What is Fate Stay Night?
Fate Stay Night is a Japanese visual novel developed by TYPE-MOON. It was first released for Windows on March 17, 2003, with later versions for Linux and Macintosh, and a PlayStation 2 port developed by 5pb. released on December 4, 2004. A mobile phone port titled Fate Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel was released on April 17, 2010. The anime adaptation is developed by A-1 Pictures.
The plot follows a young man named Shirou Emiya who is a Lancer in the Third Holy War. The war is fought between mages and magi, who are people with supernatural powers. Shirou is a magus himself, but he does not fight in the war. As he is distracted by his duties as a servant to the family he lives with, he fails to notice the true threat that the war could create.
How to Watch Fate Stay Night
As its name suggests, Fate Stay Night is only available in Japanese. The anime was licensed by FUNimation Entertainment and released on Blu-Ray and DVD in North America on July 22, 2016. International licensors have not yet been announced for future releases.
If you’re interested in watching the series, you can purchase the Blu-ray discs or the episodes can be watched on Crunchyroll. The series is available to watch for free on Hulu and Amazon. In 2017, the series became available to stream on Netflix.
The Story of FSN: Part 1 – The First Noble Families
In a world where supernatural beings called “Mages” fight against each other, Shirou Emiya is a Lancer who fights in the Third Holy War. The story begins with Shirou living with his family, but they are attacked by a Mage and Shirou is saved by a young girl with red hair, who is later revealed to be Rin Tohsaka. Rin informs Shirou that she is the owner of a family fortune, who is also a Mage. Together, they are attacked by a group of Magi and are about to be killed when Shirou uses his powers to destroy the Magi. As a reward for saving their lives, Rin summons a Servant for Shirou to fight, which is Saber.
The Story of FSN: Part 2 – The Holy Inquisition
After the Third Holy War, Rin and Shirou begin high school together. Rin changes her interests from studying to idol-making and Shirou becomes the school’s sports star. They are both recruited by a detective agency called the Mage’s Association, a secret organization that protects Mages while they go about their duties. In addition to protecting Mages, the Association also fights against the Church, which is a corrupt religious organization that sees Mages as a threat to human order.
During a fight against the Church, Shirou inadvertently activates a powerful device known as a Holy Grail. The Grail summons a Servant named Berserker, who is a battle machine from the distant future who seeks to destroy the world. The Association frantically searches for a way to control Berserker, and eventually concludes that the only way to do so is to establish a strong relationship with the Servant.
The Story of FSN: Part 3 – Conflict at Tohsaka Manor
Rin and Shirou enter the Government Office, where they are greeted by the current head of the Association, Tokiomi Tohsaka, a boy who is the owner of the Tohsaka family, one of the seven families of magi. Shirou, who is a Lancer, and Rin, a Saber, have been invited to join Tokiomi in the Association. He opens up the floor to a vote in the Association and they decide if they will allow the Association to accept other mage families. The Association is split when Rin suggests taking in the Kiritsugu Emiya’s family, as Shirou’s father is a member.
After the meeting, Tokiomi summons Saber and Shirou summons Archer. The two decide to fight against Tokiomi’s Servants in order to determine how strong they are. Shirou and Rin are both surprised by the strength of their Servants.
Final Words
In the end, the Association decides to let the Kiritsugu family into the Association. Shirou is happy to see his father smile again, and his father is happy to be able to be with his son again. Rin is happy that the Emiya family is now part of the Association.
The Story of FSN: Part 4 – The Holy Grail War
The story begins with Shirou and Rin’s high school graduation. During their graduation trip, Shirou and Rin have an argument. Shirou then leaves to go train and Rin wishes to go home. Rin meets a girl known as Sakura Matou, who has a mysterious power. After some time, Rin and Shirou meet again and resolve their argument. Rin and Shirou then go to the Association where they are informed about another war known as the Holy Grail War. The war happens every ten years and is fought between seven magi families with the aim of obtaining the Holy Grail, a powerful artifact that can grant wishes. The Association also forbids taking part in the war as a direct combatant and forces the participants to act as servants, such as lending items and personnel.
Final Words
After the war is over, Shirou and Rin part ways and their paths diverge. Rin continues her idol-making and Shirou continues his sports career, but Shirou begins to doubt his ability when he is beaten by a new challenger. Rin receives word that Shirou has been injured in a fight, so she rushes to the scene. However, she ends up saving the challenger instead of Shirou. This event leads Rin to have a change of heart and she decides to stop being an idol-maker and instead become a hero.
The Story of FSN: Part 5 – The Third Holy War
The story begins with Shirou on a date with Rin, but they are interrupted when the Third Holy War begins between the Mage’s Association and the Church. During the war, Rin is kidnapped by the Church and taken to the Church District, a place far from the Association. Shirou then receives a message from the Association, informing him that Rin has been taken.
Shirou then goes to the Church District, where he encounters Sakura Matou, who is under the control of a High-ranking Church member known as Illyasviel von Einzbern. Meanwhile, Rin, who has been imprisoned in the Church District, summons a Servant known as Saber and asks her to save Shirou.
Final Words
Rin is rescued from the Church District, and Shirou fights Illyasviel and her Servant. During the fight, Rin is saved by Sakura and they are both transported to a cave. Sakura reveals that she has been manipulating Rin this whole time and is really a Mage. The Sakura who rescued Rin and herself is really Sakura Matou, Sakura’s true identity and that Sakura Matou is a fake identity. Sakura tells Rin that she is the real Sakura Matou and that Rin was the fake Sakura Matou. Rin then attempts to leave, but Sakura asks her to stay and fight against the Association.
The Story of FSN: Part 6 – The King of Heroes
The story begins with Shirou and Rin fighting against a group of enemies. During the battle, Rin is injured and Shirou is forced to leave her behind. Rin is then transported to a place known as the King of Heroes, where she has to fight against the evil forces of the Church. Rin then summons a Servant known as Archer and fights against the forces of the Church. Meanwhile, Shirou encounters a man who is fighting against the evil forces as well.
Final Words
The man explains to Shirou that he is not a human, but a Servant. He tells Shirou that they have to defeat the evil forces and