Starting the Fate Anime Series

Answering the age-old Fate question: “Where do I start?”

I’ve been quarantining in my apartment for the past few months now due to the coronavirus pandemic, and I decided that of course, this was the perfect time to finally get into the Fate series. As a huge anime fan, I thought this would be an easy new franchise to really dig into… until I asked the question, “So where do I start?”

Fans of the series will understand the intense depth of emotions that arise when confronted with this question, which has been hotly debated in the fandom for years. Any proposed answer is nothing short of controversial — someone’s bound to disagree — and this has been the source of endless arguments and (in many cases) heated insults among fans. Posts upon posts upon posts have been made to try to answer this question, and anime Youtuber Gigguk even came out with a hugely popular video (currently at 3M views) poking fun at the absurdity of how complex the Fate series is and the fandom’s inability to agree on where to even begin watching.

And it was at this moment that I knew that I had to do what no one else has done before: figure out the definitive watch order for the Fate series.

I gave up about five minutes in.

…

Ok, so I didn’t completely give up, which is why I’m writing this post now: to document some of my thoughts about the series so far and my take on where to begin with it. My post is largely aimed at people who are thinking of getting into the Fate series but haven’t looked into it just yet.

For those who are unfamiliar, Fate is a franchise that spans over 50 properties ranging from anime series to film to video games. It all started with the adult visual novel Fate/stay night, which was released in 2004 by the company TYPE-MOON. At the heart of the series is a “main” storyline that follows this visual novel, while the majority of the entries in the series either extend and expand on this storyline or are set in alternate universes.

So what is Fate about? Without getting into too much detail, most of the series deals with various Holy Grail Wars that take place in different times and universes. The Holy Grail is an object that can grant any wish to those who obtain it upon winning the War. Each Holy Grail War has a set of Masters (ordinary people or mages) who are selected by the Holy Grail and are each assigned a Servant whom they can summon. Servants in the series are legendary historical figures, called Heroic Spirits, and they are classified into seven different classes: Saber, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, Berserker, and Archer. Within each Holy Grail War, the Master-Servant pairs must fight against one another — the winning Master and Servant will both be able to have their wishes fulfilled by the Holy Grail.

What adds complexity (and confusion to newcomers) to the series is the fact that Servants are usually referred to by their class name rather than their actual names. For example, in Fate/Apocypha Astolfo is a Rider class servant and in Fate/Zero Alexander the Great is a Rider class servant — both are referred to in their respective anime as Rider. Though they share the same class, they are different and wholly unrelated characters.

A whole lot of Sabers.

Arguably the most recognizable character(s) from the series is the Saber class servant (pictured above); all I really knew about Fate before going into it was that there are lots of different Sabers. People not familiar with the series (like myself) usually get them mixed up. If you’ve been to anime conventions or are in different anime circles but not a Fate fan, this is likely all you know about the series as well, which makes sense. Saber is one of the core protagonists of the main storyline, and TYPE-MOON really likes to recycle this particular character design, even for Saber class servants who are entirely different people. It would probably be easier for fans to refer to each servant by their actual names, but their names are technically spoilers in the show (servants typically conceal their actual names so that other servants know less about them going into combat). This is probably the first hurdle of confusion to overcome when starting the Fate series. Luckily, it’s not too big of a hurdle.

With all of that out of the way, we finally get to the question of where to start when you’re coming into the series for the first time. Honestly, I think this depends on what you’re looking for and your preferences in the anime world.

If you’re a die-hard fan of visual novels, I actually do think the original Fate/stay night visual novel is a great place to start, because that’s the most comprehensive and self-contained entry in the series there is. The problem is, it’s quite dated (it’s from 2004), and it’s a lot of content all at once. This isn’t unfamiliar for hardcore visual novel readers/players, so personally I think this is one potential way to start.

Of course, most people aren’t extremely into visual novels and when people ask the question of where to start the series, they’re usually referring specifically to which of the Fate anime to pick up first. This is where the bulk of the arguments come from.

One of the core reasons the disagreements arise is because Fate/stay night (the visual novel), like many visual novels, features multiple storylines — three, to be exact. Think of it like how we have video games today that have different endings based on the choices you make in the game; that’s how Fate/stay night works.

