Fate/Zero / First Impressions

「双輪の騎士」 (Sourin no Kishi)
“Knight on Two Wheels”

The word tragedy might not be sufficiently depressing enough to describe this series. First we were introduced to a man who wanted to murder his loved ones, but lacked the motivation to do so until it was too late. Then we saw the story of a man who did not want to kill his loved ones, but because of circumstances was forced to do so in order to save the lives of others. Finally, in this episode we watch a man who is led astray by others, and ends up taking the life of the only person he has ever loved.

To me, Kariya is an immensely tragic figure who belongs on the same level as Kiritsugu, if not higher. Out of all the characters, he’s arguably been dealt the worst hand in life, but unlike the others, he neither has the intellect nor talent to make the most of what he has been given. Time and time again, Kariya was largely powerless to accomplish his goals, leading him to seek out the assistance of others. As a result, the people who gave him help also gained undue influence over him, which eventually led to his descent into insanity. The beginning of Kariya’s downfall can be traced back to his wish to save Sakura from Zouken’s evil machinations. His lack of magical training meant he had no choice but to use Zouken’s Crest Worms, which put him at the beck and call of the diabolical Matou family head. Another example of Kariya needing the help of others was when he turned to Kirei for assistance in defeating Tokiomi. In exchange for the use of Berserker’s Noble Phantasm, the young Executor repaid Kariya by cruelly toying with his hatred for Tokiomi, all for the sake of his and Archer’s enjoyment.

Probably the most chilling example of Kariya being influenced by others actually comes from his own servant Berserker, whose thirst for revenge ends up consuming Kariya as well, and leads him to strangle the life out of Aoi, his childhood love. Even the scene leading up to her death was excruciating to watch because it was done so well. Although it was already night time outside, the interior of the church was so dark and ominous that the front door in which Kariya and Aoi walked through was blindingly white, as if the two were entering a realm so evil that even the dim light of the moon and stars became brilliant as the sun’s rays. One of the hardest sequences to watch was Aoi’s walk from the entrance to her husband’s lifeless body, as a terrified and speechless Kariya looked on. The walk (which was painfully slow as I expected her to rush over in shock) was eerily silent, save for the rhythmic clicking of her heels on the wooden floor. Each and every step ratcheted the tension ever higher as my mind frantically tried to predict what her reaction would be, what his reaction would be. Out of all the outcomes I came up with, I honestly never saw the one that eventually played out.

Since Aoi’s personality largely remains a mystery, I wasn’t really attached to her character in any way, but her passing will be forever engrained in my mind. Death through strangulation happens often enough in media, but I don’t think I’ll even forget this one because of the way it played out. We first see a black screen with only Kariya’s monologue to guide us, leading me to believe we were headed for another flashback, but then single frames of what was actually transpiring began flashing all too briefly. Finally, as it was beginning to dawn on me that he was trying to kill her, the scene cuts to the expected flashback of Aoi’s serene face, and just as abruptly, it switches back to the present day, and the anguished and teary eyed face of a woman in the final throes of her life. Fate/Zero tends to overuse the “Caster” eyes a little, but I can’t deny that they leave an indelible mark in my memory as they are unique, unforgettable, and most importantly, the series’ trademark symbol of tragedy.

~-~

Fate/Zero is filled with characters who enjoy tragedy, regularly crossing the line into sadism to satisfy their lust for suffering. In one corner, we have Kirei, who is just beginning to acquire a taste for anguish and misery thanks to the guidance of Archer. In the other corner, we have Zouken, who wants to watch Kariya crash and burn even more than he wants to win the Holy Grail. Given his advantage in experience and wisdom, it’s not hard to believe that Zouken outwitted Kirei this time and that he’s even more sadistic than Kirei, who’s already shaping up to be quite the sadist himself. However, what was most unsettling was his prediction about Kirei’s true nature eventually rivaling his own. If the scene at the end of the episode is a sign of things to come, I don’t want to even imagine what kind of vile ideas are currently concocting in his mind.

