Fate stay night: Difference between revisions

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Then there is Saber, the Servant Spirit who gets bonded to him. Her true name is unknown, but she has the mannerisms of a knight and the appearance of a young woman. Add to this an [[Tsundere|aloof girl]] named Tohsaka Rin, a rival Master and schoolmate who finds him [[Not Worth Killing|too pathetic to kill off immediately]]. Rin is a professional mage who knows the Grail War rules, but her conscience results in her helping out, despite her protests to the contrary. There is also her mysterious Servant, Archer, [[Easy Amnesia|who claims to suffer amnesia in the beginning due to his botched summoning]]. In addition, Shirou has to protect his "family" -- his self-appointed "older sister" teacher Taiga Fujimura, and his [[Sempai-Kohai|kohai]] Matou Sakura, who has an obvious (''[[Oblivious to Love|to everyone else]]'') crush on him.

''Fate/stay night'' is a PC [[Eroge]] [[Visual Novel]] created by the company Type-Moon, and is set in the [[Nasuverse]], an overarching [[Multiverse]] franchise which includes ''[[~~Tsukihime (Visual Novel)|~~Tsukihime]]'' and ''[[~~Kara no~~ Kyoukai ~~(Literature)~~|Kara no Kyoukai]]''. The game [[Multiple Endings|has three different storylines]]: "''Fate''", which focuses on Saber, "''Unlimited Blade Works''", which focuses on Rin and Archer, and "''Heaven's Feel''", which focuses on Sakura.

''Fate/stay night'' is a PC [[Eroge]] [[Visual Novel]] created by the company Type-Moon, and is set in the [[Nasuverse]], an overarching [[Multiverse]] franchise which includes ''[[Tsukihime]]'' and ''[[Karano Kyoukai|Kara no Kyoukai]]''. The game [[Multiple Endings|has three different storylines]]: "''Fate''", which focuses on Saber, "''Unlimited Blade Works''", which focuses on Rin and Archer, and "''Heaven's Feel''", which focuses on Sakura.

Although [[No Export for You|never released in English]], the game has a [[Fan Translation]] patch made for it by the good folks at [http://mirrormoon.org Mirror Moon]. The [[Visual Novel]] has been adapted for [[Play Station 2]] and, while replacing the H-scenes that were in the original game with alternate, non-erotic versions, add some content like new CGs and new musiques. The [[PS 2]] version is subtitled ''Realta Nua'' and you can implement the extra content from this version on your PC version [http://rnpatch.blogspot.com/ with this patch].

Although [[No Export for You|never released in English]], the game has a [[Fan Translation]] patch made for it by the good folks at [http://mirrormoon.org Mirror Moon]. The [[Visual Novel]] has been adapted for [[Play Station 2]] and, while replacing the H-scenes that were in the original game with alternate, non-erotic versions, add some content like new CGs and new musiques. The [[Play Station 2]] version is subtitled ''Realta Nua'' and you can implement the extra content from this version on your PC version [http://rnpatch.blogspot.com/ with this patch].

'''Adaptations'''

* The [[Anime]] adaptation has been created by [[Studio DEEN]], a different company than the [[Anime]] of ''[[Tsukihime ~~(Visual Novel)~~|Shingetsutan Tsukihime]]''. It's the ''Fate'' route with some extra material added in to make the series fill out 24 episodes. This is used to give more attention to characters who are pushed to the background in the ''Fate'' route. Some of these are semi-original, like Archer's fight with Berserker, which wasn't seen in the [[Visual Novel]], and some are directly lifted from other routes. For example, an arc loosely based on ending of the ''Heaven's Feel'' scenario was added in order to give Caster, her associates and Sakura more attention. Overall, it basically takes an approach similar to ''Shingetsutan Tsukihime'' but with far less mangling of the story.

* The [[Anime]] adaptation has been created by [[Studio DEEN]], a different company than the [[Anime]] of ''[[Tsukihime|Shingetsutan Tsukihime]]''. It's the ''Fate'' route with some extra material added in to make the series fill out 24 episodes. This is used to give more attention to characters who are pushed to the background in the ''Fate'' route. Some of these are semi-original, like Archer's fight with Berserker, which wasn't seen in the [[Visual Novel]], and some are directly lifted from other routes. For example, an arc loosely based on ending of the ''Heaven's Feel'' scenario was added in order to give Caster, her associates and Sakura more attention. Overall, it basically takes an approach similar to ''Shingetsutan Tsukihime'' but with far less mangling of the story.

* [[Studio DEEN]] also released a ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' [http://fatestaynight.jp/ movie] in January 2010. It's based on the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route, and goes quickly through the scenario with an emphasis on the action. The movie is in fact [[Fan Service]] for the ones who read the original [[Visual Novel]].

* [[Studio DEEN]] also released a ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' [http://fatestaynight.jp/ movie] in January 2010. It's based on the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route, and goes quickly through the scenario with an emphasis on the action. The movie is in fact [[Fan Service]] for the ones who read the original [[Visual Novel]].

* The [[Manga]] adaptation, still in serialization, is also based on the ''Fate'' scenario -- although, again, material from other routes and original material are both used. The artist, Datto Nishiwaki, is a big Type-Moon fan, and makes references to other [[Nasuverse]] works in his end-of-volume rants.

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'''Related works'''

* A second [[Manga]] also exists titled ''[[~~Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya (Manga)|~~Fate/kaleid liner ~~PRISMA~~ ~~ILLYA~~]]''. Unlike the first manga, this one features an [[Alternate Universe]] storyline with Ilyasviel, ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' resident [[Enfante Terrible]], as the main character... oh, and she's a [[Magical Girl]], complete with [[Empathic Weapon|a talking staff named Ruby]]. Ilya has to help Rin recover [[Cardcaptor Sakura ~~(Manga)~~|'Class Cards']], magical artifacts with the powers of the Servants. It's starts off as an [[Affectionate Parody]], both of ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' and [[Magical Girl Tropes]] in general, but [[Cerebus Syndrome|gets more serious later.]] Still, it ''is'' very funny, intersperses this with largely random moments of awesome, and is very nearly worth it just so you can catch all the ''Fate/stay night'' [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/fate_kaleid_liner_prisma_illya/v01/c001/34.html references].

* A second [[Manga]] also exists titled ''[[Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya]]''. Unlike the first manga, this one features an [[Alternate Universe]] storyline with Ilyasviel, ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' resident [[Enfante Terrible]], as the main character... oh, and she's a [[Magical Girl]], complete with [[Empathic Weapon|a talking staff named Ruby]]. Ilya has to help Rin recover [[Cardcaptor Sakura|'Class Cards']], magical artifacts with the powers of the Servants. It's starts off as an [[Affectionate Parody]], both of ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' and [[Magical Girl Tropes]] in general, but [[Cerebus Syndrome|gets more serious later.]] Still, it ''is'' very funny, intersperses this with largely random moments of awesome, and is very nearly worth it just so you can catch all the ''Fate/stay night'' [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/fate_kaleid_liner_prisma_illya/v01/c001/34.html references].

* A [[Prequel]] exists in the form of ''[[Fate ~~Zero (Literature)|Fate~~ Zero]]'', with an [[Animated Adaptation]] by anime studio [[Ufotable]] which premiered during [[Fall 2011 Anime|Fall 2011]]. It's the story of the Fourth Holy Grail War, [[When It All Began|the conclusion of which has affected the lives of every]] ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' [[When It All Began|major characters]]. Reading ''[[Fate ~~Zero (Literature)|Fate~~ Zero]]'' implies you have finished reading the original [[Visual Novel]], so beware of spoilers for ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' on all ''[[Fate ~~Zero (Literature)|Fate~~ Zero]]'' pages.

* A [[Prequel]] exists in the form of ''[[Fate/Zero]]'', with an [[Animated Adaptation]] by anime studio [[Ufotable]] which premiered during [[Fall 2011 Anime|Fall 2011]]. It's the story of the Fourth Holy Grail War, [[When It All Began|the conclusion of which has affected the lives of every]] ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' [[When It All Began|major characters]]. Reading ''[[Fate/Zero]]'' implies you have finished reading the original [[Visual Novel]], so beware of spoilers for ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' on all ''[[Fate/Zero]]'' pages.

* A [[Sequel|sequel/fan-disc]], ''[[~~Fate Hollow Ataraxia (Visual Novel)|~~Fate/hollow ataraxia]]'', was released in 2005. [[Lighter and Softer|A much more lighthearted story]] that's mainly character driven, the events focus on the mysteriously [[Groundhog Day Loop|repeating four day cycle]] that Fuyuki City is trapped in, half a year after the events of the first game, and how the daily lives of all the characters are with no war as a backdrop. Although it is a very long way from being completed, a [[Fan Translation]] project is currently being worked on [http://tlwiki.org/index.php?title=Fate/Hollow_Ataraxia here].

* A [[Sequel|sequel/fan-disc]], ''[[Fate/hollow ataraxia]]'', was released in 2005. [[Lighter and Softer|A much more lighthearted story]] that's mainly character driven, the events focus on the mysteriously [[Groundhog Day Loop|repeating four day cycle]] that Fuyuki City is trapped in, half a year after the events of the first game, and how the daily lives of all the characters are with no war as a backdrop. Although it is a very long way from being completed, a [[Fan Translation]] project is currently being worked on [http://tlwiki.org/index.php?title=Fate/Hollow_Ataraxia here].

* ''[[~~Fate Apocrypha (Light Novel)|~~Fate/Apocrypha]]'', a light novel by Yuichiro Higashide (details are still scarce, so its place in canon is as-of-yet unknown) centering around a 14-Servant Grail War. This project was originally pitched as an MMORPG, but never took off.

* ''[[Fate/Apocrypha]]'', a light novel by Yuichiro Higashide (details are still scarce, so its place in canon is as-of-yet unknown) centering around a 14-Servant Grail War. This project was originally pitched as an MMORPG, but never took off.

* A twelve-minute OVA, included in the final volume of ''[[~~Carnival Phantasm (Anime)|~~Carnival Phantasm]]'', called ''Fate/Prototype'', showcasing the ideas and designs that Nasu planned to utilizing for his original incarnation of ''Fate/stay night'' as a paper-and-ink novel rather than a [[Visual Novel]]. As of now, there appears to be no interest in developing it any further.

* A twelve-minute OVA, included in the final volume of ''[[Carnival Phantasm]]'', called ''Fate/Prototype'', showcasing the ideas and designs that Nasu planned to utilizing for his original incarnation of ''Fate/stay night'' as a paper-and-ink novel rather than a [[Visual Novel]]. As of now, there appears to be no interest in developing it any further.

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* Furthermore, there are three more [[Video Game|video games]]:

** ''[[Fate Unlimited Codes]]'' is a standard, semi-canonical [[Fighting Game]] for the arcades, [[PS 2]] and PSP.

** ''[[Fate Unlimited Codes]]'' is a standard, semi-canonical [[Fighting Game]] for the arcades, [[Play Station 2]] and PSP.

