In Fate/stay night, all of the Servants' alignments can be viewed on their respective status screens.
The first part indicates the principles they consider important, and the second part indicates personality.
Below is a complete list of alignments featured in the game, for comparison purposes.
People who are hated, yet the result of their atrocities ultimately saved others. They are the ones who define "good" with "evil".
Although they are the targets of curses, they are still worshiped as messiahs.
They are the anti-heroes.
However, true anti-heroes do not exist.
Ultimately they only reach the level of "individuals who did good while carrying out evil" (stopping short of being true anti-hero).
Assassin and Archer fall into this category.
Rider and Caster are not true Heroic Spirits, but they are not true anti-heroes either.
Aozaki [Person's name]
The name that briefly appeared in this story. It was the name of the mage house that managed the greatest "Spiritual Land" in Japan.
In the mage world, the name had become synonymous with trouble.
The Aozakis were an ancient house, but were by no means prestigious. Because of the "Path" opened by the previous Heads, the current Head of the Aozakis had a greater chance of becoming a "Magician".
The current heirs were a pair of sisters whom were thought to be ominous. After a battle for the right of inheritance, the younger sister became heir of the "Magician" title.
The older sister traveled to London and made quite a name for herself, but quickly withdrew from the Association due to being problematic.
During the Fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, the older sister was busy hiding her tracks, while the younger sister was roaming around the country.
Although the younger sister was good at nothing but destroying things, the older sister was truly a polymath. Fate might had a little to do with the older sister.
Heroic Spirit of the bow. The basic abilities of these Servants tended to be low, but they compensated with Skills and Noble Phantasms.
The Archer in this story was no exception, he engaged in combat with unidentified Noble Phantasms.
A thoroughly cynical pragmatist... but even so, he had an oddly childish personality that no one could hate.
His real identity was ???. He was such an important character in the story, you could call him the shadow protagonist. Half of Fate could be called his story.
At the beginning of the game, Archer claimed his memory was confused due to incomplete summon. This was half-truth.
On the night of the summoning, Archer assessed the situation and deduced the current circumstances. He believed that he would have the opportunity to achieve his goal.
At the instant Rin introduced herself, Archer believed the girl who summoned him was "Tohsaka Rin" (not due to his memory being confused, but the name Tohsaka Rin being worn off).
At that moment, Archer recalled like a jolt of lightning:
"-------Rin. Ah, that's the name------"
Archer murmured this under his breath at that time. It was truly from his heart and filled with much endearment close to insanity.
... There were much foreshadowing in the story besides this instance, but they were all limited except for the post-Saber vs. Berserker narration.
Due to the rebound of some magecraft, his skin turned dark... something like that.
Golden Fleece [Noble Phantasm]
As the hidden treasure of Colchis, it's very valuable.
Though there's nothing special about the fleece itself, for some reason there's an anecdote that a dragon will appear if you throw it on the ground.
It seems that at some point, people mixed up the Golden Fleece with the dragon that used to guard it.
The story feels a bit like some kind of satire.
Since Caster doesn't have the ability to summon dragons, she can't summon the dragon.
Also, there's a strange spirit living in it, just like a certain Seventh Scripture.
Heroic Spirit of assassination.
Different from other Classes, only certain Heroic Spirits qualified for Assassin.
He was the samurai who guarded the mountain gate of Ryuudou Temple.
Sasaki Kojiro was summoned into this class because a certain unorthodox summoner violated the rules.
Strictly speaking, Assassin was a Wraith rather than a Heroic Spirit.
He seemed to be a martial artists who had connections with the Ryuudou Temple in the past.
His true name was unknown. To be more specific, he never had a true name.
Perhaps because he never had the possibility to become a liege, he had no ambitions. He lived only for the wish to stand in the inner sanctum of swordsmanship, and eventually he achieved a Mystery that rivaled the Noble Phantasms of Servants.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, he was the greatest in this Holy Grail War.
Since he was summoned with the mountain gate as the catalyst, he could not leave the gate.
...Huh? Almost like a Jibakurei eh?
The Everdistant Utopia [Noble Phantasm]
The paradise in the Arthurian legends; a scabbard bearing the name of the Faerie Land.
The utopia Avalon was thought to be derived from the island that produced the "Apple of Immortality" in Greek mythology.
Avalon mended all wounds and halted the wielder's aging process. After unleashing its true name, Avalon would break into hundreds of shards and shield the wielder from all interference.
The sheath of the holy sword was excavated by the Einzberns from Cornwall. It was given to Kiritsugu as a catalyst to summon King Arthur.
It was a Noble Phantasm reaching the realm of True Magic. Avalon shut out all physical interference, operation of parallel worlds, and multi-dimensional communication (up to the sixth dimension).
If Saber went hikikomori, no one would reach her.
Ayako Mitsuduri [Person's name]
A female student in Class 2-A.
She is the captain of the archery club, and friends with both Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin.
Well, Rin is her friend, while she treats Shirou more like a rival. The three of them haven't noticed what a delicate relationship they have with each other.
Her big-sisterly disposition exceeds even Rin's, and she's considered one of the top three students at Homurahara Academy to avoid picking a fight with.
People tend to think that she's mannish, but privately she's actually pretty girly.
Of course, this clashes with her image so she doesn't go around advertising it, but she doesn't really think it's a big deal herself.
Even though her room at home looks more like it belongs to a little girl than a teenager, she has no qualms about inviting Rin over to hang out. After all, it's not that she has no interest in romance, it's just that she has a thing for older men. Could it be? She and Rin are united by their father complex!?
Though it may seem odd that a supporting character has such spirited looks, it's only natural given that originally her design was conceived of for Rider.
During the preliminary stages of development, the scenario director was obsessed with a movie called "Vi(…)ck", and kept on insisting that Rider should be more like a certain black-caped character.
Mitsuzuri's design was an attempt to meet his demands that unfortunately ended up being rejected.
Still, it seemed like a waste to just throw out such good work, so it was ultimately resurrected and recycled into Mitsuzuri Ayako. Thank goodness, yeah?
Saying she resembles Ryougi Shiki is strictly prohibited.
By the way, after the Rin route she's still as energetic as ever. And in case you were wondering, yes, the person who attacked her was Rider. She chased her down into a back alley and SLUUURP, sucked her blood on the spot! I sure hope she didn't pick up any weird habits from that, nyahaha.
Baptismal Chant [Magecraft]
The only miracle allowed to be practiced by the Holy Church.
It was a simple ritual that sublimed lost souls through the Lord's teaching, and returned them to the appropriate "Throne".
The Foundations of each mage school's arcane principles were carved onto the World. Spells were activated by taking control of the Rules and System (through the Foundation).
Spells with a feeble belief system and small Foundation were often weak, and could not function in foreign lands.
Amongst faith-based spells, the one with the broadest Foundation was the Church's teaching of God, i.e. Words of God.
Its ability to interfere with physical objects was weak, but its ability to interfere with spiritual entities was great.
The teachings of the Church were widespread, because this miracle that "speaks to the soul" had mended the hearts of many.
Bazett Fraga McRemitz [Person's name]
Lancer's original Master.
She was a foreign magus dispatched by the Association, and summoned Lancer using a pair of rune stone earrings as the catalyst.
A beautiful woman dressed as a man, her abilities as a magus are top-notch.
She is an enforcer, tasked with the capture of sealing designated magi. Essentially, an existence similar to the executors of the Holy Church. She is extremely skilled in both sorcery and martial arts.
Though she probably would have ended up being a threat to Rin if she had been able to participate in the war, she was taken out prematurely by a surprise attack from Kotomine.
The reason for that is because she and Kotomine were actually old friends. Back when Kotomine was still an executor working for the Church, they often ran into each other on assignments and fought together as comrades.
So, when Kotomine, who until then had never relied on her even once, said he wanted to meet with her, Miss Bazett was secretly elated. With no reason to doubt him, she walked right into his trap.
She didn't even have time to call out Lancer, before Kotomine cleanly sliced off her left arm from behind and stole her command spells.
Afterward, he gave Lancer two commands.
The first was to make him accept Kotomine as his Master, while the second was to make him gather intelligence.
As for what the final command spell was used for, that's covered in the story itself.
Bridle of Chivalry [Noble Phantasm]
An atypical Noble Phantasm. A weapon set consisted of a rein and a whip. Of course, it had no power by itself.
As a Noble Phantasm, it had A+ rank, with abnormally high attack as well as defensive powers.
A Pegasus under the control of Bellerophon would exceed its limits and receive a rank-up in all of its attributes. Furthermore, due to the protection of an immense amount of mana from Bellerophon, the defensive power of the Pegasus would multiply several times.
If Saber's Excalibur was a golden beam, then Rider was the white comet.
Mmm, as an aside, the name of the young man who rode the Pegasus in Greek legend was Bellerophon.
The mad warrior Heroic Spirit.
Regardless of basic abilities, Berserkers are a type of Servant that specialise in destruction through “going berserk”.
The Berserker in this story was an exceptional Heroic Spirit, but due to his “Mad Enhancement”, he became an untouchable monster.
In the case of a normal Master, Berserker can cancel the control of Command Spells. However, Illyasviel, who was acting as the Holy Grail, was able to control Berserker due to her Command Spells being special.
His true identity is the great Grecian hero Hercules.
