The Fate series is not an obscure brand. It was first released as an erotic graphic novel in 2003 , under the name Fate/stay overnight the intriguing idea behind the world of TYPE MOON’s characters, and plot has inspired numerous sequels and adaptions. Particularly, the game for mobile Fate/Grand Order has seen a surge in popularity, with the English version always tops the charts on the app store and raking in record revenue.
But the Fate series is also plagued with a negative reputation, due to it’s inaccessibility. The popular discussion surrounding the series frequently focuses on the many elements it contains, in addition to its confusing lore. For instance, what is the meaning of’staying up late” mean, anyway? Therefore that deciding where to begin and what order to go through the Fate anime it can be a challenge to figure out.
Table Of Contents
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The guide suggests three different ways that can be used to watch the various Fate anime, but doesn’t pretent to be anything to being objective. Instead, it suggests three different ways to experience the series and each based on the series’ production and availability circumstances. It also speaks to three distinct types of Fate fans that are both old and new.
The Problem with the Fate series in Anime
Consuming the Fate series poses a challenge since the first visual novel Fate/stay night is not legally available in the West.
The series’ dramatic increase in the last few years however, the fact that there is no one has yet to acquire the rights is shocking. There are a lot of lesser series that get released all the time. We don’t have all the details (lack or availability of a distributor) But, there are several patches that are not official in the series’ very useful subreddit.
This is particularly unfortunate because all subsequent Fate/stay-night adaptations have been missing in some way. In these situations it’s much easier to advise reading the source information prior to diving into any adaptations, but this isn’t the case in the case of the Fate series. Instead, we are stuck navigating the rocky waters of adaptation.
For those unfamiliar about the Fate series, the following is an easy explanation The plot is as follows: Seven Masters and seven servants battle to the death in Fuyuki City to win the Holy Grail, a magical artifact which allows the winner to have any desire. The Servants are mythological as well as real-life characters, and this is a battle royale for history buffs.
Sound good? This is your chance get spoiled.
Route 1: The Purist
- 1. Stay in the hotel for the night or to get a job (2006)
- 2. Fate/stay-night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014) and 2nd Season (2015)
- 3. Fate/stay-Night [Heaven’s Feel] I. Predict Flower (2017) II. lost butterfly (2019), II. spring song (2020)
- 4. 2.
Purists such as myself must feel the Fate series in this manner. Why? Not only it’s mostly chronological but it also shows how the story was originally written; important when considering how the story is a tripartite story.
Like many visual novels Fate/stay-night is made up of three different ‘routes’ including the Fate route, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven’s Feel. As with most visual novel the three routes focus on three distinct female characters: Fate on Saber, Unlimited Blade Works on Rin and Heaven’s Feel on Sakura.
Studio DEEN’s 2006 version is the only one that attempts to adapt to the Fate path. This isn’t a one-off thing however, because it also incorporates elements from Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel. This means that it can be a bit confusing. Taken alongside its dated visuals and dated sound effects, it comes out as a flawed rendition of the original sequence and an ideal opportunity to be spoiled by the future.
It’s a shame , because in the event that you go straight into Studio Ufotable’s 2014 and 2015 adaptations of Unlimited Blade Works, then you’ll likely miss the development and exploration of one of the most loved characters. Saber is a character that has become a legend in Fate and this has led to the name ‘Saberface. It’s a fantastic character, and everyone knows that. Unlimited Blade Works is primarily focused on Rin and you won’t find Saber’s development there.
I would argue that Unlimited Blade Works is the series’ top choice in terms of ideas and execution, but it’s also one that works much better in tandem with the three other routes. The third aspect is that all of the main routes springboards off of the other. Fate is the introductory story, and Unlimited Blade Works the backstory. Heaven’s Feel, an entire twist on that structure is thus the most dangerous location to start from.
Without a dependable Fate route adaptation, the Fate series can’t function exactly the same way as anime. Hence why this guide started with the issues contained in. In regard to the reason why Fate/Zero is put at the end of the guide in the next section, we will explain.
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. presage Flower (2017) II. lost butterfly (2019) II. spring song (2020)
One of the biggest debates of the purist’s method to watch the Fate series will be the decision to put Fate/Zero at the very ending and Fate/stay-night at the beginning. Today, it’s a standard routine to start with Zero and ignore stay night completely. While this practice does have merits, it has several problems.
Although Fate/stay Night does look and sound very old-fashioned in the present, it provides vital information about Saber’s character Saber that is not present in all other adaptations. It’s been noted.
Zero, on the other hand, was widely praised for being among the most beautiful anime ever when it first came on air. This is still my opinion. While ufotable’s production methods have advanced, particularly in 3D, Zero still looks solid. Scenes such as Saber unleashing Excalibur towards the season’s closing give me goosebumps.
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However, Zero is not the best place to start the Fate series. The reason? In simple terms, the initial light novel written by Gen Urobuchi (that the series is based on) was written some years after the first visual novel’s first release and is based on an understanding of some 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 good job of explaining this in its first episodes) but the connections between the series and the original story may be lost to people who have never seen the show before.
Fate/Zero is a potent tool to fill in the gaps left by the Fate/stay-night visual novel. It also clarifies how the Fourth Holy Grail war was “unfinished,” and how Gilgamesh could be at the mercy of. The satisfaction in finding the answers is if you’re aware there are some questions in the first beginning! The place of Heaven’s Fel at the end was already described in the previous section.