** ''Fate/tiger colosseum'' (and its expansion ''Fate/tiger colosseum UPPER'') is a PSP-exclusive 3D [[Fighting Game]] and [[Parody|a lighthearted parody]] of the series (with some [[The Cameo|appearances]] by ''[[~~Tsukihime (Visual Novel)|~~Tsukihime]]'' characters).

** ''Fate/tiger colosseum'' (and its expansion ''Fate/tiger colosseum UPPER'') is a PSP-exclusive 3D [[Fighting Game]] and [[Parody|a lighthearted parody]] of the series (with some [[The Cameo|appearances]] by ''[[Tsukihime]]'' characters).

** ''[[Fate Extra|Fate/EXTRA]]'' is an [[RPG]] for the PSP who takes place [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future|in the near future]] [[Cyberspace|inside a large, virtual environment]] known as the SE.RA.PH.

* There is also a canceled project with a good deal of material published: ''[[Fate Strange Fake (Literature)|Fate Strange Fake]]'', a novella by [[Baccano ~~(Light Novel)~~|Ryohgo Narita]] meant to introduce the setting of a potential role-playing game and deals with a badly-copied version of the Holy Grail War set in California, ten years after ''hollow ataraxia''. The fact that it was originally published on [[April Fools' Day]] 2008 calls in to question whether this project was ever serious, however.

* There is also a canceled project with a good deal of material published: ''[[Fate Strange Fake (Literature)|Fate Strange Fake]]'', a novella by [[Baccano|Ryohgo Narita]] meant to introduce the setting of a potential role-playing game and deals with a badly-copied version of the Holy Grail War set in California, ten years after ''hollow ataraxia''. The fact that it was originally published on [[April Fools' Day]] 2008 calls in to question whether this project was ever serious, however.

Tropes associated with the above-listed works should go on their own pages.

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* [[All Myths Are True]]

** The wide variety of legendary heroes who can be summoned as Servants. Partly explained by Assassin, {{spoiler|who is by his own admission a fictional character}}, as a reverse of the hero making the legend (see [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]]). This still doesn't explain how a mage is able to acquire the legendary artifact needed to summon the specific hero, such as {{spoiler|Gilgamesh's}}: the fossilized remains of the first snake to shed its skin (tied to a legend about his quest for immortality). A direct corollary of Assassin {{spoiler|admitting to being fictional is that all the other heroes were definitely real, since being fictional was a sign of the fact that he was summoned by another Servant, and became downgraded.}}

** It's from a [[What Could Have Been|cancelled project]], so its status as canon is debatable, but ''Fate/Apocrypha'' would've featured [[The Bible ~~(Literature)~~|David]] (Archer) and [[Jeanne D Archetype|Joan of Arc]] ([[Game Master|Ruler]]/Saber), who are stated to draw some power from the Judeo-Christian [[God]]. At the same time, said game would've also featured [[Warrior Monk]] Benkei (Lancer), whose Noble Phantasm channels the power of some other higher power...and no, [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe|not believing in it]] won't save you from its effects, which would presumably imply that this second divine force is indeed real.

** It's from a [[What Could Have Been|cancelled project]], so its status as canon is debatable, but ''Fate/Apocrypha'' would've featured [[The Bible|David]] (Archer) and [[Jeanne D Archetype|Joan of Arc]] ([[Game Master|Ruler]]/Saber), who are stated to draw some power from the Judeo-Christian [[God]]. At the same time, said game would've also featured [[Warrior Monk]] Benkei (Lancer), whose Noble Phantasm channels the power of some other higher power...and no, [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe|not believing in it]] won't save you from its effects, which would presumably imply that this second divine force is indeed real.

* [[All There in the Manual]]

** The [[Anime]] touches on elements from the [[Visual Novel]], such as Archer's identity, Ilya's parentage, and Sakura's relationship with Rin, without actually providing its own explanations. In order to understand certain elements from the [[Visual Novel]], in turn, you may have to reference a published extra called ''Fate/side material''.

** This is doubly true for the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' movie, which will make about no sense as a narrative unless you have already played the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route. [[Rule of Cool|But hey,]] [[Stuff Blowing Up|explosions.]]

* [[Almost Dead Guy]] - Loads. {{context}}

* [[Almost-Dead Guy]] - Loads. {{context}}

** {{spoiler|Arturia, who returns to the point of her death whether or not she obtains the Holy Grail, since King Arthurs story states he did obtain the Holy Grail and this is treated as Arturias requirement to become a heroic spirit in the first place. She has a line like "This form is me, just before dying." in the game (Fate route).}}

* [[Alternate Continuity]] - Possibly with itself. Archer's [[Mysterious Past]] {{spoiler|is known to at least resemble the ''Fate'' scenario also followed by the anime, but how much is unclear}}. Actually, essentially all routes and [[Multiple Endings|endings]] are alternate continuities, with ''Fate/hollow ataraxia'' taking place in ''yet another'' continuity. Also, [[Tsukihime ~~(Visual Novel)~~|Zelretch]] appears from an alternate continuity in one route, just to say hi.

* [[Alternate Continuity]] - Possibly with itself. Archer's [[Mysterious Past]] {{spoiler|is known to at least resemble the ''Fate'' scenario also followed by the anime, but how much is unclear}}. Actually, essentially all routes and [[Multiple Endings|endings]] are alternate continuities, with ''Fate/hollow ataraxia'' taking place in ''yet another'' continuity. Also, [[Tsukihime|Zelretch]] appears from an alternate continuity in one route, just to say hi.

* [[Always Save the Girl]] - Practically defines the ''Heaven's Feel'' route of the game.

** Also shown, to a lesser extent, in the ''Fate'' route. {{spoiler|[[Bittersweet Ending|Except it doesn't last]].}}

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* [[And I Must Scream]]

** Refuse to participate in the Grail War when you're taken to the church for the first time, and see what {{spoiler|Ilyasviel}} [[Fate Worse Than Death|does to you.]]

** Shirou is not the only Fourth Grail War orphan. {{spoiler|The other children were taken in by the church and used by Kotohime [[Powered By a Forsaken Child|for powering his associate Gilgamesh]] in [[Mana]]. Not for making him stay in this world, he has already a body, just in [[Mana]]. They are stuck in a grave, their bodies and souls being slowly dissolved. And yes, they are fully aware. Just listen to their whimperings.}}

** Shirou is not the only Fourth Grail War orphan. {{spoiler|The other children were taken in by the church and used by Kotohime [[Powered by a Forsaken Child|for powering his associate Gilgamesh]] in [[Mana]]. Not for making him stay in this world, he has already a body, just in [[Mana]]. They are stuck in a grave, their bodies and souls being slowly dissolved. And yes, they are fully aware. Just listen to their whimperings.}}

* [[Animation Bump]] - Considering [[Studio DEEN]] has a rather...[[Off-Model|spotty reputation]], the sheer quality and fluidity of the animation in the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' movie is astounding, especially compared to the anime series. Well, except for one scene, anyway.

* [[Anime Catholicism]] - [[The Church]] is an [[Egregious]] example. Other examples of this organisation can be seen in ''[[~~Tsukihime (Visual Novel)|~~Tsukihime]]''.

* [[Anime Catholicism]] - [[The Church]] is an [[Egregious]] example. Other examples of this organisation can be seen in ''[[Tsukihime]]''.

* [[Artifact of Doom]] - {{spoiler|The Holy Grail.}}

* [[Artistic License]] - {{spoiler|King Arthur is a girl ([[Word of God]] indicates the sexes of the two main characters -- Saber and Emiya -- were swapped during the development). Cú Chulainn has blue hair and red eyes. Medusa is a purple-haired mythological hero, and uses Bellerophon, the name of the greek mythological hero who rode the Pegasus, as reins for controlling magical beasts. Herakles is a nine-foot-tall monster, Medea has elf ears and a Noble Phantasm with a tenuous mythological foundation at best, and Hassan-i Sabbah looks like a black-skinned freakish cripple without a face. Gilgamesh suffers from [[Phenotype Stereotype]] and wears a full plate, a form of armour that post-dates his existence by almost four thousand years.}} [[Word of God]] establishes that not everything about the Heroic Spirits' backgrounds is true, and some parts may have even been lost to time.

* [[Attempted Rape]] - {{spoiler|Shinji to both Rin and Sakura in their respective routes. He gets his comeuppance almost immediately in both cases.}}

* [[Attack Attack Attack]] - Used by {{spoiler|Shirou on Gilgamesh and it worked quite well. Since both are owners of virtually unlimited weapons but neither are masters of any of those weapons, it becomes a battle of [[Attack Attack Attack]]. Even though Gilgamesh's weapons are stronger than Shirou's, within the boundaries of "Unlimited Blade Works" Shirou can pull out weapons faster than Gilgamesh, allowing him the decisive blow when a frustrated Gilgamesh decides to take the extra time to try to pull out [[Infinity+1 Sword|Ea]]. It really helps that Gil is extremely arrogant and refuse to fight "mere trash" seriously until it was too late.}}

* [[Attack! Attack! Attack!]] - Used by {{spoiler|Shirou on Gilgamesh and it worked quite well. Since both are owners of virtually unlimited weapons but neither are masters of any of those weapons, it becomes a battle of [[Attack! Attack! Attack!]]. Even though Gilgamesh's weapons are stronger than Shirou's, within the boundaries of "Unlimited Blade Works" Shirou can pull out weapons faster than Gilgamesh, allowing him the decisive blow when a frustrated Gilgamesh decides to take the extra time to try to pull out [[Infinity+1 Sword|Ea]]. It really helps that Gil is extremely arrogant and refuse to fight "mere trash" seriously until it was too late.}}

* [[Badass]] - [[World of Badass|Nearly everyone]], in one route or another. Archer warrants special mention for bringing the world the [[Memetic Mutation|memetic acronym GAR]] to indicate badassness.

* [[Battle Harem]] - Not so much in the original [[Visual Novel]], where the route's romance is only with one girl, but ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' continuity might transform all of Shirou's possible [[Love Interest|Love Interests]] into one. After ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night (Visual Novel)~~|Fate Stay Night]]'' and in ''[[Fate ~~Hollow Ataraxia (Visual Novel)~~|Fate Hollow Ataraxia]]'' proper, Shirou has definitively a [[Battle Harem]], including {{spoiler|a gender-flipped King Arthur, a magus who can use all five elements, a girl whose body possesses a piece of the Holy Grail, Medusa, and a homunculus who ''is'' the Holy Grail}}, and possibly several others.

