A cosplayer on TikTok shared a video of her Fullmetal Alchemist costume, in which she recreates one of the anime's most notoriously heartbreaking scenes. Dr. Span Cosplay is known on the platform for the creative costumes that she shows off at conventions and takes inspiration from a range of anime and live-action TV shows such as Good Omens. Fullmetal Alchemist, which one of her recent cosplays was inspired by, was adapted twice for television from the manga written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The manga has been adapted into a variety of mediums, including video games - one of which saw a collaboration between Fullmetal Alchemist and Final Fantasy.
The scene recreated in the video is from a story beat used in both TV show adaptations, Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Earlier episodes of the former follow the manga before diverting away from the source material. Both begin with two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, searching for a Philosopher's Stone after attempting to revive their dead mother using alchemy that leaves them with damaged bodies. During their journey, they come across the character Nina, a young daughter of alchemist Shou Tucker, and form a bond with her before she becomes the subject of one of her father's horrific experiments.
The tragic Fullmetal Alchemist scene is recreated by Dr. Span Cosplay, revealing Tucker's experiment on Nina to Edward, where it's apparent that she's still capable of speech despite her new, monstrous form. The cosplay is of the creature that Nina becomes after fusing with her dog, Alexander. In a beautiful coincidence, the cosplayer is befriended by an assistance dog during the display. The scene's effect on some fans is clear from the reaction of passers-by, who were also in attendance at this year's Katsucon anime convention, where the clip was filmed.
Click here to view the video on TikTok.
The scene is often regarded as one of the saddest moments of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It causes Edward's a ton of guilt and results in a particularly depressing end for Nina when another character later kills her out of pity. However, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has its funny moments to balance it out despite having dark themes. Still, even with the silliness, the scene has burned itself into the memory of many Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood viewers.
Dr. Span's performance was a hit for her fellow Fullmetal Alchemist lovers. The work that went into her cosplay was fully appreciated as people stopped to take pictures of the costume. There's a sense of unity evident as they quote moments from the scene back to her, and play along with the act, showing the great atmosphere found amongst pop culture fans at conventions.
Source: Dr. Span Cosplay