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Fate Series - Classpecting (Part 1)
🕑 Added 2020-11-20 01:02:28 +0000 UTC
Fate! You may have heard it at some point, if not because of the widespread popularity of its characters, at the very least for its massively successful mobile game, Grand Order. Which, sure, is a Waifu Gacha Game, but actually surprisingly good, story-wise, and compelling enough to keep me hooked for well over a year at this point (Without having had to spend a dime, I may add-)
So yes, you could say it's been a bit of a fixation of mine lately! And it got the most votes on the poll so it means at least SOME of you wanted to see me talk about it. And for those who don't know ANYTHING about this series in the slightest, I would say 'don't worry' and proceed to explain it a little bit, to get some context, hoping you can still enjoy the Analysis ahead. But... You know what? No 'Don't worry'. More like buckle up, buckaroos, because this thing actually reaches Homestuck levels of convoluted.
Let's not delay this anymore, then, and just get into it, shall we?
Introduction - What Is Fate?
The Fate Series, as its name indicates, is a series, a franchise taking place within the same framework, rather than a singular anime or game you can simply track down. It takes place in a world in which Magecraft exists, and an underground society of Mages exist with various degrees of influence over the world around them. I won't get too deep into details, because it gets, kind of crazy, but one of the primary draws from this series is the Servants and the Holy Grail Wars.
Servants are figures that left a mark in history. Important enough for Humanity as a whole that they are remembered in the collective consciousness of Humankind, and recorded in a metaphysical space known as the 'Throne of Heroes'. As such, under certain circumstances, these figures can be summoned by Mages as familiars, to fight for them, some as they were in life, others altered depending on the various facets of their history or the popular perception of them as mythical and historical figures, and always as part of a 'Class' that sort of determines their particular skill sets and proficiencies. (Saber, Caster, Assassin, etc.)
Holy Grail Wars on the other hand, are rituals in which Mages, each with one Servant of each of the main Classes, fight each other to beckon and claim the power of the Holy Grail, a manifestation of an immense Magic Power capable of granting wishes.
There's divergences, there's sub-plots with various families of Mages and Organizations, disruptions of various kinds to the formula, but ultimately these are core concepts of the Series, and particularly with Servants, something we'll return to. Of course, the initial premise, when put like that, sounds quite fun and simple, mighty heroes of myth pitted against each other, an anime series where you can have Arthurian Knights fight Greek Heroes! But believe me, it gets. Weird, and ridiculous, specially when historical figures come into play more than characters of myth.
This is a series that made me ship Jeanne d'Arc and Marie Antoniette, y'all. Once you go in there's no going back.
That's enough meandering though. I'll go in uh, further detail when I touch upon specific characters from specific parts of the franchise. With this out of the way, however, I need to add a Spoiler Warning, particularly for Fate/Grand Order, as I will be discussing certain plot points and twists to explain my reasoning for the characters.
Let's just Classpect a bunch, y'all!
Mash Kyrielight - Knight of Mind
And what better place to start in, with the girl that serves as the main side-character and semi-love interest, of the mobile game Fate/Grand Order? Okay perhaps it's not the best place to begin with, but I mainly know FGO, so shut up-.
Mash Kyrielight is a member of Chaldea, a Magecraft organization dedicated to observing Human History and preserving it, and she, in particular, is a special case among special cases. A Demi-Servant, a girl experimented on to bond her to a Servant, in order to make said Servant... Easier to control. She's introduced as your junior in the organization, in terms of experience, and she quickly takes a liking to you because of your way of being, your drive to help others... Due to having been born and raised in Chaldea as an experiment, she starts off very passive, and with a very subdued personality, almost like a robot in a way. But the longer she fights alongside you, and sees the beauty of the world with her own eyes, is presented with difficult choices, and meets more and more people, she opens up, becomes happier and brighter, and gains a more solid conviction to face off against adversity and protect Humankind with you.
As such, the Knight of Mind fits quite well for her. Mind, from her at her most negative when she seemed to lack some Heart, have no will of her own, to her developed state, will to keep pushing, and cherished memories, and a Knight, from her status as a Servant tasked with shielding you and helping you, to her self-sacrificial nature and pushing her own limits trying to hold for you and everyone's sakes. Mash' ultimate ability is a fortress described as an "Impenetrable fortress of the psyche", a barrier that will hold against anything, so long as she's determined in seeing it through, as her mind doesn't falter. And alongside her ties to Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table, it was too fitting not to go for it.