* [[Battle Harem]] - Not so much in the original [[Visual Novel]], where the route's romance is only with one girl, but ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' continuity might transform all of Shirou's possible [[Love Interest|Love Interests]] into one. After ''[[Fate/stay night|Fate Stay Night]]'' and in ''[[Fate/hollow ataraxia|Fate Hollow Ataraxia]]'' proper, Shirou has definitively a [[Battle Harem]], including {{spoiler|a gender-flipped King Arthur, a magus who can use all five elements, a girl whose body possesses a piece of the Holy Grail, Medusa, and a homunculus who ''is'' the Holy Grail}}, and possibly several others.

* [[Bait and Switch Credits]] - Second [[Anime]] opening, depicting Shirou and Archer facing off a la the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' scenario from the game.

* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]] - [[Discussed]] in ''Fate'' and ''Unlimited Blade Works'', but [[Averted]] {{spoiler|since the Grail gets destroyed in every route}}. In ''Unlimited Blade Works'', there are a few more versions when you discover what Archer wished to do and what Archer currently wishes to do.

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* [[Between My Legs]] - At least one shot in every scene involving Rin in the movie is from this angle.

* [[Big Damn Heroes]]

** In ''Fate'' and the [[Anime]], it's [[Subverted]] by {{spoiler|Gilgamesh}} who, after saving our heroes from their last opponent, [[Make Way for ~~The~~ New Villains|becomes their new one]].

** In ''Fate'' and the [[Anime]], it's [[Subverted]] by {{spoiler|Gilgamesh}} who, after saving our heroes from their last opponent, [[Make Way for the New Villains|becomes their new one]].

** In ''Unlimited Blade Works'':

*** Lancer, {{spoiler|when he saved Rin from Shinji}}.

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*** The [[Multiple Endings|Normal End]] is a [[Downer Ending]].

* [[Blatant Lies]] - ''"All characters appearing in this game are over 18 years of age."'' [[Double Subverted]] -- the fact that a certain character is actually over 18 is a plot point, but this also means that the other main characters are underage, considering the character in question.

* [[Bleached Underpants]] - The [[Anime]], film and the [[PS 2]] version of the game (''Realta Nua'') replace the H-scenes that were in the original game with alternate, non-erotic versions.

* [[Bleached Underpants]] - The [[Anime]], film and the [[Play Station 2]] version of the game (''Realta Nua'') replace the H-scenes that were in the original game with alternate, non-erotic versions.

** It's even kind of jarring in the UBW movie -- they preserve the emotional context surrounding the Rin/Shirou scene while replacing the [[Deus Sex Machina]] with a comparatively tame 'transfer ritual', making Rin's reactions (entirely in-character with respect to the original scene) seem bizarre and pointlessly angry.

* [[Blood From the Mouth]] - Shirou [[Averted Trope|averts this trope]] after {{spoiler|flushing out Ilya's binding spell}}, noting as he does that such an injury is light.

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* [[Body Horror]]:

** {{spoiler|Shinji, an imperfect magus becoming the Holy Grail,}} causes him to become more of a mass of screaming flesh than anything resembling human, for example.

** Whilst Mana Transfer can be ... [[Deus Sex Machina|pleasant]] if you're the hero, {{spoiler|Gilgamesh}} is [[Powered By a Forsaken Child|powered by forsaken children]] undergoing [[Body Horror]] [[And I Must Scream|over about 10]] ''[[And I Must Scream|years]]''.

** Whilst Mana Transfer can be ... [[Deus Sex Machina|pleasant]] if you're the hero, {{spoiler|Gilgamesh}} is [[Powered by a Forsaken Child|powered by forsaken children]] undergoing [[Body Horror]] [[And I Must Scream|over about 10]] ''[[And I Must Scream|years]]''.

** The after-effects of Blood Fort Andromeda on its victims' bodies aren't exactly pleasant. Some of them are disfigured because their skin ''melted''.

** As Shirou progresses through the ''Heaven's Feel'' route, {{spoiler|Archer's arm protects his body by creating blades in the place of bones and muscles. Shiro's body is slowly invaded by Archer's Reality Marble until [[Impaled ~~With~~ Extreme Prejudice|the blades start bursting out of his skin and cutting him to pieces]].}} This is foreshadowed with a bad end in ''Fate'' route, and referenced directly in ''Unlimited Blade Works'' ("{{spoiler|My body is made out of swords!}}")

** As Shirou progresses through the ''Heaven's Feel'' route, {{spoiler|Archer's arm protects his body by creating blades in the place of bones and muscles. Shiro's body is slowly invaded by Archer's Reality Marble until [[Impaled with Extreme Prejudice|the blades start bursting out of his skin and cutting him to pieces]].}} This is foreshadowed with a bad end in ''Fate'' route, and referenced directly in ''Unlimited Blade Works'' ("{{spoiler|My body is made out of swords!}}")

* [[Book Ends]] - When you first start the game, the prologue is told from Rin's [[Point of View]]. In ''Heaven's Feel'''s [[Multiple Endings|True End]], [[Grand Finale|the final epilogue is from her as well]].

* {{spoiler|[[Brainwashed and Crazy]] - Saber as of manga Volume 8.}}

* [[Break the Cutie]]

** {{spoiler|Sakura's [[Backstory]]}} is a [[Up to Eleven]] breakage, [[Nasuverse]] speaking -- it seems to border on [[Author Appeal]] for [[Nasuverse|Nasu]], {{spoiler|as there's usually a heroine in each his stories with a [[Rape As Backstory|horrific back-story]], but Sakura makes even [[Tsukihime ~~(Visual Novel)~~|Kohaku]] look like she had a normal childhood by comparison. This [[Backstory]] counts because the reader can see Sakura when she is a child and then all the horrors that she went through. She is still a sweet person, [[Averted Trope|so she averts]] [[Used to Be A Sweet Kid]], but then we have a second example...}}

** {{spoiler|Sakura's [[Backstory]]}} is a [[Up to Eleven]] breakage, [[Nasuverse]] speaking -- it seems to border on [[Author Appeal]] for [[Nasuverse|Nasu]], {{spoiler|as there's usually a heroine in each his stories with a [[Rape as Backstory|horrific back-story]], but Sakura makes even [[Tsukihime|Kohaku]] look like she had a normal childhood by comparison. This [[Backstory]] counts because the reader can see Sakura when she is a child and then all the horrors that she went through. She is still a sweet person, [[Averted Trope|so she averts]] [[Used to Be a Sweet Kid]], but then we have a second example...}}

** ''Heaven's Feel'' {{spoiler|is the [[Break the Cutie]] route for Sakura, who is manipulated by Zouken into losing all hope and sanity. She is at the contact of the Evil contained in the Holy Grail, and is so broken that she becomes [[Super-Powered Evil Side|Dark Sakura]].}}

* {{spoiler|[[Brother-Sister Incest]]}}: {{spoiler|[[Subverted Trope]]. Shinji raped Sakura repeatedly, but they are [[Not Blood Siblings]].}}

* [[But Thou Must]] - Or often suffer horrific, pointless death. ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' punishes the player who choose to play a [[Out of Character]] Shirou.

* [[But Thou Must!]] - Or often suffer horrific, pointless death. ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' punishes the player who choose to play a [[Out of Character]] Shirou.

** A more literal example near the end of the ''Heavens Feel'' route when Shirou goes to rescue Ilya. When he gets there, [[Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like|she refuses him and tries to make him go back]]. You are given three options on how to proceed. They are all the same.

{{quote| 1. Bring Ilya Back<br />

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* [[By the Power of Greyskull]] - When a Servant uses what's usually their most powerful weapon or distinctive skill -the Noble Phantasm- they shout its name. All Noble Phantasms must be called out to be used. [[Justified Trope|This is explained as being required to unlock their power in the Holy Grail War system]].

* [[The Cameo]]:

** {{spoiler|[[Tsukihime ~~(Visual Novel)~~|Zelretch]]}} appears in the [[Multiple Endings|True End]] of ''Heaven's Feel'' in order to save Rin (one of his "pupils", {{spoiler|who had used the second magic}}) from being tried and perhaps even executed by the [[Magical Society|Assocation]].

** {{spoiler|[[Tsukihime|Zelretch]]}} appears in the [[Multiple Endings|True End]] of ''Heaven's Feel'' in order to save Rin (one of his "pupils", {{spoiler|who had used the second magic}}) from being tried and perhaps even executed by the [[Magical Society|Assocation]].

* [[Character Alignment]] - [[Invoked Trope|Canonical alignments in the status pages]]. These tend to be points of contention among the [[Fandom]], particularily {{spoiler|Gilgamesh's}}. It's worth noting, though, that they're from the perspective of the Grail, which has a rather... [[Blue and Orange Morality|unusual]] way of seeing the world.

* [[Character Blog]] - For April Fools 2010, many [[Nasuverse|Type-Moon]] characters appeared on "[http://tatari.110mb.com/tmfools/10/ Tmitter]". Unfortunately, it's in Japanese, but a quick visit to Google Translate should give you the general idea if you don't know any. [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=5782 Beast's Lair] also seems to have translated at least some of the tweets.

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* [[Chekhov's Boomerang]] - Done ''across routes''

** [[Anti-Magic|Rule Breaker]]: {{spoiler|In ''Heaven's Feel'', Caster is taken out of the game early on. Since she and her Rule Breaker have played a major role in the previous route, most people put her out of their minds. But then, literally at the last day of the route... her Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker, is what saves Sakura.}}

** The Azoth dagger: A [[Eleventh Hour Superpower|near last-minute]] addition in ''Fate'' that {{spoiler|Shirou uses to kill Kotomine}}, shows up again in ''Heaven's Feel'', supposedly as a tool for Shirou to {{spoiler|project Zelretch's Gem Sword}}. However, its real importance was {{spoiler|Shirou using it to kill Saber Alter}}.

** The Azoth dagger: A [[Eleventh-Hour Superpower|near last-minute]] addition in ''Fate'' that {{spoiler|Shirou uses to kill Kotomine}}, shows up again in ''Heaven's Feel'', supposedly as a tool for Shirou to {{spoiler|project Zelretch's Gem Sword}}. However, its real importance was {{spoiler|Shirou using it to kill Saber Alter}}.

** Rin's pendant: She used it to heal Shirou in the prologue. {{spoiler|Archer's version of it, which he carried all his life and after (and returned to Rin in the prologue), turned out to be the catalyst for his summoning.}} In ''Unlimited Blade Works'', {{spoiler|Shirou returns ''his'' version of the pendant to Rin, giving the latter the final proof that Archer is Shirou's future self.}} However, in ''Heaven's Feel'', {{spoiler|Shirou's version of the pendant turned out to have the ''tiniest'' bit of magical energy left in it, which in the [[Multiple Endings|True End]] allowed his soul, newly-revived by Ilya's sacrifice and the Third Sorcery, to hold on until Rider could rescue him. The pendant also probably anchored Shirou's soul to the material world; Rin commented that Rider "plucked Shirou out" of the rubble of the cavern ''two weeks'' after it had collapsed.}}

* [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]]

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* [[Cooldown Hug]] - As she can't quite bring herself to deliver the fatal strike, {{spoiler|Rin gives one of these to Sakura}} at the end of their battle in ''Heaven's Feel'' instead.

