List of Fate/stay night characters

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The characters of the visual novel Fate/stay night as seen in the Unlimited Blade Works (2014-15) anime series: Saber (top left), Rin Tōsaka (top right), Gilgamesh (middle right), Caster and Assassin (bottom right), Shirō Emiya (middle bottom), Archer (center), Illya (bottom left), Berserker and Lancer (middle left).

The Japanese adult visual novel Fate/stay night features a number of characters created by Type-Moon, some of whom are classified as Servants with special combat abilities. The characters listed have appeared mainly in two anime television series adaptations (Fate/stay night and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works) produced by Studio Deen and Ufotable respectively. A Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works animated film was released prior to its TV series. Other characters from the franchise can be found on their respective titles, such as with Fate/Zero, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Extra, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya or Fate/Grand Order.

Main characters[]

Shirou Emiya[]

Voiced by: Noriaki Sugiyama^[1] (Japanese); Sam Riegel (Fate/stay night, UBW film),^[1] Bryce Papenbrook (UBW TV, Heaven's Feel film), Mona Marshall (Young Shirō in UBW TV) (English)

Shirou is a good-hearted and honest teenager who always enjoys helping others. However, Shirō is a deeply scarred human being orphaned after a fire destroyed part of his hometown when he was seven and caused him to lose all memory of the first seven years of his life. He was saved by Kiritsugu Emiya, who adopted him and named him Shirō after discovering that the boy could not recall his real name. He has no interest in the Holy Grail and instead despises it. However, he is determined to win the Holy Grail War with Saber, for he hopes his efforts will ensure that another disaster like the Fuyuki fire will never occur again. The main plot of Fate/stay night focuses on his ideal and the three different ways he approaches it.

Saber[]

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi^[1] (Japanese); Kate Higgins (Fate/stay night),^[1][2] Michelle Ruff (UBW film, Fate/Apocrypha),^[2] Kari Wahlgren (Zero, UBW TV, Heaven's Feel film) (English)

Saber is the main heroine of the Fate route. Saber is Shirō's Servant for the Fifth Holy Grail War. Saber acts coldly and suppressing her emotions to focus on her goals. Saber is frustrated by Shirō's "protective" tendencies, believing his erratic and reckless behavior will jeopardize their chances of winning the Holy Grail War services as a Heroic Spirit. Her ultimate wish is to relive her life, where someone more suitable would lead Britain in her stead.

Rin Tohsaka[]

Voiced by: Kana Ueda^[1] (Japanese); Mela Lee^[1][3] (English)

Rin Tohsaka is a high school girl who barely talks to other students in her school and exhibits a desire to be left alone, as exemplified by her tendency to stay on the school's rooftop, away from the rest students. She is also secretly a Mage, and a Master in the Fifth Holy Grail War.^[4] Rin is reared as the successor to her family's magecraft, instructed by her father, Tokiomi Tohsaka, to prioritize sorcery over her own interests. When she was young, Rin was separated from her sister Sakura, who was given to the Matou family for adoption. After her father is killed in the Fourth Holy Grail War, Rin perfects her sorcery with some guidance from her guardian, Kirei Kotomine. Rin serves as the heroine of the Unlimited Blade Works route of Fate/stay night.

Archer[]

Archer (アーチャー, Āchā) - EMIYA (エミヤ)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe^[1] (Japanese); Liam O'Brien (Fate/stay night, UBW film),^[1] Kaiji Tang (UBW TV, Heaven's Feel film) (English)

Archer is the Servant of Rin Tōsaka, and he serves as one of the antagonists in the Unlimited Blade Works route. He is sarcastic and cynical, considering Shirō's "wanting to save everyone" mentality as naïve and impossible. Archer's real identity is Shirō Emiya from one of the possible future worlds. He is the winner of the Fifth Holy Grail War in his world. Later, Archer made a pact with the world to gain more power to pursue his goal of becoming "the ally of justice," indiscriminately killing all "evil" people regardless of their circumstances or what may result from their deaths. He was eventually framed for starting a war by an unknown group and executed by the fearful public. Unlike the other Servants, Archer is a Counter Guardian, a supernatural being who resides outside time and space. The Counter Guardians have one mission; to stop any event that would cause humanity's extinction by killing everyone involved. This life of endless killing drove Archer mad with grief, and he sought to end his eternal existence and return to nothingness. The jewel Archer owns is the actual catalyst used for his summoning rather than the one Rin still has at the time of his summoning. He has taken the basics of magic to their absolute maximum to combat-ready, creating a small but reliable skillset for himself. Though Projection is normally ineffective at creating durable or powerful artifacts, Archer’s unique approach to this craft enables him to materialize enormously powerful and accurate copies of the images recorded in his mind. All of his Projection abilities come from his Reality Marble, Unlimited Blade Works: Infinite Creation of Swords (無限の剣製（アンリミテッドブレードワークス）, Anrimiteddo Bureido Wākusu), which manifests itself instead as a desert littered with swords with monolithic black gears rotating in the smog-filled the sky above.

