Darumi tried shrouding her very soul with what she loved. The cute and brave jirai girls of the Toyoko generation have always been her heroes. She set her goal at becoming a perfect replica of them.

Character profile

DARUMI AMEMIYA

A high school girl living at the Ueno district of the Tokyo Residential Complex. A 17-year-old living every day close to the edge ever since her family turned dysfunctional. Her mind is extremely unstable, with emotions swinging wildly between manic and depressed. She poses as a euphoric and easygoing girl, but behind the mask, her heart is about to wear out.

Writer: Kyouhei Oyama

Editor: Kazukata Kodaka

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Darumi Amemiya gained some street smarts since started working at an all-girls bar.

"Ahahahahahahahah! Oh, mister, your way with words is out of this world! Are you a pro comedian or something?"

"Nothing like that. I'm just your regular office worker. Was I really that funny?"

"Ooooh yeah, you got me dying of laughter! Heheh, I'm still laughing… Ahahahahahah!"

In the White Papillon, this worn-down all-girls bar in the Ueno Ward of the Tokyo Residential Complex, Darumi put her conversation skills to shine against a customer. One hand covered her mouth as she thunderously laughed, while the other wiped the tears that came out from laughing too much.

"Ok, so what happened next? What came out of your little office romance with the dumb new girl? C'mon, c'mon, tell me more!"

Darumi leaned at the counter, naggingly urging the customer to keep the story going. 

"Oh, Darumi, how can I ever say no to you? Fine, if you want to know that bad, I'll tell you, baby. Kept it between us, ok?"

With the middle-aged customer also leaning on the counter, their noses came a few centimeters away from touching. The client flashed Darumi a point-blank smile and proudly continued to narrate his adultery case. Bit by bit, he disclosed a detailed account of his romance with the new girl at his office, all delivered in a comedic tone.

"Ahahahahah!" "Pfft, stoooop! I can't breathe!" "Do you need all these cliffhangers? I wanna hear the whole story, mister!"

Every time Darumi burst out laughing, the client put more oomph in his storytelling—and throughout his talk, he got many extra shots of his drink.
(Yay, I made bank today), Darumi whispered in a volume no one could hear as she clutched her fist. That's because the actresses at the bar were granted financial incentives proportional to the amount their assigned customers drank. 
To capitalize on this opportunity for a fatter paycheck, Darumi delivered overblown laughter and excessive compliments to her clients. Sometimes playing dumb, sometimes bring her face closer, she stimulated the customers.

"Ahahahahahahahahah! Never a dull day when you come in for a chat, mister!"

The bar staff was composed of silver-tongued actresses earning above-average salaries and ineloquent actress failing below minimum wage. Those were the cruel mechanisms of the night world. The low income employees suffer more as the store begins to treat them worse.
Darumi used to be among the low-wage workers until recently. She would stumble on her words to the customers, say nothing beyond "Oh…" and "Wow…", and repeat the cycle until her clients got fed up with her. She's been through a long streak of failures.
But one day, Darumi discovered her winning trick.
—The clients love when I say the complete opposite of what I feel.
When she wanted to say "I'd rather eat shit than hear you talk", she'd cackle maniacally at the "funny story".
When she wanted to say "Out of my sight, jerkface", she'd sweetly pester the jerkface to stay longer.
When she wanted to call someone gross, she'd offer fervent praise to the "hot and awesome" animal.
As it turns out, conversation boiled down to a rhythm game where you dish out lies at the perfect timing. Ever since she realized that, Darumi's salary has been consistently above average.
Thus, Darumi was committed to always say the opposite of what she felt while on the clock.

"Aren't you more energetic than usual, Darumi? Anything nice happened?", the smirking man peered into Darumi's face.

"Whoa, you can tell? Sharp eye there, mister! Oh yeah, something awesome happened!"

"Hah, I know my girl so well. What is it, Darumi? C'mon, c'mon, tell me more."

"Noooope! None's getting in on my little secret!"

She was actually having a bad day. A man punched her face before she left for work, leaving her left cheek swollen. The punched area still stung enough for tears to build up around her eyes. 
But Darumi never showed her pain to the clients. She'd mindlessly laugh all night, hiding her swollen cheek and doomster heart under her glittery make-up and short dress.
Because Darumi knew all too well that baring her soul paid poorly. 

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!"

Her hollow laughter intensified the pain on her cheek every time.
Throb, throb, throb, throb. She couldn't discount the possibility a bone cracked there.
Nevertheless, Darumi didn't even entertain the thought of clocking out early. Every shot she served counted for her bonuses. She wanted every yen she could get.
As for why she needed the money so bad…

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Links:

• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5

U-President Island

Red) I provided support for Haganeya. He was so committed to this job that we took a whole research trip to Atami for it. I don't know whether it's because of our ages or where we came from, but every time we try co-writing, the story always looks like something out of a PC game from decades bygone.

Blue) All hands on board for the 10th summer event. I took the central role initially, but this came immediately after I had used up my max power on another chapter, so I ran out of gas partway through and passed the torch to Tanaka Takashi. It was basically Takashi writing the overarching segments with me as his assistant. We had four people writing the scripts for each of the 4 areas, yet all of them turned out to be quite deranged, which left me really unsure about this one. Don't tell the others. The story turned out considerably fun, at the end of the day. Particularly Huyan Zhuo trying to walk away with all the prizes…

Green) I'm the writer for Inshuu Village. Hiroyama's blueprints defined Summer Miyu's lunatic (commendatory) characterization, but incorporating it into a summer story was way harder than I thought. That said, I believe I was ultimately able to convey how unhinged Miyu is according to her profile. Coming up with the cryptographed nursery song also took a lot of work.

Purple) I wrote the story surrounding Tiamat for the summer event. Considering her characterization and the fact this is a summer event, I ultimately chose to go with a scenario resembling an 80s soap opera. Had a city pop playlist running in the background as I wrote. I also went on a trip to Atami pretending it was research. The fish there tastes great.

Brown) At first, I was asked to create a Miss Crane (Lily) Servant, but I joined the summer event for real when the main writer gave me the additional tasks of commanding the event's overarching story and edit everyone's works. I was on fire the entire time, max motivation. I brainstormed the plot plans alongside Yano Shunsaku (my representative director at Flagnotes Inc.), and I recall the writing process went really smoothly once I decided upon the central question of "What is summer?" and on the dynamics between the President, Mika, and Jeunesse. Other than that, there's, uh… I can't go without mentioning Huyan Zhuo. She's someone else's character, but she really found a place for herself on my soul, going from how I'd be infinitely producing more dialogue for her. I love you, baby. Jeunesse also lit a flame in my heart, so much so that I gave her 40 My Room lines without noticing it. I love you, baby (2nd time).

Vanished Beginning

Cyan) A bird parade of a tale. We got the hawk, the eagle, the sparrow, the crow, and the dove. Having to write a story about the flood legends when there's no sea and rain in the Bleached Earth had me so discombobulated. Since he's an immigrant from Arcade, all his voice lines had to be re-recorded from scratch. Re-checking his pre-remake lines had me floored at how slutty my progenitor of humanity is. We all already knew Nemo/Noah looked wonderful, but our Dove and Raven providing the plot exposition also had gorgeous designs, so I hope I get another opportunity to feature them somewhere.

Pumpkin Planet

Blue) The finale! The long-awaited finale! To tie the bow on another phase of our long-running Halloween Series, I made the valiant move of launching the Csejte Pyramid Himeji Castle into space… This was meant to be a culmination of all previous Liz Halloweens, while also incorporating Servantverse lore into the composition… an ambitious format, but I believe it closed the book on all of them nicely, including on King Eliza and Elizabeth of the End. Nasu gave me permission to use the name Type-Mars under the condition she's Halloween-exclusive.

Final Chapter

Red) Writing the raid was a battle fueled by the memories of the Part 1 finale raid. The Sombrero Apocalypse raid was a more somber and intimate scenario interweaving Human Order and lost history… while the Magellan Star Road raid was an exciting collab between two writers, making the cooperative combat element of the raid exist both in and out of the narrative. I also wrote my Servants for their M Spectrum parts, but I had no idea we'd get actually EVERYONE for that!

Blue) It's been 10 years since I wrote the Part 1 finale. How nostalgic… Contrary to part 1's general atmosphere of an invigorating death dash, I wrote this one as a definitive farewell to the Servants involved. It goes without saying, but the Lady Yu lover's admission there means more to her than anything she can possibly imagine. That's proof of how much she cherished her days in Chaldea.

Green) I wrote the Fantasy Tree associated with my Lostbelt and the parts associated with my characters in the extra Fantasy Tree. Re-reading my Lostbelt before writing this was an unsurprisingly potent nostalgia bomb and reminder of the passage of time… Participating in the conclusion of such a grandiose narrative is an honor beyond what words can describe.

Black) I wrote the Iskandar and Ephemeros scenes in the extra Fantasy Tree. I already alluded to the Zhuge Liang personality within El-Melloi II during Reines's Interlude, and I remember the suggestion I received back then that this would be the best moment to debut him.

Chaldea Floralia

Green) I learned so much about flowers writing this. I also remember that, for the flowers in Flora's battle animations, I wrote the most comprehensive list of mythologically relevant flowers I could and sent it for the sprite animators to choose from. The voice lines for Hanasaka no Okina's dog were done by Uchiyama Yumi on the same day she was recording for Hebi Nyobo. I was astounded by how incredible her dog noises were despite her telling me she had never voiced a dog before.

Valentine's

Red) Since this would be the first thing after Final Chapter, I was trying to make this Valentine's into an introduction to After Time Chaldea's new status quo, with Director Olga and Azrael but without Director Goredolf and Holmes, all while following the same cheerful atmosphere of the regular Valentine's events.

My Kind of Abduction

Cyan) Monsieur Molay looks reserved and moderated, but enjoys himself to the fullest when he's put to the challenge, be it snowboarding or playing butler. Mademoiselle Molay would be the kind who looks outspoken but drags things out internally, I suppose.

Pink) I was responsible for creating and writing the plot for this event. It had to be a story centered around Monsieur Molay, so I initially composed several plot ideas with themes of wealth. However, at the height of my dissatisfaction over my plans lacking punch, I witnessed his 2nd Ascension. Mademoiselle Molay… on his snowboard!? Before I knew it, the Mola-mates were on a mad chase all over the snowy mountain setting. That made matters way more appealing than they were in any of the ideas I proposed before.

Antioch/Snowfield

Orange) Hello, my name is Narita and I was the writer for the Fate/strange Fake collab. It was a chaotic production, with my text not looking remotely similar to the initial plot plan and with the Fake Assassin and Fake Georgios plotlines being appended to an otherwise already finished scripted, but I had a great time letting the well-established FGO cast interact with the characters from my novels, making it for one of the most unforgettable works of my life! Writing the Lunch Rush and Natural Born Errors segments might have been the most fun I had in years, partly due to my drive to make the NPCs (Dumas most of all) leave a bigger mark on the players since they wouldn't stick around in the summonable roster. I was very nervous about the reception for King John getting a playable debut, in addition to Hippolyte and the Prelatwins, but after the end of the event, I had tears in my eyes admiring numerous pieces of fanart for every character…!

