#fate stay nigh ubw

[felurin]

Fate Zero +  The Command Spells 

[animebw]

Binge-Reading: Fate/Stay Night VN, UBW Route Day 4

Stopping Point: Dawn of Day 7

In which a terrifying foe sparks a dizzying battle, Archer and Shirou stand at cross purposes, and I dig into how perfectly they compliment each other.

The Night Witch

It’s been a while since I watched the Unlimited Blade Works anime, and a fair bit of it has since slipped my mind. I remember the general arc of the series just fine and plenty of specific plot beats, but I’m definitely fuzzy on the details. So reading the VN route has been a fun exercise in reminding myself, “Oh yeah, that was totally a thing that happened!” There are so many moments over the course of this route that have made me flash back to the moment I first experienced them in the anime, remembering how cool or terrifying or emotionally powerful they were. Case in point, while I remembered how much of a threat Caster posed our heroes, I only had vague recollections of the specific powers and tools she used to intimidate them. So it wasn’t until Shirou was compelled out of his bed by an unseen force that dragged him to Ryuudou temple in the dead of night that I remembered, oh yeah, the original Fate/Stay Night Caster is fucking terrifying.

Seriously, as much as I talked about Rider’s creep factor in my last post, our resident sorcerer servant is on another level entirely. She’s able to control Shirou from afar without ever even seeing him, just because her magic’s that powerful compared to his. She has free reign over the entire town, and the only reason she hasn’t slaughtered literally everybody is because she’d rather parasitically drain their mana and life force over time for maximum efficacy. She’s such a powerful mage that not only has she taken control of her master, she’s become a master herself by summoning another of the seven servants to explicitly do her bidding (Also, interesting detail that Assassin is able to be a fictional melange of a bunch of different historical figures instead of one legendary person/myth specifically because he’s summoned by another servant). And her vast array of S-tier magic spells allows her to lay waste to any threat she comes across. Pretty much everything about her completely shatters the difficulty curve Shirou’s been dealing with; it’s like the game’s penultimate boss suddenly showed up just a few hours in while he was still sorting his build out. She’s nigh-unstoppable, wholly amoral, and doesn’t care who or what ends up collateral damage in pursuit of her goals. And every second she’s on screen only makes her seem more and more threatening. If Shirou’s gonna even have a chance of defeating this witch, he better be ready for the most dangerous fight of his life.

Dawn of War

And the first volley of that fight has already been thrown, as Archer swoops in out of nowhere just in time to save his hated former self. And Jesus tap-dancing Christ, the ensuing brawl is amazing. High-level magic and special attacks flying at maximum velocity, the battlefield being blasted to pieces, both parties coming inches away from death on multiple occasions, Archer letting loose the first real instance of “I am the bone of my sword”, almost blasting her to shreds even with just that first sentence, literally yeeting Shirou out of the line of fire when things get too hectic... fucking hell, there’s so much concentrated badass in every single blow it’s almost staggering. And that’s not even taking into account Saber and Assassin retreading their interlude duel from the Fate route right on the other side of the shrine. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; when this franchise goes epic, almost nothing else even comes close. Fate at its best captures the majesty, the chaos, and the weight of mythic warfare like no other franchise on the face of the earth, anime or otherwise. It just needs to get out of its own way with all the exposition and let the grandeur of the characters and their battles speak for themselves. And look at how vast the difference between the first route and UBW is already. We spent so much time in the early parts of the Fate route setting up lore and backstory and mechanics just to get to the good stuff. By contrast, UBW has hit the ground running and hasn’t slowed down yet. Six days in and we’ve already got three fantastic, multi-character smackdowns with shifting power dynamics and enough sheer, concentrated hype to power a small country. This is what this franchise looks like when it’s at the top of its game. This is the Fate I fell in love with. And I can’t wait for the many incredible moments left to come.