In the Fate route, he is defeated by Berserker while buying time for Rin, Shirō, and Saber to escape. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, after Shirō refuses to abandon the ideal to save everyone, Archer seeks to kill Shirō to prevent him from becoming like himself and ending his own existence as a Counter Guardian. Shirō defeats him later but survives long enough to deliver the finishing blow to Gilgamesh and save Rin and Shinji from the Grail's birth canal. In the "Heaven's Feel" route, Shirō chooses to save Sakura over society at large, effectively abandoning his "allies of justice" idealism. Archer's dream is fulfilled, and he continues his mission to protect Shirō and his friends. Later, Archer is mortally wounded in an engagement against True Assassin, Saber Alter, and The Shadow. He survives long enough to have Kirei Kotomine surgically graft his left arm onto Shirō, who lost his arm in that same battle.

Sakura Matou[]

Voiced by: Noriko Shitaya^[1] (Japanese); Sherry Lynn (Fate/stay night, UBW film),^[5] Cristina Vee (UBW TV, Heaven's Feel film)^[6] (English)

Sakura is a first-year high school student and the sister of Shinji Matou. After Shirou's father, Kiritsugu, died, Sakura often visits Shirou's home to help him with his daily chores. Though Shinji is from a sorcerer family, he asserts that she does not know her family's craft or history. Sakura is outwardly timid but possesses great magical strength. She has a long-standing crush on Shirou Emiya. Sakura plays a minor part in the Fate and Unlimited Blade Works routes, being nothing more than a dutiful kouhai (junior student) who is always there to help Shirou in both routes. However, in the Heaven's Feel route, she serves as the lead heroine and vastly expands on her backstory. In the anime-original storyline, Sakura is kidnapped by Caster as a sacrifice to summon the Holy Grail due to her possessing latent magic circuits.^[7] During the rescue attempt, she and Rin are confirmed to be sisters who were separated when they were very young.^[8]

Rider[]

Rider (ライダー, Raidā) - Medusa (メドゥーサ, Medūsa).

Voiced by: Yuu Asakawa^[1] (Japanese); Karen Strassman (Fate/stay night, UBW film),^[1] Melissa Fahn (UBW TV, Heaven's Feel film series) (English)

Rider is Shinji's servant, first seen scouting around Shirō's school. Her true identity is Medusa, the gorgon-witch of legend remembered as one of its infamous monsters. Rider is silent, sultry, and vigilant, never hesitating to shield her Master from harm. She employs covert battle tactics and takes full advantage of her surroundings. With Shinji incapable of lending Mana to her, she is forced to seek alternative means to augment her abilities, such as putting magical seals all over Fuyuki High School that, when activated, drain the life out of any living creature within. It is one of her Noble Phantasms, Blood Fort Andromeda: Outer-Sealing Blood Temple (他者封印・鮮血神殿（ブラッドフォート・アンドロメダ）, Buraddofōdo Andoromeda). Her weapon of choice is a pair of long iron nails fastened to opposite ends of a single chain, which she effectively thrusts from distances. Her primary offensive Noble Phantasm is Bellerophon: Bridle of Chivalry (騎兵の手綱（ベルレフォーン）, Berurefōn), invoked while riding upon the winged horse Pegasus^[9] and is summoned when she stabs her neck.^[10] It drives the Pegasus into a killing fury, turning the Pegasus' charge into a wave of energy capable of causing mass destruction. She wears a blindfold, actually, another Noble Phantasm, Breaker Gorgon: Self-Sealing Dark Temple (自己封印・暗黒神殿（ブレーカー・ゴルゴーン）, Burēkā Gorugōn), which seals away her powerful Mystic Eyes, Cybele (キュベレイ, Kyuberei), the Mystic Eyes of Petrification (石化の魔眼, Sekika no Magan) that are capable of paralyzing any weaker being who looks at her, instantly turning others into stone. However, in Fate/hollow ataraxia and the True End of Heaven's Feel, she is seen wearing glasses that supplant her blindfold as a seal for her eyes.

Rider is the initial antagonist alongside Shinji and is ultimately defeated by Saber. In the manga adaptation of Fate/Stay night, Rider survives to save her master. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, Rider's role is much briefer as she only engages Shirō once before Caster's master later kills her.

In Heaven's Feel, Sakura, the heroine of the route, is revealed to be the true Master of Rider, thus making Rider the servant protagonist of Heaven's Feel. Rider seeks to protect Sakura despite her murderous deeds due to sharing a kinship with her. After Shirō breaks his alliance with Rin to protect Sakura, Rider effectively replaces his lost Servant Saber as the guardian of the Emiya household. In the endgame, Shirō and Rider defeat Saber Alter and allow Shirō to save Sakura. Rider then carries an unconscious Sakura and a gravely-injured Rin to safety while Shirō ensures the Holy Grail's destruction. While her ultimate fate in the Normal End is not known, the True End depicts Rider surviving the war and remaining in the world without the Grail due to Sakura's massive mana-stores, living peacefully with Shirō and Sakura. Rider is also revealed to have latent feelings for Shirō due to him being the first male to treat her with kindness.