Past Chaldea

Blue) Welcome to the new chapter. Down to the last second, I wasn't sure if we'd manage to get his voice recorded for the first scene, so it was a huge relief to get that voice line done. I really wanted this to open up with a bang… Everything about our main character of the hour, Urd, is themed around the past, but I'm still glad we got her illustrated by someone spearheading the future of the industry. I was assured of my victory from the moment I saw her sprite. The one thing I failed to predict, however, was her illustrator hitting pity on her banner (twice even)...

Waiting For You At The End of Spring

Black) Nasu asked me for a manuscript on Demeter and the job experience park Chaldenia to go on Children's Day (May 5th), and I accepted the job. I had a great time putting the story together, since a major theme is how relationships between parents and children nowadays are still the same they've been ever since the times of Greek myth. Nasu rewrote Olga-Marie's, Azrael's, and Goredolf's parts quite heavily, considering their portrayal is relevant to the main story. Thanks to that, I believe their depiction turned out very true to the After Time dynamics. Also, I was writing under the title Another Spring Without You, but because the release date changed to July 1st, I changed it to Waiting For You At The End of Spring while tweaking the script to account for the shift in season… Moreover, while I already imagined this would happen, actually playing the event for myself had me screaming "Why can't I take both Gray Lilys!?", and yet the only person to blame for this crime was myself…!

Who will be the 11th Anniversary Servant?

Nasu: Azrael.

The blue-haired Azrael! I've been waiting for him!

Nasu: Yes. He's been in the works for a while.

I was so sure he'd never be playable, since his battle sprite featured as a Grand Servant had some very obviously enemy-exclusive tricks.

Nasu: That was intentional, to hide our plans for his playable debut.

Takeuchi: His designer is exactly who you'd expect: Ryota-H, who also did First Hassan. Just the idea of a younger First Hassan appearing as a Grand Servant is enough to generate hype.

Nasu: The historical Hassan-i-Sabbah was allegedly a major overachiever in his bureaucratic job. My idea for him in his youth was that of a passionate and well-read missionary. Therefore, I told Ryota-H he was allowed to make a design that could easily be mistaken for a protagonist.

Takeuchi: For his first draft, he submitted ominous sketches, then for the second draft, we made him overcorrect into protagonist style, and for the final draft, he produced the current design by reaching a middle ground between the first two. When was it that we decided he was going to be voiced by the Toono Shiki guy?

Nasu: Since day 1. Because First Hassan's Class Skill "At The Boundary" refers to the same Boundary that Shiki's eyes see, I those two always occupied fundamentally the same space in my head. Which is why I thought that if I ever were to release a Hassan-i-Lily, he would be voiced by Kanemoto.

Takeuchi: With how much the First Hassan is a special character to Nasu, it came as a shock to me that he was going to depict his youth, and that only got more exciting when I was told he was going to make his playable debut on the next Anniversary.

Nasu: After concluding Final Chapter, I was needing someone to monitor Olga-Marie. I was trying to come up with something that could prove a threat to an ex-Beast like Olga, and Azrael was my best option. He's very eager to slay Beasts, after all (laughs).

That's great and all, but I still can't wrap my head around the idea that becoming the Old Man of the Mountain changes you from Kanemoto (Shiki) to Nakata Jouji (Nrvnqsr Chaos).

Nasu: I mean, he went from Hassan, a human, to the Old Man of the Mountain, an observable idea. Anyone would get a Nakata Jouji voice from that.

All: (laughs)

Nasu: It's because the Old Man of the Mountain is an entirely fictional entity. He was a historical person up until the point he founded the Order of Assassins, but from there onward, all sorts of legends were added to his name, later becoming the phenomenon that is the Old Man of the Mountain.

By the way, will his Noble Phantasm animation be different from his Grand Servant version?

Nasu: He has 2 Noble Phantasms: one upgrade of the one you saw in his Grand Duel and one never revealed before. I believe his 3rd Ascension NP has everything the young boys love… Or maybe not… Some people aren't fans of horror movies, I suppose…

By the way, who was the other 10th Anniversary candidate that you mentioned last year?

Takeuchi: It's Lord Logres. Nasu once said it might not be a good idea to make Olga-Marie playable before Final Chapter, and my idea for that scenario was Logres.

Nasu: But I once had a solid idea of how I wanted to end Final Chapter, I came to believe it was essential to have more opportunity to interact with Olga before Final Chapter comes out and made her arrive for the 10th Anniversary. This way, the people who were convinced by the ending to call Olga-Marie into their Chaldea will have missed their shot, but I'm afraid they'll simply have to put up with that.

Takeuchi: We also considered to run Lord Logres's banner on the day Final Chapter came out, as a tool to build up excitement for the finale, but we shelved the idea, seeing it'd have been intrusive.

Postponed to New Year.

Takeuchi: Another idea proposed was to not release any Servant on New Year 2026. It'd feel hypocritical to drop a New Year banner right after a finale we initially tackled with the full intention of ending the game's service. But then Nasu suggested Lord Logres served well as a symbol of a new beginning. That worked for me.

Nasu: What better than a new Saber? Plus, New Year's Day would feel empty without anyone new. And going from the idea that we would debut her on New Year, we decided to first introduce her on the Caster Duel. By that point, we already had her 1st Ascension animations ready to use in a sneak peek, which was enough to spice things up and build up expectations. Luckily, Pseudopigrapha Solomon happened to be the exact kind of guy who would want to one-up you by showing off his overpowered Saber OC donut steal.

I remember feeling jealous when I saw her.

Nasu: The classic "Here's my Saber. What does yours look like? Heh." moment (laughs). It couldn't be any other way for an Arthuria Definitive Edition made by true Arthuria lovers.

When were her voice lines recorded?

Takeuchi: 10 years ago, as I first learned when we decided on her debut date.

Nasu: Back then, her in-game name was Arthuria Avalon instead of Lord Logres. Incidentally, Solomon, Sodom's Beast/Draco, and First Hassan also had their lines recorded among the launch Servants.

Takeuchi: We were really cramming in every idea we came up with on the launch days. We were hoping to get multiple characters voiced in the same recording session (laughs).

Nasu: It's what we could afford with the nonexistent budget we used to have. The times encouraged us to account for every foreseeable variable and record their lines in advance. My original idea was that Arthuria would be elevated into a higher tier of existence during the final battle, where she would be distributed to all players free of charge. However, since Arthuria Caster took the name Arthuria Avalon first in Lostbelt 6, for years I didn't know what to do with the older version of Arthuria Avalon. I ultimately decided to use the name of the Kingdom of Logres after decades of avoiding it, creating Lord Logres.

Takeuchi: I made her design for a reference sheet on the early days of FGO. It served as the standard for how far this game allowed the upgraded designs to go. I'm pretty sure I only ever shared it with designers, and not even with all of them, so it came as a shock to me when Kawasumi told me "Took you long enough to release her!" I later learned that she had already recorded her lines ages ago, and all my questions were answered.

Nasu: I had split their lines by giving all the Fate/stay night commentary to regular Athuria and all the Round Table commentary to Lord Logres. That got me Kawasumi always telling me "Can I see the Arthuria that talks about the Round Table already?"

Are you telling me her playable debut took over a decade?

Nasu: She's practically made from scratch with all the little additions that had to be made to her dialogue, but yes, finally releasing that dreamy Saber I made all the way back then made me feel powerful emotions.

By the way, what have you told the voice actress for this recording?

Nasu: Her 1st Ascension is the unfailing King Arthur of Logres. The benevolent monarch with nothing to feel guilty about, wearing an outfit that obfuscates her gender. Her 2nd Ascension is what she would look like if she were allowed to reign as queen instead of hiding her womanhood. I described her to Kawasumi as "an Arthuria from Roman Holiday". Her 3rd Ascension is Saber after a supreme triumph in Fate/stay night. My directorial input was all about asking for the ideal King Arthur.

What was designing Lord Logres like?

Takeuchi: Her 1st Ascension is meant to be a design that reflects elements of the Red Dragon serving as Arthuria's magical energy furnace. Considering I drew this "Arthuria in red" for a reference sheet a decade ago, watching her allowed to see the light of day after over 10 years on my shelf was a powerful experience. My proudest work in this batch was her 2nd Ascension. And I believe that, within my limited capabilities, I managed to draw the most ideal Arthuria I could for the 3rd Ascension, even if that was the one that took the most trial and error. Logres's Excalibur was designed by Koyama Hirokazu. Another gorgeous update for Excalibur, in my opinion.

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Links:

• Part 1 (on Final Chapter)
• Part 2 (on the final boss)
• Part 3 (on Gyakkou)
• Part 4 (on Tokei and the idea of ending FGO)
• Part 5 (on Foreigners)
• Part 6 (on late 2025's events)
• Part 7 (on After Time)
• Part 9 (on the summer event)

The new Three Fates arc began. Is it safe to assume there will be at least two more chapters?

Nasu: Well, there are three goddesses… You can figure this one out. A narrative is a combination of expected and unexpected elements, so we need to open up with a roadmap letting people know what we're going to be doing. This time, it's an invitation to stick with us for 3 chapters longer. Having the skeleton visible is better than not knowing what'll happen, no? Although only the goddesses know what it'll ultimately look like.

When After Time began, many players commented it was like the beginning of a Fun Disk. Did you two also went into it with this feeling in mind?

Nasu: That's correct. This is, for all essential purposes, a Fun Disk.

When you start Past Chaldea, the Servants under LINK LOST were released from it. Anything to say on that?

Nasu: It'll make sense later. There was a reason for it. It's not what I'd call a major plot point, but it is something you'll come to understand much later.

I'd also like to ask about Octavia and Sylvia. In After Time, Octavia talks using sprites that were originally associated with Sylvia. Is this foreshadowing for something?

Nasu: No, Sylvia is dead. It's just that we could afford to give Sylvia and Octavia the same sprite design because they're sisters.

Urd was another lovely new Servant. Tell us what made you hire Iida Pochi. to design her.

Takeuchi: In the earliest discussions on the Three Fates arc, we decided that since we're committed to depict what comes after Final Chapter, it's better if all its central characters are made by people who never did Servants for FGO before. Later, Nasu gave me a few candidates and I picked Iida from them.

Nasu: With how good she is at drawing non-humans, I strongly wanted her art to deliver the First Impact for the new villain goddesses. Her manga, Ane Naru Mono, means a lot to me, so I recommended her hoping this job can serve as a way to thank her.

What was your directorial input for Urd's production?

Takeuchi: Since her production was running in parallel with Final Chapter, we had her writer moving things along while taking broad instructions from Nasu. The Norns have a set of shared themes that needed to be properly incorporating into their designs, so she was quite a challenge to draw.

