Fate/Zero / First Impressions

「遠い記憶」 (Toui Kioku)
“Distant Memories”

Sometimes… it is the things that we lose, not the things that we gain, that shape us into who are, and who we become. This is especially true when the thing we lose is a loved one, something Kiritsugu knows all too well. He is the embodiment of this maxim, as his life of an assassin, one who takes lives, came as the result of having lives taken from him when he was a young boy living on Alimango Island (which is an actual island in the Philippines).

The young Kiritsugu (Irino Miyu) lived a carefree childhood much like any other, except for the fact that his father, Emiya Noritaka (Chiba Isshin), was a mage who was researching the secret of immortality. Many viewers seem to despise him now, but he was once an innocent, happy-go-lucky kid with a boyish grin who I don’t think anyone could hate. Sure, these qualities by themselves aren’t that unique or notable since they could be shared by a kid protagonist of many other shows, but I still found them refreshing and likeable nonetheless. Knowing the type of person he grows up into and with Fate/Zero being the tragic series it’s turning out to be, I knew his personality, along with his idyllic life on a picturesque tropical island with a beautiful native girl, wouldn’t last very long.

The qualities which I liked about Kiritsugu are probably what endeared him to his father’s assistant Shirley (Takagaki Ayahi) as well – while her qualities endeared her to me. Her playful personality felt like a great match for his, and I immediately took a liking to her. Part of the reason for this is because her simple white dress and the fact that she took care of everlasting lilies reminded me of Saber Lily – all Shirley needed was a hair and eye color change to match and the resemblance would be uncanny. Seeing the two interact, it was clear that Kiritsugu had some sort of feelings beyond platonic ones for her, and she probably did as well, even if it never really showed in her usual friendly demeanor towards him. He was attached to her, and she pledged her attachment to him, but unfortunately, before either one could spell out their feelings for one another, fate intervened.

Fate had something in store for her, as there were several ominous signs that portended Shirley’s tragic ending. The first was the story she told about the island’s name, in which a girl who didn’t have any food to offer the sea gods took some of the offerings left there by others, and was punished by being cursed and transformed into a crab. Unbeknownst to her, Shirley was following the footsteps of the girl in the legend. She had nothing to offer in the search for Akasha, the Root, and so she stole from Kiritsugu’s father who did have something to offer, and as a result was transformed – but instead of a crab, she became a vampire, a Dead Apostle. The second omen was the red specks of watermelon around her mouth, foreshadowing her blood-sucking future. And the final sign was the lily that she grew, a pristine white flower which glowed much like she did, was supposed to be immortal like the others, yet it didn’t live as long as it was supposed to.

Even though I predicted tragedy would eventually befall her, the scene in which we actually find out exactly what tragedy it was did not lose any of its emotional impact whatsoever. Her cries and pleas were more bone-chilling than any I can remember, and coupled with Kiritsugu’s look of terror, made me glad that it was the last time we would see her. It was too sad and heart-wrenching to watch her reduced to such a tortured existence, and it was just as painful to watch the image burned into his eyes and into his heart. Kiritsugu had lost someone near and dear to him, but the way it had changed him wouldn’t become evident until later.

Like Kiritsugu, I didn’t get much of a chance to ruminate on Shirley’s tragic fate because watching all the vampires attack felt too much like a good old zombie movie – the doors weren’t enough to keep them out and the depths of the darkness held deadly surprises. And while the spreading fire gave enough light to see the creatures coming, it also ratcheted up the intensity and tension in that you could also see their faces, which meant Kiritsugu would be able to recognize those he knew from town like Father Simon (Hashizume Tomohisa). There’s nothing quite like the sheer horror of being attacked by someone you know. Adding to the tension was the feeling that he was not only being hunted by the Dead Apostles, but also the two groups working to cleanse the island: the church’s Executors, who wield the same signature Black Keys as Kotomine does to kill all those who defy the will of God; and the Mage’s Association, who wield fire indiscriminately in order to keep the secret of the Dead Apostle’s creation theirs, and theirs alone. It was as if the walls were closing in on him quickly and any hope of escape was dimming by the moment.

