The appeal and evaluation of "Fate/stay night": Exploring the depth of the story and characters

Fate/stay night

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

18+ games

■ Broadcast period

January 7, 2006 - June 17, 2006 Teletama January 6, 2006 - June 16, 2006 (Episodes 1-24) Every Friday 25:30-26:00

■Broadcasting station

UHF

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 24

■Original Story

Nasu Kinoko, TYPE-MOON

■ Director

Yuji Yamaguchi

■ Production

・Animation Production: Studio Deen ・Production: Fate Project

■Works

©TYPE-MOON/Fate Project

■ Story

There was a great disaster that burned down the city.
In the midst of the flames, the young Emiya Shirou loses everything and is saved by the magician, Emiya Kiritsugu.
He later becomes an adopted child.

Ten years have passed since then.
Emiya Shirou made a promise to his late adoptive father, Kiritsugu.
He continued to train his magic every day in order to become a "hero of justice."

Then one day, by chance,
He becomes embroiled in a battle between magicians known as the "Holy Grail War."
He makes a contract with one of the servants, Saber.

The Holy Grail War, that is,
The Holy Grail, which is said to grant the wish of whoever holds it,
The seven magicians (masters) were given the seven knights' familiars (servants),
A battle to the death to obtain the miracle.

Then Emiya Shirou learns that the great disaster ten years ago was caused by the Holy Grail War.
In order to prevent that tragedy from happening again, he decides to throw himself into the fight.

■Cast

・Shirou Emiya/Noriaki Sugiyama・Saber/Ayako Kawasumi・Rin Tohsaka/Kana Ueda・Sakura Matou/Noriko Shimoya・Taiga Fujimura/Miki Ito・Archer/Junichi Suwabe・Kirei Kotomine/Jouji Nakata・Illya/Mai Kadowaki・Rider/Yu Asakawa・Lancer/Nobutoshi Kanna・Caster/Atsuko Tanaka・Shinji Matou/Hiroshi Kamiya・Kiritsugu Emiya/Rikiya Koyama・Issei Ryuudou/Mitsuaki Madono・Soichiro Katsuragi/Kazuhiro Nakata・Berserker/Tadahisa Nishimae・Ayako Mitsuzuri/Fumie Mizusawa・Assassin/Shinichiro Miki・Gilgamesh/Tomokazu Seki

■ Main staff

・Original work: Kinoko Nasu, TYPE-MOON
・Director: Yamaguchi Yuji・Original story plan: Nasu Kinoko・Series story plan: Sato Takuya・Original character plan and supervision: Takeuchi Takashi・Character design: Ishihara Megumi・Art director: Koyama Toshihisa・Director of photography: Kondo Shinyo・Sound director: Tsujitani Koji・Sound production: Dax Productions・Music: Kawai Kenji・Animation production: Studio Deen・Production: Fate Project

