| |
| Basic Information | |
| War Name | Holy Grail War |
|---|---|
| War Period | From 1800 to 2014 |
| War Location | Fuyuki City |
| Participating Factions | Magician |
| War Result | Ended without result |
| Appearances | 《Fate series》 |
Holy Grail WarRefers to the war fought around obtaining the "Grail". In Christian tradition, it is said that in 33 AD, Jesus commanded his 11 disciples to drink red wine from a cup symbolizing his blood. The cup used here is called the Holy Grail, and many Christians believe this cup possesses divine power. Consequently, conflicts were initiated to find and obtain the Holy Grail.
In the Chinese ACG community,Holy Grail Warit is mostly used to specifically refer to the war centered around the "Omnipotent Wish-Granting Machine: Holy Grail" in the Fate series, which began its release in 2004:
Once every sixty years, the Holy Grail appears in Fuyuki City. It possesses the power to immediately grant any wish, no matter what it may be. Only one pair of Master and Servant can obtain this right. ...This is the Holy Grail War of Fuyuki City. However, it is essentially a massive ritual system devised by the three families—Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Makiri—in order to reach the "Root."[1]
Construction of the Holy Grail War
Gosanke
Einzbern
Responsible for providing the Greater Grail, the Lesser Grail, the foundation for summoning Heroic Spirits, and compensation for damages caused by the Holy Grail War.
A prestigious family of magi specializing in alchemy, they are incredibly powerful in the manipulation of precious metals. Due to their extreme specialization in their field of expertise, they are somewhat inferior in terms of application in magical combat. Activating the Greater Grail, using its power to fix the hole leading to the "Root" and reaching "the other side"—the means used for this is the "Third Magic" passed down by the Einzbern family.
The main family resides in a castle deep in the mountains of Germany, where it is winter all year round and locked in ice and snow. The family history spans over a thousand years, and the current head is the eighth generation, Jubstacheit von Einzbern, also known as Acht[Note 1]. Their magical attribute is the flow and transfer of power, and they specialize in alchemy. They have almost no contact with other prestigious magical families, and even the Mage's Association knows very little about them.
The Einzbern Castle was originally the workshop of the disciples of the Third Magician. The disciples tried to reproduce their master's miracle but failed; as an alternative, they decided to create an individual on the same level as their master to achieve the miracle. As a result, Justeaze was created by chance, but the miracle could never be replicated again. Eventually, discouraged, they gave up on the effort to mass-produce Justeaze. Some of them left the castle and continued to create homunculi based on Justeaze, becoming the Einzbern family.
The family once possessed the Third Magic long ago but later lost it. To reclaim the Third Magic, they employed various methods and finally pinned their hopes on the Holy Grail. After centuries of struggle, they finally created the Greater Grail, but creating the vessel was already the limit for the family. After struggling for a long time, in 1800, the Castle of Winter welcomed a visitor—Makiri Zolgen, a magus who wanted to eradicate evil from the world. The Einzberns finally faced reality and collaborated with the Makiri family and the Tohsaka family, collaborators from the Far East, to develop the ritual of the Holy Grail War. Because of this, the Einzberns' obsession with victory far exceeds that of the other two families. However, Einzbern magecraft is not suited for combat, and they failed to achieve results in the Holy Grail War.
In the Third Holy Grail War of the main timeline, the Einzberns decided to cheat by illegally summoning the Zoroastrian evil god Angra Mainyu to crush the battlefield. However, things did not go as planned; the summoned Avenger was merely an ordinary youth with extremely weak power. On the fourth day, Avenger was defeated, and the Greater Grail was polluted by Avenger's soul, "All the World's Evil." In the Apocrypha timeline, the Einzberns also decided to cheat by summoning the Ruler class, the mediator of the Holy Grail War—Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. Due to the intervention of Nazi Germany, the Einzberns still failed when they were just one step away from the Holy Grail.
Starting from the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Einzberns changed the Lesser Grail from an inorganic object to homunculi—Irisviel and Illyasviel. Illya is the pinnacle of Einzbern technology.
It is mentioned in FGO that the cursed Rheingold eventually fell into the hands of the Einzberns. This might be the reason why the Einzberns are so wealthy, yet their family trait is "perfect plans that always fail due to things not going as expected."
Makiri
Responsible for providing the concept of the Servant system and the Command Spell system used to bind Servants in the Holy Grail War.
The main family seems to originate from Russia and has a history of five hundred years.
A prestigious family of magi specializing in creating familiars. It was Makiri's achievement to plan the familiars in the Holy Grail War—the Servant system—and to invent the technique of "binding them with Command Spells." Their original family name was Zolgen [ゾォルゲン], but after moving to Japan, they reversed the surname and given name, and "Makiri" was read as "Matou" to serve as the family name[Note 2], while Zolgen instead became the name Zouken.
Since moving to Japan two hundred years ago, although there have been changes in the head of the family on the surface, the actual head has always been Matou Zouken. By the generation of Shinji and Sakura, it is already the sixth generation.
Their magical attribute is Water, with the special effect of absorption. They specialize in binding and compulsion-type magecraft and are known for magecraft that controls worms. Since moving to Japan, they lost their magical foundation due to the environment and began to decline. The bodies of their descendants gradually lost Magic Circuits, and they are now in a state of complete decline; Shinji has no Magic Circuits at all. For this reason, Zouken requested the second daughter from the Tohsaka family to be the successor. It is mentioned in FGO that their family is the lineage of the Demon God Pillar Barbatos, and Zouken is one who would become a Demon God Pillar; therefore, after the era that should have become a Singularity passed, the bloodline began to decline rapidly.
Makiri, who was involved in the design of the Holy Grail War, had the true goal of "abolishing all evil." In other words, it was to extinguish the "karma" carried by humanity. He believed this could only be achieved by reaching the Root. Although arrogant and unyielding, it could be called a noble and sublime ideal. However, this ideal has clearly vanished from the spirit of the Makiri family.
The family's specialty is "failing by being too cautious and missing the timing to act."
Tohsaka
In the Holy Grail War, they were responsible for providing spiritual land that did not belong to the Church and was away from the eyes of the Mage's Association, the secret technique to open a hole in the world, and the system to give form to Servants.
A prestigious mage family with history, but not as old as Makiri and Einzbern, spanning only over two hundred years. The current head is the sixth generation, Rin Tohsaka.
The administrators of the Fuyuki City ley lines, their magecraft characteristic is conversion, and they excel at using Jewel Magecraft to transfer power into gems. The founder of their magecraft is the Wizard Marshall Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, who brought Nagato Tohsaka into the world of magecraft and left behind the blueprints for the Jeweled Sword; thus, although the Tohsaka family is a Japanese lineage, their magecraft incantations are in German.
During the Bakufu period when Christianity was strictly banned, the Tohsaka family were hidden Christians and sheltered many believers. It was through the efforts of the Tohsaka family that the Einzberns and Makiris were able to enter Edo Japan during its period of isolation. Because of this, the Tohsaka family has always maintained a good relationship with the Holy Church, holding a certain status in both the worlds of magecraft and the Church.
After the end of the Third Holy Grail War, the younger of the feuding Edelfelt sisters married into the Tohsaka family and became the mother of the later head, Tokiomi Tohsaka. In the Fate/Apocrypha worldline, after the Holy Grail was stolen, the Tohsaka family turned to seeking a way to integrate magecraft and Chinese martial arts to explore the path of magecraft, and the head became a "Magic Fist User."
The family motto is "Always remain elegant" and "Give your all in any competition," and the family specialty is "failing due to a blunder in an unexpected place despite being fully prepared."
Initial Preparations
Grail
A wishing cup that appears in Fuyuki City every sixty years and can grant any wish.
In reality, it is a vortex of magical energy generated through the Lesser Grail, using the residual power to grant wishes.
The Holy Grail in the Holy Grail War is number 726.