Illyasviel "Illya" von Einzbern[]

Illyasviel von Einzbern (イリヤスフィール・フォン・アインツベルン, Iriyasufīru fon Aintsuberun)

Voiced by: Mai Kadowaki (Japanese); Stephanie Sheh (English)

A young Teutonic aristocrat who travels to Japan to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War as the Master of Berserker. She lives in a castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, accompanied only by her Servant and her two maids Leysritt and Sella. In the prequel, Fate/Zero, it is established that Illya is the daughter of Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern. Illya was then raised to believe her father abandoned her, not knowing that he actually wanted to save her from the Grail's fate. Illya's desire to learn more about the person Kiritsugu raised in his final years instead of her prompts Illya to observe Shirō in some cases or try to take him like possession in others. However, she starts warming up after getting to know him when he treats her kindly despite her prior attempts to kill him. She is a homunculus like her mother, created to serve as the vessel of the Holy Grail. When wearing the Dress of Heaven and empowered by the deaths of at least six Servants, she is capable of performing a limited version of the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel (天の杯（ヘブンズフィール）, Hebunzu Fīru), one of the Five types of True Magic (魔法, Mahō) which can accomplish impossibilities beyond modern science or sorcery. In the Fate route, she serves as the antagonist for the second part of the arc with her servant Berserker as she takes Shirō hostage, torn between wanting to take revenge on him in place of Kiritsugu for her years alone or trying to convince him into being a willing possession of hers to care for. Working together, Saber and Shirō managed to defeat Berserker. When Shirō takes her in after this, she is finally convinced that his concern for her is genuine, and she lives peacefully with Shirō after her Servant is defeated. However, none of them know that Illya will soon die, her homunculus' nature having been designed to survive only up to one year after the Fifth Holy Grail War's conclusion. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, she is a minor antagonist; she anticipates meeting with Rin and Shirō as they seek an alliance against Caster when the Servant captures Saber. Still, Illya's own desire to toy with them and stall their approach for her amusement backfires as it leaves her with only Berserker to defend her when Gilgamesh comes after her. After a brutal battle in which Gilgamesh defeats her servant, Illya ultimately dies weeping over the dying body of Berserker. Illya has a greatly expanded role in the Heaven's Feel, and she takes a much more active sisterly role for Shirō early on, helping him through the war and being saved from the Shadow twice over by Shirō. She eventually sacrifices herself to save Shirō and close the Great Holy Grail in the True End.

Kirei Kotomine[]

Kirei Kotomine (言峰 綺礼, Kotomine Kirei)

Voiced by: Jouji Nakata (Japanese); Taylor Henry (Fate/stay night, UBW film),^[1] Crispin Freeman (Zero, UBW TV, Heaven's Feel film) (English)

A priest who acts as the supposedly impartial overseer of the Holy Grail War under an agreement between the Mages' Association and the Holy Church. He served under the previous Holy Grail War's moderator, his father Risei Kotomine, before taking over the position. Due to his experience as an elite assassin for the Church, Kirei is an expert practitioner in Chinese martial arts whose expertise is magnified by his monstrous physical strength and numerous Command Seals.^[11] Despite possessing a strong moral compass, Kirei discovered early in his youth that he could only experience joy through others’ suffering. Originally the master of the Assassin of the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kirei secretly murdered his mentor, Tokiomi Tōsaka, to obtain Gilgamesh while becoming an indirect caretaker for Rin. It is also revealed in the prequel Fate/Zero that he is responsible for the fire that killed Shirō's biological parents, having wished for it with his dying breath after being shot by Kiritsugu Emiya. After his revival, he organizes the Fifth Holy Grail War to supply the Grail's curse with enough energy to be unleashed on humanity.

In Fate, after kidnapping Ilya to use her as a vessel for the Grail's cursed contents, he partakes in a climactic battle with Shirō, who ultimately kills him by destroying his heart with the Azoth Sword. In Unlimited Blade Works, he tries to use Rin as the vessel for the Grail's cursed contents after Gilgamesh killed Illya and stole her heart prior but is killed by Lancer before the climax. In the final route, Heaven's Feel, he serves as both a protagonist and one of the story's primary antagonists by prolonging Sakura Matō's life ^[12] while simultaneously facilitating her growth as the Black Grail.^[13][14] He plays a crucial role in ensuring her corruption by Angra Mainyu. However, his plans are foiled when Shiro and Rin manage to convince her she is truly loved, thereby giving her the resolve to break free of the entity's hold. As the fully developed Angra Mainyu prepares to enter the world, a mortally wounded Kirei surfaces to prevent Shirou from getting in its way. Subsequently, the two engage in a brutal fight to the death. Accepting defeat, he dies standing upon declaring Shirō the winner of the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Gilgamesh[]

Gilgamesh (ギルガメッシュ, Girugamesshu)^[15]

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Grant George (Fate/stay night, UBW film), David Vincent (Zero, UBW TV, Heaven's Feel film series) (English)

Gilgamesh was originally an Archer in the Fourth Holy Grail War in the service of Tokiomi Tōsaka before arranging his death by his new partner Kotomine during the end game. In the aftermath of the Fuyuki fire, Gilgamesh gains a physical form through the Holy Grail and contact with Angra Mainyu and spends the next ten years hiding and feeding off the energy of half-dead orphans. Resurfacing during the Fifth Holy Grail War, Gilgamesh is shown to have an overt but unrequited lust for Saber and desires her for as long as she denies him. He is unique in that he possesses a very large number of Noble Phantasms,^[16] but only three are unique to him: the first is Gate of Babylon: King's Treasure (王の財宝（ゲート・オブ・バビロン）, Gēto Obu Babiron), a key-shaped sword that opens a portal to a mystical vault containing the Noble Phantasms, the second is Enkidu: Chains of Heaven (天の鎖エルキドゥ, Ten no Kusari Erukidu), a set of nigh-unbreakable binding chains that strengthen and tighten the more divine heritage their target has, and the last is Ea: Sword of Rupture (乖離剣・エア, Kairi Ken Ea), a gold-lined sword with a cylindrical drill-like black blade consisting of three rotating cylinders that can generate an attack known as Enuma Elish: The Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth (天地乖離す開闢の星（エヌマエリシュ）, Enuma Erishu) that splits the fabric of space and time, capable of overwhelming even Saber's Excalibur with ease.^[15] He easily defeats Caster when he makes himself known to Shirō Emiya and the others in the Fate route of the visual novel.^[17][16]

