Fate/Zero – 08
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「魔術師殺し」 (Majutsushi Goroshi)
“Mage-Killer”
The episode title said it all about how this would Kiritsugu’s time to shine and he does just that with the use of his single-shot Thompson Contender, loaded with an “Origin Bullet” created from his rib bones (and effectively, part of his soul). The first shot was a normal bullet that punctured through Kayneth’s automated Volumen Hydragram defense from sheer firepower alone, and was all part of Kiritsugu’s plan to make Kayneth increase the magical power in his defenses to maximize the effectiveness of the Origin Bullet.
As explained in a flashback of his mentor, Natalia Kaminski (Watanabe Akeno, as credited in the cast list), Kiritsugu actually has two Origins, i.e. Akasha’s very definition of his existence, which are known as Setsudan to Ketsugou 「切断」と「結合」, a.k.a. “Severing and Binding”. Since it’s a Conceptual Weapon, it has an increased effect on magi, in that it “severs” a mage’s Magical Circuit and “re-binds” it in a completely messed up manner to render them unusable forever. Magic Circuits are essentially another nervous system in a mage’s body, and are what allows them to use harness prana (a.k.a. mana) and use it for magecraft, so the effect Kiritsugu’s bullet has could be seen as destroying all the nerves in the human body without any anesthetics. The end result isn’t pretty, especially when he gets his opponent to exercise a powerful spell to maximize the overload effect on, as seen by the buckets of blood Kayneth coughed up and the excruciating pain on his face. Quite frankly, I find it amazing that Kayneth even survived after reading about Kiritsugu’s Origin Bullets last episode, because I figured he would’ve died from the pain alone. However, the implication is that he will be a vegetable from now on, and that Sola-Ui will be asking him to transfer Lancer’s Command Seals to her to continue in the war, as heard in the preview.
Interestingly enough, Saber and Lancer’s battle with Caster was also about rendering magic ineffective, as seen in their combined Strike Air and Gae Dearg attack, the latter of which viewers may recall severs magic from prana. I presume the effects of the spear didn’t render Caster’s Prelati completely useless — seeing as Saber’s magical armor still works — but the actual damage to the demon spellbook is another matter. This is a thought that only crossed my mind in hindsight, as I was pretty convinced that Caster would be finished off here. I would’ve actually preferred to see a swift death, going back to what I said before about how there’s an added level of realism and believability when fights conclud after only one or two encounters, much like we saw with Kayneth. It doesn’t seem like Caster and Ryuunosuke really needed any more character build-up, so they were primed for an early exit to the war in my eyes. Seeing as Caster survived, I’m kind of curious about what kind of bigger role he and Ryuunosuke will have. They’ve already proven to be a bit of a wild card with the way their serial killings brought about an order from the Church, so I can see them continuing to throw everyone’s plans off.
Last but definitely not least was Iri whipping out some homunculus-like alchemy out of nowhere. I actually found that really surprising, because I was led to believe that all she could do is heal when Saber fought Lancer. I don’t know if Iri simply didn’t want to reveal that she had alchemy techniques back then, or if they’re only effective against humans and not Servants, but I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter for consistency sake. After all, Kirei quickly proved that a mage can break from from her technique somewhat easily, so I would imagine it’s completely useless against a Servant. I did find it odd how Iri and Maiya just stared in awe as Kirei took his time to free himself from the tree, but I was willing to chalk that up to Maiya suffering from massive internal bleeding and not having a good means to harm Kirei to begin with. Whatever the case, the biggest thing to take away from that was Kirei’s refusal to believe that Kiritsugu has two women who would disobey his orders and die for him. Judging from his reaction, he wants to believe that Kiritsugu is just like him — a cold and indifferent killing machine that just does what he’s told — so I’d wager this is where he starts go into denial. Incidentally, this does seem to suggest why Kiritsugu fears Kirei so much. From Kiritsugu’s perspective, Kirei is just like him but without all the weaknesses that emotions can potentially bring.
Of course, the other thing to take away is that Kiritsugu asked Iri to keep Excalibur’s scabbard Avalon with her — concealed as a Conceptual Weapon within her body — since it provides immortal-like regenerative properties to the bearer when it’s within range of Saber to utilize her prana. What’s interesting is that he doesn’t want Saber to know they have it. Why that is I’m not entirely sure, seeing as it would more or less make Saber immortal (maybe even cure her thumb…?), but it could be that the Einzberns want to keep the genuine artifact for themselves. (I get the feeling I’m overlooking something, like how Arturia died at the Battle of Camlann because she didn’t have Avalon with her.) In any case, this did remind my why Emiya Shirou ended up summoning Saber again in Fate/stay night: Avalon eventually gets passed down to him.
* I get the feeling I’ll say this every week, but Kajiura Yuki’s music continues to bring out all the scenes in this adaptation, particularly the battle sequences.
* I wonder if the flashback of Kiritsugu had a zoomed-out shot censored out, showing how he had some ribs removed to be ground up for the Origin Bullets, since it looks like he’s in some discomfort.
Preview
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November 19, 2011 at 7:36 pmlolwut
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Having not read the novel and thus not knowing what happens until watching the anime, I was kind of disappointed when Show Spoiler ▼
.
November 20, 2011 at 3:03 amsuff
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I think Iri won’t die until the very end. Chances are, she is going to be the vessel for the Holy Grail, similar to what happened in FSN.
However, we already know that in FSN:
Show Spoiler ▼
November 19, 2011 at 7:37 pmshunpo
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First
bet all you guys are jelly you’ll hit the dislike button
November 19, 2011 at 7:39 pmJust A Random Guy
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Haha good job making a fool out of yourself, I am truely jelly =)
November 19, 2011 at 8:05 pmMasterDragonKnight
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That is not a jelly. That is a Metal Slime (Dragon Quest). XD
http://i43.tinypic.com/34t4jkj.jpg
PS: How do you post links within words?
