Fate/stay night / First Impressions

「五人目の契約者」 (Go Hitome no Keiyakusya)
“The Fifth Contractor”

There’s always an exception to the rule.

Kuzuki Souichirou

A character who we haven’t seen much of until recently, Kuzuki and what he brought to the table was a complete surprise. Taking the idea that a Master doesn’t have to be someone on the sidelines supporting their Servant in battle, it was a bit crazy to watch him in action against powerhouses like Saber and Rin. Taking out the former with a swift beat down and the latter with a well placed punch that sent her flying, it makes you question just how scary he could be if he could use magic. That said, as scary as his physical abilities might be, what might be every scarier might be how well he managed his public persona. While he wasn’t able to completely throw Rin off of his scent, there’s something to be said about powerful and smart fighter.

Looking passed all that though, was there really anything all that wrong about Kuzuki’s view on human life? While it might be a bit selfish, how wrong is it to look out for yourself when everyone else is doing the same — especially if they’re just strangers who care about you just as much as you care about them?

Superb Fighting Again!

There’s something about every single fight scene that ufotable does that brings me an immense amount of joy every time I watch them. Be it the shiny lights stemming out from every angle of the screen or the quality of every single fiber of clothing flapping in just the right way, there’s no denying that this week’s fight scene was on-point. If I had to pick one thing that got me in this one, it had to be the sound effects used for Kuzuki’s punches. Something about just how vicious they were matched perfectly to how I expected someone who could fight Saber hand-to-hand would be.

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and with the way Shirou’s been drooling over Archer and his way of fighting, his tribute to him this week raises a lot of questions. While I don’t want to stay on this topic for too long since it enters spoiler territory really quickly, I’m pretty sure this episode helped connect a few dots for the people who’ve been paying close attention since episode 00.

Battles on Every Front and Looking Ahead

With various battles brewing on every front, it seems that there’s no end for any of them in sight. Caster’s Master has finally been revealed and is someone who’s just as capable as herself, Shirou has discovered a latent ability that’s been dwelling deep inside him and it seems to resemble something we’ve already seen, and just in case you forgot about him Shinji seems to be doing well with his new Servant that seems a bit arrogant and cocky. Judging from the preview though, it seems that among other things we’re going to jump back into the argument Shirou and Archer started a few weeks ago. While I could do without the two bickering with each other, I wouldn’t mind seeing Shirou have some way of backing up his words this time around.

Anyways, see you next week!

 

Preview

126 Comments

  3. https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2001.jpg
    I really need to memorize the Japanese version of that chant. I fail as a fan if I don’t know it as well.

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2019.jpg
    Catching a(n invisible) sword with your hands is so 5 minutes ago. Knees and elbows are the new thing now.

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
    Literally took my breath away at this exchange.

    belatkuro
    Reply

    1. 体は剣で出来ている。
      血潮は鉄で心は硝子。
      幾たびの戦場を越えて不敗。
      ただの一度も敗走はなく、
      ただの一度も理解されない。
      彼の者は常に独り
      剣の丘で勝利に酔う。
      故に、生涯に意味はなく
      その体は、きっと剣で出来ていた。

      Hanabira.Kage
      Reply

  5. You know lately everything that comes out of Archer´s mouth annoys me to no end, that kind sickening tactics is something you could expect from a man made mosnter like Kiritsugu, helping a psycho like Caster just to win the Grail, thank God Rin knows where to draw the line.

    haseo0408
    Reply

    1. It’s really a matter of priorities. Rin doesn’t desire the Grail, she just wants to win. That’s why she is unwilling to go to great lengths for the War since her reason for fighting is half-assed just like Shirou.

      SnooSnoo (@ShinJiwon)
      Reply

  6. That really looks like it hurts:
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2033.jpg
    (Giving birth to two swords).
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
    How is he still conscious.
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2021.jpg
    Going for a “crack” sound?
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2031.jpg
    I would believe he was a killer.
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2001.jpg
    The last thing you would want to see before you stop existing…

    random viewer
    Reply

  7. https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%2020.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%2021.jpg

    Okay, usually I’m gushing over Saber or Archer but this guy stole the episode for me. That fight scene was so badass. There’s something about his unarmed powerhouse fighting style and his innate ability to well…lift women by their necks and deprive them of oxygen that reminds me of a certain other Master who participated in the last Holy Grail War.

    kondee
    Reply

    1. Undeniable issue of big budget aside, Ufotable doesn’t have as many works attributed to it compared to most of the other studios (Madhouse, JC Staff, Shaft, etc), so there’s probably the “take your time and make a quality anime” motivation which leads to at least one series a year. Quite a big difference from most others which have an at least one series per season motivation.

      Techim
      Reply

  10. I’ve always wanted to see Kuzuki’s style of unarmed combat actually depicted – the visual novel left me assuming that type-moon wasn’t referencing any real-world style.

