Fate Strange Fake Takes the Stage

Ever since it was announced on New Year’s Eve 2022, fans of the Fate franchise have long awaited the arrival of Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn. With stellar animation, direction by Shun Enokido and Takahito Sakazume, and music backed by Hiroyuki Sawano, the anime made a triumphant debut with an hour-long premiere on Crunchyroll. Animated by A-1 Pictures—the same studio that animated Fairy Tale, Black Butler, and Fate Apocrypha — Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of the Dawn is certainly in good hands.

The Amount of Fate Series Can Seem Daunting…

The Fate franchise grew immensely throughout the last several years. With multiples entries in the franchise, getting into a Fate anime can seem daunting, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the series. While it isn’t required, it is recommended to watch Fate Zero beforehand. It will provide context to a crucial character from Fate Zero. For example, one of the minor characters in Fate Strange Fake, Waver Velvet, played a pivotal role in Fate Zero. Iskandar, Waver’s Rider class servant, is briefly referenced in the premiere of Fate Strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn. Although he is a minor character, and with only one episode of Fate Strange Fake out so far, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Iskandar’s character brought up further.

Setting and Twists for the False Holy Grail War

As usual, the goal is to obtain the Holy Grail. However, Fate Strange Fake sets up a different playing field from the mainline Fate series many of us know and love. This Grail War is unlike others—it is an imitation or "false" war. Instead of setting the series in Japan like the mainline series, this “false” Holy Grail War takes place in the United States set in the fictional city of Snowfield, which resembles the tones and setting of Fate Zero.

SPOILERS ABOUT CHARACTERS BELOW

The Servants

Archer

The premiere kicks off with a foolish mage summoning our overconfident, yet rightfully so given who he is, Gilgamesh. To say the least, Gilgamesh didn’t care much for the mage who summoned him. An unknown female mage appears and rips off the foolish mage’s hand. Ruthlessly, the unknown female mage eliminates the foolish mage. Unlike the man who summoned Gilgamesh, the insolent mage demonstrates respect towards Gilgamesh. Afterall, by demonstrating humility towards Gilgamesh who is well-known in the franchise to be a pompous king, Gilgamesh agrees to make a contract with her instead.

(Incredible Gilgamesh fanart by Rachta Lin.)

Berserker

Flat Escardos, a naïve yet powerful mage who is Waver Velvet’s apprentice, summons a Berserker class through a video game collector’s item given to him by Waver. Flat’s magical circuit is so powerful that he summoned the Berserker class without a magical circle while playing around in a park in Snow City. He summons the malicious, murderous historical figure—Jack the Ripper. Unlike Jack the Ripper summoned in Fate Apocrypha, this Berserker can change forms, which makes sense considering nobody knows for sure who Jack the Ripper was historically. The servant’s ability to change forms makes for an exciting ability in the Grail War!

Assassin

Unlike most servants who immediately agree to make a contract with their master, this Assassin doesn’t agree with her master’s intentions with the Holy Grail. Mercilessly and without hesitation, Assassin pierces the heart of her master with the heroic spirit’s signature noble phantasm—Zabaniya— without hesitation. After believing she killed her master, he revives himself and takes on a different appearance. Enthralled by Assassin's power, the master yearns to control the servant. We'll see if he will actually be able to do so...

Caster

Another master, who is the chief of a police department in the United States, already summoned his servant before the war began—Caster. With teeth resembling piano keys and a joking attitude, this caster isn't as serious as previous iterations of the servant. However, his goal in the war is unclear so far. He enjoys antagonizing his master and is in search of chaos in the Grail War, so he's sure to be a wildcard in the events to come.

Lancer

A mage attempts to use a chimera, with the appearance of a wolf, as a catalyst by increasing its magic circuits to summon his servant. However, the wolf ends up with the command spell, which the mage ruthlessly takes out on the dog. Enkidu, whose historically based figure in the Tablets of Gilgamesh grew up in the wild with beasts, displays admiration for the unexpected master. The vicious, greedy master who attempted to summon and control Enkidu, points a gun at Enkidu. The overpowered heroic spirit, while holding the wounded wolf, quickly lets the master know that the chimera held no ill intent for the mage who summoned him. After all, Enkidu can understand the beast, and what makes it more interesting is the fact that there has never been a master in the Fate series who wasn’t human. Since Enkidu and Gilgamesh are both from the same legend, it will be interesting to see how these servants interact with one another.

(Image Source: Fate Grand Order mobile game)

Rider

Through process of elimination, I discerned that the young female master's servant must be Rider. The servant appears as some type of dark energy or evil ethereal being. The master has an altered magical circuit, so it would make sense for her servant to manifest in a different way. We don't know much about Rider this season, but I'm absolutely stoked to find out more!

Saber

Unlike the typical Holy Grail War where seven servants are summoned, this “false” war is set to summon only six servants. The Saber class, which is well-known to be the most overpowered, downright busted class in the franchise, shouldn’t be featured in this Holy Grail War. Make sure to watch past the ending credits.

Music

Whenever the trailer first dropped, it was apparent that the music was produced by none other than Hiroyuki Sawano, who is known for his music from Attack on Titan, Guilty Crown, and Aldnoah.Zero. Featuring Laco, Hiroyuki dropped "Fake It" on Youtube at the end of 2022 as part of the first promotion trailer for Fate: Strange Fake.

Let the False Grail War Commence!

Without a shadow of a doubt, Fate Strange Fake will will have new and old fans of the franchise on the edge of their seats! With music produced by Hiroyuki Sawano, the stage for the Holy Grail War Set in the United States, and the possible absence of the Saber class, fans of the Fate franchise are in for a treat. Although it would be ideal if Fate Strange Fake continued weekly since the hour long premiere, we unfortunately must wait for a release date on the series itself. A-1 Pictures has done a fantastic job hyping us up for the new entry in the Fate series. You’ll have to watch Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn- on Crunchyroll.