Fortunately, there was a third group who did not share the others’ beliefs – Natalia Kaminski (Watanabe Akeno), a hired assassin working for the Mage’s Association who I almost mistook for man had it not been for her midriff-revealing feminine tank top. Her arrival and subsequent rescue of Kiritsugu reminded me of how another famous anime assassin was born, Himura Kenshin. He too was Show Spoiler ▼

However, the similarities end there, as I find Kiritsugu’s transformation into an assassin to be much more tragic.

Although it was Kiritsugu’s idea to kill his father, only a cold-hearted assassin like Natalia would allow a child to follow through with patricide. I’m not sure she would have been able to stop him though – his losing Shirley had already changed him too much. Any doubts Kiritsugu might have had disappeared when his father showed no grief for losing his assistant, and when he reassured Kiritsugu that he would not be experimenting on him because his research was a failure, and not because Kiritsugu is his son. As for the murder itself, using Shirley’s dagger was a poetic revenge, but there was nothing poetic in Kiritsugu’s eyes as he pulled the trigger to end his father’s life.

Eyes which were once so bright and full of life had been forever changed. What should have been the wide-eyed innocence of a child were now the empty and unforgiving eyes of an assassin. At the same time it was humanizing to learn that a cold-blooded killer was once pure and harmless, it was painful to watch the light in his eyes was snuffed out by the dark reality of death. Losing Shirley changed more than Kiritsugu’s personality, more than his eyes – it also changed his name. His name once was Kerry… but it was much too delicate of a name for an assassin.

 

ED4 Sequence

ED4: 「満天」 (Manten) by Kalafina

Preview

144 Comments

    1. if you meant by “burn!! the Kiritsugu haters”, then I’ll say, okay…. Take it easy, will ya?? It’s no better than mindless Kiritsugu lynching mob.
      But if you meant “burn!! the village and its people.” well, your post deserves the mountain full of negs coming to ya.

      some guy
      Reply

    1. There are so many ways to reply to this, but I’ll just stick with one acronym: MILF.

      Anyways, at least the Philippines is getting more recognition! We now have a notable BAMF!

      Beedle
      Reply

      1. So, anyone want to check out Arimago/Alimango Island? I hear crabs are in season. XD I’m actually planning a trip there before May ends and the Philippine school year begins, just to see the place.

        I feel vindicated now that more and more people on the internet believe that Arimago island is actually Alimango island.

        Emiya Kiritsugu. Formerly an illegal alien, now the bad-ass Magus Killer. How’s that for a resume? XD

        The_Magus_Killer
        Reply

      2. I feel vindicated now that more and more people on the internet believe that Arimago island is actually Alimango island.

        It’s some secret Japanese conspiracy. They’re using subliminal messaging through a proven, popular media to slowly take over the world, one name at a time.

        Just wait. In ten year’s time, London will cease to exist, and we’ll be left with Rondon. Luckily, such a dystopian future will be averted, for the real world has champions of justice- vigilantes the likes of UTW, Commie, Hiryuu, etc, and paragons such as Crunchyroll and NicoNico prowl the internet!

        Beedle
        Reply

      3. Unless there is some charm that get vampire and bad luck out of my way, I am not going there….

        But yeah, at least my country hasn’t been attack by whtever except terrorist and/or site of lethal virus smuggle. WAIT……

        D-LaN
        Reply

    3. Actually, the Philippines has been featured in anime before, if you’ve watched Black Lagoon, a part of one of the story arcs involved… you guessed it, terrorists in the Philippines. It’s not too big of a deal for me though.

      somar514
      Reply

      2. Speaking of the Philippines in animation and games, The Shooter game “Conflict Global Storm” featured an entire rescue arc (a couple of stages) by American Special OPS in the Southern Philippine Islands, I don’t remember exactly the place (it’s been 6 years since I played it) but I believe it’s Basilan and it’s surrounding islands.

        I remember the thrill shooting the enemy terrorists shouting, cursing, and chatting in “Tagalog”. Fun moments! HaHa!

        Yeah my country is known for the terrorist groups in the South! But I don’t really care, haha!