November 20, 2011 at 10:59 amacolyte
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‘links within words’: HTML style. You do [a href=link]text[/a] (with the angled brackets)
November 19, 2011 at 10:40 pmClick
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I kind of wish that there was some kind of spam filter for this “first” crap :P
November 21, 2011 at 2:38 amMichiko
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You know what’s even better? Missed by just a minute.
November 22, 2011 at 8:23 pmMoeronic
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funny since his name is shunpo ^_^
November 19, 2011 at 7:39 pmBass.EXE
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They also do a great job of using silence to add to the mood. This scene in particular. The music cut out. All you could hear was the tree starting to break…I was literally on the edge of my seat.
November 19, 2011 at 7:40 pmMasterDragonKnight
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I wonder what the first bullet Kiritsugu shot was?
It was probably not the same Origin Bullet, since it did not disrupt the magic circuit, just inflicted a normal wound. But at the same time, it was able to bypass the automatic defense.
November 19, 2011 at 7:43 pmDivine
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Second sentence in my post. :)
It was just a normal bullet, but the Thompson Contender is like a magnum in terms of firepower, shooting rifle-size bullets, hence why it went through.
November 19, 2011 at 7:50 pmMasterDragonKnight
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Oops, sorry. Did not read carefully enough. ^^;;
I am not familiar with firearms, so I have no clue as to what power the gun holds.
November 19, 2011 at 8:28 pmacolyte
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@MasterDragonKnight most of us doesn’t. That’s why we find the explanation here :)
November 20, 2011 at 7:09 amLegion
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Kiritsugu’s Contender fires .30-06 rifle bullets, which is just shy of magnum rifle rounds.
He chose the bullet for its power. A magi would need nothing less than tank armor to defend from it. So, if they use magic to defend then their circuits are ripped apart; and if they don’t use magic then the bullet itself rips them apart.
November 19, 2011 at 8:17 pmfragb85
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Basically, the more magic is used the more painful and effective Kiritsugu’s magic bullet would be. His first bullet was just a normal shot, but it pierced Kayneth’s defense and forced him to use even more magic to reinforce his shield.
So Kayneth essentially screwed himself over by using more magic and making an unnecessary “I will kill you” monologue.
November 19, 2011 at 7:58 pmgandalf8
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I noticed a lot of scenes with the potential to be altered in the Blu-ray version. One was definitely Kiritsugu’s flashback, while another was the actions Kirei took to free himself from Iri’s wires. Although I’m rather disappointed with the way they portrayed Lancer and Saber’s fight with Caster. It felt like they just took it all straight from the novel without incorporating a bit of explanation on Saber and Lancer’s tactic to defeat Caster. If they had showed a monologue of Saber formatting the plan she had, it would better explain to viewers who are not familiar with the source material.
November 19, 2011 at 8:04 pmDa5id
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Another day, another episode where Caster doesn’t die…and we’re a third through the series.
This series continues to please on the visuals, though. This whole episode looked like a continuation of Movies 5 and 6 of Kara no Kyoukai.
November 19, 2011 at 8:07 pmfragb85
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Interesting how much better the battles with the masters were compared to servants. Casters retreat just felt like a Saturday Cartoon getaway. There was alot more tension and satisfying moments with the other battles. I was absolutely enjoying how Kirtsugu owned to stuffy, arrogant Kayneth. Kirei seems alot creepier here than the novels, thanks to the great visuals and direction.
November 19, 2011 at 8:08 pmHeath
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About Avalon. The novel says Kiritsugu just don’t trust Saber (not for an specific reason, but because he is just that careful), I believe (not spoiler, this was said at the same time it was reveled Iris had the scabbard). Also, while Avalon can be transferred, it can only be used by one person at time. I got the feeling Kiritsugu just don’t want her wife to be vulnerable at any time, Saber can take care of herself, Iris can not.
Show Spoiler ▼
Oh, the fact Arthur didn’t have Avalon during the Battle of Camlann is probably the reason she don’t have a copy of it with her. Unlike the other Noble Phantasms, Avalon is the ‘real deal’.
November 19, 2011 at 9:04 pmDivine
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Wasn’t Avalon stolen before the Battle of Camlann? This is in reference to when Arturia was alive and had the very scabbard that Iri has now.
* Edit: Source.
November 19, 2011 at 9:12 pmRakkyo
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Strange, I remembered the VN said that Avalon was lost and not stolen. At least, that’s what the translation says.
November 19, 2011 at 9:22 pmFencedude
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It depends on what version of the story Nasu used to formulate Arturia’s backstory.
November 20, 2011 at 2:05 amHeath
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Yes. But this doesn’t mean the scabbard ceased existing then. Arturia lost Avalon (or let it to be stolen). Centuries latter, the Einzberns found it.
If you are referring to me saying “during”, it was merely a mistake of my part. My bad. =P
November 20, 2011 at 3:01 amDivine
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Oh I see what you intended to say now. Yeah, the sentence can be interpreted another way with the “during -> because”.
November 19, 2011 at 8:15 pmdaitro
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Was it just me, or did anyone else get a little chuckle at the way Kirei runs?
That aside seeing Kiritsugu wipe that smug look on Melloi’s face was pretty refreshing
November 20, 2011 at 6:11 amAKB11
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Me 2, he was running like a little scared boy!!! Lol
November 19, 2011 at 8:16 pmKGFJ
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The first episode where the fight between the masters are much more interesting than the fight between the servants. To be honest I liked the fact Caster is not dead yet, as I expect he shouldn’t be this weak (and lame).
Kirei’s level of assery just shot up a lot on my bar this week. He is officially my most hated character in the series, yet we all know he won’t die at the end of the series. Damn it!
Is that rider’s voice in the preview!? I want episode 9 NOW!!
November 21, 2011 at 1:47 amMoriae
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…Kirei actually…
Show Spoiler ▼
He’s one of my favorite characters. I really find him very tragic.