For Hercules, who had gone berserk numerous times in legend, the Berserker Class probably feels quite familiar.
Of course, Hercules is exceptional in body, mind, and skills. Since Hercules had mastered every weapon, he can even qualify for the Sabre Class without difficulty.
If Hercules had been summoned in the Saber Class, he would be able to fully display his phenomenal sword play.
Hercules was the earliest Servant to be summoned. He was summoned more than one, no, more than two months prior to the Holy Grail War.
Berserker cannot act independently as his emotions have been sealed.
However, no matter how strong the bondage of Command Spells, Berserker never lost the sense at the core of his being.
After being Blackened in the Sakura Route, Berserker was able to halt the last strike of his Axe Sword before he died. He was able to do so due to the strength of his heart; a heart which suffered the pain of berserking since his early days as a hero.
In the story of Fate, Berserker is the most manly character.
The transformation caused by the pollution of an unidentified curse.
In the blackening of Servants, the Alignment and personality of a Servant would change as well.
Blackening would definitively incarnate Servants and cause them to become more powerful.
These Servants were like Frankensteinian monsters created by evil organizations. Most of them underwent significant changes in design and appeared as almost new characters.
Black Shadow [??]
It gave the impression of a jellyfish on land. The Black Shadow was impervious to conventional attacks, and the target could only await death in its presence.
We ran out of ideas after Saber and Rin routes, so the Black Shadow was a surprise antagonist after much pondering.
It was a favorite of the Chief Director. In terms of how much love the Black Shadow got, its event CG and wallpapers were crafted with much care and effort.
Outer-Seal - Blood Temple [Noble Phantasm, Magecraft]
Blood Fort Andromeda.
A boundary field of blood. Any humans captured within it will be dissolved.
The dissolved humans are reduced to red blood, which is consumed by the boundary field's user. Its primary purpose is the absorption of magical energy.
It was used once in every route, and by the end of the game was like an old familiar friend.
Since the boundary field is in the shape of a dome, the school building looked as if it was captured within an enormous eyeball.
Naturally, from outside the boundary field the red sky and dome cannot be seen at all. It's just like Rin said: any boundary field that reveals its strangeness to the outside world is third-rate at best.
Also, because the Bloodfort seriously damages the leylines where it is used, it cannot be used on the same land twice in succession.
[v] Fate/side material - Encyclopedia: Self Seal - Temple of Darkness [Noble Phantasm], p.062 [T]Translations by food
Self Seal - Temple of Darkness [Noble Phantasm]
A Mystic Eye Killer applied to oneself.
It was the blindfold of Rider's, which sealed the excessively powerful Mystic Eyes into a boundary field (another World).
Shirou's erotic dream in Sakura route was a result of being drawn into this Temple of Darkness. In this World, Shirou had an erotic encounter with Rider in disguise, and had some of his blood and semen drained.
Anyways, the blindfold had meaningful purposes.
"Hmmm, was the blindfold just for style and fun points?"
Magus Heroic Spirit. A class specialized in magecraft, thought to be the weakest amongst all Servants.
Her Master was Kuzuki Souichirou. Her real identity was Medea, the witch of betrayal from Grecian legends.
Caster was quickly disposed of in Saber route, but she was quite the active villainess in Rin's route.
She was originally an innocent person, but after suffering from repeated betrayal, she thought "Hmmm, fine, I might as well sink to rock bottom". Because of this, she was tainted by evil.
To tell the truth, Caster really did possess qualities to become a villainess, but fundamentally she was just a young girl in love.
Mmm, I thought Caster's embarrassed look would be pretty cute, after Shirou tattled on her "Mr. Kuzuki, Caster has been a bad bad girl".
Under that robe hid one of the most beautiful women in Fate.
Caster would do absolutely anything to the target of her affection, but up until now, all of her targets of affection abandoned her after getting their use out of her. Because of this, she kept people at a distance.
Ah, it was such a pity that there was no Caster route. It would be pretty interesting, with Caster seducing Rider then setting up a trap to stab her in the back.
On an unrelated note, Caster was a magus on the tier of True Magicians.
However, since Caster did not learn Magic, she was still a magus.
A liquor store in the Shinto District.
Shirou started working there part-time five years ago.
The daughter of the kotatsu-hugging manager was a high school classmate of Fuji-nee.
Had ties to cats... ?
Yeah! Here it is, what you've all been waiting for! The heart and soul of romance games!
A heroine without one of these can't really even be called a heroine at all, and any main heroine worth her salt should have at least one or two.
Because of that, both Saber and Rin have date scenes.
One date where Shirou does the dragging, and one date where he's the one being dragged. I think it demonstrates the positions of both heroines quite nicely, yes.
…But wait, now that I think about it, isn't there another main heroine who didn't get a date scene at all…?
Dragon Tooth Warrior [Magecraft]
Familiars made from dragon teeth.
The teeth are planted in the ground, where they become disposable soldiers imbued with the magical energy of dragons and knowledge from the earth.
Going by sprites it seems that there are three types, and they're all lovely.
A nostalgic existence for those experienced with tabletop role-playing games.
They're actually very strong, and if a group of level five adventurers picks a fight with them they're in for a rude awakening.
Dress of Heaven [Armament]
A magical artifact passed down by the Einzberns.
As the heart that governs the Great Holy Grail, it is imbued with sorcery that can materialize the soul for just a few seconds.
Though the dress is pure white, it is actually made of gold. It is inlaid with seven "rings" said to control creation, and the souls of others.
The seven holes in the dress are the seven transformed rings, and they are designed to light up one by one every time a Servant's soul is harvested.
Since any human who touches the dress will be turned to gold, its management must be handled by elementals, demi-humans, or homunculi.
Chain of Heavens [Armament]
A Noble Phantasm that Gilgamesh preferred. Its true name is Enkidu.
This was the chain that bound the Bull of Heaven that caused Uruk seven years of famine. To Gilgamesh, it was a Noble Phantasm that he trusted like Ea, no, it was a Noble Phantasm that he trusted more than Ea.
Its ability is "to rule the Gods".
Its toughness increased with the target's Divinity.
It was one of the few Noble Phantasms that could be classified as Anti-God.
As a result, Chains of Heavens was actually a more troublesome Noble Phantasm for Berserker than Excalibur.
On the other hand, for Saber, Assassin, and Archer, who had no Divinity, it was merely a strong chain.
[v] Fate/side material - Encyclopedia: The Star of Creation that Split Heaven & Earth [Noble Phantasm], p.066 [T]Translations by Mcjon01
The Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth [Noble Phantasm]
The cutting of space with the Sword of Rupture, Ea.
Air pressure faults, compressed and smashed against each other, become a pseudo-fault in time and space that pulverizes all who oppose it.
With output matching or even exceeding Excalibur, it is without a doubt the sword that "cut the world".
Strictly speaking, the Noble Phantasm is actually Ea, while Enuma Elish is the name of Ea's maximum output state.
…By the way, the sword's drill shape is modeled after the bedrock excavators used when making underwater tunnels.
Though normally you'd think of a drill as something that tapers down to a point like a spear, the drills used to bore out enormous holes actually look more like numerous overlapping gears.
The way the blades rotate individually and shave away at the bedrock… just imagining it is so cool!
Sword of Promised Victory [Noble Phantasm]
Sword of light. It is not a man-made weapon, but rather a divine construct tempered by the planet. It is the Noble Phantasm standing at the very pinnacle of holy swords.
The strongest illusion (Last Phantasm), crystallized and refined from the wishes of humanity stored in the planet.
Though it was entrusted to elementals, who act as the planet's sense of touch, it temporarily passed into the hands of a human king for a time.
Because it is so recognizable as the symbol of King Arthur, Saber had no choice but to keep it hidden while she fought.
But despite the fact that it's a Noble Phantasm that's almost synonymous with Saber herself, the number of times she actually uses it can be counted on two hands.
That is, three times in the Saber route, once in the Rin route, and twice in the Sakura route.
Because it is too powerful, it cannot be used carelessly at ground level.
Whether it be dark or light, it could be argued that Excalibur's clash with Rider's Bellerophon is Fate/stay night's grandest splendor.
Inquisitors of the Holy Church. Those who eliminate heresies that do not exist in the Church's doctrine.
What makes them different from exorcists is that they do not exorcize demons, but eliminate them.
For a more detailed explanation, consult the latter half of the Sakura route.
Fujimura Group [Organization name]
Fuji-nee's family home.
Illya is freeloading off of them during the epilogue of the Saber route.
Fuji-nee's grandfather, Raiga, is their boss, and her father (who was adopted into the family as a son-in-law) is a reliable, taciturn giant of a man.
Perhaps it was these people and their anything-goes attitude that caused Fuji-nee to turn out the way she did?
Shirou often helps out Old Man Raiga with his hobbies, and gets a fair amount of spending money in return.
[v] Fate/side material - Encyclopedia: Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death [Noble Phantasm], p.061-062 [T]Translations by food
Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death [Noble Phantasm]
The cursed spear that always pierced the opponent's heart after being thrust.
Reverse causality --- a technique which broke the rules by launching the spear after it was already established that the heart was pierced.
Since the target was already hit by the spear, the opponent would always be hit regardless what kind of evasive maneuvers he took.