The main protagonist of the visual novel Fate/stay night is Shirou Emiya, a Master who is pulled into the Fifth Holy Grail War. He is aided by his Saber servant, as well as other characters such as Rin Tohsaka (a mage and fellow Master) and childhood friend Sakura Matou.

The three storylines of Fate/stay night, which are intended to be played in order:

1. The Fate storyline, which focuses on Saber as the main heroine.
2. The Unlimited Blade Works storyline, which focuses on Rin as the main heroine.
3. The Heaven’s Feel storyline, which focuses on Sakura as the main heroine.

This is important, because these branching storylines make up the various anime entries in the Fate series.

The very first Fate anime is the 2006 Fate/stay night, which shares the name of the visual novel. This is a 24-episode anime from Studio Deen that follows the Fate storyline. Other Studio Deen productions you might have heard of are Fruits Basket (2001) and Rurouni Kenshin (1997), and more recently, Konosuba (2016).

Now here’s where it gets slightly tricky — there exists a 2010 anime film, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works by Studio Deen that follows the Unlimited Blade Works storyline. But almost absolutely no one recommends this to be watched. Instead, just about everyone will point you towards Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, the 2-season 26-episode + OVA adaptation made by Ufotable in 2014. In case you don’t know Ufotable, they’re the ones who worked on the wildly popular anime, Demon Slayer (2019). When folks refer to Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, they mean the anime series, not the movie, unless otherwise specified.

As for the Heaven’s Feel storyline, this was divided into three anime films made by Ufotable, each subtitled presage flower (2017), lost butterfly (2019), and spring song (2020). These aren’t commonly recommended as starting points for the series, because they are loaded with information that assumes you’re already familiar with the main Fate storyline. At the time of this post’s writing, the third movie also hasn’t been released yet, and for the past few years the incompletion of the film trilogy also proved to be a barrier for new fans. Heaven’s Feel is by all means a great storyline to follow — and potentially the one with the heaviest emotional content — but only once you’re more acquainted with the rest of the Fate series.

The other entry in the Fate series that absolutely must be mentioned is Fate/Zero, which was originally a light novel that was released from 2006 to 2007 by Gen Urobuchi. Yes, that Gen Urobuchi, who worked on Puelle Magi Madoka Magica (2011) and the first season of Psycho-Pass (2012). Fate/Zero is a prequel to the Fate/stay night visual novel, set ten years earlier during the Fourth Holy Grail War. It features various characters who appear in Fate/stay night and is typically understood as part of the “main” storyline. The anime adaptation of the light novel was released by Ufotable in 2011 and is arguably the best entry in the entire series.

So, where do we start?

Of all the entries in the Fate series, the ones that are commonly discussed as the starting points for new fans, listed in release order, are:

• Fate/stay night (2006) by Studio Deen
• Fate/Zero (2011) by Ufotable
• Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014) by Ufotable

It’s here where the disagreements lie.

Someone entering the series for the first time (like me) might look at these options and say, “Well, it makes sense to start with Fate/stay night since it was released first and follows the first storyline of the original visual novel, which is the intended entry point into the series.” But as Gigguk and many others would say, this opinion would be wrong. The reasoning here, and I quote from multiple Gigguk videos is, “Fate/stay night is just shit.” Truly, as most Fate fans will tell you, the Studio Deen adaptation of Fate/stay night just isn’t that good. The pacing is extremely slow, the writing leaves so much more to be desired, and it just feels dated, being an anime from 2006. While it gives you a thorough introduction to the Fate universe, it does it… extremely slowly.

For something that’s a lot more updated, there’s Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, which follows the second route of the main storyline and has its share of overlaps with the first route. In terms of writing, production quality, animation, and just about everything that you’d want as an anime watcher post-2010, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is far superior to the original Fate/stay night. And because it follows the original visual novel, it has some introductory elements that help explain the Fate universe to newcomers to the series. The problem is, (a) since it was released after Fate/Zero by Ufotable, it makes some references to Fate/Zero that you won’t be able to understand, and (b) since it’s the second route of the visual novel, it’s more like an alternate storyline meant to be enjoyed after experiencing and getting to know the characters in the first.

