0
0
Year: 2011-2012
Genre: Action, Tragedy, Dark fantasy
Episodes: 25
Rating: 5 out of 5
Who are considered some of the greatest warriors or heroes of all time? Would you choose Alexander the Great, who managed to conquer most of the known world at his time while fighting on the front lines of every battle while never losing a battle? Would you choose Julius Caesar, who led the Roman army in numerous victorious battles and considered by many as a military genius? What about Miyamoto Musashi? A legendary swordsman whose sword skills were remarkable while being the founder of the “Two Swords” fighting style. How about Vlad the Impaler? A man whose name cast terror in the hearts of men, known today as Dracula. A man who showed no mercy to his enemies who he impaled on stakes throughout the lands. How about Greek legends like Hercules and Perseus. Having the powers of being half-gods.
History is filled with many warriors or heroes whose names transcend time. Out of all the heroes in history, which one do you think would win in a fight? What would happen if Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar fought? Who would win? Both are considered military geniuses who had never lost a battle. What would happen is Vlad the Impaler fought against Miyamoto Musashi? One known for his brutality while drinking the blood of his enemies while the other known for his extraordinary sword skills. How about Vlad the Impaler against the mighty powers of Hercules?
Fate/Zero is an anime that sets up heroes against each other to fight for a prize that will grant you and your hero any wish you wanted. Who would you call upon to help you obtain the prize? Who would you stake your life with to battle other great heroes?
Overview
Fate/Zero takes place in the year 1994, ten years before the events of Fate/Stay Night detailing the events and battles of the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. The Holy Grail War is a “contest” founded centuries ago by the three powerful mage families, the Einzbern, Matou, and Tōsaka families. The Holy Grail War requires seven mages, which are called Masters, to summon seven Heroic Spirits. The Spirits are categorized in different classes and are called Servants (Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker) to compete to obtain the ultimate power of the “Holy Grail.” The Holy Grail has the ability to grant a wish to each member of the winning duo.
Fate/Zero revolves around the main character Kiritsugu Emiya and his quest to obtain the Holy Grail. After being defeated in three successive wars for the Holy Grail, the Einzbern family has decided to win the Fourth Holy Grail War at any means necessary. The heads of the family elect to hire the infamous mercenary, Kiritsugu Emiya, to be their representative in spite of his notorious reputation and methods as a ruthless hitman. Kiritsugu Emiya employs whatever he can use to accomplish his goals while obtaining the title of Magus Killer. Kiritsugu Emiya named is feared throughout the mages world.
For eight years, Kiritsugu Emiya prepares himself for the war in the Einzbern stronghold. He forms a family with Irisviel von Einzbern, who is to become the vessel for the Grail, and their daughter, Illyasviel. Kiritsugu finds himself coming to grips with his new reality: the love he has found for his new family and what he must do to obtain the Holy Grail. While speaking to his wife, Kiritsugu reveals that he had once wanted to become a hero who could save everyone. He has long since abandoned this ideal upon realizing that saving one person comes at the cost of another’s life. His wish for the Grail to end all conflict and obtain world peace.
The other representatives from the founding families are the magus Tokiomi Tohsaka wants to achieve Akasha, the Swirl of the Root. The Swirl of the Root is a metaphysical location that acts as the “force” that exists at the top of all theories in every dimension, as well as the source of all events and phenomena in the universe. Tokiomi Tohsaka desires this by winning the Grail and receiving support from the head priest Risei Kotomine and his son, Kirei Kotomine. Kirei Kotomine is unexpectedly a master in the war. Kirei has no direction in life as he masters something and moves on to another subject. Kirei sets his sights on Kiritsugu as an answer to the frustrating lack of meaning in his life. The representative of the Matou family is Kariya Matou. Kariya Matou has become a Master in the war after learning that Tokiomi’s younger daughter was adopted into the Matou family. With the fear that she will be lost to his evil father and saving her from suffering, Kariya Matou agrees to win the Holy Grail in exchange for the freedom and return of Tokiomi’s daughter.
One by one, the Masters summon their Servants. As the war begins, only one will emerge victorious from the deaths of the others.