In order to evade Gae Bolg, one would require Noble Phantasms that automatically resurrected the target after death like that of Berserker's, or a high degree of Luck sufficient to negate the curse of the spear.
To put it into game terms, it would be an insane Noble Phantasm with a base damage plus an additional component that scaled with the target's HP.
For example, if Saber's HP was 100, then Gae Bolg's damage would be (Spear Damage + 100). She would absolutely be dead if it hit.
It was also an efficient Noble Phantasm with mana consumption only in the double digits.
Anti-Unit Noble Phantasms probably did not get anymore economical than this.
By the way, Piercing Death Thorn was a technique Lancer developed himself.
Originally Gae Bolg was a thrown Noble Phantasm. It was an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm rather than Anti-Unit.
A curse with Scandinavian origins.
The caster delivered the curse by pointing an index finger at the target and damaging his constitution.
Since Gandr targeted victims in the caster's field of vision, it was also called Gandr Shot.
Gandr was the origin of the perception that pointing at people was impolite or a form of cursing.
Since Rin's Gandr Shot was particularly violent, it could be considered on the level of Finn Shot.
Or, Finn Gatling Gun.
The King's Treasure [Noble Phantasm]
Gate of Babylon.
The key-shaped sword that connected to the golden capital.
Items in the treasury can be freely remove through the spatial link.
Needless to say, the more material wealth the user had, the more powerful this Noble Phantasm became.
The rationale for the English name was that "Babylon" had become synonymous with "capital of sin" and "the golden capital".
Similar items included Road of Babylon.
The Archer of the previous Grail War. Mankind's oldest king of heroes, who defeated Saber. For more details, refer to his status screen in the game.
As no proper Heroic Spirit can match this man, he could be called the "Servant Killer".
Without a doubt, he is the strongest existence amongst the Servants.
Though he lost due to obsession against Saber…
Though he lost due to pride against Shirou…
Though he lost due to carelessness against XXXXX…
…the fact of the matter is that if he actually gets serious, he is a Servant that cannot be rivaled.
Perhaps because he has been living in human society for the past ten years, he seems to be hip on the latest fashions. He owns various casual clothes, but his favorite is the biker outfit he wore in the Rin route.
Well, he liked it enough to overlook Shirou's group and leave instead of letting it get dirty, at any rate. I can't believe the protagonist's life was worth less to Gil than his coat…!
It might seem strange how Gil could live in human society for ten years with a personality like his and not cause a fuss, but Gil must have realized it would have been a problem, too, because apparently he drank a
certain Noble Phantasm to change his appearance and personality.
Also, during the design stage, I selfishly insisted that "Gil absolutely has to wear full golden plate armor".
Why, you ask? Well, it might be because I was repeatedly challenging a certain 60 story tower at the time…
Twelve Labors [Noble Phantasm, Curse]
Immortality obtained from a blessing (curse) of the gods.
The body is transformed into strong armor, and all attacks of rank B and below are nullified.
Additionally, there is the extra effect where revival (Raise) is automatically cast upon death.
There is a stock of eleven revivals.
...by the way, could it be that God Hand is the reason Berserker's body turned leaden and his elbows transformed!?
Well, putting it in terms of a fighting game, it's a ridiculous Noble Phantasm that applies Super Armor + No Damage to every attack outside of Super Combos. Such was its greatest strength.
The name Rin called Gilgamesh when she saw him.
Gil was called "golden" not only because of his armour when he was fully armed, but also the fact that his soul glowed golden.
The wealthiest character in this story, our Gil.
His compatibility with large-spender Rin was the greatest, but that was the secret just between you and me.
Gotou-kun [Person's name]
A happy-go-lucky guy that changed his behaviours everyday depending on the TV shows he watched the night before.
His favorite period drama was Abarenbo Shogan.
A sorcery that uses magical energy to materialize a mirror image of an object.
As Rin mentioned in the story, it's not very efficient.
That's because, if you're making a replica of something, rather than using projection it's easier and more practical just to gather the materials and build it yourself.
Normally, it is only used to project a substitute for an item that has already been lost, and for just a few minutes within one's own time axis.
At any rate, since Gradation Air is just supposed to be a short-term rental of the item's outward appearance, you can see why the version used by Shirou and Archer is completely ridiculous. It's no wonder that Rin wanted to kill him when she saw his shed.
Of course, Shirou can only project things that are related to weapons in some way – or more specifically, swords. Modern weapons are off limits.
Well, technically he can pull out shields or armor, too, if he strains himself to his utmost limits, but the effects only last for an instant and the cost is enormous.
Heroic Spirits [Circumstances]
The Heroes who achieved great deeds and were worshiped after death became Heroic Spirits.
They were the greatest existences amongst the forces that safeguarded humanity. In terms of classification, they were not Wrath, but closer to Faeries.
Faeries were materialized forces using the imagination of humans as framework, while Heroic Spirits were woven purely from the ideals of humans through and through.
Amongst Heroic Spirits, there were ones who existed in legends, ones who actually lived, and ones who were never observed. Those who were rarely worshiped were included in the classification of "Counter Guardians", and were utilized as an unconscious Counter Force.
In the Heroic Spirits in this story, only Archer functioned as a Counter Guardian.
Other Heroic Spirits were aligned with the planet rather than humanity, due to their high divinity. Counter Guardians were not within this category.
Holy Grail [Others]
The chalice that received the blood of God.
It was a holy relic of the highest grade, a wish-granting machine that fulfilled the desires of the wielder.
Its origin could be traced back to many legends, and was frequently said to be "a great wish-granting cauldron".
The Holy Grail in Fate/Stay Night was not the original, but a replica that carried the function of a "wish-granting machine".
After Heroic Spirits were defeated in the physical world, they reverted to their original forms as "terminals of power" and vanished from this time axis.
The Einzbern Holy Grail was something that entrapped the Heroic Spirits and held them temporarily.
The ritual that opened the "hole" would then begin. This was not carried out by the Holy Grail, but the Greater Holy Grail.
Holy Grail War [Others]
A demonstration of the competition to acquire the Holy Grail.
If the so called Holy Grail had the same power as the Holy Grail in legends, then the battle for the fake was still called the Holy Grail War.
The Holy Grail War at Fuyuki City was special. Using a Servant system which employed Heroic Spirits as Familiars was something unique to Fuyuki City.
The preparation and decision-making were done by the Mages' Association. The Association also held most of the power over the matter. However, since the "Holy Grail" was part of the name, the Holy Church would not remain silent.
"Fake or not, we must control all the Holy Grails" ---- thus the Holy Church sent Arbiters to Fuyuki City, plotting to confiscate the Holy Grail when the opportunity emerged.
... the mages of the Association developed the game, but the rights were forcefully transferred to the Holy Church at the eleventh hour. I would say that was pretty unreasonable.
Holy Shroud [Armament]
The shroud that wrapped the remains of Saints.
The Holy Shroud that was wound around the arm of Shirou was a portion of the Shroud of Martin.
It was likely something Kotomine hid away while he worked as an agent of the Church.
Holy Woman Violated [Others]
The incident where Caster held Saber prisoner.
Virgin white dresses were the favorite of Big Sis' Caster.
It seemed Caster really loved Gothic Lolita fashion. Since it did not fit her personally, she then shifted her attention to cute girls? ... she had yet to master the spell to restore youth.
(Eh, Saber's dress was not Gothic Lolita.) In my personal opinion, that scene was the most ero-ero one in the story. Way to go Caster.
Illyasviel von Einzbern [Person's name]
The mysterious lolita who approached the clueless Shirou at the beginning of the story and called him "big bro".
The girl who possessed both innocence and brutality, and was somehow deeply interested in Shirou.
It was truly fortunate to behold someone who was simultaneously an angel and a demon.
As a Master, her aptitude was the greatest amongst all Masters past and present.
Command Spells were carved all over her body. The number of her Magic Circuits overwhelmed that of a typical magus. These factors and many more made her almost a vessel that existed to win the Holy Grail War.
She became a key character in all routes, but her true identity and nature were only revealed in the final route.
Ilya got along well with Shirou and had trouble deciding whether or not to kill him.
She had a personal route during development. However, if that were made, then the release date of Fate/Stay Night would be delayed by another half a year. Thank God.
Illya's Maids [Others]
The maids serving Illya.
These maids made their appearance because some artistic director insisted on it and made a huge scene about it.
Sella was responsible for Illya's education, while Liz was Ilya's bosom buddy with whom she talked to.
By the way, did you know the secret that Liz had one of the biggest sets of breasts in Fate?
Basically they were failures in the creation of the Holy Grail. Originally these homonculi were set to be scrapped, but were given new lives as caretakers of Illya.
Here were some trivia. In early drafts, the caretaker of Illya was a tuxedo-wearing German man; someone akin to the wonderful man who nagged at Shirou and Rin incessantly.
The action required to perform magecraft.
This included: 1) Single Action (one Step), which activated magecraft directly from magical energy, 2) Spells of one Bar, which required anchoring within one's body, 3) Ten Count (Instant Contract), which consisted of spells ten Bars or greater, etc.
Rin's Gandr shot and Rider's Mystic Eyes were Single Action. Shirou and Archer's lengthy incantation of more than five Bars approached Ten Count.
Caster's spells were only one Bar, but she could activate them faster than one Step, trumping mages of the same level in speed.