Finally, there’s Fate/Zero, which is a prequel. (And since it’s a prequel, all main storylines do follow from it, so the events of Fate/Zero have already happened in both Fate/stay night and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works.) In terms of series quality, Fate/Zero is arguably the best and the most interesting and engaging entry point that is sure to get a newcomer invested in the Fate series. In terms of the main storyline, it is also chronologically the first to occur, so it makes sense to watch first from an in-universe timeline standpoint. However, Fate/Zero acts like a prequel in the same way that the Star Wars prequel films do — they add to a universe already set up by the original. Fate/Zero does some explanation of the Grail Wars, its rules, and the Master-Servant dynamics, but it all comes pretty quickly right off the bat. It jumps right into the action (which is a great thing!), but it definitely helps to have already been familiar with the universe as set up by Fate/stay night. It also has plot points that immediately reveal the identities and backstories of characters you meet in both Fate/stay night and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, so it could be said that they’re spoilers for the other two.

These are the main points of argument that are brought up when discussing where to start with the Fate series. I still remember back in the days when Fate/Zero had just been released that most people argued you had to watch Fate/stay night before Fate/Zero (much like how you would watch Star Wars 4–6 before Star Wars 1–3, if you’re familiar with the Star Wars franchise), especially since Fate/stay night was the core visual novel that the whole franchise originated from, while Fate/Zero was a light novel that was written after-the-fact. Today, however, I would say that most people argue for Fate/Zero first, as it’s been the most popular of the three and an extremely common starting point for Fate fans today (especially given the fact that Fate/Zero was released three years before Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works). A huge reason for this is that the Ufotable adaptations are seen as far superior to the Studio Deen ones, and watching through Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works will give you enough context about the Fate universe and main storyline, even if Zero spoils some things in Unlimited Blade Works and Unlimited Blade Works makes references to Zero.

My personal take is this: it all depends on your anime preferences and how much you’re willing to watch.

• If you don’t mind some spoilers of characters’ identities and motivations, and want to just jump right into Fate at its best, start with Fate/Zero. The general summary and context that I’ve described in this post alone covers just about what you need to know going into it so that you won’t be overwhelmed with information right off the bat, and this series is just good. If you don’t have a lot of time and just want one anime to see what Fate is all about, this is the one to go with.
• If you care about spoilers and know you can’t get into a slow-paced and dated anime, then Unlimited Blade Works is the one to start with. Yes, you might miss some references back to Fate/Zero, but in my opinion they’re not necessary to catch on your first watch, and that’s what makes watching Zero so much more satisfying since it fills in pieces of the world that you don’t have when watching Unlimited Blade Works on its own. Many of the characters in Unlimited Blade Works themselves — including the main protagonist Shiro Emiya — don’t know what happened in Zero, so the lack of past context places the viewer in the same situation as them. If you want some elements of surprise and also don’t want to bother with the original, start with Unlimited Blade Works and then move on to Fate/Zero.
• If you are a patient anime viewer and know you want the full Fate experience, start with the 2006 Fate/stay night. If you’re an older anime viewer like I am, and are used to the pacing and animation of pre-2010 anime, start with the 2006 Fate/stay night. In terms of narrative entry points into the series, this is definitely the way to go. The first episodes set up and explain to you the universe of Fate, as this follows the first storyline of the original visual novel after all. Watching Fate/stay night first means that the characters you meet in Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works will have so much more depth when they appear, and you won’t be spoiled by any of the information revealed in Fate/Zero. You’ll also recognize the similarities and differences between the visual novel’s Fate and Unlimited Blade Works storylines once you get around to watching Unlimited Blade Works. If you know you’re going to want to watch all three and dig into this series, I’d say this is the one to start with, followed by Zero and then Unlimited Blade Works, which means watching them in release order.

tl;dr: What Fate anime do I watch and in what order?

• If you only have time to sample one anime in the Fate series to see what the hype is about, watch Fate/Zero.
• If you have some time to watch two anime in the Fate series (~50 episodes of time), watch Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works and then Fate/Zero.
• If you’re looking to dig deep into Fate and are an anime watcher with lots of time and patience, and planning to watch all three, watch Fate/stay night, then Fate/Zero, then Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works.