        Ghostalker
        Reply

      3. I doubt anyone even watched but the Philippines was also featured recently in the Marvel anime ‘Blade’. Blade went to the Philippines to hunt down Deacon Frost. He even fought a freaking manananggal. So yeah.

        belatkuro
        Reply

    4. If it helps, all that really happened here was that a small Filipino village had its population turned into Vampire-Zombies and torched. Other countries have fared worse in countless anime.

      fragb85
      Reply

      2. Oh, and he did not change his name. The anime clearly states his name is Kiritsugu, but due to Visayan (most populated group in the Philippines) accent, thus the name, “Kerry”.
        Also, I never known Kiritsugu is a siscon, hm, new discovery….
        The vocal version of “let the stars fall down”, Manten by Kalafina is Gorgeous and Powerful. Totally love it!!

        zleihsh
        Reply

      4. @zleihsh

        Yeah, I know he himself didn’t actually change his name or anything, but his name was changed for him when he basically lost everyone who called him Kerry. No one alive to call him Kerry meant he’s only known as Kiritsugu now. Oh, and the line that I ended my post with is a reference to a line from Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen.

        verdant
        Reply

    1. BTW, it’s more refreshing to read Fate Zero blog without Kiritsugu bashing hijacking the big picture, unlike more partisan blogs out there (I won’t name names though, but you bloggers know who you are). Thanks for that, Verdant.

      I didn’t particularly care for Kiritsugu the character myself (other than his mood when not talking reminded me a little of Spike from Cowboy Bebop initially), but more people bashed him, more I started to like the character. It’s strange.

      RC reader56
      Reply

  4. This episode proves why Fate/Zero is so good. While F/SN was pretty closed off, F/Z brings some of the other darkness in the nasuverse and a nice cameo of Cornelius Alba.

    Shirley shall be missed. But the portrayal here was stellar.

    Nice ending too.

    NHJ
    Reply

  7. “secret of immorality”

    Freudian slip? 😉

    I don’t know why, but I love it when the Nasuverse comes together in episodes like this. I love how the different stories tie into one amazingly well-developed universe. The Dead Apostles and Executors from Tsukihime make their deadly entrance in a grand fashion. I almost wondered if they would have a Ciel cameo here, but I guess that was too much to ask for. If only one of the Fate characters had the Mystic Eyes…

    catalyst
    Reply

    1. I didn’t expect a Tsukihime cameo in F/Z so I got really excited too and I’ve eagerly waited for Ciel to smack some Dead Apostles even just for a few seconds. Too bad…

      nagi
      Reply

  8. https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2018%20-%20Large%2034.jpg
    Well played, ufotable. Well played.

    Overall, this episode screams amazing execution. Some scenes were added while some are modified, but the emotions and suspense are mostly preserved from the novels. A bit too stretched out though, considering this episode is only a few pages in the novels and I prefer the original scene when Kiritsugu shot his father…

    Now then, I had fun reading the comments in MAL about people trying to explain the Dead Apostles and hatin’ on Kiritsugu. Let me see what the people from RandomC can come up with.

    Rakkyo
    Reply

  10. For me, one of the best parts of Kiritsugu’s backstory is that final moment with Shirly. She beggs him to kill her, and if he had, the village would have been spared, he wouldn’t have ended up killing his own father, and Shirly could have died as a human at the hands of a loved one instead of hunted down as a beast. But he can’t. Because he loves her, because he isn’t the Kiritsugu we know yet. This is the thing that really changes him, though the trauma of seeing the island slaughtered didn’t help im sure. This moment right here.
    I really wish they had kept one part of the novel in the episode: when Shirley asks him to kill him, he refuses and runs off to the priest begging for someone, hoping for a hero like Saber to fix this. To quote the novel:

    “Now, all that the boy prayed for is to have someone to save them.

    The boy firmly believed that there must be someone who can release them from this nightmarish terror.

    Shirley will surely be saved. Someone surely is going to save them.

    The boy kept repeating this to himself.”
    Fate/Zero Volume 4

    But no Hero of Justice arrives, and instead everything is destroyed because Kerry couldnt bring himself to kill the one he loved. That’s the lesson he learns from it. He thinks about that all the time, and it becomes the backbone of his motivation. He totally blames himself for not killing Shirley when she asked him to, because he knows it would have prevented the tragedy. This is how his “kill one to save many” policy started. He constantly blames himself for not killing Shirley, and that’s also why he kills his father, because he was planning to run off to a new island and repeat the tragedy over and over again until his experiment succeeded. Thus, killing his father saved a lot of lives. Kiritsugu will never again hesitate to kill, even if it is the people he loves, even though it hurts him to do it. That’s one of the most tragic things about his character, and its one of the best ways to show how he became the Magus Killer.

    takashid
    Reply

    2. “What do you want to be, Kerry?”
      Me thinking on his (could be/future) reply,”I…want to be an hero of the justice!”
      ;_; –that just broke my heart.

      zleihsh
      Reply

    3. This. If the anime had a fault so far, it is not clearly communicating what Kiritsugu’s policy is: “kill the few to save the many”. I haven’t even read the LN, but his characterization was already pretty clear in Fate/Stay Night (the visual novel of course).

