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douglysium · 1 year ago

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*Google Doc version of this article is available here- https://docs.google.com/document/d/12DgObLl6CLtyITbvLb0LJstaySsfya3fPHV3ANceZ1Y/edit

Fan-Servant Inspirations(Shaka Zulu)

As always, with every new fate fanservant comes the desire to make a piece going over all my design choices and inspirations in case anyone is curious or has any questions. If you want to read the profile I wrote for him you can do so here(Grand Lancer Candidate: Shaka Zulu). These lists of inspirations are also made for my own sake so I don’t completely forget why I did something and ruin my own character and to parse out my thoughts in a tangible form that can increase the chance of me spotting a stupid mistake in my lore or research. And you might just learn some historical fun facts by reading this. On top of that Shaka Zulu is kind of an interesting figure to tackle. Now with all the fanservants, whether they be more comedic or serious, I try to have a proper level of respect. What you can get away with varies from figure to figure and I want to do a better job at handling it than Fate and FGO tend to do, even if I mess up I want to show my line of thinking and that I at least care and want to try to do better. I feel like this sort of inspiration document also makes it easier to correct me. This becomes abundantly more clear with Shaka Zulu since, and there is no soft way to put this, there is a lot of propaganda spread by racist colonizers for various, and pretty bad, reasons. This makes designing a character like Shaka Zulu way harder than say Yasuke(Demon Saber: Yasuke) because suddenly I have to try to give an interesting or nuanced spin on him while avoiding just making a version of him based purely on what a bunch of racist Europeans had to say about him and accidentally spread really harmful rhetoric. It doesn’t help that while these factors tend to demonize Shaka the figure is at the same time lionized. But, I didn’t want to make a character who was almost flawless but I also don’t think it was right to make him just an insane bloodthirsty asshole, at least not that much more than say Iskandar/Alexander the Great was, And hey, if Typemoon can try to give a fucking Elizabeth Bathory/Carmilla, Jack the Ripper, AND Gilles de Rais a more sympathetic angles or interpretations than I see nothing stopping me. I will get more into some of this stuff in later sections but hopefully, you can at least appreciate the effort I went through to try to craft a character with all this in mind. Also, for the sake of clarity, I will refer to the fanservant I’ve made as GLC and the historical figure of Shaka Zulu as… well Shaka Zulu. Oh yeah, this article is probably going to be way longer than my Demon Saber one too so buckle up.

Servant Profile

As always, let’s start with the beginning of this servant profile with GLC’s class. I’m going to be honest, I’m not sure I even need to explain most of the info here. I mean just google an image of this guy and I almost guarantee that the first 1-3 images are going to depict him with a spear(or that one scene from a movie about him). His spear has become so iconic it's basically everywhere and if you are going to make some sort of painting or statue of him it is almost criminal for Shaka Zulu not to have that iconic weapon. So why does he have this spear all the time? Well, this story gets kind of long so sit tight.

Basically, before Shaka Zulu came around most armies of the African tribes that were around in his general area of South Africa preferred to use a type of throwing assegai/spear. However, the assegai came with the disadvantage of the fact that while it was indeed a long-ranged weapon it is kind of easy to not hit your target since some could avoid or block it the thrown spear, plus there’s also the fact that you yourself can just miss and need to be good at aiming it. On top of all that, there was the problem that if you DID miss there was a decent chance that your enemy could grab your spear and try to throw it back at you. So Shaka introduced his armies to a new type of assegai known as the Iklwa, or Ikwa. A short stabbing spear with a long, broad, and sword-like spearhead. These spears weren’t meant to be thrown but instead used, typically in combination with a shield we’ll get to later, in order to get close to an opponent and stab them. This indeed made Shaka’s army more effective and made it easier for his soldiers to defeat his enemies but came with the downside of suddenly making warfare much bloodier and more violent in the region. That is not to say Shaka completely discarded the use of the throwing assegai, he did use them sometimes but was overall more of an advocate for close combat and the purpose of the throwing assegai was changed to help soften up enemies before his armies came in for close combat. Now, whether or not Shaka Zulu actually invented the Ikwa or adopted it from someone/somewhere else is a completely different conversation. However, considering how it was one of the major weapons that he used to absolutely change the very standards of warfare in South Africa as people knew it makes his connection to the spear undeniable no matter what stance you take.

For GLC’s true name, I went with King Shaka Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, which is just his full name. Considering the point I made last time with Yasuke there is an argument that, in the Fate universe, his true name could be Shaka Zulu even if it is a nickname but I ultimately went with King Shaka Sigidi kaSenzangakhona because we actually know for sure what his birth name was, unlike Yasuke, and I thought it was more interesting. While I did bring up the fact that sometimes Fate servants will use a nickname or title as a true name when talking about Yasuke it is important to remember that this is not always the case even if there are times when the figure’s birth name or real name is much less well known than their title or nickname. My point with that example was that we just don’t need to know the figure’s actual name to give a servant design a true name. Also, what a figure’s true name is can actually tell us about their personality in some cases. An example to prove my point would be how Fate handles its interpretation of the infamous mythological Minotaur.

You see the True Name of Fate’s Minotaur is actually Asterios, his birth name, as the name Minotaur which means “Bull King of Minos” is more associated with the half-man half-bull monster image than Asterios. I think what this is trying to tell us is that Asterios isn’t as monstrous or evil as the idea of the “minotaur” many have built up in their heads. Something that is reinforced by a lostbelt incarnation of this character who has the True Name of Minotauros.

This version of the minotaur is described as “Compared to the much more peaceful Asterios, Minotauros is simply a monster that eats people who tread into the Labyrinth” and “Lacking the shred of humanity that Asterios displays, Minotauros is largely driven by his hunger and bloodlust, which are mostly one and the same.” Truly, this version of the minotaur is the monster almost every rumor says he is and has way fewer human attributes than Asterios. To put it more succinctly, Asterios is this Berserker’s “human” name while the Minotaur is a name her garnered as a monster. In this sense, True Names are being used to show us what to expect. This is also why the same figure can have different True Names depending on what form they are summoned in(see Cú Chulainn and Sétanta or Elizabeth Bathory and Carmilla, but that’s a conversation for a different time). Now I wish I could say I had this level of nuance when choosing GLC’s True Name but while Fate does continue many nuances like with Asterios I ultimately chose it because it was his full actual name and title. Although, GLC does seem like someone who would want to take pride in or earn the dignity of their full title.

I’m going to try to handle the inspirations between GLCs nicknames in as rapid-fire a manner as possible because this article is probably already going to be long enough. The “nicknames” I choose for GLC are Shaka Zulu, Shaka, King Shaka, Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, King of the Zulu, King of Zululand, Founder of Zululand, Nodumehlezi(the one who when seated causes the earth to rumble), King of Conquerors, Horned King, King of Strategy, Grand Lancer Candidate, GLC, Mad King. Shaka Zulu is a name that doesn’t need much explanation. It is probably his most famous name and the one he is most commonly known by. The name Shaka itself originates from the fact that Shaka’s mother wanted to hide the fact that she was pregnant with Shaka Zulu, because he was born out of wedlock, so she claimed that she was actually just suffering from an intestinal condition caused by the iShaka beetle causing her stomach to swell. If I had to guess I assume Zulu comes from the fact that while he didn’t found the tribe he founded the Zulu Empire but I don't know if that's where Shaka Zulu the name comes from specifically.

Shaka is just an even shorter version of that name and seems to be used by a lot of people in the same manner some might use a first name, and King Shaka is just that name except with his title as king due to being a Zulu king. Which is something that the name “King of the Zulu” refers to. The name King of Zululand refers to the fact that Shaka was king of the Zulu Empire/Kingdom, which was referred to in the past as Zululand. Plus, Shaka established the Zulu nation(but not the tribe itself to be clear), and that is also why I chose to include “Founder of Zululand.” He was also apparently the first one to call his people the Zulu. The name Nodumehlezi, which can be translated as “the one who when seated causes the earth to rumble,” was a nickname Shaka gained while rising within Dingiswayo’s army, someone we will get to later, and acting as his commander. The name is a reference to his great courage and skill. The “Horned” King is not meant to refer to literal horns he has or anything but rather his famous “Horns of the Buffalo” military formation. This is also the reason I gave GLC the title of “King of Strategy.” A title that also just alludes to him being famous for combat strategy in general in order to make his armies more efficient. One famous example of what I mean was at the Battle of Gqokli Hill where, while fighting the forces of Zwide(who is someone we will also get to later), he feigned retreat in order to draw the enemy forces deep into Zulu territory before trapping them and launching an assault on the exhausted forces of Zwide. King of Conquerors is one of the titles that exist within the Fate universe and I gave it to this interpretation of Shaka because the historical figure is simultaneously famous and infamous because of his conquests and was known to be quite good at it. Also, considering just the earth-shaking impact he had on Africa as a whole due to his conquests and military I feel like he was just as worthy of the title as Iskandar. “Grand Lancer Candidate” just comes from the fact that GLC is a Grand Lancer Candidate and he takes great pride in that. GLC is just a shorter version of Grand Lancer Candidate because I don’t feel like having to say that entire thing when referring to him. This also relates to the fact that most servants are referred to by their class in most scenarios in order to hide their true names(like how Artoria and Heracles are usually referred to as Saber and Berserker respectively). Choosing titles like Grand Lancer Candidate and GLC also helps add some distinctiveness to him and make it clear what character the name refers to while also keeping his name a secret in a Holy Grail War. Adding stuff to the standard servant class names to make the characters more distinctive and showing a little bit of their personality and relationships without completely giving away who they are is something I try to do with just about all my fanservant designs, my Demon Saber(Yasuke) is a good example of this. Sigidi kaSenzangakhona is part of his name and the Mad King references how he went mad and became increasingly violent after his mother, Nandi died. After which he purportedly did things like kill at least 7,000 people for being insufficiently grief-stricken and ordered that no crops be planted and no milk be used. This eventually led to him getting assassinated by his half-brothers, Dingane and Mhlangana, with the help of someone named Mbopa. Going back to Sigidi kaSenzangakhona for a second the kaSenzangakhona part is the name of his father as at the time your father’s name was supposed to become your surname. One nickname I neglected to put for GLC is the “African Napoleon” because I attempted to be as respectful towards Shaka Zulu the figure as I could be and I decided that potentially just accidentally boiling him down to being some version of a white European figure was not worth it.

Characteristics

I’m going to try to do the characteristics in a rapid-fire manner like the previous section. His species is listed as Servant, Heroic Spirit, and human. The human part refers to the fact that he was a human in life but since dying has ascended to the throne as a Heroic Spirit which means he is now summonable as a servant and GLC currently is said servant if he has been summoned.

His gender is male because Shaka Zulu identified as a male. His height is 175cm(or 5ft 10in). In a lot of the accounts I saw that he was described as tall and many even state that he is even 2 meters, or 6ft tall. His overall height seems somewhat vague at times though so I wanted to make him kind of tall but not super tall, so I made him 5ft 10in. His weight is my guesstimation for how heavy a somewhat muscular man of his height would usually be. His blood type is unknown because there was no way to test blood types when he was alive. His place of origin is listed as KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa while his birthday is listed as July 1787 because those are the recorded places and times for where and when he was born respectively. Specifically, he was born at some point in the lunar month of uNtulikazi which corresponds with the previously listed date. I was unable to find the exact date of his birth. The age of GLC’s Lancer form is 41 because of the fact that Shaka Zulu was apparently around that age when he was assassinated on the 24th of September in 1828. Grand Lancer Candidate also takes a form that is close to when he was assassinated after his interaction with Gala.

Personal Information

When speaking Japanese, GLC refers to himself with watashi, watakushi, and boku. I chose watashi(私 / わたし) for this character because it is often used in a gender-neutral manner. Boku(僕 / ぼく) was chosen because it is typically used by young men and I felt it did a good job of displaying the more energetic part of GLC’s personality and he does identify as a man even if he isn’t really that young(a fact that could show some of his quirkiness). Ore is a more informal form of “I” that is often used by men with people they are close to. This was picked for the same reasons boku was on top of the fact that GLC caring about friends and family is a big part of his character. Plus, I could also see him using it as a sly way of being disrespectful toward someone depending on the circumstance.

His listed likes are family, friends, witty banter, politicking, talking, beetles, strategizing, marching, and comedy. GLC’s immense appreciation for family and friends comes from how Shaka Zulu reacted when his mentor Dingiswayo and mother Nandi died. In the case of Dingiswayo he relentlessly hunted down Zwide, the man responsible for his death, and in the case of Nandi he was overcome with grief and forced his entire kingdom to grieve in the most over-the-top and extra way possible, killing people who grieved insufficiently, among other things(which is something we’ll come back to later). His enjoyment of witty banter and comedy comes from the same source. That being, an anecdote in which Shaka apparently joked with someone that he could not kill a man named Magaye because if he did it would appear he did so out of jealousy because Magaye was so handsome and I recall one account of Shaka Zulu telling a joke or being witty about something with the Europeans but I can’t find any sources on that so that might just be me misremembering something. However, GLC’s enjoyment of politticing and talking come from the extensive politics and treaties he performed on his campaign. As he surprisingly did not immediately resort to violence and managed to get a decent number of tribes to join him without immediately attacking them, although he would often attack them if negotiations failed. I also thought this would be an interesting take on a character based on him, as someone might expect him to be more like Rider Iskandar or Archer Nobunaga and be more itching to fight or resort to violence. I think it also adds an interesting layer to his character. Meanwhile, his love of strategy alludes to Shaka Zulu’s more militaristic background and how he innovated the ways in which people in his area fought(making them more effective) as well as the fact that I saw some accounts saying Shaka like problem-solving and stuff. The marching comes from the, often grueling, training Shaka apparently had his troops do by walking around barefoot to toughen the soles of their feet and the incredible distances some say his troops could march. However, it should be noted that it is possible that some of the brutal training could have been exaggerated. GLC’s love of beetles comes from the fact that Shaka’s name originates from his mother wanting to hide the fact that she was pregnant out of wedlock and claimed she was suffering from a condition caused by an iShaka beetle.

GLC’s dislikes are loved ones getting hurt, loved ones dying, people who don’t listen, people who don’t use their head, people who let their emotions control them, and the Berserker class. The first two dislikes are based on how Shaka Zulu reacted when Dingiswayo and his mother Nandi died. As mentioned earlier he did not react great. I thought this would be interesting to explore by combining it with some common shonen-esque themes. Specifically, with how the stereotypical shonen protagonist can’t bear to see their friends or loved ones get hurt and despises people who don’t care about their allies/friends. I did this because I felt like it added an interesting duality and empathetic angle to GLC. Just about anyone can relate to caring about people and associating GLC with a trait that is commonly given to a type of positive protagonists helps show the audience that while he isn’t perfect he isn’t just a madman or bloodthirsty killer. He is overall a very emotional person and this means he is not just filled with negative emotions but positive emotions as well. However, this can be a double edged sword since getting caught up in say rage or sadness can cause a downward spiral. The rest of his dislikes are actually things relating to him, and they are all things that he dislikes about his past self or things that remind him of his failures and shortcomings. His dislike of people who don’t listen, people who don’t use their head, people who let their emotions control them, and the Berserker class are all dislikes that relate to how he acted towards his own kingdom and people after his mother died. Not properly listening to them and letting his rage overtake him and blind him, until Gala came along. The Berserker class usually ends up reminding him of his shortsighted mistakes. However, his dislike of the Berserker class also comes from the fact that Shaka Zulu is famous for his tactics and mind. So strategically from GLC’s perspective Berserker tends to be the worst class as they are hard to control and rarely listen. It doesn’t help that he can be summoned as a Berserker which would summon him as the almost mindless bloodthirsty monster he became at one point and is afraid of returning to. Being summoned in such a state also leaves him without what he believes to be his most important feature and weapon, that is his mind and intellect, something that is boosted by the idea of how smart a king and warrior he was. In addition to this, another reason he doesn’t like people who don’t listen is because diplomacy was a major part of Shaka Zulu’s strategy when incorporating other tribes, so someone who won’t listen might have to be fought. Furthermore, GLC likes to talk a lot so someone who doesn’t listen makes all that talking meaningless in both diplomacy and during fights.

His listed talents are planning, fighting, talking, making good arguments, improving tactics, improvising, solving puzzles, drawing maps/strategies in the dirt or sand. The planning, improving tactics, and drawing maps/strategies come from the fact that Shaka Zulu is famous for his military tactics and planning. Improving tactics also alludes to some accounts that Shaka Zulu did not invent some of the strategies often associated with him but borrowed them from somewhere else as well as how he made his armies more efficient. His ability to draw maps in the dirt very well may seem random but I put it there to relate to how he’s good at strategy and can represent them very well and quickly in a succinct and easy-to-grasp manner through images. Being able to do so in dirt and sand allows one to show these plans on the fly which highlights his intelligence and adaptability. His planning also relates to the more diplomatic tactics Shaka Zulu used as well as the military ones. Another aspect of his efficient diplomacy skills and preference for it is shown through his talent for talking and making very good/convincing arguments. His talent for solving puzzles, and improvising comes from accounts that note while he served under Dingiswayo he was inquisitive and liked to solve things and think. His talent for fighting comes from the brutal and effective prowess Shaka Zulu’s armies had and the fact that he himself was known to fight and was really good at fighting/combat. He is noted to have caught the attention of Dingiswayo because of his strategic mind and fighting prowess, which was higher than most of the other soldiers that were his age.

