Why settle for studying simple history and mythology, when theFateseries has King Arthur is female and fights the likes of Gilgamesh? While bothFate/Stay NightandFate/Zeroexplore events in the Fuyuki Grail War, they do have their fair share of unique Servants. However, the story ofFatedoesn’t necessarily start and end inFate/ZeroandFate/Stay Night.
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In fact, fans aware of theFatefranchise know there are a lot more awesome Servants in media outside the core visual novel and stories, such as inFate/Grand Order. Sometimes, some of the franchise’s most interesting Servants come from its other games likeFate/Grand Orderand offerings. However, just which Servants have these more compelling tales?
10Angra Mainyu (Avenger)
Unlike Heroic Spirits deemed worthy of the title,Angra Mainyuis a Heroic Spirit of humanity’s desire to bear all of the world’s evil. In life, Angra Mainyu was simply a village boy sacrificed by his peers to represent the world’s sins. As such, the boy developed a hatred for the world through the years until this was the only thing he felt. This would ultimately transform him into hatred himself, hence not having an actual “vessel.”
InFate/Stay NightandFate/Zero, Angra Mainyu makes brief “appearances” as a corruption within the Holy Grail. He only makes a formal appearance outsideof the usual routesinFate/Hollow Ataraxiaas the cause of the temporal time loop that Shirou had to solve. Unlike other Heroic Spirits, Avenger is much weaker than other Classes. However, he managed to remove himself from Avesta, the record of all existence, therefore freeing himself from the confines of destiny and order.
9Zhuge Liang (Caster)
When one looks atZhuge Liangfor the first time, they may feel surprised to realize that he looks an awful lot like Waver Velvet. That’s because this is precisely the case, with the oddity of the Grand Orders forcing Waver — now Lord El Melloi II, after his mentor — becoming the vessel of Zhuge Liang.
A master strategist in death and even in life, Zhuge Liang served as the strategist of Alexander (Rider)’s armies against Nero’s in the Second SingularityofFate/Grand Order.In the game, Zhuge is a coveted support Servant with his impeccable buffing abilities. In the lore, he’s what is known as a Pseudo-Servant, a Heroic Spirit that couldn’t manifest as regular Servants and as such require human vessels, with their combination resulting in another entity entirely.
8Ishtar (Archer)
One look atIshtarand fans would think of two things: is that Rin Tohsaka, and, is that a god in theFateuniverse? The answer to the two questions is “yes” and “yes,” with a bit of lore in between. InFate/Grand Order, the strange nature of the Grand Orders would make it possible for the likes of gods (Divine Spirits) to manifest in the world at a severe fraction of their power. Since the Grand Orders allowed timelines to intersect, a matron worshipper of Ishtar managed to grab Rin Tohsaka and use her as the goddess’ vessel.
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Since Ishtar couldn’t be normally summoned, her inhabiting Rin’s body makes her a Pseudo-Servant like Zhuege Liang. However, it’s said her powers are extremely close to her divine origin, with her Noble Phantasm An Gal Tā Kigal Shē allowing her to take the planetary “essence” of Venus itself and use its concept as a massively-powerful projectile against her enemies.
7Jeanne D’Arc (Ruler)
First appearing inFate/Apocrypha,Jeanne d’Arcoriginally helped liberate Orleans the Hundred Years’ War, an act which caused her death and, ultimately, beatification. It’s her death that would cause Gilles de Rais to go insane and explore the dark arts, which makes him the Caster Class in the events ofFate/Zero.
In her appearance inFate/Apocrypha, Jeanne became the assigned Ruler Class of the Great Holy Grail War, serving as the arbiter of its two sides. Unlike the other warring Servants, Jeanne’s down to earth attitude in exploring the new world around her is a breath of fresh air in the series. And even then, Jeanne has remarkable abilities as Ruler, capable of using Command Spells for each Servant (God’s Resolution), determining the skills of Servants she sees (True Name Discernment), and inexplicably finding solutions to problems (Revelations). Her popularity would have her appear in other media, such asFate/EXTELLA LINKandevenFate/Grand Order.
6Arthur Pendragon (Saber)
Before Artoria Pendragon ofFate/Stay NightwasArthur Pendragon, he was the main character ofFate/Prototypeand the template used by/stay nightauthor Nasu Kinoko prior to the visual novel. WhereasShirou Emiya summoned Artoria by accident, Ayaka Sajyou had summoned Arthur in the nick of time while being chased by Lancer.