Nasu: I only gave a list of keywords and mentioned this goddess was called Urd. Once everything is over, you'll come to understand what her design was about.

Iida told in her stream that the design she submitted was so naked that she was completely sure it would be vetoed. How do you two feel about this?

Takeuchi: We were going to use this character as a Demibeast, so her design needed to compete with the overwhelming presence and might of the Beasts we already have. When you're playing on that level, every violation of common sense counts. That's why Iida's design submission completely won me over… I have to admit I didn't pay enough attention to the amount of skin exposed.

Nasu: There are some parts that clearly should have been visible but aren't, but we can chalk it up to her being a goddess. She is using godly power to hide them (laughs).

Still on the subject of her design, was that a big horn on Ascension 3?

Nasu: They have always been wannabe Beasts, except they can't position themselves as enemies to mankind under normal circumstances. The three of them are the Fates not even the gods could defy, which makes them too high leveled to qualify as real enemies. But if you come up with some excuse to force them to be Beasts, they can become enemies of mankind and make for formidable bosses.

Ok, but can you say why they became Beasts?

Nasu: Not today. But strictly speaking, they are Beast wannabes, nothing more, so we couldn't give them the design of complete enemies of mankind. As such, I requested she should have added Beast identifiers while retaining all of Urd's identifiers. The same goes for the other two Norns, and that's a neat solution to our needs, in my opinion.

Takeuchi: Urd was the first Norn we worked on, so we needed her designed as the standard the other two would follow. It was a difficult one to make, with plenty of complicated parts to her lore and characterization, but without a doubt, Iida cleared the bar. She kept sending me additional expression ideas after her job was over, so I'm glad to see she enjoyed the production process the entire time.

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Links:

• Part 1 (on Final Chapter)
• Part 2 (on the final boss)
• Part 3 (on Gyakkou)
• Part 4 (on Tokei and the idea of ending FGO)
• Part 5 (on Foreigners)
• Part 6 (on late 2025's events)
• Part 8 (on Azrael and Logres)
• Part 9 (on the summer event)

I'd like to ask some questions about the events in the 10th year. Which was your favorite?

Nasu: That's Halloween. I've been saying since part 1 that I wanted to release an SSR Elizabeth, but I always kept kicking the can down the line until I noticed it was the last chance to do it before Final Chapter. Important context here is that, during one period in the history of the Fate/ series, the franchise wasn't exactly selling poorly thanks to the pre-established Fate/ fans, but it wasn't reaching new people either. Nero and Elizabeth were the two characters carrying the franchise on their shoulders during this moment of uncertainty, and that's why I always wanted to reward Elizabeth for it somewhere along the way.

I can clearly see why releasing an SSR Elizabeth mattered so much to you.

Nasu: The schedule for map production was so tight on the pre-Final Chapter days that Lasengle was telling me there was no chance we could have an event with a map in October, but I kept pressing the matter. "Mars is practically all wastelands! You won't have to draw much!" (laughs)

Takeuchi: Mine has to be Gudaguda. Kawakami Gensai was my favorite character, but I really got to go crazy drawing Matsunaga Danjou.

Nasu: I heard the plot plans for Matsunaga Danjou and assumed she wouldn't have much screentime. Then the event comes out and here I am playing on it on my own device, when I see this cute waifu, and my first reaction is "Since freaking when did he have the room in his schedule to draw a new character?" (laughs) He said he was using her to take a break from his other work, and you can really tell it from her funny energy.

Takeuchi: I was swamped with work around the time of the 10th Anniversary, and all of them were heavy responsibilities, so I figured the way to relieve this stress was to draw a random NPC however I pleased. I don't know what was wrong with my head for me to think of working to relieve work-related stress.

This year also finally saw Kondou Isami's debut.

Nasu: Since the historical Kondou was a warrior with such a respectably large figure, I was imagining this burly, reliable leader, but much to my shock, the design sent my way looked all slender and dainty. But, yeah, considering the Shinsengumi failed because Kondou couldn't lead his soldiers well enough, I suppose making him the group's precious little princess is about as valid as making him the reliable bro.

Precious little princess… The flower of the manslayers…

Takeuchi: Long ago, I asked Keikenchi about Kondou's release and he answered something like "N-nothing planned for him yet…", so now that the time to release him finally came, he said "I want to make Kondou into an ultra cool and fashionable Shinsengumi! And you know well I wanna get Pako for the job!" (laughs)

Nasu: Hahaha. Gudaguda can get away with anything.

Takeuchi: 2025 was a big year for Pako, considering he also drew Indra.

Nasu: Pako in unstoppable. With how much of a big deal Indra is, the bar for a passable design was high, but he knocked it out of the park on his first try, producing an Indra no one could find any fault in.

Takeuchi: Karna and Arjuna overshadow all Indian Servants in popularity, but Indra was cool and imposing enough to knock them off the highest podium.

Nasu: He felt like the Definitive Edition of Indian Servants.

On the topic of Servant designs, I'd like to ask some questions about Yutu, released last year. I often see people comment that her Second Ascension art resembled Mature Gentleman, the Craft Essence depicting Kokutou Mikiya. Was that on purpose?

Takeuchi: No, it was a coincidence. My thought was that to make a summer alt for Shiki, you need something that appeased both the fans of Shiki in FGO and the fans of Shiki in Kara no Kyoukai. Thus, I went with a swimsuit for FGO on 1st Ascension and a yukata for the Kara no Kyoukai fans on 2nd Ascension. The collection was carefully devised to cover all of Shiki's many charms when put together.

Fair enough. What about her 3rd Ascension then?

Takeuchi: She's the Decapitating Bunny 2025.

Nasu: Think of the poor Kinoko forced to indulge him on his proclivities all the time (laughs).

(laughs) Next, may I ask about the giants that appear on Yutu's Noble Phantasm?

Nasu: If Shiki read Princess Kaguya, what would she feel about it? She'd argue that abandoning the parents who raised her to return to the Moon is an unthinkable idea. That's why she's cutting down the emissaries from the Moon in her Noble Phantasm. The enemy unit getting bisected is just collateral damage. What I need you to understand is that she's not summoning the giants, which means you just got cut because you happened to be the while she was sending the giants away.

Are you saying there's no lore behind them and they don't bear deep connections with Shiki's story?

Nothing like that, none at all.

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Links:

• Part 1 (on Final Chapter)
• Part 2 (on the final boss)
• Part 3 (on Gyakkou)
• Part 4 (on Tokei and the idea of ending FGO)
• Part 5 (on Foreigners)
• Part 7 (on After Time)
• Part 8 (on Azrael and Logres)
• Part 9 (on the summer event)

Weren't a few Foreigners banned from joining the Final Chapter?

Nasu: By default, Foreigners come in two kinds: Outer Gods and Servantverse. The Servantverse kind are extensions of FGO, but Outer Gods exist detached from FGO's timeline. The Outer Gods are Foreigners the CHALDEAS faction deems unnecessary and ignores. Meanwhile, the Outer Gods also couldn't care less about Maris Chaldeas's plans, establishing the dynamic of mutual nonintervention that has them absent from Final Chapter.

Oh, it wasn't because there was no outer space anymore?

Nasu: No, no, the Outer Gods were never located in the universe of FGO's timeline. Their goal is to take over the universe of FGO's timeline, but once that universe was bleached and became a blank nothing, they'd stop caring. I imagine it'd just get them thinking "Pack it up, boys, we're gonna look for the next universe."

I was thinking the one unfilled slot you mentioned in last year's interview had something to do with the Foreigners, but it sounds like I was wrong.

Nasu: Maybe unfilled slot wasn't the right expression. There is a point in your Final Chapter playthrough that can get you thinking "Can't we fix this?" The so-called unfilled slot is what you need to actually go fix that. Be patient, we'll get there eventually.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links:

• Part 1 (on Final Chapter)
• Part 2 (on the final boss)
• Part 3 (on Gyakkou)
• Part 4 (on Tokei and the idea of ending FGO)
• Part 6 (on late 2025's events)
• Part 7 (on After Time)
• Part 8 (on Azrael and Logres)
• Part 9 (on the summer event)

What can you tell us more about Tokei, the theme song of Final Chapter?

Nasu: Tokei's theming didn't come from any Nasu demand. All I told Sakamoto was that the ending theme should acknowledge that the whole journey was over and Chaldea was no more and invite to carry the feelings and experiences gained through it into tomorrow. She told me she was also interested in making it a masterpiece deserving of its release date, which was on the 30th anniversary of her singing career. I decided that she would finish the song first, and then I would write the chapter script around it. However, my thoughts upon receiving the song were, "Wonderful. There's nothing in the plot I need to change for this song."

Takeuchi: My impression listening to the demo was that it was like the song was welcoming me back to my hometown. While the song was being produced, I was negotiating the ending animation that would go with this theme.

Nasu: I've always wanted to work with Director Shuu Hiromatsu again after he made the animations for our 8th Anniversary video.

Takeuchi: He was the recommended man to make the ending animation, so I got him on the job. We had a meeting about its contents before production started, but the only thing we requested was for him to feature every single Servant in it.

Nasu: (laughs) That's the kind of absurd demand that should only be made to fellow Type-Moon members!

Takeuchi: Oh, c'mon (laughs). There's no way you wouldn't be sad about your favorite being absent. Watch the credits animation to see for yourself Director Shuu's solution to the herculean task of fitting 400 characters into a 5-minute video. Also, Shuu was the director not only for the credits animation but also for the epilogue animation after it.

Nasu: I was going to write the Tokyo Station scene in prose, but Director Shuu was willing to do it, and there's no doubt the scene is better done this way. Showing a video that leaves the answers up to the imagination is more beautiful than describing it in garrulous text, so I handed Director Shuu the plot plan to show what scene we had at the very end and left the rest up to his discretion.

Takeuchi: I was personally a bit unsure about this, to be honest. Because I always want to close things off with Nasu Kinoko's words! I even felt that, depending on how it turned out, I would have to go to him and make him include additional Nasu text after the ending animation. But then the video was delivered, and when I saw we were closing on, it felt genuinely right.

Nasu: Oh, you know what I was envisioning there. Tie the bow with prose before the credits roll… then come back at the very end to show that beautiful video… A double-dip conclusion, an ending art forbidden since time immemorial.

Takeuchi: On the original instructions, the closing shot was a red sunset. But when Nasu saw the finished video, he asked to replace it with a blue sky because the dusk was too depressing. My opinion as an illustrator is that the red sunset looked more dramatic, and I believe that was the sense Director Shuu was also trying to prioritize, but he ultimately said changing it to the blue sky was for the best.

Nasu: The evening is easier to associate with finality, after all. Throwing in a dusk after you already showed the end of everything is just bad. What comes after the end of all is the start of a new day. That's why the blue sky works. I wanted those two to have a chance encounter under that blue sky and start a new day together. A new date, if you will. Without that, the player leaves the game on an emotional low. The red sunset was incredibly beautiful, but I asked for a blue sky there.