~-~

Saber’s riding skills and her upgraded motorcycle were in full display during this segment, and thankfully the quality of the animation did it justice. I even thought that the scene of her weaving back and forth to dodge the falling slabs was even more impressive than Excalibur itself – although her Noble Phantasm still doesn’t cease to make my hair stand on end in excitement and amazement, even if this is the second time seeing it. As for Saber’s ride, at first I wasn’t sure to make of the transformation because as a gearhead, I’m more into unmodified aesthetics and I thought that the images I had already seen of her customized V-max was another example of style trumping function. Good thing this wasn’t the case at all, as there was an explanation behind every modification. The 125-130 mph top speed of the Yamaha wasn’t enough to close the gap with Rider’s Gordius Wheel, so it made perfect sense for Saber to transform her armor onto the bike and use her Invisible Air ability to make it more aerodynamic. I also liked how her Master played a small role in her impressive defeat of Rider, since Kiritsugu’s nitrous oxide modification was the final kick she needed to take her over the edge (both figuratively and literally). My takeaway from all this? Saber is so powerful and talented that she’s not only superior than all others at using melee weapons, but with a little help and ingenuity, her riding skill can even surpass that of Rider’s, which is the skill that he’s supposed to be the best at. This means she needs to face an even more talented rider, and I think I know just the person: Celty Sturluson from Durarara!. If Saber’s pursuit and battle with Rider in this episode are any indication, a duel between two maidens of legend wielding ancient weapons while expertly navigating busy city streets and winding mountain roads would probably be too epic for words.

 

Preview

105 Comments

  1. The Fate and The Furious: Fuyuki Drift…

    That entire motorcycle sequence was awesome!

    As for the rest of the episode…wow.
    That was some sick and twisted plotting Kirei. You would make Emperor Palpatine proud…

    catalyst
    Reply

    2. Myself I was caught thinking od Durarara the moment the epic motorcycle chase started…
      Saber beating Rider at RIDING just shows up how epic she is!
      Still, Rider is the best Bro-Servant I could have!
      But when it comes to dark evil mentor, there is no beating the Archer. He’s DA MAN when it ocmes to it…
      Berserker on the other hand is a surprise with his masquerading skills (was XXXXX in the legend impersonating someone? I think he did it in one story, but dont remember exactly)
      On to human characters…
      Kariya is really tragic here, getting the shortest straw, all for wanting to help Sakura. Ouch.
      Kiritsugu is back to his old cold killer persona, but he still can’t but shed tears for Maiya. Speaking of her, RIP, you have truly served your purpose. You were mucho badass anyway going as mere mortal against heroic spirits and mages!
      Matou senior is truly evil presence here, and I can only hope he ends WORSE than Tohsaka.
      Speaking of evil we can see descent of Kotomine into darkness, but I can’t help but love his deviousness in maneuvring his opponents. Matou might have regret yet mingling with him. Guidance by Archer definitely helps (if that is the right word…)
      On another note under great guidance from Rider, one young boy mage is growing fast into a man. Good job, Rider!

      ewok40k
      Reply

  3. Another episode, another tragic death. And considering we’ve only got 5 episodes left, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

    Again, that has to be the only complaint I have with this show: SPACE OUT THE GAME CHANGING DEATHS. THEY WILL LOSE INTENSITY IF YOU DO THEM ALL THE TIME.

    Da5id
    Reply

      1. I’m not saying it is, but doing a major death every episode loses that intensity and it loses its impact. That’s why they spaced the deaths of diary users in Mirai Nikki, so it didn’t seem like they were knocking off one every episode.

        Da5id
        Reply

    4. Those deaths aren’t meant to be climatic and intense.
      Considering how determined most of the characters are, they won’t stop fighting until they die (or braindead). The deaths are needed for the plot, yo.

      anon
      Reply

  4. I think that Saber used Invisible Air to create a cocoon of air around herself and her bike to reduce air friction and thus letting her bike move at its maximum potential. And poor Rider and Waver had to foot it back to town after Saber had completely annihilated Rider’s Gordius Wheel with a swing of Excalibur.

    gandalf8
    Reply

  5. So sad, even innocents are dying because of the grail now.
    Interesting how Kirei was disgusted at Zouken talking about the pleasures of watching others uffer, perhaps there is hope for Kirei, still.

    AzureBlues
    Reply

    4. That’s Shinji’s dad, alright, down to the same pathetic hairdo.

      I still find it amazing that Shiro actually managed to befriend Shinji to begin with, when his adopted dad pwned Shinji’s dad.

      If I were Shiro and I ever found out, I’d tell Shinji “My dad shot your dad, so shut up and lick my boots” and tell him to go behave himself. 🙂

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

    5. Can someone really please fix this glitch post of mine at the bottom? (And it seems any response to said glitch post will end up as an “orphaned” post beneath it)

      It makes it sounds as though I the last to respond to everything here.

