

In the manga / Brotherhood, we learn that the reason human transmutation is
forbidden is because it would otherwise allow people to create their own
private armies (at least according to the man who talks to General Armstrong
after she's transferred to Central). Right after that, we're shown the
mannequin "soldiers", implying that they're the results of some form of human
transmutation.

But it's pretty obvious that the mannequins are different from the products
produced by Ed, Al, Izumi Curtis, and Roy when they attempt (or are forced to
attempt) human transmutation - in the case of the mannequins, the
transmutation has actually produced what the alchemist probably wanted and is
"successful".

Given this, what's the difference between the human transmutation referred to
in the context of the mannequins and human transmutation as attempted by the
sacrifices? Is the difference in result simply an issue of having a different
intended result and/or maybe philosopher's stones, or is there potentially a
different explanation for this?


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What makes the mannequins different from the results of the sacrifices' human transmutation attempts?


It's very simple. The so called act of "human transmutation" means that the
intent of such alchemy is to create a fully functional human being, complete
with memories, emotions, capability to feel and think. In other words, a
perfect copy of a person.

The mannequins are mere cannon fodder. They don't have the ability to feel or
have complex thoughts. They are just war machines following the order. That
was the original intent with which they were created.

Compared to transmuted people, mannequins are much simpler, and as a result
pose a much lesser threat to the world. Imagine if human transmutation went
perfectly every time, and that you could create any number of smart, ingenuous
people. What would bad alchemists do? Recreate evil geniuses of the past
maybe, which would be much more dangerous than a bunch of brainless soldier
mannequins. That's one of the reasons why human transmutation is forbidden,
aside from being impossible to perform perfectly.


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The mannequins are explicitly stated to be "humanoid receptacles", not
attempts to create a human body. Rather than attempting to call back a soul
that no-longer exists in the world, the mannequins were existing souls bound
to ready made doll bodies.


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