      In fact, one could argue that the main point of F/SN is showing Shirou’s progressively changing viewpoint: from trying to be a Hero of Justice (i.e., like Saber), to coping with the reality that you sometimes must sacrifice people (i.e., Kiritsugu and Archer’s tragic viewpoint), to finally understanding that there is no meaning in saving the many if you can’t first keep those close to you safe – something I have a feeling Kiritsugu will also get by the end of his journey here is Fate/Zero…

      It is unfortunate that so many people hate the Emiyas because they only got to experience the crappiest part of the story (the Fate route featured in the anime) – here’s hoping they someday animate Heaven’s Feel…

      Steelman
      Reply

    4. True..the burning/massacre of the village can be prevented if kiritsugu had done what he was suppose to do when Shirley begged to end her life -> but the end result would’ve been postponed as kiritsugu’s dad would have continue his research elsewhere “from scratch”

      That aside: DID ANYONE THOUGHT THE NEW KALAFINA’S ENDING EPIC???

      Bakanekokun
      Reply

  11. Isn’t it sad SacchinShirley? It was nice to see the actual Nasuverse expanded to show the Dead Apostles and display the apathetic nature of Magi.

    This episode have been far better if this was aired before the last episode. That way it would have led up to developing Kiritsugu rather than jumping to the death of Tokiomi. Still, the episode itself was well-executed. You can obviously tell bad thing are going to happen when they spend time showing how idyllic the island life is. I really felt for “Kerry” though. His line “Nothing at all” was pretty powerful as if to say he left everything of hhis whole life began.

    fragb85
    Reply

  12. Well, what should I say….

    While Ufotable did a magnificent job on this episode, they fail the most important point, Kiritsugu’s true feeling.

    He didn’t kill his father out of simple thing like revenge, in fact he still love and respect him.
    And the entire situation was Shirley’s own doing more than his father’s (though Noritaka not caring didn’t make anything better.)

    The key was it’s because he not able to kill Shirley that make everyone die, clues the origin of kill 1 to save 100 mindset.
    If Noritaka escape, he’s gonna repeat an experiment and may cause the tragic again whenever it’s his intention or not.
    So ridden by guilty mind of what had became when he cannot to kill Shirley, this time he was not going to make the same mistake thus killing his belove father by his own hand.
    And that was a true tragic of this episode.

    Or maybe Ufotable tried to be subtle so next episode gonna be more impact? We will see.

    Yato
    Reply

  13. Being well versed with the lore of the “Nasuverse” I found myself unsettled to an even further level of depression, sadness, but intrigue.

    It may have been a given that Kiritsugu was not always such a cold-blooded assassin, but in a way, tragedy and the shattering of emotions seem almost like an unconscious rite-of-passage. Altair, maybe Leon (from the Professional,) Ezio, Snake, the list can go on.

    Out of all the deaths I’ve seen in recent anime, Shirley’s was not just the most terrifying, but also the most tragic to date. She just wanted to prove herself worthy as an assistant for Noritaka, yet all she got was an augmentation that she was never prepared for. (In a way, it reminded me very much of Satsuki from Tsukihime, and the killing of the character all the same.) Add the fact that she was a tanned lookalike of Saber adds much more to the chilling factor. Given this visual fact, I can’t help but ask many questions, like “What if Saber had somehow become a Dead Apostle?” or even “What kind of man would Kiritsugu be if he was able to live peacefully with Shirley?” and the obvious “….Why did such a beautiful girl like her have to be cursed?”

    Which brings me to Noritaka and his “work” on immortality, which adds an even more unsettling fact to the Emiya bloodline. We saw S****u in FSN as a character with wavering convictions, but convictions nonetheless; to protect everyone he can and make them happy, Rin, Sakura and the sort. Despite not being related by blood, we see that in Kiritsugu as well, Maybe not in the same sense obviously but definitely something along those lines. But here, with Noritaka we see someone who is trying to attain a way to become immortal, and wouldn’t (maybe even couldn’t) give two shits about those who he experimented on and those who even (unknowingly) help him with (misguided) interest.