■ Main Characters

・Saber A servant of the sword knight, Saber. A beautiful girl with clear golden hair and deep green eyes. Although she has a delicate and petite appearance, she boasts bravery and outstanding fighting power befitting the most excellent class, Saber. She respects her master's orders and is easy to understand, but because she is too serious, she can also be inflexible.
・Emiya Shirou The protagonist of this work and Saber's master. One of the few survivors of the great disaster ten years ago. Rescued from near death by Emiya Kiritsugu, he was adopted and raised. His real parents died in the disaster. He has an extraordinary talent for cooking. He learned magic from his late adoptive father, Kiritsugu, but he can only analyze and strengthen the structure of objects, and his success rate is low. He aims to become a "hero of justice" as Kiritsugu promised him on his deathbed.
・Tohsaka Rin Archer's master. Beautiful, intelligent, and with outstanding athletic ability. On the surface, she appears intelligent and polite, and is something of an idol at school. However, in reality, she is a mischievous little devil who enjoys teasing people. As a magician, she has immense magical powers and can control all five elements. She is an outstanding and strongest class magician.
Archer: Archer Servant, the bow knight. A mysterious Servant who cannot remember his true name, possibly due to an accident during summoning. He has an unexpected talent for all things domestic. He has a sarcastic and nasty tone of voice, but is somehow childish and lovable. He seems to personally view Emiya Shirou as an enemy.
Sakura Matou is the younger sister of Matou Shinji, the protagonist's friend from middle school, and a member of the archery club. A year ago, she started going to the Emiya household to take care of the injured protagonist, and now she feels happy with her life there, and they continue to interact like family. She is shy, and only smiles in front of Shirou.
・After the death of Fujimura Taiga Kiritsugu, she was the only daughter of the Fujimura family who looked after Shirou in various ways, and she dotes on him like a younger brother. She calls herself Shirou's guardian and is his homeroom teacher at school. Her subject is English. She was a kendo expert so highly qualified that she was nicknamed "The Tiger of Fuyuki" when she was a student, but for some reason she is also the advisor for the archery club. Due to her friendly personality, the students call her "Tiger", but she seems to hate that nickname more than anything.
・Illya Illya [Illyasviel von Einzbern]. Berserker's master. A young girl with red eyes and silver hair. She is cruel because of her innocence, and tries to kill Shirou. Outside of battle, for some reason she calls the protagonist "Big Brother" and adores him.
Kotomine Kirei: A priest who serves as an auditor for the Holy Grail War.
A Rider Cavalry Servant. A woman who always hides her eyes, she summons Pegasus and possesses a Noble Phantasm that allows her to control it. Her master is someone Shirou knows well...
・Lancer A spearman servant. His master is unknown, and he is a man with a red spear. When Shirou encounters the Lancers in battle, he is nearly stabbed to death by his spear.
・A Caster magician servant. A woman who can use advanced magic. She is said to be hiding in Ryudou Temple. Who is her master?
Matou Shinji: Shirou's friend from middle school.
・Shirou's late adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya. During the great disaster ten years ago, he rescued the dying Shirou and raised him as his own son.
・A boy who is a friend of Ryudo Issei Shiro.
A teacher at the school Shirou attends. A man who lives in Ryudou-ji Temple.
Berserker: A berserker Servant contracted with Illya. He possesses the Noble Phantasm "The Twelve Trials." He boasts a gigantic body and overwhelming offensive power.
・Assassin: An assassin servant. A man dressed as a samurai, he wields a long sword as a weapon. He guards the gate of Ryudou Temple. ・Gilgamesh: A mysterious golden servant. He can use countless treasures. What is his true identity?

■Subtitle

Episode 1: The Beginning (2006/01/06)
Episode 2: Fateful Night (2006/01/13)
・Episode 3/Opening (2006/01/20)
・Episode 4: The Strongest Enemy (2006/01/27)
・Episode 5: Two Magicians (Part 1) (2006/02/03)
・Episode 6: Two Magicians (Part 2) (2006/02/10)
・Episode 7/Wriggling (2006/02/17)
Episode 8: Melody of Dissonance (2006/02/24)
・Episode 9: Tsukishita Gurei (March 3, 2006)
Episode 10: A Gentle Interlude (March 10, 2006)
・Episode 11/Fresh Blood Temple (2006/03/17)
Episode 12: Tearing the Sky (2006/03/24)
・Episode 13/Winter Castle (2006/03/31)
Episode 14: The End of the Ideal (2006/04/07)
Episode 15: The Twelve Trials (2006/04/14)
Episode 16: The Sword of Promised Victory (2006/04/21)
・Episode 17: Witch's Brand (2006/04/28)
Episode 18: The Final Battle (May 5, 2006)
Episode 19: The Golden King (2006/05/12)
Episode 20: Distant Dreams (2006/05/19)
Episode 21: The Star of Creation that Separates Heaven and Earth (2006/05/26)
Episode 22: The End of a Wish (2006/06/02)
・Episode 23/Holy Grail (2006/06/09)
Episode 24: A Distant Utopia (2006/06/16)

