Episode 7 (2003 Anime)

Night of the Chimera's Cry
Japanese Title	合成獣が哭く夜 Kimera ga Naku Yoru
Translated Title	The Night When the Chimera Cry
Japan airdate	2003 November 15
USA airdate	2004 December 18
Series Information
Series	Fullmetal Alchemist (2003 anime)
◄ Previous	The Alchemy Exam
Next ►	The Philosopher's Stone

Night of the Chimera's Cry is the seventh episode of the Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 anime series.

Synopsis

Now an official State Alchemist, Ed takes a closer look at Tucker's chimera experiments and begins to realize that something wrong has been going on.

Full Synopsis

Lieutenant Colonel Mustang gives Edward his State Alchemist's silver pocket watch. Ed was hoping for a ceremony, but a visibly uninterested Mustang just says, "Congrats, you're a dog of the military now" and orders Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc to escort Ed back to the Tuckers' home. While on their way there, Havoc notices Ed is still visibly upset by Mustang's demeanor and attempts to cheer him up. He explains that Mustang is focus on a serial killer who only targets women. Ed believes it's just police work so Mustang shouldn't care, but Havoc rebuttals that Mustang isn't some political novice and will do anything to keep things moving.

Dropping Ed off at the Tuckers' home, Havoc reminds Tucker that his annual re-certification as a State Alchemist is coming up before leaving. The Tuckers and the Elrics have a celebratory feast for Ed's accomplishment where the subject of Tucker's assessment comes up. He explains that his certification as a State Alchemist will be revoked if he does not submit meaningful findings of his research. Confident that Tucker will pass, Al suggests Tucker create another chimera and Ed agrees, as this time the Elrics will be around to see one. That night, Ed writes a letter to Winry but is jokingly teased by Al and Nina for it. Regardless, it inspires Nina to write a letter to her mother who she believes to have left two years earlier. Eventually, Nina falls asleep and when her father comes to put her to bed, Al hands her letter to him. Tucker explains to the Elrics that in the days before he achieved his state certification, he was so poor that his wife left him and that he would do anything to keep himself from returning to such a state.

The next day, Alexander is pestering Ed when they find Nina's letter burned up and in the trash, causing Ed to become a little suspicious of Tucker's chimera studies and his wife's departure. Ed goes to the National Central Library to dig into Tucker's chimera research, but an archivist (who is later revealed to be named Sheska) says that Tucker's research cannot be accessed without the Brigadier General Basque Grand's clearance. On his way out, Edward encounters Scar trying to get into the library unauthorized. Ed accidentally rips the sleeve off of the man, revealing the man's arm covered in odd tattoos. The man runs away and hides, asking his unseen brother about a curse. Edward goes to Major Hughes, who informs him that Tucker's wife died before Tucker arrived in Central two years ago and the only thing that the chimera he created back then said that it wanted to die. Before Hughes can say anything further, he is called away to investigate the workings of the recent serial killer, which Havoc mention to Ed earlier. Frightened, Ed remembers his mother when he sees the reaction from the child of a recent female murder victim while he accompanies Hughes to the murder site, and passes out soon after.

Later, Ed wakes up in bed and Tucker correctly assumes the situation with the Elric brothers' bodies for having committed the taboo after hearing Ed call out for his mother while he was asleep. Ed and Al are then confronted by Grand, who immediately evicts the boys from Tucker's residence after Grand worries that Ed is deeply invested in Tucker's research. Nina is sad to see the Elrics leave but they promise to come back. Nonetheless, Grand puts so much pressure on Tucker that when Nina and Alexander come to see him in his study, he admits he is at the end of his tether as he embraces his daughter.

The Elrics sneak back into the Tucker house that night, knocking out the guards at the gate. They find a basement full of strange caged animals. Tucker calls them into the back room, where a dog-like creature with brown hair lies next to him. He introduces it as a chimera capable of human speech. Tucker shows off by teaching the beast to say "Edward", but when the creature asks Ed "why does it hurt here?" without prompt, Ed coldly asks Tucker again how long ago he first made a human-speaking chimera and how long ago his wife had left him. When Tucker responds to both queries with "two years ago", Ed asks two more questions - demanding to know if the letters that Nina wrote had ever reached her and where Nina and Alexander have gone. Tucker remarks that he hates prodigies like Ed, too preceptive. Ed attacks Tucker furiously, explaining to Al that the creature before them was created by Tucker alchemically fusing Nina and Alexander together, just as Tucker's first talking chimera was forged from his mysteriously absent wife.

When Tucker dejectedly confirms as much, Edward furiously condemns Tucker for playing around with people's lives, but Tucker responds by accusing Edward of being no different than him - of playing around with his arm, leg, and brother's life and performing human transmutation. Hearing this, Edward hits Tucker very hard with his automail arm. Alphonse calmly yet blatantly asks Tucker what life is left for him now that he has transmuted his family into chimeras. Tucker states that he never had a reason in doing what he did to his family, but he specifically chose science to see if he is capable of doing anything to be above the world, believing that this is the essence of alchemy and something he and Edward both agreed on, and that is why they are so much alike. With his blood fully boiled up, Ed disagrees and savagely punches Tucker in the face with his automail arm multiple times, nearly killing Tucker until the Nina/Alexander chimera stops Ed while still acknowledging him as "big brother". Ed then attempts to de-transmute Nina and Alexander back to normal, but Al and Tucker stop him, as Ed doesn't know how since the chimera is a perfect transmutation fused to the core and Ed would only do what he and Al did to their mother. Ed is left hopeless while Grand and his squadron arrive and learn what Tucker has done to his daughter and dog.

Grand declares Tucker will face a court martial while he and his squadron take the chimera with them, demanding the Elrics not to tell anyone what happen. This further irritates Ed, who realizes Grand knew about the situation the entire time and wants to cover it up. Ed furiously tries to grab Grand, who then uses his gauntlet to sucker-punch Ed in the stomach before leaving. Getting back up from the ground, Ed overturns the police truck, intent on rescuing Nina, but she runs away and the Elrics pursue her. Nina ends up running into a nearby alley, where she encounters the very same strange tattooed man that Ed encountered at the library earlier. The man's tattoos glow red when he touches her and, lamenting over Nina being a sin against nature and in such pain, he prays to God that she be re-accepted into his light before deconstructing the transmuted girl, thereby putting her out of her pain. The man quickly flees the scene before the Elrics arrive and conveys to God that he understands why his brother had given him this "cursed" arm so that he can find the alchemists who have fallen from God's path and with their own demon hearts, destroy them.

Upon discovering Nina's remains, Alphonse quickly deduces what has happened to her. Edward on the other hand is distraught and horrified, apologizing to Nina as he starts to mourn while rain starts pouring down.

Notes

• This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 5: The Alchemist's Suffering.
• The way Grand had the Elrics removed from Shou's home at gunpoint confirms he knew the secret behind Shou's first chimera and didn't care. It could also mean that he was going to be complicit with what Tucker was going to do to his daughter.
• The ending credits of this episode is changed to a montage of the good times Nina and Alexander had with the Elrics, and a picture of Nina and Alexander sleeping side by side.

See also

• Episode 4 (2009 Anime)