Can I use a quote from a fictional character in a scientific essay?

Question

I want to use the quote about the law of equivalent exchange from Fullmetal Alchemist and relate it to our chemistry lesson as an introduction for my essay. If it's possible, how can I use it?

Answer 1

Academic works benefit from a lessened restriction of copyright because scholarship and research are defined as Fair Use.

This does not mean academic works have carte blanche when it comes to copyrighted material. Fair use applies if:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

2. the nature of the copyrighted work;

3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole;

and

4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

In your example, it seems that cases 1,2 and 4 are satisfied as negligible. That you are citing a fictional work whose creative nature provides it highest degree of copyright protect is the only factor that weighs against inclusion of the phrase.

The only argument for not incorporating the quotation is that a publishing journal might either reject the paper or demand the quotation's excision, since they'd bear the financial risk of defending the publication against infringement and judgement (if they lost)

As to how to use it, I asked a similar question about quotations at the start of a chapter and the answer is here (spoiler they’re called epigrams)