Show Spoiler ▼
November 23, 2011 at 11:32 amGilgamesh92
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You wouldn’t be saying this if you played HF
November 19, 2011 at 8:18 pmJhacks
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I already knew Kirei is a Badass in the heavens feel arc, but it went on new different level of BADASS when he just go and start deflecting bullets from a freaking assault rifle with his bare body.
U MAD?
November 19, 2011 at 8:52 pmMike
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well, Kirei’s entire clothing were kevlar-reinforced and, iirc, had some protection spells or such from the Church added in as well, standard equipments for Church Executors.
Also, the calico is just a 9mm submachine gun, frankly it doesn’t pack all that much punch either.
November 19, 2011 at 8:21 pmsuff
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This show is sooooo good.
November 19, 2011 at 8:24 pmsuff
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Like I said before I didn’t think Kayneth would die this episode. But I still think Kayneth is going to cause Lancer’s death, due to his jealousy of (his imagined fear of) Lancer manhandling Sola-Ui. There is no way the writer would choose this particular Lancer, with this particular kind of masters-servant setup for nothing. I think Lancer’s legend is going to be repeated here.
November 19, 2011 at 10:03 pmsuff
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Also I think I realized why Saber and Kiritsugu almost never interact in F/Z. I think it’s a matter of convenience.
After watching FSN a bit I realized that Saber doesn’t really recall much about Kirei. But in F/Z it seems that everything is about Kirei and Kiritsugu. So probably the reason why in F/Z Saber and Kiritsugu do not interact may be to avoid plot holes.
Nevertheless, this show is SO GOOD. The writer is incredibly talented.
November 21, 2011 at 9:46 pmMichiko
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Kiritsugu already anticipated that he and Saber wouldn’t get along because neither of them would go with the other’s way of fighting. It seems like he originally planned for Maiya to protect Irisviel during the war, but he ended up changing the plan when he decided that Saber would be more compatible with Irisviel instead.
So logistically speaking, Kiritsugu planned it that way. I think some thought went into why Saber tells Shirou that she and Kiritsugu spoke pretty much three times during the Fourth Heaven’s Feel rather than just trying to fill in a potential plot hole for Fate/stay night.
Even when they’re in same room, Kiritsugu refuses to speak to her directly. He’s utterly brutal when he finally does, and maybe Saber’s only counting those moments among the “he only spoke to me three times.”
November 19, 2011 at 8:24 pmL002
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To anyone who is wondering. Kirei didn’t use magic when he broke that tree. He used a unique martial art technique, from Baji Quan, to help him, which is known as “explosive force.” Though the animators exaggerated the power of the technique, Kirei really didn’t use any sort of magic and used brute strength, albeit more refined and used correctly with good coordination, to do that. Basically if Iri had tied the dudes legs and his hands, it would have been a complete victory, assuming Assassin wasn’t there at that time.
It is entertaining how the magus killer operates. Emiya really is quite a rare breed, to be one of the few magi that uses modern technology and magic as a combo. Even primitive people, like daddy Tohsaka, refuses to use at least a phone or even a computer and use rather antics that no one even uses anymore, which I find SAD.
November 19, 2011 at 8:40 pmsaka
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ba ji quan. reminds me of that assassin from fate/extra.
November 19, 2011 at 9:14 pmRakkyo
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Actually, most martial artists in the Nasuverse uses Ba Ji Quan, like Miyako and Sougen.
November 19, 2011 at 9:45 pmL002
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Just to add, seeing how Rin Tohsaka also studied under Kirei, she is also a practitioner of such a martial art.
November 20, 2011 at 11:21 amfelix
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And Souchiro Kuzuki, caster’s master from FSN, is also a master of Ba ji Quan
November 21, 2011 at 3:08 pmL002
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To be exact, that isn’t Ba ji Quan. Though Kuzuki’s style is a martial art, specifically called the snake, it is not Ba ji Quan. And just to confirm to everyone, people like Miyako and Sougen learned something called Chinese kempo, which is another way of saying a martial art that stems from the Chinese culture yet there is no specific classification. For all non-martial artist, please don’t assume that Ba ji Quan is another way of saying Chinese martial arts. Like how Karate and Kenjutsu are both Japanese martial arts. Ba Ji Quan is one of the many martial arts in Chinese culture.
November 19, 2011 at 8:33 pmacolyte
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Still keeping my at the edge of my seat. Though this time I delayed watching F/Z since ep6 and watched the last three episodes together. Works well.
Whee action packed. Show Spoiler ▼
But I don’t know what I like about this series compared to FSN/SnS. I just like it.
November 19, 2011 at 11:32 pmThe Story You Don’t Know
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Iri will still die just like the rest of them except Kirei, ok happy now? Thanks for spoiling it to us loser
November 22, 2011 at 4:21 pmwordlet
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That person hasn’t spoiled anything that isn’t under a spoiler tag. If anyone is spoiling anything, it’s you with your negative comments.
November 19, 2011 at 8:57 pmSlushiZ
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Even though they didn’t actually die, Caster is fairly weak without his magic book and Lancers soon to be master is in love with him and probably wouldn’t like to see him in danger (bit like Emiya Shirou -.-”) SOOO I’m heaps looking forward to great finish where characters go desperate and crazy and die and of course the inevitable showdown between Kiritsugu and Kirei.
November 19, 2011 at 9:00 pmZammael
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Now this is what I expected from the start! Wall to wall action, new strategies atop failed ones.
Me Gusta. Moar, por favor!
November 19, 2011 at 9:47 pmrasone0104
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YESSSS!!!!
Show Spoiler ▼
November 19, 2011 at 10:53 pmRakkyo
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Don’t forget the best part.
Show Spoiler ▼
Damn i wanna see how they would animate it.