Ritsuka Fujimaru - Page of Hope
Ah yes, Page of Hope, I am indeed saying that the playable protagonist from Grand Order is, in fact, a Jake. Ritsuka, as they're officially known (You can choose their gender and change it at any point), is a nobody. Literally, Chaldea invited Mages from all over the world for their mission of protecting Humanity, and you were there merely to fill a quota. Lacking in talent, from a commoner family, lacking in attention, you start off as the underdog in every way, only for tragedy to strike in Chaldea, leaving you as the only one capable of having Mash as a Familiar, and being sent off to try and save the world from being destroyed.
Ritsuka's main talent lies in the fact that they're able to form contracts, Summon and maintain an insane amount of Servants at the same time. Despite not being a good Mage, you keep gathering dozens and eventually hundreds of allies through all of History, in hopes of fighting back the Incineration of Humanity. You are served Hope by everyone, and rise from the ranks of a nobody, to a savior. A Page, starting with nothing but unlocking great potential, being served by many at once, and while largely selfless in their desire to protect everyone, this rise as an unlikely Hero filling a role too big for you does have its drawbacks on others around you, in order to keep you safe and sound.
Also you may have noticed Ritsuka is a Bard in the image I drew above. I just want to clarify, that is not Ritsuka, that is Gudako, the parody of Ritsuka from the spin-off 'Learning with Manga', in which Ritsuka is presented not as a savior of humanity, but as a Gacha-obsessed pervert that is just playing for the cute girls. Yes, it's as silly as it sounds, and it absolutely pokes fun at the stereotype of the fanbase.
Shirou Emiya - Knight of Doom
Let's take a step back from Grand Order for a moment, and talk about Shirou Emiya. A protagonist from Fate/Stay Night, the original entry in the series, and an overall good, but stubborn boy. He's a Mage himself, and becomes the Master of Saber, King Arthur, during a Holy Grail War. Or rather, Artoria, we'll get back to that can of worms later-
Shirou's family died due to the previous Holy Grail War, and he only survived thanks to who'd become his adoptive father, a Mage that participated in the ritual, and felt awful about its consequences. Eventually, his adoptive dad died as well, but he passed on a deep desire in Shirou to become a Hero that Saves Everyone. And yet, he's constantly faced with the dilema that, in order to save someone, often someone else ends up dead. He's also protective to a fault, to the point of trying to protect his Servant from harm, despite the fact Servants are infinitely more powerful and resilient than Humans.
This focus on saving people, but being torn about the loss, doing his best, his self-sacrificial nature, the pain and loss he's gone through, all seems to point to him being a Knight of Doom. In another Timeline (Oh yeah baby, this series also deals with alternate Timelines and metaphysical bullshit. We'll come back to this), he himself becomes a Servant, EMIYA- Or rather, an Agent of the Counterforce, basically a 'tool' used by the World, Summoned in order to try and get rid of threats that could endanger the World as a whole. In this state, he's become a lot more cynical, as his disappointment with not being able to save everyone continues, but ultimately, he still seems to fit the role of a Knight of Doom of someone employed to prevent Doom. Ironically, Shirou is a good cook, which I often associate with Life, Doom's counterpart.
Rin Tohsaka - Maid of Life
And if we were talking about Ritsuka being a Jake, then Rin seems to me like quite the Jane. Rin is a schoolmate of Shirou, and the daughter and successor to a family of Mages that owns the land the Holy Grail War is taking place upon. She's also a Master, like Shirou, and participant in the same Holy Grail War, and so her relationship with Shirou flips from comrades to rivals often. She's a huge Tsundere, really, though there's more depth to her.
Ultimately, though, she's a girl with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, meant to be the successor of her family line, that has had to bear with a lot and yet keeps pushing on to prove herself. A perfectionist that tries to keep up a more sanitized image publicly, quick to lash out, a tad coarse, but ultimately determined and well-meaning. She's also stingy and has a tie to wealth and privilege. Hence, my Classpecting as the Maid of Life, both due to her role and trying to prove herself, the tug and push of her personality and her image, her very strong personality, and the wealth aspect of it. In Fate/Grand Order, Rin's body becomes the one the Goddess Ishtar is summoned in (It's a long story)- The Sumerian Deity of "love, beauty, sex, war, justice and political power", which seemed to fit well enough as well.
Sakura Matou - Sylph of Heart
Sakura is uh... Oh dear. A schoolmate of Shirou, a Master, and Rin's sister, she was originally a Tohsaka. However, as the Tohsaka already had a daughter and successor, an agreement was made to hand her over to the Matou family to raise her as a successor, as Shinji Matou, the current son of the family, had no capability as a Mage. She endured a lot of abuse and, really, really awful circumstances, but I will not go in detail about them. She seems shy, outwardly, and rather passive, but that is paired with immense inner strength considered what she has had to deal with. Compassionate, gentle, and with her feelings for Shirou helping her resolve of enduring her suffering, but with a lot of inner turmoil and personal issues...