      BTW To the guy that downvoted that glitch post of mine above: Downvoting a glitch post even though the content itself is neutral? You seriously have got too much free time.

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

  7. Nobody is a fan of Zouken, but Kirei is probably one of my least favorite characters as well. I enjoyed seeing him rage hard when Zouken recognized him as someone very similar to himself.

    skizz
    Reply

  8. Poor, sad Kariya. At last we see the straw that broke the camels back. After a year of torture from Zouken, a stroke during that year that took out his left eye and arm, going through extreme pain controlling Berserker, being burned alive and throughout all of that being eaten from the inside out by worms; His mind just can’t take it anymore and he snaps and goes insane. I can hardly blame him. There’s a legit case for insanity defense to be made here. The novel even points out that he snaps, his mind can’t comprehend that Aoi would say these things to him and stops recognizing her as Aoi. He doesn’t even realize what he’s doing or that its Aoi he’s attacking until the deed is done, hence his screams of despair.

    Obviously Kariya is not blameless. He also made stupid mistakes, and attacking Aoi is horrible. However, i tend to forgive alot of mistakes coming from a guy who’s sanity is hanging by threads because of extreme suffering. As for Aoi and Tokiomi however, neither of them had worms in their brains, so they dont have many excuses. While Aoi didn’t deserve to be choked, i really cannot stand her, similar to Tokiomi. How in the hell she misunderstood the situation enough to think that Kariya wanted the Sakura situation to happen boggles the mind. It does kinda makes sense from her point of view, but blaming kariya for Sakura when YOU STOOD BY AND LET YOUR HUSBAND HAND HER OVER WITHOUT OBJECTING!? Jesus, how irresponsible can you get. Similarly, how the hell Tokiomi thought Zouken and Kotomine Kirei would be good caretakers for his two daughters also hurts the brain cells. Seriously, Tokiomi and Aoi, you two ignorant fucks deserve each other. There should be a limit to bad parenting already.

    takashid
    Reply

    1. Yeah, hearing the only thing that kept you going through horrible pains and humiliations denounce you can’t be easy on the sanity. I’d say he should have explained the situation, but that’s overestimating his rational thinking, and he DID intend to kill Tokiomi…
      I’m really curious to see how Kariya will kick the bucket. It’s probably going to be a small footnote to his story, like a bullet from Kiritsugu’s gun.
      Great, now I’m sad again.

      Bio D
      Reply

    2. Aoi blamed Kariya because the Matou family wouldn’t have needed her if he had left. The logic isn’t entirely sound on Tokiomi’s end, but there is some of it.
      Kirei had shown no evil tendencies before Gilgamesh. A bit hollow, sure, but not evil. I remember Zouken seemed like a pleasant enough sort at the beginning of Heavens Feel (if obviously evil), and Tokiomi only had a distant buisness relation to him.
      That said, it was already established that one of Tokiomi’s greatest flaws in the series was his lack of genre savvy, so take those with a grain of salt. I guess being a mage came before being a people person, just as it came before his daughters.

      Bio D
      Reply

      1. In my opinion, Tokiomi should have realized something was strange when Kirei began conducting secret missions against the Einzbern camp without informing him.

        Tokiomi based his assumption of Kirei based on his diligent studies in Magecraft in the three years before the war started. He never got to understand Kirei as an individual. It was really arrogant of Tokiomi to judge someone only on his skillset. Of course, his arrogance is his defining feature.

        It’s mentioned somewhere, I forget exactly where exactly, but Tokiomi had his suspicions of Zouken before he handed his daughter over to him. Why he decided to cut off all contact and not make absolutely certain that his daughter was safe, I cannot understand. Even if he couldn’t check up on her himself, he had good connections with the church and could have used their resources to investigte Zouken. Or better yet, he could have asked his wife’s childhood friend, Kariya, exactly what went on in the Mato household.

        Tokiomi really did not understand his own children. Only Rin actually joins the Mage Association after the Fifth Grail War. Sakura doesn’t really care. He was right about them fighting over the Grail in the next war, but it was something that neither of the two sisters sought. Rin wasn’t ruthless enough to kill Sakura, and Sakura only wanted to have a family and be loved. He reminds me of Kiritsugu’s father; the two parents do care about their children, but they’re both selfish, willing to manipulate their children’s lives no matter how traumatic it may be, have no real empathy, and feel no remorse for the desturction their methods cause.