Greater Grail
A magic circle set up within the Great Cavern of Mount Enzou, which functions to adjust the land of Fuyuki to be a suitable summoning ground for the Grail. Without destroying the Fuyuki ley lines, it takes 60 years to absorb enough magical energy to summon seven Servants. When the descent of the Grail is near, the Greater Grail grants Command Spells to magi, making them Masters and beginning the Holy Grail War ritual.
"Saint of Winter"JusteazeShe is the female magus who devised the Holy Grail War system and implemented it two hundred years ago. To serve as the core of the Greater Grail, Justeaze was inscribed with a massive amount of Magic Circuits, much like Illya. Justeaze still resides in the center of the Greater Grail today, but her personality has vanished.
The destruction of the Lesser Grail does not affect the Greater Grail.
During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzberns, in pursuit of certain victory, cheated by illegally summoning the Zoroastrian evil god—Avenger, Angra Mainyu, but were defeated on the fourth day. Since Avenger's own attribute is "All the World's Evil," when his soul was absorbed into the Lesser Grail, the Lesser Grail accepted his "wish" as the incarnation of evil, allowing Avenger to obtain a physical body and wait to be born using the Greater Grail as a womb. Consequently, the Greater Grail was corrupted by All the World's Evil; although its appearance remained unchanged, its essence underwent an irreversible transformation. Originally, the way the Holy Grail granted wishes was to skip the process and directly achieve the result with massive magical energy, but the corrupted Grail's method changed to fulfilling the wisher's desire through destruction and disaster. For example, if someone wishes to become the strongest magus in the world, the original Grail would grant them power and knowledge to achieve that wish, but the corrupted Grail would kill all magi stronger than them to make them the strongest. Once released, the Greater Grail will continuously pour out black mud, causing calamities until all of humanity is destroyed. In HF, if Dark Sakura completely merges with All the World's Evil, it is feared that she would become a Beast when she devours half the world's population, causing the Counter Force to summon Grand Servants to the world.
After being corrupted, the Greater Grail's criteria for selecting Masters began to turn mad, and Servants such as Anti-Heroes and Evil Spirits could also be summoned.
Lesser Grail
The Holy Grail in the general sense, provided by the Einzbern family. It is merely a vessel, and the form it takes does not matter. In the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars, the first three were inorganic objects with the properties of catalysts, the latter two were Einzbern homunculi, and Zouken also implanted a fragment of the Lesser Grail obtained during a Holy Grail War into Sakura's body to create the Grail of Makiri.
When a Servant is defeated, their soul enters the Lesser Grail, where it is converted into magical energy and stored. With the souls of five Servants, it already possesses the power of the Holy Grail. After six Servants have entered, it is filled with magical energy and becomes a wish-granting machine that can fulfill desires. This process is known as "Evocation." At this time, the Lesser Grail is a spiritual body, and only non-incarnated Servants, who are also spiritual bodies, can touch it.
When the amount of souls necessary to activate the Greater Grail is stored, the Lesser Grail is used to stabilize the hole it opens. To satisfy the requirement of seven Servants, the final victor must use a Command Spell to make their Servant commit suicide.
Command Spells
Content added during the Second Holy Grail War, with the system created by Zouken Matou.
The Greater Grail grants the person who becomes a Master three rights of absolute command over their Servant. There are three strokes per person, each containing an enormous amount of magical energy and connected to the Master's Magic Circuits.
Command Spells are the condition of exchange that Heroic Spirits must bear when they are summoned as Servants and granted a second life. In theory, a Servant has no obligation to follow instructions other than these three Command Spells.
Command Spells can be used not only for forced commands but also to strengthen Servants and perform actions that the Servants themselves cannot achieve, such as limited teleportation.
Although Command Spells are nominally the right of absolute command, they are not truly absolute. The effect of a Command Spell depends on the nature of the command; if it is precise and instantaneous, the effect is strong; if it is vague and long-term, the effect is weak. If the Master's ability is strong, the Command Spell is strong; if the Master's ability is weak, the Command Spell is also weak. Repeated use of Command Spells can strengthen the command's effect. Servants with Magic Resistance can resist the effects of Command Spells; Rank A Magic Resistance can resist the power of one stroke of a Command Spell, and Caster Solomon can completely ignore Command Spells. For example, Rin Tohsaka ordering Archer to obey absolutely is a very long-term and vague command, which should have been ineffective, but because Rin is strong as a magus, Archer can disobey it, though at the cost of all his parameters dropping by one rank. On the other hand, Kirei Kotomine ordering Lancer to commit suicide was a command that Lancer could not disobey at all, despite having Rank B Magic Resistance, because it was precise and instantaneous.
Land
Fuyuki City is located near the coast of Western Japan; winters are long, but the average temperature is high.
As a spiritual land, it is of extremely high quality, second only to the Aozaki family's territory outside of the Association's jurisdiction. Although it does not reach the level of connecting to the Root, it is quite close, and magi have settled there since ancient times. The mayor is Himuro Dosetsu, and the manager of the ley lines is the Tohsaka family.
There are four ley line points available for the Holy Grail's advent: Ryudou Temple, the Tohsaka Residence, Fuyuki Church, and the Fuyuki City Civic Center.
The Greater Grail is inscribed in the Great Cavern beneath Mount Enzou.
Location of the First Holy Grail Advent: The Great Cavern beneath Ryudou Temple on Mount Enzou.
Location of the Second Holy Grail Advent: Tohsaka Residence (the mansion where Zelretch once stayed).
Location of the Third Holy Grail Advent: Fuyuki Church.
Location of the Fourth Holy Grail Advent: Fuyuki City Civic Center.
Location of the Fifth Holy Grail Advent: The Great Cavern beneath Ryudou Temple on Mount Enzou.
Rules
The Holy Grail War held in Fuyuki City is different from those in other regions. Usually, the war ends as soon as someone obtains an object regarded as the Holy Grail. However, the Holy Grail of Fuyuki is a prize given to the sole remaining victor. This war has certain rules and a limited number of participants; it could be said to be very similar to a sports meet, if one excludes the fact that "people actually die."
- Absorbing Magical Energy from the Ley Lines
- The Greater Grail extracts magical energy from the ley lines of Fuyuki City. If a massive amount of magical energy were to be taken abruptly, it would lead to the depletion of the ley lines. Therefore, it must be carried out slowly over time. It takes approximately sixty years to accumulate the magical energy required for one Holy Grail War.
- Selection of Masters
- When enough magical energy to summon seven Servants has been stored, the Greater Grail selects magi suitable to become Masters and grants them the "omen" marks. Candidates must quickly begin preparations for the Servant summoning ritual.
- Summoning Ritual
- The summoning of a Servant requires a complex magical ritual. While the mental and physical compatibility between the Heroic Spirit used as a model and the summoner goes without saying, the most important factor is a catalyst with a deep connection to the Heroic Spirit. Summoning a Servant is a ritual beyond human capability, but the assistance of the Greater Grail makes it possible.
- Contact with the Greater Grail
- When the summoning ritual is performed, the Greater Grail connects to a place called the "Throne of Heroes," which exists outside the normal axis of time, and seeks out the Heroic Spirit corresponding to the catalyst used in the ritual. In the absence of a catalyst, a Heroic Spirit is chosen randomly, though the summoner's personality and circumstances also exert an influence. Upon summoning, in exchange for manifesting in the world, the Heroic Spirit is forced into "absolute obedience to the Command Spells."
- Engraving Command Spells on the Master
- The positions of Master are first-come, first-served; the moment seven Servants have been summoned, the remaining candidates lose their eligibility to participate. Furthermore, those who succeed in summoning are granted Command Spells corresponding to that Servant. The source of power for these Command Spells is also the Greater Grail.