Even though Caster's spells were merely one Bar, their power was equivalent to spells of more than five Bars. Normal mages could not match them.
By the way, Caster's incantations were themselves "Divine Language", so strictly speaking we should not really describe them as "one Step" or "one Bar".
A Magic Resistance of around B or C rank was required to negate Caster's spells.
[v] Fate/side material - Encyclopedia: Bounded Field of the Wind King [Noble Phantasms, Magecraft], p.071 [T]Translations by Mcjon01
Bounded Field of the Wind King [Noble Phantasms, Magecraft]
An invisible sword. Invisible Air.
The sword's blade has been sealed off by wrapping it in multiple layers of wind that alter the refractive index of light.
Strictly speaking, it is magecraft, not a Noble Phantasm.
Because it prevents the enemy from determining its range, it is far more effective in close combat than its relative simplicity would suggest.
It increases the user's accuracy rate and defensive power, but should the enemy happen to have "resistance toward compensation in response to visual obstructions" then Invisible Air will just be a normal sword clad in wind.
Against opponents with the skill False Mind's Eye, or who are otherwise protected from visual illusions, it has no effect at all.
Saber treats it as her primary weapon, but as Kojirou correctly surmised it is nothing more than a sheathe meant to conceal her holy sword.
Iskandar, King of Conquerors [Servant]
Saber's rival in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
He possesses a Noble Phantasm that rivals that of the King of Heroes.
In the fourth war, he was weakened from fighting Saber, then subsequently defeated during a battle with Gilgamesh.
Issei Ryuudou [Person's name]
A male student in Class 2-C, and the student council president.
He first became acquainted with Shirou two years ago, and soon became his friend.
Though he has a straight-laced and serious personality, that doesn't mean he's stubborn or inflexible.
As the youngest child of Ryuudou Temple, it seems he has his heart set on one day becoming a Buddhist monk.
Though, he'll be the first to tell you that his ability to sense the supernatural is weak.
He travels two hours on foot every single day to attend school. Apparently engaging in ascetic training in the mountains makes you a good walker.
He's been acquainted with Rin for quite a while, and his distrust toward women probably stems from the behind-the-scenes feud they've been engaged in for the past two years. However, as much as it pains him to admit it he still recognizes Rin as a human being.
He looked up to Kuzuki Souichirou as a mentor, and on holidays they would often perform paired kata together.
If he hadn't gone into the student council, it's a safe bet that he would have enrolled in the karate club instead.
His favorite food is Shirou's boxed lunches.
Jewel Magecraft [Magecraft]
The sorcery that Rin specializes in.
Jewels easily accumulate the thoughts of their owners, and make excellent vessels for magical energy.
Crystals that have slumbered beneath the earth for eons, in particular, are prone to having nature spirits form within them, and jewels with that property can be used as simple sorcery crests. For example, a jewel with a nature spirit of fire dwelling within it would become highly flammable just by passing magical energy through it… or something along those lines.
Whenever Rin has spare time she transfers her magical energy into jewels, turning them into powerful bullets. However, in the end they are merely disposable items.
Because their sorcery reduces expensive jewels to ash after a single use, the Tohsaka magi are fated to be chronically afflicted with a lack of funds.
Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern [Person's name]
The Einzbern family head who became the foundation of the Great Holy Grail over 200 years ago.
Just like Illya, she was not a proper human, but was instead a magic circuit born for the sole purpose of becoming the Great Holy Grail's core.
In fact, Illya, who was born from the union of a Justeaze-type homunculus and a foreign magus, could be considered her latest model.
As for Justeaze herself, she still exists within the center of the Great Holy Grail. The circuitry covering the surface of the crater in the cavern is actually her magic circuits, enlarged and multiplied.
These magic circuits, almost a kilometer in diameter, are microcosm of the universe created from a single human body.
Kaede Makidera [Person's name]
A member of Class 2-A's famed track girl trio. She is the track team's star sprinter, and wishes people would call her the Black Panther of Homura. Her actual nickname is just "Maki".
She's scheming at making the honor student Tohsaka Rin her best friend, and sees Mitsuzuri Ayako as a rival.
Her hobby is collecting wind chimes, and she loves working with glass. Perhaps because her tastes intersect with Rin's on that point, the two often go around visiting antique shops together on their days off.
Kane Himuro [Person's name]
A member of Class 2-A's famed track girl trio. She generally plays the straight man of the group.
She is the track team's high-jumping ace. If you're wondering whether or not she hates having such an old-fashioned name as "Kane", she's actually really fond of it.
It seems she actually wants to paint pictures, but was strong-armed into joining the track team by Makidera Kaede.
Gan Jiang and Mo Ye [Noble Phantasms]
The Yin-Yang paired swords which Archer favoured.
The swords forged by the famed swords smith Kansho of Wu, during the Spring Autumn period of China.
Kansho received orders from the King of Wu to forge the imperial sword, however, he could not think of ways to forge swords that fit such orders. He was really frustrated and desperate.
Seeing this situation, his wife Byakuya decided to gamble her own life.
In order to forge items reaching the realm of Gods, sacrificing of human lives is absolutely necessary.
Thus Byakua hurled herself into the furnace in front of the husband she loved, using her own life to help the Essence of Five Mountains and the Metal of Six Heroes meld.
Kansho forged the two swords in grief.
These are Kansho and Byakuya, a pair of twin swords that reflect Yin and Yang.
Since they were forged with the best materials and human life, their abilities as swords are great. In addition, they also have aspects as magical weapons used in Witchcraft and Rituals.
It is unknown why Archer chose to carve what seems to be spells of warding all over the swords."
Kirei Kotomine [Person's name]
The arbiter appointed by both the Mages' Association and the Holy Church.
He was Archer's Master during the previous War, but he maneuvered behind the scenes during this War as Lancer's Master.
When Kotomine was in his early twenties, his father was appointed the arbiter of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War. After that, he was transferred to the Mages' Association under the Holy Church's "formal dispatch".
As a survivor of the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kotomine inherited the mantle of arbiter.
He bore the title of Executor from the Holy Church, and was proficient in Spiritual Healing.
Even though he was a member of the Executors, he would not be a match for the Number Seven of the Burial Agency.
His anti-spiritual attack power was exceptional, thus demonstrating that his faith was unwavering (albeit distorted).
Although he favoured destruction, he was a "creation" type magus like Shirou. The skillfulness of his spiritual and psychological healing had reached Priest level.
He was villainous but not wicked; cruel but not deviant.
The ultimate antagonist of Fate.
If Archer represented Shirou's flaws that were exposed under the spot light, then Kotomine could be called a wall you could only perceive in the dark.
His initial concept was "the evil mastermind that was instantly recognizable".
Kiritsugu Emiya [Person's name]
He passed away at the age of 34.
For better or for worse, he was the one decided Shirou's way of life.
Kiritsugu was Shirou's foster father.
The Master of Saber during the previous Holy Grail War, and he emerged victorious at the end.
He favoured guns, and practiced a special magecraft called Innate Time Control.
His aptitude as a Master was unremarkable, but he was an adept when it came to "slaying the opposing magi".
In a way, he was the hitman of the Mages' Association. Because of this reputation, he earned the contract and favour of the Einzberns.
During the Holy Grail War, he deceived an opposing Master, held his lover as hostage, and detonated a building. He was a villain not unlike the young Kotomine. ... Really, Kotomine was also quite young at that time.
Maybe it was the fate of gentle man, Kiritsugu naturally had wife and lover.
When not working as a magus, he was extremely chivalrous. He told little Shirou that "boys who make a girl cry will end in ruins".
...Hmm? Was this guy really a feminist?
After the Holy Grail War, he passed away from the corruption of "All the World's Evil" due to Kotomine.
Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg [Person's name]
Also known as the Wizard Marshall, Zelretch of the Jewel, and the Kaleidoscope.
One of the five True Magicians.
(He also had a role as one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, but because it was not relevant to the story of Fate, that part was cut.)
A magus who was symbolized by gem stones. An eccentric old man who raged at evil with a passion, but laughed at do-gooders.
He frequently took in pupils, but no mage house had emerged as successors to take over his mantle.
Once upon a time, he engaged the King of Vampires in single combat. He pushed back a boulder falling from the heavens in a feat of power. Such a monster was Zelretch.
However, since then he had aged significantly. It seemed that he could no longer wield Magic the way he did, back when he was at his prime.
By the way, the pupils he took in almost all became wrecks.
There was a related episode in the True End of Sakura Route. The Department Heads at the Mage's Association said, "What should we do? If we don't send in the most promising candidates, no one is going to come back from the ordeal. But if we send in the most promising candidates, we are going to take a huge loss if they are turned into wrecks." Such was their dilemma.
Heroic Spirit of the lance. Requires supreme agility, as well as excellent close combat skills. Though they tend to be less flashy than the other classes, they are a very reliable type of Servant.
The Lancer in the story has a rough and tumble personality, but at his core he believes in justice and is easy to get along with. He is an agreeable youth acting out the role of one gentle in disposition yet strong in body.
His true identity is the great Celtic hero, Cu Chulainn.
If the stage of this Holy Grail War were anywhere but Japan, he would be a shining existence on par with Heracles and King Arthur.
As was mentioned in the story, he is a Heroic Spirit that specializes in survival, capable of returning alive no matter how hopeless the situation. Unfortunately, this time luck wasn't on his side.