        In a strange way, I’m actually glad that Aoi and Tokiomi are out of the picture. Aoi wanted to be the best wife she could be, but that meant being submissive to Tokiomi’s every decision. Even if it costs her her own daughter, she won’t change her mindset. It’s selfish of her. She also didn’t make an effort to stop Kariya even though she could have warned him or Tokiomi. The way I see it, she’s just as much responsible becuase she wanted to be a good wife. (Remember her interactions with Rin from episode 10-telling Rin not to cause her father problems.) Tokiomi is by now self-explanatory. Frankly, given that Rin risks her life to save her ordinary, powerless friends when Tokiomi would never have bothered just shows how well-developped her morals are, and how strong she is as an individual. Rin wouldn’t develop into anyone worthwhile with these two idiots as her parents.

        One thing I’m confused about, why did Tokiomi say he needed a magus household in order for Sakura to learn magecraft to defend herself becuase of her strong potential? By the end of HF boh households are decimated and nobody comes to collect either girl. Heck, Tokiomi wasn’t that great of a magus. In terms of magecraft, Kayneth is better than he is. (Too bad we never saw a magecraft battle between the two, that would have been an interesting battle. Oh well, Kiritsugu humiliating that arrogant prick was still satisfying.) Kirei was a skilled executor not due to magecraft. Kiritsugu was infamous as the “The Magus Killer”. Hell, the Tohsaka family in the first Grail War mastered martial arts to fight without magecraft. Fankly, there were plenty of other avenues to prepare Sakura. Rin would have helped to protect her little sister, too. If anyone can explain his reasoning further, please feel free to comment.

        nerfblaster
        Reply

      2. @nerfblaster The thing about Tokiomi is that he cannot imagine any life, any happiness but his own, that of a mage. As Gilgamesh put it, he’s boring. He really thinks getting both his girls to become mages and letting them fight in the grail war is what will make them happiest, like it would make him, but is so closeminded of other people and ideals that he can’t see he’s destroying his family instead of saving it.
        As for his skill as a mage, I think Kayneth was more powerful, but Tokiomi was better because he just worked that damn hard.

        Bio D
        Reply

      3. @ nerfblaster

        The novels explained during the scene where Tokiomi visits Rin that both Rin and Sakura possessed inherent potential as mages are essentially miracles – Rin is imbued with all five elements and Sakura possesses no elements but the rare quality of imaginary numbers. Tokiomi doesn’t seem to think those qualities are the sort that will go unnoticed forever, especially if he managed to be recognized while fully knowing that he himself is average and actually had to work hard to become a magus.

        Tokiomi also doesn’t think that Sakura and Rin, being born into a family of mages and possessing that kind of potential, can be anything but mages – it would go against everything he believes in for them to squander their abilities to live ordinary lives and thus he fails to consider what his daughters actually want to do with their lives. Because he’s so inflexible about his perception of what it means to be a magus, Tokiomi won’t consider anything but the most conventional solution regarding what do with Sakura, whom he has decided not to teach the Tosaka magecraft out of belief training her will only introduce competition to whoever is chosen to be heir to the Tosaka family. He doesn’t believe in the idea that the two sisters would protect one another, because he is more concerned with a traditional idea than the actual relationship between his two daughters.

        And allowing Sakura to become a mage like Kiritsugu would be utterly unacceptable to him. Kiritsugu is an average magus, but he is highly untraditional and embodies everything that goes against what Tokiomi and Kayneth El-Melloi believe a magus should be. Tokiomi would never consider an idea like that.

        While it doesn’t absolve Tokiomi of the responsibility of adopting away Sakura to the Matou family, he genuinely believes it is for Sakura’s own good because he believes it will guarantee she will become a magus without attracting someone seeking to exploit her inherent potential. Sakura’s adoption into the Matou family seems to achieve that because it secures her as someone who can’t be taken by anyone to be exploited and supposedly will give her the opportunity to learn magecraft that Tokiomi thinks he can’t give her. Unfortunately and very ironically, Tokiomi doesn’t seem to anticipate that sending his younger daughter to Matou family places Sakura in the exact situation he had been hoping to avoid.