- Summoning the Servant
- Once the summoning is successful, the Heroic Spirit manifests in the form of a Servant. At the same time, they are assigned to one of seven Classes. In principle, there is one Servant per Class. Which Class they are assigned to is determined by the characteristics of the Heroic Spirit used as the model.
- Contract between Master and Servant
- As the "anchor" for the Servant to remain in the physical world, a Master is indispensable. Through the master-servant contract, both parties become partners in the Holy Grail War.
- Beginning of the War
- When all seven pairs of Masters and Servants are assembled, the Holy Grail War begins. The war does not end until only one pair remains; furthermore, as long as the minimum rule of "Concealment of Mystery" is observed, no methods are forbidden in this war. Violence, strategy, and despicable traps are all permitted.
- Recovery of Servant Souls
- The souls of Servants who are defeated or lose their Master and can no longer maintain their existence are recovered and held by the Lesser Grail until the end of the war. The collected Servant souls fulfill an important role in the final stage of the ritual performed by the Greater Grail.
- The Path to the "Root"
- "The Root," the destination of all magi, is considered the "Throne of God that is the beginning and end of all things, records everything in this world, and creates everything in this world," located outside the world. The Holy Grail War of Fuyuki City pours the souls of six defeated Servants into the Lesser Grail, utilizing the power of their return to the "Throne of Heroes" outside the world to open a hole in this world, and fixes this hole with the massive magical energy accumulated in the Greater Grail, thereby creating a gate to reach the outside of the world. This is the true purpose of the Holy Grail War; from a systemic perspective, the Masters lured by the bait of "the Holy Grail is a wish-granting machine" are merely needed as vessels for the Servants, and are useless once the Servant summoning phase is over.
Distribution of Command Spells
- Main article:Command Spells
Three absolute rights of command over a Servant granted by the Greater Grail to a Master, three strokes per person. Each stroke contains immense magical energy and is connected to the Master's Magic Circuits.
When a Master loses their qualification, the remaining Command Spells are recovered by the Greater Grail. Losing qualification refers to losing a Servant or the Master's own death.
If a Master forms a contract with a Masterless Servant, the Greater Grail redistributes the recovered Command Spells to the Master, again as three strokes.[Note 3]
The redistribution of Command Spells has apriority. Masters from the Three Founding Families have the highest priority (one of their privileges), followed by other former Masters, and finally new Masters. Furthermore, if a Masterless Servant already exists when a Master from the Three Founding Families loses their Servant, the Command Spells are not recovered and a re-contract can be made immediately. (e.g., Rin and Saber in the UBW route)Shirou, who gave up his Command Spells, belonged to the second category—former Master—and was killed upon leaving the church due to theEmiya and Einzbern personal grudgepriority.
At the end of the Holy Grail War, the Command Spells recovered by the Greater Grail are handed over to the Supervisor as "Entrusted Command Spells" for safekeeping. These "Entrusted Command Spells" are protected by the Sacraments of the Holy Word and cannot be seized. A Master can, of their own will, transfer Command Spells to others or hand them over to the Supervisor as "Entrusted Command Spells." The procedure is simple and has no side effects.
If it is a seizure against the Master's will, although they can be stripped using methods like mental surgery, it is not easy to perform because the Command Spells are connected to the Master's Magic Circuits, and it will cause great harm to the Master. Therefore, to make transplantation easier, the hand is usually severed along with the Command Spells to cut the connection with the Magic Circuits. (e.g.,Kirei Kotomineto seizeBazett's left hand)
When Command Spells are transplanted, the corresponding Servant is also transferred. When they are handed over to the supervisor as "Entrusted Command Spells," the corresponding Servant becomes a Masterless Servant. (The "Relinquish Command Spells" option in the game makes Saber a Masterless Servant.)
Heroic Spirit
In myths, legends, and history, those who achieved great deeds and were worshipped by people have their spiritual status placed on the "Throne of Heroes" by faith, becoming a force to "prevent the destruction of the planet." A very small number of heroes do not go to the Throne of Heroes; for example, King Arthur went to the distant Avalon, while most Egyptian Pharaohs enter the afterlife to be with Osiris, the King of the Underworld.
Heroic Spirits with insufficient faith become Counter Guardians, existing as tools to "prevent the extinction of humanity." Heroes who made a contract with the World during their lifetime and sold themselves to the World after death will also become Counter Guardians.
The Throne of Heroes is outside the timeline, transcending reincarnation and causality, and thus remains unchanging and will not grow further.
Heroic Spirits become such through faith. Therefore, whether real or fictional, as long as there is sufficient fame and faith, a Heroic Spirit will be produced, with Robin Hood being a typical example. FGO added to this setting—if the source is purely fictional and the fame is relatively limited, only Phantoms will be produced, a type of existence inferior to and more unstable than Heroic Spirits. Phantoms can only manifest stably if multiple Phantoms are fused or if they possess a Heroic Spirit; for example, Moriarty is fused with the legend of Der Freischütz from Central Europe.
Anti-hero
Heroes who committed evil deeds but saved humanity, and are thus praised.
Counter Guardians are a type of Anti-Hero. Their job is to kill those who would cause the destruction of the world, an act of committing evil to save humanity.
Characters who represent the evil necessary to highlight good deeds can also become Anti-Heroes if they are famous enough.
Angra Mainyu is the ultimate Anti-Hero.
Originally, the Greater Grail could not summon Anti-Heroes, until it was contaminated by All the World's Evil after the Third Holy Grail War.
Servant
- Main article:Ghost Liner
Copies of Heroic Spirits, the highest-ranking familiars summoned specifically for the Holy Grail War, whose mystery even exceeds magecraft. A few Servants are summoned as living beings or the deceased, which are special cases. King Arthur belongs to the former, while Sasaki Kojiro and Hassan belong to the latter.
Seven classes (containers) are prepared in advance, and souls of the highest purity are summoned using a vessel to sustain the Heroic Spirit.
Originally, the spiritual rank of Heroic Spirits is too high for humans to summon; only the World can summon them. Heroic Spirit summoning was originally a grand ritual to combat the Evils of Humanity, and the ritual used in the Holy Grail War is a degraded version of it. With the assistance of the Greater Grail, Magi can form contracts with summoned avatars of Heroic Spirits; these avatars are the Servants. Most Heroic Spirits have wishes they want to fulfill through the Holy Grail and thus respond to the summons, while a few, such as Saints and Karna, have no wish for the Grail. To ensure fairness and justice, these Servants without desires for the Grail are eligible for the Ruler class (Amakusa Shirou was an irregular summons and is not included).
Summoned Servants are in their prime, but this is not an objective prime; rather, it is the prime in the mind of the one being summoned. For example, Rama's prime should have been when he was a king, but he chose to be summoned during his adventurous youth. In recent years, this "prime" setting has become increasingly unreliable.
In the Holy Grail War, Servants have an unconscious tendency to be hostile toward each other, but it is only a mild sense of excitement and is not irresistible.
The spiritual rank of Heroic Spirits is lower than that of Divine Spirits. Theoretically, it is impossible for Divine Spirit Servants to be summoned in the Fuyuki system. In the Moon Holy Grail War, BB used information from the Moon Cell to stitch Divine Spirit origins into Alter Egos to create High Servants. FGO is a world where the Human Order is in chaos, so Divine Spirit Servants can manifest through various means (mainly by possessing humans connected to the Holy Grail War).
The Master's Summoning Ritual
Since the summoning itself is performed by the Greater Grail, the Master does not need to hold such a large-scale ritual.
First, the Master performs a ritual to interfere with the Greater Grail, and the Greater Grail borrows information from the original Heroic Spirit located in the Throne of Heroes. The avatars of Heroic Spirits created by pouring this information (the soul of the highest purity) into the "Class" framework are the Servants. Because Servants are unstable existences that should not exist in the world, they must use the Master as an anchor to fix their coordinates relative to the world. The Master also takes on the role of supplying magical energy to the Servant.