    I could go on and on, but I’ll end saying THIS is why I love Type-Moon stories, the lore is both deeply fascinating and emotional at the same time, the characters while some are simple in design; have either an unbelievably rich backstory or enigma, and many times even both.

    I may look forward to the conclusion of the Fourth Holy Grail War and its victor, but I dread the destruction and loss that is to come.

    Acario
    Reply

    1. I need to correct myself when I said Shirley’s “death,” I meant her “curse” which transforms her into a Dead Apostle. I misunderstood and assumed Shirley was killed by Kiritsugu, which is meaningful to how he creates his belief to how “one death saves many.” Shirley IS alive as a Dead Apostle and it’s BECAUSE he didn’t kill her out of love for her, hoping that someone would save her.

      So I apologize for the mix-up (Still even if she WAS killed, would that honestly stop Noritaka from experimenting? much more on humans no less?)

      The rest most of you know, hence WHY he resents Saber and gives her the “nonexistent” treatment.

      Acario
      Reply

  14. The thing im most afraid is that the next episode is going to be the continuation of the interlude, and then only 6 episodes left for covering the entire Volume 4.
    I had the same thought with Mirai Nikki, but they managed to do it, so lets wait and see.

    THorz
    Reply

    1. The next episode is about Kiritsugu’s training to become an assassin and his final job with his Natalia.

      I think I read somewhere that Fate/Zero is a 3 cour series with 36 episodes.

      Suppa Tenko
      Reply

  15. “Many viewers seem to despise him now”

    where did you get that idea?? Verdant, let me break that myth right here: a plenty of viewers DO NOT despise him.

    You can even say a few like his characters, just as much as “a few” viewers, such as Show Spoiler ▼

    , despise him with contempt. In fact, majority of viewers do not despise Kiritsugu and that was even before this episode’s veiled attempt to gather more sympathy vote… I mean, back story!!

    RC reader56
    Reply

  16. Why did another girl named Shirley have to die? Wasn’t the other one already painful enough for us anime lovers ?

    Show Spoiler ▼

    And who stuck the Flame Alchemist into Fate/Zero…?

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Compare above and below

    Show Spoiler ▼

    (Not naming the animes for a reason)

    Mixed Milkshake
    Reply

  17. Can i ask this? Why did they make Natalia look like Gilgamesh? or does their similarity have HIDDEN background story behind it, like an ancient ancestor of some what? hehehe…

    n30nL16ht
    Reply

  18. Can i ask this? Why did they make Natalia look like Gilgamesh? or does their similarity have HIDDEN background story behind it, like an ancient ancestor of some what? hehehe.

    uhmm… im not sure why the Philippines is featured that way, but okay at least it played a little PART. hehehe

    n30nL16ht
    Reply

  19. Sooo, how does Cornelius Alba jump frm KnK (who if I am not wrong, non canon in fate/) to here?

    Shirley noooooo….. Isn’t it sad, Shirley?
    I heard those novel readers are complaining about this episode, but to me the (un)death of Shirley has quite the impact on me….. Even though I vaguely knew something would happen to her…. BUT NOT TURNING INTO VAMPIRE ZOMBIE. And serously all mage are inhuman. At least Kerry did the right thing in the end. But watching the kid turn from cheery to dead eyes….. And plus its fun to note those shout-out.

    And I dare say the Executors looks badass.

    D-LaN
    Reply

      1. KnK is set in an alternate universe. Its been specified that there can only be one Mystic Eyes of Death Perception in existence which means that Tsukihime’s Shiki and KnK’s Shiki can’t exist at the same time.

        HOWEVER, the Nasuverse does embrace the concept of a multiverse. Its practically a plot point in Heaven’s Feel. Basically it makes all paths of Tsukihime and F/SN “canon” since they happened on a different universe. They all “happened”. A multiverse would also explain the existence of F/SN Archer or other alternate settings like the Fate/Extra-verse

        fragb85
        Reply

      2. @fragb85
        Now that is new…
        Where did u get that info from? Coz from what I know, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception can only be obtained when one got close to Akasha, which is basically having a near-death experience. Which means that it is not limited to one per universe.

