Fate/ Series Q&A

[Vladrave]

Man, that sucks really.

[bhl88]

And that was Archer's.....

Spoiler:

Biggest regret

[Xellos-_^]

wasn't illya's death what drove Emiya to become Archer?

[Ithekro]

Thing is, that doesn't make sense.

If the family is trying to successfullly crafted their future master for the next war (after Iris), that shouldn't Illya have a longer lifespan? The Fifth War wasn't suppose to happen for 60 years. Or did they originally intend for her to be the master in the Fourth War?

[sona-nyl]

Isn't her lifespan only reduced when she begins to take in servants?
I always assumed that her body wasn't made to function after having acted as a grail.

[GDB]

Originally Posted by Usami_Haru

Isn't her lifespan only reduced when she begins to take in servants?
I always assumed that her body wasn't made to function after having acted as a grail.

Yes, I believe that is correct.

[Arabesque]

We don't really know what is going to happen to Illya after Fate ... I mean, the implication is that she should die (she wasn't made to function after the War) but the Tiger Dojo special sort of hints that there is more to it (''Everyone dies at the end'' she says, but whether or not she will die in a year is left up in the air, so ...?)

Anyway, I've been replaying some of the game recently, and I have some questions about HF:

Spoiler for Q!:

-What was the significance of Saber Alter's helmet? It's clearly not part of her regular armor (she was never summoned with it, and we were never shown her wearing it in any flashbacks), so is it something that the curse gave to her? Like additional protection (or a mask? A blindfold?)

-After Shinji made Sakura go mad in the school with the poison, Rin mentioned that Archer might know a way to stop Sakura, and from the looks of it he had some knowledge about it (good old C-rank Magic Know-how). Now the part that really confused me is that when he is confronting Rider, he tells her he is going to kill Sakura and that will stop her from harming anyone, but after a while from him fighting, Rider mentions that he can't beat her since he isn't using his NP since he doesn't actually want to hurt Sakura ... so what is going on here? If Archer wanted to kill Sakura, why didn't he use his reality marble to draw her into his world and kill her there where he had the advantage (or ''lie'' to get Rider to lower her guard). But if he wanted to save her, why didn't he just explain to Rider that there was another way that could have made sure that no one got hurt?

-Exactly, what are the functions of the Worms that ''trained'' Sakura (both the old version and the RN ones)? Becuase from the description alone, it sounds like no one would be able to survive THAT in the first place for 11 years (or 1 year, like in Fate/Zero) let alone manage to continue to have children, as the Muoto's seem to have been doing ...

[Urzu 7]

I've know about this series for years but know hardly a thing about it. I know it has many fans. Are these shows anime classics that I, as an anime fan, owe to myself to check out? How many TV series are there? Just Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero? Any OVAs and movies to check out? Are they all available legally? I'm sure the TV episodes are but I want to check on the OVAs and movies, if there are any movies.

Are there any sites that stream this series in HD? Could some of you tell me a bit about the Fate series, something to try and get me interested in checking it out? What are the TV shows about (without revealing spoilers)?

[Arabesque]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Are these shows anime classics that I, as an anime fan, owe to myself to check out?

This is going to vary from person to person, but I personally don't view them as classics that must been seen if you call yourself an anime fan i.e. it isn't going to make my 100 anime to watch before you die list. That said, I think that the Fate/ series is in general a good series, with a mostly memorable colorful cast, an interesting presentation on classic lore and complex magical mechanics, and some philosophy thrown in to the mix. Personally, I rank the Fate/Zero anime higher than the first one in general, but I think that the first anime is fine in general and in some cases even pretty good, and it can achieve excellency in many aspects (the music for starters). I like them both plenty, so I would say that it would be worth your time checking it out if your interested.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

How many TV series are there? Just Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero?

Yes, there have been two TV series, the first is an adaptation by Studio Deen of the PS2 Visual Novel game Fate/Stay Night: Réalta Nua, which is a port of the original 18+ game, Fate/Stay Night. The game is divided into three main routes which are Fate, Unlimited Blades Works and Heaven's Feel. The first anime covers the Fate route, with some deviations and changes here and there but it follows the first route structure for the most part. The second is by studio ufotable, Fate/Zero, which is an adaptation of the prequel written novel of the same name (but by a different author than the game) and it covers the events that occurred before the Visual Novel 10 years ago.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Any OVAs and movies to check out?