I went for the Sylph of Heart. Something about Heart, Feelings, Soul, Inner Self, resonates with her, both in her status as a love interest, and depth of everything she's gone through and how she's held up through it, while the Sylph accounts for her nature, a bit of a caretaker, helping Shirou out when he got an injury and coming to visit often, paired with both her more private inner world, the resignation to just bear and fade away at her worst, and the uh. Intensity of what she can end up doing in some of the routes, alternate Timelines, of Stay Night. (Did I mention Stay Night was originally a Visual Novel with three main paths? Yeah).
That being said, I ALSO considered Blood and Witch to be possibilities for her, but ultimately I went for a Sylph of Heart.
Artoria Pendragon - Maid of Light
We've talked a lot about Human Characters, so how about a Servant for a change? The next bunch of characters are going to be figures of myth, legend, and historical figures, so, even if you don't know Fate, you've probably heard of them before. For example...
Artoria Pendragon, yes, she's King Arthur, wielder of Excalibur. And she's an interesting character, she's very confident in her fighting skills, ruler of Britain, powerful knight, who's conflicted about her nature. The status of Kinghood imposed upon her, and her role and needing to stand up for her Nation, something she takes pride in but in a way that held back facets of her. A Dehumanization caused by this view as a King, and now, a Servant, more than a Human, that is slowly melted away through the course of Stay Night, revealing a less Knightly woman.
I believe she's a Maid of Light for this reason. That duality in taking pride in her status while also holding back a part of her, sticking to a code of honor, her important status as an extremely powerful Servant tied with the Sword that embodies Victory, shrouded in holy light... It seems fitting enough for her. She is, also, a foodie, which alongside her Royal Status and considering Life as Life Energy, COULD also imply her being a Maid of Life, but I didn't want repeats, and Light seemed more thematically fitting for her either way, so...
I should point out, that this is the Classpect given to Saber Artoria. As the 'cover girl' of the series in a way, she has the most iterations out of any character in the series, younger, older, different realities, swimsuit summer variants, and in particular, herself as an Alter. We'll talk about Alters later, but it's interesting to point out the potential for other iterations of Artoria to be different enough to fit other Classpects better, despite technically being the 'same person'.
Heracles - Bard of Time
Another Servant from the same Holy Grail War Shirou, Rin and Sakura are involved with. The Greek Hero, also known as Hercules, he is an interesting case. As I mentioned, in a Holy Grail War, Servants are often summoned in a 'Class' that determines many things, from their general stats and proficiency, to facets of the myth manifested separately from others. Heracles, in particular, is a Berserker, an extremely powerful Class that trades reason and sanity for raw strength, which makes them difficult to control and handle at times. As such, Heracles doesn't show much of a personality other than 'roaring angrily', which makes him difficult to Classpect.
However, he is Heracles. He is a Greek Hero, and while mostly seeming irrational, he shows brief displays of emotion and will underlying his Madness Enhancement. Determination to keep pushing on, tenacity, the will to protect his Master, whom he actually gets along with surprisingly well... This trend continues in appearances beyond Stay Night, for example a section in Grand Order where he acts on his own to protect a child, despite the fact it was believed he was going to lash out at the child themself. On top of that, he has an obvious focus and taste for Battle and Fighting, and is incredibly sturdy himself- Having gained immortality after the Twelve Labors, he can come back up to 11 consecutive times. Strife, Fighting, Death, Immortality, alongside a very destructive, chaotic nature, that is paradoxically defined by him not being as mindlessly destructive as it seems, and actually bonding with and wanting to protect his Master, and as much as I hate to imagine this 8' tall beast of a man wearing a red codpiece, I've settled on the Bard of Time for him.
Medea - The Heir of Void
I know, I know. Medea. And she's NOT a Witch? what has the world come to! In all seriousness, the Witch Archetype simply didn't match her, but the Heir is still a Magician, so it works at the very least? Medea is an interesting Servant, crafty, shady, mysterious, but not villainous. Disgusted by the behavior of her original Master, she straight up murders him at the first chance she gets, despite the fact doing so severs her bond to the world, as a Servant can't remain without a Master providing her energy. She finds another Master before fading, allowing her to stay, and yet she seems more concerned with staying with him than the prospect of winning the Holy Grail, just making the most of their time.
Medea's myth is one full of misfortune. Forced to love a man she's never met by the will of Aphrodite, labelled a witch and accused until she just, snaps. And that is why I believe she fits the Heir of Void better. Influenced by her environment and powerless to do anything against it, bound to the societal hate thrown at her, until she is consumed by darkness, misfortune and evil. She even has a Familiar, as she summons a fake Assassin Servant herself, pushing even more the idea of the Magician. I considered Blood for her initially, considering her dagger, Rule Breaker, and its ability to break contracts, but in a way, doesn't Void also fit the ability to Nullify and Void these bonds?