    Then Unlimited Budget Works comes along and makes his style look scary. Well done!

    —

    Shinji’s basement: Ick! Ick! Run away! Do not want. Where are the censors?
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Psithief
    Reply

    1. Answer by Nasu himself:
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Potato
      Reply

  16. Our heroes take on Caster and her just revealed Master… and fail. Again. Archer maybe a sarcastic jerk, but he does have a point. The way they Rin handles things isn’t really effective in winning the war and this botched ambush proves it. The “rational” mage as Archer puts it is truly the wayt to fight in the War and the requires one toe be apathetic and paractcal. But as we established, Run really sucks at that because she is to compassionate. And that’s really why we root for Rin and Shirou, they refuse to compromise with their ideal.

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2019.jpg
    Poor Saber once again becomes the designated jobber just to prove how big a threat Kuzuki is. And just like Assasin its not because of power (where Saber can easily win) but with pure skill. She is caught by surprise and Kuzuki deals a hard blow on the back of Saber’s neck. This cripples her and allows Kuzuki to overpower her.

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2029.jpg
    Compared to the VN, the anime milked this scene for all its worth and I loved it. It makes sense too, this is the moment where Shirou finally gets out of the bench and becomes a main player in the story.

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20stay%20night/Fate%20stay%20night%20ubw%20-%2010%20-%20Large%2033.jpg
    “I-t’s not like I like Archers swords and fighting style! I just though it would be cool to use them! Baka!” At this point Shirou is clearly tsundere for Archer

    Shirou soon discovers the he has a knack for Projection magic. Projection Magic is essentially the ability to create bootleg copies of any item. They normally have no combat applications, because just like any bootleg, they suck compared to the real thing. Shirou however, has somehow managed to create bootlegs of Archer’s swords that are functional in battle. Obviously they weren’t made in Hong Kong.

    fragb85
    Reply

    2. Right now the only dead are the Victims of the Mana farming of the Servants and Rider so far…

      We will get some Episode of Dead Masters or Servants. I hope they do not pile to much up. Remember there must be only 1. There are no Two Winners. In the End, Rin and Shirou must fight

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

    3. Rin’s whole plan for this war seems to have been:

      1. Wait until the night before.
      2. Summon a Saber – I don’t care who (I don’t have the connections to get a catalyst anyway. Unrelated: What’s with father leaving me this weird dried up snakeskin? You have weird taste sometimes, father.)
      3. Walk around town until Servants attack me and then bulldoze them with my Saber.

      It suits her.

      From Fate Zero: Show Spoiler ▼

      Axe Armor
      Reply

    1. UFOtable has amazing attention to detail. Watch how Shirou’s arms flail about as if the SWORDS are dragging his arms. If you know a bit about Shirou’s abilities the little details really add to the adaptation.

      FlameStrike
      Reply

  18. “Taking out the former with a swift beat down and the latter with a well placed punch that sent her flying, it makes you question just how scary he could be if he could use magic. That said, as scary as his physical abilities might be”

    I kinda dont agree with this.
    Sure he isnt a bad fighter, and his unique fighting style gives him an advatage, but he wouldnt be nearly this strong without Caster enchantment, and there is no way he could have taken out Saber or other servants (except Rider maybe) without it.

    Also if he would have magic abilities, then I dont think, his fighting power would be still this great. One requires constant training, while the other is studying, maybe he could learn simple magic to enchance his strenght, but you never really seen a magus being superior in hand to hand combat, and still using big spells.

    dangreg
    Reply

    1. Eh, lets not forget the beast that is Bazett shall we?
      In Illya prisma she managed to beat servants with her skills and according to the type moon wikia, the one that faces Rin and shirou could easily defeat them as well. Not to mention her usage of fragarach…

      damrod
      Reply

      1. damrod, Bazett is the prime example what I said.
        She uses rune magic to reinforce her body and she can use Fragrach because of her sorcery trait, what allows her to inherit abilities because of her bloodline and not with teaching.
        So she is far from a good mage, she is almost pure combat type.

        And Anonymousperson, that is the same what I am thinking about, but If you take Caster as the best/strongest possible mage, then her enchantment should be vastly superior to anything what a modern mage can do. So even if Kuzuki would focus on enchantment magic, he wouldnt be able to reach the same power.

        dangreg
        Reply

    2. Actually, modern day magecraft requires some physical prowess to use due to the strain it can otherwise put on the body. Someone like Kuzuki could focus on combat enhancing magic.
      UBW BIG SPOILER
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Anonymousperson
      Reply

    2. Copy/paste of Potato’s comment from above.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

  25. That fade to black and the music stops…and then next you see Shirou with the two projected swords in his end ready to kick ass. Most epic scene in UBW so far!