November 20, 2011 at 5:09 pmColonel Mash
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I reakon that Show Spoiler ▼
But it will be a pretty awesome scene :)
November 19, 2011 at 9:49 pmCroco
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Sweet Iri got Wolverine’d
November 19, 2011 at 10:09 pmkuld
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What a nice ass you have there, Kirei. ;)
November 19, 2011 at 10:14 pmThe Story You Don’t Know
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EW PERVERT! yaoi fans are not welcome here!
November 20, 2011 at 1:54 amtakashid
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…or maybe kuld is of the female persuasion? even if not, there’s no need to judge.
November 20, 2011 at 1:10 ammistress_kisara
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Haha! I LOL’d when they showed a shot of his ass!! :P
November 20, 2011 at 5:46 pmVinchester
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I can’t help but see that Kirei humped the tree to bits lol. That was quite a pelvic thrust!
November 19, 2011 at 10:12 pmThe Story You Don’t Know
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Ok this is getting really really ridiculous! What in the world is Kirei? Is he even human? If iirc he is supposed to be a mage executor kinda like Kiritsugu right? So he isnt really a mage, but how the hell can he just go through bullets from a submachine gun like that by simply crossing his arms? What does he have the same bulletproof black coat that Hei from DTB has? I mean come one! He is not even a servant and not a mage, this guy is being way too overpowered! Bet you he will be the only one alive cause he gets to keep Gilgamesh alive while he kills Tokiomi and take the grail for himself, I guess he and Kiritsugu will duke it out and he will win in the end cuz lets face it, as good as Kiritsugu is, his bullet is only good for mages, and Kirei isnt and really Saber is really really damn useless. I liked Carnival Phantasm a WHOLE LOT BETTER THIS WEEK for the appearance of Saber Red, the new and BETTER Saber IMO Umu!
November 19, 2011 at 10:18 pmdantheman
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Kirei’s coat is made of kevlar and enhanced with magic. Saber useless? Saber would kill Kirei easily. Kirei inst even the strongest human in Nasuverse.
November 20, 2011 at 2:57 amsuff
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Who is the most powerful human alive in the nasuverse, I wonder?
Aozaki Aoko?
November 20, 2011 at 4:16 amalde
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Ciel comes to mind.
November 20, 2011 at 5:04 amRakkyo
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What rubbish, no one beats Taiga.
All joking aside, I’d have to say it’s Ryougi. Given the Eyes and her athletic abilities, she could pretty much defeat even Aoko.
November 20, 2011 at 6:53 amdantheman
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Not counting the five magics, I would say Ciel, Kishima Kouma(does this guy still count as human) or a plot powered Shirou/Shiki.
November 20, 2011 at 7:04 amZets
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You guys are forgetting that Ciel won’t die until Roa is killed. And as the 17th host of Roa, she was part vampire till Arcueid had to stop her. In true sense of the term ‘human’, Ryougi Shiki would be a better fit to be called ‘strongest human’ in the Nasuverse. Additionally, Shiki was the extra boss in Fate/Extra and she’s waaaaay harder than the rest of the Servants you face in the game as well.
November 20, 2011 at 2:43 pmsuff
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I can hardly call Ciel a ‘human’. I am not sure, but I think she is borderline vampire.
Shiki comes to mind, too. But I have a feeling that 5th Magic is superior. Also, Aoko seems to understand the Mystic Eye of Death Perception well.
November 20, 2011 at 3:56 pmfelix
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It’s probably the guy who uses zeltrecth sword. It is said that the sword can summon little bit of power from every single one of unlimited universe. That sword even managed to defeat type-moon, the one who created arcruied and basically father of all vampires. The other possibility is the knight who uses slash-sword. The last but not least, I think, emiya shirou is one of the strongest if he can uses his UBW freely.
November 20, 2011 at 4:35 pmsuff
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I think Aoko will own Shirou very easily with her 5th magic. Or maybe even without it. Shirou is a good fighter by otherwise pretty useless against a magus.
Isn’t the wielder of the 2nd magic dead already? As far as I know the closest to 2nd magic right now is Tousaka Rin. Even so she only has a small aspect of the 2nd magic.
November 20, 2011 at 5:16 pmRaine
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Ryougi Shiki? She’s human if you forget that she’s a personification of the Origin(Akasha).
November 20, 2011 at 5:24 pmRaine
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(Sorry for the double post as there’s no edit button :)) And the wielder of the 2nd magic, Zelretch, is not dead. It’s clearly said in the end of Heaven’s feel that
Show Spoiler ▼
For the strongest human, it’s probably Aozaki Aoko, as she does have the 5th magic.
Show Spoiler ▼
Or whatever, Starmine and Starbow are still devastating.
November 21, 2011 at 2:16 amAizen
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Isn’t Kouma some kind of oni (or something non-human)?
Anyway, I’m just here to say that Nanaya Kiri is totally badass.
November 22, 2011 at 12:32 amronri
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Ryougi Shiki due to being the human personification of Akasha (the Origin, the Root). Namely her 3rd personality which can reshape, destroy, and recreate the whole of reality if she just wanted to.
November 19, 2011 at 11:38 pmhitoshi
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Executioner have to hunt and kill “heretic”( which include mage and vampire,all of them have power normal human couldn’t fathom, let alone facing them head on) as their job so they need every little advantage they can have. That enhanced priest robe is one of those. But Kirei is still a normal human, as tough as he is, so normal bullet still work. Kiritsugu don’t need to use Origin Bullet, a well placed head will do.
About Saber. There is a reason Kirei stab Iri, it’s to delay Saber and force her to choose between abandoning Iri to die and chase after him or stay behind for Iri and let him go. Saber chosen the latter but if she choose to go after him instead, he will most definitely die even with Assassin assistance. Nothing he could do can even harm Saber not to mention the great difference in stats…He know that, that’s why he quickly retreat once he know Saber is coming.
November 20, 2011 at 4:20 amAizen
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Sir, you overreact. In the Nasuverse where humans blow a lot of shit up with magic and stuff, this is the least you be surprised about.
