10 Heartbreaking Deaths In Anime

Earlier in this list, it was mentioned that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was a series wrought with tragedy. While so many heartbreaking events might desensitize viewers, Brotherhood is unique in the way it presents its darkness. No two losses are alike and the true art of the story comes from how fully it hooks viewers into even the smallest characters.

No loss better exemplifies this than that of Nina.

As the Elric brothers search for ways to restore their bodies, they are put in touch with Shou Tucker, known as the Sewing Life Alchemist. A biological Alchemist, he is most famously known for his creation of a chimera that could understand human speech, and ever speak a few words of its own. Seeing a shining opportunity, the Elrics set up shop in Tucker’s library and get to researching.

The brothers are eager at first to learn everything they can but their attentions wane as Nina, Tucker’s young daughter, takes advantage of the opportunity and turns their study session into a playdate. Nina tells the two that her mother left when she was young and that her father is always busy with work, so she rarely has an opportunity to play with anyone other than her beloved dog, Alexander. Ed and Al shift gears and spend time with Nina and Alexander amidst their research.

Unfortunately, Shou Tucker is on the verge of losing his State qualification as an Alchemist due to insufficient research results. As a last-ditch effort, Tucker uses Nina and Alexander in one final experiment, turning them into a new chimera with the ability to understand speech—the same procedure he used on his wife years before.

With Ed and Al learning the truth behind Tucker’s groundbreaking discovery, Tucker himself makes a comparison between him and the boys as they too decided to play god in attempting to resurrect their mother. The comparison hits hard, but the true agony strikes with the Elric brothers being unable to help Nina return to her original self. The melancholic form of Nina and Alexander was a glaring reminder of the dangers of Alchemy and a reminder to the audience of just how unsafe they were while watching.

Though Nina was only in one episode of the series, her presence, and loss, were instrumental in the way that the Elric brothers pushed through the remainder of the story - so much so that, at the end of it all, Ed and Al still carried the guilt of Nina on their shoulders and devoted their lives to researching ways to help others that Alchemy couldn’t.