His natural enemies are Zwide kaLanga, Gilgamesh(Archer), Shaka Zulu(Berserker), and Shaka Zulu(Avenger). Zwide is the one who killed Dingiswayo(Shaka Zulu’s mentor and very important friend), something that GLC will probably always hate him for and seek to torment him for. Also, Shaka was so pissed when Zwide killed his Dingiswayo he killed Zwide’s mother in an attempt to draw him out. Gilgamesh(Archer), Shaka Zulu(Berserker), and Shaka Zulu(Avenger) are all servants he hates for similar reasons. Most notably, the worst aspects of both himself, his legacy, and his reign. GLC leans towards a more idealistic manifestation of Shaka Zulu so he wishes to be the king that his people and so many of their descendants idealize. However, his Berserker and Avenger forms tend to manifest as the more negative, bloody, and violent ways people view him. They remind him of the mistakes he’s made by being overcome with emotion and feels that they feed into the idea that he is just a bloodthirsty tyrant when he wants to be the ideal king his people needed. His Avenger and Berserker variants are also overwhelmed by emotion and thus lack the clarity to use the brilliant mind that GLC treasures so much. Gilgamesh(Archer) is often a tyrant that cares little about most other people despite claiming himself as their king. Something that reminds GLC of when he went mad and did not pay enough attention to the feelings of the people within his kingdom, only caring about his own, so when he sees Gilgamesh or someone else making the same mistakes he wants to smack them on the back of the head before they go down the same path he did.

The black and white in GLC’s image color comes from the color of his shield, which in many of the accounts I found was described as being white with a black spot or just black and white. His association with red comes from his headdress but also blood. Red is a motif I ended up using for GLC in his hair and eyes and they represent how the more bloody and brutal aspects of his life are still present. This isn’t like Elizabeth Bathory or Gilles de Rais being summoned in a form that is that of before they committed their horrible deeds. GLC takes the form that is based on after he went mad and murdered so many innocent people. The red also represents the blood and ferocity he was known for in combat. As in some accounts he would have blood drenched up to the handle of his spear and the famous Ikwa he uses gets its name from the noise it makes as it is stabbed inside a body and then the sucking sound created as it was withdrawn. So the imagery and color of blood is something I ended up using a lot in GLC’s design. This is even represented in his emotions. When he becomes extremely angry or is under the effects of Madness Enhancement many of his blood vessels can be seen bulging under his skin and his skin also turns slightly red from the absurd amounts of blood flow and bulging veins.

Affiliations

His affiliations don’t need much explanation. The Zulu Kingdom/Zululand is the empire Shaka founded so GLC is a member of it and thus affiliated with it.

Family Members

The listed family members for GLC are pretty simple. Nandi(Mother), Senzangakhona kaJama(Father), Sigujana kaSenzangakhona(Half-Brother), Dingane(Half-Brother), Mhlangana(Half-Brother), Nomcoba kaSenzangakhona(Half-Sister), and Dabulamanzi kaMpande(Half-Nephew) are all people that were actually related to Shaka Zulu. The reason I put various aunts, and various uncles, is because apparently Shaka Zulu had a lot of those and I did not feel like scouring the internet looking for every single possible name so I just put them under those general categories.

Servant Stats

GLC is listed as a Heroic Spirit, but not an Anti-Hero. This is sort of interesting since some people might expect him to be listed as an Anti-Hero due to the fact that he went mad and killed a bunch of people later in his life or because of all the colonialist exaggerations in regard to how brutal and bloodthirsty he was. However, while Shaka Zulu is definitely demonized he is also very idolized and lionized as someone who revolutionized combat and fighting as well as being a smart king until he went mad. Heck, his tactics and fighting style would eventually come in clutch during the Anglo-Zulu War’s Battle of Isandlwana and the like. He is often compared to other historical figures that are often idealized or praised, such as Napoleon(who himself is not an Anti-Hero in Fate). Furthermore, the servant Gilgamesh is also someone who is remembered as being a great king but also having royally fucked up. Despite this, even in his Archer form, he is not an Anti-Hero. What is and isn’t an Anti-Hero in Fate doesn’t actually boil down to something as simple as “this person was a bad person” or “people think this person is fucked up.” I mean fucking Christopher Columbus isn’t an Anti-Hero so that definitely is not the sole metric that this trait is measured by. There is also the fact that GLC’s Lancer form is meant to lean towards a more lionized or idealized version of Shaka Zulu that has most of his admirable traits.

GLC’s source is historical fact because Shaka Zulu is a real person that actually existed in history.

His region is South Africa because he was born around KwaDukuza, South Africa and many of his campaigns took place in South Africa, as one can imagine. Something that is reflected in how much impact Shaka Zulu has had on the culture in that area.

GLC’s alignment is Chaotic Good. He is Chaotic Good instead of Neutral or Evil because as mentioned previously GLC takes on a more idealized version of Shaka Zulu and he is not inflicted by the madness that would overwhelm him at some point in his life or the sheer rage he felt towards Zwide. Likewise, he isn’t as bad or ruthless as a lot of colonial propaganda might make him out to be and he didn’t usually immediately resort to fighting and bloodshed when politics would work. Unfortunately, the mistakes and atrocities he committed while going mad still haunt him and he is always at risk of reverting to a more brutal and bloodthirsty maddened state when emotionally overwhelmed with sadness, anger, or Madness Enhancement. Which can lead him to lash out at the world indiscriminately.

His hidden attribute is man because Shaka Zulu was a normal human.

GLC’s armaments are a spear and shield because Shaka Zulu had both himself and his armies use an ikwa and an isihlangu, a short spear and large cowhide shield respectively.

His known summoning catalysts are a piece of his shield, the tip of one of his spears, a vial of some mud mixed with his blood, and a small rock with some of his blood on it. The pieces of his shield and spear are just references to his signature spears and shield of choice that I just mentioned when talking about his armaments. The vial of mud/blood and the bloody rock are a reference to where he was apparently buried when he died. Supposedly, after he was assassinated he was dumped into an empty grain pit that was then filled with stones and mud. So the mud and rock here are supposed to be materials that have somehow been gathered from the grain pit. However, in real life the exact location of this pit is unknown.

Qualified Servant Classes

GLC’s qualified servant classes are Lancer, Berserker, Avenger, and Shielder.

I don’t think I need to explain the justification of why a servant based on Shaka Zulu would be eligible for the Lancer class with a lot of details. The dude is famous for using a spear and introducing a new kind of spear and method of combat revolving around a shield and said spear to Zulu armies.

Being eligible for the Shielder class is a reference to the aforementioned signature big shield Shaka and his armies used and incorporated into their combat style. The more defensive angle of both his Shielder and Lancer forms is a reference to both the use of their shields and battles like the Battle of Gqokli Hill during the Ndwandwe-Zulu war in which he famously feigned retreat to lure his foes into a trap as well as the more defensive aspects of his fighting style involving the shield.

The thing about the Berserker class is that the only qualification for being in it is having gone mad during combat at some point in one’s life. A definition that Fate has proven can be very loose and can range anywhere from being overcome with immense anger during a squabble to actually losing your mind in a battle. GLC’s eligibility for the class can be attributed to the fact that there is an argument for just about every warrior servant being eligible for the Berserker class if they ever were sufficiently angry or upset during a fight and the madness that overcame Shaka as king as well as the utter rage he displayed towards Zwide for killing Dingiswayo. The madness can also be attributed to some of the overexaggerated rumors regarding Shaka’s bloodlust and brutality, something that is referenced with how both his Berserker and Avenger versions are less heroic than his Lancer and Shielder counterparts. His Berserker form wielded a club as a type of club was another weapon Zulu warriors would often wield at the time.

The Avenger class is one that often revolves around vengeance and avenging. Now, there are actually some other important aspects of this class, but the nuances of those are for another time. For now, just know that GLC is eligible for the Avenger class both because he sought vengeance on Zwide for taking the life of his mentor and the madness that afflicted him later in life can be at least partially attributed to the death of his mother. Which caused him to want everyone to share in the pain and grief he felt in losing a mother. Shaka’s Berserker and Avenger forms have a more offensive angle which references how Shaka’s methods of combat made his armies more effective but also made conflicts tend to have a higher death toll when they did happen. It also alludes to the more offensive aspects of his fighting style such as favoring close quarter combat with his signature short spear and using an isihlangu to hook the enemies own shield aside and leave them open to a strike.

Parameters

Here are GLC’s parameters

Strength: C - B

Endurance: B - A

Agility: C - B

Mana: E - D

Luck: D - C

NP: A++

The reason I gave him parameters that increase when he is defending, dodging, or retreating and increase when attacking is twofold. Firstly, at the end of the day the main reason Shaka is admired is because of his brilliant intelligence and tactics. So giving him fluctuating stats is to show how clever and tactical he is. While it could be considered a downside to not always have one’s parameters always at their highest, GLC knows how to use them as an advantage and pull a fast one over on unaware opponents. The fluctuations are also a reference to the Battle of Gqokli Hill in which he set a trap for his foes by feigning retreat several times and then jumping the opposing army with a bunch of troops once they were deep in Zulu territory. So in this respect, the fluctuations represent misdirection and GLC playing to his mental strengths. Something that can give opponents a false sense of security when GLC attacks only to be stunned by a jump in stats when he dodges, defends, or counter-attacks. I kept all the fluctuations within one rank because I didn’t want the stats to be too confusing or extreme. So they go down one rank when he is attacking and up when he is defending.

His maximum strength is B because Shaka Zulu’s strength is notable for being pretty high but I didn’t think it would make sense for a Non-Berserker GLC to have physical strength that can rival literal King Arthur and Beowulf. Also, GLC does not have the benefit of things like divinity or being a monster on by default to increase his stats. While his stats are boosted by the rumors surrounding his life and combat prowess he wasn’t born during the Age of Gods or anything.

His maximum endurance is A in reference to how he apparently walked around barefoot to increase the strength of the soles of his feet and some of the stories that say he and his armies could move or march incredible distances before having to stop. Having a high Endurance parameter also synergizes with the more defensive aspects of GLC’s fighting style.

His agility is B because a major reason why he had himself and his warriors fight barefoot was to increase their mobility when on foot in battle. Doing so made them more agile than if they wore sandals in battle. So I figured that it would make sense that his mobility is on the high end.

One may be surprised that GLC’s mana isn’t an E on the low end and is instead a D. However, from what I’ve read Zulu shields have a symbolic association with them that are said to protect the wielder from magic and Shaka Zulu has interacted with certain sangoma and others who practiced magic. When translated into the Fate universe this could easily display an interaction with and potentially even an understanding of magecraft and magic even if GLC wasn’t a mage himself. Which is something that could bump him up from an E to a D and then a C when you factor in his parameter fluctuations.

I chose to have GLC’s Luck be a D on the low end since he is both lionized and demonized so there are a lot of good things associated with his reign and life as well as a lot of bad things. While I don’t think his Luck would be super low due to his effectiveness in combat and how he managed to become king in the first place. So, I think hovering around a C or B made sense.

The rank of GLC’s strongest NP is A++ so that is what is reflected in his stats. Part of the reason it is so high is that it is meant to parallel Noble Phantasms wielded by servants like Rider Iskandar and Archer Napoleon, who have EX and A-ranked Noble Phantasms respectively. A comparison I strengthened by giving him the King of Conquerors title and Shaka Zulu is often compared to Napoleon(which I imagine would give him some extra strength as a servant).

Class Skills

GLC has a C+ ranked Magic Resistance. The reason he has this skill is just because he is a Lancer and that is the class skill Lancers get. It is probably a bit higher than one would expect, being C+ instead of like E, but the reason I made it C is for the same reasons I made his mana stat D - C. Also, because it plays into his defensive imagery. The reason it is C+ is that the effectiveness of the skill increases along with his parameters while he is defending, retreating, dodging, etc. The reason his shield can block A-ranked magical attacks is that Zulu shields have a symbolic association with them that is said to protect the wielder from magic and other things. The shield itself not only literally blocks A-ranked or lower magical attacks but it also causes his Magic Resistance to increase by one rank while holding it due to the symbolism associated with it. It also acts as yet another way for him to throw his opponents for a loop if they are not paying close enough attention.

Personal Skills

GLC has a Charisma of B++. While someone might expect it to be lower due to how he messed up as king when he went mad it is important to remember that his Lancer form has his more positive traits and he was a pretty good military leader and even understood some of the psychology of his troops. For example, he would have some of his soldiers face away from the battlefield before they joined in so they wouldn’t get excited or scared and join too late, too early or just run away. There is also the fact that Shaka Zulu is really idolized as a military leader and it’s B rank anyway because B ranked Charisma is given to those who were sufficient in leading a nation as its King/Queen(a requirement Shaka Zulu easily meets). Of course it has the ++ because it becomes more effective when he is talking and planning defensive strategies or retreats. The talking is a reference to his preference for diplomacy while the boost when defending, dodging, retreating, etc. is another reference to the Battle of Gqokli Hill. Playing into his strategies and misdirections. It also parallels how/when his parameters rise and drop.

GLC has Imperial Privilege at a rank of B+. I felt like if servants like Nero Claudius and Napoleon could have it then it makes sense for GLC to have it. Also, since GLC is sometimes compared to Napoleon it made a nice subtle parallel. Plus, he founded the Zulu Empire and is an important figure or royalty. There is also an argument to be made for it being granted to him for reasons relating to passion in the same way Nero has it. I see no reason why he wouldn’t have it to be honest. I put it at B+ because B is the rank at which Napoleon has it(furthering the subtle parallels) and because he can get flashes of inspiration that can allow him to access new skills. These flashes add a sense of calculated unpredictability that can throw opponents off and show his creative tactical mind. Which I felt emphasized how clever he was by showing that he could learn certain new things on the fly by seeing them. I even put thought into the skills he can draw upon with Imperial Privilege. Protection from Arrows and Bullet Proof Treatment are both references to how he reacted when being shown firearms. Arguing that in the time a gunman took to reload, they would be swamped by charging spear-wielding warriors and that Zulu methods were superior. Now before you go on assuming he was just arrogant or only biased for Zulu methods(although biases may have factored into it) it's important to remember the time period. These were not at all modern guns so they would have been slower to reload and less accurate. Meaning his statement actually had a lot more validity to it then it would have if he had said it in modern times.

The Protection from Arrows skill also references how he had himself and his army get rid of throwing spears in favor of short stabbing spears when fighting because throwing spears proved to be overall less effective as you had to actually be good at aiming them, there were ways they could be blocked, and if you missed an opponent could pick them up and try to use them against you. So this skill is meant to point out how he noticed the weaknesses with this weapon. Battle Continuation is a reference to Shaka Zulu’s assassination. Specifically, while dying, he managed to say “Are you stabbing me, kings of the earth? You will come to an end through killing one another.” and “Hey brother! You kill me, thinking you will rule, but the swallows will do that” in some accounts. Plus, GLC would always appreciate a skill that gives him more time to talk. Disengage is a reference to Shaka feigning retreat in battles like that of the Battle of Gqokli Hill. Valor is a reference to a combination of his bravery and preference for close quarters combat using a short spear instead of a long throwing spear, as Valor is a skill that “negates mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination. It also has the bonus effect of increasing melee damage.” It is also said that when Shaka battled there would be blood all the way up the hilt of his spear in some accounts. So he definitely wasn’t one to shy away from combat, especially close quarters combat. It can also help mitigate his weakness to mental attacks which can surprise opponents by making a mental attack that almost or did work once before failing again unless the opponent can make it sufficiently strong enough or catch GLC off-guard. Unimpeded Movement is a skill that I made up that reads “a skill that lowers the effectiveness of mobility and movement debuffs on the user. Allowing the user to continue to move as fast as possible across all types of terrain while also making it harder to slow them down.” This is a reference to how Shaka Zulu walked around barefoot to toughen his feet and how he apparently would also have his soldiers do the same. Some accounts say he even had them walk across thorns. The idea here is that he is really hard to slow down. Reduced Earth is a reference to some accounts stating he and his armies could march or move incredible distances. Some say he could march 80-kilometers(or 50 mi) in one day but others dispute this. The idea here is that in the Fate universe whether he actually could move that far or not is distorted by the fact that he and some of his soldiers knew this skill. Finally, his Madness Enhancement of course references the time he went mad as king. The fact that it can accidentally or passively activate when he’s hit with a mental attack is a reference to how he is still haunted by the horrific things he did to his kingdom after going mad and some of the demonizing propaganda by colonizers emphasizing his more negative traits as a justification for why they should take the land. It also references that his madness was connected to the death of his mother.