* [[The Corruption]] - {{spoiler|The contents of the current Grail, since the Third Grail War.}}

* [[Crossover]] - ''[[Fate ~~Kaleid Liner~~ Prisma Illya]]'' features a crossover between ''Fate'' and ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' where Rin summons Nanoha and Fate as her Archers (and [[Brick Joke|Archer is summoned by Yuuno]]).

* [[Crossover]] - ''[[Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya]]'' features a crossover between ''Fate'' and ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' where Rin summons Nanoha and Fate as her Archers (and [[Brick Joke|Archer is summoned by Yuuno]]).

* [[Cryptic Background Reference]] - The events of the Third Grail War are pretty vague; pretty much all that is known is that the Edelfelts summoned good and evil versions of the same Saber and that the Einzberns summoned Avenger.

* [[Cue the Sun]] - ''Fate'' and ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route endings both use this.

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* [[The Dark Side]] - ''Heaven's Feel'' route goes over this.

* [[Deadly Upgrade]] - {{spoiler|Archer's arm in ''Heaven's Feel''.}}

* [[Deal ~~With~~ the Devil]]

* [[Deal with the Devil]]

** Rather involuntarily, {{spoiler|Sakura becomes outrageously powerful by virtue of drawing on the power of [[The Devil|Angra Mainyu]]}}.

** One of the ways one becomes a Counter Guardian is to make a deal with The World. In exchange for a Miracle, one is taken out of the cycle of [[Reincarnation]] and thus serves the World forever after death. Simply put, Counter Guardians are those who gave up their afterlife for service to The World in exchange for their miracle. Normal Heroic Spirits are folks whose names are remembered throughout time. Both are outside the cycle of [[Reincarnation]] and can get reincarnated as Servants, but the classes are distinctly different.

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** Berserker {{spoiler|by virtue of possessing ''eleven layers'' of automatic revival magic, meaning he needs to get killed twelve times to die.}}

* [[Defusing the Tykebomb]] - {{spoiler|Pretty much the entire point of the Heaven's Feel route (although Sakura isn't really a child any more).}}

* [[Demoted to Extra]] - Rider? Berserker? Assassin? Illya's explicitly mentioned to have been demoted during development, as she was originally going to have her own route as an offshoot of Sakura's. She still plays a prominent role and got a her own [[Fate ~~Kaleid Liner~~ Prisma Illya ~~(Manga)~~|spinoff manga]] though.

* [[Demoted to Extra]] - Rider? Berserker? Assassin? Illya's explicitly mentioned to have been demoted during development, as she was originally going to have her own route as an offshoot of Sakura's. She still plays a prominent role and got a her own [[Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya|spinoff manga]] though.

* [[Deus Sex Machina]] - [[Insistent Terminology|Mana Transfer Ritual]].

* [[The Devil]] - In ''Unlimited Blade Works'', we learn that {{spoiler|Angra Mainyu, the devil in Zoroastrianism, lives inside the Holy Grail and has corrupted it.}} As is explained in ''Heaven's Feel'' and further elaborated upon in ''hollow ataraxia'', {{spoiler|[[Subverted Trope|it turns out that Angra Mainyu isn't the Devil]] -- he's a Servant whose legend was born of a ritual where a single man was ritually sacrificed to personify all the the sins of his fellow humans so he'd absolve them by being killed. In the Third Holy Grail war, when Angra Mainyu, summoned as Avenger, got killed because he was a horribly weak Servant, the Grail identified him as a human rather than a servant and tried to fulfill his wish. Considering that the Holy Grail is an omnipotent device whose entire purpose is to seek and grant wishes and that Angra Mainyu is the personification of the world's wish for a concrete form of all evil... Let's just say it doesn't turn out well.}}

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* [[Downer Ending]]

** [[Bad End|Bad ends]] excepted, ''Heaven's Feel'' [[Multiple Endings|Normal Ending]] {{spoiler|where Shirou is dead and Sakura ages alone, still waiting for him}}.

* [[Dropped a Bridge On Him]] - Given how many characters there are, this was always inevitable.

* [[Dropped a Bridge on Him]] - Given how many characters there are, this was always inevitable.

** ''Unlimited Blade Works'': {{spoiler|Rider dies anticlimactically, off-screen, to Kuzuki and Caster}}.

** ''Heaven's Feel'': {{spoiler|Assassin dies almost instantly as True Assassin is summoned. Lancer and Caster may also count, although Caster's Rule Breaker is still an important element, and Gilgamesh succumbs quickly from [[The Worf Effect]] against Dark Sakura}}.

* [[Dying As Yourself]] - {{spoiler|Played straight with Berserker.}}

* [[Dying as Yourself]] - {{spoiler|Played straight with Berserker.}}

** Apparently [[Averted]] with {{spoiler|Saber Alter, who dies wordlessly in the main story. Depending on how you interpret the [[Bad End]] choice with her: if you choose to not kill Saber Alter, she expresses profound disappointment in Shirou, saying, "I have cursed you for the first time." It could be interpreted that somewhere deep down she really, really wanted him to end it all for her. See also The infamous Sparks Liner High [[Bad Ending]], where Shirou goes to the Grail cave without reinforcement from Rider; Saber Alter gives advice on how to beat her and save Sakura}}!

* [[Dysfunction Junction]] - Well, it IS the [[Nasuverse]]...

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'''Kotomine:''' {{spoiler|But I'm still evil somehow, right?}}|'''END.'''}}

* [[The Electric Slide]] - Saber does this one during her first fight with Berserker.

* [[Elemental Powers]] - Very exceptional ones, they are attributes linked to the "Origin", explained in ''[[~~Kara no~~ Kyoukai ~~(Literature)~~|Kara no Kyoukai]]''; {{spoiler|Shirou has "Sword", Rin has all the basic five ("Average One"), and Sakura has "Imaginary Numbers" and artificially "Binding"}}.

* [[Elemental Powers]] - Very exceptional ones, they are attributes linked to the "Origin", explained in ''[[Karano Kyoukai|Kara no Kyoukai]]''; {{spoiler|Shirou has "Sword", Rin has all the basic five ("Average One"), and Sakura has "Imaginary Numbers" and artificially "Binding"}}.

* [[Eleventh Hour Superpower]]

* [[Eleventh-Hour Superpower]]

** ''Fate'' and [[Anime]]: {{spoiler|Caliburn, Avalon}}

** ''Unlimited Blade Works'': {{spoiler|Rho Aias and Unlimited Blade Works}}

** ''Heaven's Feel'': {{spoiler|Jewel Sword Zelretch and Excalibur}}.

* [[The End of the World As We Know It]] - Quite likely the result if the current [[Big Bad]] wins in all three routes.

* [[The End of the World as We Know It]] - Quite likely the result if the current [[Big Bad]] wins in all three routes.

* [[Enemy Mine]] - Halfway through ''Heaven's Feel'', {{spoiler|Kotomine and Shirou have both lost their respective servants (Gilgamesh, Lancer and Saber) and must do a [[Badass Normal]] team-up to rescue Ilya from Zouken and Dark Sakura. Refusing Kotomine's help will result in Shirou attempting to go it alone and, upon successfully infiltrating the Einzbern's castle, gets swifty dispatched by Master-killer True Assassin in a [[Bad End]].}}

* [[Equivalent Exchange]] - You pay for your magecraft, no matter what. True Magic, on the other hand...

* [[Eroge]] - Even if the [[Hentai]] is hidden amidst hours of non-sexual gameplay, ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' is an full-fledged [[Eroge]] with one to three/four H-scenes for each routes.

* [[Eroge]] - Even if the [[Hentai]] is hidden amidst hours of non-sexual gameplay, ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' is an full-fledged [[Eroge]] with one to three/four H-scenes for each routes.

* [[Erotic Dream]] - One in the ''Heaven's Feel'' route. {{spoiler|Thank you Rider.}}

* [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"]] - [[Justified]]. The Servants are usually only addressed by their Class. Knowing a Servant's real name may give a clue to their weaknesses, so their names are kept secret where possible. Also, out of formality, most Servants refer to their masters simply as "Master," but Archer and Saber go against common practice and refer to their Masters by first name.

* [[Expy]] - We found some ressemblances between ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' characters and olders Nasu's works. For more precision, see the [[Fate ~~Stay Night (Visual Novel)~~/Characters|Characters Pages]].

* [[Expy]] - We found some ressemblances between ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' characters and olders Nasu's works. For more precision, see the [[Fate/stay night/Characters|Characters Pages]].

* [[Fan Service]] - The movie is just less than two hours of pure [[Fan Service]] to those already familiar with ''Unlimited Blade Works''. If you haven't played the route, the movie will make absolutely no sense, have flat characters and feel rushed. [[Rule of Cool|If you have, you get to see everyone being awesome at the expense of skipping some scenes used to build the route's actual conflict]]. There's very little in the way of the other kind of service in any medium despite ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' starting its life as an [[Eroge]], except for the occasional [[Male Gaze]].

* [[Fan Service]] - The movie is just less than two hours of pure [[Fan Service]] to those already familiar with ''Unlimited Blade Works''. If you haven't played the route, the movie will make absolutely no sense, have flat characters and feel rushed. [[Rule of Cool|If you have, you get to see everyone being awesome at the expense of skipping some scenes used to build the route's actual conflict]]. There's very little in the way of the other kind of service in any medium despite ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' starting its life as an [[Eroge]], except for the occasional [[Male Gaze]].

* [[Fan Translation]] - [http://mirrormoon.org/ Mirror Moon] provides a patch to the original game (you have to get the actual game yourself) to fully translate it.

* [[Field of Blades]] - {{spoiler|''[[Title Drop|Unlimited Blade Works]]''}}.

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* [[Four-Temperament Ensemble]] - The leading ladies of the different routes exhibit this: you have Saber as melancholy, Rin as choleric, Sakura as phlegmatic, and Ilya/Taiga (in the [[Have a Nice Death|Tiger Dojos]] and, presumably, the cut route) as sanguine.

* [[Freudian Excuse]]

** Ilyasviel's [[Freudian Excuse]] is the reason why she is after Shirou. We have hints and some explanations during the [[Visual Novel]], but supplemental materials and ''[[Fate ~~Zero (Literature)|Fate~~ Zero]]'' will help for the comprehension.

** Ilyasviel's [[Freudian Excuse]] is the reason why she is after Shirou. We have hints and some explanations during the [[Visual Novel]], but supplemental materials and ''[[Fate/Zero]]'' will help for the comprehension.