Similar to Artoria, Arthur is also a Saber summoned in the previous Holy Grail War. While he carried the same ideals and matured personality as Artoria, Arthur of/Prototypeseemed more of a knight in shining armor for the meek yet good-spirited Ayaka. It’s interesting to see Arthur Pendragon in/Prototypeand its prequelFate/Prototype Fragments Of Sky Silver, especially since he has almost the same powerset as Artoria, albeit with a different way of using it.
5Hassan-I-Sabbah (Assassin)
WhileHassan-I-Sabbahalready makes an appearance as the Assassin inFate/Zero, the circumstances of their true nature is what makes them such a compelling addition to theFateuniverse. Due to the structure of the Holy Grail War, only Hassan-I-Sabbah is the most worthy Heroic Spirit to be granted the Assassin Class, with the moniker “Assassin” having come from them. It’s only in extremely rare situations that someone else is summoned aside from them.
When events inFate/Apocryphaallowed Masters to document the appearances of Hassan, future Masters were able to modify the Summoning Ritual to summon other Assassins. However, those who wish for Hassan to become their Servant will be surprised to learn that there are up to 19 Hassan variants out there, each corresponding to various myths of the fabled Assassin, and all of which are availablein theFate/Grand Ordergame.
4Nero Claudius (Saber)
When players ofFate/EXTRAwere able to choose Saber as their Servant, they may have been surprised to see that she hides her True Name from the player. It took some time before players realized who she truly is:Nero Claudiusof Rome. What’s perhaps surprising about Nero in theFateuniverse is how she is testament to how deep the narratives ofFateServants both include and diverge from their origin stories.
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InFate, Nero believed in her ability to get the support of the masses through fair rule, which she has until the end. Unfortunately, bickering Senates and the influence of her corrupt mother had planted the seeds of paranoia in Nero’s heart. As a Servant, Nero boasts incredible fighting ability, with her Noble Phantasm Aestus Domus Aurea, allowing her to create a powerful zone that weakens her enemy’s defenses while bolstering her attack. Nero primarily appears in theFate/EXTRAseries, as well asFate/EXTELLA LINKandFate/Grand Order.
3Mordred (Saber)
The embodiment of a tragic beginning and end,Mordredfirst appeared inFate/Apocryphaas the Saber of the Red Faction in the Great Holy Grail War. In life, Mordred was the Knight of Treachery, the son of King Arthur who would eventually betray him. Interestingly, inFatelore, Merlin “transformed” Artoria into a pseudo-male to consummate her marriage with Guinevere until Morgan stole some of Artoria’s essence to create a homunculus clone, Mordred.
Forced to wear a mask until the end, Mordred worked her way to becoming an honorable knight out of admiration to the King. It was when Artoria rejected Mordred that her admiration became hate, eventually leading to the rebellion that would cause her death and Artoria’s. As a Saber, Mordred is extremely competent, giving her abilities like infusing her body with mana (Mana Burst), which she can also use to power up her Noble Phantasm Clarent Blood Arthur, a powerful sword attack.
In theFateuniverse, even alternate universes can become sources of Heroic Spirits. The case ofGoddess Rhongomyniadis one such case, being the manifestation of a much older Artoria Pendragon who didn’t die when she was fated to perish. Armed with the Rhongomyniad and not Excalibur, the Holy Lance has eroded Artoria’s spirit into that close to a divine spirit’s, essentially transforming her into a pseudo-goddess.
Aside from being more mature, Goddess Rhongomyniad is almost emotionless due to her loss of Artoria’s key human characteristics. Her primary weapon is the aforementioned Holy Lance, which in truth is a pillar of light that anchors the outer “layer” of reality onto the planet. In the game, she serves as one of many alternate forms of Artoria.
1Voyager (Foreigner)
In the world ofFate/Requiem, everyone has a “Holy Grail” and a Servant tied to them, with Utsume Erice being the only one without a Servant. That is, until a boy from the stars is the “last Servant” to have been ever summoned. Initially called the Little Prince, it was only after Erice formed a contract with the boy that his identity came to life — he isVoyager, as in the spacecraft.
Fitting for his odd identity is his Foreigner Class classification, with the Chaldea Organization ofFate/Grand Orderalso just as dumbstruck as to the true nature of the Class. Although innocent on the outside, Voyager is predicted to be capable of growing powerful enough to be humanity’s future protector.
Fate/Grand Orderwas released in 2015 and is playable for iOS and Android.
