The Fate series isn’t an obscure property. It was first released as an erotic visual novel in 2003 under the title Fate/stay overnight the intriguing concept of TYPE MOON’s world characters and story has led to a myriad of sequels and adaptions. The mobile game Fate/Grand Order, in particular it has led to an increase in interest in the series, with the English version frequently reaching the top of mobile stores and boasting records in revenue.

Yet, the Fate series is also afflicted with a bad rap for its inaccessibility. Popular discussion about the series is often focused on the variety of parts it has, alongside its tangled lore: What is the meaning of’staying up late” mean, anyway? It’s difficult to decide where to begin and in what order to watch the Fate anime.

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Although this guide suggests three ways to view the Fate anime, it doesn’t pretend to be objective. Instead, it provides three different ways in which you can watch the series, each in response to the series’ release and production conditions. It speaks to both novice and veteran Fate fans.

The Problem with the Fate series in Anime

The main issue with the Fate series is that the first visual novel, called Fate/stay Night, isn’t legally accessible in the west.

With the series’ rapid increase in the last few years, the fact that no one has yet to acquire the license is quite mind-blowing. Lesser series get launched on a regular basis. Unfortunately, we don’t know the full circumstances (lack of a distributor or the absence of platforms?) However, there are a number of patches that aren’t official on the series very useful subreddit.

It’s especially unfortunate since all subsequent Fate/stay-night adaptations have been unsatisfactory in some manner. In these instances it’s much easier to suggest reading the source materials before diving into adaptations. But, that’s not the case with Fate. We’re instead forced to navigate the difficult waters of adaptation.

If you’re not familiar with the Fate series This is a brief overview the story: In Fuyuki City, seven Masters and seven Servants go out to get their hands on the Holy Grail: a magical item believed to grant the winner any one wish. These Servants are mythological and real-life characters, so this is a battle royale that’s perfect for history buffs.

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Route 1: The Purist

  • 1. Stay the night/Fate (2006)
  • 2. Fate/stay night: Unlimited blade works (2014) and 2nd season (2015)
  • 3. Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. the flower of presage (2017) II. lost butterfly (2019) I. spring song (2020)
  • 4. Fate/Zero (2011) and 2nd Season (2012)

People who are a bit of a purist like me have to feel the Fate series this way. What’s the reason? It’s not only chronological, but also reflects the original story. This is crucial because of the triangular nature of the narrative.

As with most visual novels Fate/stay night is composed of three distinct routes including the Fate route, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven’s Feel. These three paths, like many visual novels, are focused on three female characters distinct: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works on Rin and Heaven’s Feel on Sakura.

Studio DEEN’s 2006 adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name is the only series listed on this list that attempts to adapt the Fate route. Even so, it doesn’t just do this: it also incorporates some aspects from Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel which means that the plot and characters are somewhat muddled. It’s an imperfect version of the first Arc and a fantastic way to ruin what’s to come after, despite its dated visuals.

It’s a shame because, if you march straight into Studio Ufotable’s 2014 and 2015 versions of Unlimited Blade Works, you’ll be missing out on the growth and development of one of the most famous characters. Saber is a well-known character in Fate and this has led to the name “Saberface. It’s a fantastic character, and everyone knows it. As Unlimited Blade Works focuses on Rin there’s no mention of Saber’s progress in this article.

I’d argue that Unlimited Blade Works is the series’ top choice in terms of both ideas and execution, but it’s also a route that works much better in tandem with the three others. This brings me to the third part in which each of Fate/stay night’s three main paths springboards off each other in the sense that Fate being the ‘introductory’ story, and Unlimited Blade Works being the ‘backside’ of that. Heaven’s Feel, which is an entire reverse of that structure, is therefore the most dangerous place to begin.

The Fate series can’t be as successful in anime without an effective Fate path adaptation. That’s why this guide began by addressing the issues that are contained within. The reason for why Fate/Zero has been placed at the end, the next section will provide an explanation.

Route Two: The New Age

  • 1. 2.
  • 2. Stay/Fate: Unlimited blade works (2014) and 2nd season (2015)
  • 3. Fate/stay-Night [Heaven’s Feel] I. Predict Flower (2017), II. lost butterfly (2019), II. spring song (2020)

One of the biggest debates of the Purist’s approach to go through the Fate series is the decision to have Zero/Fate at the ending and Fate/stay-night at the beginning. The trend is to start with Zero and then skip over the night completely. This has its benefits, but it can also cause a lot of problems.

Although Fate/stay Night does look and sound very old-fashioned these days, it delivers significant information on the character of Saber that is absent from all other adaptations. The character of Saber has already been explained.

Zero The other hand, was praised for being among the most stunning anime when it first aired. My opinion is that it’s still in good shape in the present. While the techniques used by ufotable’s producers have been improved, particularly in 3D, Zero still looks solid. Scenes such as Saber unleashing Excalibur at the season’s final moments give me goosebumps.

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Yet, Zero is not the best to start watching the Fate series. What is the reason? The reason is quite simple: the original light novel by Gen Urobuchi, which the series is based on, was written a few years before the original visual novels were published. This knowledge covers the Holy Grail War and the magic system. But, those who haven’t seen the series before will not be able see the connections between the two stories.

Fate/Zero is an effective tool that can fill in the holes left by the Fate/stay-night visual novel. It also explains how the Fourth Holy Grail war was “unfinished,” as well as how Gilgamesh was able to remain in the midst of. The satisfaction of finding the answers is only possible when you know that there are still questions. The position of Heaven’s Feel at the end was already explained in the previous section.