Medusa - The Witch of Blood
Medusa, of the Gorgon Sisters, of 'turning people to stone' fame. She's not particularly easy to Classpect, silent and quite devoted to her Master, there's a lot going on for her. Her relationship to her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, her shyness regarding her height, her fate as a person-devouring monster that would consume her sisters and eventually be slain by Perseus, I feel Blood is the closer match for her. Devoted to the bonds she makes, Family and bonds of Fate, literal bloodshed, and the Pegasus that springs forth from her Blood, it seemed to fit better than most other Aspects, with the possible exception of Doom if you want to lean into the inevitability of her Monsterhood and her complex with it.
However, that last part is more related to Gorgon than Medusa- Her Avenger form in Fate/Grand Order, already gone down the path of destruction and bloodshed. Still, as the same entity, it's an interesting point of reference to put together the whole of her beliefs. And so, with her being quite vigilant and crafty, and the potential of using perhaps her Sisters, or even the idea of her as a Monster as her 'Patron' of Blood, I felt Witch of Blood was a good match for her, albeit not even that certain of one. Time perhaps could've been another Aspect to lean into? Fate, Death... But Blood ties really well with Sisterhood, Physical Form, and Actual Blood.
Iskandar - The Mage of Blood
Oh hey, look, someone NOT from Fate/Stay Night! Iskandar is another name for Alexander the Great, and he greatly values friendship and bonds with others, which is already a dead ringer for a Blood Player. A leader of many, focused on ruling not through physical imposition, but through bonding and unification, inspirer of many under his rule, leading by example, there is no doubt in my mind that this man is a Blood Player in the slightest. That said the Class was giving me trouble for a while.
He likes learning about the present world while he's Summoned, showing an interest in History. He tries to form alliances even with other Servants. He has a pretty intense code of morals and is extremely good at reading other people. Ultimately I settled for the Mage of Blood, for this intuition of his, with his inspirational, friendly demeanor perhaps turning the whole 'Ruling and Inspiring' into 'Guiding' others?
Gilgamesh - Prince of Light
Gilgamesh is a Prince of Light. That's it. That's the analysis.
...
Okay, okay yeah I get it, the reasoning. So Gilgamesh is the King of Heroes, the first Hero in recorded History, the King of Uruk, and he's a major asshole. He stands above anything and everything, believing himself to simply be superior, and claiming that every Treasure in the World belongs to him. Carrying himself with regal dignity, offended by the slightest show of disrespect, and constantly talking of others as Mongrels beneath him, he's just, a dick, you know? He's the man that brought the Age of Gods to an end, splitting Humanity from the Mesopotamian Gods, and that, really screams Prince of Light to me.
Between his attachment to his Fortune and Treasure, which claims belong to him even if they have been scattered away from his treasury in this day and age, and using them to attack, quite literally Destroying with his Fortune, and Destroying his Fortune in the process, as well as his regal disposition, fitting of a Prince, his evidently selfish nature, and the idea of that split from the Gods being considered 'Destroying', and having been known as a 'Tyrant King'... Yeah. I considered Thief, but he's not an Outlaw, he's definitely a Royal, and he doesn't need to Steal anything, ever, because it already belongs to him. Honestly if anything he'd be closer to a Lord than a Thief.
Astolfo - The Heir of Mind
Astolfo is one of the Paladins of Charlemagne. You may know them from the Internet being obsessed with them in the worst ways. I am unsure of how Astolfo was depicted in the original Japanese version of Apocrypha, if they played into the 'girly guy' trope or worse, if it's a localization thing... But they canonically pretty much don't care about gender and in FGO use They/Them pronouns, so I'm going to take this moment to reclaim this Thembo for myself and cover my ears from everyone else using He/Him and making Transphobic remarks.
I am not joking about the Thembo thing, by the way. Astolfo used their Hippogriph to go to the Moon, where lost things end up in, to recover Roland's wit, and ended up losing their reason in exchange. They don't think ahead, and instinctively go with what feels good, what feels right, whether it be in their presentation, being blunt with others, and being just adventurous and happy-go-lucky to the point of infuriating those around them. Thankfully they're good-natured in general, but... Yes. This idea of their Reason being lost could hint to them being more Heart, the idea of Hedonism, following base instincts... And yet Astolfo doesn't have a strong self that they project, a way of being. They live in the moment and what seems to be good for them right at that time, without giving the what or why much thought, a very fluid kind of identity. Simply going with their choices as far as they can go. And this happy-go-lucky nature, and lack of any thoughts of their own make them easily influenced, while also making them prone to causing troubles going around, in turn, influencing others. Sounds like a Heir of Mind to me.
