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Making Sense of Fate/Stay Night



By the time this post is published, I would’ve been halfway through the second season of Fate/Zero, after completing Unlimited Blade Works more than half a year ago (Yes, the Ufotable anime adaptation that’s often dubbed Unlimited Budget Works, and not the Studio DEEN one).

To the more ardent Fate/Stay Night fans out there, my viewing order would’ve been blasphemous but oh well, the damage has been done. Making things worse would be me liberally reading the Fate/Stay Night wiki. 

I’ve managed to avoid any major spoilers for the routes which I’ve not covered but I doubt that will last. Then again, it’s a testament to how well-written the franchise is.


Since the Unlimited Blade Works anime was released in 2014, I was intrigued by the Fate/Stay Night franchise as a whole. Initially, it was due to the amazing fight scenes in the anime and as I delved deeper into the Fate/Stay Night world, the amount of effort put into constructing the different plotlines and various characters.

For clueless folks out there, Fate/Stay Night was originally a Japanese visual novel created by Type-Moon detailing the 2-week long Holy Grail War in fictional Fuyuki City, Japan. It has three different plotlines, with each one having a different theme and heroine, although they all have an identical starting point and setting.

Each storyline serves a different purpose, with Fate explaining the setting, premise and characters. The Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel routes assumes that you have at least some knowledge and focuses more on storytelling instead.


Each route has their own anime adaptation, with Studio DEEN adapting Fate as a 24-episode series and Unlimited Blade Works as a movie. The latter was not successful to say the least and this was where Ufotable stepped in, adapting it as a 24-episode series instead. The studio is currently working on a Heaven’s Feel adaptation as a movie and was responsible for Fate/Zero, the prequel to Fate/Stay Night.

For the most immersive experience and one that most hardcore Fate/Stay Night fans would recommend is to finish playing the visual novel, with every ending, unlocked, only then can you move onto the anime adaptations. Oh, don’t forget the sequel, titled Fate/hollow ataraxia along with the mobile game Fate/Grand Order. Now you can call yourself a true fan, but I jest.

The easiest way to get around the franchise would probably be reading the visual novel for the Fate route and watching the Fate/Zero, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel anime adaptations. Not forgetting the whimsical Fate/kaleid liner PRISMAILLYA spinoff that is set in an alternate timeline and Carnival Phantasm anime.


The latter title is right up your alley if you’re a fan of Type-Moon’s visual novels as it pokes fun at the many characters and situations they face in their respective games. For newer viewers or even veteran fans, I hoped I’ve managed to make sense of the Fate/Stay Night franchise and even entice people who have never considered the series at all. 

This was one of the more complicated titles out there but I’m glad I spent the time watching and reading the material available, even the silly memes and literal translations of what Shirou said.

Written by ET


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