The Proof of Friendship is a reference to Shaka’s overall preference for diplomacy over jumping straight into fights and I found it to be a neat subversion of what the audience might expect. However, it is sort of low because a lot of the time his politics come with the subtle threat that he might just take what he wants by force if you don’t comply. Which is also why the skill becomes more effective if what he is doing strikes fear into them and why despite having the skill he is unafraid of using threats or blackmail.

Mana Defense is a reference to Shaka’s signature shield and the more defensive aspects of his fighting style that revolved around this big shield. Unfortunately, it takes GLC a lot of mana to use. The fact that it allows him to bolster the defense of an entire army at its strongest is a reference to how he had his army wield these shields, which would often be used to safely close the distance between them and their opponents. The fact that it's so mana intensive is a way of me basically limiting how many skills GLC has at one time and it is a lot easier to keep track of them all when one such as this wouldn’t be used at all most of the time. It is of course more stable in his more defense-oriented shielder form.

I don’t think I really need to justify giving him Military Tactics and Strategy as skills. The dude is literally famous for reinventing and evolving the military tactics of his region and he was an amazing military tactician. He is also really good at strategy and the Strategy skill includes diplomacy and logistics, which is right up GLC’s ally. The Strategy skill’s connection to diplomacy can be used to increase the effectiveness of GLC’s Proof of Friendship skill which I also felt showed how clever he is. His Strategy is pretty good so of course it got an A. His Military Tactics being B++ is because its effectiveness increases when he retreats or takes defensive formations(another reference to the Battle of Gqokli Hill). If he is running away it becomes harder to tell if he is genuinely running away or if he is simply setting a trap. Making chasing him dangerous. Of course, his Berserker form is more attack-focused so as a Berserker he gains a boost to the skill if he is attacking instead.

Mind’s Eye(True) is a reference to Shaka’s battle prowess and his supposed intelligence as well as how good his tactics were. For example, he would have some soldiers face away from the battle so that they wouldn’t get too excited or too scared and would be able to join the battle precisely when necessary. The skill is also useful in escaping or defending which works as another reference to the Battle of Gqokli Hill. It is ranked at B+ because its effectiveness increases when he retreats or defends in reference to the aforementioned battle and when traversing terrain in reference to how incredibly far Shaka and his soldiers might have been able to march.

GLC’s habit of saying the name of his skill outloud is both me playing on the fact that this character loves to talk and it does also hype him, and probably at least his own soldiers, up. He can also use it to throw enemies off by yelling the name of skill in order to distract from another skill or plan by grabbing their attention.

Noble Phantasms

His first Noble Phantasm is his Isihlangu. Which is of course based on the shield Shaka Zulu wielded. Its full True Name “Isihlangu: Brush My Enemies Aside.” A reference to the name of the shield itself, which can translate to “brush aside.” This also references how the shield was used offensively by holding the shield in one’s left hand, pushing up to the enemy, and then hooking the enemy’s shield before pulling it aside in order to create an opening in the enemy’s defenses during hand-to-hand combat or close engagements. This is reflected in its ability to temporarily disarm servants if their weapons make contact with it and how they can become sealed if the weapon is a lower rank than the shield. The ability to create a concussive blast to stun opponents and leave them open to attacks in a weakened state is an exaggeration of this aspect of the shield. This is also a reference to the shield’s name meaning “to brush aside” being taken literally. As the blast can be used to literally brush things aside. Of course, it is a shield so it was also used to protect the person wielding it from things like throwing spears, arrows, etc. The fact that it was useful for fending off throwing spears, and arrows in particular, as well as Shaka’s comment about firearms in combat, led to me giving the Noble Phantasm a resistance against projectiles. Shaka also tended to be very against most throwing weapons since if you missed there was the danger of the enemy picking it back up. Something that is reflected in how his shield can knock projectiles back at you. The fact that the shield has its own level of magic resistance equal to that of A-Rank and increases one’s own Magic Resistance and Luck as long as they hold it is a reference to how the shield has symbolic meaning to it and was said to aid in warding off magic and increasing one’s luck. I also wouldn’t think it's out of the question that GLC has actually fought mages and the like in the Fate world at some point in his life.

The Ikwa is based on the signature short spear used by Shaka and his armies. He ditched the throwing spears that were commonly used at the time for the Ikwa(or Iklwa) . He also forbade his soldiers from throwing them as, like with the other throwing spears at the time, there was the concern that the enemy could pick them up if the thrower’s spear missed or the weapon was dodged/blocked. Its full True Name, Ikwa: The Sound of Flowing Bloodshed, is a reference to how the spear apparently got its name from the distinct sucking sound it made as it was pulled out of someone’s body after they had been stabbed. This is also reflected in the abilities of the Noble Phantasm, as by releasing the True Name when someone is stabbed by the spear they will suffer constant bleeding and a “mana leak” from the wound in the form of a curse. Also, when the spear is pulled out of the wound it is accompanied by a violent spray of blood and magical energy accompanied by an audible sound. This is all in reference to how the spear got its name and it essentially “pulls out” blood and mana along with it. This blood imagery and smell also reflects how much bloodier conflicts ended up becoming because of Shaka Zulu as well as what made the spear famous is what it does after it stabs people. But GLC is capable of deactivating it which shows a level of restraint and that he is not a mindless monster.

Izimpondo Zenyathi is a reference to what is probably Shaka Zulu’s most famous military technique and formation, the “Buffalo Horns.” Which is also where the epithet “An Army That’s as Deadly as a Buffalo’s Horns” present in the Noble Phantasm’s name came from. This horn imagery is also reflected in how part of the Noble Phantasm’s activation involves two massive horns erupting from any spear or club GLC is using. Those weapons reference the favored spears and clubs he and his Zulu warriors often used during combat. The fact that the head of the weapon elongates into a point gives it more range and makes it so that if he is wielding a club it becomes closer to his signature spear. This NP isn’t tied to a specific weapon, outside of just any kind of club or spear, because it is the formation itself and not a weapon in the same way the Ikwa is. The NP is a reality marble in order to allow for a large army like that of Iskandar’s Ionioi Hetairoi. It acts as a subtle way to parallel servants like Iskandar as they are both “Kings of Conquerors.” Something that is emphasized by its maximum number of targets being equal to that of Ionioi Hetairoi and its rank being close to this NP as well as Darius’s Athanaton Ten Thousand and Napoleon’s Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile(as Shaka and Napoleon are sometimes compared to each other). The parts of their formation and their qualities don’t need a very detailed explanation as they are based on how Shaka actually organized his troops in the formation using three categories. The “horns”(made up of younger troops meant to encircle and pin enemies), the “chest”(made up of the best and strongest fighters to act as the main force), and the “loins”(acting as reserves/backup that were made up of older and more experienced fighters). The loins would sometimes have their backs facing the battle until it was their turn for combat in order to ensure that they wouldn’t get too nervous and charge into battle too early or run away. The colors of each shield that each part of the formation wields is based on how they were often color coded using their shield. His charisma increases by one rank while in reality marble because he is in his element of directing troops and he can join the battle himself by leaving the plateau at any time because he is no stranger to joining the fight himself. Shaka is in fact quite famous for being a good fighter. The plateau also lets him oversee the battle from a bird’s eye view to more effectively direct his troops. His voice echoing throughout the marble is mostly just so his troops can hear his orders.

The fact that it is a plain/savannah means that there are few places for opponents to hide from a shielded army barrelling towards them. The qualities each part of the formation has and their stats relates to the types of soldiers that would be put in each part of the formation. All the soldiers have an E-rank in most of their stats because having fully fledged servants with a wide variety of potentially high parameters and their own NPs would probably end up being way too powerful from a narrative perspective. All troops having a low ranked Independent Action references Iskandar’s own Noble Phantasm and prevents the Noble Phantasm from being almost unusable because you would need to supply enough mana for an army’s worth of servants. Also the fact that they don’t have it while outside the reality marble adds an interesting limitation to how many GLC can comfortably summon at any given time outside of said reality marble(usually 1 or 2). And they also can only be summoned within arm’s reach outside the reality marble in order to prevent them from being busted or allowing GLC to just conjure people behind his opponents. The horns have a higher speed stat because they are young. The soldiers in the “chest” are stronger and more talented so they have E-ranked versions of Shaka’s Ikwa and Isihlangu in reference to their efficiency with those weapons and having access to even a weak NP would make you stronger than someone with no np. Finally, the loins have a Madness Enhancement that boosts their, Strength, Endurance, and Agility, which references how they would sometimes have their backs facing the battle until it was their turn for combat in order to ensure that they wouldn’t get too nervous and charge into battle too early or run away. So their Madness Enhancement makes them harder to control and forces GLC to turn them around until they are needed. Being able to walk out of the reality marble, and its shrinking aspect, reference to the documentation and legends of the many people who went through great lengths to flee from and avoid his encroaching armies and conquests. If you are unable to flee you will potentially be attacked by his armies and have your parameters lowered until Shaka dies. GLC would be absurdly powerful in South Africa because servants gain a boost if they are in or near the place in which their legend took place and if they are well known in the general area(and the dude had a massive impact on South Africa).

Misc

His tough feet and devastating kicks are a reference to the stories in which he and his men would walk everywhere barefoot in order to increase the toughness of his feet and some stories even go as far as to say he would have people walk across thorns to toughen their feet. The fact that he walks around barefoot is a reference to some stories saying that he never wore shoes and always walked around barefoot(but this could be an exaggeration). His agility dropping when he wears shoes is a reference to how he preferred not to wear sandals/shoes during combat in order to have increased agility and movement. The strength of his legs also comes from how far some say he and his armies could march.

His constant talking is a reference to both his diplomacy and also his brutality as he is willing to do some things that others would consider underhanded in order to win. This also references his more pragmatic approach to combat and how he made his armies more effective and deadlier.

His love and knowledge of beetles and their anatomy is a reference to how he got his name from the iShaka beetle.

Background

Okay, I’m actually going to skip over most of the inspirations behind GLC’s background because 98% of them can be attributed to accounts we have of his life, so there’s no need for a play by play. I am instead just going to mention a few notable changes or details.

First off, in some accounts Shaka flew into a rage after he saw that Zwide’s mother had the skull of Dingiswayo but in others, he just immediately killed her because he was fucking furious at Zwide. I decided to go with the first option because it sounded more interesting with more potential characterization for both Ntombazi and Zwide if I ever made them fanservants. It also made GLC more sympathetic even if he isn’t completely justified.

Second, when Shaka saw a gun he didn’t just disassemble it and reassemble that(as far as anyone is aware). I added that to show how thoroughly he thought about the weapon and that he didn't just dismiss it off-hand. It also makes him seem more clever/smart.

Finally, in some versions of various accounts a man named Gala shook some sense back into Shaka which I decided to include because Gala would make a cool servant and I wanted to put Lancer Shaka in the form of how he was AFTER he was a dick to make his characterization more interesting instead of trying to sidestep it by framing his Lancer form as one who has yet to turn into the mad king. Also, there was an interesting contrast with GLC having the power of hindsight and being pushed towards a more idealized form despite how badly he fucked up. The whole “However, he acted too slowly and his mistakes were beyond the point of being overlooked or forgiven by most of the people within his kingdom…” is there because Gala helped Shaka regain his sanity at that point and because it adds a sort of extra tragedy because while he realized his mistake he kind of deserved what he had coming at that point.

Appearance

GLC is physically muscular which is meant to reflect how he was often described as such. His pointy nose and spiky hair along with his sharp sideburns and teeth are meant to draw a connection to sharp-bladed and pointy weapons like his spear. I figured since the spear was so integral to his identity it could be used to create some fun shape language to mess with. Most of the red in his outfit is a reference to the themes of violence and blood I mentioned earlier. His sharp teeth also helped potentially make him more intimidating and showed that while he could be, and often is, lighthearted he is not a joke character and isn’t one to be trifled with or underestimated. It also further connects to his sharp spear imagery. Coming off lighthearted can act as another way for him to get his opponents to let their guard down. The scars on his chest and back are a reference to the assassination done on him by his half-brothers, Dingane and Mhlangana, while the scars on his feet are a reference to how he walked around barefoot to toughen them and the stories saying that he had his troops walk across thorns to toughen their feet. I already explained his height earlier so i won’t be going over that.

I also ended up giving his scars a slight pink or reddish hue to them to further tie into the blood imagery. When angry or under the effects of Madness Enhancement his scars turn a deeper red color to solidify this.

Personality

GLC’s love of talking is related to his preference for diplomacy and I felt that it was a nice subversion of his expected behavior that is still rooted in historical fact. Specifically, a joke he told that I mentioned earlier and his preference to jump to diplomacy instead of immediately rely on combat. His use of talking in combat is meant to play up some of his diplomacy but also his ruthlessness and brutality as he is willing to to throw the opponent off with personal attacks or insults. I also felt like it made him come off as clever and not just a raging berserker while also playing up his wit and intelligence. His defensive battle tactics along with counter-attacks, disarming techniques, and willingness to either run away or feign retreat is a reference to how tricky Shaka Zulu could be in combat and a reference to the Battle of Gqokli Hill. This is also why it can be hard to tell if GLC is ever actually losing or if he’s setting up a trap. Another reason he avoids jumping into combat is because he prefers to have as many allies as possible. The fact that he can get caught up in the rush of battle is a reference to the madness he would succumb to and how he was often described, sometimes to the point of over exaggeration, as a brutal warrior. As well as how he ruthlessly hunted down Zwide after the man killed his mentor.

The fact that he hates seeing his loved ones in pain or getting killed is a reference to how he hunted down Zwide when the man killed Dingiswayo and how he went mad after his mother Nandi died. The latter also acts as the inspiration for how he may use the Madness Enhancement skill to ruthlessly strike, and probably kill, anyone who kills his loved ones. There is some inspiration from how Shaka Zulu killed Zwide’s mother in a rage and attempted to draw Zwide out. However, these events also led to GLC appreciating his family/friends even more than he already did(which was a lot).

The fact that he can give the impression that he has a really weak clairvoyance is both to emphasize how strategic and clever he is while how he predicted the Europeans would betray the Zulus and the downfall of his brother as he was being killed by saying “Brother are you stabbing me, king of the earth thinking you will rule? The swallows will do that!!!” as a warning to Dingane and his people about the European colonizers and some of their malicious intentions before saying “You will come to an end through killing one another.” A warning that would ring true when Dingane took the throne and attempted to remove those who were loyal to Shaka before getting involved in a civil war and getting overthrown after 12 years of ruling by his other half-brother. His bluntness and tendency to come off as menacing or rude is a reference to an interaction in one account in which Shaka said Dingiswayo should kill Zwide in response to Dingiswayo asking how he should take care of Zwide. Something that was proven kind of right when Zwide ended up killing Dingiswayo,

The regret he feels over killing innocent civilians is due to a combination of the fact that his Lancer takes the form of a Shaka Zulu that is no longer mad due to the intervention of Gala and it represents a clash of his more idealized self and positive traits against his less admirable traits and demonized self. GLC wants to be the more idealized king a lot of people see him as so he takes steps like refusing to kill humans and trying to save as many humans as possible as atonement for the people he killed while mad. His goal is technically never ending but he is shooting for 7,000 currently because some estimated that's how many people he killed while inflicted by madness. The fact that he mentally keeps note of every person he saves helps show his more caring and kind side as well as how smart he can be. The fact that it is only humans he refuses to kill while being fine with killing nonhuman entities and things that are already dead, like vampires, zombies, spirits and even servants(as they are a type of spirit) shows that while he is trying better to be a more kind, considerate, and ideal king he isn’t completely defenseless or a total pushover and can still be quite ruthless. It also sort of shows that he’s smart and not always basic or straightforward since this core philosophy of his is more nuanced than just “save everyone and everything”… sorry Shirou

Servant Interactions

For this section I’m going to be mostly going over why I chose to have voice lines between each character rather than what each line says as most of it can be inferred or implied when I explain why I gave these character interactions in the first place.

The legendary Leonidas and Shaka Zulu have been compared to each other by many due to both being famous military leaders who wield a notable shield and spear with famous formations revolving around the use of those two weapons. Leonidas in Fate also seems to love training which can connect to the stories of how brutal Shaka Zulu’s training could be.

GLC’s interaction with Napoleon is based on how Shaka Zulu has often been compared to Napoleon and even called the “black/African Napoleon” due to being considered proficient military leaders among other things. GLC comments on the massive cannon Napoleon wields because it seems like an unwieldy projectile weapon similar to the guns he criticized when he was alive.

GLC and Shaka Zulu do have a really diplomatic aspect to them so GLC is greatly impressed by Gaius Julius Caesar’s famous charisma, speeches, and diplomacy skills.