November 19, 2011 at 10:16 pmClick
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Well shucks. Superb episode… again. The tension was through the roof all throughout. One thing which did unintentionally make me laugh though was when Saber told Iri that she lost too much blood, since I kept thinking of Kayneth. Anywho, things do not look too good for Kayneth right now. Judging from the preview, there’s no way that his command spells aren’t going to Sola-Ui, who is absolutely smitten with Lancer. If you’re familiar with Diarmund’s myth, then you’ll know how damn uncomfortable Lancer is going to feel next episode.
Out of the three battles being waged this episode, the best was without a doubt the showdown between Kiritsugu and Kayneth. Their conflict seemed like a battle between tradition and new-school practicality, with Kayneth being the former and Kiritsugu being the latter. Iris’ comes at a close second, showing off that she isn’t at all useless and hinting that Kiritsugu may actually care.
As a side note, I feel that they’re doing a really good job making the audience hate Kirei and Bluebeard, without portraying them as irritating.
November 19, 2011 at 11:32 pmbluance
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I really think after seeing this episode a fight between Kirei and Kiritsugu will turn out to be really epic. Great pacing handling 3 battles in 1 episode.
November 20, 2011 at 5:14 pmColonel Mash
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Yeah, Kayneth doesn’t want to hand them over but she… insists by, Show Spoiler ▼
She is crazy!
November 20, 2011 at 5:25 pmRaine
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When you get used to Yuno, no other women is nearly as crazy.
November 19, 2011 at 10:26 pmAsu
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I sort of miss Berserker XD
November 19, 2011 at 10:35 pmKinni
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Kirei wasn’t the best executor of the church for nothing. Caster’s escape wasn’t was well done as i expected, it became difficult to understand that he unleashed the rest of the magic to cause that explosion. Next episode, we’ll see how they adapt a chapter based heavily on internal monologue and narration. Also, Alexander. And maybe we’ll even get to see Show Spoiler ▼
November 19, 2011 at 10:44 pmbeepers
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So Maiya can pull out her handgun when Kirei walks towards her, but she couldn’t do it and kill him while he was tied to the tree? -_-”
November 19, 2011 at 11:30 pmdaggeraxe
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If I’m not mistaken, in the novel Maiya was struggling to get up when Kirei was tied to the tree.
November 20, 2011 at 12:10 amBakaMochi
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In the episode too, I think it was quite obvious she was struggling to get up. I hear internal bleeding makes it quite difficult to move.
November 20, 2011 at 11:18 amfelix
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Internal bleeding is something you don’t want to mess with coz every time you move even if it’s only a twitch you’re gonna feel like you’re being stabbed repeateadly and it’s obvious that maiya has a couple of her ribs broken. It’s a surprise she could still reach out to her gun.
November 19, 2011 at 10:53 pmybaby
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Great episode as usual but there are two things I still don’t get…
#1 How did Kirie block countless number of bullets with his forearms
#2 How is Saber stupid enough to not realize about Avalon after witnessing what happen to Iri
November 19, 2011 at 10:59 pmdantheman
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#1 kevlar coat with magic enhancement
#2 Iri is a homunculus, some of them have extra abilities or perks, its not unusual to think one was made with self-healing capabilities.
November 20, 2011 at 1:16 amSerapita
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Yeah, at first I totally forgot about Avalon’s Scabbard and thought it’s just the regeneration ability of Homunculus.
November 19, 2011 at 11:46 pmfirefly123456
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@ divine. Its as you though, most servants have magic resistance so low level spells dont affect them.
November 20, 2011 at 3:02 amDivine
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Thanks for confirming.
November 20, 2011 at 12:12 amDayriff
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Sometimes I really don’t get the “honor” that Saber and Lancer claim to practice. It all seems fairly arbitrary. I mean the fight between Kayneth and Kiritsugu seemed pretty legitimate to me. Kayneth busted into Kiritsugu’s house and Kiritsugu responded by trying to kill the dude with any means available to him. What’s there to complain about?
Seems to me that these warriors define “honorable combat” as being combat practiced in the exact way that they themselves are skilled and comfortable with, fought according to their own personal set of rules. And anyone who wants to fight a different way… why they’re just “dishonorable”.
November 20, 2011 at 12:32 amtakashid
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I completely agree. I was really amazed at the stupidity Saber showed in this episode. Actually standing aside and letting an enemy servant just walk right up to her master, and leaving him defenseless. The only reason it actually worked is because Lancer is a similar kind of honor loving fool. Something i wish they had added was Kiritsugu’s inner thoughts during that scene, after Lancer escapes. He points out a huge flaw in sabers decision to let Lancer go, which is what if Kayneth had still been conscious when Lancer arrived, and had used a command spell to force him to attack? Bam. Kiritsugu dead, Saber out of the war, and Iri and Maiya heartbroke, all just cause Saber decided to be an idiot over her honor.
P.S. The fight between Kayneth and Kiritsugu was legit, however Saber doesn’t know that. She is stuck in honor stupidity mode, and assumed that Kayneth was an innocent little master who was lured into Kiritsugu’s “cowardly” trap. she doesn’t realize it was actually a fight.
November 20, 2011 at 8:52 amKob264
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I think she was repaying the favors he had done, that plus she is probably more concerned Irisviel, because in her eyes she is her “master”
November 20, 2011 at 12:45 amJack
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Yea I was getting sick of all that cheesy chivalry crap they kept spewing to each other. It was getting on my nerves with the back and forth of “You have my honour”, “Pride”, “We shall duel as knights!”.
One reason I don’t like Saber in this. In F/SN Shirou was the one acting stupid most of the time.
November 20, 2011 at 1:01 amUmadBro?
