Shou Tucker

“	I don’t see what you’re so upset about. This is how we progress. Human experimentation is a necessary step. I would think a scientist should understand.	„
	~ Shou Tucker when confronted by Edward Elric

Early in the Fullmetal Alchemist series, Edward and Alphonse Elric seek information from the "Sewing-Life Alchemist" Shou Tucker who reportedly had created a chimera with the ability to speak. During their time at Tucker's estate, though, the brothers uncover the horrifying truth behind his work.

Manga/Brotherhood

In the original manga and the 2009 series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Shou Tucker is introduced as an alchemist under Roy Mustang's jurisdiction in East City and referred to the Elric brothers due to his expansive work in bio-alchemy. The brothers stay at his estate and befriend his young daughter Nina and the family dog Alexander. He mentions that two years ago, his wife left them due to stress from his work, much to Nina's hope that she will one day return. The next day, he created the notable talking chimera that earned him his State Alchemist license-although its words were "I want to die". Tragically, the chimera died not long afterwards, refusing to eat.

Stressed with wanting to keep his license, Tucker goes into his lab and later informs the Elric brothers that he has successfully created another talking chimera. Edward, who has growing suspicions of Tucker's actions in the past, questions about the awfully close timing of the Sewing-Life Alchemist's wife's leaving and the creation of the suicidal chimera, revealing that Tucker had used his own wife to create the chimera. Fears confirmed, Edward angrily reveals the conclusion that Tucker used Nina and Alexander to create this new talking chimera (that refers to Edward as "Big Brother"), an act crossing the Moral Event Horizon. Enraged, Edward brutally beats up Tucker who smugly declares that they are alike in their pursuit of knowledge and alchemical transgressions, likening his use of Nina and Alexander in the chimera creation to the Elrics' attempt to resurrect their dead mother. Alphonse keeps Edward from killing the alchemist and the two have Tucker detained on house arrest.

However, Scar appears on the estate in his personal vengeance to murder all State Alchemists. Killing the guards outside, Scar seizes Tucker's face and kills him with a surge of alchemical energy. Seeing the Nina/Alexander chimera as a tortured soul, he euthanizes her.

Tucker briefly appears in a later nightmare of Edward's, accusing him of being a monster for the transgression of attempting to revive their mother. His impression on the brothers is also revisited in the anime, particularly in how Alphonse vows to never let another friend/ally be killed because of them.

2003 Anime

• See Shou Tucker (2003).

Videos

Trivia

• Each collection of the manga concludes with a small omake panel showing the characters of note that had died within the contained chapters. Tucker holds the distinction of being shown screaming in Hell as opposed to every other character, including savage characters like Envy and Gluttony, going to Heaven as angels.
• The event is semi-adapted into the video game Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir in the third chapter "The Tucker Mystery". Tucker himself does not appear in-game, already having been killed by Scar-although the brothers find his glasses and a massive pool of blood. They discover his actions through a diary that, as Edward notes, was "written by someone of an unhealthy mind".
• He is considered the franchise's most hated character, even more so than the main antagonists Dante and Father.

Fullmetal Alchemist Villains

Homunculi Envy (2003) | Father | Gluttony | Greed | Lust | Mannequin Soldiers | Pride (2003) | Sloth (2003) | Wrath (2003) State Military Bald | Basque Grand | Frank Archer | Gold Toothed Doctor | Isaac McDougal | Lieutenant General Raven | Majhal | Shou Tucker (2003) | Solf J. Kimblee (2003) | Yoki Church of Leto Father Cornello | Chimera Crichton Family Ashleigh Crichton | Security Chief Atlas Nazis Adolf Hitler | Dietlinde Eckhart Other Barry the Chopper (2003) | Dante | Mugear | Scar | Truth