Shakespear’s First Folio is a Noble Phantasm that takes the form of a mental attack that aims to destroy the minds of its target by recreating and forcing the target to relive terrible events or mistakes in their lives. GLC already has a weakness to mental attacks and a Noble Phantasm like First Folio could cause him to regress into a Berserker-like state or become overcome with madness once again. Plus, he really doesn’t want to relive seeing his mentor being killed, his mother dying, or when he killed all those innocent people. GLC has a lot of moments for First Folio to take advantage of.

Shaka Zulu is famous for being smart and innovative. Da Vinci is also famous for being smart and innovative in her own way. I thought the idea that they would try to one-up each other or prove who's smarter by doing things the other does was a funny and interesting interaction. They can also both be prideful.

Kama is a Beast connected to lust but Shaka Zulu is noted in some accounts to actually have gone out of his way to avoid having an heir or just not been interested in having one for a speculative or unknown reason.

Oda Nobunaga and Shaka Zulu are both figures who are known for having a brutal side to them but were also undoubtedly effective with their more modernized and revolutionized tactics.

Ryoma Sakamoto cares greatly about his friends and loved ones and wants to create a world of peace. Which I think can go hand in hand with how GLC cares about his loved ones and wants to be a better and less brutal king.

Izou is a prodigy with the sword and Shaka Zulu was also considered a prodigy in fighting by many, including his mentor(even if Shaka Zulu didn’t wield a sword).

Shaka Zulu explicitly forbade his soldiers from throwing most of their spears but Emiya, Gilgamesh(Archer), and Kid Gil all launch weapons as a form of attack. Something that probably distresses GLC even more when one considers that these servants could easily have access to their own version of Shaka Zulu’s famous spear and, at least Gilgamesh, would probably just throw it around like he would any other weapon. Which GLC would see as disrespectful.

Emiya’s copied Rho Aias and Shaka Zulu’s shield are both Noble Phantasms that are resistant to throwing spears like that of Gae Bolg. So they are of a similar nature.

Gilgamesh(Caster) is similar in a way to Shaka Zulu in that at one point he was a terrible king who overstepped his bounds and wielded his power irresponsibility but his existence gives GLC hope that he too can one day become the great and wise king his people needed. Which is reinforced in how Gilgamesh would eventually realize his mistakes and become one of the greatest kings in history.

Shaka Zulu was treated poorly by many other kids in his youth for saying he was the son of a chief(he was but the chief in question didn’t want to acknowledge him because he was born out of wedlock). Jack the Ripper(Assassin) is a literal murderer while Abigail Williams falsely accused innocent people, such as Tituba, of witchcraft which got them killed.

Lancelot(Berserker) has a personal skill that allows him to turn any weapon he holds into a Noble Phantasm. We see in Fate/Zero his Berserker form is also capable of grabbing weapons launched by things like Gil’s Gate of Babylon out of the air and throwing them back at great speed. Which to GLC only affirms his fears in life as he forbade his troops from throwing their Ikwa out of fear that the enemy would pick them up and use the weapons against them.

Elizabeth Bathory(Lancer) is a form of Carmilla that has not yet become the famous murderer. GLC encourages her as he sympathizes with her plight of wanting to have been a better person than she was in life and not wanting to succumb to the same mistakes.

Carmilla(Assassin) was a murderous noble who used her position in power to kill innocent people. Now Shaka Zulu didn’t go as far as bathing in people’s blood to make himself younger but GLC is reminded of his murderous reign as king when madness overtook him. However, even so, he still finds Carmilla quite brutal.

The similarities in his own style and Hector(Lancer)’s style that GLC is referring to is that they are both Lancers who use tactics that one might see as underhanded in battle. They are also willing to perform sudden retreats, they both have the Proof of Friendship skill and they both have access to the Disengage skill to facilitate their retreats(GLC has access to the skill through his Imperial Privilege).

Chiron is a famous teacher and mentor of heroes, which reminds GLC of how legendary and proficient his own mentor, Dingiswayo, was.

GLC retreats a lot like Jason does and he respects that Jason knows that he isn’t a good warrior and doesn’t try to pretend he is. But he finds Jason to be a bit too cowardly as Shaka Zulu is famous for being brave. Jason is also willing to use or throw some people, like Medea, under the bus even if they adore him which rubs GLC the wrong way as he wants to treasure his loved ones.

Hans Christian Anderson is a very blunt and no-nonsense servant. Which is similar to Gala's bluntness and straightforwardness when he talked back to Shaka Zulu by pointing out his mother wasn’t the first person to die in Zululand during a meeting in response to his increasing madness and violence.

Lanling Wang and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne both remind GLC of Magaye, as Magaye was said to be so beautiful that Shaka Zulu himself stated that if he ever killed the man it would look like he did so out of jealousy. Which parallels the supernatural beauty of Lanling and Diarmuid.

Quetzalcoatl, Yasuke, and Damarchus are all servants(and fanservants) that like and/or are good at wrestling and apparently Shaka Zulu was good at wrestling and dueling as a young man.

Gilgamesh(Archer) is an asshole king who abuses his power and has yet to become the wise king of his Caster form. Gilgamesh’s Archer form reminds GLC of his own shortcoming in life.

Christopher Columbus is an asshole European colonialist and kind of proves what Shaka Zulu said to his brothers as he died talking about his wariness of the motives of the Europeans he had begun to trade and interact with as some of them were racist colonialists.

Iskandar, and Genghis Khan, along with Shaka Zulu, are all famous conquerors who controlled immense amounts of territory and had a major impact on the continents they inhabited because of how great their influence and civilizations ended up becoming. Interestingly, GLC is the only one of these servants and fanservants that is not eligible for the Rider class, which I thought was funny.

Hang Tuah is described as someone who is a smooth-talker. GLC and Hang Tuah both dislike tyrannical kings and GLC trusts that Hang Tuah would stop him if he was ever in danger of going off the deep end. Hang Tuah is also quite good with words and can actually extract information from people due to how adept he can be at flirting which, as odd as a comparison it might seem, fits in the GLC’s preference for diplomacy and skill he has when it comes to talking.

Hang Jebat is a fanservant with literal horns and GLC has metaphorical horns due to Shaka Zulu’s famous “Buffalo Horns” formation.

Connla is a fanservant that wields a spear and can copy spears, and I imagine Connla can copy GLC’s Ikwa.

Gilgamesh, and Emiya both launch their weapons as explained earlier. Connla is a Shirou pseudo servant and since Shirou, like Emiya, can sometimes launch his swords and weapons this distresses GLC as Shaka Zulu was against throwing weapons.

Julie d’Aubigny has a lot of charisma and honestly, I just think that GLC would get along great with her.

Laplace’s Demon and Maxwell's Demon are both manifestations of paradoxes and Shaka was noted to like solving things. Maxwell's Demon has since been proven to not be possible due to violating the second law of thermodynamics so it is a paradox that GLC can “solve.”

Nameless Soldier is made up of countless unnamed soldiers, which could in theory include any number of Zulu soldiers that Shaka Zulu has led.

Dingane and Mhlangana are the ones who assassinated Shaka Zulu. There is not much to explain beyond that.

*Hang Tuah, Connla, Damarchus, Julie d’Aubigny and Nameless Soldier are all fanservants created by MochiBoni and Omegazplayer respectively. Yasuke is a fanservant created by me and Dingane and Mhlangana haven’t been designed yet. Here are the profiles or art for each respective servant

Hang Tuah- https://docs.google.com/document/d/12mjNkmjnhIIeLgGRvSlVVLhRQqWd4cbEDygfQHSLPCg/edit

Connla- https://twitter.com/mochio_bonio/status/1425858835730685957?s=20, https://twitter.com/mochio_bonio/status/1419297258512601089?s=21

Julie d’Aubigny-https://twitter.com/Omegazplayer/status/1416650069206573057?s=20

Damarchus- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jArzQOnAWnvSv8MRelYSl1x5DZj-gUndaBmPtO74icw/edit

Nameless Soldier- https://twitter.com/Omegazplayer/status/1416632770059714560?s=20

Yasuke- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M7V-XS0S_hePGtpLHY3abI-rU8_ek889uqcYnq0cvb0/edit

Dialogue examples

I am going to keep this section brief and only go over the parts that I think need explaining.

“Well, obviously family isn’t just determined by biology. I mean my biological father wanted nothing to do with me… If you only define family using DNA then you are only stunting yourself in the long run my friend. There aren’t many people in this world willing to look out for you so treasure them!”- Shaka Zulu was an illegitimate baby so his father tried to deny any connection to him.

“Eh!? Are my diplomacy skills really that surprising? Some of those stories about my fighting and conquering were just a liiiiiiiittle bit exaggerated my friend. Besides, I engaged in diplomacy just as much as I fought, which is to say a lot.”- a reference to some of the overexaggerated tales spread by Nathaniel Isaacs, Henry Francis Fynn, and other Europeans that were often meant to legitimize their racism and/or colonialism by showing how violent or uncivilized the people there were. The line “If I had known what those shady Nathaniel Isaacs and Henry Fynn were going to do to my image for the sake of that slave trade I would have killed them on the spot…” is also a reference to this as GLC basically feels they unfairly ruined his image to a degree.

“KwaBulawayo? I’ll be honest I was just trying to sound intimidating… maybe it worked a bit too well… Dukuza had a much better balance between intimidation and cool factor.”- the name of KwaBulawayo translates to something like “the place of slaughter” or “the place at which murder occurs” which is a little bit of an overkill of a name. kwaDukuza is a name that means “Place of the Lost Person.” Many Zulu refer to it as Dukuza.

“Take it from me, you should consider your actions carefully and try to keep the collateral damage down to a minimum… Just promise me you’ll think with your head and not your heart ok my friend.” The collateral damage GLC is referring to is the Mfecane(“Upheaval" or "Crushing"). A period of chaos and upheaval within southern Africa that depopulated the region. Some believe Shaka Zulu’s conquests to be the cause of this, as many tribes were forced to flee if they did not wish to be conquered, but others attribute the event to Zwide.

Death Line

“Mbopa…”- Mbopa is one of the people who took part in the assassination of Shaka Zulu and probably would have been one of the last people GLC saw before he died.

Fun Facts

He would be five stars due to his fame.

White, and Blue represent the parts of GLC that strive to be a better person and king as well as his values of knowledge while Black represents his more ruthless and underhanded side. Red tends to represent when his emotions overcome him and how he treasures and prioritizes some of his emotions, like love for his friends and family.

His Epithet Erased word being “horn” is a reference to his famous “Buffalo Horns” formation and how some famous beetles, like rhinoceros beetles, have horns.

His nen type would be that of Transmutations because Hisoka’s nen personality quiz describes Transmuters as “whimsical, prone to deceit, and fickle. They have unique characteristics, and many are regarded as weirdos or tricksters. They often put forth a facade while hiding the truer aspects of their personalities. Even when they don't hide their personalities, they rarely reveal their true intentions. Many Transmuters rely on techniques that give unique and unpredictable properties to their Nen that reflect their personalities.” Which I felt perfectly described some of the more underhanded and tricky nature of GLC. Also, his wit and manner of talking probably could make him come off as whimsical.

His servant rank is really high due to his fame and the power of his Izimpondo Zenyathi Noble Phantasm as well as many of the mysteries surrounding his life. Of course, he would gain a significant boost in South Africa due to that being the place in which his legends took place and just how well known he would be.

He takes Mother’s Day very seriously because of how much he loves his mom and he went mad when she died.

Both GLC and Zwide’s Berserker forms have Noble Phantasms based on the Mfecane because some people believe Shaka is responsible for the event while some say it was Zwide.

Gala is eligible for the Foreigner class because the Foreigner class is described as being those who are "swallowed by madness but then turn around and consume the madness in turn.” The idea was that Gala is able to overcome madness, even those of an outer god, since he was able to snap Shaka Zulu out of his own maddened state.

GLC loving Heracross and Pinsir are a reference to how he was named after beetles and Falinks is a reference to his use of shields in combat.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKRBoAW8_Wg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assegai#Iklwa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_people

https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/shaka-zulu

https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/shaka-zulu/

https://www.dw.com/en/shaka-zulu-founding-father-of-the-zulu-nation/a-52448409

https://www.historynet.com/shaka-zulu-chieftain.htm

https://www.windlass.com/products/zulu-iklwa-spear/

https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/shaka-zulu

http://countrystudies.us/south-africa/9.htm

https://www.livescience.com/2697-shaka-zulu-changed-world.html

https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/chief-dingiswayo

https://www.historynet.com/shaka-zulu-africas-napoleon.htm

https://www.africancraftsmarket.com/history-of-the-zulu-shield.html

https://www.ulwaziprogramme.org/telling-your-igqoka-from-your-isihlangu/

https://www.ulwaziprogramme.org/emperor-shaka-the-great/

https://www.ulwaziprogramme.org/the-zulu-shield/

https://www.ulwaziprogramme.org/kwadukuza-jewel-of-zulu-nation/

https://www.ulwaziprogramme.org/the-great-zulu-kingdom/

https://archive.org/details/annalsofsou5819721981sout/page/3/mode/1up?view=theater

https://www.ulwaziprogramme.org/celebrating-200-years-of-the-zulu-nation/

https://www.cazenoviapubliclibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/South-African-Shield-and-Assegai-Spear.pdf

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA612214.pdf

https://africaimports.com/the-history-and-meaning-of-the-zulu-shield#:~:text=Before%20battle%2C%20shields%20were%20sprinkled,sewn%20onto%20a%20wooden%20frame.&text=It%20is%20a%20battle%20shield,by%20King%20Shaka%20Zulu%20himself.

https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10413/8490/Oosthuizen_Marguerite_Poland_1996_V_1.pdf

https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/chief-dingiswayo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nsjhw

https://medium.com/the-technology-burrow/learning-from-great-leaders-shaka-zulu-a-military-genius-bc8fcda7a446

https://safarikzn.com/the-zulu-buffalo-horns/

http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/weapons/index.php/tour-by-region/oceania/africa/arms-and-armour-africa-32/index.html

https://ageofrevolutions.com/2021/01/27/born-out-of-shakas-spear-the-zulu-iklwa-and-perceptions-of-military-revolution-in-the-nineteenth-century/

https://www.news24.com/citypress/voices/our-history-the-battle-of-mhlatuze-river-20160801

https://thangami.co.za/history/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/may/22/rorycarroll.mainsection

https://www.ducksters.com/history/africa/shaka_zulu.php

https://eshowe.com/traditional-zulu-clothing/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umqhele

https://www.schoolnet.org.za/PILAfrica/en/webs/c008243f/shield.htm#:~:text=Shaka's%20own%20shield%20was%20white,his%20shield%20to%20the%20enemy

https://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_zulu.html

Grand Lancer Candidate: Shaka Zulu (Full Profile)

*Note that all information in this profile is subject to change at any time.

Class: Lancer

True Name: King Shaka Sigidi kaSenzangakhona

Nickname: Shaka Zulu, Shaka, King Shaka, Sigidi kaSenzangakhona(Birth Name), King of the Zulu, King of Zululand, Founder of Zululand, Nodumehlezi(the one who when seated causes the earth to rumble), King of Conquerors, Horned King, King of Strategy, Grand Lancer Candidate, GLC, Mad King

Characteristics

Species: Servant, Heroic Spirit, Human

Gender: Male

Height: 177.8cm or 5ft 10in

Weight: 66 kg or 146 lbs

Blood Type: Unknown

Place of Origin: KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Birthday: July 1787

Age: 41

Personal Information

Addresses self as: Watashi / Watakushi / Boku / Ore

Likes: Family, Friends, Witty banter, Politicking, Talking, Beetles, Strategizing, Marching, Comedy

Dislikes: Loved ones getting hurt, Loved ones dying, People who don’t listen, People who don’t use their head, People who let their emotions control them, The Berserker Class

Talents: Planning, Fighting, Talking, Making good arguments, Improving Tactics, Improvising, Solving Puzzles, Drawing maps/strategies in the dirt or sand

Natural Enemy: Zwide kaLanga, Gilgamesh(Archer), Shaka Zulu(Berserker), Shaka Zulu(Avenger)

Image Color: Black, White, and Red

Affiliations

Zulu Kingdom/Zululand

Family Members

Nandi(Mother)

Senzangakhona kaJama(Father)

Sigujana kaSezangakhona(Half-Brother)

Dingane(Half-Brother)

Mhlangana(Half-Brother)

Nomcoba kaSenzangakhona(Half-Sister)

Dabulamanzi kaMpande(Half-Nephew)

Various Aunts

Various Uncles

Servant Stats

Type: Heroic Spirit

Source: Historical Fact

Region: South Africa

Alignment: Chaotic Good(Chaotic Neutral when under the effects of Madness Enhancement)

Hidden Attribute: Man

Armaments: Spear and Shield

Known Summoning Catalysts: A piece of his shield, The tip of one of his spears, A vial of some mud mixed with his blood, A small rock with some of his blood on it

Qualified Servant Classes

Lancer

As a Lancer he definitely takes on a more heroic and idealized form. He considered his Lancer and Shielder forms to be the most ideal forms to take and he is greatly displeased with his Berserker and Avenger forms. He is also a Grand Lancer candidate. Interestingly his parameters drop whenever he is attacking and rise whenever he is defending or retreating.