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all we need now is for saber to say something similar to the “people will die when they are killed” quote
November 21, 2011 at 2:00 amMoriae
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Shirou and Saber have similar stupidly childish ideals. Fate route isn’t mean to be about a childish superhero ideal that will lead no one to true happiness?
November 20, 2011 at 1:05 amxpringox
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I believe the writer was trying to juxtaposed between master fights and servant fights. For masters, it’s a fight to death for the grail. There is no code of honor, chivalry or any of that. Kiritsugu way of life is an example of that. While for servants, some of them have different purpose to fight. Lancer simply wished to serve his master faithfully since he failed to do so before. We have to remember that these servants are “heroic spirit.” King Arthuria was recognized by the grail for her virtues and chivalry. It would not makes sense for her to suddenly discard the virtues she held once she summoned as a servant.
November 20, 2011 at 4:28 amJack
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Saber failed to realize that if she gets “killed”, she’d just return to hero heaven and hang out there until the next war. The masters however are human and when they die, they just rot in the ground. They actually have more at stake.
November 20, 2011 at 2:08 amHeath
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You need to remember there is personal feelings mixed in. Bot Saber and Lancer want to finish their own battle, which is just not possible if one of their masters die. Furthermore, you might remember they don’t know what was going on. Saber didn’t know Kayneh stormed into the Einzberns castle on his own accord and lost in a fair fight. She probably thought Kiritsugu tricked him somehow and used dirty tricks to win (which, to be frank, is why Kiritsugu would have done, given time).
November 20, 2011 at 5:13 amSeishun Otoko
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Completely agree with you. This episode reminded me of everything I didn’t like about Saber in FSN. To make things worse, Shirou was as big of a fool as Saber was and it made the show painfully hard to watch. Contrary to the load of crap Lancer spewed to Kiritsugu, it was Saber’s stupidity that brought such danger to her master in the first place. The masters in Fate/Zero are a very good balance to their servants counterparts and it makes the show all the more interesting to watch.
November 21, 2011 at 2:04 amMoriae
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Play the visual novel, you’ll find Heaven’s Feel a very satisfactory route. Show Spoiler ▼
November 20, 2011 at 6:39 pmSilver
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I actually think she did that because she understand what type of person Lancer really is. Would she do the same thing for Caster? I highly doubt it. Also Saber is the type of person who have a noble personality but at the same time, she’s also very pragmatic. There were times when Shirou was just being stupid and Saber was clearly upset about it. In this case, she had talked to Lancer quite a bit. Fought against him quite a bit, and also owed him for helping her.
November 20, 2011 at 12:21 amBakaMochi
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It’s interesting how Kirei insists on thinking Kiritsugu is as empty as he is. It’s a good way of portraying his desperate search for meaning in his life; it baffles him how someone like Kiritsugu, who he assumes is just a machine, has people who would want to protect him out of their own will. I get the feeling he needs Kiritsugu to be identical to him (and I do believe he does say that in the episode) because otherwise he can’t justify his life, or his reason for being chosen by the Grail (the last bit is just my observation).
As for Iri whipping out that homunculus alchemy, I didn’t really find that too sudden since it’s not like she’s had much opportunities to fight. Kayneth wasn’t even present in the fight between Lancer and Saber so it was unnecessary for her to use it. And not sure if this counts as a spoiler, but TypeMoon Wiki does state that Einzbern homunculi are not really built for fighting; they are good Magis, but are not meant to be on the offensive.
November 20, 2011 at 12:58 amUmadBro?
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how i wish i didnt watch fate stay night yet so i wont know the outcome…
November 20, 2011 at 4:48 pmZammael
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I didn’t, UmadBro. :D
U mad?
November 20, 2011 at 1:34 amLivingood
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Caster and his obsession over Saber is like a prepubescent girl and Justin Bieber
November 20, 2011 at 1:59 amricz
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I want to kill kotomine now
November 20, 2011 at 2:38 amPtolemaios00
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Few details I want to nitpick on that they left out of this adaptation.
-An explanation of Kirei’s Ba Gua martial arts that he used to BREAK A TREE!
-I wish they showed Kiritsugu’s Origin Bullet’s effect in a more internal way. In FSN, they depicted Shirou’s magic circuits plenty of times, so I was expecting an x-ray of the effect inside Kayneth. I guess they squandered all the animation budget onto the mercury tentacles weirdly wrapping around the bullet. Oh well.
I started little when Kirei stabbed Iri. Then, I remembered about Avalon. Phew. =)
November 20, 2011 at 3:47 amMadox
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Actually I thought FSN’s rendition of the magic circuits a bit cheesy/stupid so I was glad they didn’t show that again.
The animation quality of Fate/Zero looks far ahead of FSN, some people complain about ‘no motion’ scenes but they still look good to me.
November 20, 2011 at 3:33 amSaangi
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Kirei’s Breaking of the tree is the Fate/Zero Application of Bruce Lee’s “One Inch Punch”. Only more Badass…
November 20, 2011 at 3:56 amKinny Riddle
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Kirei was already quite badass even before the final few episodes in FS/N, but now he shows why he’s earned that badass-ness, most notably yanking a tree out of insane strength. Wow.
I remember reading somewhere that Nasu conceptualized Kirei as an “anti-Shirou”. While Shirou has a strong sense of justice and all that stuff, Kirei is the antithesis of that.
And since Shirou got most of his values from Kiritsugu, Kirei would of course be the antithesis of Kiritsugu as well, or at least how Kirei came to represent the ultimate “darkness” in FS/N, seeing as he’s still quite an “empty vessel” emotionally at the moment.
November 20, 2011 at 4:30 amJack
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I think Kiritsugu is anything BUT justice. He’s more similar to Kirei and they both agree.
November 20, 2011 at 6:26 amSuppa Tenko
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You forget that Kiritsugu’s original motivation is to bring peace to the world. After the Holy Grail war, he gets some more character development and becomes far more emotional and idealistic/regretful.