Takeuchi: This goes beyond the ending animation's direction. Everywhere, a lot of care and attention went into the story's aftertaste, and all those details come together to create that overall gentle atmosphere of it.

Nasu: By some miracle, it was also sunny in the real Tokyo Station when its Final Chapter scene came out.

True. After the end, that blue sky stuck around as the new title screen.

Nasu: 8 years ago, the plan was to end service as soon as Final Chapter concluded. I was planning for an "FGO is concluded" screen to go up on December 31st, but you can imagine it's not that easy to close the doors with all that excitement from the playerbase and how long this has been a part of my life… There was another draft for an all-white title screen, but I went with the blue sky with the express intention of signaling it wasn't over yet.

Did I understand that right? You're saying that, at first, there was a plan for the big twist actually ending FGO?

Nasu: I was legit going to leave the end of service up to player choice. "Beating Maris ends FGO. Now you also freed Kinoko!" was the plan.

What about your mention in last year's interview that you wanted to let the players decide how the game will end?

Nasu: I meant the Final Chapter raids. Remember the interface saying "X Until the End of Grand Order"? The question that was meant to ask was whether people would still play the raids knowing that the game would end for real if it hit zero.

Oh, so that banner was where the votes were being tallied.

Nasu: Hence the banner breaking, rejecting the idea FGO would end. It's difficult to notice, but shortly before entering the final battle, when the protagonist stands up, you can hear all the cracking at the moment the banner breaks. That's communicating that our combined wills will end Fate/Grand Order, but that's not stopping us from proceeding.

I'm glad I asked, because while I was playing, I didn't believe for a second that this would actually end the game.

Nasu: At first, I wrote in more explicit terms that this would be the end, actually. But I toned it down a little after Lasengle requested to leave the text vaguer or else it could invite all sorts of troubles. As my last resort, I asked if they could make the credits brick the app until New Year's morning, but they told me they could not.

(laughs) You could have given me a heart attack.

Nasu: The players would be going into a panic over the game being no more, and our word to them would be "Well, yeah, you were part of this, all of us ended it together!" (laughs)

/------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links:

• Part 1 (on Final Chapter)
• Part 2 (on the final boss)
• Part 3 (on Gyakkou)
• Part 5 (on Foreigners)
• Part 6 (on late 2025's events)
• Part 7 (on After Time)
• Part 8 (on Azrael and Logres)
• Part 9 (on the summer event)

The reveal that Gyakkou's lyrics were sung from Olga-Marie's perspective floored me.

Nasu: When we wrapped up Part 1, I decided I wanted Sakamoto Maaya to sing the upcoming part 2's main theme, and called her for a meeting where I told her about Part 2's ending and how it'd be about Olga-Marie. Thankfully, her answer was the "I'm not in the mood for starry-eyed music, I want to sing something darker now" I wanted to hear.

What did you say in the commission text?

Nasu: I told her that the main theme would be a mud-spattered girl still fighting on the other side of the storm; that the girl wasn't fighting for justice, but for the only enjoyable moment in her life, and because you're still doing your part on the other side of the storm; and that she didn't want to get anything out of it, just to let you know she's still trying. The song she delivered really was everything I wanted, and "I knew I could make the final battle work if I was allowed an instrumental version of that song for it.

Takeuchi: When I tested the instrumental version made for the final battle together with the Noble Phantasm animation I mentioned before, they fit together perfectly. I didn't follow what Nasu was doing at the time, but later I learned that he wrote the composer a precise instruction booklet about the song's intro and the following retort, and then asked for fixes over and over and over again. The setup so the song gains energy at the exact moment the protagonist stands up gave me goosebumps.

By the way, can you tell us why we couldn't save Olga-Marie in Final Chapter?

Nasu: Not every life can be saved. I wanted to write a consoling farewell with someone who can't be saved no matter what. Abruptly adding a comedic tone to the farewell scene by ranking the protagonist's biggest screwups, only to then bringing in the farewell's pain, sorrow, and gratitude makes for the most Olga-Marie speech ever.

Are you saying she was always fated to be unsavable?

Nasu: I wasn't thinking in those terms, but yes, that'd be correct. After all, the original finale plan was for Part 2's conclusion to bring an end to the entire Animusphere plotline, ending on an "Earth is safe now". That said, I have to admit that writing Olga-Marie, I grew more attached to her than I ever imagined I'd be.

Any specific turning point in mind?

Nasu: When requesting Tak to design the President of Earth, I asked for a girl who believes she's a space monster from Ultraman. With just this description, he delivered the ideal design. I found her to be the easiest character I've ever had to write, striking just the right balance between manic and depressed, cool and cute. As such, I wrote Lostbelt 7 determined to show the world how lovely this kind of goofball heroine can be. Tak drew an excellent set of expressions for her, which help me a lot with my writing. And it paid off, making her such a living and breathing character that despite her fated farewell being set in stone, I found myself wanting to give her more, which made me decide to include After Time in the game.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links:

• Part 1 (on Final Chapter)
• Part 2 (on the final boss)
• Part 4 (on Tokei and the idea of ending FGO)
• Part 5 (on the Foreigner Ordeal)
• Part 6 (on late 2025's events)
• Part 7 (on After Time)
• Part 8 (on Azrael and Logres)
• Part 9 (on the summer event)

Do you have any comment to make on the final boss battle against Maris Chaldeas?

Nasu: That battle was me finally managing to make something I've been waiting 8 years to make.

Takeuchi: This Final Chapter was the most high-effort part of the game. For the final battle, I naturally assumed we wanted to make it into the most awesome and stylish spectacle, but then came Nasu saying "No, that's not what we're going for this time. Make it a battle we can groove through from beginning to end."

Nasu: To contrast with Goetia getting a fight worthy of its perfectly traditional and dignified BGM, I wanted Maris Chaldeas's battle to be a reward for completing the journey. In context, that moment is a funeral, but the funeral could at least be a lively and lavish procession. Saying goodbye to everything that came before it is supposed to be sad, but each part of this journey was a shining treasure. That's why I wanted it to be a pleasant battle with a splendorous theme song and everyone arriving to help. A fight where you could say "Shut up, we're stronger!" to anything the villain tried.

Takeuchi: The intro animation for the final boss was made to be Maris Chaldeas's Noble Phantasm, but to my surprise, the feedback we got from Nasu during the midterm check was "We can use this as the battle start animation instead of the NP". Could we really? Considering this was a segment where we rise from the despair of the darkest hour and face the final enemy, my next assumption was that he was going to follow the NP animation with even more expensive shots, but to my even greater surprise, he said "No, we don't want anything too fancy. It'll only work if we do it with their regular battle sprites."...

Nasu: We never displayed the protagonist's battle sprite before to express that you're the one making the choices. At the end of the story, we wanted the player to feel like they were entering the game.

Takeuchi: We made countless minor adjustments to the way the battle sprites were timed to the song and to the placement of the text windows.

I can really tell you had tons of very specific ambitions for that intro cutscene.

Takeuchi: Since the final battle follows a format of traversing through the 7 Lostbelts and has all the helper characters showing up, we were worried the fight would be too time-consuming for the players. To get a better idea of how much of the footage needed a pacing fix, I made the team record a video of the battle from start to finish and based myself on the video to give my final directorial input and corrections.

Nasu: Since the combat was bound to get long, we could get away with giving the enemy only one attack per turn. Also, the final boss is that one special occasion where you'd want the option to use every Servant you leveled, so we wanted the ability to freely use Order Change. We made every impossible request to make this a feel-good battle with a direct sense of player participation.

Takeuchi: We made so many impossible requests for the visual department too. Sorry again for making you fix a cutscene the day before it came out and asking you to undo it because the older version turned out better. But it was thanks to that that I feel like I covered all my bases.

Nasu: By opening with the protagonist's battle sprite, then throwing Patxi's out of nowhere, we got the players hoping for surprise inclusions from the entire cast and receiving exactly that. That's the classic way to end a video game. I've been keeping these under wraps the whole time, just for this big moment, because a final boss battle fails its purpose if it doesn't get you feeling "This was so nice, shame I'll never get anything like it again".

It was a really fun battle, with the total lack of party-building restrictions and all that.

Nasu: Who still cares about game balance at the very last stretch? I gave this battle an infinite party cost because that was the last place I had to throw a freebie.

Takeuchi: It didn't stop her from putting up a fight.

Nasu: Yeah. We look pretty doomed, but we somehow manage to step back on the ring because of the help we keep getting. It has to be that way, or else there's no point in getting help from the NPCs. As someone who still sticks to my schedule of playing one new game per month, I poured in all my gamer ideals of what a final boss should be like.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links:

• Part 1 (on Final Chapter)
• Part 3 (on Gyakkou)
• Part 4 (on Tokei and the idea of ending FGO)
• Part 5 (on the Foreigner Ordeal)
• Part 6 (on late 2025's events)
• Part 7 (on After Time)
• Part 8 (on Azrael and Logres)
• Part 9 (on the summer event)

How did it feel reaching the Final Chapter?

Nasu: The first impression that came when it was over was the feeling that I landed it. It was a rough trip, but I made it, you know? Unlike single-purchase games, where you can work on it until it suits your standards and only release it when you feel you have a winner in your hands, a mobile game is a nonstop marathon without a finish line in sight. As such, I spent the whole of 2025 unsure if I was able to live up to the players' 10 years of anticipation. There's no rest, and you don't know if things will work until their time comes. I did all I could under these extenuating circumstances to shape it into something anyone could understand and accept. In the end, the fans delivered the most uplifting reviews imaginable, finally allowing me to breathe assured that I survived this ordeal. I could finally get some sleep (laughs).

Takeuchi: We've been aiming for this conclusion ever since Part 1 wrapped up. As a producer, I was incredibly hyped for the idea of letting the players end FGO with their own hands, but at the same time, I was unsure how that would have been received after FGO grew into something so much bigger than ourselves and integral to the playerbase's daily routines. The finished script didn't deviate from the first plot plans, and nonetheless, it felt so distant from what I had imagined… I'm not sure if that's the best way to put it, but the landing felt soft.

Nasu: Maybe positive is the word?

Takeuchi: Yeah, things ended positively. I loved it. I'll never forget how it keep raining on and off in Tokyo the day of the final story update, but the next day, there was not one cloud in the blue sky. It was just that striking.

From what it can tell here, it felt somehow different from ending Part 1?

Nasu: Entirely different. I was 100% locked in for Part 1, ever confident that what I was doing was enough to entertain. Our eyes were entirely on the job, without the spirit of challenge that carried Part 2. But Part 2 was longer. And the longer it got, the more the players built fond memories of it… I have to admit writing Final Chapter was painful. I wasn't having fun through any moment of it. But I was carrying the weight of 8 years, and if I cracked under it, everything would go down the drain. I had to push through, trusting my years of experience and the power of my devs. By the time I finished the work, I felt like I was dying.

