History Main / AlchemyIsMagic

** ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': The Goblin Alchemist is something of a misnomer: yes, he is a goblin who makes alchemical potions... riding around on an ogre, one of his potions being a combat drug. His other spells are a HollywoodAcid bomb, an area healing spell, and insta-killing an enemy by turning it into a gold statue of itself, getting you money for it.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''; The game Sburb has... punch-card based alchemy. Granted, it's an immersive video game in a world where computer programming can affect the real world, and it doesn't really involve either gold or lead -- but the way this works is that each object is assigned a 48-bit code and doing bitwise operations on these codes (and using the [[AppliedPhlebotinum weird machines]] to manufacture the result) will create an object that has the characteristics of both original codes. Of course, it costs "build grist" and other types of "grist" to make these things, too, and some objects have codes only readable by a special machine and most combinations are going to produce junk or curiosities at best, but it has been put to use for making better weapons for the kids.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. In this universe, turning rocks into gold is a simple alchemic procedure, (albeit an illegal one, [[{{UsefulNotes/Economics}} due to the risk of shattering the economy from inflation]],) but the Philosopher's Stone, and immortality along with it, is still being sought. In this world, it's firmly established as a science, with specific references to the periodic table. However it's still based on channeling energy through magic circles, and the classical elements are briefly mentioned as a valid option. There are several alchemical practices in use:

* ''WesternAnimation/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperforceGo'', the monkey team's creator [[spoiler:, Skeleton King's original human identity]] was known as the Alchemist, an adept scientist and sorcerer. Using his knowledge, he converted his pet monkeys into cyborg warriors [[spoiler:to combat the monster he was turning into]].

* ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'': Pinky utilizes "weapon alchemy", a Metals elemental skill, to create a "Rose Whip" weapon for Mao using a [[BigCreepyCrawlies king centipede's]] fangs. Pinky and [[TheApprentice his apprentice]] Inky are shown doing this [[SideStoryBonusArt in a wallpaper]].

* ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'': Pinky utilizes "weapon alchemy", a Metals elemental skill, to create a "[[WhipItGood Rose Whip]]" weapon for Mao using a [[BigCreepyCrawlies king centipede's]] fangs. Pinky and [[TheApprentice his apprentice]] Inky are shown doing this [[SideStoryBonusArt in a wallpaper]].

* ''''VideoGame/ThreeTheHardWay'': Alchemy works like a special branch of magic. Alchemical products are referred as "spells", and it functions just like standard offensive spells when used in battle.

* In ''Literature/DoomValleyPrepSchool'', alchemy is second only to actual wizardry in terms of magical potential. On his way to the school in chapter 1, Peter meets fellow enrolling student Michael, who is enrolled in the alchemist curriculum. To Peter's horror, the offer of a bar of chocolate to soothe his nerves is doctored with multiple alchemical agents that knock him out, waking up as a girl, to fit Michael's template of "the perfect girlfriend" with several hypnotic suggestions that, when tripped, would cause Peter, no Petra, to show Michael some form of affection, with the consent being highly questionable. Of course, the suggestions don't work, to Michael's confusion, and Michael has the gall to see himself as the victim when Petra fakes it to get close enough for a nice GroinAttack, TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and to KickThemWhileTheyreDown.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' has Aureolus Izzard, one of Touma's early foes. Stiyl's explanations of alchemy mention many real-world alchemical pursuits, but the anime only shows one alchemical spell used: Izzard manages to set up ''Ars Magna'', which causes anything [[YourMindMakesItReal he thinks to become reality]], effectively making him a RealityWarper within its field of effect. It's later revealed in the novels that Izzard created a [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent homunculus]] double of himself which used the spell ''Limen Magna'', which uses a needle and chain to instantly transform anything it touches into molten gold.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'': The 1711 immortals were originally alchemists. At one point, a couple of them are seen reciting from the Emerald Tablet. They used alchemy to summon a demon to create the Elixir of Life.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' has Aureolus Izzard, one of Touma's early foes. Stiyl's explanations of alchemy mention many real-world alchemical pursuits, but the anime only shows one alchemical spell used: Izzard manages to set up ''Ars Magna'', which causes anything [[YourMindMakesItReal he thinks to become reality]], effectively making him a RealityWarper within its field of effect. The Light Novel shows a bit more (which was cut from the anime due to not really adding anything to the story): Izzard created a [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent homunculus]] double of himself which used the spell ''Limen Magna'', which uses a needle and chain to instantly transform anything it touches into molten gold.

* ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf'': Defied. When Lawrence goes to a district for a town's alchemist, his guide tells him they just do experiments with acids and metal. This ends up holding true even after we find out [[spoiler:they have a god in human form like Holo living there]].

%%* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'': Alchemists are the game's {{Black Mage}}s.%%Meaning?

* ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'': During Creator/GrantMorrison's run, the Negative Man merged with his (female) therapist and became Rebis, the alchemical marriage of man and female. It then found immortality in a tree on the moon. [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs This is Grant Morrison we're talking about, people]].

** Magically transmuting something straight out is described as being potentially very dangerous, as like with nuclear transmutation in RealLife, alpha particles are emitted, which can be very dangerous under the right circumstances. Consequently, a lot of effort goes into making sure they're either not emitted or neutralised. This is something that Wanda mentions in the first book, and Hermione is reprimanded for when she starts dabbling with using her newly developed [[spoiler: Chaos Magic]] to transmute things - while she's taught immediately to protect herself, she's not learned to protect others and is ignorant of the risks, causing Harry (who has dabbled with dangerous powers and suffered the consequences) to over-react.
** The Philosopher's Stone is described in the sequel as making transmutation quick and easy, avoiding the excess radiation problem. In the sequel, Doctor Strange nips back in time and steals and using it to transmute ''an entire mountain'' (specifically, a volcano created to wipe out [[spoiler: Hogwarts, Scotland, and then the entire planet,]] in roughly that order) into a mixture of [[spoiler: vibranium and mithril]] ore. The immediate reason is that they have a much higher thermal load than ordinary rock, though everyone else suspects (correctly) that he's got more planned.
* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipSouls'': [[NotQuiteFlight Not exactly.]] Just like Soul Reapers can use kido to cast spells, Quincy can use spirit particles to make spells on their own. The main difference between those two is that while Soul Reapers only need to invoke an incantation, Quincy need to prepare them in advance using chemicals and physical mediums, most common being Ginto, a silver tube filled with spirit water distilled from Quincy's spirit power. Ironically, [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Human world]] is connected to [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic the World]] where alchemy is seen as a form of magic.

* ''Fanfic/WhenAPonyCalls'': Near the end, we learn that alchemy exists in Equestria as a form of magic all ponies can learn, as opposed to just the unicorns (and Princess Luna apparently specializes in it) and the human [[spoiler:[[BalefulPolymorph now pegasus pony]]]] Soren/[[spoiler:Silver Script]] swears to learn it and save [[spoiler:Pound Cake, who was TakenForGranite after an unfortunate run into a cockatrice]], leading into the stories sequel ''Fanfic/TheAlchemistsHeart''.

* ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights'': Averted. Alchemy is treated as a stand-in precursor for [[MagicVersusScience science and is opposed to magic]]. The one example of alchemy [[spoiler:Ma-Ti's "Heart" ring]] acts as an AntiMagic weapon and otherwise seems to have no other powers.

[[folder:Comics]]

Most commonly, alchemy is used to produce powerful {{Magic Potion}}s, create acids and improvised explosives, mutate living things, or even [[{{Transmutation}} turn an object into something else completely]]. The holy grail of these alchemists is the PhilosophersStone, a substance attributed with any number of special attributes.

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'' brings in magical alchemy in GX, aka the third season, with the appearance of Carol Malus Dienheim who is an [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld ancient]] alchemist who threatens the world. The way she uses alchemy takes the form mainly as elemental attacks and even the things she builds/creates leans towards magic. It later is revealed and discussed how MagicMusic, Relics, and Alchemy all stem from the same source.

UsefulNotes/{{Alchemy}} is often portrayed as [[MagicByAnyOtherName magical or fantastical in some way]], and alchemists are often portrayed as chemist-wizard hybrids who can produce a wide range of supernatural effects by mixing together the right substances in the proper rituals.

* '''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipSouls''': [[NotQuiteFlight Not exactly.]] Just like Soul Reapers can use kido to cast spells, Quincy can use spirit particles to make spells on their own. The main difference between those two is that while Soul Reapers only need to invoke an incantation, Quincy need to prepare them in advance using chemicals and physical mediums, most common being Ginto, a silver tube filled with spirit water distilled from Quincy's spirit power. Ironically, [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Human world]] is connected to [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic the World]] where alchemy is seen as a form of magic.

* ''Webcomic/TwoKinds'': Sealeen has a form of alchemy. Since she has little magic skill, she can bottle spells as potions that the throws during battle to activate, so that spells that would otherwise take her hours to gather enough energy for can be used at a moment's notice.