Gilgamesh serves as a primary antagonist in the first two routes while playing only a minor role in the third. In Fate, Saber killed him at the grounds of the Ryūdō Temple in a fierce battle. In Unlimited Blade Works, he plans to create a second Uruk using Angra Mainyu to purge most of the world's human population. His arrogance leads him to be defeated by Shirō, after which he is dragged into the dying Holy Grail just as Shirō is about to deal a fatal blow. Archer then kills him as he attempts to use Shirō to pull himself out of the Holy Grail, falling back into it and being dissolved. In Heaven's Feel, Sakura defeated and consumes Gilgamesh after a brief fight.

Supporting characters[]

Humans[]

Kiritsugu Emiya (衛宮切嗣, Emiya Kiritsugu)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese); Kirk Thornton (Fate/stay night), Matthew Mercer (Zero, UBW TV) (English)

Shirō's adoptive father, a magus who was Saber's Master during the Fourth Holy Grail War, the events of which are covered in Fate/Zero. During his lifetime, Kiritsugu strives to be a Hero of Justice, intending to use the Holy Grail to wish for world peace. However, after the Fourth Holy Grail War, realizing that the Holy Grail was corrupted and that the wish it grants only causes destruction, he strives to destroy it. He got his servant Saber to destroy the Grail but unwittingly triggered the Grail to burst energy that caused a huge fire and destroy Shinto, a region of Fuyuki city where the grail was summoned. Kiritsugu becomes disillusioned when he causes the Fuyuki fire with the Holy Grail's power. Finding Shirō, Kiritsugu adopted him and spent his remaining years raising the child as his son before succumbed to Angra Mainyu's curse.

Taiga Fujimura (藤村 大河, Fujimura Taiga)

Voiced by: Miki Itou^[1] (Japanese); Julie Ann Taylor^[1] (English)

She is an English teacher at Shirō's school, homeroom instructor of Shirō's class, and the supervising teacher for the archery dojo. She is widely called "Tiger" (タイガー, Taigā), a nickname she dislikes, but Shirō calls her "Fuji-nee" (older sister Fuji). After Kiritsugu passes away, Taiga becomes Shirō's guardian and has been living with him for several years. Taiga and Shirō are very close, and she regards him as a younger brother. She is also a skilled swordswoman, wielding a shinai known as the Tora-Shinai that was jokingly said to have absorbed so much bloodlust that it has become a high-level cursed object. She has a grandfather named Raiga.

Issei Ryūdō (柳洞 一成, Ryūdō Issei)

Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono (Japanese); Lex Lang (Fate/stay night), Robbie Daymond (UBW TV) (English)

Issei is the Student Body President of Shirō's school, and another close friend of Shirō. Issei often asks Shirō to fix broken equipment for the Student Body to save money on school expenses. Issei and Shirō often have lunch together in the Student Body office where they talk about whatever comes to mind. His father is the head priest of Ryūdō Temple, and his brother was a classmate of Taiga and Neko-san.

Shinji Matou (間桐 慎二, Matō Shinji)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya^[1] (Japanese); Doug Erholtz (Fate/stay night, UBW film),^[1] Kyle McCarley (UBW TV) (English)

Sakura Matou's older brother and a long-time friend of Shirou until Shirou discovered Shinji beating Sakura, at which point Shirou beat Shinji within an inch of his life. Shinji is very popular as vice-captain of the archery dojo despite being chauvinistic and a narcissist. Like Rin Tohsaka, he is of a distinguished lineage of Japanese sorcerers (though his family is originally from Russia), though the Matou blood has thinned and no longer produces heirs naturally capable of sorcery. Shinji feels uncomfortable with his sister's daily visits to Shirou's home. He has an open crush on Rin, but she does not return his feelings.

He participates in the Fifth Holy Grail War as a Master, with Rider as his Servant, although he does not have Mage abilities. He is beaten and humiliated by Shirou, who almost crushes Shinji's throat for using the school as a power source. He has a Command Seal created by his younger sister, who is Rider's true Master. In the Fate route, after Rider loses to Saber, his book burns up; he flees but is killed by Berserker.^[18] In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he is implanted with the heart of Illya, the seed of the Holy Grail by Gilgamesh, but is later rescued by Rin Tohsaka and ultimately survives. In the Heaven's Feel route, he is ousted as a false Master as Rider returns to her true Master, Sakura. It is revealed that he had been raping Sakura for many years. In a fit of fright, Sakura murders Shinji.