It is said that in the midst of battle he would unleash a fearsome war cry, and at the same time his body would swell and bulge with muscle as his behavior became like that of a demon.
However, though he possesses the qualifications to be a Berserker there is no doubt that the Lancer class suits him best.
He responded to the summoning solely because he wanted to engage in a valiant fight to the death, but this simple wish was never granted to him.
He is a tragic Servant, who embodies the cynical notion that "wishes don't come true".
Luviagelita Edelfelt [Person's name]
Daughter of the Edelfelt family, a distinguished lineage in the world of magi.
She is considered to be one of the most promising students currently studying at the Clock Tower.
With her refined manners, elegant speech, and swan-like beauty, she was the very model of a perfect young lady.
That is, until Tohsaka Rin appeared before her.
It's said that like attracts like, but which one attracted the other is a total mystery. All that can be said for certain is that the two of them were far too similar.
And so, the perfect young lady Luvia (who had been successfully hiding her true nature up until then) met her rival. From that point on, every time they saw each other they inevitably ended up quarreling.
By the end of the year, there was an unspoken agreement within the mineralogy department to not even bother going to classes that the two of them were scheduled to attend at the same time.
Luvia specializes in jewel sorcery just like Rin, and is a master-level user of Gandr. Of course, that second one is only natural, given that she's from Finland.
She is a true perfect superhuman, and behind her graceful exterior is a neat freak that hates losing.
Honestly, it would be strange if she didn't clash with Rin.
After all, there's no need for two suns in the same sky.
However, although she might be a bit cranky at having the disguise she wore for so long suddenly ripped away, she seems to be having fun passing the days away with Rin, so it's probably alright.
Also, though she's just a student herself, she found the dorms too cramped for her liking and bought a mansion to live in instead.
A general term for the act of artificially reenacting mysteries and miracles.
Although each school has its individual differences, it is basically a mechanism for using the magical energy in the practitioner's body or the outside world, in order to reenact a predetermined phenomenon.
The practitioner sends an order (command) to the foundation (system) controlled by their school, and a pre-made function (program) is executed.
The "electrical current" needed to send that command and execute the program is magical energy.
Though magecraft may seem almighty, it is basically the bringing about of mysteries by means of equivalent exchange.
Even the exceptionally talented Rin, in exchange for her versatile sorcery trait, will find herself afflicted by a chronic lack of money her entire life.
Also, sorceries that affect other people's minds and change the course of their thoughts require no physical compensation, but the practitioner will inevitably find their own thoughts being pulled in that altered direction as well. As the saying goes, before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.
Because the study of curses is looked down upon as unscholarly by the Association, they have fallen far behind the Middle East in that particular field.
A mystery distinct from magecraft. The final destination of magi.
"Magic" is that which makes the impossible into the possible, for a given era. A "result" which can be realized with the application of time and effort is not magic.
In the past, when civilization was young, most magi were also magicians, but currently only five remain.
…Well, that's what they say, but there are actually only four still alive.
The magician that handled the First magic already died a long, long time ago.
Of the remaining four, two have disappeared, and two are bothersome people that pop up all over the place leaving trouble in their wake.
Magical Beast [Others]
In the world of Fate/stay night, a general term for beasts which do not correspond to normal ecosystems.
They are divided into three ranks: monstrous, mythical, and divine.
The vast majority of monstrous beasts are crossbreeds (chimera) living in still-uncivilized regions, but it seems that those of mythical rank and above have shifted to the far side of the world.
Though the Pegasus that appears in the story is a monstrous beast, its long life puts it at the level of a mythical beast. Ordinary magi are completely unable to compete with something of this rank.
Also, beings that take after dragons are considered to be superior, regardless of classification. Since dragons are endowed with the characteristics of several species, it appears that even consorting with humans was not uncommon.
Magic Circuits [Magecraft]
Pseudo-nerves within the body of a magus.
Magic circuits are responsible for converting life force into magical energy, and for connecting to the underlying grand sorcery formula.
Because the number of magic circuits a person has is fixed at birth, magi lineages do what they can to improve themselves and create an heir with even one more magic circuit.
Once the magic circuits have been opened for the first time, the practitioner can switch them on and off at will.
Each practitioner visualizes the flipping of this switch in their own particular way. For Shirou, the image is that of a gun's firing hammer, while for Rin it is stabbing a heart with a knife.
This image tends to be related to how the circuits were opened for the very first time, so there even those who can only open their circuits through sexual arousal or self-harm.
By the way, Shirou's number of magic circuits is an unexpectedly high 27.
Rin, on the other hand, has 40 main circuits, while her sub-circuits are 30 each.
Thaumaturgy Crest [Magecraft]
An inheritance passed down within magi families.
The mysteries that a magus has spent his entire life establishing (stabilizing) are turned into a crest and left to his descendants.
It's no exaggeration to say that the crest is engraved with the history of the entire bloodline, and that the magus who inherits it is burdened not only with his family's regrets, but is duty bound to pass it on to a successor as well.
In a way, you could call it a curse passed down through the generations.
A crucial matter in the Emiya residence.
Also, an absolute necessity for Saber.
If a poor cook showed improvement, then even the slightest regression subsequently would draw stares of disapproval.
It was as scary as feeding feral beasts.
Mystic Eyes [Magecraft]
Typically, single-action sorceries possessed by magi.
They are created by changing the eyeballs, which by nature are passive receptors of information from the external world, into tools for actively influencing the external world.
People within the user's field of vision will have sorcery cast on them without question, and should they happen to make direct eye contact the effect will be dramatically increased.
In short, they are a fearsome sorcery trait – not only are they something that must not be seen, but simply being seen by them means you have fallen into your opponent's trap.
Because of their conceal ability and capability, they are considered the mark of a first-class magus.
Though, artificial mystic eyes are limited to effects on the level of charm or suggestion.
The most powerful mystic eyes are those which are possessed from birth.
Things like Rider's mystic eyes of petrification, or mystic eyes that can see the death of things, are "psychic abilities" that cannot be reenacted even with sorcery.
Nagato Tohsaka [Person's name]
The Tohsaka family head during the very first Holy Grail War, two hundred years ago.
He took part in the ritual at the request of Makiri Zouken and Justeaze.
Though traditionally the Tohsaka were a clan of secret Christians, one day a strange old man appeared out of nowhere and led them astray. Ever since then, they have devoted themselves to the world of sorcery.
With their contacts in the Holy Church and favorable treatment from the Association as disciples of a magician, they are in an enviable position.
It is due to their connections with both organizations that they were appointed the managers of Fuyuki.
At any rate, Nagato viewed sorcery and martial arts as equal, and was attempting to reach the Root via a state of mushin (no-mind) when he was recruited by the Einzberns and Makiri.
As you might expect from Rin's ancestor, he was prone to goofing up. Also, it seems that his daughter was the one with talent for sorcery, and ended up being far more useful in the construction of the Great Holy Grail than her father was.
Nine Lives [Noble Phantasm]
"The Shooting Hundred Heads".
Heroic Spirit Heracles' most trusted Noble Phantasm.
It was the bow used to slay the Lernaean Hydra, whose nine heads would always regenerate no matter how many times they were cut off. Afterward, Heracles perfected a method of attacking that emulated the abilities of the bow, that could even be used with great swords. If Heracles' class was Saber, that glorious, exquisite swordplay would have definitely made its return.
…By the way, what cut down the blackened Berserker in the Sakura route was this secret sword technique, projected from Berserker together with the axe sword.
Noble Colour [Others]
A name for inborn special talents, used within the Association.
Primarily used in reference to those who possess mystic eyes. For instance, the mystic eyes of Tsukihime's Shiki are an example of a Noble Color.
Rider's mystic eyes of petrification fall under the classification of "Jewel", which exceeds even the "Gold" possessed by the highest class of bloodsucker.
Further, beyond Jewel lies "Rainbow". These ultimate mystic eyes, which blend and mix all seven colors of the rainbow like a kaleidoscope, are considered to be the mark of the King of the Moon.
Noble Phantasm [Armament]
The armaments carried by Heroic Spirits, made from humanity's illusions.
Though they generally come in the form of things like swords, spears, or bows, there are also those Heroic Spirits whose Noble Phantasms are auxiliary armaments like shields, rings, or crowns.
They are solidified "mysteries", and injecting them with magical energy while calling their true name will unleash their abilities.
One of a Kind [Others]
The CGs that were used only once in the story.
Fate boasted a great number of CGs, and quite a few of them were drawn for specific scenes only. If you made the incorrect choice, you would never see them ever.
Some representatives included "after shower Saber", "Rin bowing her head in embarrassment", "Rin hugging herself", and "comically angry Saber".
In addition, some CGs were created but never used.
The lengthy game time and Tiger Dojo made this game quite a time sink.
Parameter Rules [Others]
For no particular reason, all the Servants had their abilities translated into specific parameters.
It's pretty obvious just from looking at them that A is the strongest, but you might be thinking to yourself, "What on earth is all this B+ and A+ nonsense!?" Well, don't worry, because I'm going to take a moment to explain the rules behind it here.
For sake of argument, let's assume that a normal value is 1. In that case, E would be 10. And, every rank after that adds another 10, all the way up to A, which is 50.