“By the way, I AM a Grand Lancer Candidate so I think it’s fitting that I be referred to as such... Hmmm, you’re right, that is a bit long. Alright, alright, you can just call me “GLC” instead my friend. It’s even shorter than “Lancer” and it’s very helpful to use in the midst of a battle where every second matters.”

Berserker

“Why would you want to summon me in a form that can barely talk my friend!”

As a Berserker, he dual-wields his iconic spear in one hand and a club in the other. Noticeably his famous spear is covered up to the handle in blood. All the stories of the fear and violence he has caused have furthered amped up his Madness Enhancement and exaggerated his Berserker form. Blood constantly drips from tears created in his skin created by muscles too strong and big for his body to contain and one can see veins bulge and pulsate from under his skin. Shaka doesn’t think it’s a good idea to summon him as a Berserker and finds a form in which he is affected so strongly by the Madness Enhancement skill to be shameful. However, this Berserker form seems to calm down if he encounters someone who reminds him of his mother and/or Dingiswayo, or if he is sure that those he cares about are safe and alive. When summoned this form will usually immediately go on a rampage if summoned in modern day due to realizing everyone he cares about has since died. As a Berserker, he is surprisingly capable of speech but can only use it to launch jeering and scathing insults to whoever he is talking to. Even his compliments are backhanded insults. He has a Noble Phantasm that shakes and disrupts the very earth itself. Unlike his Lancer or Shielder counterparts his parameters actually rise when he is attacking and lower when he is on the defensive or retreating.

Avenger

Shaka is ashamed of his Avenger form and feels like it only highlights the flaws that led to his downfall. As an Avenger he is capable of absorbing both mental and physical pain in order to unleash it as a large-scale attack. He also inflicts a curse Noble Phantasm on anyone who killed him upon his death. When activating one of his Noble Phantasms he will say “If the world wishes to take away my mother then I will show the world pain in equal measure.” Similar to his Berserker form, veins can be seen bulging and pulsating from under his skin. Unlike his Lancer or Shielder counterparts his parameters actually rise when he is attacking and lower when he is on the defensive or retreating.

Shielder

When summoned as a Lancer or Shielder class servant he is at his most heroic and resembles the wise king he was, and potentially could have continued being. They are also what he considers to be his most comfortable forms and he takes great pride in them. One of his Noble Phantasms as a Shielder involves summoning a council of his most trusted aunts, and he has a special skill that increases the speed and agility of all his allies. Similar to his Lancer counterpart his parameters rise when defending or retreating and lower when attacking.

Parameters

Strength: C - B

Endurance: B - A

Agility: C - B

Mana: D - C

Luck: C - B

NP: A++

Interestingly, his parameters fluctuate depending on whether he is defending, dodging, and/or retreating or not. They increase when he is on the defensive or retreating and decrease when he is attacking. He uses this to his advantage by throwing his opponents off via his parameters rapidly rising and falling during a fight. This can make his effectiveness, movements, approach, and strength fluctuate wildly in a battle as he constantly switches from defense to offense. It is possible to lock his parameters in their higher or lower state through the use of a command seal for a short period of time.

His luck is increased by one rank as long as he holds his signature shield.

Class Skills

Magic Resistance: C+

Cancels spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.

The effectiveness of the skill is increased considerably while he is defending. He uses this in tandem with his fluctuating parameters to great effect. It should also be noted that his shield is capable of blocking even A-ranked magical attacks and his Magic Resistance is increased by one rank as long as he is holding it.

Personal Skills

Charisma: B++

Having a B Rank in this Skill is sufficient to lead a nation as its King/Queen. The morale of the military forces they command is extremely high. It also allows the user to negate the Emergency Prerogative skill of enemies.

In Shaka Zulu’s case, as a Lancer or Shielder, it becomes more effective when talking and planning defensive strategies or retreats.

Imperial Privilege: B+

An ability that, due to the insistence of the owner, skills that are essentially impossible to possess can be obtained for a short period of time. In cases when the Rank is А or above, even the "burden to the body" can be acquired(such as Divinity).

As someone who is considered the founder of the Zulu empire and an important figure of royalty, he has been granted Imperial Privilege. He uses the ability in order to gain access to one of any number of skills that include Protection from Arrows, Bullet Proof Treatment, Battle Continuation, Unimpeded Movement, Reduced Earth, Disengage, Valor, and even Madness Enhancement.

GLC does not have absolute control over this skill as there is a chance of his Madness Enhancement automatically being called upon via Imperial Privilege when hit by a mental attack or if his emotions overwhelm him enough. It seems to function like some sort of intentional mental or emotional self-defense

He uses Protection from Arrows and Bullet Proof Treatment to help counter projectile weapons(usually while he’s trying to rush an opponent), Battle Continuation to help survive great wounds or continue fighting/talking for a bit longer, Unimpeded Movement to help cross dangerous, hazardous or unorthodox terrain, Reduced Earth to pursue enemies or move far distances, Disengage allows him to retreat and potentially lure enemies into traps, he often takes advantage of the Valor skill to increase the effectiveness of his melee attacks in order to finish off or overwhelm close-ranged opponents, and Madness Enhancement to boost his Strength, Agility and Endurance parameters by one rank while also making his reflexes and instincts even quicker and more refined. Although, the Madness Enhancement decreases his Luck stat by one rank and he tends to only use it in desperate situations when there are no other options because he doesn’t like how it messes with his head and clouds his thoughts. He goes completely quiet when his Madness Enhancement has been activated.

Sometimes he will witness something that will cause him to get a “flash of inspiration” and unlock a new skill for his Imperial Privilege arsenal while on the fly. This can only happen if he witnesses a skill before hand and, with Imperial Privilege, he can learn or replicate it.

Unimpeded Movement is a skill that lowers the effectiveness of mobility and movement debuffs on the user. Allowing the user to continue to move as fast as possible across all types of terrain while also making it harder to slow them down.

Proof of Friendship: D+

A skill that suppresses an enemy servant's fighting spirit to a certain extent, where then a dialogue can begin. However, the enemy servant must not possess the Mental Pollution skill. In regard to a Holy Grail War, an advantageous check can be obtained when constructing temporary alliances.

He is someone who prefers diplomacy when possible but is not afraid to use threats or blackmail. This skill gains a boost if his dialogue or actions strike fear into the enemy.

Mana Defense: B--

Is a Skill of the same type as Mana Burst, where the user transforms magical energy into a defensive ability.

In Shaka’s case, it is extremely mana intensive. This means he needs a lot of magical energy to use it properly. Thus, he usually ends up barely using it unless he has enough energy or absolutely needs to. However, at its strongest, it can allow him to protect an entire army. The skill is much more stable in his Shielder form.

Military Tactics: B++

It’s a skill for tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. Bonus modifiers are provided during the use of one's own Anti-Army Noble Phantasm or when dealing with an enemy Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.

He gained this skill from the many victories he led his troops to. In the case of his Lancer form, the skill receives a significant boost when taking defensive formations or retreating. However, if he was summoned as a Berserker the opposite would be true.

Strategy: A

Is the ability to seize things in the broader perspective, such as diplomacy and logistics in order to decide victory before the fighting even begins.

Whether inventing new tactics, improving old ones, or engaging in diplomacy and logistics, Shaka's prowess for planning and strategy, for better or worse, cannot be denied. He often uses this skill along with his Proof of Friendship skill when talking in order to try to help persuade targets.

Mind’s Eye(True): B+

Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deducing an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament.

Of course, someone with so many combat strategies and tricks up their sleeves has at least a couple of ways to get out of a hairy situation. Its effectiveness increases when he is defending or when he is traversing across the terrain in order to retreat or reach a target.

Shaka has a habit of saying the name of the skill he is actively using out loud when able. He claims it helps strike fear into his enemies while also hyping up both him, his troops, and anybody who may be watching. He does not do this for passive skills or skills that are always active at all times.

“HAHAHA!! I suppose they kind of do sound like cool special moves now don’t they? I mean when you think about it servants always run around yelling the names of their Noble Phantasms too so how is this any different?”

Noble Phantasms

Isihlangu: Brush My Enemies Aside- C+(Anti-Unit), Maximum Number of targets 1-5

King Shaka’s famous shield of choice, and one that was heavily incorporated into his battle strategies and the combat styles of both himself and his armies. In appearance, it is a massive cowhide shield that stands around 1.5 meters(or 5 feet) tall. It was to be held in the left hand and the king would have his warriors use it offensively by hooking the opponent’s shield and pulling it to the side in order to create an opening in the enemy’s defenses during hand-to-hand or close combat engagements. It was also capable of deflecting the spears and arrows of their enemies and, as such, it is a Noble Phantasm that gains a bonus when defending against projectiles and spears. It can also be used to temporarily disarm enemy servants of any weapons that make contact with the shield. Any weapon or equipment that has a lower rank than that of Isihlangu will be sealed for 1 minute if they are disarmed this way. The shield also has a Magic Resistance equivalent to that of A-Rank and it raises Shaka’s luck by one rank as long as he is holding it.

By releasing the Noble Phantasm’s True Name he is capable of exaggerating the concept of hooking an opponent's shield to create a concussive blast that stuns any opponent caught in its range, allowing him to score in a free hit or two. The limitation is that some part of the target has to make physical contact with the shield. Any projectiles or spears that are a lower rank than Isihlangu will be reflected when hit by this and any projectile with a rank higher than Isihlangu will have their rank dropped by one during the duration of the assault along with suffering a decrease in their damage output and effectiveness.

The shield does have a limit to what it can block though. As anything with a high enough rank can pierce through its defenses. Shaka is capable of using the shield in combination with Protection from Arrows or Bulletproof Treatment in order to slow down even legendary projectiles such as Gae Bolg to a point where he can catch them or at least survive one hit from them.

“FWHAHA!!! It’s as people these days say. A good defense is the best offense, ISIHLANGU!!!”

“Let me show you why you shouldn’t go around throwing weapons so carelessly my friend, ISIHLANGU!!!”

“Oi, Looks like you stepped a liiiiitle too close my friend, ISIHLANGU!!!”

“Hiding behind weapons and shields isn’t going to save you, ISIHLANGU!!!”

“Did you really think you could hit me with such an unwieldy weapon? ISIHLANGU!!!”

Ikwa: The Sound of Flowing Bloodshed- C+(Anti-Unit), Maximum Number of targets- 1

King Shaka revolutionized combat by ditching the throwing spears that were commonly used at the time for the Ikwa/Iklwa, a short 3ft iron-tipped spear made for close-quarters combat. He had his soldiers use these weapons and forbade them from throwing them, as there was a high likelihood an enemy could just pick them up and use them against the previous wielder and or their allies if the spears missed or were blocked.

As a Noble Phantasm, it is meant for close quarters combat and by releasing its True Name anyone stabbed by the spear will be inflicted with a curse that causes constant bleeding and a “mana leak” once the spear is pulled out of their body. As the spear is being pulled out it creates an audible sound and a brief but violent spray of blood and magical energy. This is all to say that when the spear is pulled out of an opponent their blood will not clot and both blood and precious magical energy continue to leak out of the wound until the inflicted either die from blood loss for as long as the spear’s True Name is released. This means that the curse will stop once Shaka deactivates the true name or when he dies. Wounds inflicted by the Noble Phantasm can be healed by magecraft or magic but even if the wound is instantly healed the victim suffers from losing a large amount of blood and magical energy.

While the True Name is released the spear emits a blood-red mist that smells metallic, and releasing the True Name while the spear is impaled within a living thing or is being pulled out of it will still inflict the target with its full effects. This allows Shaka to throw opponents off during combat by activating the Noble Phantasm later than expected. If the target has no blood only mana will leak from their wound.

“Oi, Looks like you stepped a liiiiitle too close my friend, IKWA!!!”

“Don’t worry my friend, this will only tear you to shreds, IKWA!!!”

“You shouldn’t have turned your back towards me, IKWA!!!”

Izimpondo Zenyathi: An Army That’s as Deadly as a Buffalo’s Horns- A++(Anti-Army), Maximum Number of Targets- 1000

In the same way that Iskandar’s Ionioi Hetairoi can be described as the actualization of Iskandar's commanding abilities and his kingship, this Noble Phantasm can be described as an actualization of Shaka’s battle prowess and revolutionary war tactics into a Reality Marble. The Noble Phantasm recreates Shaka’s famous “Buffalo Horns” formation. A strategy that split soldiers into three categories. The “horns”(made up of younger troops meant to encircle and pin enemies), the “chest”(made up of the best and strongest fighters to act as the main force), and the “loins”(acting reserves/backup that were made up of older and more experienced fighters). The loins would sometimes have their backs facing the battle until it was their turn for combat in order to ensure that they wouldn’t get too nervous and charge into battle too early or run away.

The activation of the Noble Phantasm is a bit literal. Shaka takes a spear or club and when he declares the true name of this Noble Phantasm two massive horns erupt from either side of the weapon’s head while the tip elongates into a sharp point. Once all three of these points hit something the Reality Marble will activate. Ideally, these “horns” and spearhead strike an enemy in order to deal extra damage or catch a target off guard, but it can be used on things like objects or the environment in order to activate the Noble Phantasm without having to get too up close and personal with the opponent. The Noble Phantasm is based around Shaka Zulu’s own deeds and exploits so it isn’t tied to a specific spear or club. What matters is that Shaka Zulu is the one wielding said weapon.

The space within the Reality Marble is that of a large sprawling and completely flat plains/savannah with the sole exception of a tall plateau Shaka is positioned on so that he may give orders to his troops and oversee the battle, but he is capable of leaving the plateau at any time in order to join the battle if necessary. In the Reality Marble, his voice echoes all throughout it and his Charisma skill is increased by one rank. All troops have troops have an E-ranked independent action while in the Reality marble

The troops within the Reality Marble have different qualities depending on what part of the formation they are a part of. The horns(which are summoned on either side of the opponent) are made up of the youngest troops and they have an E Rank in all their stats with the exception of their speed stat, which is D Rank. Some soldiers in the horns wield Iklwa spears while others wield weapons such as clubs. They all wield shields that are black in color.

The troops that make up the chest tend to be the strongest and/or most talented warriors. They have E Rank parameters across the board but make up for this by having access to an E-Ranked version of Shaka’s Iklwa and Isihlangu Noble Phantasms.

The final group of soldiers is the one that makes up the loins of this formation. They are reserve veteran soldiers. Within his Noble Phantasm, they start with their backs facing the enemy and they all have a low ranking Madness Enhancement that makes them more aggressive and gives them a D-rank in their Strength, Endurance, and Agility. While within the Reality Marble all his troops gain a low ranking Independent Action.

The Reality Marble has some interesting attributes. First of all, anybody within it can simply walk out of it if they manage to reach the marble’s borders, but doing so will cause all their parameters to temporarily drop by one rank. The marble is also in a constant state of shrinking, and the border is guarded by soldiers in a defensive formation who move with the ever-encroaching border and attack any enemy that gets too close to them. If one found themselves caught at the point in which the Reality Marble completely shrinks into a single point they will become impaled and beaten with a countless number of spears, shields, and clubs and will have all their parameters drop by one rank. Their parameters will remain lowered until Shaka dies.

Both the shrinking aspect of the Noble Phantasm and the ability to simply walk out of it is a representation of the documentation and legends of the many people who went through great lengths to flee from and avoid his encroaching armies and conquests.

He can summon his soldiers outside the Reality Marble but he cannot summon more than four at a time(one from each section of his formation), and they lack Independent Action so they have a high amount of mana consumption. This usually limits him to only one or two at a time. He is capable of summoning them very quickly and utilizing them for sudden maneuvers, defenses, and attacks. They can only be summoned within arms reach of him however outside of the Reality Marble. Similar to Iskandar’s Ionioi Hetairoi, all the spirits from Izimpondo Zenyathi are masterless servants.

If Shaka ever found himself in South Africa during a Holy Grail War his Izimpondo Zenyathi would be elevated to EX-rank and it could easily go toe to toe with Iskandar’s Ionioi Hetairoi.

Despite the rank of this Noble Phantasm, it is completely outclassed by Noble Phantasms such as Excalibur, Sword of Promised Victory.

“YOU MESS WITH SHAKA ZULU YOU GET THE HORNS, IZIMPONDO ZENYATHI!!!”

“FWAHAHAHA, MY ARMY WILL PIERCE YOU WITH THE FORCE OF 100 HORNS, IZIMPONDO ZENYATHI!!!”

“FWAHAHAHA, RUN IF YOU CAN, IZIMPONDO ZENYATHI!!!”

