Why Nina’s Story in the Original FMA Anime Remains So Impactful (2024)

Hiromu Arakawa's bestselling shōnen manga, Fullmetal Alchemist, remains one of the most beloved and influential adventure stories in the industry. It is praised for not only its characters, but the development the cast goes through over time, especially as Arakawa works with several complex and often difficult themes. Even so, Fullmetal Alchemist also showcases a much more humorous side often, balancing the darker elements of the story.

The manga follows the Fullmetal Alchemist himself, Edward Elric, as he journeys with his younger brother Alphonse. In an attempt to revive their deceased mother, Ed lost one of his legs and Alphonse his entire body; the boy's soul is now bound to a suit of armor during the duo's search to regain their original forms. Despite the obstacles the two have faced at such a young age, the brothers nevertheless persist in their quest to return to normal and perhaps finally find peace of mind.

In one of the earliest chapters, Ed and Al meet Shou Tucker, who is also known as the Sewing-Life Alchemist thanks to his creation, a talking chimera. His young daughter Nina and canine Alexander are the only other two residents of their home since the mysterious departure of Tucker's wife years ago. What soon follows remains one of the most unsettling and heartbreaking scenes in anime history, haunting the brothers long after they meet the family.

The Original Story and the 2003 Anime

What the First Fullmetal Alchemist Does Differently

In the original manga and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Edward and Alphonse only know Nina and her father for a short time. However, the group becomes close, with Ed and Al becoming older brother-like figures for little Nina, who is often left alone with Alexander due to her father's work. The boys initially visit the family at the suggestion of Colonel Mustang, who informs the brothers of Tucker's work with bio-alchemy. Tucker's library is vast, and the boys gladly begin to get to work, sadly unaware of the darkness that lurks in the other alchemist's mind. Upon returning to the Tucker household, the Sewing-Life Alchemist shows the brothers his latest chimera, one that can speak like a human. However, the boys make a shocking deduction: Nina and Alexander were used in creating this creature. Nina is sadly unable to be returned to normal, something that weights heavy in the hearts of both brothers. Tucker is later murdered by Scar after he hears about the wicked experiment, and mercy kills the chimera as well.

This horrible side narrative is actually expanded upon in the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime. Instead of the event taking place well into the Elric brothers' journey, the two meet the Tuckers right as Ed is about to take the State Alchemist Exam, a few years before the first episode's timeline. Ed and Al are informed about Tucker's research like the original story, yet the brothers decide to live with the family while they work, staying in the house for several months. Maes Hughes even surprises Ed with a party to celebrate his twelfth birthday, an event that Nina is also invited to. As time passes, Ed prepares to take his exam, with Nina even surprising him with a good-luck present, a crayon drawing, before the boy begins the test. The young alchemist passes his exam and officially becomes a State Alchemist, and the brothers thus leave the Tucker residence, promising to visit soon.

Sadly, their next visit would be an unbearably tragic one; after Nina and Alexander are turned into a chimera, the frightened creature runs away as the military prepare to take her and Shou Tucker away, with Ed attempting to stop the truck carrying the chimera. Before the brothers can catch up, Scar mercy kills the chimera; upon finding the shadow left behind, the Elrics are left in shock, as Ed tearfully tries to revive the chimera. Nina, at this point, was like a little sister to the boys. On their journey, Ed and Al are unable to live like other children their age; with Nina and Alexander, the two can find time to have fun like their days before the failed human transmutation.

How the Eighth Episode Adds to the Arc

The First Encounter With Barry the Chopper Is Much Darker

Following the final encounter with Shou Tucker (until his startling reappearance much later in the 2003 anime), Ed decides to give up his position as a State Alchemist as he wears an expression far too somber for that of a child. In the meantime, news of a serial killer continues to go around as more female citizens are found dead; Ed accidentally sees one body and faints, reminded of the shadow left behind by the chimera that was once Nina and Alexander. Despite this, he later speaks with Hughes about the serial killer and how they haven't found any clues to act as a lead yet, when Ed realizes something. The killer would need a large car to hide the body, and the woman delivering meat to Central has a refrigerated truck. The young alchemist rushes to follow the vehicle, growing even more afraid once he realizes the next target is about to be his childhood friend Winry. She had decided to visit Ed and Al upon hearing about Ed's success with the State Alchemist Exam, and arrived in Central to surprise him. However, the girl was tragically tricked by the delivery woman, a single screw acting as a hint to Ed of her whereabouts.

Acting alone, Ed finds the truck in an alley, but is knocked out before he can react. Upon waking up, the young alchemist finds himself tied to a chair while Winry is also taken hostage. The delivery woman is revealed to be Barry the Chopper in disguise after Ed regains consciousness. The infamous killer is a young butcher who, after killing his own wife, became obsessed with murdering other people. In the original manga, the brothers meet Barry much later, when the murderer's soul is tied to a suit of armor, much like Alphonse. Despite his crimes, Barry is treated as a humorous character as he becomes a very unexpected ally later on in the story. However, the Barry of the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime is a very different character; he is cruel, merciless and not above toying with his victims or opponents, as Alphonse later learns.

