Fate/stay night chronicles a two-week period in the life of Shirō Emiya, an amateur mechanic who attends school called Homurabara Gakuen in Fuyuki City. Ten years ago, Shirō was caught in a massive fire hazard that incinerated his parents and consumed a large portion of the city; as he was dying, an enigmatic man discovers and treats him. This man, Kiritsugu Emiya, decides to adopt him, though the two maintain a distant relationship because of Kiritsugu's frequent departures from Fuyuki City. One moonlit night, Kiritsugu and Shirō had a discussion outside of their home, and Shirō discovers a fact about his father that Kiritsugu was actually a mage.
| “ | I have a secret that I haven't told you--- I'm a Magi. | ” |
Through their conversation, Shirō learns of his foster father's failed life ambition to become a "Hero of Justice" (正義の味方 Seigi no Mikata?), a guardian of mankind who could protect the weak and innocent. Touched by Kiritsugu's conviction, Shirō affirms to his foster father that he intends to devote his life to achieving that distant ideal, much to Kiritsugu's chagrin. To do this, Shirō pleads with a begrudging Kiritsugu to teach him sorcery (魔術 Majutsu?); but Shirō proves to be talentless in almost all the fundamental sorcerous disciplines.
Kiritsugu warns his son that the life of a sorcerer is one that leads to destruction, but if he is truly set on benefiting people, he should apply his knowledge in secret and hone his craft in private. After Kiritsugu dies, Shirō becomes frustrated with his progress, for he feels inadequate about his good deeds through sorcery and is unsure of how to orient his future to contribute more.
Unknown to Shirō, Fuyuki City is the setting for a secret and violent war among competing magi. For the past two centuries, seven sorcerers have gathered and engage in a Battle Royale, each gambling his or her own life to obtain the Holy Grail, a legendary chalice capable of granting wishes. The past four Holy Grail Wars have typically occurred every sixty years, with the most recent concluding a decade ago, but the fifth war has eerily started prematurely.
Each of the sorcerers, better known as Masters, are aided by one of the seven summoned spiritual familiars known as Servants, who are the reincarnations of legendary souls from all across time. These resurrected Epic Spirits (英霊 Eirei?), possess superhuman characteristics and wield powerful artifacts or abilities called Noble Phantasms (宝具 Hōgu?). A Noble Phantasm's hidden abilities may be released by invoking its true name, but casual brandishing of a Noble Phantasm is best avoided, for symbolic Noble Phantasms usually belie a Servant's identity, diminishing that Servant's competitive advantage. Specific legends may be summoned with the aid of catalysts, which are artifacts, ideas, or experiences similar or of value to the desired Servant. Only one Servant can be summoned in each war from one of seven classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Berserker, Rider, Assassin, and Caster.
The Holy Grail is a spiritual artifact, so only astral entities, such as Servants, are capable of touching it; this restriction forces Master and Servant to cooperate with each other against rival pairs, even if a situation entails fighting to the death. Masters control Servants with three Command Mantra (令呪 Reiju?), which are crystallized miracles issued by the Holy Grail that manifest on a Master's hand. When activated, Command Mantra permit a Servant to accomplish an incredible feat, or alternatively provide Masters with the authority to issue an irrevocable and absolute order to a Servant. In the event of a Master's demise, a Servant may choose to bind him or herself to another Master; if a Servant is slain, a Master may ally with a wayward Servant or pursue sanctuary with the Holy Grail War's impartial supervisor, who is traditionally a delegate of the Roman Catholic Church.
After cleaning his school's kyūdō (archery) dojo late one night, Shirō stumbles upon two Servants, Archer and Lancer, battling in the school courtyard. To avoid compromising the war's secrecy, Lancer hunts down and pierces Shirō in the heart with a spear. For an unknown reason, Shirō's classmate, Rin Tōsaka, uses an heirloom filled with concentrated magic, Mana (魔力 Maryoku?), to resuscitate him. Shaken and dazed, Shirō goes back to his home, but is again attacked by Lancer. Shirō weakly defends himself against Lancer but is soon overwhelmed by the powerful Servant's attack. After the battle prelonged, Shiro falls into his storage room. Cornered, Shirō prepares for the worst; but before Lancer can inflict another fatal blow, a young woman outfitted in alabaster armor blocks Lancer's spear. She drove Lancer away from Shirou. She introduces herself to Shirō as Saber, and greets him with the words:
| “ | I ask of you, are you my Master? | ” |
Characters
As with Tsukihime, the character base in Fate/stay night is extremely comprehensive and expansive, with characters possessing varied and extraordinary abilities.
- Shirō Emiya (衛宮 士郎 Emiya Shirō?)
- Shirō is the main character of the story. He is a serious yet helpful, hardworking, and honest teenager. His hobbies include fixing a variety of broken things, from VCRs to stoves, as well as cooking and cleaning. He has some slight talent with sorcery, though he was discouraged by his foster father Kiritsugu Emiya from improving his gifts. He is initially confused about the Holy Grail War and attempts to irrationally shield others from danger, including his own Servant, Saber.
- Saber (セイバー Seibā?)
- She is Shirō's Servant, an agile but powerful warrior. Loyal, independent, and reserved, Saber acts coldly but is actually suppressing her emotions to focus on her goals. Her class is considered the "Most Outstanding", with excellent ratings in all categories. Since her Master cannot effectively provide her with Mana, she minimizes her activity to preserve what she has. Saber is frustrated by Shirō's "protective" tendencies, believing his erratic and reckless behavior will jeopardize her chances of winning the Holy Grail War.
- Rin Tōsaka (遠坂 凛 Tōsaka Rin?)