“FWAHAHAHA, RUN ALL YOU WANT, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER, IZIMPONDO ZENYATHI!!!”

“LET ME SHOW YOU THE STRATEGY OF A GENIUS, IZIMPONDO ZENYATHI!!!”

“LET’S SEE YOU TRY TO ESCAPE THIS, IZIMPONDO ZENYATHI!!!”

“IT’S TOO LATE FOR YOU TO RUN NOW, IZIMPONDO ZENYATHI!!!”

“THIS IS GOING TO BE MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN ANY HORNED BEAST YOU’VE EVER SEEN, IZIMPONDO ZENYATHI, FWAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Misc

He wears the clothes of a Zulu warrior and has very tough feet. His kicks can be very devastating because of their toughness and the infamous stories in regard to his training.

He almost always walks around barefoot. On the rare occasions in which he does wear shoes his agility parameter drops by 2 ranks.

He incorporates a lot of talking and diplomacy into his fighting style and will constantly try to distract or tide the opponent over with conversations and insults while fighting.

He can recognize virtually any kind of beetle species based on sight alone, whether they be normal animals or magical creatures. He is also very knowledgeable about beetle anatomy.

Background

Shaka was the illegitimate son of Zulu chief Senzangakhona, someone that ruled over a very small chiefdom. Due to bearing a child from a forbidden relationship, Shaka’s mother(Nandi) lied for as long as possible in order to avoid being caught having a child outside of a proper relationship. She claimed that her supposedly pregnant appearance was actually an intestinal condition caused by an Ishaka beetle. Senzangakhona attempted to deny any connection to the illegitimate pregnancy and his involvement with Nandi but he eventually pitied them enough to make Nandi his third wife. Shaka was born in the lunar month of uNtulikazi(sometime in July) in the year 1787 near the present-day Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal Province, and at the time the Zulu kingdom was still but a small chiefdom. The marriage between chief Senzangakhona and Nandi would not last, forcing her and her son to seek sanctuary in other places. Thus, Shaka spent a lot of his childhood in his mother’s settlements. Proud of his heritage he would tell other kids about his relation to a famous chief by the name of Senzangakhona. However, very few of the other kids believed him and he was often bullied because of these seemingly outlandish claims.

Eventually, Shaka and Nandi would be taken in by one of Nandi’s aunts and would live with the Mthethwa people. He grew up in proximity to a man named Dingiswayo who welcomed with open arms and treated him with great kindness. As he continued to grow it became clear that he had the makings to become a powerful, skilled, and courageous warrior. These attributes inevitably caught Dingiswayo’s eye while Shaka fought within an impi(a type of army) under the command of Dingiswayo. Dingiswayo was greatly impressed by Shaka’s prowess and elevated Shaka’s rank at an early age, making Shaka a commander of his own regiment at some point. These great feats and skills in combat would lead to the creation of one of Shaka’s more famous nicknames, Nodumehlezi(the one who when seated causes the earth to rumble). While within the Mthethwa army, Shaka became increasingly enamored with strategy, battle tactics, and problem-solving. Dingiswayo continued to teach Shaka and help him grow, allowing him to gain even more accomplishments in battle. While under the command of Dingiswayo he found that taking off his sandals and fighting barefoot helped him maneuver better when in battle. He decided to walk around barefoot in order to toughen his feet, something that he would later make his own soldiers do.

Shaka’s father, Senzangakhona, died in 1816, and Sigujana(Shaka’s half-brother) took the throne as the legitimate heir to the Zulu chiefdom. Shortly after this Dingiswayo grew anxious and, in a move to make sure he kept his political authority secure, lent Shaka a regiment so that he would be able to defeat Sigujana and ascend to the throne. This led to a relatively bloodless coup that led to Shaka becoming chief of the Zulu clan. Although, even with his new title and power he remained a vassal of the Mthethwa empire out of loyalty to the dear friend and mentor that was Dingiswayo. As Shaka’s political power continued to grow he was able to spread his thoughts and ideals with ease while continuing to expand his territory through a combined method of attacking quickly and overwhelming foes with military might and utilizing a surprising amount of diplomacy, patronage, and politics. He found a way to get chieftains, such as Zihlandlo of the Mkhize, Jobe of the Sithole, Mathubane of the Thuli, and others, to join him without having to conquer them in battle. He also revolutionized combat by having his soldiers use the Iklwa and focusing more on close-quarters combat along with the creation of his famous “Buffalo horns” formation.

Disaster eventually struck when, a year later, Dingiswayo was caught off guard by an attack led by Zwide kaLanga, the powerful chief of the Ndwandwe nation, and was subsequently defeated and beheaded. Enemies, and later white settlers, attempted to tarnish Shaka’s public image by spreading rumors and propaganda that he had purposefully let Dingiswayo die by withholding reinforcements or even outright betraying him. However, Shaka was filled with an indescribable rage at the death of what he considered to be not just an amazing teacher but also like family. He vowed to get revenge on Zwide through almost any means necessary.

Dingiswayo’s defeat caused the Mthethwa forces to become scattered and led to the creation of a power vacuum due to the empire that he once led collapsing. A vacuum that Shaka readily filled before using the power he gained from it to reform and gather the remnants of the Mthethwa along with other regional tribes he conquered or allied with in order to create a force to defeat Zwide. During their first clash Zwide barely managed to escape and Shaka came across Zwide’s mother, Ntombazi, who was also a sangoma(a type of healer). As he attempted to use her to find about Zwide’s whereabouts or as bait to get Zwide to return and fight him he came across a strange number of skulls collected by Ntombazi and, upon recognizing one of the skulls as that of Dingiswayo’s, Shaka flew into a rage and decided to get some amount of vindication on Zwide by trapping Ntombazi in her own house and placing wild animals inside it to devour her. After her death, he burned the house down along with her collection of skulls.

Zwide eventually knew that he would have to defeat his biggest rival and threat if he wished to have any chance at both surviving the conflict and allowing his kingdom to flourish successfully so he launched an attack on the Zulu Empire. Shaka would eventually defeat Zwide’s forces by having his own troops feign a retreat in order to lead Zwide’s army into a trap deep within Zulu territory before striking and defeating his forces at the cost of sustaining heavy casualties. One such death was that of the current head military commander at the time Umgobhozi Ovela Entabeni. Zwide managed to barely escape once again and ran from the encroaching Zulu. In another attempt to draw Zwide back to fight him, Shaka tried to wipe out as much of what Zwide cared about as possible. Threatening to destroy everything Zwide cared about. His anger would eventually subside somewhat with time and he would begin to feel that he had achieved justice for his dear friend Dingiswayo. Although, he felt that Zwide being forced to spend the rest of his life running from Shaka was a fitting enough punishment. Eventually, Zwide would die from mysterious circumstances sometime in 1825. Part of the main Ndwandwe forces fled and he eventually encountered these forces and managed to get the majority of them to yield and join him. He continued to train the soldiers he recruited in his methods of combat.

His reign lasted ten more years after he had defeated the Ndwandwe. During which he continued to expand his territory. He offered chiefdoms he encountered the choice of submitting and allying with him or potentially being conquered by force if they were not forced to flee from an assault by Shaka. He left local administrations in the hands of the reigning chiefs or members of the traditional ruling family that he had appointed. He would also allow soldiers who no longer served in the army to return to their original community, so the identity of each individual community was not completely lost due to conformity within Shaka’s empire. Each settlement of his contained a section of royal women that were usually headed by the most formidable of women. These women would typically be one of Shaka’s many aunts. This, along with him not wanting to produce a legitimate heir, led to his households being dominated by stern older women of the royal family. Whenever he was absent both a female ruler of the settlement and an induna(an advisor, commander, and/or mediator) would wield administrative authority together.

Despite some of his more militaristic methods, Shaka ultimately preferred diplomacy over fighting and would try to talk things out whenever possible. He would almost always give opposing tribes a chance to join him without any conflict but if they refused he would often conquer and/or destroy them with unyielding force.

In 1824 the first white traders arrived at Port Natal, and at this point Shaka was in control of a wide-spanning monarchy. Upon meeting them he sent a goodwill delegation, engaged in diplomacy, and was extremely curious about the technology, and machinery of these visitors. He would go out of his way to view and analyze the various demonstrations of European technology and knowledge. One of these many demonstrations included the showing off of a weapon called the gun. However, after analyzing it, disassembling it, and reassembling it he came to the conclusion that the technology was not yet refined enough and it took too long to fire and reload in the combat of that age. He stated that his forces could beat opponents wielding those rudimentary guns by using the proper tactics and rushing them fast enough with a large enough number of men. It is important to remember that Shaka had a point as these were really early guns and not modern guns that could be fired much more quickly and more accurately. He continued to be interested in the culture of the visitors and the possible benefits he could gain via trade and diplomacy with them and Europe. Shaka would eventually give them land and permitted them to build a settlement at Port Natal, but he remained vigilant and wary of their ulterior motives. He wanted to be closer and more accessible to his potential allies or foes at Port Natal while also keeping a close eye on them so he decided to build a military barrack at Dukuza. He did not want to fight them unless he absolutely had to so he treated them very nicely and did what he could to prevent any conflicts from being encouraged between the visitors and his people.

Sometime in October 1827 his mother, Nandi, died. This filled him with emotion and the fact that it reminded him of his feeling of helplessness when Dingiswayo was killed only exacerbated these emotions and clouded his judgment, causing his behavior to become erratic and increasingly violent. He started forcing his entire kingdom to mourn his mother’s death and if he caught anyone showing insufficient grief he would put them to death. He also went as far as to have the mothers of calves killed so that both the calves and the people who witnessed it could know the pain he felt. In a bought of madness, he even went as far as to order that no crops be planted, no milk be used, any woman that became pregnant during this time would be executed alongside her husband and he pushed his military far beyond what was normal in increasingly violent military campaigns. Some rumors say that this was another one of his cunning plans in order to kill political opponents or to get back at those who bullied him in his childhood. However, it was still clear that he was lashing out even at people who didn’t harm him and that he was not in his right mind. A Zulu man by the name of Gala eventually had enough of this madness and during a meeting stood up and objected to Shaka’s outlandish measures. Saying “Nandi was not the first person to die in Zululand!!!” as he berated him. Shaka was at a loss for words but after having some time to think and being reminded of both his younger self and purpose by Gala’s outburst he called off his self-destructive orders and rewarded Gala with cattle.

However, he acted too slowly and his mistakes were beyond the point of being overlooked or forgiven by most of the people within his kingdom. He had no way of bringing back the people he had killed or making it up to the people he had hurt. In 1828, while Shaka’s forces were absent and he lacked guards around the area he was assassinated by his half-brothers Dingane and Mhlangana. They had received support from some other chiefdoms who had all become dissatisfied and horrified by Shaka’s previous actions and, while an iNduna by the name of Mbopa created a distraction, they attacked him. As the king bled out he gave Dingane two warnings. The first thing Shaka said was “Brother are you stabbing me, kings of the earth thinking you will rule? The swallows will do that!!!” as a warning to Dingane and his people about the European colonizers and their malicious intentions and his final words were “You will come to an end through killing one another.” A warning that would ring true when Dingane took the throne and attempted to remove those who were loyal to Shaka before getting involved in a civil war and getting overthrown after 12 years of ruling by his other half-brother. After the assassination, Mbopa, Dingane, and Mhlangana quickly buried Shaka’s body in an empty grain pit and covered it with rocks and mud.

Whether lionized or demonized, whether loved or feared, it is undeniable that he changed the course of history and his combat prowess and strategy were top-tier as well as his immense foresight and long term planning abilities. The ambiguity and contradicting details of his story as someone who ends up embodying aspects of hope and genius as well as violence and fear add to his level of mystery. The stories of him being a great and noble hero and a brutal tyrant mix together to create a servant that, as a Lance or Shielder, is the ideal ally and worst enemy on the battlefield. However, as a Berserker or Avenger he is a danger to almost everyone around him and is prone to self-destructive behaviors.

Appearance

He is a noticeably muscular, man who stands at a height of 175cm or 5ft 10in. He has dark skin and a square chiseled jawline. He has a pointy nose and his hair looks like a spiky afro with parts of it being red in coloration along with red pointed sideburns. He has sharp teeth, which he apparently sharpened himself. His feet are covered with scars and he has a scar on his back and chest, both of which correspond to the location of his heart and where he was stabbed during his assassination by Dingane and Mhlangana.

Personality

Surprisingly, despite some of his reputation Shaka is a servant that prizes talking and diplomacy more than combat. It is not uncommon for him to attempt to try to persuade or antagonize the opponent while utilizing defensive battle tactics along with counter-attacks and disarming techniques. He is also not above using jabs, insults, or more underhanded tactics to win a fight. He is also not afraid of running away from a battle, using aspects of the environment to his advantage, or feigning retreat. This gives his fighting style a really odd and hard to predict feel. It is usually quite difficult to tell if he is actually losing, winning, or bluffing in any given fight.

Part of the reason he tries so hard to avoid fighting if possible is because anyone could be a potential ally in the future. Plus, once he starts fighting within a certain range of his full strength he often gets caught up in the battle, excitement, and adrenaline to the point where it is hard for him to stop until the fight is over.

He hates seeing his loved ones in pain and if they are killed by someone he flies into a rage and will enact merciless vengeance on the assailant. It’s one of the few times where he won’t even attempt to talk to his opponent first, he will simply strike silently and swiftly while utilizing the Madness Enhancement skill. He considers this aspect of his personality to be somewhat embarrassing and does his best to keep his emotions in check and prevent himself from ever regressing into a previous and more violent state. He cherishes every moment with his friends and family and tries not to leave their side if he can help it. “You should appreciate your loved one with all your heart because you never know when the world will choose to snatch them away from you my friend. I have very few friends and a lot of enemies too…”

At times he can give the illusion of an extremely weak clairvoyance due to his prediction and strategy skills. However, at the end of the day he is still a man, or I suppose a spirit, now and he cannot account for every possibility and is capable of making mistakes or miscalculations. Not to mention that he cannot make accurate guesses if he lacks information.

He tends to be very blunt with his predictions which can unintentionally make him come off as menacing or rude.

He feels immense regret over the killing of innocent civilians in a kingdom that was supposed to protect them. His own kingdom and by his own hands at that. In order to try to atone for it, he promised himself that as long as he’s a servant he refuses to kill humans and tries to save as many humans as possible. He is currently aiming for 7,000, and he likes to keep a mental note of every person he saves. Although, saving the same person over and over, even in different situations, does not count. It should be noted that this does not apply to nonhuman entities and things that are already dead, like vampires, zombies and spirits. This means he is fine with killing other servants as they are already dead and are spirits that are no longer humans.

Interactions

Leonidas- They have an obvious and immediate similarity due to the fact that they are both Lancers with notable shields. Some have also compared Shaka’s shield-based tactics to that of the famous Roman phalanx formation. They get along great and can often be seen discussing military tactics and training together.

“I wonder if we are distant relatives or something my friend. BWAHAHA!!!”

“OI!!! Wanna see who’s shield is stronger.”

“I wonder who’s spear has felled more opponents…”

“BWAHAHAHA, my friend, I bet if we put our heads together we can come up with a defensive formation no one could penetrate.”

“ALL THIS EXERCISE AND TRAINING IS HYPING ME UP, WE’LL DO 100 NO 2000 PUSH-UPS!!!”

Napoleon- “It’s not every day you get to talk with a fellow tactical genius.. Well I guess when you’re at Chaldea it is every day. BWAHAHAHA!!! Although… that cannon seems unwieldy my friend…”

Gaius Julius Caesar- He greatly respects Caesar.

“W-what words WHAT ELOQUENCE MY FRIEND!!! Your speeches, your words, nay every letter you speak is done so tactfully. Have I found my equal on the battlefield of words and wit? Julius Caesar does not disappoint!!!! I must take notes.”

“Hey, do you think you could give me some pointers on this speech I’ve been working on? I’m trying to make sure it sounds less… brutal?”

Shakespear- “Bwahaha, my friend, you’re truly someone who knows how to wield words… Just… do me a favor and don’t make me another tragedy for one of those stories of you ok? I’ve already created enough of those.

“That First Folio of yours is quite scary…”

Da Vinci- He considers himself just as much of a genius as Da Vinci so he has begun learning how to paint in order to prove his point. Although, Da Vinci has been studying his battle tactics, formations, and how to use a spear and shield in order to prove that her genius is unparalleled.

Kama- “Yeah sorry, I’ve never really been interested in bearing an heir or any of that. . .”

Oda Nobunaga(Archer)- He sees her as his equal in terms of tactics, innovation, and strategy.

“I’ve never seen someone wield that many guns so masterfully. It almost makes me scared of them… almost.”

Ryoma Sakamoto(Rider)- “I can see you are someone who cherishes their loved ones with all your heart...”

Okada Izou- “I may not wield swords but even I can tell you’re an unparalleled genius, my friend. Hey, this isn’t going to your head is it? And what do you mean you’re not my friend?”

