Elixirology was known for more five tomes. And Scar was here too, who proved to be a lot more dangerous than May. His alchemy too wasn't affected by Father.



She saved dozens of people in that mine, you wold think she deserved some kind of respect and gratitude.



She was their last hope, after all. The Chang clan isn't a wealthy clan like the Yao clan, so she couldn't afford a family of trained bodyguards.



It seems to me that little Envy must feel really frustrated in that little jar of him, thinking that she would take him directly to Father... but apparently she is doing things her way, and little Envy has to wait, discovering that she isn't so easy to manipulate.

I disliked Mei when she first came, too. In fact, for a while, she was the first and only character in FMA that I hated.

She, like you said, came out of nowhere and suddenly was so powerful. This annoyed me.

Then I started to get to know her.

Her powers have been explained, and her powers have a lot to do with how to defeat FatherDude. Hoho Papa is in on it, too. She's not the only one.

Even though she seemed like a whiney kid to me at first, she grew on me because she turned out to be willing to help and work for what she wanted. She worked hard for what she believed in and treated everyone kindly.

As for the whole Al thing, I'm sure her childish fantasies are what got her to like him - in fact, that part is positive. She's been traveling with him for quite a while now, though, and has begun to talk to him and begin to get to know him, and after spending all this time with him, she still likes him. Even though he's not in a human form, I'm sure that it's not only the image of what he has the potential of being that'll keep her around. It doesn't seem possible for someone to like someone else purely on a product of their imagination. At this point, I think she cares about him enough as Al that once he gets his body back *crosses fingers* that she'll help nurse him back to health.

As for the miners, I'm with what Sannom said. Besides, they hated Ed because he was part of the military. They were open and friendly to Al always. Ed needed to gain their respect because of who he worked for. Mei was from a third party, and therefore harmless to them, like Al had been.

Great defense of Mei! I couldn't have said it better myself! Mei's one of my favorite characters. I didn't think people even minded Mei but I guess everyone has a character that they dislike.

Yeah, when SHE introduced it. I was hoping that the way to defeat Father would be developed by, you know, the heroes of the story.


Scar was more dangerous than the little pink princess! Nowai. I'm deeply shocked. At least she rescued him later, so we can adore her even though she's got such minor drawbacks.



This argument is so wrong it's hard to describe.
That's the point, isn't it? Ed had to use his brain and work for this respect and she just has her alchemy so awesome she doesn't even need to actually be at the scene! It's in the definition of Mary Sue that she is suppossed to deserve uhm, respect and gratitude, for something that doesn't cost her a thing. She cures cancer and farts butterflies, show her some respect! She saved thousands of people and didn't even destroy her hairdo and then gave everyone a pony, why aren't you grateful you ungrateful brat, she's so much better than you!1!

Give me a break, that's not how you write characters.


Bodyguard? I meant someone older than ten years old. Where is she from, Neverland?


Uhm, but she just proved she is... or am I reading different manga?


I know, but it annoys me that the only two people who can use this kind of weapon are: Hohenheim, a couple of centuries old master in alchemy, who was there when both kinds of alchemy was practically created, who have power of free souls and motivation to develop his skills...

and the pink princess.


She's like ten. And have virtues like Ghandi.


I don't like this idea. Not at all. 'Lolita' doesn't even begin to describe the image I got.


Well, yeah. I didn't like that the first thing they did was compare her to Ed. Ed's smart, she's ~~miraculous~~. Please no compare.


Sorry if I offended anyone, I didn't meant to. I like to defend the characters I love and bash those I dislike

There's one thing I like in Mei, and that's actually her childish crushes on her own imaginary boys. It actually fits her age and makes her believeable and not some goddess pastede on yay.

Actually, because the brothers are like completely unable to understand that alchemy, I don't think this is the way to defeat Father.



She is an alchemist who doesn't work for the state : that's enough. She saved a lot of lives too.



She is the heir to the Chang clan, and more likely the most powerful of her clan (if she wasn't, she would have bodyguards). The others must be too old or not good enough with sword to engage themselves in such a trip. Plus she has a responsibility, just like Lin Yao.



She decided to stay and help Amestris. She wanted to do this before. Envy thinks he has succeed to "talk" to her greed, I'm personaly sure he "talked" to her heart and convinced her to stay and help the people; She won't get to the enemy all alone.



She is naive and kind. Al without the experience if you prefer.

I do feel it might be... Hoho will most probably use it ad it IS something Father can't turn out so why do you think it's not-so-important if there's another person who can use it?