    Any full-length images of this episode?

    boingman
    Reply

      2. Another theory: Show Spoiler ▼

        Neko
        Reply

  28. Oh man, the original face stay night fight with kuzuki was one thing but this one was out of this world…it lasted a bit over a minute and it simply took my breathe away!
    By the way how many episodes this is going to be? From the pacing it looks like it might end faster than it looks…unless I’m forgetting too much material from the VN.

    gawrshness
    Reply

  29. How ridiculously powerful a mere human must be to take on Heroic Spirit in hand to hand and hold its own?
    BTW, it is even more ridiculous that Shiro manages to hold Kuzuki off after he managed to sent Saber flying!
    But, who cares, the fight is such beatifully animated that I can forgive some bending of probability…

    ewok40k
    Reply

    2. Kuzuki is strengthened by Caster’s magic and because her magic ability is off the chart, it can make already powerful Kuzuki (compared to normal human) to overpower a Servant. But it is said that, he only can win against Saber due his unique and unexpected style.

      shinizaki
      Reply

    3. Spoiler not only for this adaptation, but also the original FSN and Fate/Zero…
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Roestigraben
      Reply

      2. @WorldwideDepp:

        Show Spoiler ▼

        quigonkenny
        Reply

      5. Show Spoiler ▼

        WorldwideDepp
        Reply

    4. what the anime fails at, is really showing how lucky Kuzuki’s victory was over Saber. I get that it was for the sake of making him look badass (and therefore a bigger threat) but still.

      There’s several very important factors that let Kuzuki do what he did to Saber in this episode

      1. Element of surprise. Saber rightfully never saw this block and counterattack coming. No one could have seen it coming.

      2. Then Kuzuki takes advantage of her surprise to strike a serious blow to Saber’s neck. You see it bleeding and effecting Saber; it would have been a fatal blow to a human, for a powerful spirit like Saber it isn’t, but it IS enough to throw her off balance and stunned. Then he just keeps attacking relentlessly to keep her from getting back control of the situation.

      3. Caster’s enhancements. No matter how skilled he is in hand to hand combat, a normal human like Kuzuki cant match a Servant. Obviously. Caster is powering up his body (the super fast run to get behind Saber) and strengthening his fists and giving them the power to hurt Servants. So it’s really Caster’s power that is defeating Saber here, by being applied to Kuzuki’s “trained to be a killer” body.

      Shirou manages to do better because rather being caught by surprise like Saber, HE is the one surprising Kuzuki, who certainly didn’t expect swords from nowhere. Not to mention Saber recovers quickly, and its stated in the VN that Kuzuki’s victory earlier was a once in a lifetime chance he and Caster let slip. Now that she has seen his style and is on guard against him Saber would easily slaughter Kuzuki if they fought again. She won;t be caught off guard again. Which is why Caster and Kuzuki withdrew.

      takashid
      Reply

      1. It’s been brought up a few times now in the anime, but Saber’s Magic Resistance is absurd; she can literally walk through anything Caster can throw at her, as long as Caster is outside the temple. Once Saber was back on her feet, Caster and Kuzuki no longer had any chance of victory here.

        Axe Armor
        Reply

    1. Nothing against you personally, but we really need to get off this “rekt” schtick. I’ve it more times than I care to count in just the past twenty-four hours alone and it just ain’t funny anymore.

      Ryan Ashfyre
      Reply

  31. Astonishing adaptation as always.
    UFOTABLE rules over the rest.

    They should have let people know Kuzuki was under Reinforcement Magic from Caster, someone may think he’s just that powerful by himself.

    Nico
    Reply

    1. This.

      I wasn’t sure whether this would count as a spoiler, so I was hesitating to post about it, but if Kuzuki were to use magic, he would probably be at about the same level or less. Caster’s the one doing the magical enhancement to let Kuzuki fight on par with Saber and Rider, and you have to figure as a Heroic Spirit she would be more proficient at it than a human magus.

      That being said, Kuzuki is still beastly.

      Blue
      Reply

      3. Show Spoiler ▼

        WorldwideDepp
        Reply

      4. I also wonder about that, but even in the VN we do not have the a graphical interpretation about Archer’s ‘past’ (maybe some vague illustrations included but I am not so sure). We only knew it from Rin’s dialogue.

        Now more discussions regarding the picture:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        shinizaki
        Reply

      5. I don’t know if this is correct but from what I remember

        Show Spoiler ▼

        Juan
        Reply

  33. so what’s up with Rin? Based on her complaint about lack of focus, have dreams of archer’s past been plaguing her for a while? and how does she know the chant? we’ve already covered in several places that servants and masters bleed over into each other’s dreams, but to that extent that she’d see them all the time?

    nyanlol
    Reply

  35. I’m going to go with “of course there’s something wrong with Kuzuki’s stance.” In general saying that you aren’t that invested in others and what happens to them isn’t insane. People will generally look at their own life. But, his perspective is pure selfishness taken to the extreme. Caster’s actions are his damn responsibility whether he wants to wash his hands of it or not. And yeah, slaughtering a city is crossing the line. If he doesn’t feel that’s his problem then I hope they take him out with Caster. I’m with Saber, if he doesn’t give a damn what happens to uninvolved people then he can’t complain when he gets killed.

