Chapter three ends with Gluttony devouring the priest, leaving many questions unanswered.
What exactly is the Philosopher's Stone? Why are there fakes?
Who are these mysterious man and woman?
And who is the "Father" that Lust refers to?
These mysteries compelled Daniel to eagerly flip to the next chapter.
This is one of the most memorable and heartbreaking arcs in Fullmetal Alchemist. It's an episode that many readers find deeply sad and full of despair.
Roy introduces a Sewing-Life Alchemist named Shou Tucker to the Elric brothers. Two years prior, Tucker successfully created a talking chimera, making him an authority on biological transmutation.
As the Elric brothers visit Tucker's home to find information, they become quite close to his daughter Nina.
Meanwhile, Tucker feels intense pressure as the annual State Alchemist certification day approaches.
Seeing Tucker hug his daughter, with shadows cast by Ren's drawing, Daniel suddenly has a suspicion.
"Could Tucker be planning to cheat this time because he didn't pass the State Alchemist certification before?"
Daniel thought of some common tropes.
Maybe Tucker gets caught cheating and is killed? Or perhaps his daughter gets implicated, leading to a deeper conspiracy?
No matter how Daniel guessed, he couldn't imagine that the truth would be far more brutal than he thought.
As the chapter neared its end, the Elric brothers visited Tucker again, and the house was even more ominous than before.
In the warehouse, the brothers found Tucker.
Hearing them, Tucker slowly turned his head, his glasses reflecting the light, making him look even more sinister. "Hello, the chimera is complete!"
It was a dog-like creature with hair that looked like fur.
"Listen, its name is Edward." Tucker squatted down, speaking to the chimera.
"Ed... ward..."
The chimera's words shocked the brothers.
They had never seen a talking chimera before.
As Edward crouched to observe, the chimera kept repeating, "Edward, Edward... big brother..."
Edward's face changed dramatically, his pupils shrinking.
"Pfft!"
Daniel, who was drinking tea, spat it out, incredulous. "No... no way!"
He had a bold idea.
A dark room, a dog-like chimera calling Edward "big brother," and the missing Nina and her dog Alexander...
Could this chimera be made from Nina and Alexander?
No way! Could the Porter be this heartless?
With this suspicion, Daniel turned the page, and the truth was even more horrifying.
"Tucker, when did you become a State Alchemist?"
"Two years ago."
"And when did your wife leave?"
"Two years ago..."
Yes!
Not just his daughter; two years ago, Tucker had used his wife to create the talking chimera to earn his State Alchemist certification!
Seeing Edward hit Tucker, and the chimera still gently asking, "Daddy, does it hurt?"
Daniel's anger surged.
What a beast! Truly a beast!
As the saying goes, "Even a tiger won't eat its cubs." How could this man do such a thing to his sweet, innocent daughter?
Not just Daniel, but the entire forum exploded after reading this chapter.
"WTF, is he even human? How could he do this to his own daughter?"
"Exactly, this isn't just hurting her; he turned his daughter into a chimera!"
"The worst part is, from the manga, you can tell the chimera still has some of Nina's consciousness, recognizing Edward and knowing Tucker is her father!"
"The ending was somewhat merciful for Nina, as death was her release."
"But letting Tucker die with her isn't acceptable. This scumbag deserves worse! He should be turned into a chimera himself!"
"+1!"
"The 'Sewing-Life Alchemist,' how ironic!"
These were the angry readers, but there were also those like Daniel who analyzed the manga more rationally.
"To be honest, I was furious when I saw Nina turned into a chimera, but this also confirmed that Fullmetal Alchemist is a great work with deep themes. Concepts like human transmutation and chimeras mirror real-world science. We should reflect on these issues."
"Exactly. Isn't this like human experimentation? Even today, despite international bans on certain experiments, some scientists still proceed."
"A few years ago, someone tried gene-editing babies, despite the country's strict ban on reproductive human embryo editing!"
"People like Tucker, driven by fame and fortune, commit such despicable acts."
"I don't care. Tucker deserves death!"
Some readers even vented their anger at Ren.
After all, Ren is the mastermind behind this story.
"Dog author! From Madoka Magica, we saw your evil nature!"
"Give me a break!!"
Seeing these comments, Ren quietly put down his phone.
He felt they should be grateful.
He chose the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood version. There's also the 2003 version.
The chimera arc in Brotherhood is less harsh than the 2003 version.
In the 2003 version, the anime stretched this one-chapter arc into four episodes, building the emotional investment.
In the 2003 version, seeing the little girl Nina, who previously played with the Elric brothers and cheered for Edward at his State Alchemist exam, turned into a chimera by her father, was a nightmare for many readers!
The deeper the emotional investment, the more devastating the despair!
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