The Fallen Hero

Speaking of incredible moments, let’s talk about the man of the hour himself: Archer. This is the moment where his character really steps into the spotlight, and it makes a fucking impact. Remember last time how I talked about even though she tries to be coldly utilitarian, Rin’s still an empathetic person who cares about humanity and basic decency? Well, Archer’s kind of the embodiment of the unfeeling weapon of destruction she thinks she has to be. He’s perfectly fine letting a psychopath like Caster roam free and continue to drain the life out of everyone in town if it gives him a better chance at winning. It doesn’t matter to him that some innocent people may die; the only way to ensure people like her are stopped is to achieve victory in this war so they can’t twist the Grail for their own cruel ends, and if that means sacrificing the few to save the many, that’s a price well worth paying. In direct contrast to Shirou, who believes he has to try and save everyone he can, Archer believes that trying to save everyone will only result in saving no one. One cannot possibly save everyone, and trying to do so will only lead to ruin. Therefore, the only logical option is to prioritize what matters most and accept any and all collateral damage on the road to get there. It’s no wonder Shirou detests the red knight so much; such a cold, callous approach to human life is the antithesis of everything Kiritsugu’s son stands for.

Of course, this all only gets more riveting when you take into account the twist I know is coming: Archer actually is Shirou, and his immense cynicism is a direct result of living the dream that Shirou always believed in. Archer actually got to be the ultimate hero, a force capable of appearing wherever salvation was needed and lending his efforts to save literally everyone he possibly could. And this is what that life turned him into. This hollow shell of a warrior, unfeeling and uncaring, is a result of the impossibility of Shirou’s dream (Also, interesting note, the twist’s foreshadowing seems a lot more blatant in the VN thanks to the flashback that opens day 6. Though the original VN wasn’t voiced, so it wouldn’t have been quite so obvious... hm). How many lives did he fail to save, I wonder, before he broke? How long did it take for his aversion to violence to change from “I want to save as many people as possible” to “I will literally let murderers and psychopaths run wild if it makes it easier for me to eventually end the bloodshed”? How long after he reached his end on the hill of swords did his satisfaction at a job well done curdle into weariness at a world that would never allow him rest, an evil that would never truly be washed away? He sacrificed himself to save everybody in his sight, and in doing so, the only person he was never able to save was himself; after all, one cannot look at one’s self. And in devoting his entire being to helping others, he became incapable of saving himself from the darkness that eventually swallowed his heart. He’s a literal worst-case scenario for the path Shirou might take, a cautionary tale of the futility of pure selflessness. One cannot face evil if they don’t give themselves enough strength to weather its unending storm.

Saviors and Cynics

Still, that’s all stuff bound to come spilling out in the future. For now, the conflict remains between a hero dedicated to saving everyone and the cold voice of cynicism telling him how foolish that desire is. And the powerful thing is, Archer’s not entirely wrong. Shirou can’t save everyone. He can’t sacrifice himself for the greater good if he genuinely wants to make an impact. If he tries to spread himself thin like that, he’ll just end up... well, he’ll just end up like Archer. Literally. But Archer’s gone so far off the deep end that he sees prioritizing the little guy at all as mistake. And Shirou has too much compassion to accept that. From the very beginning, his ethos has been based on helping those in need, and he’s not about to accept that he should just turn a blind eye to the suffering of his friends and family if he has a chance to make things better for them.

Just look at how he confronts Shinji when the rat bastard finally shows his face again. This isn’t the waffling, indecisive Shirou who took way too long to see his former friend for the threat he is; this Shirou doesn’t waste a second getting on his case to find out the truth. He isn’t even initially sure that Shinji’s the one who attacked Ayako and set up the bounded field, but the more possibility is enough to put him on the attack. And when he finally does wrestle some answers out of Shinji, he keeps asking follow-up questions to make sure he’s got all his bases covered. Yes, he still ends up buying some of Shinji’s lies, but I can actually understand why that story would make enough sense for him to think he’d sussed out the truth. And he still makes sure to keep a close eye on the obviously dangerous kid, just in case he ends up being wrong (which, of course, will end up being the case). This is the compassion that makes Shirou great, the determination to ensure he’s able to help people that makes me appreciate him so much. Though it is still a little weird that he has, like, no reaction to Shinji insulting Sakura to his face? And is totally fine with Shinji taking Sakura completely under his wing for the rest of the war when he knows what an abusive fuckstick he is? Seriously, you’d think he’d at least express some concern over those details. But whatever, compared to how frustrating his blinders were during the Fate route, this is still an unqualified improvement.