** Sakura's [[Freudian Excuse]] is the bread an butter of the ''Heaven's Feel'' route.

* [[Game Breaker]] - [[In Universe]], Saber Class Servants are always one of the finalists in the Holy Grail Wars. In the fifth one, some Servants are designed as such:

* [[Game Breaker]] - [[In-Universe]], Saber Class Servants are always one of the finalists in the Holy Grail Wars. In the fifth one, some Servants are designed as such:

** {{spoiler|Saber herself, with her [[Anti-Magic]], Excalibur and Avalon, although having Shirou as her master renders her more balanced.}}

** Berserker {{spoiler|with his twelve lives and immunity to attacks below B-rank.}}

** {{spoiler|Gilgamesh, who is canonically about five times as strong as your average Servant.}}

* [[Gameplay and Story Integration]] - [[Visual Novel|While being pretty low on actual "gameplay"]], the status menu listing all the attributes and information gathered on Servants thus far is [[Justified]] as being an ability granted to all Masters in the Grail War. Every master sees it in whatever way would be most comprehensible to them. [[Leaning On the Fourth Wall|Shirou apparently finds RPG-like status screens most familiar despite no indication of being a gamer.]] Arguably, Shirou might have a completely other image in his mind and [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|-we- see it as an RPG-status screen]].

* [[Gameplay and Story Integration]] - [[Visual Novel|While being pretty low on actual "gameplay"]], the status menu listing all the attributes and information gathered on Servants thus far is [[Justified]] as being an ability granted to all Masters in the Grail War. Every master sees it in whatever way would be most comprehensible to them. [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall|Shirou apparently finds RPG-like status screens most familiar despite no indication of being a gamer.]] Arguably, Shirou might have a completely other image in his mind and [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|-we- see it as an RPG-status screen]].

** This is probably because Shirou is a very pragmatic person. To him, status-like numbers would be really comprehensible and easy to evaluate.

* [[Gas Leak Coverup]] - A number of non-fatal incidents around the town {{spoiler|(caused by Caster's efforts gathering mana)}} are attributed to gas leaks.

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* [[Gratuitous German]] - A lot of Rin's spells are in really strange German, for example ''"Neun, Acht, Sieben, Stil Schießen, Beschießen, Erschießen!"''<ref>[[Blind Idiot Translation|"Nine, Eight, Seven, Style Shooting, Shelling, Shooting!"]].</ref>

* [[Guide Dang It]]:

** ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' genuinely rewards you for seeing the [[Bad End|BadEnds]]. Though most of them are fairly easy to figure out, one of them requires some hoop jumping to get Saber's Relationship Points low enough.

** ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' genuinely rewards you for seeing the [[Bad End|BadEnds]]. Though most of them are fairly easy to figure out, one of them requires some hoop jumping to get Saber's Relationship Points low enough.

** Getting [[Multiple Endings|the good ending]] in ''Unlimited Blade Works'' requires Saber to have 4 or more relationship points and Rin to have less than 8, making it the only Type-Moon ending that needs more than "reload and change the last choice" for the alternate ending.

** One genuine example of [[Guide Dang It]] is in ''Heaven's Feel'': at one point the player is asked by Rin whether to remove {{spoiler|the Shroud of Martin covering Archer's arm for Shirou to use Projection Magic}}. Beforehand you are told/shown that removing it would practically cook Shirou's brain. Answering "no" leads to Rin congratulating you on your wise choice to not remove it so easily. Answering "yes" has Rin say that you shouldn't be so keen to sacrifice yourself. They decide not to remove it either way, no matter what you choose. Later in the route the player is given a choice of {{spoiler|"Kill Sakura" and "I can't do that"}}, ''unless'' you answered "no" to Rin's question. Then the choice point is skipped altogether and Shirou automatically tries to {{spoiler|stab Sakura, but is killed by Rider.}} Hmmm...

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* [[Hannibal Lecture]] - In ''Unlimited Blade Works'' {{spoiler|Archer}} tried to break Shirou's idealism and turn him into a nihilist like him in their final battle... [[Shut UP, Hannibal|with the emphasis on "tried."]]

* [[Have a Nice Death]] - The Tiger Dojo serves this purpose plenty of times. Taiga and Ilyasviel are our hosts and will sometimes mock gently the player or make absolutely no sense. But they will always thow in a hint about why the player reached this [[Bad End]].

* [[Hentai]] - Some people are ''very'' surprised when they find out that the original ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' ''was an [[Eroge|H-game]].'' These people, of course, are completely ignorant about what eroge H-games really are.

* [[Hentai]] - Some people are ''very'' surprised when they find out that the original ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' ''was an [[Eroge|H-game]].'' These people, of course, are completely ignorant about what eroge H-games really are.

* [[Hermetic Magic]]

* [[The Hero Dies]] - Some [[Bad End|Bad Ends]] {{spoiler|and the [[Multiple Endings|Normal End]] of ''Heaven's Feel''}}.

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* [[Hot Mom]] - Based on the mythologies: Caster, who is Medea. Technically, {{spoiler|Saber counts, despite being a virgin}}. Also, {{spoiler|Sakura may count if you count "Angra Mainyu" as her "child".}}

* [[Human Resources]]

** Servants can recover magical energy by draining the prana of humans. Depending on how much they drain, the process is either highly draining or outright fatal to the human in question. Both {{spoiler|Rider and Caster, who lack Masters capable of granting them magical energy, do this. Gilgamesh has rank A independent action and a physical body and doesn't need to do it to stay alive, but has spent the last 10 years [[Powered By a Forsaken Child|draining the orphans in Kotomine's basement]] in order to stockpile magical energy for repeated Gates of Babylon-usage.}}

** Servants can recover magical energy by draining the prana of humans. Depending on how much they drain, the process is either highly draining or outright fatal to the human in question. Both {{spoiler|Rider and Caster, who lack Masters capable of granting them magical energy, do this. Gilgamesh has rank A independent action and a physical body and doesn't need to do it to stay alive, but has spent the last 10 years [[Powered by a Forsaken Child|draining the orphans in Kotomine's basement]] in order to stockpile magical energy for repeated Gates of Babylon-usage.}}

** {{spoiler|The Holy Grail's power comes from absorbing the souls of the heroic spirits who died in the war.}}

* [[Humiliation Conga]] - Happens to Shinji a good few times in various routes.

* [[Hyperspace Arsenal]] - Servants can have their Noble Phantasm coming out of thin air. [[Justified]] by the Holy Grail War system. {{spoiler|A more litteral example would be Gilgamesh's Gates of Babylon.}}

* [[I Am Not Left Handed]] - Thanks to Archer's relatively unknown abilities, many of his fights are won because he is able to pull out another [[Badass]] trick that he'd been holding back until just the right moment.

* [[I Am Not Left-Handed]] - Thanks to Archer's relatively unknown abilities, many of his fights are won because he is able to pull out another [[Badass]] trick that he'd been holding back until just the right moment.

* [[Image Song]] - Released during the run of the [[Anime]] adaptation, sung by the voice actors; only some characters (Saber, Rin, Sakura, Ilya, Rider, Caster, Archer, Shirou, and Taiga) got them, though. The original [[Visual Novel]] had an album called ''Wish'' that had three voiced songs for the heroines and instrumental songs for all the other important female characters.

* [[Immortality]] - Lets list characters and types of immortality they possess.

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*** Al-Hassan ibn-al-Sabbah: Type VIII (Immortality Through Legacy - All the leaders of the Assassins take on this name and identity, giving the impression of a single, immortal Al-Hassan ibn-al-Sabbah.)

* [[Implausible Fencing Powers]] - In the movie, Shirou gains the ability to deflect many incoming projectiles by [[Dual-Wielding]] swords for no apparent reason other than [[Rule of Cool]]. It's partly [[Justified]] by his newly-gained power: {{spoiler|[[Never the Selves Shall Meet|Shirou has siphoned some of Archer's knowledge and skills during their duel]]. Even if his fencing powers aren't part of what he got, Shirou draws on the skills/knowledge of utilisation of the weapon's users during a Projection}}. It still doesn't explain how his untrained body and untrained mind allow him to do that.

* [[Inconsistent Dub|Inconsistent Subs]] - Mainly because there have been several different sources of translations, either the official [[Anime]] translation, the Mirror Moon's [[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]] translation, or others. This isn't normally problematic, but the terminology tends to look very different between versions. The latest official translation via ''Fate/unlimited codes'' will hopefully standardize things a bit, although it made some strange choices (like referring to what's almost universally called "Projection" as "Gradation Air", for instance.)

* [[Inconsistent Dub|Inconsistent Subs]] - Mainly because there have been several different sources of translations, either the official [[Anime]] translation, the Mirror Moon's [[Fate/stay night]] translation, or others. This isn't normally problematic, but the terminology tends to look very different between versions. The latest official translation via ''Fate/unlimited codes'' will hopefully standardize things a bit, although it made some strange choices (like referring to what's almost universally called "Projection" as "Gradation Air", for instance.)

* [[Instant Runes]] - [[Played Straight]] in the [[Anime]], mostly [[Averted]] in the [[Visual Novel]].

** Rin does actually draw the whole summoning circle for Archer, but it's skipped in the [[Anime]] because of the [[Rule of Cool]].

** Saber's summoning circle, on the other hand, is ''not'' instant in the [[Anime]], but it ''does'' draw itself over scratches in the floor {{spoiler|[[Fate Zero ~~(Literature)~~|where it had been drawn previously]]}}.

** Saber's summoning circle, on the other hand, is ''not'' instant in the [[Anime]], but it ''does'' draw itself over scratches in the floor {{spoiler|[[Fate/Zero|where it had been drawn previously]]}}.

** It's [[Played Straight]] in the [[Visual Novel]] when Rider uses [[Blood Magic|instant blood runes]] {{spoiler|for summoning Pegasus}}.

* [[It Got Worse]]

** ''Heaven's Feel'', over and over again. All the more effective due to it being accomplished without a single [[Diabolus Ex Machina]].

** Volume 8 of the manga adaptation. Remember that scene from ''Unlimited Blade Works'' where Caster {{spoiler|stole Saber's Command Seals and tried to enslave her? Well, manga Caster ''succeeded'' and Saber is now her living weapon. Joined shortly afterward by Archer, only unlike in the game he ''wasn't'' planning it. Ouch.}}

* [[It's a Wonderful Failure]] - Extensive [[Bad End|bad ends]] exists solely for mocking Shirou's stupidity, and many [[Have a Nice Death|Tiger Dojos]] love to rub the player's choice is his face. Note that there is lots of horror in these [[Bad End|bad ends]] - and the occasional ending that actually ''isn't'' horrific is almost startling and a welcome respite... Still, even if you ''did'' find the good choice and reach the end without dying, you ''have'' to eventually see all those [[Bad Ending|bad endings]] [[Hundred Percent Completion|in order to unlock everything]].