Now, things like B+ and A+ represent the unique ability to multiply these numerical values for just an instant.
In other words, an ability ranked B+ would normally be weaker than an ability ranked A, but can momentarily exceed it by doubling its own power from 40 to 80.
Heroic Spirits with A+ (plus) are rare, those with A++ (double plus) are extraordinary, and those with A+++ (triple plus) are in a class all their own.
Also, a truly exceptional ability score that falls outside the numerical ranking scale is represented by an EX.
Though Gilgamesh's ability scores generally aren't very impressive, his EX rank Noble Phantasm parameter clearly distinguishes him from the other Heroic Spirits.
Protection against Wind [Magecraft]
The ability True Assassin used to dive into the Barrier of the Wind King.
For some reason, it was blotted out in the story.
Originally it was supposed to be something like "Al**hu A*bar", but was cut due to certain events.
An elementary spell that was extremely difficult to master.
Even though elevating the target's existence through the infusion of mana was the basis of all magecraft, due to the high degree of freedom and lack of concrete protocols, there were very few users who could reinforce everything.
Shirou of course was only a half-baked user who could only reinforce weapon-related objects.
Since Reinforcement enhanced the target's meaning of existence, knives would become sharper, food would become more nutritious, and maids would become more moe.
It was impossible to reinforce something that was exceedingly vague.
By the way, it was difficult to infuse another living being with one's mana, thus Reinforcement of another human was a spell of highest difficulty.
Heroic Spirit of the mount. A type of Servant that requires high maneuverability, and tends to possess strong Noble Phantasms.
The Rider in the story is no exception, riding Pegasus and making full use of its charging power in battle.
Of course, Rider herself is also a unique Heroic Spirit, and the number of skills and Noble Phantasms she has is particularly high even amongst the Servants.
She is taciturn and lacks self-assertiveness, but that doesn't mean she is apathetic toward her surroundings. Rather, she's the kind of person that worries about things from every conceivable angle but hides it behind a perfect poker face.
Though parts of her personality are quite similar to Sakura's, Sakura is a commoner while Rider is more of a high-born type. Even her demeanor and tone of speech have a sort of high-class strictness to them.
With the complex she has about her own height and the way she gets embarrassed when people see her mystic eyes, she might actually be pretty lady-like.
Because of her outward appearance and primary weapon, a lot of people thought she was going to be an Assassin class Servant before the game came out, but nope, she's a Rider!
I really wanted to have a scene in the Sakura route where she and Saber bickered with each other as they fought toward a common goal, but unfortunately the story didn't develop in that direction and I had to discard the idea.
Incidentally, the lewd dream on the fifth day of the Sakura route was Rider's doing.
She is not a Dead Apostle (vampire), but she is a bloodsucker. For her, the most efficient, luscious way of gaining magical energy is drinking blood.
Rin's pendant [Others]
A powerful jewel sorcery left to Rin by her father.
It contained so much magical energy that it was even capable of reviving a human being on the verge of death.
This is what Rin used to help Emiya Shirou at the outset of the story.
Though it may have seemed like she was wavering back and forth about whether or not to save him for quite a while in the prologue, in reality it took her less than a second to make her decision. She sure does make snap judgments, that Rin.
Then, when Shirou was hazily tidying up after he came to, he ended up stuffing the pendant in his pocket before heading home.
As for the sequence of events that led to the pendant returning to Rin's possession, that's covered in the story.
Honestly, I was a little worried about what might happen if somebody figured it out from playing the trial version. I don't know what I would have done.
Rin Tohsaka [Person's name]
Current head of the distinguished Tohsaka family, and one of the main heroines of Fate/stay night. As a Master, she spent just as much time quarreling with Shirou as she did cooperating with him.
Her manner of speech is often hostile and dismissive of other people, but deep down she has a caring, big-sisterly disposition.
Her tendency of making trivial mistakes at the worst possible moment is a hereditary curse.
Though she really is a lot nicer than she seems, in the end she always makes her decisions based on cold, rational logic. In her own words, it's "not a very cute personality".
There are even times when she thinks she might lack any sort of "girlishness" at all, and it's starting to become something of a complex for her.
In fact, her choice in personal clothes is probably an overreaction to that. Still, showing that much leg… a pure and wholesome boy won't know where to look. Please, try to bear with it, Shirou.
Her hobbies are admiring jewels and bullying Shirou.
She's a mischievous girl at heart, so she loves teasing serious people. Please, try to bear with it, Shirou.
As far as sorcery goes, she specializes in the flow and conversion of magical energy.
Since it's not a sorcery trait well-suited for combat, she stores away magical energy in jewels ahead of time, and uses them as disposable, limited-function mystic codes.
Aside from that, she also practices pseudo-karate as a form of self-defense.
Her instructor in martial arts is Kotomine. That fake priest was responsible for the sequence of moves she used to corner Caster.
By the way, she had the most screen time out of every character in Fate/stay night.
Rho Aias [Noble Phantasm]
The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens.
In Greek mythology, the shield used by the hero Aias during the Trojan War.
It was a bronze shield covered by seven layers of ox hide, and the only thing that proved capable of stopping the javelin of the great hero of Troy, Hector. (Though it managed to penetrate six layers of ox hide, the seventh layer was unbroken.)
Afterward, its fame spread, and its existence was eventually sublimed into a "conceptual armament" boasting absolute defensive power against thrown weapons.
It is the only defensive armament Archer can use proficiently.
The Rho Aias that protected Shirou's spellcasting during the finale of the Rin route was not something he projected himself, but was actually made by Archer who was watching the battle from a distance.
All Spells Must Be Broken [Noble Phantasm]
A dagger that can destroy any sorcery.
It is an anti-sorcery Noble Phantasm, that returns any objects strengthened with magical energy, connections bound by contracts, or life forms created out of magical energy, to a state prior to their "creation".
Of course, there are limits. No matter how low the rank, it is impossible for Rule Breaker to affect a Noble Phantasm.
It is truly a Noble Phantasm befitting Caster, and was used to capture and monopolize Saber.
An unassumingly fearsome Noble Phantasm.
Ryuudou Temple [Others]
A mountain temple on the outskirts of Miyama.
As the name suggests, it functions as the keystone of Fuyuki's leylines, and can be said to be the very heart of the city.
The temple's mountainside lake is an official Holy Grail summoning site, and beneath it lies an enormous cavern.
Incidentally, the giant cave-in after the epilogue of the Sakura Route took several years to recover from.
...The primary reason for the cavern's collapse was not the disappearance of Angra Mainyu, but rather Rin's rampaging to her heart's content.
It's just as you thought, Issei.
To recognize Rin as an enemy of Buddhism, you truly are worthy of being Ryuudou Temple's successor.
Heroic Spirit of the sword. One could not qualify for this Class if all his parameters except MGI did not meet a certain threshold.
The true heroine of this story. She was the young girl knight who forged a contract with Emiya Shirou and fought in the Holy Grail War.
She was loyal, faithful, and diligent. The knight's pride covered her femininity.
If we were to remove this facade, then we could recognize that she was no different from a young girl her age.
Saber was peevish and tenacious. She loved games of chance and would focus to the extent of ignoring her surroundings. Saber loved to eat and would be energized by the prospect of having good food. She worried about being defeated in front of her favorite partner. Mmm, Saber was truly a fastidious heroine.
Her true identity was King Arthur.
She disguised herself as male and ruled as the king, but had the misfortune of dying in the subsequent civil war after establishing peace in her empire.
The King Arthur in the story of Fate was an amalgamation of historical facts and legends. Saber's name before becoming king was Artoria.
It must be tough to live in a palace while disguising her gender.
The greatest problem was probably producing an heir, but that was solved by Merlin through magecraft.
In the story, the line "I know how to please a man" was from experience.
Saber's aging process was halted the moment she pulled out the Sword of Selection. The age of her body was probably a year younger than Shirou.
By the way, King Arthur was the Crimson Dragon that guarded Britannia.
Saber's father Uther Pendragon produced an heir with the Dragon Factor according to Merlin's plan. As a result, Artoria was born human but carried the magical power of Dragons.
Magic Circuits were unnecessary, Artoria generated mana just by breathing in harmony with the coursing of her blood. It could be called a "Magical Furnace" that was worlds beyond what mages had to offer.
---Fate/Stay Night was originally her story.
The main theme during early development of Fate was "a story about the Holy Grail and King Arthur", and it had remained unchanged until now.
A young girl knight fighting in the Holy Grail War.
I wanted to believe that the dream at the very end would befit her life.
Sakura Matou [Person's name]
One of the main heroines of Fate/stay night.
With her long, lustrous hair, soothing smile, and (secretly) dynamite body, by all rights she should be the star heroine. Too bad she's an unfortunate girl who just sort of fades into the scenery.
The heroine who symbolizes a peaceful daily life… or so it would seem at first. Perhaps due to some mistake, she actually suffers the most out of anyone in every route.
Of course, that's only natural, seeing as how her initial concept was an "Asagami Fujino type". She never had a chance at avoiding bloodshed.
As Shirou's junior by one year, the path to their first meeting was relatively convoluted. Four years ago, sometime around April, Sakura saw Shirou persistently attempting the high jump. Then, later that same year they actually met for the first time when Shirou came over to the Matou residence. From that point on she worked hard to greet Shirou every time he came over, until finally a year and a half ago she started going over to the Emiya residence herself to help him out.