Besides, Ed has never tried using Elixirology (nobody told him how) - and anyway - has he even heard what it is? And Al I think could use it if he had his natural body, as I think Xingese alchemy is like bioenergy, acupuncture and such, a tin can can't work it. Why do you think the brothers "are completely unable to understand" it? There's nothing to back it up. There are not untalented - Ed used and survived forbidden human transmutation ot once but four times! He learned a lot, and sacrificed even more in process. I hate it they are considered mediocre and dumb compared to Mei who was apparently born with speshul powers, unless she learnt it at school instead of reading and counting to ten, giving her age.

That would be ok if she, as a character, deserved to be an alchemist able to save many lives with a wave of her hand.

She's ten AND important. In normal world, she'd be the last to be send on such a journey. But she IS little pink Chuck Norris.

He talked to her ego and convinced her she's staying to help. She did as he wanted her to, because she thinks she's powerful and good hearted. Adults who told her to go home are probably dumb and should respect her more, so she'll do as homunculus tells her to, because he understand how great she is.

No, she's bringing them reinforcements.


Al have complex personality in addition to those. She's got super powers instead.

I think it's because they're scientists. I believe that Elixirology is not based on equations and math, but on feelings and beliefs, as opposed to Alchemy. May must have been in that field of work since she is very young, and the way she learned it must be completely different. Elixirology uses only one circle and can actually stop at decomposition (even biological decomposition), something that most alchemists can't do. The way she describes Elixirology to Al, that power seems to be deeply linked with the "ki" or "life force" they talk about. All Xingese know of that life force and can sense it. May went further and learned to manipulate it. How can Al and Ed, who doesn't know anything about Ki, use Elixirology? I'm sure they have difficulties to believe in the concept, as scientists, so how can they seriously learn to manipulate it?



Remember : they're desperate. The poorest, weakest clan of all. Apparently, it's considered as the root of all evil by the Yao clan. If ever Lin becomes emperor of Xing, I wonder what would happen to the Chang clan.



She must have learned it in the same time she learned to read, write and count (and i think she is 12, not 10). Elixirology is not about concepts or science, it's about manipulating something every Xingese seem to know about. If she is just a little bit gifted, she can learn how to manipulate it easily after that.

Alchemy is hardly scientific... even if it's equivalent to our technology in their world. The difference between alchemy and elixirology is very little - they merely use different fuel to activate transmutation. Ed have used limbs twice, his lifespam once and souls of Xerxenians once, why do you think "ki" or "life force" is so beyond his knowledge if he discovered the other fuels himself? He can also stop transmutation at decomposition.

I repeat, we don't know if they can use it. Ed didn't have a chance to try and Al doesn't hava a body, which I'm sure is necessary to perform it. With his empathetic nature I'm certain he'd master it very fast.

I could stomach it if people of Xing had just power of detection life force and even using it to fuel transmutation. What I don't like is that it's long-range (unnecessary), immune to Father's power (makes the villain practically defeated by an outside force) and doesn't need any sacrifice and apparently knowlegde or experience (boring and unsatisfying). It's totally out of the cerefully constructed logic of the manga, the main theme of equivalent exchange, it's allmighty, unstoppable, and surprising to all enemies. AND the person who uses it is annoying brat with Mary Sue qualities who is otherwise absolutely uninteresting and unrealistic character.

How can the weakest clan be considered the root of all evil? Unless they're all like Children of Corn, Rosemary's babies and such.

That's another Mary Sue trait: they're oh so being laughed at for being weak, yet their toddlers fight dozens of chimeras at once! Come on, it's one or another. Emo crap.

I agree. Still, elixirology is too powerful for the manga's standards, it was introduced too late and Mei is too unimportant to be the only person beside Hoho who can use it.

Alchemy uses a lot more of signs to determine the materials used in the transmutation, and the shape you want to give to the thing transmuted. Elixirology just needs one circle, and the knives.



Okay, first elixirology is perharps long-range, but you still need to throw the knives at the place where you want the transmutation to take place : it's a drawback. Second, why should elixirology need any sacrifice??? Alchemy doesn't need sacrifices! You need sacrifices to transmutate without a circle, that's not the case of elixirology! Finally, I'm not sure you can use this kind of thing without knowledge : May must know some medical stuff to heal injuries, and she still needs to know what she's transmuting.



It was never stated that Elixirology doesn't follow the rule of equivalent exchange. Actually, I'm sure it does, since May said that Elixirology cannot create a thing out of thin air, in that case an arm or a body.



How is it "too powerful"??? Okay, just because it can be used against Father? That's not a difference in power, it's a difference in nature. Scar's arm too use elixirology, he never seemed to be unstoppable by any standarts!

Doesn't mean alchamy is scientific - merely more demanding. Those who use it are not close minded, they need to be intelligent and better educated. The person who uses elixirology doesn't need anything.