* [[It's a Wonderful Failure]] - Extensive [[Bad End|bad ends]] exists solely for mocking Shirou's stupidity, and many [[Have a Nice Death|Tiger Dojos]] love to rub the player's choice is his face. Note that there is lots of horror in these [[Bad End|bad ends]] - and the occasional ending that actually ''isn't'' horrific is almost startling and a welcome respite... Still, even if you ''did'' find the good choice and reach the end without dying, you ''have'' to eventually see all those [[Bad Ending|bad endings]] [[Hundred-Percent Completion|in order to unlock everything]].

* [[Jackass Genie]] - {{spoiler|The Holy Grail, due to Angra Maiyuu's influence, will twist any wish made to it in a way that will kill or hurt as many humans as possible.}}

** In the movie ''Unlimited Blade Works'', {{spoiler|Gilgamesh}} qualifies. You want the Holy Grail? I'll make you ''into'' the Holy Grail. {{spoiler|Poor Shinji}}

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== M-R ==

* [[Made of Iron]] - Most characters that haven't a [[Healing Factor]], but special mention goes to Taiga. Despite being completely mundane in a town of [[Overshadowed By Awesome|overpowered freaks]], she knocks herself out on her desk and gets up moments later with nothing to show for it, {{spoiler|and later ''all but shrugs off'' an exposure to Bloodfort Andromeda that hospitalizes every other non-major character present.}}

* [[Made of Iron]] - Most characters that haven't a [[Healing Factor]], but special mention goes to Taiga. Despite being completely mundane in a town of [[Overshadowed by Awesome|overpowered freaks]], she knocks herself out on her desk and gets up moments later with nothing to show for it, {{spoiler|and later ''all but shrugs off'' an exposure to Bloodfort Andromeda that hospitalizes every other non-major character present.}}

* [[Magi Babble]] - The [[Nasuverse]] is known for his [[Functional Magic]].

* [[Magic A Is Magic A]] - The problem is that most of the characters (and the readers) don't know half the rules.

* [[Magic a Is Magic A]] - The problem is that most of the characters (and the readers) don't know half the rules.

* [[Magic Contract Romance]] - The romance of Saber and Shirou in ''Fate''.

* [[Magic Missile]] - The Gandr spell actually sounds like a gun, and even leaves bullet holes behind.

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* [[Memento MacGuffin]]

** Rin's pendant, {{spoiler|which she used to save Shirou, and was also the summoning catalyst for Archer}}.

** Heaven's Feel: Sakura's ribbon, {{spoiler|which was the first ribbon Rin ever made, and one of the few signs of their ''true'' feelings for each other, as opposed to the apparent indifference or even outright hatred that is shown through most of ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]''}}.

** Heaven's Feel: Sakura's ribbon, {{spoiler|which was the first ribbon Rin ever made, and one of the few signs of their ''true'' feelings for each other, as opposed to the apparent indifference or even outright hatred that is shown through most of ''[[Fate/stay night]]''}}.

** ''Fate'' [[Anime]]: {{spoiler|Saber's lion plushie that Shirou bought for her on their date, which is the anime's final shot}}.

* [[Mental World]] - {{spoiler|The Reality Marble [[Field of Blades|Unlimited Blade Works]]}}

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* [[Mundane Utility]]

** Rin's first order of business to his Servant Archer, a heroic spirit of mighty power ? "Clean up this mess." Then the next morning, the first thing Archer does is make tea. ''Damn'' good tea according to Rin.

** Initially, [[Mundane Utility]] is the ''only'' utility Shirou's [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart Anyway|magic powers have]]. It really puts his [[Took a Level In Badass|levels in badass]] in perspective when you consider that at the beginning of the story, Shirou was using his magic to...repair household appliances.

** Initially, [[Mundane Utility]] is the ''only'' utility Shirou's [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?|magic powers have]]. It really puts his [[Took a Level In Badass|levels in badass]] in perspective when you consider that at the beginning of the story, Shirou was using his magic to...repair household appliances.

* [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya]]

** ''Unlimited Blade Works'': "It's not a mistake!" ({{spoiler|Shirou's defense of his ideals, to Archer}})

** ''Heaven's Feel'': "So she can eventually smile in front of other people...you're getting in the way of that. Get lost. Sakura can't smile if you exist...!" ({{spoiler|Shirou's thoughts about Angra Mainyu, while fighting Kotomine}})

*** [[Nasuverse]] is more fair with this [[Trope]]. [[Subverted|In both cases, Shirou was still going to lose the fight]]. It was just that in the first case {{spoiler|Shirou's determination convinces Archer to forfeit a fight he was clearly winning}} and in the second case {{spoiler|Kotomine just collapses right before he manages to deal the finishing blow thanks to his limited lifespan}}.

* [[Mythology Gag]] - Two examples from ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' in ''[[Fate Extra|Fate/EXTRA]]''.

* [[Mythology Gag]] - Two examples from ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' in ''[[Fate Extra|Fate/EXTRA]]''.

** In ''Unlimited Blade Works'', Lancer snarks that, too bad, {{spoiler|he would have wanted Rin as his Master}}. Six real-life years later in ''[[Fate Extra|Fate/EXTRA]]'', {{spoiler|he gets his wish}}.

** The Servant {{spoiler|of class [[What Could Have Been|Saver]]}}.

* [[No One Could Survive That]] - In ''Heaven's Feel'', {{spoiler|Gilgamesh says that to Dark Sakura upon skewering her to apparent death}}.

* [[No Ontological Inertia]] - Well, there is ''some'', but Servants cease to exist if they stop getting mana from, or lose their contract with, their Masters, generally disappearing after a few hours. Minor exceptions are servants with Independent Action (mostly a class skill of the Archer class, though Rider has it as a non-class one), who can survive longer; Archer, with Rank B, can last for three days without a contract, while Rider, with Rank C, can last for one.

** There's also one ''major'' exception, with Rank A+ Independent Action, who can stick around indefinitely without a Master: {{spoiler|Gilgamesh, due to being splashed with the Grail contents during ''[[Fate ~~Zero (Literature)|Fate~~ Zero]]'' and also gaining a true corporeal body}}. Then again, even for him, mana for Noble Phantasm usage is a separate question altogether.

** There's also one ''major'' exception, with Rank A+ Independent Action, who can stick around indefinitely without a Master: {{spoiler|Gilgamesh, due to being splashed with the Grail contents during ''[[Fate/Zero]]'' and also gaining a true corporeal body}}. Then again, even for him, mana for Noble Phantasm usage is a separate question altogether.

* [[Nonstandard Game Over]] - During theses [[Bad End|bad ends]], the [[Have a Nice Death|Tiger Dojo]] says they can't technically be called "dead ends" and/or "bad ends".

** ''Fate'' and ''Unlimited Blade Works'' shares a [[Nonstandard Game Over]] if you refuse to cooperate with Rin in ''Fate'' or if you make the wrong choice for escape route in ''Unlimited Blade Works''. Upon reading the same scene, you automatically make the wrong choice in ''Fate''. Shirou 'loses' the Grail War, but survives everything just fine and goes back to his mundane life ([[Laser-Guided Amnesia|minus a few memories]]).

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*** {{spoiler|Zouken does this a few times too, thanks to him being [[Body Horror|made of the special "worms" he created]], and then the core of said body being somewhere ''inside Sakura's heart''.}}

* [[Not So Different]] - Shirou spends all of ''Fate'' and ''Unlimited Blade Works'' hating {{spoiler|Kotomine's}} guts, though he is never able to figure out why. Then during their final confrontation in ''Heaven's Feel'' Shirou finally realizes it: {{spoiler|he was trying to ignore the fact that the two of them are actually incredibly similar: both felt guilty over the past, and sought to follow paths of atonement knowing they could never actually be satisfied}}.

* [[Off-Model]] - The [[Anime]] was rather infamous for this (even present in the first episode, which is usually better animated). The film shows almost none of this, although Shinji's "rape face" [[Evil Laugh]] looks less like him and more like a character from ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni]]'' about to do something horrible, which makes sense.

* [[Off-Model]] - The [[Anime]] was rather infamous for this (even present in the first episode, which is usually better animated). The film shows almost none of this, although Shinji's "rape face" [[Evil Laugh]] looks less like him and more like a character from ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' about to do something horrible, which makes sense.

* [[Offscreen Moment of Awesome]]

** In the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route, it is mentioned off-handedly in an intermission that [[Badass Normal|Servant Assassin]] fought off Lancer, Saber, Archer, Rider, and ''Berserker'' when they approached Caster's temple.

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*** In ''Unlimited Blade Works'', when he realizes that he {{spoiler|locked himself into an unwinnable fight by falling in Shirou's pace}}.

*** In ''Heaven's Feel'', when he notices that {{spoiler|Sakura is [[Not Quite Dead]] and is currently eating him alive}}.

** ''Unlimited Blade Works'': Just after revealing his true motivation, {{spoiler|Archer has one. With Saber seconds away from fading, Rin restrained, and just about to deal a finishing blow to Shirou, he hears Rin and Saber forming a contract, not only saving Saber from fading but allowing her to draw on so much more mana than before she [[Power Glows|actually glows with energy]].}} A [[Curb Stomp Battle]] ensues until {{spoiler|Archer threatens to pull a [[Taking You ~~With~~ Me]] and kill everybody in the room but Saber, who's effectively invincible against him at that point}}.

** ''Unlimited Blade Works'': Just after revealing his true motivation, {{spoiler|Archer has one. With Saber seconds away from fading, Rin restrained, and just about to deal a finishing blow to Shirou, he hears Rin and Saber forming a contract, not only saving Saber from fading but allowing her to draw on so much more mana than before she [[Power Glows|actually glows with energy]].}} A [[Curb Stomp Battle]] ensues until {{spoiler|Archer threatens to pull a [[Taking You with Me]] and kill everybody in the room but Saber, who's effectively invincible against him at that point}}.

*** Note, however, that {{spoiler|[[Batman Gambit|he intended for Rin to make a contract with Saber]]}}, just not ''yet''.

** ''Heaven's Feel'': Rider's great moment when fighting {{spoiler|True Assassin, who, upon discovering Rider's chain-spike embedded in his shoulder, only had one thing to say ("W-Whaaaaaat?!")}}. Cue epic wall-slamming...

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* [[Omnicidal Maniac]] - {{spoiler|Angra Mainyu as spawned by the Holy Grail}}

* [[One-Handed Zweihander]]: [[Played Straight|Played straight by Berserker]], whose 'sword' is more like a massive chunk of metal with a hilt. [[Averted]] by Saber and Assassin, who use their two hands.

* [[One Hundred Percent Completion]] - In ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'', you have to complete all three routes for the new splash screen. You can also accomplish every [[Have a Nice Death|Tiger Dojo]] for other bonuses.