Emiya, Gilgamesh(Archer), and Kid Gil- “HONESTLY, I can’t understand why you guys are so nonchalant about throwing your weapons around like that. Aren’t you ever worried that they will fall into enemy hands or something?”

Emiya-” Hrmmmmmmm, that Rho Aias reminds me a bit of my own shield. You see some of the similarities too right my friend?”

Gilgamesh(Caster)- He enjoys being around him as he feels he helps push him to becoming closer to an ideal king.

“If there is hope for him to be the wise king everyone needed then maybe there’s still hope for me… “

Jack the Ripper(Assassin) and Abigail Williams- “Ah, even kids can be quite cruel I suppose…”

Lancelot(Berserker)- “And THIS is why you should be careful about throwing your weapons around my friends!!!”

Elizabeth Bathory(Lancer)- “Make sure you keep a clear mind and don’t let your emotions and desires get out of control… or else you might end up like that vampire lady.”

Carmilla(Assassin)- He feels uncomfortable around her because in a way she reminds him of all his shortcomings and the madness that overcame him.

“Man, and I thought I was bad…”

Hector(Lancer)- “Our fighting styles are quite similar at a glance aren’t they?”

“Talking to you feels like I’m speaking to a treasured friend and fellow warrior.”

“I appreciate that there’s someone here who knows when to fight and when to run. A dead hero isn’t helpful for anyone.”

“Your fighting style is a lot like mine… have you ever considered using big shields into your fighting style more often.”

Chiron- “Great teachers like you always remind me of Dingiswayo…”

Jason- “It’s great that you understand your strengths and weaknesses and avoid combat but you shouldn’t throw your men under the bus like that my friend.”

“Your eye for recognizing and bringing out the true potential of heroes reminds me a bit of Dingiswayo my friend. Although, he wasn’t quite so scared to say the least...”

Hans Christian Anderson- “Heh, I appreciate your brutal honesty my little friend. Actually, you remind me a lot of Gala. Hmmmmmmm, YES!!! Someone like you can guide me to becoming a truly wise king. You wouldn’t happen to be free to be my new royal advisor perchance would you? Don’t worry too much, it’s only until I can get Gala back.”

Lanling Wang and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne- “Jeez… I never thought I would live to see anyone who’s beauty could rival that of Magaye’s…”

Queztoquaotle, Yasuke, and Damarchus- “I know some wrestling techniques myself y’know. If you ever want to train or get some pointers feel free to contact me my friend.”

Gilgamesh(Archer)- “I just can’t stand a king who throws away all their subjects like that… Yes, yes I know how hypocritical it is for me of all people to say that but trust me when I say it never ends well. A king can never stand on their own no matter how powerful they think they are.”

Christopher Columbus- “Ah, you’re another one of those swallows I see.”

Iskandar and Genghis Khan- Well, well, well. It’s nice to finally meet a fellow King of Conquerors around here. BWAHAHAHA!!! Hm? No, I’m not eligible for the Rider Class… HEY!!! BEING A RIDER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT TITLE!!!”

Hang Tuah- “BWAHAHA, As a fellow professional talker myself I can tell you also have a good grasp of understanding what people want to hear. We should have a chat sometime.”

“I suppose your smooth-talking only shows how good you are with your speech… well most of the time anyway.”

“I know this is a lot to ask of you but if I ever start slipping… y’know becoming “tyrannical” and all that… well… you know what to do...”

Hang Jebat- “Hm? You wanna see my horns… I see… I think there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding my friend…”

Connla- “If you have no spear of your own I can always craft you one. A good Iklwa does wonders for combat. Oh? You just copied mine… You’re just full of surprises aren’t you...”

Gilgamesh(Archer), Emiya(Archer), and Connla- “Pray I don’t ever catch you throwing around an Ikwa like that..”

Julie d’Aubigny- “FINALLY, a fellow servant who understands that words can be as sharp as any blade. Although, you are a better singer than I could ever be my friend BWAHAHA.”

Ever since they met they are constantly trying to see who is the best talker by bluffing and slinging insults whenever they meet. It has become a sort of game in which they attempt to see who is the first to falter, crack, or be at a loss for words. Julie’s charisma and aptitude as a star will occasionally attract the audiences of many Chaldea staff and servants to their banter-based duels. Currently, they are tied.

Laplace’s Demon and Maxwell's Demon- “No, no, no. Don’t give me any hints about your paradox. I want to try to exercise my mind by solving it myself.”

Nameless Soldier(Assassin)- “I’m pretty good at bringing out the full potential of soldiers and armies my friend. If you stick with me I guarantee we will keep losing to a minimum.”

“Even a genius like me is nothing on their own. Even the strongest, fastest, and smartest need a good army, and you’re like an army all rolled up into one neat package. Don’t worry I’ll be sure to give you plenty of breaks.”

“So like, do you y’know… remember me? You’re made up of a bunch of nameless soldiers from all throughout history. Which would statistically include at least one person who was under my command… I just wanted to say I’m sorry if that’s the case. I won’t fail you this time my friend”

“Make sure you’re getting proper rest. Rest is just as important as working. It helps keep your mind clear, sharp, and efficient my friend.”

“Man guns are a lot more compact, efficient, and quick these days… Maybe they’ve reached a point where I can incorporate them into my battle tactics.”

Dingane and Mhlangana(Assassin)- “While I agree that I had that coming, I hope you can understand why I’m uncomfortable being within arms reach of you guys.”

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not going to make the same mistake as last time I swear it on my life…”

Hang Tuah- https://docs.google.com/document/d/12mjNkmjnhIIeLgGRvSlVVLhRQqWd4cbEDygfQHSLPCg/edit

Connla- https://twitter.com/mochio_bonio/status/1425858835730685957?s=20, https://twitter.com/mochio_bonio/status/1419297258512601089?s=21

Julie d’Aubigny-https://twitter.com/Omegazplayer/status/1416650069206573057?s=20

Damarchus- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jArzQOnAWnvSv8MRelYSl1x5DZj-gUndaBmPtO74icw/edit

Nameless Soldier- https://twitter.com/Omegazplayer/status/1416632770059714560?s=20

Yasuke- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M7V-XS0S_hePGtpLHY3abI-rU8_ek889uqcYnq0cvb0/edit

Dialogue examples

“Lancer is fine but I would prefer it if you called me Grand Lancer Candidate, or GLC for short.”

“Don’t worry my friend. Our enemies lost the moment I arrived.”

“The next thing you will say is…”

“BOOM SHAKA LAKA!!!! BWAHAHAHA, I’ve always wanted a chance to say that!”

“HA!!! You lost this fight the moment you opened your mouth!”

“Even for a genius like me, that’s a bit difficult…”

“This will not be a battle of muscle but a battle of words.”

“Hm? I talk a lot for a conqueror you say? (tsk) My friend, fighting should not be taken lightly. In the field of combat people can’t afford to hesitate to kill and there’s always a chance you or people you need and care about will die. When I was younger I reveled in fighting and combat and as a genius I eventually realized that whoever was left standing is the one who got the final say in the end and that means that when you fully commit to fighting you cannot hold back. Plus, an endless trail of fighting and combat isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do now is it? You also never know when you may make a powerful ally too, so it’s important you don’t go burning down bridges unless you have to.”

“I consider politics as important as any fight. When you talk you can fight for what you believe in and what you think is right. Just like any other brawl or war.”

“Dingiswayo? He was like a father to me of course… He never failed me or let me down but in the end I couldn’t save him… If only I had acted quicker… If only that damn Zwide could have just… Sorry, I got off track there… ”

“See here’s the things. This may be a Holy Grail War but I don’t see why we can’t all work together to get something we both want my friend. So how about this…”

“I’m clearly leagues above you in power and I could kill you right now buuuuut if you’re willing to ally yourself with me and my master I’ll let you live. That’s a pretty good deal right?!”

“Who knows, maybe we’ll even make a new friend or two during all of this.”

“Oi!!! If you touch even a hair on my friend’s head… I’ll kill you!! …BWAHA!!! Sorry about that sometimes I get a little caught up in my emotions when it comes to my friends and family. But seriously, don’t try anything.”

“There are more ways to help someone than just fighting.”

“My friend, my spear isn’t my strongest Noble Phantasm nor is it my shield. So let me ask you this. Do you know why Izimpondo Zenyathi in particular is my strongest Noble Phantasm? It’s because even a prodigy like me can’t do everything alone. Soldiers, friends, family… people like my mom, Dingiswayo, Umgobhozi, Mzilikazi, and everyone else. I couldn’t have done it without them. No matter how powerful you are you are nothing without allies.”

“We talk first and fight later ok?”

“Oi, less fighting, more talking!!!”

“I’ll have you know I’m eligible for TWO, that’s right TWO, grand classes my friend. Lancer and… I would prefer not to talk about that second one too much. (Sigh)Man, why couldn’t Grand Shielder be a thing?”

“Okay, I’m feeling nice so I’ll give you ten… no… thirty minutes to run as far as you can my friend.”

“KwaBulawayo? I’ll be honest I was just trying to sound intimidating… maybe it worked a bit too well… Dukuza had a much better balance between intimidation and cool factor.”

“People I admire? There are too many to count!!! Well, I guess my top two would be Dingiswayo and my mother. Dingiswayo was like a father to me and one of the greatest teachers one could ask for. My mother was as strong as any warrior in spirit and never gave up on me and herself.”

“My plan? I never said I had any sort of plan. What’s with that face? It worked didn’t it? Sometimes one has to think on their feet my friend. Even I cannot predict everything that’s going to happen.”

“I figured valentines day was a great time to show the love I have for all my allies, so I;m handing out these chocolates as a sign of good will to all of my allies and friends. Shaped like the mightiest of beetles of course.”

“Don’t worry my friends, GLC HAS ARRIVED!!!”

“You didn’t think that would be enough to kill me, my friend? BATTLE CONTINUATION!!!”

“MANA DEFENSE!!!”

“MIND’S EYE!!!”

“RUN AWAAAAAAAAAY!!!”

“RETREEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!”

“BWAHAHA!!! You would really doubt the power of a servant who is eligible for not just one but TWO grand classes my friend.”

“I’M NOT A BERSERKER, I’M A LANCER, L-A-N-C-E-R NOT A BERSERKER, AND A GRAND LANCER CANDIDATE AT THAT MY FRIEND!!! DO YOU THINK I COULD BE HAVING THIS VERY CONVERSATION IF I WAS A BERSERKER!!!”

“BWAHAHA!!! Don’t worry, the irony of the situation is not lost on me my friend.”

“Sharp spear and an even sharper tongue.”

“Oh c’mon, you don’t think I was really THAT ugly do you? Magaye was just so beautiful that he made everyone who stood next to him look ugly in comparison. So I wouldn’t consider him a good metric for looks. Do you understand what I mean my friend?”

“I’m sorry.. I just can’t forgive you for what you did.”

“I’LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID 3 NO 100 FOLD!!!!”

“If I had known what those shady Nathaniel Isaacs and Henry Fynn were going to do to my image for the sake of that slave trade I would have killed them on the spot…”

Deathlines

“N-no, my kingdom”

“My kingdom…”

“Mom?”

“I guess even I can’t talk my way out of this one…”

“One last word of advice my friend…”

“Is that Dingane…?”

“Is that Mhlangana…?”

“Mbopa…”

“I knew I should have retreated…”

“Was I a good king this time…?”

“Heh, don’t worry… I had this coming.”

“I should've saved more people…”

Wish for the Grail

“I wish that I could have been the ideal and wise king so many people think I am. Someone who could’ve put their emotions aside… and I wish I could protect all those I hold dear to my heart. So they never have to suffer or die… I suppose that’s two wishes though. I wonder if I can wish for just two extra wishes?

Fun Facts

If he was playable in FGO he would be a 5-star servant.

His least favorite class is the Berserker Class because they usually can’t be reasoned with and are hard to talk to.

On another note, he finds being compared to a Berserker in terms of fighting style or mentality quite insulting. Which is yet another reason he tries to avoid intentionally utilizing Madness Enhancement via his Imperial Privilege skill unless it is absolutely necessary. He is also afraid of becoming like that of his Berserker form.

His Magic the Gathering Alignment would be White-Blue-Black-Red with White, Blue, and Black as his center colors and Red as his secondary color.

If he was in the Epithet Erased universe his Epithet would be Horn and one of his moves would involve summoning horned beetles or beetle horns.

If he was in the Hunter x Hunter universe his Nen type would be Transmutation and his Hatsu would revolve around beetles and beetle shells in some way.

His overall servant rank is around A-. Although it would be A+ if he found himself in South Africa.

He dresses like some sort of beetle every Halloween.

He takes Mother’s Day very seriously.

Shaka Zulu’s Alter form would have a beetle motif, with parts of his body having a strong and sturdy exoskeleton. He would also have multiple limbs and a pair of wings.

Zwide kaLanga is also eligible for the Lancer and Berserker Classes.

Both Shaka and Zwide’s Berserker forms have a Noble Phantasm based on the Mfecane.

Zwide was unaware that his mother was collecting skulls.

Dingiswayo is eligible for the Archer, Lancer, Caster, Rider, and Berserker classes. While he is a capable fighter his true power lies in drawing out the maximum potential of others. Under perfect scenarios, he can permanently increase the ranks of a servant’s parameters, skills, and/or Noble Phantasms and allow an ordinary human to fight on the level of a low-ranking servant.

Magaye is eligible for the Lancer, Shielder, and Berserker class. His Noble Phantasm is quite similar to that of Lanling Wang’s or Diarmuid Ua Duibhne love spot. He also wears a bag over his head most of the time for a reason similar to why Lanling Wang wears a mask. Apparently, the average person looks ugly in comparison to him.

Gala is eligible for the Foreigner class and fighting isn’t his specialty. As a servant he is capable of combating and dispelling madness itself and is resistant to most mental attacks. He is considered by many to be a “chain” that binds people to reality. He is apparently very blunt, to the point that he can come off as rude, and stresses being firmly rooted in reality over getting caught up in imagination and wishful thinking. He basically never directly lies or leaves out information.

Shaka’s favorite Pokemon are Heracross and Pinsir, with Falinks being a close second.

If he had a Pokemon type he would be a Fighting type.

The true name of his lily form would be Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, and such a form would be eligible for the Lancer, Shielder, and Berserker classes.

Visual References

#fate #fanservant #fate grand order #fgo #oc

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four-loose-screws · 4 years ago

Note

What would you rank all the fire emblem games that you have played.

Thank you for waiting, anon! This essay is finally finished! XD I don’t know if either of us ever intended for this to end up so long, but it did.

It’s interesting to see how each person experiences each game, so I hope everyone enjoys reading this. If anyone wants to ask questions for more details or just for conversation, please do!

I did a tier grouping ranking as well as ordering from bottom -> top, because that helped explain my feelings a little better. This isn’t really reflecting my nostalgia or personal feelings for the characters/world quite as much as “how much fun I had in my initial playthrough(s).” Because I think that’s what these sorts of lists are generally asking for.

First, I’d like to make a general statement about why I love FE games so much: Well, most simply it’s because I have more fun playing FE than any other series. That much is obvious though, right? I also love them because they all stand out in their own way, with their own unique combination of features, and because they are all super ambitious titles. It may lead to some rushing and half-baked ideas, but ambition is what excites me the most in any series. Even if the creators are not able to fully realize the ideas they had, the hard work still wows me as I play, and I can see hints of the full vision they had in every nook and cranny. Even the lowest games on this list are pretty high up there for me in fun level. The “fun but flawed” games just had glaring issues that interrupted the fun from time to time.

...FEs 1 & 3 are overall exceptions to the “unique and standing out rule,” being early games in the series; and FE6 set up post-Famicom FE, so it’s pretty basic, too - but they still get their own awards for setting a solid foundation for a fun video game series that withstands the test of time.

I can’t fully explain it, why I attached to FE the most over all other game series out there. But when I play FE, I usually don’t think about what’s not so great about the games. I just have fun. The gameplay always has me thinking, and I get engrossed in the stories and unlocking convos and supports.

Basic Tier

These games are really hard to judge properly in the ranking system, because they are just so basic for the series.

FE1 / FE11

When FE11 came out, I remember it getting so much flack for being really, really boring. But I didn’t get that. I like FE gameplay and storytelling at its core, so I don’t need the bells and whistles to have a good time. I knew this is where the series started, and was surprised with what content there was considering this is a remake of a game on the Famicom (NES).

FE1 set a very solid foundation for what the core of the series would be. Load it up next to a modern game, and it feels so the same and different all at once. I’ve only played a little bit of FE1 itself. I just can’t get through it because FE11 is SO similar to FE1, so you really only have to play one to get the whole experience. I didn’t feel like playing the same game over again at the time, so FE1 is still on my unfinished list.