Afterward, she gradually grew accustomed to the Emiya residence, and due to Fuji-nee's influence became a more cheerful, energetic Matou Sakura.
She has a quiet personality, and all things considered is exceptionally patient and persevering.
Basically, she is a worrisome girl that never resents others (not even Shinji or Zouken), and always blames herself for everything.
The solitary exception to this rule is Rin, because the two of them are so similar. I guess she's only capable of being honest with herself, or someone almost exactly like herself, yeah.
As everybody knows, she seems passive, but when she does do something she devotes herself to it completely.
She's the girl in the story most suited to using seduction to get what she wants.
Though she's always exuding an obvious aura of "senpai-adoration", it's hard to say if the all-important object of her affection, Shirou, has actually noticed or not.
A devilish woman with a strong maternal instinct, she'll pamper a man to the bitter end and ruin him with her charms. But, just like Hariti…
The most popular among the staff, maybe.
"A heroine at the end of her rope" "A somehow distorted heroine" "A heroine that loves her big brother" …and so on. She can count on the fanatic vote, right?
Scrapped Routes [Others]
Literally, the scrapped ideas about route.
"FATE" was, originally, planned to have 4 heroines with 4 routes.
The first part would be temporarily playing either Saber or Rin, the two would meet at the middle part, and the last part would proceed into 4 routes...... or like so, it was made into a very confusing plot.
The first of the scrapped routes was, the well-known Ilya route.
The Caster route has completely extinguished, but the plot regarding a cooperation with Rider is continued in a portion of the actual game.
If there was the Ilya route, there would have been a choice in the 9th day of Sakura route which would have chosen to be not the hero of justice, nor Sakura's hero, but Ilya's hero. Unfortunately, the possibility has disappeared in the actual game.
The Heroic Spirits summoned by the Holy Grail. They fell under the "Familiar" classification.
Seven Classes (only) were designated in advance. They were souls of the greatest purity called forth by using relics tied to the specific Heroic Spirits.
Originally they were not existences that could be controlled by mere humans, but they were forced to cooperate with the Masters due to the Command Spells. These Command Spells represented Masters' right to rule. For Servants, obedience towards the Command Spells were "the absolute condition required for materialization".
Servants could revert to Spiritual Form at any time. While in Spiritual Form, they could pass through inorganic matters that lack mana.
During Lancer's surprise drop attack from the ceilings at the Emiya residence, he phased through the roof and entered the living room. He then materialized after clearing the ceiling.
While in Spiritual Form, Servants were not affected by physical interference. However, their abilities to affect the material world decreased. As a result, it was considered advantageous to materialize during combat.
Shinji Matou [Person's name]
Shirou's friend. Sakura's older brother.
As Rider's Master, Shirou comes into conflict with him on numerous occasions.
Though he is selfish and has the bad habit of looking down on other people, he is virtuous in his own way, and while he may be warped he is not actually a bad person.
He values rules (but he doesn't follow them himself), he hates injustice (if he's not the one responsible), and he is kind to women (excepting "his" women, of course). As you can see, he's clearly a pretty cool guy.
Due to the gap between his "ideal world" and the world he actually lives in, his personality has become warped, but when Shirou first made his acquaintance four years ago he wasn't nearly as bad as he is now.
As you might expect, he stumbled across Shirou doing menial tasks for people free of charge, and despite (seriously) deriding him as an idiot from behind his back, he hung around with him until he was done. At the end of the day, Shinji laughed as if he was having a good time, and exclaimed, "You may be an idiot, but you sure do good work, at least!"
Perhaps Shirou appreciated Shinji's honesty despite his foul mouth, because afterward they became friends.
Though Shinji often made fun of him, in the shadows he socially assassinated anybody that took advantage of Shirou, and frequently invited him over to his house to hang out. It seems they really were close.
However, as you know, for a temperamental genius like Shinji even a friend of many years is not safe from suddenly becoming his enemy for incomprehensible reasons.
Basically, he's the kind of person that's reliable when he's on your side but ends up being really troublesome if he turns on you.
Originally there was going to be an option to accept his invitation to join forces in the Saber route, but tragically we ran out of time and were forced to cut it.
Ah, if we'd included that route (let's call it the "Shinji route"), players would have gotten to see a bit of Shinji's good side, but there was just no way. Please, find it in your hearts to forgive us!
Shirou Emiya [Person's name]
The protagonist of the story, that went without saying.
A hardworking man, loved things like cooking, cleaning and stitching.
He denied "putting others before himself", however that was obviously self-deception. His goal was to be a house-husband.
However, his butler-spirit had already awakened. After the True End of Rin route, he was working part-time at the mansion of Rin's rival. What the heck is this?
At the finale, he was still half-baked as a magus, but he had made immense progress as a spellcaster.
Shirou's Room [Others]
It went without saying, the protagonist Shirou's room.
The mansion suited the man moving in, having never been glamorous.
It accommodated Fuji-nee's littering habits well, but it seemed that Shirou cleaned up every time and put the junk away in the storehouse.
It felt pretty luxurious for a student in some way.
Sir Bedivere [Person's name].
The knight who tended the final moments of King Arthur.
He was the last remaining knight who returned the holy sword back to the lake according to the King's orders.
Lancelot, Percival, Galahad were some of the popular knights of King Arthur's who embarked on the quest for the Holy Grail, but they were actually junior knights who joined later for the quest.
The earliest and most famous knights who swore allegiance to King Arthur included Ser Kay, Ser Gawain, and Ser Bedivere. They had histories even older than King Arthur's.
Ser Bedivere's name was thought to be derived from the ancient War God of the Celts, Bedwyr.
By the way, Ser Bedivere was not aware that Artoria was a girl.
Souichirou Kuzuki [Person's name]
A teacher at the school which Shirou and gang enrolled. He taught social studies and ethics.
Kuzuki was the Master of Caster, but he was a regular man rather than a magus.
A mysterious man who suddenly appeared in Fuyuki City two years ago.
He was well-liked by the chief priest at the Ryuudou Temple and was granted residency in the temple.
He described himself as a "decayed killer", and true to his words, he did commit murder in the past.
Kuzuki's fighting technique was not something granted by Caster, but his own skills entirely.
Just like Caster appreciated Kuzuki, Kuzuki found something in Caster.
The reason which drove this husk of a man to fight, in a sense, was similar to that which drove Emiya Shirou.
He was a member of an assassination organization similar to the Nanayas in Tsukihime.
If there is a sequel, Kuzuki is number one on the list of characters I want to further explore.
Stray Servant [Others]
A heroine candidate that vanished without a trace during the plotting stage.
She was conceived of as an "abandoned puppy" type heroine, who killed her Master and went on a rampage.
As a Servant of the shield, she was going to be a rival to Saber, the Servant of the sword, but…
Just like Gilgamesh, she would have been a Servant that had remained behind after the previous Grail War.
Unfortunately, though, she had to be cut for the sake of keeping things manageable for the player.
After all, around this point, the plot itself was starting to stray. Not only Rider, but even Caster was a potential heroine candidate. It was terrifyingly chaotic.
Hmm? Fuji-nee? I don't know what you're talking about, Fuji-nee never had a main route even during the plotting stage.
Taiga Fujimura [Person's name]
A mysterious woman who hangs around the Emiya residence. Well, really she's just an English teacher. Her primary goal in life is to kick back and take it easy at Shirou's house.
She hates the fact that her name is Taiga, and if you call her Tiger she'll get mad. And cry.
Her personality is like the sun, but her self-indulgent tendencies make me worry about her prospects for the future…
In Sakura's true end, everybody else has grown up and matured, but Fuji-nee is the same as ever. In fact, I suspect she hasn't aged a day since twenty.
She was a famed swordswoman in her student days, and was the kendo club's idol. Also, she has been frequently visiting the Emiya residence ever since Emiya Kiritsugu moved in.
It seems that for her, meeting Kiritsugu was something like love at first sight, and she would always end up quarrelling with Shirou when she came over. Eventually, though, they made up, and settled into their current relationship.
A character loved by the entire staff. During the plotting stage, she was more of a proper older sister type.…Weird, it's weird. What kind of terrible blunder is responsible for turning her into her current form…?
The image below is Fuji-nee as a high school student.
An extraordinarily generous taxi service.
Indispensable for getting to the Einzbern Forest, but after you get dropped off, the only way back to town is walking. Ugh.
Of course, if you ask me there's something seriously wrong with a taxi that doesn't have any problems taking students out into the woods in the middle of the night.
By the way, when Kotomine arranged for a car and driver in the Sakura route, he didn't go through the Association or the Church, but rather used his own personal network of connections.
In the plotting stage, the same conversation occurred after agreeing to cooperate with Kotomine:
"So how are you going to help me?"
"Hm. Our method of transportation, to start out with."
However, after that the screen would black out, and a deep rumbling sound effect would play as Kotomine pulled up on a Harley!
…Well, it's true that I might have gotten excited and written something like that down at one point, but eventually I regained my composure and the scene took on its current form.
At any rate, the trunk of the car was fully loaded with dangerous weapons, up to and including submachine guns. Pe-Pe-Sha!
The crimson cloak [Armament]
A set of cloak and mantle.