During the ritual, preparing a catalyst related to the Heroic Spirit one wishes to summon allows for the designation of the summoned Heroic Spirit. To gain an advantage in battle, many participants prepare Holy Relics as catalysts to summon specific Servants. There are cases where the summoned one possesses a catalyst belonging to the summoner.
The advantage of using a catalyst is the ability to designate a powerful Servant, which is beneficial for tactical planning. The disadvantage is the possibility of incompatible personalities or difficulty in coordinating tactics, leading to strained relations or even more serious situations like a Servant betraying the Master or a Master ordering a Servant to commit suicide. If the relationship between the catalyst and the target is deep, they can be summoned even if their compatibility is poor; if the relationship is shallow, compatibility will also play a role.
A catalyst does not necessarily designate a single specific Servant; if a catalyst corresponds to multiple Heroic Spirits, a Heroic Spirit with good compatibility with the Master will be selected from the candidates.[2]For example, Kairi Sisigou used a fragment of King Arthur's Round Table, narrowing the scope to the Knights of the Round Table, and summoned Mordred, who had the highest compatibility with him.
If no catalyst is used, the Greater Grail will arrange for a Servant with a similar personality and good compatibility with the summoner. The advantage is that they are easy to get along with due to similar personalities, but the disadvantage is that their identity and strength cannot be determined beforehand, requiring tactics to be arranged on the fly. A typical case is Sakura summoning Rider; both share the characteristic of being both victim and perpetrator. Rider also told Shirou that it was no coincidence he summoned Saber, possibly implying that even without Avalon, Shirou could have summoned Saber due to their similar soul existences.
The Assassin class itself is a kind of catalyst. Within the Fuyuki system, a normal summoning can only result in summoning Hassan-i-Sabbah.
Since the system for summoning Servants via the Holy Grail was created by the Einzbern family of Germany, in principle, only Western Heroic Spirits can be summoned. Irregular summonings are not subject to this restriction.
Catalyst List Artoria Pendragon Avalon（ ）(Scabbard of the Holy Sword). The catalyst used to summon King Arthur in the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars.Cu Chulainn Engraved with the original Runes（ ）gemstone. It was processed into earrings.Heroic Spirit EMIYA Rin Tohsaka's jewel. It is the [only] example of the Heroic Spirit side possessing a catalyst related to the Master's Rare（ ）example.Gilgamesh The fossil of the skin shed by the first snake in the world to shed its skin. Refers to the snake that stole Gilgamesh's herb of immortality. Medusa At Etruria（ ）A mirror excavated from a temple there. It corresponds to an item related to an ancient Greek Earth Mother Goddess. This setting did not exist initially but was added later, though it was removed again in the Heaven's Feel movie trilogy.Medea Exists in Colchis[Note 4]Documents related to Medea. Sasaki Kojirou The mountain gate of Ryuudou Temple. From this catalyst, it is inferred that Assassin was a martial artist related to Ryuudou Temple during his lifetime. Hassan-i-Sabbah Hassan is the etymology of Assassin; the Assassin class itself becomes the catalyst for summoning Hassan. Heracles A cornerstone of a temple. Basically a simple stone tool, but after summoning, it is swung as an axe-sword and used as a weapon. Iskandar A fragment of Alexander the Great's cloak. Mordred A fragment of King Arthur's Round Table. Ozymandias The chariot and bow used in the decisive battle against the Hittites, the peace treaty signed with the Hittites, his own mummy, and Nefertari's jewelry. The last one is the most useful. Arthur Pendragon The scabbard of the holy sword, Avalon, in both the first and second Tokyo Holy Grail Wars. Okita Souji The light novel in Kanata Akagi's hand. Siegfried Blood-stained linden leaf. Berserker Jack the Ripper Game merchandise dagger. William Shakespeare The Life of Ivan the Terrible. Intended to summon the Tsar but summoned the author instead. Assassin Jack the Ripper Reika Rikudou。
- Summoning Incantation
After "The silver and iron shall be the foundation. The stone and the Archduke of Contracts shall be the basis.", the Tohsaka family adds a line: "
The Mad Enhancement incantation for summoning a Berserker adds two stanzas between "I am the one who shall perform all evil in the world." and "Thou art the Seven Heavens clad in the three great words of power.": 「されど汝はその眼を混沌に曇らせ侍るべし。汝、狂乱の檻に囚われし者。我はその鎖を手繰る者――(Yet thou shalt serve me with thine eyes clouded by chaos. Thou art the one imprisoned in the cage of madness. I am the one who holds the chains——)
In ufotable's UBW anime, Rin's summoning incantation is missing降り立つ風には壁を。this line.
| Incantation Romaji |
|---|
|
So ni gin to tetsu. So ni ishi to keiyaku no taikou. (Tohsaka: So ni wa waga daishi Schweinorg. ) (Black/Red Factions: Tamukeru iro wa “kuro/ aka” ) |
The Greater Grail manifests Heroic Spirits.
Servants use the power of the Greater Grail to form a temporary physical body centered on a "Spiritual Core," composed of the fifth imaginary element, Ether.
Servants are souls with physical substance, but this differs from the Materialization of the Soul of the Third Magic. Servants are merely summoned through spiritual invocation, temporarily staying in the world using the Master as a coordinate on the timeline; they are a degraded version of the Third Magic.
Since they have temporary bodies, injuries can be healed with magical energy; they can continue to act as long as their magical energy is not exhausted or they do not sustain a fatal wound. If the Spiritual Core is pierced or the consumption of magical energy exceeds what they can bear, the Servant will vanish.
Servants possess two states: a physical body of flesh and blood, and a spiritual form that is invisible and unaffected by physical laws, between which they can switch freely. King Arthur, being a living being, cannot spiritualize. Gilgamesh also cannot spiritualize after receiving a physical body from the Holy Grail's mud. Corrupted Servants likewise cannot spiritualize.
Supplying Magical Energy to the Servant
At the same time as the summoning, the Master and Servant's magical energy supply
Servants require magical energy to remain in the physical world. This energy is generally provided by the Master, but it can also be obtained from living beings as Od (life force, also known as magical energy from the Lesser Source), or even replenished by attacking humans and devouring their life force or souls, though Servants who are not evil or deviant generally do not do this.
A magus's bodily fluids contain magical energy. Therefore, a Servant can replenish magical energy through the exchange of bodily fluids with their Master.
Servants without a supply of magical energy will eventually vanish.
In addition, Servants who do not belong to this era require something in the physical world as an anchor to exist. Generally, this is the Master, but there are special cases. When Medea summoned Sasaki Kojirou, because she was also a Servant and not a being of the physical world, she could not be anchored to, so Kojirou was anchored to the mountain gate of Ryudou Temple and could not leave that area. After Medea disappeared, he was able to continue existing for a period of time.
Servants without a Master to anchor them can maintain themselves for a short period before vanishing. If they have the Independent Action skill, this duration can be extended, depending on the skill rank.
After a Servant is eliminated
When a Servant is eliminated, their physical body collapses and their soul enters the Lesser Grail.
After the Holy Grail is activated or destroyed, the Servant's soul returns to the Throne of Heroes, and the memories of this Holy Grail War also return to the original body on the Throne of Heroes; for the original body, these experiences can be understood in a manner similar to reading a book.
Servants whose original bodies are not Heroic Spirits retain experiences from other times they were summoned. As a living being, King Arthur retained memories of the Fourth Holy Grail War when summoned in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Other Servants do not.
However, in recent works, Servants often have some memories of appearing in other Holy Grail Wars.
Master（ ）
Magi who are chosen by the Holy Grail and successfully summon a Servant are selected, initially numbering seven (the Three Founding Families are inevitably chosen if they wish to participate in the Holy Grail War). They are granted Command Spells by the Holy Grail and gain eligibility to participate in the Holy Grail War. In principle, only magi can become Masters, but in rare cases, ordinary people with Magic Circuits are registered as Masters.
