Fullmetal Alchemist is a series that wasn’t afraid to go dark, but this early moment in the manga’s run has been haunting fans for years.
The darkest moment of full metal alchemist has been haunting fans for two decades, and the reason why makes it pretty easy to watch. First debuting in 2001, the popular manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers who try to bring back their dead mother using alchemy. However, when he fails, Edward loses his leg while Alphonse loses his body entirely. Edward manages to save his brother’s consciousness by handing over his right arm and transferring it into a metallic body, vowing to restore it. While the series would venture into dark places as a conspiracy begins to unfold within his government, one moment in particular has stuck with fans so much that it gives them the creeps to mention it.
Chapter 5, “The Alchemist’s Suffering”, follows Edward and Alphonse searching for a bioalchemist to see if there is anything in that field that will help them restore their bodies. They are addressed to a chimera specialist named Shou Tucker, a man who is credited with creating the first talking chimera, which is a creature formed by the fusion of two beings that are not genetically the same. When they meet him, he is fighting to renew his license and is taking care of his little daughter Nina and his dog Alexander. After knowing them for a while, the brothers return to see that he has created a new chimera… but once he speaks, a horrified Edward realizes that it is Nina merged with her dog. He ends on a depressing note as they can’t turn their backs on him.
So why did this moment stick with fans years after its debut? The answer lies in his clever writing and use of tone. To begin with, this is a chapter that is full of foreshadowing. Little hints are dropped throughout the chapter that come back later when Edward realizes what’s going on. For example, a chimera spoken of at the beginning lines up with Shou mentioning that his wife “left him”. It is later revealed that this chimera is actually the result of a failed experiment where Shou fused her wife with another creature, leading to her death. Rereading it, fans can tell that the clues to this reveal were there all along.
On top of this, the drastic change in tone sets the reader up for the horrific reveal. Before Nina’s transformation, the atmosphere is constantly filled with humor. For example, Alexander jumping on Edward is a way for Arakawa to let down the readers’ guard by relieving tension. He then pulls out the rug with a drastic cut for the next day when storm clouds are gathering and there are more shadows than usual. It all comes to a head in the reveal when the artwork takes on the tone of a horror story. It’s so unexpected, but it works.
However, the main reason for this chapter’s memorability is how it establishes Nina and Alexander. They are present at all times, allowing the reader to know and care for them. Nina is a lovable character, and seeing her interact with Alphonse and Edward creates a bond with them. Arakawa spends enough time with them to make them likable, and then ends the arc with the stomach punch ending. It is an ending that bothers the readers because not only is she a girl who has become a chimera, but she is the girl that the readers have liked. And now she’s just… gone.
full metal alchemist it would go on for another nine years before it finally concluded, but nothing in history came as close to being a horror show as this chapter in the saga. It’s dark, depressing, and catches the reader off guard after four relatively light chapters. Had it not been for Arakawa’s clever writing, this might have been a technical stop on the alchemists’ journey, but Nina’s development and use of omens elevates it. This is character work at its finest, and it’s done right now in full metal alchemist the most memorable for obscure reasons.
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