November 20, 2011 at 11:08 amfelix
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it’s a shame that ufotable doesn’t film the prologue of the novel. It will certainly help first timers to understand better about the depth of Kiritsugu’s characters.
November 21, 2011 at 5:55 amKinny Riddle
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Suppa Tenko, good point there. I think perhaps Kiritsugu sees in Shirou an ideal version of himself that he himself could never become due to all his “ends justifying the means” method to achieve ultimate world peace, hence he imbued in Shirou those values of justice in the hope that Shirou can fulfill them in his stead.
November 20, 2011 at 3:58 amKinny Riddle
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A good analogy I hear elsewhere is to compare Magical Circuits to electric circuits, and Origin Bullets to water.
Now imagine what happens if you charge up your electric devices to the max and then sprinkle water all over the sockets.
Exactly.
November 20, 2011 at 4:15 amc2710
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I’ve nv read the viz novel so i dont know much but i have watched FSN so i know who survives or how it turns out. Seeing iri fight and stabbed made me spill my lunch. I wished the caster fight scene was longer. And kiritsugu was bad ass
November 20, 2011 at 5:18 amduqs
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I’m pretty sure Kirei, having vast experience as an Executor from the church, will have extensive knowledge on dealing with magus like Irisviel
The origin bullet’s effect was more awesome than i’ve imagined after seeing the anime hahaha
November 20, 2011 at 6:15 amLuuke
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I wonder if the English translation of the title wouldn’t be better as “Mage-Killers” (my japanese isn’t that good, but I don’t think they make a clear distincion between single and plural).
After all I’m probably not the only one that noticed that the 3 main focuses of the episode consisted of: Kiritsugu (the mage killer) vs Archibald, Kirei (another mage killer) vs Iri & Maiya, and last but not least Saber & Lancer vs Caster (another mage, sort of, which makes Saber and Lancer also mage killers, sort of :)
November 20, 2011 at 8:58 pmK
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The title was probably a soft emphasis on Kiritsugu’s Mystic Code more than anything else.
November 20, 2011 at 8:46 amZleihsh
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In the preview, when Iskander goes, “my Master is almost killed”, my thought immediately goes,Iskander must be thinking,”NO, that goes my XXXL pants!”
Sorry, I think I have a horrible personality.
Also, the BGM is AWSOME as always..
November 20, 2011 at 9:54 amn0216332
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“I don’t know if Iri simply didn’t want to reveal that she had alchemy techniques back then, or if they’re only effective against humans and not Servants, but I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter for consistency sake.”
i’d like to think Iri knows that Saber wants a one on one fight with Lancer, and respecting that by only healing… i dunno…butthen healing would be interfering as well… :/ meh.. dunno
November 20, 2011 at 10:59 amvalient37
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Poor Kayneth… 9 generation magi family and now he can’t use magic at all (I think).
Where is Waver? I know he didn’t do anything, Kiritsugu did… but I still would love to see Waver doing some spells in front of Kayneth now haha.
Aww… I feel like a bully now.
November 20, 2011 at 12:28 pmlostty
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I wasn’t too impressed by this episode. As per usual the animation was still great and the fights were cool, but besides that…meh.
What I hope to see next week is some Waver and Rider scenes. That’s all I ask!!
November 20, 2011 at 1:02 pmewok40k
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basically, this mage-slayer bullet means the bigger they are the harder they fall…
November 20, 2011 at 3:20 pmJared
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I couldn’t help but notice that someone took to the time to down-vote every single comment on this page.
November 20, 2011 at 3:33 pmcxas
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y does everytime lancer talk to saber he seems like he wants to bone her. lol
November 20, 2011 at 4:22 pmEbisu
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If I remember well, Shirou was healed one time of Lancer’s Gae Bolg blow in F/SN in the anime when Saber put her magic in the Avalon inside Shirou. So yes, it would cure her thumb.
November 20, 2011 at 4:40 pmsuff
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Except that is a different Lancer and a different Noble Phantasm.
November 21, 2011 at 2:50 amamado
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no no.
lancer’s gae bolg is impossible to recover from. even avalon wouldnt be able to save him. it was thanks to rin using her pendant to let shirou “grow” a new heart that he did.
shirou was nearly cut in half by that certain servant cause he wanted to protect saber. that was where the healing of avalon really activated.
November 21, 2011 at 3:16 amfelix
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Nah, Gae Bolg is imposible to recover because at that time, saber hasn’t been summoned hence the avalon wasn’t activated yet. If avalon is activated not even the power of all magus combined can hurt the user (near saber). It is said that avalon is a bounded field, a portable fortress that not even five true magic can overcome.
November 21, 2011 at 4:05 amamado
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he was talking about shirou. the protection is absolute yes but not the healing. shirou’s head can be lopped off and he’ll die. he can be blown up and die. even if saber is near.
what your referring is if saber calls out avalon’s name, then its a PROTECTION not a massive healing.
nasu even says that arcueid cant survive gae bolg.
November 22, 2011 at 3:22 amEbisu
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I looked for it. In the chapter 22 of F/SN the curse of Gae Bolg on Shirou was lifted by Saber and that allowed him to start regenerating. If Saber got Avalon she should be able to remove the curse on the thumb at least and start to heal the wound. Though you’re right that the new Gae may be able of a worse curse that cannot be removed in such a way. At least that what happened in the anime version.
November 23, 2011 at 11:25 amGilgamesh92
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The only reason Shirou survived was because of Rin using her pendant to save him. Chapter 22 of FSN in the manga? That manga isn’t even canon so if you reference from there it is most likely wrong.
November 20, 2011 at 6:04 pmYanDaMan263
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Very surprising revelations in this episode.
Most probably figured out from last episode’s cliffhanger and Kiritsugu’s confidence expression that the pistol was special, probably had anti-mage properties. Now bam, he blows a hole in Kayneth’s shoulder after all his arrogant speech. That was great. Even better was how he planned to make him up his defense just to he can destroy his magic circuit. Genius!