Takeuchi: Part 1 was the experience that felt genuinely new. I knew Part 2 was going to end with a pointed imitation of Part 1's finale, so I was really curious to see how we'd manage to intentionally replicate a fever so blessed by happenstance.

Nasu: Considering the contrast between Part 1 being about defeating an unambiguous evil and Part 2 being a battle to bring an end to ourselves, there would inevitably be a morale-breaking divide between players who think the objective is a good thing and players who think it's a bad thing. It wouldn't have the collective, unanimous hype of Part 1. And that only complicates the question of how to present all the good times they built up with FGO over the years. I didn't want the players to cut the goal tape broken down in tears, I wanted them to digest all the fun times they had and say thank you to each Fantasy Tree they excised. That's how I envisioned making it stand out from Part 1.

I was shocked by the twist that Chaldea was the first Lostbelt.

Nasu: Part 2's Lostbelts were a lore mechanic conceived to stealthily build up the core unspoken question of "When it gets to our turn of having our world crushed, how will we feel about it?" I'm glad the players accepted with dignity that it was only fair that what we did unto others would have to be done to us somewhere along the way. I imagine this impressive level of comprehension was achieved because the players who paid the most attention to the story were leading the pack.

Is this also why the final battles with each Fantasy Tree were titles Resolution Battles?

Nasu: The first prototype screen I received read "Extermination Battle", which was just wrong, so I asked them to change it. In every event and main story chapter, the writer has the responsibility of naming all terms that appear on the game interface. With that in mind, I pick the term that meant, "Upon cutting this Fantasy Tree, you'll never again remember the Lostbelt it corresponds to, and it won't be right for you to do. You have to find the resolution to say goodbye."

What was the most memorable moment of Part 2's production?]

Nasu: Every year, the FGO Fes never fails to impress. At the first venue, I believed nothing would ever beat this feeling, yet the event continued to outdo itself every time. Remembering the way the developers and players come together in their enthusiasm always motivates me. I tell myself I have to survive one more year so I can go to the next anniversary venue. It's my treat to myself (laughs).

Takeuchi: My answer is, you guessed it, Lostbelt 6: Avalon le Fae. While the Final Chapter's production felt the process of confronting what FGO had become, in contrast, LB6 was the challenge of using FGO to create something entirely new. Leading the whole staff, wading through the rough terrain, was an experience like no other.

Nasu: Avalon le Fae was unforgettable for me as well. Top 2 most unforgettable works, not within FGO, but within my life as Nasu Kinoko. I mean, before it, I didn't even know writing too much could cause spot baldness. Considering that the setting was Britain, the villains were fae, and the star of the climax would be that Arthuria I wrote about so many times before, I needed to go for broke. It was also my best attempt to emulate the style of TV long-runners, and that adds to the feeling of accomplishment.

The chapter was so comprehensive that I came out of it feeling it could have been its own title separate from FGO.

Nasu: We make every chapter and event in FGO on the idea of making a different game. One game I've idolized immensely since my school days was Far East of Eden 2: Manjimaru, which practically had 16 RPGs packed in a single title. The intention with FGO was the same: make each like it's its own game. The keyword here is obviously "like". We weren't actually trying to churn out whole standalone games. Avalon le Fae is where I believe we finally accomplished that.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links:

• Part 2 (on the final boss)
• Part 3 (on Gyakkou)
• Part 4 (on Tokei and the idea of ending FGO)
• Part 5 (on the Foreigner Ordeal)
• Part 6 (on late 2025's events)
• Part 7 (on After Time)
• Part 8 (on Azrael and Logres)
• Part 9 (on the summer event)

Default

The Grand Assassin. The first of the Old Men of the Mountain, the assassin order that served as the etymological root of the word "assassin". To extinguish the smoldering embers of a Beast, he walked (from hell) to Chaldea. What could his true appearance be?

Bond 1

• Height/Weight: 188 cm/70 kg (1st and 2nd Ascension), 208/unmeasurable (3rd Ascension)
• Source: Middle East, Hassan-i-Sabbah
• Region: Middle East
• Alignment: Lawful Evil
• Attribute: Man
• Gender: Male (1st and 2nd Ascension), ??? (3rd Ascension)

In his initial form, he was just the everyday scion of a prestigious family. He says his favorite words are knowledge, trust, and courage.

Bond 2

He who would later become the Old Man of the Mountain. The form of a lone missionary, from before the Ismaili schism and before the establishment of the Nizari Order of Assassins. During his meditation, he stepped into Hell due to an incubus's whims (it took 70 years of walking to get there), and there he glimpsed many truths of the world.

Zaqqum, the tree of Hell. Maalik, who governs over Hellfire. Iblis, the king of the Shaytans. Sidrah, atop the seventh Heaven.

After writing comprehensive logs on where human beings ultimately go and how their sins are accounted for, the young man returned to the living and began to carry Hellfire in his sword, as his way of condemning human malignancy. It's said none of his Hassan-i-Sabbah successors saw the appearance he took at the end of his life.

Bond 3

• Personality and mannerisms

A quiet and composed man. Not quite dour in tone, but close. Says only what's necessary, with a curt and sharp delivery. Tends to sound robotic in conversation, but his statements do carry a lot of emotion. Is thoroughly cold when talking to fools, but rather than belittle the weak and inept, he holds them in the highest regard. In Chaldea, he's generally in his 2nd Ascension, no longer the missionary and now already the head of the Order.

Introverted and active. Dislikes standing out, and devotes all efforts to studying, praying, and his trade. He determined that he existed solely to demonstrate Allah's doctrine, and reserved a third of each day to the books, a third to the sword, and a third to prayer. He believed even his slumber belonged to God rather than himself, and never owned any objects.

He was originally the bureaucrat documenting the funds of a religious sect, but he took up the sword because he couldn't reason his profession as a valid excuse not to train his body. Nobody understood his line of logic, but he didn't let it get to him. He never expresses anger against those who defy God's doctrine or attack His believers. All he does is kill.

Bond 4

• Blessings of Faith: A

What he would later have as an Active Skill as First Hassan is constantly in effect here. This blessing explains all the ++ in his parameters. His powerful strength of will produced nigh miraculous physical enhancements.

• Presence Concealment: C++

At this age, his Presence Concealment hadn't yet reached the level of the Ravine.

• Independent Action: B

His intense faith and powerful individuality given form. Under the oppression of rival sects, his last remaining option was to create an opposing sect of his own.

• Angelic Body: A

The super upgrade of Natural Body. An Ultra Skill combining Battle Continuation, High-Speed Incantation, and Mind's Eye… He'll eventually lose this Skill by scraping out his own body.

• Thirty Birds: A

The company of Simurg, the spiritual bird. Grants immortality, revelation, and kingship to one target. Adding attributes to himself does nothing, but the other effects of this Skill empower and accelerate his body and mind.

• Zaqqum Tree: EX

The tree of the sinners, planted in Hell. By spilling what is used to quench the thirst of all sinners in Hell—all the suffering of the living world condensed in a single droplet—he can see the fear of the sinners in the faces of his opponents.

Bond 5

Malak al-Mawt (Angel of the Evening Bell)

• Rank: C
• Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm
• Range: 1-20
• Max. targets: 10 people

Another name for Azrael (Death Angel). Azrael is the angel who announces deaths, and its tall and large body is formless. It has countless eyes and tongues, alleged to be the precise amount of living human beings. In other words, the Angel is a mechanism that monitors the deaths of every human, and each eye closing is one life lost.

This is the supreme sword-based assassination practiced by the accountant crowned with the angel's name. It's said that after stepping into the borders of Hell through meditation, the accountant defeated the 19 Zabaniyya angels with this strike, and later taught the techniques of the angels to his disciples.

Bond 5

Si Zabaniya (30 and 19 Deaths)

• Rank: EX
• Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm
• Range: 0-99
• Max. targets: 30 people

The sacred doctrine, the guide he reveres, and the world he is meant to protect were all imperfect. Even the most noble-minded and physically gifted man can't reach the ideal the prophet described. Because being human produces and enables evil by default. The man with the body of an angel was no exception. All his years of training and experience only brought him further from the ideal he sought. At the depths of his despair, the man found the answer: he wasn't born with everything. Everything he was born with was an excess. The man walked towards Hell once more. This time the journey was of his own volition, rather than induced by the incubus, and he never returned from its depths.

When he was scraping out his flesh, bones, and viscera, his husk became an embodiment of hell, and the abyss leading to the Kingdom of Heaven. Despite discovering the spiritual bird Simurg, he strayed from the path of glory and became the angel who punishes sinners.

His name is Pale Azrael. The man who attained the pinnacle of swordsmanship and dumped it in the pits of Hellfire.

Bond CE

The Sun Sets for the Eagle's Nest

While still a young missionary, the man heard the tale of a big city. Hearing this story, which would later be told among the 1001 nights, made his heart flutter inexplicably. That was unusual for him. The only dream he could call his own. But at the closing point of his memories, he couldn't be further from this narrative.

◆

It happened in 1124. He had a vision of the day the castle would be engulfed in flames and determined he would die that year.

Thinking back, his life was full of anguish. He had increasingly less time to live under the sun, less time to learn about the world, and less time to preach the doctrine.

But his time for prayer remained the same. His suffering, doubt, and inability to stop his walk were the ultimate products of his faith, and the recompense for the life he lived.

The sun set. A beautiful red dusk illuminated the desert and fortress. In 100 years from then, Castle Alamut, the Eagle's Nest, would fall much like Karbala once did. That would be the point where human history stops chronicling the Order.

However, the legend of the Old Man of the Mountain persisted past it. Much like the story of the city full of laughter, which one man stopped to listen to for no real reason.

The legend was passed from people to people, and grew into a story.

This document, hereby made public for the first time, is a key lore file and synopsis written by Nasu Kinoko when first proposing Fate/Grand Order for production.
All contents written in this manuscript belong exclusively to 2014's alpha blueprint.

Key lore

• World design

AD 2015.
The last era where magecraft is still functional.
Society was built by human hands, but the mages monopolized the knowledge of the world's truths.
Magecraft governed the capabilities of past humans, which science is unable to decipher; while science built up towards the capabilities of future mankind, which magecraft will never be able to achieve.
They were wholly incompatible fields of study, but in one particular aspect, they aimed for a common goal.
Both magecraft and science seek to bring longer prosperity to the humanity advancing its studies—in other words, they're guardians of history.

Human Continuation and Security Organization //Maybe Human Order Continuation and Security Organization would sound more professional?

A special agency founded to observe the world that magecraft alone can't see and science alone can't measure, and prevent definitive bad endings (extinction) for mankind.
Designed for the mission of making human history outlast everything, it indiscriminately gathered researchers of magecraft and science alike.

AD 1950: LAPLACE, the Event-Recording Cyberdemons are successfully generated.

