There are very few how as of late that have garnered my attention. Some, because they have tropes that I have grown tired of. Others, because I can’t really identify with the characters. Almost always, its due to the fact that these story just wasn’t engrosing enough for me. That was mos definitely NOT the case for Fate/Zero, a show that I should have watched earlier, but I am glad to have finished not too long ago.

Story

Introduction and Warning

So, the story of Fate/Zero is kind of hard to discuss due to how complex the show gets and how messy character connections get, so reading further is strictly up to you. After this point, I will have assumed that readers will have watched the original Fate/Stay Night anime, or have played through the visual novel.

Summary

The story revolves around the Holy Grail Wars, as was with the initial Fate/Stay Night anime and visual novel.The story itself again focuses on the servant Saber, but this time, is set during the 4th Holy Grail War (thus making this a prequel to the original series). Her master, Kiritsugu Emiya, is renowned for being the great ”Magus Killer”. Over the course of the series, he is working on behalf of the Einzbern family in their quest to obtain the Grail. in that journey, he use the tools and skills he’s acquired to reach that end. This includes both normal weaponry (guns, knives, explosives, etc.), and magic. Many of his fellow Masters are However, when given the opportunity to actually claim the Grail, he refuses, having realized the true nature behind it’s power.

Overall Story Impressions

All in all, I like the story portrayed here. It’s a really good balance between mystery and intrigue that is difficult to portray. The story also provides some pretty great information on back story and motivations behind both the main characters (Saber and Kiritsugu), as well as setting the stage really nicely for what comes to pass in Fate/Stay Night.

Character Development

Introduction

For this show, the characters I will focus on are Kiritsugu, Saber, Kirei Kotomine, and Gilgamesh . These characters, in my opinion, are the most interesting ones to focus on as well as the relationships they ultimately develop with each other.

Kiritsugu Emiya and Saber

The official main characters of this series, Kiritsugu and Saber develop very interesting relationships with each other, as well as different motivations that more often than not collided with one another. For Kiritsugu, the Grail has always been the means to which he will save the world, to be the hero that can bring about the miracle of ”World peace”. For Saber, the Grail was a chance for her to rebuild her country as she knew it, and to be able to save it from what she calls damnation. However, her pride as a knight leads her down a very conflicting path with Emiya, as he employs very dishonorable methods in her eyes (killing by deceiving, etc.). And while their ideals and motivations seem the same, they constantly are at odds with how to employ them. Ultimately, the struggle of ideals comes to a head in the final moments of the series, with Saber ultimately seeing that her ideals are what lead to her countries ruin in the first place, and Kiritsugu realizing that a perfect utopia just cannot be achieved.

Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh

These two characters have a very interesting relationship indeed. They start out a ”enemies” (Kirei initially starting out as the master of an assassin class servant, and later losing him completely midway through the war, and Gilgamesh bound to a different mater), but gradually they come to know each other because Kirei was working with the mater of Gilgamesh. AS the series progresses, we start to see Kirei grow from someone who cares not about what the grail could offer, to ultimately wanting it to find out what he wants from life. In this sense, Gilgamesh pushed him to seek this goal, and ultimately has the overseer of the war as well as Gilgamesh’s master murdered. They then develop a mutual companionship, one in which Gilgamesh achieves his initial goal of entertainment, and Kirei can get Gilgamesh to help him achieve his goal of finding the grail to figure out his purpose for wanting it in the first place.

Overall Character Development Impressions

This was the strongest point in the show for me. Having watched the original Fate/Stay Night a while back and having known who a lot of these characters were, I felt that their motivations fit their intended roles to the show. The clash between the characters mentioned above is the real highlight of the show, and displays a lot of what human nature is as a whole; the idealists who push for a better society only to see that its more than one could take head on, and the person who is just looking to find his purpose and meaning of existence.

Themes

This show is very vast and explores a lot of themes regarding the nature of people and why we yearn for things. The concept of being able to find one’s true motivations are I think the biggest one in the entire series. Not only does it create a character (Kirei), but it is also a big problem for Saber and Kiritsugu as it goe on. At first, they believe they have a clear goal and clear reasons for that goal. As they press forward however, they find that they may not really be going about their goals for the right reason, and by the end are really seeking to find out why they do what they do. For Saber, she learn that maybe the motive of rebuilding the kingdom she once sought to save may have already been doomed from the get go. For Kiritugu, he learn that the Grail may not really be a powerful with granter, and in’t even ure if his dream is even possible to attain by the end.

The Grail itself may be a them for that ultimate purpose in life that all the character fighting for want to achieve. This problem of who gets the Grail can be a reference to the way many people often fight, and have to trample other, to attain their own goal. For instance, servants like Rider, who’s dream it was to find the last ocean to the far east, he had to try to go on a ”conquest”, in order to try to reach the Grail and help him reach that ocean. For Saber, the idea of being able to save her kingdom meant defeating the other servants and showing them her power and resolve to attain it.

Final Impressions on Themes

With these themes alone, the series really highlights, what I feel, are problems with the human condition as a whole. The finding a purpose theme is especially crucial, as many people (including me) feel lost and without purpose. However, the show portrays some sort of hope, in the fact that the more you keep pushing forward, the easier it becomes to find that goal and pursue it.

Final Thoughts

As I gather my final thoughts, all I can really say is this. This show is one that is covered from head to toe with pure emotion. The show does an amazing job of portraying motivations, goals, aspirations, and just overall raw character development into one amazing package. I give credit to whoever had a hand in doing this, as I feel they did an excellent job in trying to set the stage for the series to come.The only real qualm I had about it was that it wasn’t really long enough to get a feel for everyone in the cast, side characters included. Despite that however, the show was brilliantly built and is deserving of a watch.

Written by David Madarigal-Hernandez who lives and works in Los Angeles building useful things. You should follow him on Twitter