        And Tokiomi is a very proud man – to the point of being arrogant – and being a magus permeates every aspect of his life. He looks down on Kariya for abandoning Matou family and his duty to become a mage; he would have never asked Kariya what the Matou family was like. And being fairly uncreative and conventional and concerning himself with superficial ideas of elegance, Tokiomi would never question an convenient offer from an ancient ally to the Tosaka family when Zouken offered to adopt Sakura.

        michiko
        Reply

  9. No other recent anime does tragedy quite as well as Fate/Zero. Revenge, justice, love, pride, what ever the Masters may have sought at the begining of the Holy Grail War will only turn into tragedy.

    Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, Master of Lancer, sought fame and recognition of his fiancee Sola-Ui. Joining the war instead allowed her to move further away from him. Oh, the irony of summoning a Servant that charms any women when he set out to impress his fiancee. In the end she was the reason he lost both the war and his life.

    Tohsaka Tokiomi participated in the war because of the pride he felt as the head of one of the three families that shaped the Holy Grail War. That pride however, brought about the betrayal of his Servant and his death at the hands of his own student.

    For Matou Kariya it is very much the same, he gave up most of his own life and endured a year of pain all because of his love for Tohsaka Aoi and her children. At the end, Aoi’s outburst made him understand that she never loved him, yet that is not the true tragedy of Kariya’s life. Despite all of his efforts and sacrifices, the one he loved never even realised that he loved them, that is true tragedy.

    Mixed Milkshake
    Reply

    1. Not much shows want to risk delving into these dark introspective themes and stick to the tried and true (if not stale) teen-male/female MC harem/humor/drama shows to attract the ‘larger viewing audience’ and outnumber the darker shows (starring ADULTS not being supporting characters to kids) like 6 to 1 in most seasons.

      Irisviel’s fragile unconscious form in the arms of a SCREAMING MAD berserker and fearing the worst will haunt me FOREVER

      Then to see him drop her afterward like that.
      I didn’t know if to sigh in relief for her not being torn apart by his bare hands or to cry in outrage at her poor treatment…

      FantomOmega
      Reply

  10. I’d actually say that the beginning of Kariya’s downfall was when he turned away from the path of magic despite being the first Matou in ages to show magic potential. Its why Zouken hates him so much and adopted Sakura…

    OmegaD
    Reply

    1. Considering that

      1.a Kariya not leaving his family would be to leave himself to be sacrificed to the bugs (Zouken doesn’t intend to let anyone inherit as he plans to live forever)
      .b Kariya had no way of knowing that Zouken would seek new blood from the Tohsaka family
      2. Zouken had arranged for Kariya to grow close to Aoi because he realized Aoi’s “abundant womb” and if Kariya had stayed, he would likely have married Aoi and thus end with having her thrown into the pit instead of Sakura

      it wasn’t really a choice on his end. His downfall was being born into the Matou family.

      Jukehead
      Reply

  11. Judging from the way all three of Waver Velvet’s Command Seals shattered in the preview, I would guess that Waver has chosen to go on the offensive and finish another Servant off for good by boosting Rider’s parameters with all three Commands

    Mixed Milkshake
    Reply

  15. I wonder does Rin know that her father was killed by Kirei, and that Kirei too indirectly caused the death of her mother? Watching this episode made me feel a little uncomfortable, Kirei is a sick man! To think that the murderer of Rin’s parents was just standing right before her eyes.

    Anyway, looking forward to the showdown between Kirei and Kiritsugu.

    Wing
    Reply

  16. https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2006.jpg
    DAT BGM, DAT BIKE

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2037.jpg
    I think I just lost a few SAN points on this scene…

    Yeah, I wanted to write a moderately lengthy paragraph on this episode but when I got to the preview, I just forgot everything I wanted to write.

    Especially this part
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2021%20-%20Large%20Preview%2001.jpg
    When Waver uses his command seals next episode, I can bet you guys aint gonna blink for at least a few minutes.

    And as if that wasnt enough, they put this part in too.
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2021%20-%20Large%20Preview%2002.jpg
    I’m not going to spoil anything, but let’s just say Kiritsugu will be tested next episode, in the most Urobuchi way possible.

    Rakkyo
    Reply

  18. Saber can definitely win the MotoGP hands down with that bike of hers. What would’ve happened if Rider was driving a F1 car instead of his Gordius Wheel? Maybe Saber wouldn’t have caught up with him.