AD 1990: ??????, the Simulated Global Environment Model is completed.

AD 1999: SHEBA, the Near-Future Observation Lenses are completed.

AD 2004: FATE, the Guardian Heroic Spirit Summon System is completed.

AD 2015: TRISMEGISTUS, the Spiritron Computer is completed.

After a sequence of glorious successes, the HCSO proved history was safe for the next 100 years.
But then came April 2015.
With no previous warning, SHEBA lost its read on the future domain it was observing.
The calculations revealed—or rather, proved conclusively— that mankind would go extinct on December 2015.

Why? How? By who? To what end?
The HCSO researchers were flooded with questions.
Meanwhile, SHEBA observed a new irregularity.
AD 2004, a provincial city in Japan.
That place was the first ever unobservable domain.
The HCSO theorized this to be the cause of human extinction and decided to carry out the Sixth Experiment, which was still on test stages.
It entailed time travelling to the past.
A forbidden ritual where the practitioner gets converted into spiritrons and sent to the past, where they can locate time singularities to unravel or destroy.
The name for this ritual is Grand Order: Holy Grail Questing.

Grand Orders are a general term for all those who battle against fate and confront history to protect mankind.

LAPLACE
Exploiting the fact that magical energy can be sent to the past, it casts spells from the present in the past, spawning familiars that record all events in an area. After one year of activity, the familiars shut down and crystallize. By collecting the crystals in the modern age, it becomes possible to verify past events.
However, the longer it has been since the Laplaces crystallized, the more likely it is that the crystals got damaged, which demands that the summoner creates more potent familiars. As far as it's currently known, none of the Laplaces sent to the BC era survived until the present era.

Earth Model
A simulated Earth created by a spell that reads all of Earth's data past and present, extracted from Planet Earth itself. Its state can be set to a short-range estimation of the future, reaching up to 100 years ahead. You'd expect it to take the appearance of a miniature Earth, but nope, it looks like a planet of pitch black darkness. Unfortunately, human senses turned out to be unable to peer into this Earth.

SHEBA
A special kit of lenses made to peer into the Earth Model.
Although they can't be used to glean detailed information on the future, they do enable a good read on the level of civilization progress on any specific region.
While the results weren't the exactly what was intended, they serve as evidence that mankind is still alive 100 years later.

TRISMEGISTUS
A spiritron PC completed with tech provided by the Atlas Institute. Read Fate/EXTRA Material for more details.
It's possible to affect the past by using the TRISMEGISTUS to prove that a Master "exists" in the past.

Portrayal of Heroic Spirits

Generally follows the same standards as their portrayal in Fate/stay night.
The near-future setting share a lot of its visual identity with /EXTRA, but /EXTRA is secondary to the franchise, so no need to stick to "Heroic Spirits replicated as data" in other, unrelated spin-off titles.

• Servant status

Heroic Spirits will appear under one of the conditions below. More options may be invented later.

A: Heroic Spirits already existing in Servant form by the start of the game. Can be summoned from the game's Summon menu.
B: Heroic Spirits that turn into Servants when defeated. They will appear as enemies in each story chapter and switch status to A when defeated. Consider them Servants placed under a lock due the villains tampering with history.
C: Heroic Spirits you can't make into a Servant even when you defeat them. Bosses.

• On the depiction of Noble Phantasms

If possible, I want Noble Phantasms to come locked, until they're obtained by advancing the character-specific episodes or the main story.
Of course, I have nothing against some few Servants starting with their Noble Phantasm already usable.

Diving into the past

The Master subjected to the Grand Order experiment (the player character) will send their consciousness/soul to past eras with back up from the spiritron calculator, and there the Master will materialize and throw themselves into the heat of several battles.
Servants will perceive their contracted Master as "the present".
When a Servant mentions "the future", they'll be referring to ages that come after the player character's.

TRISMEGISTUS, the Spiritron Computer

The successor to HERMES, the Pseudo-Spiritron Calculator allegedly located in the Atlas Institute.
Since this one lacks the "Pseudo-" label, it's also able to send and recalculate souls into the real world instead of being limited to the cyberworld.
Spiritron sounds like a term for particles in physics, but don't think too hard about it. It's a spiritron computer devised through magecraft concepts, and that's all you need to know about it.
During Grand Orders, we use the functions of the TRISMEGISTUS to intervene with the past in several ways. (CHALDEAS is not actually necessary for rayshifting. This will turn out to be very important.)

Grail shards: Gifts

The objective of every chapter in Grand Order.
As the game progresses, Grail shards will be launched/sent into each chapter's respective era, establishing it as an isolated domain, removed from its past and future.
This is what is derailing history.
By collecting this Grail shards, the HCSO and the players are hoping to set history back to normal.

Grail shards: Navigator

The Grail shard belonging to the player character's faction.
The lore mechanic I'm currently mulling over is the idea that the player character can safely warp to the past because they have a Grail shard of their own.
Either they'll have a Grail shard implanted as a cyborg part, or they'll be accompanied by a Grail fairy (Navi).
The point is that Holy Grails are drawn to each other.

Beasts

The 8th class in the Servant System. The beasts.
Evils of Humanity. A term for those who aim for human extinction.
The seven Heroic Spirits from the original Servant System are summoned to defeat those Beasts. They're humanity's Counter Guardians, and the intended function of the system is for all seven to purge the Evil of Humanity, not for them to fight to the dead in a battle royale.
(Under these terms, Gaia's Counter Guardians can also count as Beasts.)
Since being above mankind's league is a prerequisite, they're crazy powerful by default.
Beasts come in three types:

A: Those who doom humanity out of hatred/disavowal (Twice, Konjiki Hakumen).
B: Those who doom humanity out of affection/endorsement (Kiara, Mother Harlot).
C: Those whose regular activities indirectly lead to human extinction. Includes emissaries from outer space. (The Angra Mainyu born from Holy Grail, ORT)

If we eventually run multiple campaigns, we'll alternate between all the Beast types.

Synopsis

AD 2015.
The HCSO, using the Earth Model to observe Earth's future, confirmed the collapse of history from 2016 onward.
The promised future, which until yesterday existed up to the year 2115, suddenly vanished without warning.
To elucidate the cause, the HCSO promoted a youth chosen by the Spiritron Computer TRISMEGISTUS to Master and sent them to the era speculated to be the cause of history's disappearance.
//…I still need to rework this part to feel more like Fate/

The overarching storyline will be on the simpler side.

You visit each of the eras causing the disappearance of history (the Grail Wars), apprehend the boss and Grail shard derailing them, then defeat the root cause of it all: Solomon and his Master, who reside in the year 500BC.

1] Initial gameplay tutorials, setting exposition, and terminology/Servants exposition.
All the core information Fate/stay night established about Servants will be delivered in the tutorial stage: Fuyuki, Flame Contaminated City.
→ The big reveal is that the plot is being caused by Grail shards.

2] First half of the mission to collect Grail Shards. Chapters 2-4.
Will include 2 or 3 Grail Wars.
The appeal will be centered on the combat gameplay, while in the background there will be

• Foreshadowing to the presence of a big bad behind all the bosses.
• Exposition on the inner workings of the HCSO, including a conversation about the difficulty to warp to BC eras.

Bonus Chapter] Japan. A mini-map always available as challenge stage.
Every era of Japan is a Quarantine Zone with the highest To Be Avoided label.
Japan is where the biggest Grail shard signals have been detected, but no one can enter thanks to an unidentified Monster known as the Celestial Demon.

3] The finale of the first half. Solomon's debut.
Solomon, the commander-in-chief of the enemy faction debuts and suffers his (first) defeat.
Will say something to the effect of "Extinguishing mankind was my idea".
This is the point where it will become explicit that this is a battle between a Master from 2015 and a Master from 500BC.
The player comes from the future to repair the past, while the villain faction comes from the past to reform the future.

Bonus Chapter] Japan again.
Upon visiting Japan after fulfilling all the necessary conditions (one of them being gathering enough Servants with Buddhist powers), the Celestial Demon will lose her armor, revealing her identity.
Defeating and recruiting the great swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi to your Servant roster is what will enable diving to the mythological times.

• This is where you get the info on Beast, the 8th class.

4] Second half of the mission to collect Grail Shards. Chapters 5-7.
Now we have over-the-top battles in the mythological times.
As you enjoy the gameplay, you'll get

• exposition on the original Servant System. It was established to defeat Beasts.
• relationship development between Solomon and his Master. The two are envisioning slightly different futures.

5] Finale.
The final clash against Solomon (the mastermind). You prevent the mastermind's Genesis Light Year plan, and credits roll.
→ If you think this twist lacks punch, see Final Boss Option B (the Bleaching).

Final boss options

A:
Mage King Solomon's repudiation of mankind.
The old HCSO researchers sending Laplaces to the BC era caused Solomon to find out about the future, and be enraged at the facts that magecraft died out and humanity became the prime species.
After steeling his heart with feelings about the inevitability of their demise, he broke the Holy Grail into pieces and derailed history, all in attempt to change the future.
The launch of LAPLACE made it impossible for Solomon to alter the results of history up to 2015, thus, he resorted to turning the Holy Grail into singularities to derail history. Something to that effect.

B:
Solomon's salvation of mankind.
The big twist is that only Solomon knew the truth about the discontinuation of history post-2016.
The culprit is the Earth Model created by the HCSO.
The Earth Model is a God Egg made by compiling data from Earth. Humanity's malice is among the things cultivated inside it, and the unfortunate consequence of that is that the egg would eventually hatch into an Evil of Humanity.
Solomon attempted to derail history and exterminate the HCSO in order to destroy the Earth Model.
If this option is chosen, the boss battle will be against the Beast born from the Earth Model.
…Using the Earth Model as the final boss would spell the end of the game's core narrative mechanics, so consider this one the Hail Mary option to end the game's service.

Game presentation

• Pretentious lettering for location or stage names

I wouldn't blame you for finding this trope horrendously stale, but I still believe in the power of needlessly elaborate stage names. For Stage 1, we'll turn "Japan, 2004, Fuyuki" into something like "Fuyuki, Flame Contaminated City".