Yes. There has been a film adaptation of the second route of the Réalta Nua game, titled Unlimited Blades Works. There has also been a Special Reproduction OVA for the first TV anime, but it is mostly a recap for the TV series and isn't really worth watching aside from the Remix of the OP which I personally adore and this is the best OP of the entire franchise.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Are they all available legally?

Yes. The first anime had been for some time now licensed and dubbed (It was originally broadcast in 2006) and the film had been recently released in English as well. Fate/Zero had not been officially released for purchase in English, however the Japanese release does include English subtitles (though I would not recommend you getting it now due to the price being so high). You can also go to Crunchyroll to view all 25 episodes of the Fate/Zero anime.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Are there any sites that stream this series in HD?

Crunchyroll for Fate/Zero (subtitles only) Funimation for Fate/Stay Night (Dubbed and subtitled). I do not know of the quality of the Funimation stream, but I know that the Crunchyroll stream is pretty high.

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

Could some of you tell me a bit about the Fate series, something to try and get me interested in checking it out? What are the TV shows about (without revealing spoilers)?

The premise of the Fate series is that 7 magi are chosen and using their abilities to form contracts with ancient and powerful Heroic Spirits, souls of legendary heroes of humanity who had preformed deeds that are still praised and worshiped to this day, in order to do battle in a war called The Holy Grail War where the 7 summoned Heroic Spirits fight each other with the purpose of defeating the other 6 and in the end claim the prize at the end which as the name implies is the Holy Grail, which is claimed to be able to grant any wish the winner desires.

Think of it as Battle Royal meets Highlander with everyone being played with someone you've probably heard your history teacher once talk about in high school (or Uni) and you'd have a good idea of what the series premise is about.

There is more to it than that though. There is a conflict of many who desire the grail for their own personal desires, some who want it to better the life of humanity as a whole, and few who want to use it to for more sinister means ...

There is also romance involved in this, more so in Fate/Stay Night than in Fate/Zero, and a lot of tragedy in store for the cast as the war goes on and more and more Servants are defeated (more Fate/Zero than Stay Night for the most part, though there are bits in F/SN that will tug your heart strings as well)

Hope that helps.

[Urzu 7]

So there are humans that summon the legendary heroes, right? The summoned heroes die when defeated, right? What about the human that summons them? Do they die when a hero is defeated? I'm assuming no, but I assume that a lot of the tragedy in the series comes from humans losing the heroes they've become attached to.

[blitz1/2]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

So there are humans that summon the legendary heroes, right? The summoned heroes die when defeated, right? What about the human that summons them? Do they die when a hero is defeated? I'm assuming no, but I assume that a lot of the tragedy in the series comes from humans losing the heroes they've become attached to.

Rejoice Urzu, for you will have the time of your life embracing the Nasuverse!

[mAc Chaos]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

So there are humans that summon the legendary heroes, right? The summoned heroes die when defeated, right? What about the human that summons them? Do they die when a hero is defeated? I'm assuming no, but I assume that a lot of the tragedy in the series comes from humans losing the heroes they've become attached to.

Well, all of these things are things that are explained in the show, so we would be taking away from your revelations as you watch it. But you've got the basic idea. Secret war between mages using legendary heroes from myth and legend to fight. Except, the main character is basically someone who has no idea about it at all, and gets sucked into it by accident. And that's where you follow him into the adventure.

[Arabesque]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

So there are humans that summon the legendary heroes, right?

Well, that's the rule ...

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

The summoned heroes die when defeated, right?

Yes, once a hero is slain, they are dead for good. Mind you, these are ancient warriors from times past, so they had already experienced death before. Doesn't make it any more pleasant going through it again ...

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

What about the human that summons them? Do they die when a hero is defeated?

There is no rule in the contract that states that summoner loses their life if their Servant is defeated, in fact they might be able to form a new contract with a new Servant (if they are able to find one free, since there can only be 7 summoned at any one War). That said, some magi might think it might be a good idea to get rid of both the hero and summoner in one go, so they won't get the chance to come back ...

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

I'm assuming no, but I assume that a lot of the tragedy in the series comes from humans losing the heroes they've become attached to.

Oh yes. Some treat it as a mere contract to be fulfilled, but some become attached and drawn to these Heroic Spirits (which is to be expected, after all they are powerful humans who had managed to do great deeds that nowadays we can only dream of, and have attracted the awe of the masses for hundreds if not thousands of years) and of course they will be at loss when they lose their partners. Of course, it's not there isn't any human causalities, or bonds built between different humans that will suffer as well ...