In the Moon Holy Grail War, regardless of the means used, as long as one can reach the moon, recall their identity to break through the preliminaries, and summon a contracted Servant, they can participate in the main tournament as a Master.
When the new SE.RA.PH appeared, the only Master was Hakuno Kishinami. However, at the end of EXTELLA, there will surely be more Masters visiting the new world as new residents.
Besides "Master," the term is also translated as "Summoner," "Owner," etc.
Class
Saber Standards
Strength
A
|
Endurance
B
| ||
Endurance
B
|
Agility
B
|
Mana
C
| |
Agility
B
|
Luck
D
|
Noble Phantasm
?
| |
Mana
C
| |||
Luck
D
| |||
Noble Phantasm
?
|
Class Skills are "Riding" and "Magic Resistance".
Praised as the most outstanding class. In past Holy Grail Wars in Fuyuki City, they have always won in the end.
Lancer Standards
Strength
B
|
Endurance
C
| ||
Endurance
C
|
Agility
A
|
Mana
D
| |
Agility
A
|
Luck
E
|
Noble Phantasm
?
| |
Mana
D
| |||
Luck
E
| |||
Noble Phantasm
?
|
Class Skill is "Magic Resistance".
A Servant who excels in one-on-one combat.
Every Holy Grail War is kicked off by Lancer.
Since ancient times, Lancers have had E-rank Luck.
Archer Standards
Strength
C
|
Endurance
C
| ||
Endurance
C
|
Agility
C
|
Mana
E
| |
Agility
C
|
Luck
E
|
Noble Phantasm
?
| |
Mana
E
| |||
Luck
E
| |||
Noble Phantasm
?
|
Class Skills are "Magic Resistance" and "Independent Action".
Basic abilities are relatively poor, compensated for by powerful Noble Phantasms.
Few of them actually use bows.
Rider Standards
Strength
D
|
Endurance
D
| ||
Endurance
D
|
Agility
B
|
Mana
C
| |
Agility
B
|
Luck
E
|
Noble Phantasm
?
| |
Mana
C
| |||
Luck
E
| |||
Noble Phantasm
?
|
Class Skills are "Riding" and "Magic Resistance".
Can summon mounts such as Phantasmal Species and weapons, most of which can fly.
Although the standard Luck is E, many Riders have very high Luck.
A class where emperors, kings, generals, and ministers gather.
Caster Basis
Strength
E
|
Endurance
E
| ||
Endurance
E
|
Agility
C
|
Mana
A
| |
Agility
C
|
Luck
B
|
Noble Phantasm
?
| |
Mana
A
| |||
Luck
B
| |||
Noble Phantasm
?
|
Class skills are "Territory Creation" and "Item Construction".
The only Servant whose primary method of combat is magecraft. Since most Servants possess some level of Magic Resistance, Casters usually don't gain much of an advantage in standard battles. Therefore, they are known as the weakest Servants.
However, when conducting a defensive battle within their created territory, they can be considered the strongest among the seven classes.
Often produces "true love" pairs.
Assassin Basis
Strength
D
|
Endurance
D
| ||
Endurance
D
|
Agility
B
|
Mana
E
| |
Agility
B
|
Luck
B
|
Noble Phantasm
?
| |
Mana
E
| |||
Luck
B
| |||
Noble Phantasm
?
|
Class skill is "Presence Concealment".
In the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, the summon is restricted to Hassan, but there is no such restriction in other Holy Grail Wars.
The class basis for Luck is B, but in reality, most are E, and they certainly live up to that E rank.
Berserker Basis
Strength
B
|
Endurance
C
| ||
Endurance
C
|
Agility
A
|
Mana
D
| |
Agility
A
|
Luck
E
|
Noble Phantasm
?
| |
Mana
D
| |||
Luck
E
| |||
Noble Phantasm
?
|
Class skill is "Mad Enhancement".
Only Heroic Spirits with legends of going berserk can be summoned in this class, though some Servants in FGO like Beowulf and Morgan are exceptions. Some Berserkers have not gone mad, and their Mad Enhancement skills are very low.
Originally a class intended to strengthen weaker Servants. It enhances parameters through Mad Enhancement at the cost of losing reason, rendering some skills and Noble Phantasms unusable, and increasing mana consumption. In the first four Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars, the Berserker pairs all self-destructed because the Masters could not supply enough mana to the rampaging Servants. However, the only case of using Mad Enhancement to strengthen a weak Heroic Spirit is Frankenstein.
If the Mad Enhancement rank is too high, the Master may be unable to command them, requiring the use of Command Spells. There are also cases where the Mad Enhancement rank is very high but they can still converse normally, such as Kiyohime, but their logic has become so simplified that communication is impossible.
However, there are counter-examples; if a Servant is already in a permanent state of madness and is then summoned as a Berserker, it may result in two negatives making a positive, returning them to a normal person, such as Jack the Ripper in FSF.
Fame Boost
A Servant's abilities are boosted by their fame in the location where they are summoned.
If they are very famous and supported by high levels of faith, their parameters will be strengthened upon summoning. If Cu Chulainn were summoned in Ireland, his parameters would rise, and he would gain additional Noble Phantasms like a castle and a chariot, as well as the Protection from Sleeplessness skill.
In the series, Vlad III is summoned in Romania. Because he is the universally known "Guardian General" in Romania, he receives an extremely high fame boost, allowing him to fight against top-tier Servants like Karna, whom he otherwise could not oppose. However, this boost is lost once he enters the Hanging Gardens.
However, this will not cause a Servant to exceed their original peak strength.
Two Great Powers
Mage's Association
- Main article:Mage's Association
A self-defense and management organization composed of magi, responsible for managing the Mage's World and ensuring its concealment and development.
The Association can recommend magi to participate in the Holy Grail War. Previously it was one person, but during the Fifth Holy Grail War, it was two.
News of the Holy Grail War was deliberately concealed in the Clock Tower, and it was looked down upon by most magi as child's play in the Far East, held in skepticism until Lord El-Melloi's sudden death in Fuyuki, after which the danger of the Holy Grail War was finally taken seriously.
It entered into a non-aggression pact with the Holy Church, agreeing to let the Church dispatch an Overseer to supervise the conduct of the Holy Grail War.
Holy Church
- Main article:Holy Church
The Church confirmed that this Holy Grail is not the one from their doctrines, so they do not seek it for themselves, only entrusting it to a suitable person.
The Mages' Association and the Holy Church reached an agreement to dispatch an Overseer to manage the Holy Grail War ritual. To ensure a neutral stance, the position is held by a member of the Church's clergy.
The Overseer is notified when a Servant is successfully summoned. When all seven Servants are gathered, the start of the Holy Grail War is announced. If a Master commits a major violation, they can be punished with the stripping of their Command Spells. The Overseer can also issue orders to Masters to hunt down a dangerous target and provide rewards. When a Master is defeated, they can seek sanctuary at the Church.
Previously recovered Command Spells are kept by the Overseer.
Past Holy Grail Wars
Main Series
According to the gameFate/stay nightthe first through fourth Holy Grail Wars mentioned have the following characteristics:
- Saber always survived until the end (thus being considered the strongest class).
- The Assassins were all Hassan-i-Sabbah.
- The Masters of Berserker all died from having their magical energy drained.
- The Servants summoned in the first through third Holy Grail Wars were all those defined as heroes in history (with the exception of Angra Mainyu, who was an irregular summon). Starting from the fourth Holy Grail War, non-heroic Servants could be summoned.
The First Holy Grail Ritual
Time: Around 1800
- Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern(Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern)
- Makiri Zolgen(Makiri Zouken)
Witness: The Wizard Marshall Zelretch
The First Holy Grail War. No formal rules were established beforehand.