* [[One Hundred Percent Completion]] - In ''[[Fate/stay night]]'', you have to complete all three routes for the new splash screen. You can also accomplish every [[Have a Nice Death|Tiger Dojo]] for other bonuses.

* [[Our Vampires Are Different]] - Different even from [[Nasuverse]] vampires, in fact! They are not [[Tsukihime ~~(Visual Novel)~~|Death Apostles]], but have enough similarities to warrant this [[Trope]].

* [[Our Vampires Are Different]] - Different even from [[Nasuverse]] vampires, in fact! They are not [[Tsukihime|Death Apostles]], but have enough similarities to warrant this [[Trope]].

** Rider has the [[Kiss of the Vampire]] and drinks blood to get stronger.

** In ''Heaven's Feel'':

*** {{spoiler|Zouken has been likened to a vampire because he consumes the lives of others to prolong his own lifespan even though his body is so decayed he cannot withstand the sunlight.}}

*** {{spoiler|Dark Sakura is practically an avatar of death and evil who needs to consume large amounts of lives and souls continuously just to stay alive and is also [[The Corruption]].}}

*** {{spoiler|Kotomine makes vague allusions and implications that Rin might be descended from vampires, which could help explain her family's connection to [[Tsukihime ~~(Visual Novel)~~|Zelretch]]}}.

*** {{spoiler|Kotomine makes vague allusions and implications that Rin might be descended from vampires, which could help explain her family's connection to [[Tsukihime|Zelretch]]}}.

* [[Outside the Box Tactic]]: Saber is representative of {{spoiler|King Arthur Pendragon}}. She is vulnerable to items and spells that harm {{spoiler|dragons}} as a result.

* [[Paint It Black]] - Anyone who made a [[Face Heel Turn]] through [[The Corruption]], {{spoiler|although Berserker is more red than black from apparently having lost his skin.}}

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** {{spoiler|Archer does this large-scale in the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route}}.

** Rin does two small-scale versions: in the ''Fate'' route she {{spoiler|deliberately attacks Berserker, fails, gets caught, and just when Berserker is about to crush her to death she reveals that that was just the setup to her true attack}}, and in the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route she {{spoiler|challenges Caster to a duel between magi, gets her ass handed to her, then suddenly bumrushes Caster and beats the crap out of her using martial arts}}.

* [[~~Pod Cast~~]] - ''Fate/stay tune'' was an internet radio show that was broadcast while the [[Anime]] was on the air, hosted by [[Ayako Kawasumi]] (Saber) and [[Kana Ueda]] (Rin). A sequel show, ''[[Gratuitous English|Fate/stay tune: Unlimited Radio Works]]'' was broadcast for the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' movie, hosted by [[Junichi Suwabe]] (Archer) and the aforementioned hosts.

* [[Podcast]] - ''Fate/stay tune'' was an internet radio show that was broadcast while the [[Anime]] was on the air, hosted by [[Ayako Kawasumi]] (Saber) and [[Kana Ueda]] (Rin). A sequel show, ''[[Gratuitous English|Fate/stay tune: Unlimited Radio Works]]'' was broadcast for the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' movie, hosted by [[Junichi Suwabe]] (Archer) and the aforementioned hosts.

* [[Possession Implies Mastery]] - One of the big themes. Mainly [[Averted]].

** The "Riding" skill plays it straight -- as long as the skill is highly ranked enough, a holder can simply grab the controls of any vehicle or mount and instantly know how to operate it as if they had been for years.

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* [[The Power of Love]]: Shirou's main motivation in Heaven's Feel. His love for {{spoiler|Sakura}} keeps him going, even when he becomes {{spoiler|so brain-damaged that he forgets her very ''name.''}}

* [[Pragmatic Adaptation]] - In various degrees among various adaptations.

** [[Anime]] adaption: You really can't do ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' justice by just following the ''Fate'' route, but the episode/continuity limits don't really let you do two and tell a coherent story. So they took ''Fate'' and add a little ''Unlimited Blade Works'' to it and came up with something, even if it doesn't match the original in quality. They also threw in the odd reference to ''Heaven's Feel'' as well- namely {{spoiler|the revelation that Rin and Sakura are sisters}}.

** [[Anime]] adaption: You really can't do ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' justice by just following the ''Fate'' route, but the episode/continuity limits don't really let you do two and tell a coherent story. So they took ''Fate'' and add a little ''Unlimited Blade Works'' to it and came up with something, even if it doesn't match the original in quality. They also threw in the odd reference to ''Heaven's Feel'' as well- namely {{spoiler|the revelation that Rin and Sakura are sisters}}.

** ''Unlimited Blade Works'' film: Especially noticeable, where some of the romantic undertone between Shirou and Rin is lost, as well as merging separate visits to locations in the original into a single very eventful one and things happening for different (but more easily explainable) reasons.

* [[Precision F-Strike]] - ''Heaven's Feel'': {{spoiler|Shirou's response to the idea of letting Angra Manryu be born and wrecking Sakura's life even more (in addition to pretty much destroying all of humanity)?}} "Fuck that."

* [[Precision Guided Boomerang]] - Kanshou and Bakuya, Archer's twin swords. As long as Archer holds one, the other will always return to his hands. This is their special abilities as Noble Phantasms, along with the anti-demonic charms which improve magic resistance.

* [[Precision-Guided Boomerang]] - Kanshou and Bakuya, Archer's twin swords. As long as Archer holds one, the other will always return to his hands. This is their special abilities as Noble Phantasms, along with the anti-demonic charms which improve magic resistance.

* [[Public Domain Character]] - Every Servant {{spoiler|except one, Archer, the Counter Guardian EMIYA,}} is a Hero from myths and legends.

** [[Public Domain Artifact]] - And of course their Noble Phantasms are in the same situation, with the exception of a few that were made out of whole cloth.

* [[Punny Name]] - The main theme song of ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]]'' is "This Illusion", and when it was remixed for the [[Anime]], it's name was changed to "Disillusion". If said out loud, they sound almost the same, while meaning the exact opposite of each other.

* [[Punny Name]] - The main theme song of ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' is "This Illusion", and when it was remixed for the [[Anime]], it's name was changed to "Disillusion". If said out loud, they sound almost the same, while meaning the exact opposite of each other.

* [[Random Power Ranking]]

* [[Rank Inflation]] - We've got A...and A+...and A++...and then A+++...also EX... [[All There in the Manual|It's explained]] that the E through A ranks are where a skill or stat rates as a quantifiable amount, with EX representing an unquantifiable rating, and plus marks indicating situational increases in rank. Rarely, minus marks marks on a rank are seen, and though those haven't been explicitly explained, it stands to reason that they're the opposite of plus marks.

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* [[School Uniforms Are the New Black]] - Rin skipped school to show Archer around the city. Despite being the heir to a rather wealthy family, she still choose to wear her school uniform for this outing.

* [[Science Destroys Magic]]: Technology moves towards the future, magecraft moves towards the past. Present magic can rarely match up against the heroes of legend.

* [[Sealed Evil in A Can]]: {{spoiler|Angra Mainyu}}

* [[Sealed Evil in a Can]]: {{spoiler|Angra Mainyu}}

* [[Second Year Protagonist]]: Sakura is younger and can go to the same school while there's another year ahead of Tohsaka and Shirou in ''Unlimited Blade Works'' [[Multiple Endings|endings]].

* [[Serial Escalation]] - Think that the battle scenes are epic? Use the patch described [[Fate ~~Stay Night (Visual Novel)~~/Awesome|here]] to implement the ''Realta Nua'' CGs/SFX - it multiplies the epic GAR. Many times over. The ''Unlimited Blade Works'' Movie takes this even further thanks to a huge [[Animation Bump]].

* [[Serial Escalation]] - Think that the battle scenes are epic? Use the patch described [[Fate/stay night/Awesome|here]] to implement the ''Realta Nua'' CGs/SFX - it multiplies the epic GAR. Many times over. The ''Unlimited Blade Works'' Movie takes this even further thanks to a huge [[Animation Bump]].

* [[The Seven Mysteries]] - The Holy Grail War only works with 7 Servants and 7 Masters. Partly [[Justified]] by {{spoiler|the Grail needing six Servants for powering him, the seven one being a justification for participating in the Heaven's Feel}}.

* [[Gods Need Prayer Badly|Servants Need Popularity Badly]] - The more popular you are during the time period you're summoned, the more powerful you are. The inverse is also true. {{spoiler|Saber, for example, as everybody knows [[King Arthur]]}}. If a heroic spirit was powerful enough during his lifetime, then he can get around this problem. For example, {{spoiler|[[The Epic of Gilgamesh|Gilgamesh]]}}. Berserker, being Hercules, is both.

** Rin admitted that the power boost coming from popularity is not really that great.

* [[Shout Out]]

* [[Shout-Out]]

** If you listen closely to the background music whenever Shirou's TV is telling the local news, you can hear some music from ''Tsukihime'', another [[Nasuverse|Type-Moon]] [[Visual Novel]].

** During one of the [[Have a Nice Death|Tiger Dojo]] chibis, there's a [[Touhou]] reference when Sakura and Rin briefly have a cute fight with each other, complete with rainbow-colored bullets everywhere and a side-shot of both of them vertically.

** The scene where we see {{spoiler|[[Cruel and Unusual Death|the worms at work]]}} is a fairly obvious [[Shout Out]] to [[Stephen King]]'s novel ''[[IT]]'', where [[Complete Monster|Patrick Hocksetter]] dies in roughly the same way.

** The scene where we see {{spoiler|[[Cruel and Unusual Death|the worms at work]]}} is a fairly obvious [[Shout-Out]] to [[Stephen King]]'s novel ''[[IT]]'', where [[Complete Monster|Patrick Hocksetter]] dies in roughly the same way.

** The aftermath of the [[Fate Zero ~~(Literature)~~|Grail Fire]] and Shirou's reaction is incredibly similar to the aftermath of the atomic bomb explosion as described in John Hersey's ''Hiroshima''.

** The aftermath of the [[Fate/Zero|Grail Fire]] and Shirou's reaction is incredibly similar to the aftermath of the atomic bomb explosion as described in John Hersey's ''Hiroshima''.

** There are a few of these in the [[Anime]] with regard to the [[Visual Novel]]:

*** In an early episode, Shirou introduces Tohsaka Rin with some narration; one of the accompanying images of her is an animated version of the final CG from ''Unlimited Blade Works''' [[Multiple Endings|True End]].

*** If you watch closely, most of the CGs from the ''Fate'' route appear in animated form in the anime as well. This is repeated with the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route in the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' film.

* [[Slasher Smile]] - A seemingly cheerful smile is Tohsaka's default sprite for her occasional rage against Shirou.

* [[Slice and Dice Swordsmanship]]: Of course, Lancer will use his lance as a thrust weapon, but occasionally it will be used for slashing.