Series Breakdown:
Fate/Zero is hands down one of the best and most entertaining anime I’ve watched in a while. The anime has a robust, mature tone to it with very little comedy. Actually having the slightest bit of humor would throw off the essence and overall tone of this anime.
The number one area that makes Fate/Zero amazing is the story. The story is dark, cruel, intense, and all business. The story revolves around mages who battle against each other for the ultimate prize, the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail comes along once every generation and grants one wish for the winner. The battle amongst the mages is called the Holy Grail War. The mages fight along sides a hero from myth and/or legend to help them win. Just imagine calling past heroes like Alexander the Great, Gilgamesh, or King Arthur to help you. The spirit also has its own reasons for winning the Holy Grail for their own personal wish. This anime goes balls to the walls with the action. Each legendary hero has a unique ability and supped up to the maximum in skills, power, and agility. The anime holds nothing back when two servants fight each other. With anything called war, the story doesn’t hold back on the extremes that the mages go to obtain victory. One example is when Kiritsugu blows up an entire floor in a hotel to just try and kill a mage.
Another example is when Kiritsugu makes a deal with a mage to not hurt him but then has his friend do the killing for him. Intense but necessary in winning a battle. The story also shows how alliances are formed and then ultimately broken in an extreme manner because there can only be one winner. During times of battle, people will become swayed for their own personal gains. Gilgamesh has a way with words of convincing people to do his bidding. Everything about the story is dark and to the extreme but makes for a grand and entertaining anime that will keep you wanting more and more.
The second great thing about this anime is the characters. Every character in this anime is all business and has something to prove. There is no bullshitting around since they know their lives are on the line. The anime does a great job of making each character unique in their own way. The main character, Emiya Kiritsugu, is shown as a no-nonsense, cynical, and practical man. He is a world-renowned mercenary known as the “Magus Killer.” Even with his life surrounded by death, he wishes to find a way to end all conflict and bring about world peace. He is the master of Saber. Saber is the legendary hero, King Arthur, who is presented as a woman in this anime. Saber is known as the King of Kings, who maintains a high code of honor, viewing honor as more important than victory. Her ultimate goal is peace, but she and Kiritsugu are at odds with each other based on their ideology.
Several other characters that are great are some of the servants. Alexander the Great and Gilgamesh are beyond phenomenal. Alexander the Great is called the King of Conquerors, along with being in the rider class for the war. He is shown as a tall, muscular man with redhead with wounds all over his body. His personality is fantastic in the anime. He is overbearing and eccentric but is very honorable and has a deep love and understanding for his men and what war really is. His dream/wish is for a second life to conquer the world. He is not one for convert missions rather than riding on his charity with his two bulls. He is all about confronting the enemy straight up rather than try and maneuver around.
Now the boss of all the servants is Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is shown as an average-looking human but with golden hair and red eyes. He is known as the King of Heroes, along with being the archer class for the war. Gilgamesh has a personality for the ages. One where you just want his ass to be kicked over and over again. He takes great pride in claiming to be the very first “hero” known to man that graced the Earth. This thinking gives him a severe and sadistic God complex. Some anime characters think they are a god, but Gilgamesh takes it to a whole new level because he is actually a great half-god and half-human. He treats everyone poorly and calls everyone a mongrel that is not worthy of laying eyes on him.
One final point is the animation for this anime. The animation is flawless in this anime. I like an anime that draws to the tone of the story, and this anime does a great job with it. Many of the scenes are drawn with a night background or in the shadows of some buildings. The highlights of the animations are the fight scenes. When Saber and Lacer fought the first time, I was like, “Okay, here is another anime that will have a fight scene that will try to look good but nothing special.” Then BOOM, when they fought, and shit got real, the animation was terrific. It was a perfect mix of CGI with great choreography. The way things popped on the screen from Lancers’ bows to Saber’s hidden sword. Gilgamesh’s Gates of Babylon is drawn like a God-King would think. The static around Rider’s chariot always is a sight to see and will get your attention.
Anyone who watches Fate/Zero will thoroughly enjoy this series. The series is full of action, fighting, and politics. The battles between the characters are great to watch, as they are smooth and well-drawn. You will even come to like some characters. It’s all about Alexander the Great in this one. Even though some areas might be slow, it is a very well done anime that will have you wanting more until officially the end to see who finally wins.