Because there was no expectation of how the ritual would proceed, there was no anticipation of combat. After the ritual began, the Three Founding Families discovered that only one group could use the Holy Grail, so a conflict broke out between them.
The Masters' awareness as "participants" was weak, and due to the lack of Command Spells, situations arose where Servants would not obey orders. For these reasons, this Holy Grail summoning failed before it could even take the form of a ritual.
The location of the Holy Grail's descent was Ryuudou Temple.[1]
The Second Holy Grail War
Time: 1860s
In light of the failure of the first, detailed rules were planned out.
The "Command Spell system" was added and completed, enabling Masters to command Servants.
External magi were recruited to participate, with "knowledge of the Holy Grail's activation ritual" as the reward.
It was originally intended to be a conflict only between the Three Founding Families, but the families later fell out, and the other four groups also joined the struggle. Ultimately, all participants were wiped out, and the ritual failed.
The location of the Holy Grail's descent was the Tohsaka Residence.[1]
The Third Holy Grail War
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saber | Edelfelt sisterYounger sister | In their twentiesRisei Kotomine | |
| Lancer | Fionn mac Cumhaill | Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia | |
| Archer | |||
| Rider | |||
| Caster | |||
| Assassin | Hassan-i-Sabbah | A certain puppeteer | |
Avenger |
Angra Mainyu | Einzbern family |
The turning point of the Holy Grail Wars. Held on the eve of World War II. The Mage's Association and the Holy Church began to intervene, dispatching Risei Kotomine as the supervisor. The Imperial Army and the Nazis also became involved over the Lesser Grail, and the battle unfolded with the Imperial Capital as the stage.
The Einzbern family cheated, illegally summoning a Heroic Spirit of the extra class, AvengerAngra Mainyu, but Avenger was unexpectedly as weak as an ordinary person, dying on the fourth day after the start of the Holy Grail War, with his soul being recovered into the Greater Grail. The colorless power of the Greater Grail was contaminated into black mud by Avenger, who was formed by evil wishes.
Twin sisters from the Edelfelt family participated; the younger sister was "killed in action," while the elder sister survived. Since then, the Edelfelts have come to loathe everything related to Japan.
Ultimately failed because the Lesser Grail was destroyed.
The location for the Grail's descent was Fuyuki Church.[1]
Fourth Holy Grail War
Related works:Fate/Zero
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saber | Artoria Pendragon | Kiritsugu Emiya | Already an old man'sRisei Kotomine |
| Lancer | Diarmuid Ua Duibhne | Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald→Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri→Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald | |
| Archer | Gilgamesh | Tokiomi Tohsaka→Kirei Kotomine | |
| Rider | Iskandar | Waver Velvet | |
| Caster | Gilles de Rais | Ryuunosuke Uryuu | |
| Assassin | Hassan of the Hundred Faces | Kirei Kotomine | |
| Berserker | Lancelot | Kariya Matou |
In this Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family learned from previous lessons and made the Lesser Grail into a homunculus capable of independent movementIrisviel von Einzbern, and hired the external "Magus Killer" Kiritsugu Emiya to fight.
The supervisor Risei Kotomine originally intended to assist Tokiomi Tohsaka in obtaining the Holy Grail and had his son Kirei Kotomine assist him. However, things went beyond everyone's expectations; Kirei Kotomine's inner desires and Archer Gilgamesh's impatience with Tokiomi Tohsaka led to Tokiomi Tohsaka being killed by Kirei Kotomine. Kirei Kotomine later became Gilgamesh's Master, becoming the most powerful force.
The ones who survived until the end were Kiritsugu Emiya and the Saber faction; however, Kiritsugu Emiya saw through the fact that the Holy Grail had been polluted by "All the World's Evil"Angra Mainyu's nature, and used a Command Spell to order Saber to destroy the Holy Grail. However, the black mud of "All the World's Evil" still flowed out, causing a massive fire. Gilgamesh was also granted a physical body by the black mud, surpassing Heroic Spirits and surviving until the Fifth Holy Grail War. Kiritsugu Emiya rescued a boy from the fire and named him Shirou Emiya, who would become one of the protagonists of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
After the Fourth Holy Grail War ended, Kiritsugu Emiya stayed in Fuyuki City. He used the last few years of his life to map out the structure of the underground Great Cavern of Mount Enzou, bypassed the defenses of the Greater Grail magic circle, and created a "tumor" on the mountain. It was estimated that in thirty to forty years, the gradual changes caused by this tumor to the mountain would eventually cause the Great Cavern to collapse, leading to the complete destruction of the Greater Grail magic circle. ...If the cycle for the Greater Grail to accumulate magical energy remained sixty years, the history of the Holy Grail War would have ended with the fourth one as Kiritsugu Emiya wished.
The location of the Holy Grail's manifestation was the Fuyuki City Civic Center.
The Fifth Holy Grail War
Related works:Fate/stay night
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saber | Artoria Pendragon | Shirou Emiya (UBW Route: →Rin Tohsaka) |
Kirei Kotomine |
| Lancer | Cu Chulainn | Bazett Fraga McRemitz→Kirei Kotomine | |
| Archer | Heroic Spirit EMIYA | Rin Tohsaka (UBW Route: →Caster) | |
| Rider | Medusa | Sakura Matou、Shinji Matou(Book of the False Attendant) | |
| Caster | Medea | Atram Galiast→Souichirou Kuzuki | |
| Assassin | Sasaki Kojirou | Caster | |
| Berserker | Heracles | Illyasviel von Einzbern | |
| Archer (Gilgamesh) | Gilgamesh | Kirei Kotomine | |
| True Assassin | Hassan of the Cursed Arm | Zouken Matou | |
| Saber Alter (HF route only) |
Artoria Pendragon (Alter) | Sakura Matou |
Occurred in 2004. The survivors were the Shirou Emiya and Saber camp (Fate route) / Rin Tohsaka and Saber camp (UBW route) / Sakura Matou and Rider camp (HF route); however, regardless of the route, the truth that the Holy Grail was contaminated by "All the World's Evil" is eventually discovered, and the advent of the Holy Grail is stopped by Saber (Fate/UBW routes), Shirou Emiya (HF route Normal End), or Illya (HF route True End).
The location of the Holy Grail's descent was Ryuudou Temple.
Holy Grail War of the Night
| Servant | Servant True Name | Servant Role-players | Master | Master Role-players | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saber Saber Alter |
Artoria Pendragon Artoria Pendragon (Alter) |
Edelfelt sisters | Rin Tohsaka & Sakura Matou | Caren Ortensia | |
| Lancer | |||||
| Archer | |||||
| Rider | |||||
| Caster | |||||
| Assassin | Hassan-i-Sabbah | A certain puppeteer | |||
| - | Heracles | Master of Einzbern | Illyasviel von Einzbern | ||
| Avenger | Angra Mainyu | - | Bazett Fraga McRemitz | - | |
| Newly added characters related to the Holy Grail War:Bazett Fraga McRemitz、Avenger、Caren Ortensia Existing Holy Grail War participants: Participants of the Fifth Holy Grail War other than Kirei Kotomine | |||||
Dismantling of the Holy Grail
Time: Ten years after the Fifth Holy Grail War, 2010s
Characters:Lord El-Melloi II、The head of the Tohsaka family at the time
Approximately ten years after the Fifth Holy Grail War. Lord El-Melloi II visited Fuyuki City and, together with the head of the Tohsaka family, set out to completely dismantle the Greater Grail. Since the Mage's Association planned to revive the Greater Grail, the two sides were in complete opposition. After a turmoil comparable to a Holy Grail War, the Greater Grail was dismantled. The Holy Grail War of Fuyuki City reached its complete end here.[1]
Tokyo Holy Grail War
First Tokyo Holy Grail War
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master |
|---|---|---|
| Saber | Arthur Pendragon | Manaka Sajyou |
| Lancer | Brynhildr | Nigel Sayward |
| Archer | Arash | Elsa Saijo |
| Rider | Ozymandias | Shizuri Isemi |
| Caster | Paracelsus von Hohenheim | Head of the Reiroukan Family |
| Assassin | Hassan of Serenity's | Seiji Jinga |
| Berserker | Henry Jekyll & Hyde | Tatsumi Kitano |
The specific settings differ from the above. Both Masters and Servants have ranks.