Sōichirō Kuzuki (葛木 宗一郎, Kuzuki Sōichirō)

Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (Fate/stay night, UBW film), Lex Lang (UBW TV) (English)

Kuzuki is an instructor in Rin's class. Kuzuki is well respected among staff and students. He is a highly trained assassin who has no qualms about letting his servant Caster, whom he loves, do whatever she wants, even if the actions are considered evil.^[7] He has been staying at Issei Ryoudou's place for three years and is regarded by Issei as a brother.^[7] In the anime and the "Unlimited Blade Works" route of the visual novel, he has Caster enhance the power of his fists.^[7] In the Unlimited Blade Works route, in which he is revealed as Caster's Master, whom she made a contract with after killing her original Master (known in the anime as Atram Galiast). After his Servant is killed by Archer's hail of swords, he is defeated in melee by Archer. In the Heaven's Feel route, Kuzuki is never seen but is described as having been killed by unknown means during the Shadow's attack on the temple, with Saber and Shirō arriving soon after to find Caster standing over his dead body in shock. Caster is shown as having gone mad with grief over his death and denoting that she might as well have killed him with her own hands if this outcome was the result of him being her Master, ultimately being killed by Saber in the ensuing fight. The Fate anime adaptation depicts him dying at Gilgamesh's hands.

Zōken Matō (間桐 臓硯, Matō Zōken)

Voiced by: Masane Tsukayama (Japanese); Michael Donovan (English)

Zōken is a powerful, ancient magus and the patriarch of the Matō family. Despite being centuries old, Shinji and Sakura refer to him as their grandfather. Hailing from Russia, his original name is Makiri Zolgen. He is ultimately revealed to be one of the original three Magi who created the Holy Grail system and the designer of the Command Seals. During his long lifetime, Zōken has amassed an enormous wealth of knowledge and experience in magecraft. However, his training is indistinguishable from physical and psychological torture (a fact only exacerbated by Zōken's sadism). He has kept himself alive through the use of Crest Worms and can only be killed if the worm he planted in Sakura's heart is destroyed. He only appears in the Heaven's Feel route but is the route's main antagonist and has an expanded role in the prequel, Fate/Zero. He originally controls Dark Sakura, but she eventually turns on him and destroys his body, reducing him to a single worm. After seeing Illya in her Dress of Heaven and remembering why he fought to survive for so long, he can stop clinging to life and die in peace.

Servants[]

Lancer (ランサー, Ransā) - Cú Chulainn (クー・フーリン, Kū Fūrin)

Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna (Japanese); Tony Oliver (English)

The first hostile Servant to appear in the story. His true identity is Cú Chulainn, the "child of light" from Ireland and one of its most famed heroes. He has a playful attitude and takes a carefree approach to life but quickly works himself into a frenzy during a heated battle. His Noble Phantasm is Gáe Bolg: Spear of Impaling Barbed Death (刺し穿つ死棘の槍（ゲイ・ボルク）, Gei Boruku). When activated, it reverses the laws of cause and effect, meaning that the fact that the next strike will hit the opponent's heart becomes a foregone conclusion, even before the spear is thrust. This causes its next strike to become completely unavoidable and fatal, ignoring all magical and physical protection, bending at impossible angles and around obstacles. The only way to survive this technique is to be blessed with a large degree of luck to have the spear strike a region other than the heart, as avoiding the blow is impossible. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he also uses Gáe Bolg: Spear of Striking Death Flight (突き穿つ死翔の槍（ゲイ・ボルク）, Gei Boruku), which maximizes Gáe Bolg's true capabilities as a thrown weapon.

In the Fate route, his death is not seen. His death is portrayed in Studio Deen's anime adaptation of the Fate route as being the result of Gilgamesh. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he offers to temporarily become allies with Shirō and Rin after Caster steals Saber and Archer betrays Rin to join her, becoming the pair's subsidiary Servant. Lancer discovers Kirei's hand in the mess when the Priest explains he'd manipulated the events to his advantage, intending to use Rin as the vessel for the Holy Grail. He then collapses from a fatal wound after being ordered to commit suicide via Command Spell, but not before killing Kirei and stabbing Shinji Matō. He then sets fire to the Einzbern castle with magic before fading away. In the Heaven's Feel route, Lancer dies early on, being killed by True Assassin.

Berserker (バーサーカー, Bāsākā) - Heracles (ヘラクレス, Herakuresu)

Voiced by: Tadahisa Saizen (Japanese); Michael McConnohie (English)

The Servant of Illya, who appears as a giant with adamantine skin and gross brawn. His true identity is Heracles, a legendary hero and demigod of Greece and the son of the Ruler of the Gods, Zeus. He wields a colossal axe-sword, and is capable of causing massive destruction with the mere backlash of his swings. Berserkers are praised as members of the "Strongest" class, though they are difficult to control and can turn on their Masters. Berserker's main Noble Phantasm is God Hand: Twelve Labours (十二の試練（ゴッド・ハンド）, Goddo Hando), which grants automatic resurrection, up to 11 resurrections - meaning Berserker needs to be killed 12 times to be put down permanently, one for each of Heracles's twelve labors.^[19] Berserker also possess a Noble Phantasm called Nine Lives: The Shooting Hundred Heads (射殺す百頭（ナインライブス）, Nain Raibuzu), which is the legendary bow and arrow set used by Heracles to slay the nine-headed Hydra. Shirō uses it in the Heaven's Feel route, projecting Berserker's axe-sword against a corrupted Berserker to remove all his remaining lives in one go in a modified technique known as Nine Lives Blade Works: The Shooting Hundred Heads (是・射殺す百頭（ナインライブズ・ブレイドワークス）, Nain Raibuzu Bureido Wākusu). In the anime and the "Fate" route of the visual novel, Shirō and Saber perform a joint special attack with a traced Caliburn, Saber's lost Noble Phantasm, and kill him.^[20] In the Unlimited Blade Works route, Gilgamesh binds the Servant down with his divine chains and pelts him with weapons. In the "Heaven's Feel" route, Berserker is defeated by Saber Alter - the corrupted form of Saber - and is then consumed by Angra Mainyu and reborn as the decrepit Dark Berserker. He is later killed by Shirō Emiya.^[21]