Mordred - Prince of Blood
Oh hey, speaking of complex relationships to gender, here's Mordred, Artoria's child, and the one who slew her on the Hill of Camlann in the end. With a distaste for being called a woman, and a more traditionally 'boyish' attitude, they give big Enby-Transmasc vibes, and They/Them has even been used in some material, so I am also adopting them alongside Astolfo, don't @ me. Speaking of adoption, remember how I said Mordred is Artoria's child? And how they killed her? Yeah. They do not get along. Mordred shows a mixture of contempt and hatred for Artoria, while also looking for her approval in other ways. She's the King of Britain, and they're a Knight of the Round Table. They're her slayer, and their kid. This familial conflict is a core part of their identity, and so, Blood, just seems too fitting.
Aside from that, they're rather cocky, coarse, prone to outbursts... Not necessarily mean and unlikeable, they have a charm and a drive that cannot be ignored, but between their attitude, the thing that defines them being this familial conflict and killing Artoria, and the personal conflicted feelings, kind of says Prince of Blood to me. Although, there's the potential for them to be a Thief, as the one that killed Arthur, the idea of them as an 'Outlaw' could be made. Hmm. Food for thought.
Nero Claudius - Prince of Heart
Woah! I hear you say. Another Prince?! Good lord, my choice of Servants is full of Princes, and a Dirk at that, no less! Nero is a lot like Gilgamesh in that she is very... High and mighty and believes everyone should know and love her. However, while Gilgamesh looks down upon others as inferior filth, Nero's feels more... Oblivious? Perhaps endearing? She offers her love to those around her, and expects to be praised in return, for she is Emperor Nero, for she is Rome itself, and Rome is her. In a way, she can come across as a bit detached, childish, and while this could hint to Breath, Heart fits well as well.
This specific, unique set of ideals, and of what Love is, offering her Love and expecting to be praised in return, due to her status, due to the gift it is, but ending up neglecting her nation in the ways that mattered, and eventually, this mismatch of ideals, ended up in her, herself being Destroyed, in Rome being Destroyed. And so, she's a Prince of Heart, unable to reach the Hearts of her people. Umu.
Tamamo no Mae - Witch of Heart
First of all, no, there actually wasn't any other image of Tamamo in anime form that I could find, so it was either this, or breaking the theme of all of them being anime versions. Tamamo no Mae is a courtesan of myth, associated with a Kitsune, but in the Fate Universe, she's actually basically part of Amaterasu. A divine being that became fascinated with Humankind, fell in love with an idealized version of it, reincarnated as a Human in order to experience what it was to be like them, yet ended up being found out, and murdered by those she had only tried to live among and love as one of them. She's also known to have shed her Nine Tails, fearful of her own true self and power, leading to each of them becoming their own individual 'facet' of herself, and desires to experience human love and be a happy fox wife.
So, first of all... Heart. Love of Humanity, Love as a Wife, fear of her Self, a literal Splintered Self, yeah she's Heart. But for her Class, I had originally considered a Knight, as her desire to be a wife and Serve her Love is quite prevalent. However, thinking more about it, the literal change and Reincarnation of herself trying to fit in, the way her Self, that of a fox-like being, started to emerge from her form in life, giving away her identity, changing the being she is in order to become a Human, and someone... Yeah that's tracking more as a Witch right now. And in that way, I suppose, she is her own Patron, and the tug-of-war is with her own identity and facets of herself and power she separated herself from? So yeah. Witch of Heart.
BB - Maid of Rage
Hahaha... Here we go. Remember how I said that this series gets very convoluted? Like, Homestuck-levels of convoluted? And don't get me wrong, some of the stuff I've glossed over already gets complicated as hell. But you know, I think with a brief explanation like the one in the beginning, it's not too difficult to get it. You've got Mages that act as Masters for their Familiars, Servants that are historical figures fighting against each other, and sure, maybe it's bizarre to see Anime Gilgamesh and Alexander the Great going around, but it's not necessarily that weird or impossible to accept, suspend your disbelief.
And then there's this asshole, BB. So. I will be brief. The Moon. Has an Alien Supercomputer in it. And said Alien Supercomputer basically made a Virtual Holy Grail War. And the data from Sakura Matou was used to make a Nurse kind of NPC to heal the Servants within. Which then spazzed out and glitched, broke free of her programming kind of took over and learned to manipulate the place up, obsessed with the protagonist of the game she's from, kind of became a villain but not REALLY, she's more like putting up the show of the villain, and also created Alter Egos of her own data, combined with the recorded data of several deities? She's BB-chan, the devilish heroine!
... Yeah she's a Maid of Rage alright. Her entire existence is several layers of convoluted, and she's an immensely chaotic being that often comes across as disruptive or villainous.