How is it drawback if twelve years old can do it perfectly? Unless she's very special, but it's not the kind of argument I'd want to hear.

Maybe I mixed it with anime, but I thought transmutation needs some kind of fuel. In anime it was lives of people from our world, in elixirology they use the natural flow in the ground, and what Xing poeple sense underneath Amestris must be lives of people who were killed there, something that Father controls. Human transmutation needs much bigger sacrifice though, bodies or souls of living people.

It is wonderful that alchemists of Amestris can learn to use alchemy using the Xingese natural flow, but for now, looks like it's the only weapon against Father and the only people who can use it are Hoho and Mei.

Mei is no Doogie Howser

Yup, exactly. It's also long-range and even kids can use it.


We're talking about the mass murderer of best of their kind, state alchemists, aren't we? And he's only deconstructing, if I'm not mistaken. AND he really risked his life to find Mei's panda, dammit

I think the "people as fuel" was only in the anime. In the manga, didn't they say alchemists used energy from the Earth's crust to fuel their transmutations? Regardless, transmuting requires fuel of some kind, be it Renkinjutsu or Rentanjutsu.

P.S. Kryanka, did I make a boo-boo by posting what you said on MH?

Yes, in the manga it's energy from the tectonic plates that fuel Alchemy. Personally, I like that explanation better than the deaths of us on Earth. >_>;

How do you know??? May could have studied for years before being able to perform Elixirology of such a level. And she might be gifted in it, just as the brothers are gifted in Alchemy.



We don't know enough about this, but I personally believe that Elixirology and Achemy use the same kind of fuel : "life" energy. The main difference is that, in Amestris' case, the alchemists here were taught how to use a flow of power that comes from Father and the souls in him. Elixirology, I think, uses a flow that is created by the energy of every people that died on the planet, and whose energy went back to the earth once they died. But each user can't use more than what he really needs to perform a transmutation : the energy he takes is most likely counter-balanced by energy he gives, probably during the decomposition.



Ed and Al were younger than May when they started to perform alchemy, and they were his age when they tried to transmutate their mother, if not younger.



The complete alchemy created by his brother was more powerful than that. Put simply, I think it could do everything the Elrics can, without the need for a failed human transmutation.

That was you? Hi! No, I loved it, thanks


"Studied for years" sounds kind of riddiculous in Mei's case


I know, but the Elrics were much more real and likeable. First, we saw their grief and desperation, their reasons to study alchemy were reasons of kids their age - they had books their father left them, they wanted their mother to be proud of them, they wanted to have her back. We saw them study and train, and prepare and plan for years.
Mei on the other hand - what kind of a super-kid is the best warrior in their clan and seeks eternal life and a crown of their country? With only bitchy panda by their side?

Don't usually take sides but I have to agree with Kryanka on Mei 100%. I personally don't like how any of the Xing characters can speak Amestrian so well accent or not. I deal with many bilinguals who've studied English from France or China for 12+ years and they have many issues, depending on the situation, getting their meaning across here in the States. With how dangerous the lives of all the Xingese characters have been been I don't see how they got the time to learn to function so well in a foreign country. I'll shut up before I rant more on the super powers of those from Xing.

To clear up Scar's tattoo. In chap 48 (when Mei healed Scar's bullet wound) Mei specifically mentions to Yoki that Scar's tattoo is a combination of Amestrian and Xingese alchemy. Source

Maybe therein lies how Ed and Al may be able to deal it out with Father too? It's not impossible. Plus, I will be seriously pissed if the spotlight is taken away from Edward and Alphonse. Of course others can contribute and help, just not rip away who this story was supposed to be about to begin with. Personally, if a character is too strong in knowledge or power coughMeicough, I suggest death... Happened with Hughes. >_>

I don't understand the issue with the "superpower" thing... just because it isn't affected by Father's power??? Even with that, we saw that May isn't lot of a threat to Father : she is still young and inexperienced, and she was almost beaten by Glutonny... Glutonny! The most useless and ineffective Homonculus of all, just behind Envy among the Homonculus who actually have a brain (so Sloth doesn't count ).

Even knowing that, it's obvious that Elixirology won't play such a big role as we thought : Al has proven unable to learn it (May isn't quite the good teacher though... even if it must be quite hard to teach something when there is apparently such a gap in culture) and the only thing that will be effective against Father seems to be a circle discovered only by Hohenheim and Scar's brother, master of both Alchemy and Elixirology.



Yeah, I hoped they would get the tatoo. Scar's brother succeeded into creating an alchemy that can be used easily by anyone, just with some tatoos on both arms. I always saw it as the opposite of the fact that alchemists crypt everything they do and try to keep that knowledge to themselves.

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