What makes Barry so especially terrifying in the 2003 anime is not only how proud he seems of his own repulsive actions, but because of his reasoning, the fact that he killed his victims simply because he could. After hearing about Edward's alchemy abilities, he removes the boy's automail arm after knocking him unconscious. Thus, Ed finds himself unable to fight back as Barry ruthlessly swings his meat cleaver in an attempt to kill him. In the nick of time, Alphonse finds Ed and Winry, and the two children are freed while Barry is arrested by a group of soldiers. However, they are left understandably traumatized from the encounter, as Ed cries while confessing his fear during his encounter with the vile serial killer.

As the two brothers sit on the steps while the authorities assemble, Al listens to his older brother as he remarks on how he had lost hope of being saved until Alphonse had arrived. Al admits that, as he is now nearly indestructible, the younger boy did not share the same terror that his brother felt when encountering the serial killer. He remarks on his wish to understand how Ed had felt during that time, to finally become a human again instead of a soul possessing an armor shell. Al gives Ed hope once again after saving his life, during a moment when the young alchemist had lost faith. He is willing to join his corrupt military, despite his bitterness towards it, if it can help him return his brother to normal.

During this conversation, Ed comes to terms with his own abilities as an alchemist, lamenting the loss of Nina Tucker. At this moment, the audience can see even more the difficult nature of the Elric brothers' reality. During their entire storyline, no matter the version, they are children forced to give up a sense of normalcy to regain what has been lost. The 2003 anime adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist is known for its somber atmosphere and thoughtful expansion on the earlier chapters, and this added storyline is no exception.

The Legacy of Nina Tucker

What It Means To Be Human

Today, the story of Nina Tucker remains one of the most infamous plot points in the entire Fullmetal Alchemist franchise. She is consistently referred to as the main storyline, a source of nightmares for the eldest Elric sibling and a driving force for both brothers in their wish to discover more uses of alchemy that help others. Al is especially reminded of Nina during his first encounter with the chimera soldiers, humans who possess animal-like abilities; these people are seen with both Kimblee and Greed in his original form. Later on, as Hawkeye and Al face Lust after the Homunculus' encounter with Mustang and Havoc, the armor-bound alchemist defends the Lieutenant as she grieves for the Colonel. He uses his memories of those he was unable to save, including Nina, as a source of energy as he fights to defend the soldier who continues to look after him and his brother.

Nina's memory is also honored in the seventh episode of the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime, as seen in the special version of the ending theme. Instead of an animation of the Elric brothers sparring alongside still images of their story, their time with Nina is revisited; brief moments of happiness for the children in several seasons. Even Ed changes in this ending; instead of the usual small smile he gives the audience, the young alchemist's eyes waver with the threat of tears as he forces a broad grin onto his face.

Tragic stories like Nina's are not uncommon in anime, as several tales showcase the hardships and horrors that young characters face, as seen throughout the entire medium. However, what makes Nina's story so memorable is the circumstances surrounding it, as well as how her death affects the main protagonists of Fullmetal Alchemist. Nina's faith in her father, Shou Tucker, never wavers; the little girl truly believes that her father will succeed in his goals and remain an accomplished alchemist. What Nina nor the Elric brothers know is that Tucker is the reason why his own wife is gone, as the man had used the mother of his child for a chimera experiment, one that led her to let herself die of malnutrition. In Nina's case, she never stopped caring for her father, even as a chimera, though her memories of her human life were fuzzy; she even mourns for her father as Scar murders the Sewing-Life Alchemist due to his position and for his wicked crimes. Her sudden death as a chimera changes the brothers forever.

Ed and Al are eternally reminded of the little girl who looked up to them so much, the brief moments they could just be children. The brothers do not remember their father well, but have loving memories of their mother, who was always there for her own children before her passing. Though they have faced several horrors in their young lives, the last thing either young alchemist expects is to witness a parent betray their child so cruelly, without even a single shred of remorse. This moment is what also causes both Elric brothers to fully face what alchemy can truly do; it can repair lives as easily as it can tear them apart for good. Ed and Al, in all versions of their story, realize with somberness how their powers do not make them godlike, no matter how much either may wish. In the end, both are simply human. Nina's memory follows the brothers, a symbol of the joyful memories they had with her as well as a reminder to keep using their alchemy for good, as they seek out a source of peace long desired.

Fullmetal Alchemist

The Fullmetal Alchemist franchise spans manga, light novels, anime series and films, and live-action movies. When a failed alchemical ritual leaves brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric with severely damaged bodies, they begin searching for the one thing that can save them: the fabled philosopher's stone.

Created by

Hiromu Arakawa

First Episode Air Date

October 4, 2003