        Rakkyo
        Reply

      3. There’s an obscure Word of God statement that says that Kara no Kyoukai and Tsukihime can’t happen in the same world because if they did, some plot points wouldn’t make sense.

        Other than that, the mainline Nasuverse and the KnK Nasuverse are almost indistinguishable and/or interchangeable.

        That includes most of the characters. So a character as minor as Alba showing up in the mainline Nasuverse doesn’t break anything. Hell, even Touko (one of the most problematic characters) is obliquely referenced in Fate/stay night.

        alde
        Reply

      4. Ah yeah, just skimmed through the plus+disc and it seems to be a problem due to the “official time axis” which will create some inconsistencies.

        The ambiguousness of the Nasuverse amazes me sometimes…

        Rakkyo
        Reply

      5. Dunno if that’s the one you meant, but the most often cited incompatibility is that Touko’s quest for the original human body (Kara no Kyoukai) would be pointless in a world where Arcueid exists (Tsukihime).

        alde
        Reply

      6. But if that’s true, then the Fate universe and KnK are separate from Tsukihime?

        And what about the fact that Touko and Aoko are sisters (and I believe they are both featured in that new VN that came out)?

        ChurnedRainbow
        Reply

      7. The same characters (mostly) exist in all stories. What changes is the story itself.

        To make a clearer analogy, it’s like the different routes of Fate, or Tsukihime, which share the setting and the characters but can’t happen at the same time.

        alde
        Reply

  21. I just would like to point out one point which I believe added. To kiritsugu /kerry turning into a cold blooded assassin. The above points were good but what I really believe is that it was the culmination of all thofact. s PLUS the fact that it was all because of his father., who he had believed was doing what was right, just and good now be the main reason why everyone and thing he cared about is now dead. And let be honest no matter how angry or blinded with rage he was, I do believe that killing your father is another *-ed up things that will turn you cold

    Ex14
    Reply

  22. According to the entry on Kiritsugu on the Type Moon wikia, rather than Saber, it is Taiga that reminds Kiritsugu more of Shirley, thus explaining why he decided to entrust Shiro to Taiga’s care.

    Irino Miyuu has got the innocence of young Kiritsugu perfect. And I think I remember there’s an anime where he once co-starred with Takagaki Ayahi, as his chemistry with her as Shirley was equally good.

    To those of you that have seen the Fate Prototype short feature OVA, which comes bundled with the final Carnival Phantasm DVD set, is it me or does this Mage Association guy with the bowl haircut somehow remind me of “Prototype Kirei”?
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2018%20-%20Large%2034.jpg

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

    1. “And I think I remember there’s an anime where he once co-starred with Takagaki Ayahi, as his chemistry with her as Shirley was equally good.” – quoted

      That anime is Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou/Daily Lives of Highschool Boys, I presume? XD

      Irino Miyu = Tadakuni
      Takagaki Ayahi = Tadakuni no Imouto/Mei-chan

      Imouto!!! XD

      The_Magus_Killer
      Reply

      1. While the recent excellent “Nichibros” certainly came to mind, there’s another one where both of them were in lead roles, but I can’t quite remember which.

        Kinny Riddle
        Reply

  23. Hmmm nice episode. I like that Dead Apostle stuff. Tsukihime cameo would’ve been nice. Wonder if I should write out the whole back story to the Dead Apostles?

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Cybersteel
    Reply

    1. Right, before you get laughed at by some of the ruder people, let me correct some of that.
      Up to the point where True Ancestors need no blood to survive is correct though so thats fine.

      Firstly, there are 27, not 12, strongest dead apostles called the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. While it is true that most of these 27 had their blood sucked by True Ancestors, not all of them are and it is not required to have your blood sucked by a True Ancestor to become a Dead Apostle Ancestor. Some examples are Nrvnqsr Chaos, ORT and Primate Murder.

      Next, True Ancestors are not immortal and can be killed, as demonstrated by Shiki. Even if you argue that Shiki has his Eyes of Death Perception, the fact that those lines even exist on Arcueid proves that True Ancestors can be killed.

      What you were mentioning on those nature, earth and phenomenon stuff actually describe Types, or Aristoteles, but that is a story for another time.