* [[Slice-and-Dice Swordsmanship]]: Of course, Lancer will use his lance as a thrust weapon, but occasionally it will be used for slashing.

* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]] - Depends on route. ''Fate'' is very idealistic, ''Unlimited Blade Works'' lies somewhere in the middle, and ''Heaven's Feel'' is rather cynical.

* [[Spell My Name ~~With~~ an "S"]] - Various individual character examples are listed on the character sheet.

* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]] - Various individual character examples are listed on the character sheet.

* [[Spontaneous Weapon Creation]]: Archer can create weapons out of thin air. It's the same for {{spoiler|his past-self Shirou, who can "trace" various historical and mythological swords, creating inferior copies of them to use in battle}}.

* [[Star-Crossed Lovers]] - {{spoiler|Shirou and Saber in the ''Fate'' route}}.

* [[Statistically Speaking]] - [[Averted]]: The stats of the Servants seem to have little, if any, bearing on their actual abilities. Archer is able to hold off Lancer despite being statistically inferior to him in practically every way, and {{spoiler|True Assassin and Gilgamesh}} get defeated by humans they should, by all accounts, outperform several times over. Although, this is due to the circumstances rather than them genuinely being weaker. Indeed, the only stats that ever seem to come into play are Saber's B-rank Luck and Magical Energy, which allow her to withstand Lancer's ''Gae Bolg'' attack, Archer's {{spoiler|Independent Action Rank B}} and Rider's {{spoiler|Eyes of Petrification}}. Of course, when you get down to brass tacks, the stats honestly ARE meaningless- the game is a [[Visual Novel]], not an RPG and the stats are only there to add flavour.

* [[Stay in ~~The~~ Kitchen]]

* [[Stay in the Kitchen]]

** Shirou has a problematic attitude towards Saber in the ''Fate'' route and the [[Anime]], which has suffered [[Memetic Mutation]]. He says some really [[Egregious]] sexist lines and tries to do the fighting in Saber's place. Ironically, [[Subverted Trope|Shirou plays with this trope more than he plays it straight]]; his adamant refusal to allow Saber to fight only happens in the route where she's his love interest and it comes after watching her nearly get killed defending him in her first fight with Berserker. In no other route and for no other girl does Shirou use this [[Trope]], and when Saber fights Berserker to a draw in the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route, Shirou expresses so much faith in her abilities that Saber herself is surprised. In hindsight, it seems less logical that Shirou actually holds this position and more logical that he's trying to invent a reason to keep someone he cares about from getting hurt. It should be noted that Shirou explicitly has a spiritual disorder that causes him to have little to no sense of self and derive any sense of happiness and worth only through helping others. It causes him to put way too much responsibility on himself and refuse to compromise his desire to help everyone. ''Fate'' is the only route where he sees a female lead get horrifically injured so early in and he has a flashback to seeing Saber drenched in blood, barely able to stand and using her sword as a crutch, almost every time she is about to enter a dangerous situation. His initial attitude towards her is pretty blatantly caused by that rather than an actual [[Stay in ~~The~~ Kitchen]] attitude.

** Shirou has a problematic attitude towards Saber in the ''Fate'' route and the [[Anime]], which has suffered [[Memetic Mutation]]. He says some really [[Egregious]] sexist lines and tries to do the fighting in Saber's place. Ironically, [[Subverted Trope|Shirou plays with this trope more than he plays it straight]]; his adamant refusal to allow Saber to fight only happens in the route where she's his love interest and it comes after watching her nearly get killed defending him in her first fight with Berserker. In no other route and for no other girl does Shirou use this [[Trope]], and when Saber fights Berserker to a draw in the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route, Shirou expresses so much faith in her abilities that Saber herself is surprised. In hindsight, it seems less logical that Shirou actually holds this position and more logical that he's trying to invent a reason to keep someone he cares about from getting hurt. It should be noted that Shirou explicitly has a spiritual disorder that causes him to have little to no sense of self and derive any sense of happiness and worth only through helping others. It causes him to put way too much responsibility on himself and refuse to compromise his desire to help everyone. ''Fate'' is the only route where he sees a female lead get horrifically injured so early in and he has a flashback to seeing Saber drenched in blood, barely able to stand and using her sword as a crutch, almost every time she is about to enter a dangerous situation. His initial attitude towards her is pretty blatantly caused by that rather than an actual [[Stay in the Kitchen]] attitude.

*** Amusingly, Shirou also inverts this trope's name; he happens to be [[Supreme Chef|a fantastic chef]], and occasionally can be heard telling Rin and Sakura to get out of the kitchen for various reasons.

** The one character who confirmably has traditionalist views on gender roles is Issei.

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* [[Stepford Snarker]]: Archer. It's clear early on that he's got some issues, but Tohsaka is actually bothered when he ''stops'' being stepfordy about it {{spoiler|even before he [[Face Heel Turn|Face Heel Turns]]}}.

* [[Stupidity Is the Only Option]] - The [[Have a Nice Death|Tiger Dojo]] sometimes [[Lampshaded Trope|lampshades]] this: "Go back to the previous choice and try choosing the reckless, immature choice!"

** This is the rule in every Type-Moon [[Visual Novel]]- unless a choice is specifically hinted at as being right or wrong, the more dangerous choice is always the correct one. Most players learned this after being [[Tsukihime ~~(Visual Novel)~~|eaten by a shark]]. This [[Trope]] is [[Justified]] by the [[Visual Novel]] telling the story of a character, not the story of the player.

** This is the rule in every Type-Moon [[Visual Novel]]- unless a choice is specifically hinted at as being right or wrong, the more dangerous choice is always the correct one. Most players learned this after being [[Tsukihime|eaten by a shark]]. This [[Trope]] is [[Justified]] by the [[Visual Novel]] telling the story of a character, not the story of the player.

* [[Suspiciously Vague Age]] - Taking into account ''[[Fate ~~Zero (Literature)|Fate~~ Zero]]'' {{spoiler|puts Ilya at about eight years old and}} [[Prequel|takes place ten years before this story starts]], it's actually impossible that the characters depicted can all be 18 or older.

* [[Suspiciously Vague Age]] - Taking into account ''[[Fate/Zero]]'' {{spoiler|puts Ilya at about eight years old and}} [[Prequel|takes place ten years before this story starts]], it's actually impossible that the characters depicted can all be 18 or older.

* [[Summoning Ritual]] - The Holy Grail War System provides the power behing the [[Summoning Ritual]] required for acquiring a Servant.

* [[Sword Lines]]

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** "Sword of Promised Victory" plays whenever {{spoiler|Excalibur}} or a similar Noble Phantasm is about to be used.

** "Into the Night" (The title music) plays when the [[Final Boss]] is about to get a beatdown -- it's an even more reliable power-up than "Emiya".

** "Premonition of a Storm" (''Arashi no Yokan'') is one of those "Shit's going down!" songs that can pump it up. Sadly, it's not in the original [[Visual Novel]], but a new musique of the ''[[Fate ~~Stay Night~~]] Realta Nua'' version.

** "Premonition of a Storm" (''Arashi no Yokan'') is one of those "Shit's going down!" songs that can pump it up. Sadly, it's not in the original [[Visual Novel]], but a new musique of the ''[[Fate/stay night]] Realta Nua'' version.

** In the ''Heaven's Feel'' route, "Light and Darkness" (''Hikari to Yami'') plays during the last battle, between {{spoiler|Shirou and Kotomine}}. Or rather, ''half'' of the song plays at first, giving a tense techno beat while {{spoiler|Shirou's getting his ass kicked. It's only when [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya|he reflects on]] [[The Power of Love|Sakura]] [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya|and pulls off a frenzied counterattack]] that the second half of the song plays}}.

* [[There Can Be Only One]] - The very concept of the Grail War. {{spoiler|At least, that is what they want you to think, even if the actual goal of the Grail War is still something really different.}}

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*** [[Subverted]] in the film: Archer stops in the middle of an attack against {{spoiler|Shirou}}, listening to {{spoiler|Rin chanting the oath to make Saber her servant}}...but then finishes the swing 2/3 of the way through ({{spoiler|Shirou unfreezes at the same time and dodges}}). Apparently he just froze in confusion before [[Oh Crap|the implications registered]].

** Thinking Is A Free Action - Apparently in the [[Nasuverse]], people can have long-winded epiphanies several hundreds of words long in the span of two or three seconds, ''regularly'' and ''in the middle of combat,'' no less.

* [[This Is Your Brain On Evil]]

* [[This Is Your Brain on Evil]]

* [[Throwing Your Sword Always Works]]

** [[Justified]] with Kanshou and Bakuya due to the intrinsic magnetic property they possess that will always pull them back together. If you throw them to the sides of your opponent, they'll sweep in and cut them apart. Knock them away with a second pair of them and they'll continue doing this.

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** [[Played for Laughs]] on a smaller scale, when Rin gets so angry at Shirou that she shatters her "perfect student/school idol" image in front of everyone to shout at him. Everybody stares... then go back to what they were doing, subconsciously repressing those memories to maintain their "perfect" image of her. This happens on ''two separate occasions''.

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]] - The scene in the Chinese restaurant in ''Heaven's Feel''. Only, [[Played Straight|it is played]] ''[[Played Straight|completely straight]]''. ''And it works'': in a route filled with genuine horror, Kotomine ordering a ''second'' mapo tofu comes across as menacing.

* [[When It All Began]] - [[Fate Zero ~~(Literature)~~|The last Holy Grail War]] affected the lives of ''every'' major character in the game.

* [[When It All Began]] - [[Fate/Zero|The last Holy Grail War]] affected the lives of ''every'' major character in the game.

* [[Witch Species]] - Magic in the [[Nasuverse]] is often genetically inherited through bloodlines. This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, though, as people from mundane families (like Shirou or [[Tsukihime ~~(Visual Novel)~~|Ciel]]) can be born with magic circuits, and it's a plot point that one bloodline has slowly lost all of its power over generations. It's also possible to artificially create or increase magical potential.

* [[Witch Species]] - Magic in the [[Nasuverse]] is often genetically inherited through bloodlines. This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, though, as people from mundane families (like Shirou or [[Tsukihime|Ciel]]) can be born with magic circuits, and it's a plot point that one bloodline has slowly lost all of its power over generations. It's also possible to artificially create or increase magical potential.

* [[The Worf Effect]] - Servants are supposed to be ridiculously overpowered against ordinary humans, so whenever a human character is a [[Badass]], they prove it by curb stomping a Servant. When someone is ''really'' badass, they prove it by curb stomping a servant who used to curb stomp powerful servants himself. Most of the examples, though, are the result of [[Worf Had the Flu|serious circumstantial advantages]] evening the playing field ({{spoiler|most obviously Gilgamesh's massive ego, which directly contributed to his defeat by Shirou in ''Unlimited Blade Works'' and Sakura in ''Heaven's Feel''}}).

* [[World of Badass]]