Manaka Sajyou won the final victory, but just as she was about to throw her sister Ayaka into the Greater Grail as a sacrifice, she was pierced from behind by Saber's sword. The Holy Grail War ended inconclusively.
Second Tokyo Holy Grail War
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master |
|---|---|---|
| Saber | Arthur Pendragon | Ayaka Sajyou |
| Lancer | Cu Chulainn | Misaya Reiroukan |
| Archer | Gilgamesh | A certain company president |
| Rider | Perseus | Aro Isemi |
| Caster | Medea | |
| Assassin | Sasaki Kojirou | |
| Berserker | Heracles | Sangred Fan (Sancraid Phahn) |
| Beast | Manaka Sajyou |
At the end of the Holy Grail War, Ayaka Sajyou, along with Saber, Archer, and Lancer, confronted Manaka and the six Servants tainted by the black mud who remained in the Grail from the previous Holy Grail War.
False Holy Grail War
The Holy Grail War that appears in Fate/strange Fake, taking place ten years after the Fifth Holy Grail War in Snowfield, USA. Its organizers spent seventy years building this city and hid fragments of Fuyuki City's Holy Grail within it. The first six Servants summoned by various factions are "False Servants," whose current purpose is to supplement Snowfield's leylines; the seventh Servant summoned thereafterRichard the Lionheartis the True Servant, meaning this False Holy Grail War has ascended into a True Holy Grail War (the distinction between False and True Servants is systemic rather than based on strength; Gilgamesh is also one of the False Servants). Among them are Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Alcides,Heracles' Avenger form,and other powerful Servants, as well as an ordinary person granted the Lancer class,Maiya Hisau,the son Sigma, and a blonde woman named Ayaka Sajyou who was implanted with five Command Spells; the situation is complex.
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master |
|---|---|---|
| Saber | Richard the Lionheart | Ayaka SajyouThe person who summoned them was killed by Assassin, and their magical energy link was transferred toAyaka Sajyouthem, and a contract was formed. |
| Lancer | Enkidu | Silver Wolf Chimera |
| Archer | Gilgamesh | A certain nameless magusKilled by Tine Chelc→ Tine Chelc |
| Rider | Pale Rider | Tsubaki Kuruoka |
| Caster | Alexandre Dumas | Orlando Reeve |
| Assassin | Female Zealot | Jester KartureDead Apostle |
| Berserker | Jack the Ripper | Flat EscardosHas been replaced by the existence "Thia" within his body |
| True Lancer | NoneTrue Lancer is Sigma, the son of Maiya Hisau; he summoned Watcher, who is not a Servant, and became True Lancer himself | |
| True Archer → Avenger | Heracles → Alcides | Bazdilot Cordelion |
| True Rider | Hippolyta | Thirty students of the El-Melloi Classroom, including Rin Tohsaka and Luvia |
| True Caster | François Prelati | FrancescaThe same person as True Caster, but in a different body |
| True Assassin | Hassan-i-Sabbah | Faldeus |
| True Berserker | HumbabaTransformed into a steel colossus due to the influence of the catalyst | HaruriRelies on Ishtar possessing an Einzbern homunculus |
| Watcher | Σ |
Fate/Apocrypha
Fate/Apocrypha isFate/stay night's parallel world, with the Third Holy Grail War as the branching point.
Parallel World Third Holy Grail War
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saber | Edelfelt sisters | In their twentiesRisei Kotomine | |
| Lancer | Fionn mac Cumhaill | Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia | |
| Archer | |||
| Rider | |||
| Caster | |||
| Assassin | Hassan-i-Sabbah | ||
| Ruler | Amakusa Shirou Tokisada | Einzbern family |
In Fate/Apocrypha, during the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzberns cheated and illegally summoned Ruler Amakusa Shirou Tokisada instead of Avenger Angra Mainyu, so the Greater Grail was not corrupted.
Darnic Prestone、Zouken Matou, andIrisvielhomunculi with the same appearance participated in this Holy Grail War.
Nazi Germany and the Imperial Army also intervened, with Darnic as the Nazi representative. Ruler touched the Holy Grail and successfully incarnated, but was defeated due to his Master's death. Darnic found the location of the Holy Grail using Fionn's finger-licking Noble Phantasm; the Greater Grail was seized by the Nazis, but Darnic betrayed them in Romania, and the Grail was hidden there. The Three Founding Families declined, and the Matou family was almost completely destroyed.
To prevent anyone from searching for the Holy Grail, the Mages' Association had to disclose information about the Holy Grail War to the mage world. Mages, lamenting that the Root was out of reach, learned that they could get closer to it through this ritual and began frantically creating Holy Grails, one of which—a degraded version—succeeded.
In this world, Subcategory Holy Grail Wars are occurring everywhere, ranging from small-scale battles with two Servants to larger ones with five. Groups similar to Holy Grail War strategy wikis have formed among young mages, racking their brains to try and surpass the stubborn elders.
In the early days, because Assassins have low mana consumption and killing Masters is much easier than defeating Servants, Assassins dominated the battlefield. Later, Masters devised countermeasures, forming an anti-Assassin alliance as soon as an Assassin's summoning was confirmed. Since only Hassans could be summoned as Assassins and their numbers were limited, the data on all Hassans has been thoroughly analyzed.
Because the ley lines are inferior to those in Fuyuki, most Servants cannot perform at the same level as they did in Fuyuki. As a result, to enhance Servant strength, it often turns into a struggle for catalysts of high-fame Servants. For example, in Greece, it was a struggle for Heracles's catalyst; the mage who secured it practically won before the war even began. After Heracles was banned, the next one became a struggle for Achilles's catalyst. This has led to the Subcategory Holy Grail Wars in Greece never being held in a truly serious manner.
Main Story
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruler | Jeanne | None | Shirou Kotomine |
| Saber of Black | Siegfried | Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia | |
| Lancer of Black | Vlad III | Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia | |
| Archer of Black | Chiron | Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia | |
| Rider of Black | Astolfo | Selenike Icecol Yggdmillennia→Sieg | |
| Caster of Black | Avicebron | Roche Frain Yggdmillennia | |
| Berserker of Black | Frankenstein | Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia | |
| Assassin of Black | Jack the Ripper | Hyoma Sagara→Reika Rikudou | |
| Saber of Red | Mordred | Kairi Sisigou | |
| Lancer of Red | Karna | Feend vor Sembren → Shirou Kotomine | |
| Archer of Red | Atalanta | Rottweil Pelginski → Shirou Kotomine | |
| Rider of Red | Achilles | Pentel Brothers → Shirou Kotomine | |
| Caster of Red | William Shakespeare | Jean Rum → Shirou Kotomine | |
| Assassin of Red | Semiramis | Shirou KotomineThe Ruler who obtained a physical body during the Third Holy Grail War,Amakusa Shirou Tokisada | |
| Berserker of Red | Spartacus | Pentel Brothers → Shirou Kotomine |
In Fate/Apocrypha, the Holy Grail War system was leaked following the decline of the Three Founding Families, leading to Subcategory Holy Grail Wars breaking out all over the world.
At the time when the Fifth War would have occurred in the main timeline, the Yggdmillennia clan (Black Faction) in Romania summoned seven Servants using the Holy Grail and defected from the Mages' Association. The surviving mages activated the Holy Grail's reserve system, and the Mages' Association (Red Faction) also summoned seven Servants. The Holy Grail itself summoned Ruler Jeanne d'Arc to join this seven-on-seven Great Holy Grail War.