So there’s no chance in hell Shirou would take Archer’s cynicism standing down, and there’s no chance in hell Archer would accept his past self’s idealism. Though I will say, I was not expecting Archer to outright go for Shirou’s head this early in the story. Jesus Christ, it’s no wonder this guy ends up pulling a villainous hell-turn later on; he genuinely despises the person he used to be. He’d sooner end Shirou’s life than put up with the sincerity that reminds him of the hope he used to have before the world beat it out of him. And Shirou’s rage at Archer’s heartlessness is equally potent. But as far as Archer’s wandered from his old self, he and Shirou are still shockingly alike in ways that makes their rivalry even more biting. They both still fight for justice in their own ways, their pride runs eternally red and hot, and they’re both relentless when it comes to pursuing their goals. Just listen to how similar they sound when they’re screaming at each other in the midst of Caster’s maelstrom: ”I’ll get a headache thinking about how stupid I am if you tell me about it!” ”You know you’re an idiot and can still call me an idiot? You idiot!” Could you tell just from a glance which one of these indignant, irrational statements was Shirou and which was Archer? My guess is no. And for as much as Shirou hates him, he can’t help admiring Archer’s tenacity. He sees the same underdog spirit in him as he does in himself, the determination of someone who started with nothing and worked their ass off to train their meager gifts into skills capable of standing on the battlefield of the gods with. They’re simultaneously polar opposites and mirror images, reflections of each other’s best and worst instincts alike. And watching their complimentary, antagonistic philosophies clash and collide is nothing short of riveting. God, I’ve missed how incredible Archer was.

Odds and Ends

-”I’d like to see who messed that conceited girl up.” FUCKING DECK HIM SHIROU

-”Even if she’s strong, it’ll destroy her if such a rumor is spread.” See, this is an awareness of sexism that actually makes sense.

-”No, I think I figured it out.” sdkjfhsdfh smart lad

-Interesting... so how is Shinji hiding his presence?

-”I was just wondering how you’re getting along.” Lol, Shirou’s so considerate.

-”Alright, I’ll say that’s the case.” Is she being... sarcastic? Sakura, goddam.

-”I was just told my grandfather was waiting for me.” NOPE NOPE RED ALERT

-”Shirou. This is hard to eat even for me.” sdkjfhskdfjh ROASTED

-”I will tell you before you faint.” oh my god the cut to her in the armor SABER YOU BLOODTHIRSTY BITCH

-”I will give appropriate punishment to those who call me a witch.” Jeeeesus, Medea is not to be trifled with.

-”They were made because someone wanted to make them.” something something bone of my sword

-”You two are so alike.” Oh, if only you knew, Caster.

-”You only wish for peace, and not victory.” proque no los dos

-”Drown in your ideals and die.” ...okay, that line slaps.

-”You cannot fight to your satisfaction like this. This is not my wish.” Assassin, you’re a cool dude.

-”He’s like a yogurt about to expire compared to Saber!” dskfhsdkf sure

This is gonna be a good one, folks. See you next time!

[carnival-phantasm]

do you have any tips on getting into fate? (honestly i don't even know the difference between grand order and apocrypha or anything). i think astolfo and a couple other characters idk the names of are cute but i'm not even entirely sure if fate is an anime based on a game or vice versa

I’m asked that a lot and what I usually say is: ideally, you’d read at least the first route of the patched Fate/Stay Nigh VN, then read Unlimited Blade Works or watch its anime adaptation. By then you’d have a good idea if you want to read/watch more main Fate content. If you don’t like to read VNs at all, maybe just start straight with the UBW anime.

As for Fate/Grand Order, you can start playing it without ever interacting with the Fate series, but it’s usually much easier to deal with its flaws when you already love the series and have some favorite characters there. Just don’t forget it’s a simple gacha game with awful rates.