    Hakarum
    Reply

  19. Last Part of the Episode-
    Me: *shock *speechless
    Gilgamesh: Hmpf! That was a terrible play.
    Me: LOL! What A Dick! (God, I love Gilgamesh)

    Wow, I had almost made a bad decision in deciding not to watch this and the previous episode of F/Z just for me to find time and finish a very popular dungeon crawling game (which has a very very bad story compare to this). And judging for the number episodes left, this month will be a dark, sad and brutally epic month for F/Z. If the pacing of the last few remaining episodes will be done right and end this series in a good and proper way, then this Anime will surely be on the top of all the Anime that I watch in almost 5 years of my Anime viewing.

    Jhacks
    Reply

  20. The episode where Kirei finally learned to stop doubting himself and realized how much enjoyable it is to troll people for the lulz, especially when sipping fine wine while at it. lol
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2040.jpg

    First he trolls Saber and Rider to fight each other and exhaust their energy, then he cruelly trolls Kariya to insanity for his own enjoyment.

    And it takes a troll in Zouken to recognize a kindred spirit in Kirei. No wonder they never seem to get along well in FS/N.

    And finally, Kirei, Zouken and Gilgamesh are all proxies of the ultimate troll: Urobuchi Gen.

    Let alone the hapless Kariya, I mean, look at Kiritsugu. Even he is starting to feel like he’s getting trolled, when he’s usually calm and reserved.
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Zero/Fate%20Zero%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2004.jpg

    I have since learned to watch his works with troll-tinted goggles in order to

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

    1. Darn, I clicked submit before finishing:

      I have since learned to watch his works with troll-tinted goggles in order to vaccinate myself from any emotional shock.

      Perhaps I may have overdid it, as I ended up LOLing hard at the sight of Kirei drinking with Gilgamesh. 🙂

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

  23. And so Kariya’s tragedy comes full circle. The sad fact is he never mattered. Berserker was an awesome servant but Kariya was a poor master. No one considered him a threat, everything he went through was meaningless and no one cares about him. The real kick in the nuts though, was how Aoi calls him out on his inability to acknowledge how others felt.

    Urobochi once again takes the cynical view of selflessness straddling the line between altruism and self-gratification. Kariya never really did take alternatives because he was so biased his against Tokiomi. He assumed that killing him would solve anything and everyone would be fine. Once Kariya realized this he couldn’t take that and snapped.

    fragb85
    Reply

    1. Are you talking about the FSN anime? I’m pretty sure everyone likes this better then that anime. FSN anime wasn’t that good, however Fate/Zero is amazing.

      Gilgamesh92
      Reply

  26. As noble as Kariya’s intentions were, in the end his motivations were selfish. He just wanted the family that Tokiomi had, and if he couldn’t get that (dying and all that), he’d settle for the love of Aoi and the salvation of Sakura.
    Well, look how that turned out.

    Bio D
    Reply

    1. That’s pretty much how I saw it. Its pretty much why he spent the entire war fighting pointless battles with Tokiomi and Gilgamesh and wasting precious mana that would kill him rather than finding ways to win the war. It was something personal to him and he just kept trying to rationalize it by saying he was doing it for Sakura. When he realizes his own mistake he snapped.

      Its classic Urobuchi’s twisted take on self-sacrifice. Parallels to Sayaka from Puella Magi Madoka Magica are noted.

      fragb85
      Reply

      1. I see this a lot. But people don’t consider Kariya is half dead and insane by the time the war begins. The anime does not give credit to how his body is in the novels. The descriptions are gruesome. Here, he looks a little odd but still bishounen?

        Moriae
        Reply

  27. This is what I like about Fate/Zero, it doesn’t bother with sugar coating and shows us the darkest side of human in its entirety, not very common in mainstream media and certainly not anime. Kariya’s a wretched and tragic soul, his motives for joining the war were arguably the most noble, but does retribution or justice has any meaning in the face of war? The human beings can be despicable creatures and while it’s not something viewers would like to believe, it is the unfortunate truth. Urobuchi sensei’s superb writing handled this delicate topic extremely well and I dare say it could have been much more distasteful in less capable hands.