Romani Archaman - Muse of Void
I've talked about FGO briefly at the start, with Mash and Ritsuka being its main characters, and then moved on to classic characters and servants that have appeared in other Fate media. So how about he close up with a bunch more Fate/Grand Order? Starting with THIS guy in particular, Dr. Romani Archaman. And... I mentioned there would be FGO spoilers earlier, and here they are, primarily, with him. If you're interested in FGO, or following the story, and would rather not have any major plot point spoiled, please skip to Da Vinci up next, and ignore the following paragraphs.
....
Okay, cool?
I've given enough space to stave off the spoilers I think so.
Let's get to it.
Dr. Roman is a pretty... Voidy guy. He doesn't seem to like socializing too in-depth with others, and only interacts a bit superficially, although he's a good person and willing to lend his help, there's a layer of pessimism and cowardice permeating him that often makes him come across as detached and weird. Of course this is easily explained, as his true identity is that of Solomon, the King of Magecraft. Summoned as a Servant in an alternate-Universe version of the events of Fate/Stay Night, he and his Master, the founder of Chaldea, won the Holy Grail War, and were granted a wish. He was a good King, a wise King, and yet no King at all, appointed from childhood and following the command of God, he lived life barely able to properly socialize, and with little humanity or choice of his own. He's defined by this lack, that led him to wish to become a Human to the Holy Grail, reincarnating as Romani Archaman. However, he soon started to have visions of the annihilation of humanity, and as such, returned to who used to be his Master in Chaldea to try and prevent such a thing from happening.
Of course, the important detail here is found out to be the bad guy behind the destruction of Humanity in the first place, something Romani responds to with shock and disbelief. Surely he couldn't do such a thing, right? He would never do such a thing, there must be something else going on. The reveal of Roman being Solomon is a pivotal point at the end of the first Arc of Fate/Grand Order, and he ends up sacrificing himself, erasing himself completely, in order to give you a fighting chance. A background character, who ends up being pivotal and game-changing. Hidden, secrecy, kept away from you until the right moment. A King that lived with a lack of humanity, and became an otaku pessimist, but still tried to do his best, and ended a martyr, erased, to allow you to keep going, and save the world.
Yeah, that is a Muse of Void alright. The one reason I didn't consider someone like Gilgamesh to be a Master Class, is because people like him exist, so much more fitting.
...
Okay.
Alright, Spoilers over, let's move on.
Leonardo da Vinci - Seer of Space
Leonardo Da Vinci! The genius inventor! A fantastic trans woman, yes, she chased after beauty and perfection and straight up transitioned into the Mona Lisa. She's a bit of a narcissist all things considered, and likes to make a show of her entrances and her inventions, but ultimately, she's well-meaning and always working to help everyone. Alongside Romani, Da Vinci is basically the overseer of Chaldea, keeping the setting running, providing you with things that may help you in your adventure, keeping track of information and informing you of where you need to go next and what lies ahead.
Add to this role of hers her creative drive and the fact she usually stays behind in the back lines, and her literal physical change into the Mona Lisa in her search for perfection, and you've got a Seer of Space! Maybe a Mage could've worked too, but I am biased and I like the Seer for her. Speaking of Mages, however...
Sherlock Holmes - Mage of Light
Oh yeah. Did I mention? Sometimes Fictional Characters just happen to be real in the Fate Universe, or certain convoluted things happen. Sherlock has not yet revealed whether he was a real person or if he's an extraordinary case for some reason or other, leaving us guessing. What a detective he is, huh?
He's exactly how you imagine he'd be though. Elementary, my dear. Fixated on finding answers and investigating, and often paired alongside Da Vinci to provide information and deduce what exactly is going on at any given time, and what the best course of action is, next. However, one of Sherlock's biggest flaws, is that he has to make things a bit of a roundabout show. He can't simply speak his mind, often times withholding information he's already deduced because he can't be 100% certain of it, or waiting to provide an answer to a question in a dramatic and mysterious way.
Because of this quick wit and intuition, easy grasp to just, get it, guiding you towards the best outcome, shedding light on the situation, but also being a bit selfish in doing so and withholding information that could have been useful, I gotta go with a Mage of Light for him.
Miyamoto Musashi - Witch of Breath
Oh hey, look, girl Musashi! This is not a surprise at this point. Artoria, Nero, Da Vinci, they're all figures that were historically guys but for one reason or another are women here, historically hiding it, transitioning... So there's no reason why Musashi COULDN'T have been a woman, right?
Nope. Musashi is actually a guy in Fate, actually. This is actually Musashi... From an Alternate Timeline. Hey I don't make the rules. I told you all things got stupid and convoluted at times.