[chaos_alfa]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

I've know about this series for years but know hardly a thing about it. I know it has many fans. Are these shows anime classics that I, as an anime fan, owe to myself to check out? How many TV series are there? Just Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero? Any OVAs and movies to check out? Are they all available legally? I'm sure the TV episodes are but I want to check on the OVAs and movies, if there are any movies.

Are there any sites that stream this series in HD? Could some of you tell me a bit about the Fate series, something to try and get me interested in checking it out? What are the TV shows about (without revealing spoilers)?

If you want to start following the Fate series I recommend reading the Fate/Stay Night visual novel rather than watching the anime adaption. The anime isn't very good good compared to the VN, it leaves out many things which are important to the story.

After having read the VN you should watch or read Fate/Zero. F/Z was originally a light novel, but this time the anime adaption is very good. F/Z is a prequel to Fate/Stay Night. If you watch/read F/Z before F/SN you will be spoiled on a few major thing of F/SN.

Edit:
You can find the Fate/Stay Night VN and its translation patch easily on the net with one google search.

[GDB]

Originally Posted by chaos_alfa

If you watch/read F/Z before F/SN you will be spoiled on a few major thing of F/SN.

A few? I'd say there'd only really be two surprises left in the entire game if you do Zero first. Neither of which are in the Fate Route.

[mAc Chaos]

Fate/Zero is meant to be watched after Fate/Stay Night. Don't do it first.

[chaos_alfa]

One other reason to read the visual novel over watching the anime adaption of Fate/Stay Night would that Heaven's Feel, the third route of the visual novel hasn't been adapted yet.

[Guernsey]

Spoiler for Gilgamesh's idea of kingship:

The anime never elaborated on what Gil thought a king should be, can anyone give an excerpt on Gil's idea of kingship?

[Vicious108]

Originally Posted by Guernsey

Spoiler for Gilgamesh's idea of kingship:

The anime never elaborated on what Gil thought a king should be, can anyone give an excerpt on Gil's idea of kingship?

Actually in the BD version of episode 11 (The Banquet of the Kings/Grail Dialogue), Gilgamesh and Rider did have an exchange about the former's way of kingship - as a king, Gil's word is the law and he is a king because he sees his own law through. As far as real life monarchism goes, this is probably the closest to his way of kingship. The king is a divine figure, free from the influence of earthly matters, whose judgement and words are never to be questioned. He is an absolute controller, beyond restraints like morality even (as seen in how Gil is perfectly able to partake in and appreciate misdeeds that would normally constitute as punishable evils).

Gilgamesh's kingship is also interesting because it includes characteristics of both Saber and Rider's ways. Like Rider, he is a larger-than-life tyrant whom the people sacrifice themselves for, but unlike Rider and like Saber, he follows the lonely path of kingship, standing as solitary existence without equal. He did have someone whom he considered to be on equal standing with him once (Enkidu), but ever since Enkidu's death he's remained a lone and disillusioned king. He does claim to be compassionate towards the subjects who pledge themselves to him and who are worthy enough though.

Also, there was actually a scene with Gilgamesh inside the Grail mud in the novel, which episode 25 of the anime omitted, where he speaks of his way of kingship a little. We might see it in the BD version of the episode yet (I certainly hope so), but here's what he says about being a king then:

Spoiler:

The King will acknowledge it; the King will permit it. The King will bear the burden of the entire world.
[...]
That was — King — a presence that was an absolute controller, as well as one that had no equal.
His name was — King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.

[Arabesque]

About watching the anime or reading the novel ... I think either one is fine to be perfectly honest. Yes, I know, the first anime isn't exactly the BEST, but you know it's not really all that bad. In fact, I thought that it was generally pretty good all things considered. I say that watching the anime might be better since it serves as a better introduction to the world and setting, before moving on to the others. (Beside, Urzu 7 specified he wanted to know about the shows)

Zero or Stay night ... I think it would be best to watch Stay Night before Zero, but for a reason different than what is mentioned here (I honestly think that reading (as in, Fate Zero novel -> Fate/Stay Night VN) it chronologically is for the best). I think it's best to save Zero for later because it is the more modern release, so watching before Stay Night is bound to cause some shock since the production is simply incomparable to an anime that was made 6-7 years ago. The transition will be much smother if you watch it according to the release date as opposed to the chronological order.