Regarding the Three Founding Families and Fuyuki, the Einzbern family lacked the ability to recreate the Greater Grail,a certain Magus Killer with dead eyeswould not cooperate with them either, seemingly destined to eventually become EMIYA [Assassin]; the Matou family has completely declined; and the Tohsaka family has returned to the first generation'sNagato Tohsakamethod of combining magecraft and martial arts,The twin-tailed older sisterbecame a magic martial artist, whileYounger Sisterwas adopted into the Edelfelt family, the maiden home of Tokiomi's mother, and with a certainGolden Drillformed a professional wrestling tag team.Shiroudid not change his surname and lived a happy school harem life in Fuyuki.
The Great Holy Grail War ended in a pyrrhic victory for the Black Faction. Sieg, who turned into a solitary and gentle dragon, carried the Greater Grail, which was about to activate the Third Magic, and flew into the Reverse Side of the World. After the war, the Yggdmillennia family was dismantled, and their Master, Caules, was sent to the Clock Tower as a hostage.
Some time after the Great Holy Grail War, another Holy Grail War took place in Norway where one Master summoned two Servants. One of the pairs consisted of Aslaug and Ragnar Lodbrok.
Ainsworth Holy Grail War
| Class Card | User |
|---|---|
| Saber Card | Zachary Ainsworth (Doll) |
| Lancer Card | Kayneth (Doll) |
| Archer Card | Angelica(Doll) |
| Rider Card | Kariya Matou (Doll) |
| Caster Card | Atram (Puppet) |
| Assassin Card | Shinji Matou(Doll) |
| Berserker Card | Beatrice Flowerchild(Doll) |
| Trash Card → Archer Card | Sakura Matou→Shirou Emiya |
Fate/Grand Order
Time: 2004
Only one Holy Grail War was held in Fuyuki. Ultimately, Marisbury Animusphere and his ServantSolomonemerged victorious. Marisbury did not wish to use the Einzbern method to reach the Root, and instead made a wish for "immense wealth," while spreading rumors to the outside world that "Saber and their Master were the victors,"Solomon made a wish to become a normal human, and in the following year, underRomani Archamanthe identity of, entered Chaldea's medical department.
Singularity F
A great fire broke out during the Holy Grail War, and the humans of Fuyuki City have all died, leaving only Servants. After Saber was blackened, she attacked the other Servants; all except Caster were defeated and blackened by her. Finally,Mash Kyrielightjoined forces with Caster and others to defeat Saber, ending the Holy Grail War.
Singularity F (Game)
| Servant | Servant True Name |
|---|---|
| Saber | Artoria Pendragon |
| Lancer | Musashibo Benkei |
| Archer | Heroic Spirit EMIYA |
| Rider | |
| Caster | Cu Chulainn |
| Assassin | Hassan of the Cursed Arm |
| Berserker | Heracles |
Singularity F (First Order)
| Servant | Servant True Name |
|---|---|
| Saber | Artoria Pendragon |
| Lancer | Medusa |
| Archer | Heroic Spirit EMIYA |
| Rider | Darius III |
| Caster | Cu Chulainn |
| Assassin | Hassan of the Cursed Arm |
| Berserker | Heracles |
Tenran Holy Grail War
Ashiya Doumanthe Holy Grail War system designed by.
| Practitioners | Tenran Warriors |
|---|---|
| Ritsuka Fujimaru | Sakata Kintoki |
| Medea (Lily) | Watanabe no Tsuna |
| Helena Blavatsky | Usui Sadamitsu |
| Count Cagliostro | Urabe no Suetake |
| Nursery Rhyme | Minamoto no Raikou |
| Paracelsus von Hohenheim | Shuten-douji |
| Charles Babbage | Murasaki Shikibu |
| Ashiya Douman | Ashiya Douman |
Fate/Labyrinth
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master |
|---|---|---|
| Saber | Manaka Sajyou | |
| Archer | Robin Hood | |
| Caster | Medea | |
| Assassin | Hassan of the Cursed Arm |
Moon Holy Grail War
- Unlike the Holy Grail Wars that take place on Earth, the Moon Holy Grail War occurs in a parallel world with a worldview significantly different from the main series.
- One difference is the supercomputer Moon Cell established on the moon, and the other is that with the depletion of Mana, magi transform into Spiritron Hackers to enter the moon and participate in the Holy Grail War.
- The number of participants in the Moon Holy Grail War is far greater than those on Earth; multiple individuals of the same class can exist simultaneously, and there are classes that do not exist in the Fuyuki system.
- Due to the special environment inside the Moon Cell, even the same Servant may have differences in abilities (usually the Moon Cell version is slightly stronger).
- There are a total of 128 Masters, with half being eliminated at each level. Originally, losers did not have to die, but due to the interference of Twice H. Pieceman, the defeated will die.
EXTRA Last Encore
| Floor Number | Class | Servant True Name | Master |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | Saber | Nero Claudius | Hakuno Kishinami |
| 1 | Rider | Francis Drake | Shinji Matou |
| Berserker | Darius III | ||
| Berserker | Fergus mac Róich | ||
| Berserker | Leonidas I | ||
| 2 | Archer | Robin Hood | Dan Blackmore |
| Saber | Suzuka Gozen | ||
| Assassin | Fuuma Kotarou | ||
| 3 | Rider | Monster of the Ganges | Misao Amari |
| Caster | Nursery Rhyme | Alice | |
| 5 | Berserker | Li Shuwen | Julius Belkisk Harwey |
| 6 | Lancer | Cu Chulainn | Rin Tohsaka |
| Berserker | Lu Bu Fengxian | Rani VIII | |
| 7 | Caster | Tamamo-no-Mae | Twice H. Pieceman |
| Saver | Buddha |
UBW Anime Version × Honkai: Star RailCollaboration
The first session of Penaconyand also the last sessionHoly Grail War
Oti AlfalfaFromSampoA ritual hosted after obtaining the Holy Grail from him. Unlike the original Fate series' secret, where all responsibility is blamed on gas leaksHoly Grail War, Old Oti wants to turn the Holy Grail War into a public entertainment program for the entire universe.
| Servant | Servant True Name | Master | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saber | Artoria Pendragon | Trailblazer | Oti Alfalfa |
| Lancer | Cu Chulainn | Boothill | |
| Archer | Heroic Spirit EMIYA | Aventurine | |
| Rider | Mikhail Char Legwork | Pam | |
| Caster | Asuna(Miss Note) | Robin | |
| Assassin | Grady | Lyndon Scott | |
| Berserker | Oti Alfalfa | ||
Pseudo-Holy Grail War
ScrewllumNeutralized the Holy Grail, and added the Roguelike gameplay of the Simulated Universe, making it no longer able to grant wishes, but still retaining the ability to hold the ritual.
| Servant (Excluding Player, one is randomly selected for each class every time) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Trailblazer | ||
| Saber | Yunli | White Calamity | March 7th |
| Lancer | Dan Heng | Argenti | Seele |
| Archer | Yanqing | Feixiao | Aventurine |
| Rider | Jing Yuan | Topaz | Shorekeeper |
| Caster | Kafka | Fuu Sumire | Madam Herta |
| Assassin | Acheron | Sapphire | Silver Wolf |
| Berserker | Firefly | Jingliu | Clara |
Notes and References
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 テックジャイアン編集部. 聖杯戦争 [Holy Grail War]. Fate/complete material III World material.. Fate/complete material. Enterbrain. October 29, 2010: P4-11. ISBN 978-4047269026 (Japanese).
- ↑ テックジャイアン編集部. Servantの召喚 [Summoning of Servants]. Fate/complete material III World material.. Fate/complete material. Enterbrain. October 29, 2010: P13. ISBN 978-4047269026 (Japanese).
- ↑ Chants & Incantations | TYPE-MOON Wiki | Fandom. TYPE-MOON wiki (English).