    Seishun Otoko
    Reply

  28. Oh gosh to see Celty and Saber racing against each other will be a dream come true. SPIN OFF ONEGAISHIMASU!

    The tragic ending of Aoi had me on the edge of my bed tearing apart my blanket. As you mentioned before Kariya black screen monologue set the mood and I thought a whole 5 mins worth of flashback but when I saw fragments of him throwing Aoi to the floor my mind raced thinking “oh please Kariya don’t violate her and kill her right in front of her dead husband and in a church! You can’t sink that low!” only to be relieved that the scenario never happened and it was it just a figment of my imagination. Phew *.*

    Saber awesome riding skills is a whole lot better than watching Fast and Furious lol

    shamaticgrl
    Reply

  31. Last week I said Waver’s survival into the “Semi-Final” of the Grail War was no fluke, the same cannot be said of Kariya, whose every move has been predetermined by circumstances around him.

    Zouken let him participate while looking forward to seeing him fail for the lulz. Similarly, Kirei only saved his life in order to troll him later on for his own lulz.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  34. The scene where Kariya was choking Aoi was done so strangely that it somehow gave me the impression that he was raping her in the novel or something. Can a novel reader confirm what happened there? lol.

    Anyway, Aoi’s death was kind of “Eh?” to me. It didnt really make me feel anything other than “whatever”. I guess thats the difference when you see somewhat established character like Natalia and Maiya die, VS some backseat character who never shows her face.

    I have to say it was pretty ingenious on Kirei’s part to make Saber and Rider fight each other, this may even be the reason for Rider’s eventual loss?

    I do enjoy the part where Kirei lashed out at Zouken. It totally just reminded me of the part in HF where Kirei just beat the shit out of Zouken while changing bible stuff lol.

    YanDaMan
    Reply

    1. The impact of Aoi’s “death” wasn’t really directed at her, but more at the characters who were affected by this event such as Kariya (goes insane) and Rin (is now under the care of Kirei).
      And no Kariya never raped Aoi in the novel, the anime did sexualize that scene a bit though, perhaps to emphasize his descent into madness and his animal-like lust toward her.

      nonexistant
      Reply

      1. I see, that makes sense.

        I guess all Kariya really has left going for him now is one final burst of huzzah in the inevitable fight against Saber. He knows his body wont last past a few more days and is pretty much insane at this point. I’m actually looking forward to more revelations concerning Berserker aside from what was already spoiled and leaked.

        YanDaMan
        Reply

    2. It should be noted that Show Spoiler ▼

      the_one092001
      Reply

    3. Funny, I was thinking of something similar.

      When I read that passage in the novel, it was rather tragic.

      But I don’t know if it was intentional on ufotable’s part, though I must admit I find the strangling scene rather erotic, what with the close pan-up shots of Aoi’s well-endowed torso and exposed thighs, coupled with Kariya’s heavy breathing after the deed was done. So yeah, my mind is dirty. 🙂

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

  35. Yeah, it’s great to see an anime that doesn’t try to make everything come out alright in the end, even if bittersweet ((because a character(s) death still somehow magically plays into the success/power up/etc of another)). It doesn’t try to make EVERYONE a “winner” in some way. It’s not afraid to simply go, “SCREW YOU, YOU LOST!” and toss characters into the mud.

    Basically, at least in terms of philosophies, human nature and whatnot, it’s realistic and it’s not afraid to drag people in front of a mirror and go, “TAKE A GOOD HARD LOOK!”.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
    Reply

  36. Believe when I say (and i’m sure everyone else already knows) Being Kariya is extremely suffering. But goddamn it, the whole way through, even if it was futile compared to scope of this conflict; I was rooting for him.

    Recap: He basically witnesses Sakura raped by Crest Worms, Volunteers to participate in this “war” as a hope to bear if not ease some of her pain, BUT that’s only half since he also needs to sustain enough mana for his servant. THEN, He witnesses that the very bastard he resents: Tokiomi felt no remorse giving Sakura to the Matou family. (in a very depressing sense, it’s reminiscent trait reflected onto Rin;) THEN after being healed by Kirei, he gets manipulated by him up to where we are now currently in this tragic tale.

    Verdant IS right in saying that Kariya and Kiritsugu are both quite alike being tragic protagonists. However I personally believe this resemblance can only go so far, Kiritsugu had more than just people that were at his side during all this, despite their roles as a given. Irisviel, Maiya, and even Saber were all emanating that sort of “chemistry” due to their relationships with Emiya. Thus both sympathy and empathy were (if not still is) plenty abound among themselves, able to give each other that sort of bonding hope.