Best Girl Musashi

As soon as you start the game, you can pick Japan on the map and meet Musashi.
While in her Celestial Demon form (before you clear her flags), she'll be depicted as an unbeatable boss that shows up whenever you go to Japan.
As for her appearance, the only thing you can see is this wild blaze of pitch-black flames, and five fangs whirling at the center of the fire.
The five fangs form a twister by wobbling chaotically like the teeth from the God Warriors in Nausicaä. It will also somewhat resemble the belly of Bemstar, the space monster from Ultraman.
The center point of the five fangs will fire spiral beams that can one-shot most characters.
The five fangs are actually five swords. They come from Musashi's Noble Phantasm, Book of Five Rings. The so-called spiral beam, too, upon closer inspection turns out to be just Arms of Musashi, a pack of countless swords being fired together. What makes it dangerous is that each hit packs the punch of an Excalibur swipe.
Musashi was turned into the Celestial Demon due to Grail shards that were shoved inside her body.
With the help of a virtuous monk and an obnoxious old sword saint who actually needs no Grail to be able to bisect the Celestial Demon in a single slash but would rather not try his luck (I'm thinking Bokuden, but there are other options), you can enclose Japan in the Boundary that makes her beatable.
The Bounded Field's name will be Grand Anti-Celestial Demon Anti-Swordmaster Bounded Field／Ganryuujima.
//Dropping the name Ganryuujima here will be the big clue that lets the player find out the creature was Musashi.
With Ganryuujima in effect, the black flames are extinguished from the Celestial Demon, revealing Musashi's body. She looks like a five-armed critter. As gross as Master Jugei from Kekkai Sensen. Several parts of her body have holes from which you can see the universe inside.
If you somehow manage to defeat her, her ugly body splits in two, revealing our two-armed buddy Musashi, a gorgeous swordswoman soon be smitten with the player character, as she wields two swords to swing both ways.

1. Tell us the nicest thing that happened so far in your tenure producing FGO.

Haga Keita: I started composing the game's soundtrack in 2014, and now, after 2025 saw Part 2's conclusion, I'm still at it. I believe what's most worth celebrating is the Masters and teammates who blessed me with the ability to accomplish that. 

Kanou Yoshiki: When I got Part 2's Final Chapter fully out and read the player reviews. It got me feeling the length of these 8 years.

Higashide Yuuichirou: Nothing beats the joy of a max-effort story or character being well-received. Seeing a story I wrote still being appreciated and commented years later is a pleasure beyond what words can describe.

Sakurai Hikaru: Seeing that the stories and character I created remain loved for so long is more than I could ever hope for.

Minase Hazuki: The more I think about it, the more I feel this has to be the answer… The fact FGO lasted 10 years…

Hoshizora Meteor: The list gets long, but I'll go with achieving my long-standing dream of releasing a Finnish Servant.

2. What was the biggest surprise?

Haga Keita: My honest answer would be how successful the project turned out to be, but I'm always surprised at each new character and story update, and at myself for having survived this schedule for this long.

Kanou Yoshiki: The response I got to the casual question I posed at the stage of the 10th Anniversary's FGO Fest 2025 went way beyond anything I imagined. My whole body got numb, and I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

Higashide Yuuichirou: Answer 1: The Lord Logres reveal reminded me that I had already seen her prototype in a meeting over a decade ago… Answer 2: In 2015, 3 days after the game launched, I received an overjoyed message, amazed at how things were progressing. My reply to this text was "It pains me to tell this, but people online discovered a game-breaking bug…"  

Sakurai Hikaru: The effort the devs consistently put into fulfilling the needs of the narrative. I feel that this level of energy is downright unrealistic for a production this big, and should get all the respect and awe such a miracle deserves.

Minase Hazuki: The list gets long, but for a recent example, Indra's Noble Phantasm animation turned out 100 times cooler than I imagined, and that was I surprise I got to share in real time with everyone watching the stream (because I had only seen the storyboards back when we were recording his voice).

Hoshizora Meteor: It was a shock to see how the full-page newspaper ads from Under/Over the Same Sky linked the game to reality.

3. Tells us what's the one special point you believe deserves the most attention.

Haga Keita: Elements of several songs are referenced in other songs, and the new elements they create later come to be referenced in newer songs. I hope people can enjoy this evolution process and the meanings that can be derived from it.

Kanou Yoshiki: You know it. The story told over the course of 10 years.

Higashide Yuuichirou: The astounding, nigh impossible lack of standardization in the game's production. Every contribution is personalized to an extent that any single person's absence could have thrown everything off. Imagine the final battle of Demon Slayer for a good idea of how much every single person mattered.

Sakurai Hikaru: The aggregation of talents from all fields of art.

Minase Hazuki: While that's not something I do consciously or intentionally, my coworkers often tell I pour my whole soul into writing personalities for my weird old men. Is that true? I can't tell.

Hoshizora Meteor: My amazement and gratitude for all the love that goes into the battle animations never diminishes with time.

4. Tells what was your most memorable interaction with Nasu or Takeuchi.

Haga Keita: I talk to them basically every day, so to me, that's something too normal for anything to stick out, but I will say that I've always been propped up by their artistic sense and their attitude of always questioning "why is this necessary?" and "can't it be done any other way?" instead of blindly accepting what they receive.

Kanou Yoshiki: Their thank-you speech after we concluded Lostbelt 6. That was one of my proudest accomplishments.

Higashide Yuuichirou: One day I said "I wrote the script! Sucks that my stories don't feel hype to read because I already know all the spoilers.", then next I checked, my script got an extra scene added and I gained a free Grail. "I wanted to surprise you", he said. What a… whimsical man…

Sakurai Hikaru: I'll never forget the moment Nasu reviewed my Ordeal Call text file and called it a masterpiece.

Minase Hazuki: Things happened after the Mahoyo collab, which necessitated that I read the characterization documents for the Mahoyo cast. They contained information regarding what happens in the Mahoyo sequels, and I willed so hard to delete that from my memories that I actually did it. As such, I don't remember a thing. I swear!

Hoshizora Meteor: Nasu really pushed forward with his demand to take the entire writer team to a research trip to Las Vegas during high EVO season. It's a shame his nagging got refused, but it was funny nonetheless.

1. We got see so many timelines, Lostbelts, and Singularities in this journey so far, but I still couldn't get a good grasp on the ratio between timelines the world prunes and timelines the world doesn't. Can you give an estimate?

Nasu: About 8:2. Since this subject is a competition for survival at its core, it's only natural that the survivors (aka the timelines not pruned) are the minority. Goes to show the extent of the forces compelling us into action.

Takeuchi: Mere six months ago, I said we were all going to take the vacations of our lives after we were done with Part 2. Why is it then that I'm busier this year than I was in the year of 10th Anniversary + Final Chapter? Is our Pan-Human History defective?

Nasu: So horrendously defective that my bedroom has gone Silent Hill.

2. Who are your favorite Summer Servants?

Nasu: Considering how every Summer Servant represents, by default, the what-if world that embodies their individual ideas of fun and joy, and the drive to fully embrace and enjoy this alternate scenario, I'd have to say they're all my favorite, but if I'm asked who does it best, it'd be Summer Abigail. She disregards every possible rule.

Takeuchi: Hmmm, not counting my own Servants, prolly Summer BB. She isn't exactly a favorite, but she was incredibly fun to produce. For the male costumes, my man is Tezca.

3. You call Kishinami Hakuno the third-prettiest girl in class, but where do the girl protagonist and Mash rank in the beauty scale?

Nasu: If we're going to rank classmates, she'd go first place on "girl with the most amount of friends in class". Which has nothing to do with being popular or attracting attention.

Takeuchi: Think about your question for a moment. Can't you tell it's something everyone can have a different answer in their hearts? It would be uncouth to say anything here.

4. Tell us of any memorable interactions you had when commissioning a design to an illustrator for one of the many Servants playable in FGO.

Nasu: Oberon.

Takeuchi: I have many unforgettable experiences, be it of the artist reading my mind and delivering a 1000000000/10 design on the first try, or of us brainstorming together to form something usable. I guess my best examples for the 1000000000/10 design in the first try would be Merlin and Ashiya Douman.

Nasu: Oberon.

Takeuchi: True, Oberon. Wait, not really. I just remembered Oberon was a 1000000000/10 Umino produced after subjecting herself to a grueling research process. Actually, did you notice the question is asking about interactions with the artists?

Nasu: Oberon.

Takeuchi: …We might need to throw this guy away. Oberon fried his brain…

5. From what I can tell, CHALDEAS-Earth perished because its whole civilization grew dependent on Olga-Marie's Magic Circuits. Was there any chance or trick to avoid their doom at the state they were?

Nasu: Unfortunately, no. If mankind got to the point where they spent almost a century dependent on a reproducible form of infrastructure that enables to them to sustain ideal living conditions without requiring any effort from them, the collapse of this infrastructure always means the collapse of civilization.

Takeuchi: Huh. Ok… I have my fair share of issues with those people… But let it be known that I pity them for how they ended.

6. The amount of voice lines a Servant gets (including Ascensions, bonds, Valentine's scenes, and more) ballooned immensely from the nothingburgers we used to have back at launch. When did it come to your attention that everyone wanted them to talk more, and what flipped that switch?

Nasu: We got to the point where we were allowed to take longer to produce each individual Servant, and the volume increase was a natural consequence of that.

Takeuchi: This answer doesn't apply just to the voice lines. We spent 10 years constantly trying to make the dialogue, attack animations, and NP cutscenes better than they were before, and without this continued effort, we wouldn't have reached this sweetspot in amount of content.

Nasu: I love to see the quality floor increasing, but this train doesn't have a reverse gear… We're never returning to the previous stations… Forgive me…

7. Tell us the happiest and most unexpected things that happened in this 10-year marathon with FGO.

Nasu: The happiest thing that happened was concluding Final Chapter. The most unexpected thing was taking 10 years to get there.

Takeuchi: I could list one happiest thing for each year, but now that we wrapped up Final Chapter, no joy compares to having five whole Sakamoto Maaya songs dedicated to us. The most unexpected part was all that immense revolt and backlash we got at launch. I want to believe we'll never experience a greater mayhem than that.

8. ORT proved himself strong beyond belief in Nahui Mictlan. What's the technological level mankind will need to be able to oppose him unaided? I remember a mention of humanity being response-ready 100 years in the future…

Nasu: There's no need to defeat ORT… Actually, no operation taking his defeat as the mission statement will ever succeed. If you settle for an objective of sealing or expelling him, you can get mission complete by polluting Earth's environment to the maximum level. The 21st century's technology is already perfectly capable of doing that, so from there is just a matter of intensity, scale, and funding.

Takeuchi: A scorched earth operation taking the planet as the scapegoat. Then our trusty ORT evolves to keep up the fight. Her Highness won't let that slide.

9. Did the Sirius Lights have any hidden purpose and significance beyond just being bombs Marisbury implanted in the Crypters?

Nasu: Not really. The energy of the history-destroying bomb can be converted into magical energy, but that's about it.

Takeuchi: Well… They have a cool design… For whatever it's worth, the symbol of the Chaldea Gate is themed after them.

10. I cry every time I listen to Maaya Sakamoto's Tokei. Tell us your favorite parts of the song!

Nasu: It's a song with a slow start building up to high emotions, making it feel like part of the listener's life. That's my favorite part. It feels like a song that sits on a couch with you, joins you for a walk, and such.

Takeuchi: There are a lot of relatable lines in the lyrics. Also, for better or for worse, FGO has the same analog, handcrafted feel of a gear clock in a fully digital age, so I was overjoyed to learn that the ending theme would be called Tokei, meaning clock.