For those who are curious, the watch order I went with was in release order — Fate/stay night, Fate/Zero, then Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. I personally really like older anime and don’t mind their animation and pacing. Though they’re extremely different in content, Fate/stay night actually reminds me of Clannad, which is another visual novel anime adaptation and has some of the same nostalgia for me. This being said, Fate/stay night is tiring to watch. I didn’t think too much into it at first, but after starting Fate/Zero, I realized just how slow Fate/stay night is. Not to mention how much better the writing in Zero is (thank you, Gen Urobuchi) and how much more action you’ll get. Zero gives you so much deeper character development, and you’re hooked by thinking about the different internal motivations of each character. Everyone is far more interesting, and unlike Fate/stay night and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, you don’t have to deal with my personal least favorite character in the entire franchise: Shirou Emiya. Of all of the entries in the Fate series, Fate/Zero is constantly regarded as the best, and I completely agree. That’s why in all of my watch orderings, Fate/Zero is included — in my opinion, it’s the highlight of the franchise and definitely one you don’t want to miss.

This being said, I know that Fate/Zero was only as good an experience as it was for me because I had already gone through Fate/stay night. It’s so much more powerful knowing where these characters end up already that you start to focus on what’s immediately happening in Zero (versus fixating on how it’ll end). It’s about the journey, not the end, and there’s so much more weight to Zero once you realize what pieces it fills in for Fate/stay night. That’s why I actually don’t regret watching Fate/stay night first, and why I’d recommend it before Zero (if you have the time and patience for it). This being said, I hate Shirou with a passion, and he’s an incredibly annoying protagonist — one who can likely turn off a first-time viewer from the whole series right away. That’s why, given limited time and interest, I don’t recommend the original Fate/stay night unless you know you’re intending to go deep on the series.

I suppose that’s the problem, though — without watching any of Fate, how would you know how deep you want to go with it? I think that really depends on time and general interest in anime. If you’re a casual anime watcher who doesn’t typically get too invested in any one anime, I think that’s a pretty good sign to go with Zero. If you’re a hardcore fan who wants to know all there is in the anime world and is a self-proclaimed weeb like I am, watching all three in release order is the move. And for anyone in between, particularly those who are into action/fantasy genres, the Unlimited Blade Works to Zero ordering is for you.

Anyways, this is just my first, introductory post into the world of Fate. I’ve only been with the franchise for a few weeks now, so I’m relatively new to the fandom, and I know my opinions will change over time. At the moment, I’m thinking of any ways go even more granular with the watch order recommendation, such as breaking it down to specific episodes of each series to watch, such that you get enough from each while (a) having enough context for the series, (b) not being spoiled, and © not having to put up with too many episodes to get into the series.

With this post, I focused more on the question of where to start with the series and didn’t intend for this to be a comprehensive look at Fate for newcomers. I can imagine writing something like that at a different time, to help break down other entries such as Fate/Apocrypha (a timeline that follows a parallel universe where different events occured in the Third Holy Grail War), Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (an alternate universe set in the magical girl genre that follows the character of Illyasviel von Einzbern), and more. I imagine that would be a far more straightforward post, since it would just be describing what each of the entries in the Fate series are, rather than taking on one of the most hotly debated topics within the fandom…

All in all, would I recommend getting into the world of Fate? If you happen to be into fantasy/action anime, I’d definitely say so. It’s an extremely popular series, one with a tremendous fandom and universe to dig into, so there are lots of folks to talk to and lots of content to talk about. I personally love Gen Urobuchi’s writing, so it was an absolute reward to finally get around to watching Fate/Zero, which I’ve put off for years. And honestly, to all of the degener — I mean, people of culture out there, the Fate franchise at its core also comes with lots of new anime waifus to obsess over (a key selling point of the mobile game Fate/Grand Order, a much-loved game that generated nearly $1B in revenue in 2017 alone and deserves its own post to discuss), many of whom are genderbent historical figures. It’s also important to note that Fate/stay night itself is an adult visual novel with many explicit and mature themes, so I definitely would throw a parental content warning out there for younger anime fans. While the main anime series themselves don’t focus on these mature elements too much, there’s a lot in the Fate franchise that does, and that can be a positive or negative for different folks.

As for me, now that I’m done with the three anime from the main storyline, I’m just excited to finally get to the reason I started the Fate series to begin with: Astolfo from Fate/Apocrypha.

Note: Since Apocrypha takes place in a parallel timeline, you don’t actually need to watch through all three anime from the main storyline before getting to it. If you know the general gist of the Holy Grail Wars (pretty much all that I laid out in this post), you can jump straight to Apocrypha since it has no characters or plot points in relation with the main storyline. That being said, I watched the core three anime to justify to myself that I started Fate to be more informed as an anime watcher and to tackle the “where to start” argument… and not just because I’m incredibly thirsty over Astolfo.