    This is where Kariya differs greatly, He had no one to help him and the ones who did help him had a greater agenda and/or were just bat-shit crazy. And the only person that DID empathize for him was Aoi, and even then she was more aligned to Tokiomi. Her last few words to Kariya will forever be engraved onto Kariya’s consciousness, maybe even compel him towards a level of denial, given how heavy this whole triangle was. In a perhaps very bizarre sense it has sort of to do with relationships and choices in life; and how badly some of those can reflect or bite you in the ass. I say this because despite Aoi marrying Tokiomi, I also feel like had Kariya (somehow) been in that role instead, he would be a LOT better off. But he would also be radically more ruthless perhaps. But I (greatly) digress.

    so now that leaves with a question that has been asked far too many times watching/reading this series;

    “Now What?”

    There’s the fact of inevitability that Irisviel isn’t in the best condition and now she’s in the custody of the very person that shanked her with 3 Black Keys. (just imagine being shanked by ONE of those, it would be bloody painful, no?)

    Then there’s Kariya still shedding what’s left of his will and sanity, not surprisingly similar to Berserker now. (that monologue and scene will forever haunt me til I die…….)

    …….Anyone else hoping that Ufotable does say…an adaption to Heaven’s Feel?

    Acario
    Reply

    1. I hope so, though it feels like a given considering they did Unlimited Blade Works.

      Some of the alternate stuff would be cool, like Fate/Hollow Ataraxia though.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

  38. “When you embark en a journey of revenge, first dig two graves”

    Some one should have told this to Kariya, but thanks to Kirei, our frienly serial killer in the making, we´ll need an entire sementery for sll the casulaties. I knew those those were screw up but this would make the BTK killer rejoice in pride. How Gilgamesh, the greatest hero in sumerian mithology ended up like thís?!.

    haseo0408
    Reply

    1. One of Gil’s favorite pastime as King of Babylon was deflowering Virgin brides on their wedding night and putting the Husband in a series of grueling physical test.

      Xellos^_-
      Reply

      1. I see, I didn´t know that so it means Gil had a lot problems from the very begining. In the regard of Kariya, I´m not trying to put down the guy, I feel for him, I really do but let´s be honest did anyone see his story reaching a happy ending? The only way he cuold have save Sakura and Aoi was trying Zouken using Berserker but eveybody would guess how that wil turn out, the tragic fate of that poot bastard was sealed the momment he came into this world.

        haseo0408
        Reply

  39. Sad for Rin, as well as Sakura, both lost their parents because of the Grail War. Well, Aoi will live, according to type moon, but will be mentally be brain dead and then die.

    regardless, I can’t help but love how it was Saber’s turn to use MODERN weaponry at her disposal. I was enjoying seeing Berserker use that Jet fighter, it is good that Saber had a similar noble phantasm.

    Sad for Saber, Emiya didn’t give her a cellphone so she couldn’t go after Lancelot. If he had then that would have been a different story.

    L002
    Reply

  46. >However, what was most unsettling was his prediction about Kirei’s true nature eventually rivaling his own. If the scene at the end of the episode is a sign of things to come, I don’t want to even imagine what kind of vile ideas are currently concocting in his mind.

    Well, this is kinda a “things to come” regarding to their next meeting in Heaven’s Feel route of the VN. In the novel version of Fate/Zero, Kotomine even thought that Matou Zouken is a nemesis that he must eliminate in the future.

    yokushi
    Reply

  48. Kirei slowly opening to his “true nature”, somewhat filling up his empty self.
    Could he have fared better if he had not any bad friends and bad influences?
    I wonder how different would Kirei be in Fate/stay night if Gilgamesh wasn’t summoned in Fate/Zero.

    Kiritsugu, slowly finding his old self back.
    If he had not there wouldn’t be Shirou in Fate/stay night, I suppose.

    iron2000
    Reply

  49. Yes, I am totally late for the party….. (IRL stuff….)

    Reactions:

    Saber, RIDER. NEVER. HOPS. AROUND. AND. HE. WON’t TOUCH. YOUR WAIFU.
    Waver, stop. hestitating.
    How the tree hold on for taht long with Rider weight???
    Shinji dad a whiny smart ass too…. LOVABLE SHINJI DAD.
    Zouken, can you die, lk, NOW?
    Aoi, u r totally asking 4 it…. Soo, es tee eff you.
    Kariya, did I mention your scream is narm-tastic?
    Kirei and Gil should totally get married. A true yaoi trolls.

    -Overall-
    O.O–>D:

    D-LaN
    Reply

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