Assassin (アサシン, Asashin)

Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki^[22] (Japanese), David Vincent (Fate/stay night, UBW film), Todd Haberkorn (UBW TV) (English)^[3]

A solitary Servant, clothed in a traditional Japanese hakama and kimono with an indigo haori. He carries an odachi as his main weapon. He initially claims to be Sasaki Kojirō (佐々木小次郎), but in reality he is a nameless samurai "who forged his past and is a master swordsman only in people's memories".^[8] He was summoned by Caster as a guardian and watchman for the front gate of the Ryūdō Temple. As an improper servant, Assassin is entirely dependent on Caster for mana and cannot move freely beyond the grounds of Ryūdō Temple. Because of his limited status, Assassin only seeks to enjoy a decent sword fight. His special move is the Turning Swallow Strike (秘剣・燕返し, Tsubame Gaeshi), an unblockable attack that hits from three directions simultaneously, reaching into parallel dimensions.^[16] It is a sword skill of the highest degree that requires no mana other than that needed for Assassin to move, and as such is incredibly efficient. It is a sure-kill move, although in a different sense from Gáe Bolg. In Fate/Hollow ataraxia, he is described as having been killed by Gilgamesh. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he faces Saber once after letting Shirō and Archer pass to let them cause inconvenience for Caster, later letting Saber leave with her Master after Archer wounds Shirō as a sign of respect for her abilities and desire to defend her comrade. Saber defeats him on the last night of the Holy Grail War. In Heaven's Feel route, Assassin's flesh serves as Zōken Matō's catalyst for summoning True Assassin, with the latter bursting out from within his flesh.

Caster (キャスター, Kyasutā) - Medea (メディア, Media)

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese); Tara Platt (Fate/stay night, UBW film), Megan Hollingshead (UBW TV) (English)

She is an honored guest of the Ryūdō family, permitted to live at their temple until the preparations for her marriage have been finalized. Her true identity is Medea, the disgraced princess of Colchis who was branded a witch due to actions outside her control. Unlike other Servants, she does not wield a weapon for physical combat, but her rank allows her to manipulate Mana and perform magic like a wizard, which other Servants cannot do. Her magical ability far surpasses modern Magi, due to her technique, High-Speed Divine Words (高速神言). This allows her to cast spells that would normally take minutes to cast by uttering a single word. Because of her Magus ability, she has a dual role as a Servant to Kuzuki and a Master of Assassin. Her Noble Phantasm is Rule Breaker: Destroyer of all Talismans (破戒すべき全ての符（ルールブレイカー）, Rūru Bureikā), an otherwise weak dagger which dispels all forms of magic that it comes in contact with. Its greatest use is in severing the bond between Master and Servant. She also possesses a Noble Phantasm called Argon Coin: The Golden Fleece (金羊の皮（アルゴンコイン）, Arugon Koin), a coat of golden fleece which is capable of summoning the original Colchis dragon that guarded it after it is thrown upon the ground. However, she is not capable of using it in the Fifth Holy Grail War.

In the Fifth Holy Grail War, shortly after her summoning, she kills her original Master Atram Galiast within a few days, and is later taken in by her current Master Sōichirō Kuzuki at the Ryūdō Temple.^[7] Caster quickly fell in love with Sōichirō, for he was the first man to show her genuine kindness, dedication, and loyalty. Her primary objective shifted from obtaining the Holy Grail for herself to simply preserving their short time together. To that end, she takes the souls of other beings to sustain herself and strengthen her defensive power, as Kuzuki is incapable of providing her with Mana.^[7] In the anime-original storyline, she kidnaps Sakura by possessing her body and stabbing Saber with Rule Breaker, but, because of Saber's A-ranked magic resistance, she was only able to take away Saber's ability to use her Noble Phantasm.^[7] She then tries to sacrifice Sakura, who has latent Magus abilities, to summon the Holy Grail directly. She is then defeated by Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon in her underground city.^[8] In the Fate route, she is defeated by Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon while attempting to attack the Emiya household. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, she is the primary antagonist of the first third of the path. She personally stabs Saber with Rule Breaker, turning her into her Servant for a short time, but is later betrayed and defeated by Archer. In the Heaven's Feel route, she is killed by Saber early on after losing Assassin and Kuzuki in an attack by the Shadow. Still, Zōken Matō uses one of his worm familiars to maintain her body as a puppet for a brief period before Saber slays it. Her Rule Breaker would play a critical role later, being projected by Shirou to sever Sakura's connection to The Shadow.