      Rakkyo
      Reply

  24. Btw, i have to say that i love the Executors of the church. They are so badass. Only appear for about 5 seconds in this ep, and yet i got chills when i saw them whip out those Black Keys. I really wish that Nasu would make a game entirely focused on the church, how they work and what kind of powers they have. i guess Tsukihime covers that somewhat? (people who know Tsukihime are free to correct me on this), but i would love a story with a main character who is some young man/women who is rising up the ranks of the executors/church system. They seem like a really interesting group, and i feel like we only see bits and pieces of them in each type moon work. if Fate/Stay Night can explain everything about Mages, lets have a game about the Church.

    takashid
    Reply

    1. Sadly, the only part Tsukihime covers about churches are the Burial Agency and curry Ciel. Heck, the Fate series reveals more about the church than Tsukihime.

      Yet, there are a lot of fragmented information on the Church from those material books and such so if you can read japanese look for those if you want to know more.
      Alternatively, go to the Type-Moon wiki or Fuyuki wiki.

      Rakkyo
      Reply

      2. @Cybersteel

        That’s because Tsukihime’s world-building was more focused on the vampire lore and the whole demon-clan family business. Whereas you have Knk where it was more focused on the soul and their Origin.

        ronri
        Reply

  28. Really great work from Kajiura this week, perfectly contributing to the whole tropical island atmosphere, as well as the foreboding sense of an ensuing tragedy. And the special Kalafina ED was quite fitting, even the lyrics, especially this line, which aptly describes what “Kerry” went through in this episode: “A beautiful dream is enough to tear you to pieces.”

    Kevz
    Reply

  30. What a great episode and I’m inclined to say Fate/Zero puts all zombie flicks to shame. Kiritsugu has always been my favorite character in Fate/Zero. An assassin who is ruthless and cunning at the job, but we know he’s capable of being caring and thoughtful as well. He’s extremely cynical and insecure, and this episode shows us how he became the man of many faces we’ve come to know. He blames himself for not being able to save Shirley who he clearly loves and committing patricide at such young age clearly had a very severe impact on Kiritsugu emotionally. I’m very much looking forward to next week’s episode, Natalia seems like a very interesting character and we’ll find out more about her role in shaping Kiritsugu to be the man he is. It helps that she’s hot as hell too. There’s just something about females with guns that makes them incredibly sexy😉

    Seishun Otoko
    Reply

  31. Wait, so did Shirley take contents of the capsule that Kerry found on the floor herself? Or was she convinced or forced by Noritaka to take it. I might have missed it but it seemed like they never specified what happened.

    Chen2
    Reply

    1. I guess rereading Verdant’s post, it’s assumed she did steal it herself, but I just don’t understand the reason going through her head when she consumed it though. Why would anyone consume an unfinished experimental drug, which has only been used on flowers, (let alone other animals) when she herself isn’t a mage, and knows Noritaka’s the only one that’s successfully made it work.

      Especially when she just made a promise to Kerry to stay with him. Why would she take such a huge risk herself? Something just doesn’t seem right to me…

      Chen2
      Reply

  35. this doesnt make sense. kiritsugu changed from innocent kid to heartless assassin in 1 night.
    and I agree about this episode not explain kiritsugu motive to kill his father, he is simply like madman there. thanks for explanation about “kill one to save many” policy, his crooked trademark.

    centipede
    Reply

    1. 1 night is MORE than enough for people to completely change how they are to the point of being completely different people. It happens all over the world pretty constantly (and not always in a good way though), and usually not even over just 1 night, but sometimes in mere seconds/minutes/hours even.

      Plenty of people who went from being office workers to cops after being involved in brutal robbery or something just so they can save others from such things after their own experience with it, or tons of younger kids went to join the military, police forces, firefighters, etc after 9/11 when they got older or others switched careers to them whether because of being inspired by those who were there, anger at the attacks, and so on.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

      1. What centipede probably (this is just what I gets from his comment) bothers about isn’t the complete paradigm shift in one night but the fact that Kiritsugu kills his father even though he still has some affection for Noritaka. I agree with you that one extreme event can change someone in a flash however Ufotable didn’t precisely portray how it happens in fact they didn’t include Kiritsugu’s crying for a hero to save him and shirley as in the novel to show his feeling of helplessness and despair. Even in the novel, I feel that the actual essence of this interlude is actually in the second half, hence there wasn’t actually much material to be adapted. I actually blame ufotable for this, they had skipped a lot of kiritsugu’s monologue and even the prologue of the novel that will give the tv-anime viewer only more depth to his character and this episode was to fix. With that being said, the animation and soundtrack were still top-notch especially the ending ost at the end.