■ Related works

・Fate/stay night TV reproduction
・Fate/stay night: UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS
・Fate/Zero
・Fate/Zero 2nd Season ・Fate/Zero Remix I
・Fate/Zero Remix II
・Fate/Zero Cafe ・Onegai! Einzbern Counseling Room ・Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] 1st Season ・Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] 2nd Season ・Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Disillusion
Lyrics by Keita Haga Music by Number201
Arrangement: Kenji Kawai Vocals: Sachi Tainaka

・OP2
・Sparkling Tears to the Stars・Lyrics by Keita Haga・Composition by KATE
・Arrangement/Togawa Tomoji Number201
・Song: Sachi Tainaka

・ED1
・The Forest Where You Were・Lyrics by Manami Watanabe
・Composer: Yoshiaki Dewa
Arrangement: Yoshiaki Dewa, Zentaro Watanabe
・Song: Jukai

・ED2
・Hikari ・Lyrics by Manami Watanabe
・Composer: Yoshiaki Dewa
Arrangement: Yoshiaki Dewa, Takeshi Fujii
・Song: Jukai

・ED3
・Tomorrow with You・Lyrics by Tainaka Sachi・Composition by Tainaka Sachi・Arrangement by Kaneko Takahiro・Singer by Tainaka Sachi

■ Evaluation and impressions

"Fate/stay night" is a TV anime series that aired in 2006, and is based on an 18+ game by Kinoko Nasu and TYPE-MOON. The story depicts the growth of the protagonist, Shirou Emiya, in the setting of the "Holy Grail War," in which magicians fight over the Holy Grail. Below, we will provide a detailed review and impressions of the work.

Story and Characters

The story of "Fate/stay night" is very fascinating and deep. The process in which Emiya Shirou sets his goal of becoming a "hero of justice" and becomes embroiled in the Holy Grail War has the power to draw viewers in. In addition, the development in which Shirou, who finds out that the great disaster ten years ago was caused by the Holy Grail War, fights to prevent that tragedy from being repeated gives the story a sense of depth.

The characters are also very appealing. In particular, the main character, Shirou Emiya, is portrayed as a character with a strong will and a sense of justice, despite his low talent as a magician. His growth and struggles resonate with viewers. In addition, characters such as Saber, Rin Tohsaka, and Archer are also unique, and each character's background and thoughts are explored in depth. The interactions between these characters enrich the story.

Animation and Music

The animation is produced by Studio Deen, and has been highly praised for the quality of its character designs and battle scenes. In particular, Saber's battle scenes and the depiction of Archer's bow are impressive. The backgrounds and art are also beautiful, adding to the atmosphere of the work.

The music also adds to the appeal of the work. Kenji Kawai's music effectively creates tension and drama in the battle scenes. In addition, the opening themes "Disillusion" and "Sparkling Tears for the Stars" sung by Sachi Tainaka, and the ending themes "The Forest Where You Were" and "Hikari" sung by Jukai, match the worldview of the work.

Related works and series

"Fate/stay night" has many related works and series. In particular, the theatrical versions "Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS" and "Fate/Zero" are highly regarded for delving deeper into the worldview of the original work. By watching these works, you can get detailed information about the background of the Holy Grail War and the characters. In addition, "Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]" and "Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]" are also attracting attention as works that animate different routes from the original work.

Recommendations and how to watch

"Fate/stay night" is a work that features a deep story, attractive characters, beautiful animation and music. It is especially recommended for those who like fantasy and battle. There are also many related works and series, so you can enjoy it for a long time.

The most common way to watch it is through streaming services or by purchasing it on DVD/Blu-ray. In particular, with streaming services, you can watch the entire series, including related works, all at once, so if you're interested, be sure to give it a try.

Conclusion

"Fate/stay night" is a work that combines an epic story set in the Holy Grail War with attractive characters, beautiful animation and music. It has the power to draw viewers in, and there are many related works and series, so you can enjoy it for a long time. If you like fantasy and battle stories, I highly recommend watching it.