Homunculi on the proper transmutation circle.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Gate of Alchemy ]

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