The Japanese adult visual novel Fate/stay night features a number of characters created by Type-Moon, some of whom are classified as Servants with special combat abilities. The characters listed have appeared mainly in two anime television series adaptations (Fate/stay night and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works) with a movie trilogy adaptation (Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel) produced by Studio Deen and Ufotable respectively, and it's visual novel sequel, Fate/hollow ataraxia. A Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works animated film was released prior to its TV series.
Kinoko Nasu wrote only one Fate/stay night in college intending Shirou and Saber to be the only couple.[1] In his early drafts, Fate's heroine Saber was a man, and the protagonist was a girl with glasses.[2] This early draft was later embodied in the short original video animation (OVA) Fate/Prototype, which was released with the final volume of the Carnival Phantasm OVA series.[3] Nasu set aside the project and went on to found Type-Moon with artist Takashi Takeuchi. After the success of their first visual novel Tsukihime in 2000, Type-Moon transitioned from a dōjin soft organization to a commercial organization. In the beginning, Nasu was worried that because the main character was a girl, the story might not work as a bishōjo game. Artist Takeuchi suggested switching the protagonist's and Saber's genders to fit the game market.[1]
The novel Makai Tensho influenced Nasu to write a fantasy story in which famous heroic personalities from all over the world would take part.[4] The original idea was limited to the prototype of the Fate arc, where the main characters were the female master and her Servant Saber (the embodiment of King Arthur as a man).[5] According to Nasu, this version contained elements of 1980s romance and ideas of transformations to world order, while the final version focuses on changes within people and has other purposes for using the Holy Grail.[6] About a third of the scenario of the future Fate arc (up to the battle with Sasaki Kojiro) was completed at that time, but for several personal reasons, Nasu could not write further for more than ten years.[4] Scenes from the original visual novel that show Shirou having sexual intercourse with the heroines are commonly censored. According to the website Kotaku, Shirou's intercourse with Sakura has become an Internet meme that replaced Sakura's nudity with multiple images.[7]
Writer Gen Urobuchi was pitched a prequel of Fate/stay night by Takeuchi, Nasu was amazed by Urobuchi and had predicted in 2002 while unable to work on Fate/stay night due to illness that Urobuchi would write an interesting story. Ideas like Saber being lectured by Gilgamesh and Alexander the Great gave him a bigger impact. When starting the project for Fate/Zero, Nasu decided to give Urobuchi complete freedom for Kiritsugu's characterization.[8] In Fate/stay night, Saber explains she had brief interactions with Kiritsugu Emiya which led to the creation of the character of Irisviel. As Kiritsugu's wife, Irisviel plays the role of facilitating communication between these two, who do not talk to each other. The distanced and ultimately dark relationship between Kiritsugu and Saber caused by the former's actions in the story led Urobuchi and Nasu to change some early drafts in the story, including the addition of Kiritsugu adopting Shirou. These changes were to create a more coherent relationship between Saber and Shirou Emiya in the original visual novel.[9] Urobuchi had no issues writing the main characters' ideologies.[10]
Main article: Shirou Emiya |
Main article: Saber (Fate/stay night) |
Main article: Rin Tohsaka |
Main article: Sakura Matou |
Main article: Kiritsugu Emiya |
Main article: Waver Velvet |
The visual novel noted that such use of the heroes of the legends of antiquity could also encourage acquaintance with their original sources.[36] Reviewers considered Shirou's behavior and his attitude to his own ideals as the most interesting and well-developed part of the whole novel.[37][38] Uno Tsunehiro from Kyoto University compared Shirou's traumatic background in regards the city's fire to survivors from the September 11 attacks while also showing different ways the Japanese society used to take care of their lives in such time. As a result, Tsunehiro views Shirou's change in each route as a way to recover from the trauma, grow up and become an independent person.[39] A large number of sudden deaths, coupled with a sharp effect of losing control over the situation, according to the authors of the monograph, gave the gameplay an additional emotional coloring and motivated players to continue playing the game, aided by well-developed plot twists.[40] In his analysis of the magical system and details of the personalities of the characters, Makoto Kuroda sees in the idea of Shirou to become a “champion of justice” a direct analogy with the traditional view of the life of bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, seeking to save other people at the cost of their own efforts and suffering.[41] In Kuroda's view, Buddhist concepts are opposed to the elements of Christian ethics contained in the plot through the opposition of Shirou and Kirei Kotomine in the form of the main character's rejection of the interpretation of Angra Mainyu as a creature who accepted the sins of others in the name of salvation.[42]
The images of Rin, Saber and Sakura received conflicting ratings. Thus, many reviewers recognized that the psychologically deepest arc is "Heaven's Feel", which is largely due to the sharp and versatile disclosure of the image of Sakura Matou,[43][44] and her romantic line with Shirou is the most "adult" among all the heroines.[44][45] Some reviewers commented on Shirou's relationship with Saber and on his growth in Studio Deen's anime that improves their personalities and adds romance to their relationship as the plot progresses.[46][47][48][49] Scenes from the original visual novel that show Shirou having sexual intercourse with the heroines are commonly censored, leading to memes.[50]
There was also commentary about the Fate/Zero cast. Kirtisugu's relationship with Kirei was the subject of praise.[51][52] The Fandom Post and Blu-ray enjoyed Shirou's characterization in the film, in which his ideals contrast with those of Archer and Kiritusgu, making him notably mature in the story.[53][54] The Fandom Post enjoyed the handling of Waver's past persona during the dream sequence he has, as he reflects on his past when interacting with Iskander.[55] Anime News Network writers Theron Martin and Michelle Liu listed El-Melloi II as the best anime character of 2019 due to his style when dealing with enemies. Liu regarded him as one of the best LGBTQ+ character, something she found that while it might come across as controversial, both Waver's younger persona from Fate/Zero and Lord El-Melloi II was often commented by writers and him to have developed romantical feelings for Iskandar, something which Iskandar was famous in real life.[56][57]
Beside the main Fate series, critics focused on spin-off incarnations. During his debut in Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 3rei!!, Shirou earned praise from Thanasis Karavasilis of MANGA.TOKYO, who said his heroic actions make his first appearance the highlight of the episode.[58] His role in the fighting scenes in the series were well received by Karavasilis, but he received criticism for being overpowered.[59][60] For the film Oath Under Snow, response to Shirou's protection over Miyu were received positive response,[61][62] while his characterization also earned praise despite similarities with previous incarnations.[63][64]