        felix
        Reply

  36. Epic episode! just what i want, Kiritsugu’s dark past, and omg that Kalafina Ed, is really one of the most beautiful song i’ve ever heard, totally amazing

    let me be
    Reply

    1. Lolno. How is that even possible? No one has ever reached Akasha, let alone destroy it.
      He said it in episode 16. He wants to save the world. As simple as that.

      belatkuro
      Reply

    2. How do you destroy the after life? The consequences will be akin to this ep + TWD.
      Man, they should jump franchise instead, everyone in DeSu2 get to visit Show Spoiler ▼

      D-LaN
      Reply

  38. I was pleasantly surprised when they threw Dead Apostles (of Tsukihime fame of the Naruverse) into Fate Zero. Well played.

    I guess this pretty much explains everything about why Kiritsugu became the way he is and his kill to save many policy. If he killed Shirley when he was asked to the whole island probably wouldnt have been infected, though his father probably would’ve repeated the same experiment somewhere else.

    I wonder if Natalia is still alive in the present. Guess we’ll find out next week.

    YanDaMan
    Reply

    1. DON’T read if you don’t want to know, but…

      Show Spoiler ▼

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

    1. No, she was holding herself back, but she is unable to kill herself, so she begged Kiritsugu to doi. he couldn’t because he loves her, and ran off to get help. After that, she lost control and started rampaging across the island, biting people and spreading the infection.

      takashid
      Reply

  41. Awesome, more Kiritsugu backstory,I can’t wait till this guy loses everything and falls hard. Is it wrong for me for wanting everyone in the show to suffer terribly? I guess that’s the appeal to the show or atleast what I want from it.

    Sherylfan
    Reply

  43. Great episode but I felt the switch from the bright eyes to the flat dull ones at the end was contrived, almost a failure of nerve or faith in the story.

    I understand this contrivance in anime, where we are told a character “feels dead inside” rather than shown, but it feels out of place in a complex story like Fate Zero.

    Zammael
    Reply

  45. At the end of this episode, it truly felt like Kiritsugu became who he is by losing everyone he loved. Some may hate him for what he became but you have to be truly cold hearted not to, at least, feel an inch of sympathy.
    Fate had it for this bright smiling kid. It doesn’t mean every viewers will now share his perspectives in this war (or from that sad night onward) but it does allow us to at least acknowledge his point of view.
    At least for me, I feel pity and sadness not only for Kiritsugu as a kid. Even more so with what fate reserves for him.

    Shinjiro
    Reply

    1. “Kerry” himself now seems to have zero faith in fate. I wonder if that will all change once he zeroes in on his fate. After all, I still have faith in his character and his son, who we know is fated to be at ground zero when this war ends.

      Drumtroll please!

      hoiut
      Reply

  48. Two things struck me in this episode

    1.) The art was even more stunning than usual, maybe because they were drawing gorgeous scenery rather than buildings.

    2.) The Dead Apostles thing gives a clear connection that links the Fate universe with the Tsukihime one.

    Anon
    Reply

    1. I don’t want to be rude, but inserting “Pinoy pride” in anything that features the Philippines/Filipinos really gets into my nerves (and definitely sounds offensive to the ones who actually created the stuff).

      nagi
      Reply

    2. let me get this straight… you take pride when the entire damn island of pinoys gets turned into something out of a zombie B-movie? dude/girl, that is really disturbing.

      darkjedi5646
      Reply

  54. I don’t even know how a character that has only been introduced in one episode has grabbed my attention so much. Maybe it’s her beauty? Or maybe it’s the childhood sweetheart setting? No, it’s the words that she left for Kiritsugu and how it manifest itself to his motivation to win the Holy Grail that has made her such a endearing character.

    RIP Shirley

    CL100100
    Reply

  55. Contrived, poorly executed, and cliched. Given the level of Fate/Zero’s writing, I never would have expected something like this. I can only hope the next episode(which also seems to be a flashback) isn’t as horrible. What’s worse is how jarring this flashback comes across, being inserted in the middle of the season. Almost reminds me of the Rin episode in season one; also the weakest episode of the season.

    Anon
    Reply

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