- A model student and idol of Shirō's school who is secretly a sorceress and Master in the Holy Grail War. She is a descendant from a long line of sorcerers, and though she lacks a formal magic education, she is extremely powerful in her own right. Her father was killed in the fourth Holy Grail War, and she has trained since his death to succeed him. She is perceptive, resourceful and avidly competitive. She tried to summon a Saber-class Servant, but she accidentally called Archer instead.
- Archer (アーチャー Āchā?)
- He is the Servant of one of the series' main heroines, Rin Tōsaka. Due to an incomplete summon, he apparently has no memory of his previous life or identity. Archer is sarcastic and cynical - but under his hardened exterior lies a complex and dark personality that unfolds throughout the story. Though skilled with ranged weapons, he can hold his own in mêlée combat. Archer considers Shirō Emiya's idealism to be weak and delusional, recognizing Shirō's mentality of "wanting to save everyone" as naïve and impossible.
- Illyasviel von Einzbern (イリヤスフィール・フォン・アインツベルン Iriyasufīru fon Aintsuberun?)
- A young Teutonic aristocrat, she traveled to Japan to participate in the Holy Grail War as a Master. Illyasviel has an angelic appearance and an unsurpassed degree of magical power. She lives in a castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, accompanied only by her Servant and two maids. Illyasviel asks those she feels comfortable around to simply call her "Ilya".
- Berserker (バーサーカー Bāsākā?)
- The Servant of Ilya, who appears as a swarthy giant with adamantine skin and immense strength. He wields a colossal stone Axe-Club, and is capable of causing massive destruction with the mere backlash of his swings. As a Berserker, he is stripped of his sanity and reason, acting feral and animalistic in combat. Berserkers are praised as members of the "Strongest" class, though they are difficult to control and always turn on their Masters. Ilya appears to have little trouble managing him.
- Sakura Matō (間桐 桜 Matō Sakura?)
- A student in her first year of high school, and the sister of Shinji Matō. After Shirō's father Kiritsugu died, Sakura often visited Shirō's home to help him with his daily chores. Though Sakura is from a family of sorcerers, she asserts that she has no knowledge of her family's craft or history. Sakura is outwardly shy and timid, but possesses great inner strength. She has a long standing and obvious crush on Shirō Emiya.
- Shinji Matō (間桐 慎二 Matō Shinji?)
- Sakura Matō's older brother, and a long-time friend of Shirō. Shinji is very popular as vice-captain of the archery dojo despite being chauvinistic and a narcissist. Like Rin Tōsaka, he is of a distinguished lineage of sorcerers, though the Matō blood has thinned and no longer produces heirs naturally capable of sorcery. Shinji feels uncomfortable with his sister's daily visits to Shirō's home. He has an open crush on Rin, but she does not return his favors.
- Rider (ライダー Raidā?)
- The Servant of Shinji, first seen scouting around Homurabara Gakuen. Rider is silent, sultry, and vigilant, never hesitating to shield her Master from harm. With Shinji incapable of lending Mana to her, she is forced to seek alternative means to augment her abilities. To compensate for her weakness, Rider employs covert battle tactics and takes full advantage of territory around her. Her weapon of choice is a pair of long iron nails fastened to opposite ends of a single chain, which she effectively thrusts from distances.
[edit] Media
The popularity of the Fate/stay night visual novel has expanded beyond the video game; the expanded fields of media include an anime adaption, as well as an officially sponsored manga. Various doujin, including fan-developed video games (such as Fatal/Fake) have become prominent, complementing the rise of fanart and amateur manga dedicated to characters or themes in Fate/stay night.
[edit] Video game
- See also: Fate/stay night scenarios, Fate/hollow ataraxia, and Fate/Zero
The Fate/stay night franchise began as a visual novel video game created by Type-Moon which premiered in Japan on January 30, 2004.[2] It was Type-Moon's first commercial work, following their transition from a dōjin soft visual novel group. An all-ages version of Fate/stay night, entitled Fate/stay night Realta Nua, was released for the PlayStation 2[3] on April 19, 2007.[4] Fate, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel are the three branching storylines found within the game. Each diverge at certain points, and, depending upon player interaction, will end in one of several possible ways. The Fate scenario features Saber as the main heroine. In Unlimited Blade Works, Rin Tōsaka is the main female lead but the storyline focuses around her Servant, Archer. Heaven's Feel expands on the dark history of Sakura Matō. The Heaven's Feel scenario connects to the story of Fate/hollow ataraxia. The plot of the anime series is an amalgam of the three game scenarios, though it heavily favors the events of Fate over the other two.
On October 28, 2005, Type-Moon released a sequel to Fate/stay night, entitled Fate/hollow ataraxia.[5] Regarded more as a fan disc and a side-story rather than a serious sequel, its plot is set half a year after the events of Fate/stay night and features new characters such as Avenger, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, and Caren Ortensia, alongside returning characters such as Shirō Emiya and Rin Tōsaka.[6]
On November 22, 2006, Type-Moon announced a new installment in the Fate/stay night franchise, entitled Fate/Zero. Fate/Zero is a prequel to Fate/stay night, stressing the events of the 4th Holy Grail War and how its consequences affected the 5th Holy Grail War. In contrast to Fate/stay night, Fate/Zero will be a series of light novels instead of a visual novel, and will be told in a third person narrative that follows the actions of multiple characters. The first volume was released on December 12, 2006, and is a collaboration between Type-Moon and fellow developer Nitroplus.[7] The second volume was released on March 31, 2007. The third volume was released on July 27, 2007. The fourth and final volume will be released on December 29, 2007, along with the Fate/Zero Original Image Soundtrack "Return to Zero".
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