The intriguing concept behind the world of TYPE-MOON and its characters has been use to inform countless sequels as well as spinoffs, adaptations and spinoffs. Particularly, the mobile version of Fate/Grand Order has seen a surge in popularity and has seen the English version always leading the charts in the app store and raking in record revenue.
The Fate series has earned itself a bad image for not being accessible. The series’ many aspects are often highlight in popular discourse. What does “stay night” mean? It’s difficult to know where to begin and the best order to watch the Fate anime.
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Although this guide provides three ways of viewing the Fate anime but it’s not claiming to be impartial. It suggests three ways to experience the series based on the level of production and the popularity of the show. The book also addresses three different types of Fate fans including old and new.
The Problem with the Fate series in Anime
The main issue with the Fate series is that the first visual novel, Fate/stay-night, isn’t available legally in the West.
The fact that no one is yet to acquire the license, given that the series has seen rapid growth over the last several years, is incredible. There are also smaller-scale series that are regularly release. We don’t have complete information (lack or availability of an agent or distributor) However, you can find several patches that aren’t official on the series very useful subreddit.
What’s especially unfortunate about this is the fact that all of its subsequent adaptations to the series have been lacking in one way or another. In these cases it’s more sensible to read the original materials before diving into adaptations. However, this isn’t the case with Fate. Instead, we are stuck in the murky waters of adaptation.
For those who aren’t familiar about the Fate series anime , here is a quick explanation The plot is as follows: Seven Masters and seven servants fight it out in Fuyuki City to win the Holy Grail, a magical artifact which can grant the winner any wish. The Servants, by the fact, are people from mythology and real-life events, meaning that this is an almost-historical battle royale.
Sound good? You’re in for a great time.
Route 1: The Purist
- 1. Fate/stay night (2006)
- 2. Stay/fate night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014) and 2nd Season (2015)
- 3. Fate/stay-Night [Heaven’s Feel] I. Predict Flower (2017) II. lost butterfly (2019) I. spring song (2020)
- 4. 2.
Fans like myself have to experience the Fate series this way. What’s the reason? It’s not just that it’s chronological however it also represents how the story was originally compose; this is crucial when considering how the story is a tripartite narrative.
Similar to most visual novels, Fate/stay nights is made up of three distinct routes three routes: the Fate route, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven’s Feel. As with most visual novel the three main routes are centered on three different female characters: Fate on Saber, Unlimite Blade Works on Rin and Heaven’s Feel on Sakura.
Studio DEEN’s 2006 adaptation is the only one on the list which attempts to alter the Fate path. Even so, it does not do this in a straightforward way but also includes aspects from Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel which means that the plot and characters get a bit muddled. It’s both an inept adaptation of The First Arc and a great way to spoil what comes in the future, despite its old images.
It’s a shame because, if you march straight into Studio Ufotable’s 2014 and 2015 adaptations of Unlimited Blade Works, you’ll arguably miss out on the growth and development of one of the series’ most iconic characters. Saber is an iconic character in Fate and this has earned her the nickname ‘Saberface. She’s fantastic and everyone knows that. Given that Unlimited Blade Works focuses on Rin, you won’t find Saber’s story here.
I would argue that Unlimite Blade Works is the series’ top choice in terms of both ideas and execution, but it’s also a route that works better when it’s paired with the three other routes. That brings me to the third part in which each of Fate/stay Night’s three main plots are a springboard off of the other, with Fate being the “introductory” story, and Unlimited Blade Works being the “backside” of that. Heaven’s Feel, then, is an entire inversion of that structure, so it’s probably not the best starting point.
Without a dependable Fate route adaptation The Fate series isn’t functioning like anime. This is the reason why this guide was develop to address these issues. The next chapter will examine why Fate/Zero was placed in the middle.
Route 2. The New Age
- 1. Fate/Zero (2011) and 2nd Season (2012)
- 2. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014) and 2nd Season (2015)
- 3. Fate/stay Night [Heaven’s Feel] I. the prelude to Flower (2017), II. lost butterfly (2019) II. spring song (2020)
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the Purist’s approach to watch the Fate series will be the decision to put Zero/Fate at the ending and Fate/stay-night at the beginning. Today, it’s a standard usage to begin with Zero and not bother with stay night completely. Although this is a practice that has its advantages, it also has numerous issues.
Although Fate/stay Night does appear and sound dated today, it offers important information on the character of Saber that is not present in all other adaptations. The character of Saber has already been discussed.
Zero The other hand, was praised as one of the most gorgeous anime when it first came on air. This is my personal opinion. Although the production techniques of ufotable have advanced, particularly when it comes to 3D, Zero still looks solid. Scenes like Saber unleashing Excalibur before the season’s end give me goosebumps.
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However, Zero is not the best place to start watching Fate. What’s the reason? Simply put, the initial light novel by Gen Urobuchi (that the series is base on) was written after the original visual novel’s first release and assumes a certain amount of background knowledge: while this does not have anything to do with do with the magic system, or the Holy Grail War (the series does a great job of explaining this in its opening episodes) but the connections between the series and the original tale will be difficult to grasp for people who have never seen the show before.
A large part of the power of Fate/Zero’s is in filling in the gaps left by the original Fate/stay night visual novel, such as how the Fourth Holy Grail war was not completed and how Gilgamesh was able to remain summoned. However, the pleasure in finding the answers works if you’re aware that there are still questions to answer in the first place! The location of Heaven’s Feel at the end of the article was discussed in the previous section.