True Assassin (真アサシン, Shin Asashin) - Hassan-i Sabbah (ハサン・サッバーハ, Hasan Sabbāha)

Voiced by: Tetsu Inada (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (English)

True Assassin is a Servant with a unique ability to conceal itself outside of battle. True Assassin's identity is that of the legendary Persian "Old Man of the Mountain," Hassan-i Sabbah, the leader of al-Assasīn, but he later states that the name Hassan was passed down along with the leadership of the sect through many generations and that he himself was not the original Old Man of the Mountain, nor was he likely the last. His Noble Phantasm is Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat (妄想心音（ザバーニーヤ）, Zabānīya), a long, satanic, three-metre long right arm which replaces the heart of whoever it touches with a fake substitute, which can be crushed to destroy the real heart. He is the Servant of Zōken Matō, and only appears in the Heaven's Feel route, bursting out from within Assassin's flesh when Zōken uses the dying Servant's body as the catalyst to summon him. He later battles Saber and traps her between his Noble Phantasm and The Shadow, resulting in her being devoured by the latter and her subsequent corruption into Saber Alter. He attempts to kill Shirō immediately after but is defeated by Rider, who comes to Shirō's defense at the behest of her true master - revealed later to be Sakura Matō. He is later slain by Sakura's Shadow when Sakura turns on Zōken as revenge for his years of tormenting her.

Minor characters[]

Leysritt (リーゼリット, Rīzeritto) and Sella (セラ, Sera)

Voiced by: Miho Miyagawa (Leysritt) and Haruhi Nanao (Sella) (Japanese); Brianna Knickerbocker (Leysritt) and Rachael McCabe (Sella) (UBW TV) (English)

These two women are Illya's maids, but they act as her caretakers and instruct her in the secrets of sorcery. Like Illya, they both have silky white hair and deep crimson eyes. Sella is rather inconsistent and insecure (especially regarding her body) and suspicious of Shirō Emiya. In contrast, Leysritt is far more casual and affectionate for Shirō because his presence makes Illya happy. Leysritt is skilled in combat, particularly with halberds. She can sacrifice her life to manifest The Dress of Heaven, an artifact of the Einzbern family capable of limited applications of True Magic (魔法, Mahō), miracles that can accomplish impossibilities beyond modern science or sorcery.

Ayako Mitsuzuri (美綴 綾子, Mitsuzuri Ayako)

Voiced by: Fumie Mizusawa (Japanese); Minx Lee (Fate/stay night), Brina Palencia (UBW TV) (English)

A stellar athlete and captain of the archery dojo. Ayako and Rin are actively competing to see who will be the first to snag a boyfriend. She is close friends with Shirō, despite her outgoing and extroverted attitude making him uncomfortable, and wishes to see Shirō smile, something she has never seen him do. She is victimized by Rider or Caster early in the story and later found unconscious in an alleyway. In the anime, Ayako is seen with Shinji after her disappearance, although Shinji denies it when asked by Shirō. Ayako often asks Shirō to come to the archery dojo and watch them practice. After she is attacked, Ayako is said to be recovering in hospital but is not seen again.

Yukika Saegusa (三枝 由紀香, Saegusa Yukika)

Voiced by: Eri Nakao (Japanese); Jessica DiCicco (English)

Yukika is the gentle manager of the Track Team, warmly loved by most of her class. She is one of the few people able to see Assassin at the Ryūdō Temple gate and strikes up a conversation with him in Fate/hollow ataraxia.

Kaede Makidera (蒔寺 楓, Makidera Kaede)

Voiced by: Michiru Yuimoto (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck (English)

Kaede is a beautiful but loud and obnoxious sprinter known as the Panther of Homura. A friend of Rin Tōsaka, the two often go window-shopping together. Her hobby is collecting wind chimes.

Kane Himuro (氷室 鐘, Himuro Kane)

Voiced by: Rie Nakagawa (Japanese); Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English)

Kane is one of Yukika and Kaede's friends, a high jumper, and is also the protagonist of Fate/School Life. She is considerate and intelligent. She has feelings for Shirō. Her father is the mayor of Fuyuki City. Her hobby is painting.

Otoko Hotaruzuka (蛍塚音子, Hotaruzuka Otoko)

Otoko is Shirō's employer, and owner of a liquor store, The Copenhagen Bar. She dislikes her given name, Otoko (phonically identical to the Japanese word for "male"), preferring to be called "Neko". She feels attached to Shirō and always addresses him by a pet name, "Emi-yan". "Neko" considers Taiga to be a bad influence on her hard-working employee.

Raiga Fujimura (藤村雷画, Fujimura Raiga)

Better known as the grandfather of Taiga, Raiga is the Oyabun (組長 family head) of a yakuza group operating in Fuyuki City. He was an old friend of Kiritsugu Emiya, and as a favor, managed Kiritsugu's estate after his death in place of Shirō. Due to Taiga's general incompetence, he is also Shirō's de facto guardian, and often takes Shirō hunting or to sumo matches, paying him for his time.

Kishua Zelretch Schweinorg (キシュア・ゼルレッチ・シュバインオーグ, Kishua Zeruretchi Shubain��gu)

Zelretch is one of five living sorcerers capable of "True Magic." Zelretch's particular miracle is known as the "Kaleidoscope," which gives him dominion over the unlimited alternate realities. Originally introduced in Tsukihime, he makes a cameo appearance in the Heaven's Feel scenario of Fate/stay night as Rin's magus teacher. The Jeweled Sword Zelretch featured in the same route is his creation.