Im disappointed that Caster escaped as well. This would’ve been the perfect place to kill him. I dont understand why Lancer didnt just aint for Caster’s head or heart, since Caster clearly isn’t much of a close range specialist, not to mention Lancer is the fastest servant in term of movement speed. Now more children are gona die =/
Kirei vs Maiya/Iri was kind of expected. I dont see how Maiya, as skilled as she is as a hitman, can defeat a church Executer. I was surprised Iri had some form of offense but it was useless against Kirei as I thought.
Pretty good episode in term of action. Next episode looks like it’ll be good for more plot devices. I’m not complaining.
November 20, 2011 at 7:41 pmsuff
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Like Divine pointed out, there will be more development from Ryuunosuke. I recall he said that his ancestors were magi. So yea, there will be some back story about him for sure.
November 20, 2011 at 6:44 pmSuzushina Yuriko
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“Why that is I’m not entirely sure, seeing as it would more or less make Saber immortal (maybe even cure her thumb…?)”
I don’t think Avalon can heal Gae Buidhe’s wound. Gae Buidhe is supposed to be a curse on the soul. It was described as “Instead of doing damage, it lowers the maximum HP.” Even when Saber told Irisviel to heal the gaping hole in her hand, Iri couldn’t, because “she was already at full health.” Avalon wouldn’t have helped in that situation.
November 20, 2011 at 6:51 pmZleihsh
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Does anyone know when will Kajiura Yuki’s or the Fate/Zero BGM come out, I really want to buy them all!!
November 21, 2011 at 7:07 pmKosmos
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IIRC, the first volume of the soundtrack is coming out with the first BD Box on March 7. Here’s the link -> http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B005ZOPANI
November 20, 2011 at 8:37 pmhaseo0408
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I think you´re right Divine, Kiritsugu sees Kirei as a reflexion of himself, minus the moral part. If you look closely, you´ll see Kiritsugu as byproduct of necesity in the meaning he doesn´t really like the way he´s right now, even when nothing of his past has been revealed, it is obvious that all his talent as a mercenary came from the need to survive in a world consumed by war; it´s safe to say that the person Kiritsugu hates the most is not Kirei but himself, he acts the oppsite of what he truly and that´s killing him slowly. Irisvel might be a reminder of that because she can see through the harsh and cold surface he uses as a shield to protect his grieving soul.
November 21, 2011 at 12:42 amTsuchimiRin
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http://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2003.jpg
how unbelievable big spray of blood that is from a gunshot, my first time seeing this big amount of blood spraying out of a human bodies after having shot so many in my lifetime.
November 21, 2011 at 2:02 amAizen
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He sure knows how to bleed! ;-D
November 21, 2011 at 2:53 amamado
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*sigh*
someone is clearly thumbing down every comment. this is why I dont agree with this kind of stuff in random curiosity…
November 21, 2011 at 3:42 amAizen
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Does it really matter that much? I’m just curious. It doesn’t seem detrimental to me.
November 21, 2011 at 3:54 amsuff
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I noticed this too. I don’t really mind, though…
Unless my posts got thumb’ed down into oblivion for no particular reasons at all.
November 21, 2011 at 4:07 amamado
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its annoying though.
and yeah, check out all those comments both the positive and the negative have a down thumb. even the neutral ones are.
November 21, 2011 at 12:27 pmYanDaMan263
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I agree. Having a thumb up/down on a website whose comments are all PURE opinions is silly, aside from the trolls going around thumbing down everyone, all the little immature kids will thumb down any comments that dont share their same opinion.
RC Staff can you guys please remove this? Its just not adding anything good, only bad.
November 23, 2011 at 12:43 pmYanDaMan263
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I rest my case.
November 21, 2011 at 5:54 pmboingman
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It if means that we can vote down spoiler posts which forgot the spoiler space, then I am all for it. Maybe a report button would be an appropriate alternative but it would mean even work for Divine and his blogging team.
Great episode btw.
November 21, 2011 at 10:51 amthenewhorde
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I had to rewatch the Iri screaming scene several times, it just hit home pretty hard and somehow it was strangely… believable. Like it was the best screaming I ever seen done in an anime, where her mouth was covered and screaming at the same time.
I dunno why, it was highly re-watchable. I heart was breaking watching it.
November 21, 2011 at 2:08 pmvalient37
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You’re weird, no offense.
Haha…
November 21, 2011 at 4:34 pmZangkin
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What I definitely want to see more of is Lancelot. His first time fighting against Archer was epic. In the opening it seems that he fights Saber eventually so I’m really looking forward to that.
November 21, 2011 at 4:40 pmDa5id
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Dude. Spoilers.
November 21, 2011 at 5:56 pmboingman
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Thanks for the spoiler.
This kind of postings are the reason why I support the vote system.
November 22, 2011 at 12:59 amDial
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I’d support forced/validated registrations and bans if it can get rid of clowns like this…
November 21, 2011 at 7:08 pmhaseo0408
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There are 3.5 liters of blood in the human body and yet Kayneth managed to throw up three times that amount, poor guy sure took hard this time. Next weekk seems interestinig with Sola-Ui aparently loosing her mind over Lancer, if anyone read the legend about the irish hero Diarmuid Ua Duibhne then expect things to turn really bad if the woman has fallen to his curse.
November 22, 2011 at 4:01 amseapher
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In the Arthurian myth the excalibur scabbard are nameless, and Merlin warned Arthor about how valuble it was and he said if Arthur lose it, never will find it again, but Arthur didn’t listen Merlin and the scabbard was stolen by Morgan and thrown away, and Athur never found it. Their mystical powers in the anime reflect the actual description of the legend.
November 23, 2011 at 9:04 pmomeganx
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so why is Assasin only taking a back seat through this whole thing?
November 24, 2011 at 5:47 pmsuff
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Because Kirei handled himself fine.