Still, Musashi is a wanderer with no place to call her home. It's not just that she's from another Timeline, is that she keeps falling into other realities. With no way to return to her original world, she keeps pushing forward, aimlessly, fighting that which she sees and living by her way of life, with the blade, looking for a good fight, to hone her skills, to reach the zenith, the Zero, the ultimate sword technique, transcendent and unbeatable... And of course while she can be serious and takes fighting quite seriously, she's a pretty happy-go-lucky woman that loves food, good company and good vibes.
I believe she's a Witch of Breath. Breath comes quite easily, aimless wanderer, motion, detachment, transcendence, though her ideal of the Sword of Nothingness could be seen as quite Voidy. Witch though... She will take any chance to fight and hone her skills. Very fixated in it, good at gauging risk vs reward and the strength of her opponents, changing and honing her skills through her aimless wandering, causing change around her through her relentless drive and forward motion as she keeps slipping through the cracks into other realities... I like her as a Witch, and if I had to guess who her Patron would be, I would either say her sword arts and fighting drive in itself, or her inspiration to reach the Zero Sword, whose name I cannot recall. Still, you could make a compelling argument for a Maid or even a Knight, probably. Maybe even a Rogue?
Sasaki Kojirou - Rogue of Void
I've talked about Musashi, so of course next I have to talk about Sasaki Kojirou, right? I've been DYING to talk about this dude. In life, Musashi was the swordsman renown for having won the most duels of any other swordsman out there, who ended up writing a book on his philosophy and way of life, and then went to meditate in a cave until he died. And Sasaki Kojirou is known as Musashi's biggest rival, able to slice a Swallow in flight. Ah. Shame he's not real, right?
Yes. In a shocking turn of events. In a game, a setting, where Gods are real, and Magecraft exists, where Time Travel is possible and there's Monsters and Aliens... Sasaki Kojirou. Is not a real person that existed. Why. WHY? Listen, I like Musashi, and Kojirou is a classic character from Stay Night, but literally, my reason for including him, is my BAFFLEMENT at the fact he's just. Not actually a real Servant in Fate. I've heard that there's talk about the real Kojirou never having existed and also being myth, which could inspire this, but I haven't found any sources. There's also irregularities with the records of the duel between him and Musashi, which could add onto this sense of him being 'dubious'. But still... Why.
Kojirou is not actually a historical figure. Instead, he is a nameless swordsman that managed to develop and reproduce a facsimile of Sasaki Kojirou's legendary Swallow Reversal. Medea summoned him as a fake Assassin in place of the true Assassin that should have been summoned, and as such, a Fake Assassin, summoned by a Fake Master, took a Fake Historical Figure and dragged a poor, nameless soul from the Void to fill in the role. Quiet, composed, fights with honor, there's really not much unique to Kojirou, but this whole Mindfuck makes me lean for a Rogue of Void. An Outlaw, outside of the system, a nameless swordsman, not remembered, a fake historical figure, all rolled into one. God, I hate and love this series sometimes.
Jeanne d'Arc - Sylph of Hope
The Holy Maiden of Orleans, that heard the voice of God, burnt as a witch. A Saint. She was technically a part of Fate/Apocrypha's cast, but I'll talk about why I've put here near the end in a bit. If there was a definition of 'Lawful Good', she would be the image that pops up as an example next to it. A devout woman with a big heart and bigger determination, a big-sister type that cares for others, an inspiring voice...
She holds no grudges, she shows no lack of faith, I'd say she's a pretty Sylph of Hope kinda gal. Hope tying into her faith, her charismatic nature and inspiring, positive nature, and a Sylph because, while a Holy MAIDen, she's definitely on the passive end of the spectrum, no doubt in the slightest. One who makes hope in others, one who had Hope made in her when she heard God's voice guiding her. Also, she's a good support healer and protector in the Grand Order game, that's gotta count for something-
Hey, remember how I said there was a reason for Jeanne to be here, and not up with Astolfo and Mordred?
Jeanne Alter - Prince of Rage
Hoo boy. Remember how I talked about Alters with Artoria? Alters tend to represent dark, divergent facets of someone. Not necessarily, not always, few cases are more clear than that of Jeanne d'Arc Alter. A fabricated Servant, not real, not even a facet of the real Jeanne, she is the wish of Guilles de Rais to the Holy Grail, to bring forth a Jeanne who would burn with rage and anger against the world, who would embody the flames that consumed her, give the middle finger to the God that forsake her, and burn everything to the ground.