The clothes that symbolized Archer.
They were actually first grade Conceptual Weapons.
Made from the burial cloth of a saint, they offered protection against the external world rather than enemies.
The Einzbern Forest [Others]
The wide expanse of forest in the suburbs of Fuyuki City. It was more an undeveloped mountain range rather than a forest.
It took about an hour by car to get there from Miyama Town.
The Einzbern Forest contained an enormous boundary field. If one did not cut his presence or mana, he would be easily detected by Ilya.
Ilya's homebase --- the Einzbern Castle---- was located in the middle of this forest.
The Holy Church [Others]
The other side of an ubiquitous major religion.
They preached the Lord's teachings, and did not tolerate anything that violated their dogma.
On the surface, they assumed "heresies" did not exist, but there were zealots amongst them who wished to ostracize the heretics.
Thus the "Heretic Hunters" were born and specialized, becoming an enormous department within the Holy Church.
They were the Executors. Their missions included Demon-slaying, elimination of heretics, and proper regulation of Mysteries that fell into the hands of the populace.
Of course, the Holy Church's relationship with the Mages' Association, whose mission was to conceal magecraft, was very poor. The two groups had crossed blades numerous times to date. (Currently there is a truce, providing a temporary respite.)
Against their greatest foe, the monsters known as vampires (READ: Blood Suckers), the Mages' Association occasionally provided assistance.
Kotomine was responsible for the control and collection of relics. He had the role of an Executor of the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament.
The arms forces of the Holy Church consisted of the excellent fighters known as Executors, the Knights that each church held reserve, and the monsters known as the Burial Agency hidden within the headquarter of the Holy Church.
The Holy Church was the largest organization in the world of Fate. For those who fell outside of humanity, the Holy Church was the greatest enemy.
The Mage's Association [Organization name]
An organization created to protect those who seek to learn sorcery, regardless of nationality or field of study. (On paper, anyway.)
Their mission is the management, concealment, and advancement of sorcery.
In order to protect themselves from that which would threaten them (be it the Church, rival organizations of magi, or the monstrosities that punish humans who break taboos), they accumulated military might.
In order to further the advancement (degeneration) of sorcery, they built research facilities.
And, in order to deter crimes committed with sorcery, they created laws.
Their headquarters is located in London, and goes by the unofficial name of "The Clock Tower".
It seems that in the beginning the Association was divided into three great branches, including the original associations that predate the Clock Tower. That is, the "Giant's Pit" of Egypt, and a cluster of associations based in northern Europe called the "Sea of Estray". However, ever since the Clock Tower became the headquarters, mingling between the branches has been on the decline.
Also, they are fundamentally incompatible with the sorcery foundation of the Middle East and the ideological sorcery of mainland China, and the three groups are currently feigning nonaggression.
The King's Way of Speech [Others]
The way Gilgamesh worded his speech. Even though Gilgamesh referred to himself using the pronoun "ore", the word was written as "ware".
Nothing was greater than him. When Gilgamesh was being dragged into the Holy Grail, Shirou had a taste of the King's verbal abuse, but even then, he did not lose.
By the way, Gilgamesh would get angry even if you simply try to strike a conversation with him.
His thoughts would be something like "A plebeian dares to speak with the King? Such insolence!"
Tiger Dojo [Others]
A no-questions-asked Q&A corner that accompanies dead ends. Of course, since it only gives vague hints, it's not as helpful as it might seem.
There are forty episodes in total, with an overarching plot that runs from start to finish.
Even just two months before the game went gold the scenario director, art director, and chief director were conspiring to cram in more and more content. At one point there were plans to change the title card every single episode, add animations, and give Illya forty different outfits. In the end, though, they realized that if they had the time and resources to do all that they should probably spend it polishing the main game instead, and so the Tiger Dojo took on its current form.
The fact that it ended up being so lively and amusing even after being scaled back was mostly due to the chief director's efforts.
By the way, the bonus Tiger Mini-Theaters were actually supposed to be part of the main Tiger Dojo story at first.
Ah, now that I'm thinking about it, there's something nice about text-window type visual novels, don't you think? Let's make one of those next time!
Tiger Stripes [Others]
The pattern on Fuji-nee's clothes.
Some of you may have noticed, but those stripes are without a doubt tiger stripes.
At first we were going to have Fuji-nee wear normal clothes at school and casual clothes at home, but before we knew it she was rocking the tiger stripes nonstop.
It seems Fuji-nee harbors complex feelings toward tigers, which were revealed in the Tiger Dojo Special.
True Assassin [Servant]
The real Heroic Spirit of assassination.
He was summoned by Matou Zouken, materialized using the flesh of Sasaki Kojirou.
Bearing a white skull mask and black cloak, he was the classical assassin.
An unremarkable Servant in terms of abilities, but highly utilitarian. In contrast with his disturbing appearance, he was very loyal. He accepted the authority of his master and would never betray him.
Strictly speaking, True Assassin was merely a member of a group of Wraiths (Heroic Spirit candidates) who bore the name "Assassin", thus his abilities were intrinsically low. In order to compensate for this disadvantage, he modified his body. As a result, he was able to rival other Servants.
There was no face under the mask. The skin and nose were shaven off. He inherited the seat of the Old Man of the Mountain as a "nobody".
He lacked intelligence after materialization, but that was remedied dramatically after acquiring Lancer's heart. Since then, he was also influenced by Lancer's personality.
By the way, True Assassin was particularly attached to his Dirks. He would carefully pick all of them up after each battle.
Unlimited Blade Works [Others]
The title of Rin's route, also the subtitle of certain chapters of Fate route.
It was written in the preview section of the 2001 winter Comiket booklet, but how many people in Japan actually paid attention to it !?
Infinite Creation of Swords [Noble Phantasm, Magecraft]
Unlimited Blade Works
Though it is treated as a Noble Phantasm, technically speaking it is a type of sorcery called a reality marble.
Within this reality marble exists all the ingredients needed for the creation of swords. So long as Archer has seen the original, he is able to easily replicate it.
However, the replicated weapon has its rank reduced by one.
Replication of defensive armaments is also possible, but it requires two to three times more magical energy than a normal projection.
Once an armament has been replicated, it is registered inside the boundary field and can be manufactured with projection sorcery even without expanding the reality marble.
Against a normal opponent this is little more than a somewhat troublesome ability, but it is the natural enemy of a certain King of Heroes.
Unused Assets [Others]
Assets that were created, but never used. Primarily refers to character sprites.
I don't know what made us think it would be a good idea, but going into Fate/stay night we had this crazy idea to have a far, middle, and zoom version of every single sprite in the game.
By the time we were finished, we had over 3600 images just counting the character sprites alone. It was totally ridiculous, and there was no way we could possibly use them all. If we had kept them the game would have taken up four whole discs, so we tearfully went through and deleted everything that went unused.
Next time, let's shoot for a little more optimization. I'm thinking a nice, simple game that you can beat in two hours, how's that sound?
Shirou's catchphrase. He says it when faced with things that make him wonder from the bottom of his heart, like a conditioned response.
Hey, did you know that originally Fate/stay night was going to have four routes? But, for some reason now there are only three. I wonder why…
Wild Wild England [Others]
The short episode you get by choosing to go see Saber in the dojo at night on the tenth day of the Rin route.
It's a comical dialog that provides a brief glimpse at Saber's profound (and long-held) discontent toward the food she was served in life.
By the way, whether or not their food is actually "wild" in real life comes down to personal tastes, so don't come crying to me about it, okay?
Yukika Saegusa [Person's name]
A female student of Second year Class A.
The mascot of the girl trio. She was quite personable, patient, and mature.
She was not an honour student, and she looked up to her classmate Tohsaka Rin in awe.
She had several younger brothers of various ages.
Although she lived in poverty, her heart shone brighter than the most lustrous silk.
Consequently, her smile healed those around her, and her rabbit-like awwww-inducing qualities really stirred the protective instinct in people.
Originally she supposed to join the Cooking Club, but she became the manager of the Cross-country Club at Makidera's insistence.
By the way, just like you thought, she was extremely bad at sports.
Delusional Heartbeat [Noble Phantasm, Magecraft]
The cursed arm, Zabaniya.
The arm of the evil spirit Shaytan, proficient in cursing humans to death.
By using an Ether Lump, Delusional Heartbeat creates a dual existence which can influence the original by generating a mirrored existence of the target.
By destroying the false copy, it curses the target to death without laying a finger on the original.
It is a type of convoluted killing technique, only fitting for assassination.
Even with a suit of armour with a defense of 1000, Delusional Heartbeat grasps the false heart right on top of the armour, and inflicts direct damage to the insides of the target.
This Noble Phantasm almost seems like a trick performed by an illusionist.
Zouken Matou [Person's name]
A freaky old bug man. The end.
The scenario director is quite fond of him, and would get carried away typing every time he appeared.
He belongs in a harlequin novel, don't you think?
Gan Jiang (Kansho) • Mo Ye (Byakuya)
Their shape is absolutely identical. The black blade is (somehow) the Yang sword Kanshou, and the white is the Yin sword Bakuya. The ore of the white has less of the shine of a polished metal than it has the haze of a cloud. The black one is covered in a hexagonal pattern. As for the practical use, the quality of the grip is more important than the ornamental value. But it's quite big and heavy.