Basic, solid foundation for the ages / 10

FE3 / FE12

After FE11 played it “safe” and took an “upgraded graphics with a few new ideas tacked on” approach, I was blown away by how much FE12 did, even if it was more for worse than better sometimes. It added so many conversations, was the first to tinker with the idea of a more fleshed out Avatar, added more story… and so on.

From what I’ve read recently, the new story stuff isn’t that great, but I don’t remember now. I’ve only played this game once. Overall, despite some clunk with the giant maps and so on, this game really challenged itself to improve from FE11, and it’s how I learned to love remakes that aren’t afraid to deviate from and add a lot to the original!

Set the stage for what kind of fun and ambition an FE remake could have / 10

FE3 is way more of a classic than any of us in the West can truly understand. It sold insanely well (the best in the series until Awakening I believe?), challenged the programmers to put FE1 on the cart as well, long before re-releases were a thing in the industry, and the game even made it to the Super Famicom Mini! I haven’t played it yet because again, it’s hard to get the motivation to play through the slow speed and clunkiness when I’ve already experienced the remake, but I’m looking forward to it some day.

The good ol’ days of the Super Famicom & SNES / 10

FE6

This was the first game without Kaga (the series original creator), so it set the stage for a future without him. The series might have strayed far from his plans for story and such, but this game, while it was pretty basic, firmly established a new foundation for the series on a new system, and gave a glimpse of what greatness the future had in store.

Overall though, this game is harder to commit to memory than others, except for classic characteristics like how terrible Roy is until, finally, BAM he gets his sword in the final stretches of the game; and running in circles from Douglas so you can avoid fighting him and successfully recruit him after the chapter.

Awkward, but sets a solid foundation for post-Kaga and post-Famicom FE / 10

Fun But Flaws Distracted From The Fun A Lot Tier

FE16

I really, really hate to say it, because this game tries to mix up the FE formula with the school setting and other new features and changes, and brought in a good mix of old and new, just like all the other FE games. But this game left very little impact on me for such a big experience. And I’m leaving out the fact that trying to play all four routes is dull as heck when I place the game this low. I’m basing it off of just how much I enjoyed the first playthrough.

Overall, I was most turned off by the class system. Which is funny, because I’ve seen others praise this as FE’s best class system. Everyone’s different. Classic classes like troubadours are just gone. The top tier classes are super limiting. Of course, you can just stop one tier down, but that’s not emotionally satisfying to me - I want my characters to reach the top! Despite having such free choice, I feel more limited than anything. If they’d just stopped at 4 tiers and not tried to go to 5, I think that would have been best. They had to stretch out the available classes too much to get to 5. ...Although being able to have an army of dragon riders is awesome, I’ll give it that. Dragons are too cool.

I was also really disappointed by the story. Fire Emblem has established that it can write a really emotional plot, and not be afraid to pull punches, with games like 4 and 8. I was expecting a huge contrast between part 1, where everyone is friends and classmates, and part 2, where war rips them apart, transforms them into different people, and forces them to brutally slaughter each other.

But in reality…the hate between Dimitri and Edelgard has nothing to do with the school at all… That was jarring to me. Of course there is no one right direction to take a story in. But the worldbuilding and story writing… feels even less coherent than Fates. That’s an accomplishment.

This is the one time I say ambition was really just too much. The game didn’t get enough polish. A game about the seasons doesn’t even have seasonal differences...

While my friends who don’t usually play Fire Emblem have had a fantastic experience with this one, after all I’ve been through, I found that I liked other FE’s more.

I think the best part about this game is the characters and supports. After Fates had a ton of supports in it just because it had to have them, the creators of this game weren’t afraid to change up the support formula once more, so they could balance quality and quantity. ...And then, ironically, this game went for the (almost entirely) mute, personality-less avatar character. Funny how that works out. XD

Dragon Lord Army Go! / 10

FE14

I feel this game deserves way more credit than it gets, while also agreeing with the critiques. The ambition was as great as ever. But then it got stuck in development hell and we got what we got. (For those who don’t know, the team was divided in two - the team that wanted a more fanservic-y experience, and the one that wanted to make a standard FE.)

I think the gameplay is the best part of this game, Conquest is great, and the gimmicks are indeed gimmicks, but still fun. In offering three different experiences, the entire package will please few, but that was the point of the multiple routes, to give everyone one route they would like, not to please everyone with all three.

But beyond the gameplay, the story is all over the place, the multiple routes just create more questions than answers; and features like an increased number of support convos and children feel like they are there only because of a desire to bring back “popular” features. After multiple food/cooking supports in a row, I couldn’t take it any more. There was so little that the characters were actually talking about in their supports vs. Awakening. I generally feel that more supports = better, because character interaction through supports is of course a highlight of post-Famicom FE, but in this case, the numbers did not do any favors.

Bringing back weapons that don’t break didn’t feel well done, either. I just ended up using basic weapons the whole time because I didn’t want to deal with the drawbacks of the higher level weapons.

Back to a positive for me: The hub world was neat, though it needed some convoluted story writing to be included. I was amused by going through the different features and collecting the items. I agree with Nintendo of America taking out the “petting minigame,” but since I lived in Japan when Fates released, it was amusing to do on the train and weird out the bored Japanese people who peered over my shoulder.

Since all three routes were different, this game was fun enough until the end in comparison to Three Houses, of which I am STILL trying to slog through the last route one year after release. But Fates was made for every route to be different, whereas Three Houses was not, so it’s not surprising I feel like that.

But time for the real talk about this game… why is everyone’s HP so low??? What happened?????

Up and down and all around in quality from start to finish / 10

FE15

I really want to like this game more. Oh, do I. It’s absolutely GORGEOUS, the character art makes my heart skip a beat, the game proved that full voice acting does fit FE really well, it fleshed out things like the dungeon crawling & story, and added support conversations & skills, etc. while still staying kind of basic, retaining the feeling that the original was on the NES. The momentum for the fun and ambition that an FE remake could have transitioned well from FE12 to here and led to this being a stunningly presented game.

But the creators totally missed the point on what were the defining features of the game in my opinion, and that mismatch of vision ruined a lot for me. I loved the imbalance, struggling as I placed my units in corners of maps just to survive, until I obtained all those OP items, and my super soldiers marched into battle and did wild and amazing things. Valbar with +5 move and 40 speed with the Speed Ring is the one thing I remember the best of FE2 and oh man was it fun, and did I love it.

And I mean, I understand why the creators weren’t going to keep that imbalance, it doesn’t make the game good for everyone. It’s just something I found fun, and made the game stand out among the other FEs. But the developers really just replaced old imbalance with new imbalance, the dread fighters being the one thing I remember in particular.

And they defined FE2’s best defining features as “the maps and the terrain effects” and I just did not agree. That was the stuff I DISLIKED about FE2! And that’s what they wanted to keep most? The terrain that made battles one giant miss, and the gigantic maps where I’d spend half the time just getting to the enemies? No thanks.

Then the story only cranked up the horrible treatment of the women, with Faye… being Faye, and I hated the direction they went in with Celica’s story... Ugh.

For every step or two forward, there’s one back / 10

FE10

FE games are always ambitious, but this one cranked the dial up to 10 and tripped over itself a lot. Still, it provided (even if it is info dumped) an intense and satisfying ending to the Tellius saga, and is another classic for the ages. I found the pacing boring and slow until then, though.

I think now that I’m older I can appreciate the story much, much more - and how it shows the story and aftermath of the Mad King’s War from multiple points of view - but the lack of the support conversations, and too much going on for any aspect of this game to be properly refined, still make this one lower on my list.

If only I could have played it more than once, to really get a good memory of the events of the game. My Wii actually scratched up my disk (How this happened, I don’t know, and it’s the ONLY disk my Wii ever slaughtered). It only held out long enough for my sibling and I to enjoy one playthrough each. I’ll get to playing my Japanese copy eventually!

Part 4 = Laguz Royals Emblem / 10

Somewhere Inbetween Tier

FE5

The last of the Kaga games. Still clunky and difficult, but with it’s own super unique features in capturing, stamina, and stealing weapons.

The brokenness of staves is not at all a flaw, but a feature in my opinion. Encouraging bizarre thinking and finding new ways to plow through maps is fun. I would probably be critical if this was a modern game, but I think older games need these quirks to stand out among modern titles with better graphics and decades of gaming history behind them.

And you still can complete the maps in a more traditional manner if you are determined. I did even for Reinhardt’s map.

Also, I gotta say... I don’t agree that this is the most difficult FE overall… it just has the hardest individual maps. The difficulty spikes are all over the place. The game goes from bashing your head against a wall to snoozefest constantly.

Fog of war was a mistake though, if I was a time traveler, I’d go back and make sure the programmers never figured out how to include it. XD

Steal ALL the tomes! / 10

FE13

Experiencing this game and its release in real time was an experience. The fandom really, truly thought this game might not only be the last FE ever, but also that it might not get a localization. Thinking there would never be a localization, I spent a night of my first trip to Japan buying a Japanese 3DS and a copy of the game. I only had 2 weeks on that study tour, but I was so determined that I used some of my precious free time to go shopping for it. To afford it, I even used the money my college gave to me for food, then subsided off of cheap convenience store meals with what little I had left. I barely had any true understanding of Japanese at the time, but I wanted other fans to experience this game, so I worked as hard as I could to translate as many supports as I could. This game is why I got into translation, and was what I really thought might be the end, so it will always have a special place in my heart for that.

Now to actually talk about playing the game itself. I really enjoyed it the first couple of times. Who cares that pair-up and the kids were OP, you either blast through the game with them and have a good laugh, or ignore them, set some challenging rules, and enjoy having at least a little challenge. I didn’t care much that the supports were a little lower quality because of the sheer number of them, I eagerly awaited unlocking each one, and reading what the two characters would talk about. (We fans have fanfiction to turn to if we hunger for more development. :p) The bonus content was plentiful, and a great fanservice-y way to bring the series to a close.

After all is said and done though, the game left me feeling empty when I thought about replaying it any further. The maps and story felt empty in comparison to previous games. Now that it’s been 8 years since the initial release, I’d of course enjoy a replay or two, but after having played FEs7-9 5 or 6 times in a row before moving on to the next game… anything less than that level of excitement was surprising for me. I placed this game kinda high on the list because it’s fun when you play it. It’s just doesn’t have as much replay value, I feel.

Also, as a group, the children characters are my favorite in the series. They all come from deeply traumatic backgrounds, and the way they work through that trauma and navigate being given a second chance, but also not a true second chance because this timeline is different from their own, is endlessly fascinating for me. I don’t know if other fans give them enough credit, so I wanted to point them out in particular.

Would have been a fantastic way to send off the series, despite the flaws / 10

FE2

This game is flawed, imbalanced, makes me want to throw things, and it’s all, somehow, in a way that makes me LOVE IT. ...So long as I’m playing using an emulator with a speed up button.

This game is so hard, and the hit percentages are such garbage. But as I played, and unlocked more and more OP weapons and items, until I reached a point where the zombie dragons - what once took all my efforts - were an enemy that can easily be slaughtered in 1-on-1 combat... I felt so satisfied.

Old games need some kind of charm to make them still worth revisiting in a world of much better graphics and features that have now had decades to be refined. For me, this game has that perfect kind of quirky charm in spades.

The maps and terrain though… I have no words, just bash your head into the wall and you will understand how I feel.

Also, this game reminds me of Zelda 2 in it being a black sheep of its respective series… that’s a fun little nugget of info.

Duma’s sprite / 10

FE7

I don’t remember this game as well, despite it being one that I’ve played about 5 times? I don’t know why, it’s yet another fantastic Fire Emblem with its own ways that it stands out, managing not one, not two, but three lords, introducing the tactician, and so on. Guess time has just not been kind to my memory on this one.

I remember being really impressed with the length of this game back in the day, and Hector’s mode offering enough differences to make it totally fun to replay the main game again.

Lyn gets kind of pushed to the side (because that’s what generally happens to women main characters in Fire Emblem, if there’s a male lord around), but having the three lords was really fun. With three people, you get a great balance between all of their personalities, and they all play off of each other well.

Of course I loved Lyn and Hector, most everyone does, but I was always just as much of an Eliwood fan. His average stats pushed people away from liking him as much as the others, but I always looked up to his kindness. Eliwood / Ninian was an especially favorite pairing for my sappy teenage heart. Eliwood was just so romantic and sweet to me.

And though the game was made easier with international audiences in mind, the developers hadn’t invented all of the “easier/for convenience” features yet, so this is the last time we got to enjoy some “harder” features like needing to buy weapons during battles, and a convoy separate from the main lord. That’s cool if you like that stuff.

Unlocking the paralogues is hard though / 10

Favorites Tier

FE8

When it comes to FE8, while there’s plenty to like about the gameplay (despite the game being so easy, but again, like I said with Awakening, you can just set your own challenge rules), what I really love to ramble on about is the story and its emotional impact. Lyon is so precious and kind, but has so many inner conflicts stewing deep inside of him, leading him to elder magics, and… The Demon King is just ends up as a sideshow compared to Lyon coming face to face with his own demons. Both the characters - and many players, I’m sure - hope and hope to find a way to save him, but there just isn’t one. There are never any real leads. There’s nothing. Only the harrowing reality that some people cannot be saved, no, that some people do not want to be saved. The inevitability of Lyon’s demise, and seeing it all play out, packs a punch most plots can only dream of.

But it’s not like I won’t talk about the gameplay features either. Bringing back much of the best of FE2, the overworld map and everything to do really enhances the experience. I mean, yeah, I guess two side dungeons isn’t that much to get excited over, I can see that critique… but I didn’t care, it allowed me to easily chase support conversations, and (with some RNG abusing to obtain enough Boots and money to buy the stat-boosting items, but hey, whatever it takes) I could max out my characters’ stats and truly “complete” a Fire Emblem game.

Sacred Stones is so awesome.

Finally! A postgame! I sure hope the developers keep this up in all the future games… oh. / 10

FE9

This is the first FE game I ever played, so it will always occupy the most dear and special place in my heart, even if FE4 eventually won over as my favorite.

Do you believe in first sight? I do, and this is what taught me it’s real. From the first second of the first cutscene, I was enthralled. ...And that’s saying something, when the FE9 cutscenes are the kind of thing only a mother could love. But I just knew. I may have been a wee lass of 14, but I knew a love that would last a lifetime was being born. ...Or that would at least last 14 more years. I can’t predict the future. Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and hate Fire Emblem with a burning passion? 2020 has taught me that tomorrow is always a big fat question mark.

Fun fact: in case you are wondering exactly what inspired my very initial interest in this series, it was a TV commercial. Probably this one. I just remember Ike running, of all things. My sibling and I both thought FE9 looked interesting from this commercial, and sought out the game all on our own with zero private knowledge that anything FE even existed.

This is where obsessions are born. Or mine at least. / 10

FE4

As I’ve established, this is my favorite of favorites. The bizarre way money, arenas, items, and more were handled, actually made the game more and more fun for me. Big maps are just so fun. Gen 1’s story is a tale for the ages, and Gen 2’s story is… well, classic FE, which never gets old for me. It will never cease to amaze me even today what the SNES/S Famicom could handle.

All I’d want added is a “warp between conquered castles” feature. I’m completely neutral on a remake otherwise. Of course a lot more could be added and detailed upon that I’d be happy for, but that’s my one specific wish.

Calvary Emblem Forever / 10

Bonus:

FEH

I played this game every day for around 2 ½ years before I finally felt I had to break the habit, so I’m not leaving it out! This title got a lot of flack for simplifying FE gameplay, but… looking at it that way completely disregards the niche app games fill, and the interesting ways developers view what type of games app games should be, and how the developers work hard to both innovate for the format yet stay faithful to the source. It is surprisingly deep, and the maps + higher focus on unit skills make you think entirely differently about how to win in what is, in essence, the same gameplay as the main series.

Plus, what fan couldn’t get suckered into the fanservice of it? My best moments include attaining a +10 Nephenee while only spending money to get 2 of her, the other 9 were all F2P orbs; and becoming a Narcian/Valter shipper after supporting them on impulse because they were both on my flier team, and realizing the sick, twisted chemistry afterwards. Discovering rare-pairs is fun.

Also, finally, this game dared to nerf magic users a bit by making them RNG 2 only. If only the main series could do something like that.

I really enjoyed Heroes a lot, I just quit solely because it was a time drain. It was time to move on and play other things. And I’m glad I got out when I did. Seeing the game stoop to over-the-top powercreep (above and beyond what it was always implementing) and add the monthly service to keep the $$$$$ raking in was hard to watch.

Perfect app-style game gameplay-wise and fanservice-wise, but why aren’t gacha illegal yet / 10

FE Warriors

Oh yeah, this game exists too! It’s a Warriors game. If you like the formula and it never gets old for you, you’ll have fun with this game. If you don’t mind the limited game representation too much, you’ll have fun with this game. For me, the answers to those questions were a yes, so I enjoyed FE Warriors. Yay for wailing on hordes of enemies / 10

#fire emblem #favorites

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