She is an Avenger, a special Class given to those with a deep, burning hatred for something, or, everything, whose purpose and existence is defined by it. She's a bit high and mighty herself, she actively wants to burn everything down, and conveniently, the Prince of Rage is a perfect inversion of Jeanne's Sylph of Hope. Now, inversion is not necessarily something that happens with Classpects, but damn if it's not thematically appropriate. Of course there's more depth to her, as she becomes part of the main cast, she has this burning hatred raging within her, but nothing to actually lash out against, leading to some angst within her, which I feel mixes well with a Princely nature as well. Ironically, she goes by the moniker of the 'Dragon Witch', so who knows, maybe she is not a Prince in the end.
Merlin - Seer of Breath
Yeah. THE Merlin. There are way more flattering pictures of him in the anime, but he doesn't deserve them. (I kid, I love Merlin).
A way to describe Merlin would be... A Passive Observer. Oh hey, that's a Seer! No, but seriously, cast away in Avalon, he observes Humanity and rarely interferes, but during the events of Fate/Grand Order, he does lend a bit of advice and a hand to fend off against some more problematic issues. He's aloof and humorous, which ties well into Breath, but namely, the thing that ties him the most to it is... His inhumanity. As a half-incubus, Merlin cannot empathize with Humans. He likes them, but he's completely emotionally detached from them. He does, however, enjoy seeing the stories they weave, and finding it a shame for things to end in a way like in the Grand Order timeline, he comes off exile briefly.
Still, this very detached nature, and how his existence mostly revolves around passively consuming the events of Humanity as if they were a cheap movie, make me think of him as a Seer of Breath. He also rescues a version of Bedivere of the Round Table that ended up in Avalon, and advises him and guides him to where to wander to find closure with his regrets about Artoria, which also ties well into this role.
Abigail Williams - Maid of Void
And finally, we reach the end. And with it, come more Fate/Grand Order spoilers! Abigail Williams, a little girl known as the first accuser of Witchcraft that led to the Salem Witch Trials. Every other character has been in this list for a reason. Because they are iconic, because I find them fascinating and wanted to talk about them, because a Patreon member requested them... Abi? I do love Abi, she's a great character, but I am going to be totally frank?
...
I am using this Essay with her at the end as a Catalyst attempting to roll her in the Gacha. (Note: No it did not work. :I)
In all seriousness, Abby is a carefree girl, with a healthy dose of 'fear of god', that has a bit of a tiny adorable crush on her friend Lavinia Whateley. She doesn't want anyone to get hurt, but her involvement and the slow descent into fear and madness of the Town of Salem lead to her seeing people she cares about being stripped away and executed. ... What's that? Lavinia Whateley? You want me to go back to that? Oh yeah did I mention that the iteration of Salem we see her in, is mixed with Lovecraft's stories, and is being used as a Catalyst to bring Yog-Sothot into the world? The key and the gate. The all in one, and the one in all.
Yeah, uh, this iteration of Abigail Williams is the Key and the Gate, and a conduit for Yog Sothot. A little girl whose lack of experience and fear became the spark that led to a major atrocity like the Witch Trials. A vessel for an Eldritch God trying to spill into reality. One Made of Void. Fun!
...
Okay.
That should be all for Salem Spoilers in FGO.
That's it, 25 characters from the Fate Series. I honestly have left so many interesting characters and things unexplored, but there's hundreds upon hundreds of them I could talk about.
This series is dense. From the premise of Familiars based on Historical and Mythical Figures, to the crazy fuckery like the Moon Cell or, honestly, things like, the fact Mesoamerican Gods are Alien Parasites, for example, or that Attila the Hun is actually an Alien Spaceship- Crazy as it all sounds, it ends up at the point where you suspend your disbelief, and become enraptured with both the emotional plot beats and the cheesiness of all of it.
And ultimately, Fate IS largely a pretty... NSFW series, with a lot of questionable choices scattered here and there. But if all of this insanity hasn't turned you off- Or better, has made you interested in what the hell is even going on, hey, there's like, several animes, movies, and games of various kinds to try and get into it, and no clear entry point, so have fun with that!
I personally started with Fate/Grand Order last year, and while there was a lot of fanservice that went over my head at first, looking back on it I can now identify a lot of key characters and plot points from other parts of the series, and it's fun to be able to connect the dots in your mind!
For those who ARE familiar with the Fate Series, I hope you like my takes, whether you agree or disagree with them~. And for those who definitely do NOT want to check Fate Stuff after all of this, hey. At least give the OSTs a listen. Fate music is so fucking good.
Either way, hope you all enjoyed, and as usual...
...
What? What do you mean there's one left?
No, no I did 25 already, that's a very pretty number, I don't want to-
... What? I drew Fou's God Tier in the image earlier, so now I HAVE to properly Classpect him?
Oh for fuck's-
Fou - Muse of Doom
You know what? YOU figure this out. Am I being serious that this fluffy, adorable, harmless sweetie of a thing being a Muse of Doom? Or am I just fucking around for a joke?
Well... You tell me.