    FlareKnight
    Reply

    1. I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what Kuzuki says. “Don’t be bothered if you kill me.”

      He may be selfish to the extreme, though I might characterize it more as an extreme lack of empathy, but he’s very fair about it. He applies the same standards to his own well-being.

      Blue
      Reply

    1. Saber can not get the required mana from his Master. And in both World Lancer was her first Enemy. There she was on Full Mana..

      So, if she run dry of Mana, her Sword will be full visible.. i think

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

  38. by the rate this is going. ufatable’s adaptation makes an explosive episode every 4 episodes or so starting with episode 3 (thats with episode 00 included) and episode 7, so in conclusion we will get another big budget episode next week. btw so this is just wind-up episode too?

    bakumon
    Reply

  42. So, is anyone bothered by the fact that Saber recovered 2 minutes after she got destroyed by Kuzuki? I mean, during her fight with him, she was barely standing at the end due to her injuries. But after a few minutes, she is completely fine WTF!?

    Lion
    Reply

    1. Not really that surprising. Kuzuki basically just took Saber by surprise since none of them were expecting him to be able to ward off a servant, much less injure one. You have to remember also that Kuzuki’s fist attacks are just regular punches strenthened with the help of Casters magic. It’s basically like the strenthening thing Shiro does.

      With Lancer, Saber took a hit from a Noble Phantasm but she was actually prepared for it.

      Juan
      Reply

    2. ………you are suprised that a heroic spirit with healing abilites healed quickly? Saber’s a serious badass, she was never going to be down for long. Shirou managing to hold things down till she recovered is what turned the tide and forced Team Caster to retreat, since she would easily kill Kuzuki in a rematch, and Caster’s magic cant hurt her

      takashid
      Reply

  43. “Looking passed all that though, was there really anything all that wrong about Kuzuki’s view on human life? While it might be a bit selfish, how wrong is it to look out for yourself when everyone else is doing the same — especially if they’re just strangers who care about you just as much as you care about them?”

    Not only is this a rather silly line of logic defending the killer-who-is-down-with-Caster’s-town-slaughter, its not the actual situation? You are talking about a scenario that doesn’t exist. This isn’t about strangers that have nothing to do with him, this is about people Caster is killing. As her contracted Master, what she does is also his responsibility. By standing aside and telling her to do as she pleases in this episode, he’s condoning mass murder. Thats a very different thing then “looking out for yourself instead of others.”

    There’s a difference between “I’m gonna keep to myself, i don’t care about strangers” and “I’m gonna let my friend go out and shoot people, i don’t care about strangers.” One is a way to live your life and the other is harming and killing other people and not caring.

    takashid
    Reply

  44. What I liked about this episode, aside from Kuziki being a badass, was how they actually shed some light on Shinji’s “Mystery new servant”.

    The whole scene with him giving his example of his 10 slaves actually shed a lot of light to his views of humanity, and it’s actually one that makes a lot of sense when you look at the world today, with all the BS and corruption going on.

    YanDaMan
    Reply

  45. Shinji frolicking around like a chimp back there made it pretty tense when he put his hand on his Servant’s shoulder. Incorrectly assessing his position in his relationships is basically Shinji’s entire character. The look on his Servant’s face said clearly “I am putting up with you. I am a paragon of self control right now.”

    Big UBW spoilers:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Axe Armor
    Reply

      1. Not a bad point. If you’re suggesting that Sakura is the Master, her hospitalization could explain what Kotomine meant by the Servant being “spare”.

        This is a tangent, but big Heaven’s Feel spoilers:

        Show Spoiler ▼

        Axe Armor
        Reply

    1. This should get explained at some point, but just in case it doesn’t:
      (Minor spoilers on how Shirou’s magic works)

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Tsugumi Henduluin
      Reply

  50. I watched this episode with really inaccurate subs, especially Rin’s narration of Archer’s chant in the beginning of this episode. It seemed as the sub group simply copied and pasted Archer’s chant in the fate route, kinda stupid especially since the chant was properly subbed in the UBW movie. Here is the chant that Rin recited:

    My body is made of swords
    Iron is my blood and glass is my heart
    I have overcome countless battlefields undefeated
    Not once have I retreated
    nor once have I been understood
    Always alone on the hill of swords, intoxicated with victory
    Thus, this life has no meaning…
    This body is definitely made out of swords

    Ryner
    Reply

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