I've revisited my DVDs of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood as of late and have reminded myself why I became so fascinated and immersed in Hiromu Arakawa's incredible series. But even such a grand series isn't without its sinister, tearjerker, blood-boiling moments. One of these concerned the infamous "Sewing-Life Alchemist" Shou Tucker and the truth behind his two talking chimeras.

For those unfamiliar, Tucker crossed the Moral Event Horizon by using his own daughter Nina and the family dog Alexander to create a chimera that was in constant pain. This echoed his experiment two years before where he used his own wife to create a pained chimera that chose to die than to exist in that twisted form. Needless to say, this act has made Tucker one of the most hated characters in FMA. (To the point where in the omake portraying dead characters going to Heaven as angels, Tucker has the distinction of being the only one shown screaming in Hell.)

His incarnation from the 2003 anime was a bit more sympathetic due to the circumstances and the madness he succumbs to while trying to recreate his daughter. But the manga/Brotherhood one as seen here is one of the most repulsive monsters in fiction. Just seeing him take so much pride in having used his own daughter as material for a science experiment makes one feel no pity when Scar comes into the room and kills his ass with an alchemical surge to the face.

For this one, I went with a shadowy semi-minimalist approach. While the tragic chimera of Nina features many details, Tucker is devoid of many features, as if to emphasize the lost humanity in his transgression. Plus, I wanted to maintain the "Scary Shiny Glasses" effect seen in the manga and Brotherhood that hint to his sinister actions.

Shou and Nina Tucker © Hiromu Arakawa