Luviagelita Edelfelt (ルヴィアゼリッタ・エーデルフェルト, Ruviazeritta Ēderuferuto)

Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese); Lauren Landa (English)

A descendant of the Edelfelt family, who participated in the Third Holy Grail War with twin Masters, believing it would be advantageous for them to have two Servants due to their Crest being split in half, though the family has not participated since. Luvia is an outstanding but arrogant student at the Mage's Association and frequently fights with other students, including Rin Tōsaka, her cousin. She is notably famous in the non-magical world due to her job as a professional wrestler, where she is known as the "Forklift Lady" due to her immense strength. Her powers are similar to Rin's. Luvia's first proper appearance is in Fate/hollow ataraxia where she is Shirō's partner and admirer, working with him to investigate mysterious magical incidents on behalf of the Mage's Association. She was later seen in the final episode of the anime series adaptation of Unlimited Blade Works, once again as a fellow student to Rin and Shirō with her affections for the latter and rivalry with the former intact.

Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern (ユスティーツァ・リズライヒ・フォン・アインツベルン, Yusutītsa Rizuraihi fon Aintsuberun)

Known as the Saint of Winter, Justeaze was a homunculus whose family desired the Holy Grail long before the Holy Grail Wars began. When their attempts continued to fail, the Einzbern reluctantly accepted the aid of the Tōsaka and Makiri (Matō) families, and under the guidance of Zelretch, they formed the Holy Grail Wars. Justeaze agreed to form the core of the Holy Grail; as such, her descendants (Illyasviel von Einzbern and her mother, Irisviel) each contain within their parts of Justeaze's memories and personality as well as a genetic resemblance to her. She also indirectly assists her adoptive descendant Shirō, as it is through her memories that he is able to create a copy of the Jeweled Sword Zelretch near the climax of Heaven's Feel. She is also the cause of Zōken's actions in Heaven's Feel, as Zōken (back when he was still Zolgen) had decided to use the Grail to create world peace as a tribute to his lost love, but eventually forgot due to his ever-advancing age and creeping insanity.

Atrum Galliasta (アトラム・ガリアスタ, Atoramu Gariasuta)

Voiced by: Jun Fukushima (Japanese); Robbie Daymond (English)

The former Master of Caster who was originally mentioned in the visual novel, until his actual appearance in the second anime adaptation of Unlimited Blade Works in which his role was explained. Atrum initially summoned Caster to take advantage of her ability to summon the original dragon of Colchis. However, once Caster stated that while she indeed had the knowledge to summon said dragon but not on how to control it, Atrum dismisses Caster as useless.

Bedivere (ベディヴィエール, Bediviēru)

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Fate/stay night anime), Shin-ichiro Miki (PS2 Port), Mitsuaki Madono (PS Vita Port), Mamoru Miyano (Garden of Avalon CD Drama, Fate/Grand Order)^[23] (Japanese); Megan Hollingshead (English)

One of the Knights of the Round Table, Bedivere, is Altria's caretaker and one of the stewards of the royal court. Only appearing in the final scenes in the Fate Route, he came to serve the young king out of admiration, entrusting his sword to her and working to become her guard. As the years passed up to her passing in the Battle of Camlann, he tended to her in her final moments in her life. He was happy that he finally saw his wish for her: a peaceful sleep that she had never been able to obtain. Happy that he thanked someone another time for giving her peace, he watches over her and asks her if she's watching the continuation of her dream.

Bedivere played a major role in the 6th chapter of Fate/Grand Order as a summonable servant in both game and the upcoming movie adaptation.

Reception[]

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The visual novel noted that such use of the heroes of the legends of antiquity could also encourage acquaintance with their original sources.^[24] Uno Tsunehiro from Kyoto University compared Shirou's traumatic background in regards the city's fire to survivors from the September 11 attacks while also showing different ways the Japanese society used to take care of their lives in such time. As a result, Tsunehiro views Shirou's change in each route as a way to recover from the trauma, grow up and become an independent person.^[25] A large number of sudden deaths, coupled with a sharp effect of losing control over the situation, according to the authors of the monograph, gave the gameplay an additional emotional coloring and motivated players to continue playing the game, aided by well-developed plot twists.^[26] In his analysis of the magical system and details of the personalities of the characters, Makoto Kuroda sees in the idea of Shirou to become a “champion of justice” a direct analogy with the traditional view of the life of bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, seeking to save other people at the cost of their own efforts and suffering.^[27] In Kuroda's view, Buddhist concepts are opposed to the elements of Christian ethics contained in the plot through the opposition of Shirou and Kirei Kotomine in the form of the main character's rejection of the interpretation of Angra Mainyu as a creature who accepted the sins of others in the name of salvation.^[28]

The images of Rin, Saber and Sakura received conflicting ratings. Thus, many reviewers recognized that the psychologically deepest arc is "Heaven's Feel", which is largely due to the sharp and versatile disclosure of the image of Sakura Matou,^[29][30] and her romantic line with Shirou is the most "adult" among all the heroines.^[30][31] Some reviewers commented on Shirou's relationship with Saber and on his growth in Studio Deen's anime that improves their personalities and adds romance to their relationship as the plot progresses.^{[32][33][34][35]}

Kirtisugu's relationship wih Kirei was the subject of praise.^[36][37] The Fandom Post and Blu-ray enjoyed Shirou's characterization in the film, in which his ideals contrast with those of Archer and Kiritusgu, making him notably mature in the story.^[38][39]

References[]