

Could the Transmutation Circle in Xerxes be reused even if it wasn't partially
destroyed? I understand that Transmutation Arrays, the circle on Mustang's
gloves, etc. are capable of being reused. But does the same physics stand for
a large scale transmutation circle used for sinister acts? And also, what
about the Nationwide Transmutation Circle in Amestris?


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Can a transmutation circle be reused?


While not explicitly declared, we have every reason to assume that
transmutation circles are reusable...assuming a few things. I base this off of
observations of all of the (as you called them) transmutation arrays that we
see tattooed onto people or stitched onto their clothing, or carved into their
metal equipment. I'm further connecting it to the fact that there is
apparently not anything too special about these 'permanent' circles, as

> Mustang carved one onto the back of his hand and was able to use it just
> fine.

So, here are the assumptions.

1: Your transmutation circle is not destroyed when the surface it is marked on
changes. For example, in the original anime, Ed gets himself out of trouble by
scratching a circle into a set of restraints. When the restraints change into
something else, the circle is destroyed because he morphed the material it was
marked on. Or any of the times Al uses a circle to launch chunks of Earth at
enemies.

2: Your circle is marked in a way that is not easily disrupted. A lot of the
temporary transmutation circles we see, such as the ones that Al uses, are
drawn with chalk. Chalk smudges easily, and the transmutation reaction may be
enough to smudge it. And, as we have seen, transmutation circles need to be
very precise in order to function properly...so a bit of smudging should be
enough to ruin it. Another way this could be messed up is if a liquid is
spilled on the chalk...like the mess made at the end of Ed and Al's very, very
failed human transmutation attempt.

I can't find an example of this actually happening with a 'drawn' circle,
because Ed and Al have a tendency to use Alchemy that destroys their
transmutation circle...and the times that they haven't (see: repairing the
radio in Lior) they only intended to use that circle once. However, in that
case, the circle remains intact and appears to be completely unchanged...so I
see no reason it couldn't be used a second time.

Furthermore, in the 2003 anime, we see transmutation rooms set up that have
the circles painted onto multiple walls. If the circles only worked once then
had to be repainted...there'd be no sense in using paint in the first
place...chalk is much cheaper and quicker to work with.

All told, there isn't any reason to think that transmutation circles are
somehow less re-usable because you didn't stitch them onto the back of your
glove or engrave them onto a gauntlet. As long as you don't mess up the
circle, we have every reason to believe that they could be re-used.

In the case of the Xerxes circle or the Nationwide Transmutation Circle...we
have every reason to believe that they could have been re-activated, assuming
the two things I stated before are true. Naturally, I assume this means that
one of the first things that they set about doing after the final battle was
damaging the array so it wouldn't work any more.


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