11. What was the living hell Mash found in Tokyo Station? A person? The architecture? The heat?

Nasu: The architecture. She would never get where she wanted to! It was also very hot.

Takeuchi: On the topic of labyrinthine train stations, Shibuya and Shibuya are veritable Hell Cities. Not to mention it's very hot there.

12. What's your go-to example for a plot, event or otherwise, where you couldn't believe what the writer was doing?

Nasu: I've mentioned this one a million times already, but it's the low-rent dorm setting and the mahjong from OC4. In terms of characters, it's Matsunaga Danjou.

Takeuchi: When Nasu told me that the chapter map for SE.RA.PH was going to be the white body of a woman sinking into the abyss, my jaw dropped to the floor with how hard the idea was crashing my brain.

Nasu: That was the silhouette of a blindfolded woman, leading you into thinking "Meh, it's just BB up to her usual antics. But wait, something is off about this presentation?", until you learn the truth and break down laughing. "Oh yeah, she would do that."

Takeuchi: An unorthodox idea, but one derived from a naturally enlightened mind.

13. Who would win a free-for-all between all Lizes? You can make the answer as dumb as you would if a silly kid asked you who stronger between Okita and Nobbu.

Nasu: The battle would have the length of a 5-season foreign TV series with a cliffhanger twist every episode, but the one still standing on the stage at the end of it would be Liz.

Takeuchi: Yeah, but which Liz?

Nasu: I just said above. The first Liz of them all.

14. Last year's summer revealed the Grand Servants for many staff members, but only for the Grand classes already revealed back at the time of publication. I'd like an update on the Grand roster for you two.

Nasu: The road to getting all Grands to 120 spreads long ahead…

• Saber: Lord Logres
• Archer: Barghest
• Lancer: Ereshkigal
• Rider: Nemo
• Caster: Nero Claudius
• Assassin: First Hassan
• Berserker: Arthuria Caster
• Extra I: Olga-Marie
• Extra II: Mysterious Executor C.I.E.L.

Takeuchi: My lineup is honestly not that amusing…

• Saber: Arthuria
• Archer: Gil
• Lancer: Valkyrie
• Rider: Maidthuria
• Caster: Arthuria Caster
• Assassin: Tezcatlipoca
• Berserker: Kintoki
• Extra I: Mash
• Extra II: Oberon

15. The amount of Saberfaces skyrocketed in these 10 years of FGO. Who do you two consider the best Arthuria?

Takeuchi: I've been quiet about this slander for long enough. Being similar is not enough to count as a Saberface. Regardless, Saber is the best. That much is obvious.

Nasu: I'm always flip-flopping between the Arthuria of Light (Saber) and the Arthuria of Violence (ArCas). Regardless, Xalter (Idol) has the best Skill voices.

16. Chaldea's staff doesn't seem to have many magelike mages, as exemplified by Toosaka Tokiomi. Is there a reason for that?

Nasu: Because they're people who considered defending mankind's future as a priority above their mage teachings and history. For the most part, Marisbury would go after mages he considered fit for a task, and those moved by his proposal gathered together.

Takeuchi: You know, after all he pulled off, the way Marisbury is so normal and reasonable in most situations really ticks me off.

Nasu: Well, there's also the people who wanted distance from the muck of society, the people who wanted to tinker with cutting edge tech without any friends or family to interrupt them, the people who wanted real world experience, and other kinds. After all, the Chaldea base is a place the eyes of the Mage's Association doesn't reach…

17. The protagonist's poison resistance is credited to their contract with Mash, but does contracting Mash have any other effects? Better yet, does the poison resistance actually come from Mash?

Nasu: The poison resistance is an ability belonging to Galahad, the Knight of the Holy Grail. His contractor is protected from impurities. Mash (Galahad) herself doesn't have any advantages against poison (she does have her own considerable level of poison resistance, however).

Takeuchi: They didn't develop a resistance by microdosing on poison every day or anything like that.

Nasu: Yeah, only us players do that.

18. What are your favorite legends and mythologies, unrelated to plots and Servants in FGO?

Nasu: I never ranked mythologies before.

Takeuchi: Yokoyama Mitsuteru's adaptation of The Records of the Great Historian is an absolute masterpiece, a must-read for every human being alive.

Nasu: What? Mythology manga counts!? In that case, the myth that impressed me the most lately is Touge Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times.

19. Please tell me your favorite Servant that you didn't personally create.

Nasu: Kyokutei Bakin and Kashin Koji have amazingly unique Servant designs, and on top of that, their battle dialogue have the most sweetly theatrical phrasing and delivery.

Takeuchi: In terms of design, I believe nothing beats the perfection of Arthuria Caster's Ascension 3.

Nasu: Read again. The question said it can't be someone you drew. Has your brain gone Avalon?

Takeuchi: Huh? Did I mess another one up?

20. The eyes of Takeuchi's recent characters have gotten bigger and, uh, softer (?) than what they used to be before FGO started, in my opinion. Did Mash gaining her humanity cause the art style to change?

Nasu: Wait, really? Did he regain his heart (love for non-Arthurias)?

Takeuchi: Says the most heartless man in the gaming industry. The eyes look different because I grew an interest in letting my characters wear makeup.

Nasu: Oh, wow, fun, I had no idea… Anyway, thank you for always fulfilling my crazy requests for every event, like "I want new Mash sprites. It would be weird for her to work at Enma-tei with her normal clothes", "I want a sprite of Mash reading out of a script", or "I want a sprite for Mash surprised after she (bleep)s a (bleep)". There will be more.

21. Tell us each Crypter's cooking specialty.

Nasu: I'll keep their specialties a secret, but as general commentary on their cooking:

• Kadoc: Nitpicky about stews.
• Ophelia: Knows her recipes well, but is mediocre at the practical side of cooking. However, she is good at baking confectioneries.
• Akuta: Leaves the cooking to the humans.
• Pepe: Expert in all genres of outdoors cooking.
• Kirschtaria: Insanely opinionated about bread.
• Beryl: Beef cook.
• Daybit: Doesn't cook. His favorites are hot dogs and burgers.

22. In these 10 years of FGO, how much of the main story was according to plan and how much was improvised? When was the ending of Final Chapter conceptualized?

Nasu: We had an established skeleton for it all, but whenever the plot progressed, from the end of part 1 to the end of EoR to the halfway point of part 2, we progressively got more meat on each bone. But specifically for the final battle of part 2, I had a concrete vision of what I wanted back when part 1 finished, so the rest all felt like rowing the boat with my life on the line to reach that final battle.

Takeuchi: The contents of Final Chapter were shared with me when we began part 2, and while I felt elated and obligated to actualize that vision, I also felt guilty over the face something else would inevitably have to exist in its place instead. I was very dazed throughout Final Chapter's production, never knowing how things would fall into place, but once I read the last text file, reaching that sunny day at the Tokyo Station, I had the finish line in sight… It managed to sink down all my doubts.

Nasu: Down to the last second, I was still considering a less optimistic ending, but the idea that a more traditional conclusion was better fit for a ten-year-long adventure shook off my doubts, taking us to that conclusion. One thing I'm coming to learn with my age is that the question of "How to make something unique out of a plot that has been done to death?" is the most tried-and-true part of a traditional plot structure.

At the time of Heretical Salem released, the Fate/ series had yet to tackle the Cthulhu Mythos in length and detail. Back then, it was quite a shock to see this as the first title covering it.

Meteo: True. It was a very nerve-wrecking chapter to write, as it had me constantly thinking about how Morise Ryou was going to slap me silly if I got anything wrong (laughs).

Ok, clarification for the readers here: as you might know, I, Morise Ryou, work in Fate/Grand Order assisting with character and lore research. However, 99% of the time, I'm not touching the Lovecraftian cast.

Meteo: Oh, right, they wouldn't know that (laughs).

Due to these circumstances, I've always been meaning to ask you about it. Meteo, where did the idea of making FGO's then-latest story chapter about Cthulhu Mythos and Salem's Witch Trials come from?

Meteo: Right. My chapter happened to be the finale for Epic of Remnant, the collection of stories made to serve as a bridge between parts 1 and 2, thus there was a wish for it to deliver a surprise at the gameplay level, with the specific request I received being to center the story around the debut of the Foreigner class. Back then, Cthulhu still wasn't a part of the picture. Nasu's commission instructions only said that there was an outer universe different from ours, and that unidentifiable figures from it could descend into our plane of reality, with his intention being for the Foreigner class to serve as a catch-all class for those figures. I still couldn't get a clear picture of what he meant by that, and felt that the players would have an equally difficult time grasping the concept of the class, so I proposed using the Cthulhu Mythos. The problem here is that if their inclusion to the FGO world was faithful to their source material, that would make them literal entities on a universal scale, too far above the standards we work with. My solution to that was having a layer of separation between us and them: a format where they can only watch us from outer space and attempt to interact by manipulating characters from our history.

Salem, MA and the witch trials held there are deeply involved in Lovecraft's mythopoeia. Were the land's ties to Cthulhu Mythos your reason to choose that region?

Meteo: No, the location was chosen first. I happened to have a previous interest in witches and the history of American colonization. While researching the history of the Founding Fathers, I took a personal trip to the location. Going there, I wasn't planning to write any narrative about it, but I came out of it wanting to immortalize my discoveries there in story format. I was informed that in EoR, the writers would get to choose the setting for their chapters, so requested to write the Salem witch trials. In 2014, I rented an apartment in New York for a month and half, and used that as my home base to explore the whole East Coast for research material. Initially, I had reserved 4 days of my time there for Massachusetts, but after touring through Boston and Plymouth, I quickly ran out of time. But there was no telling when I'd be able to visit the US again, so on my last two days before returning to Japan, I rushed to the Amtrak overnight bus and fulfilled my dream of going to Salem. I got to visit the famous Witch House and the House of Seven Gables (two museums in Salem, the former being the inspiration for Lovecraft's The Dreams in the Witch House, and the latter for Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables). Their architecture and decoration were the models for FGO's environments. It happened to be Halloween on the day of my visit, so the whole city had this grotesque ornamentation. I had none of Japan's cutesy Halloween imagery. It was all scary and gross. Some of the houses I found were decorated with giant cockroach dolls, slices of human bodies, etc.

I've also been there before. They go so hard with the touristic theming.

Meteo: It's baffling. While I do think they go overboard, at the same time, I think this way of making something more lighthearted and arguably positive out of such a somber subject says a lot about the American spirit. I see some elements of idolization of the tragic witches. With these ideas running on my mind, I visited the Witch Museum. There, they were doing a… dramatization? Not the right word. More like a reenactment with puppets. That was one of the most memorable parts of the experience, and I referenced it in Salem's storyline by including segments where the main party performs on theater.

Were there other elements based on your research trip?

Meteo: Let me see… There was this sailing ship docked at the port. The real life witch trials took place in Danvers (formerly Salem Village), which was not a port town, according to the maps. However, I considered the idea of the sea as an entrance to outer space, and the iconic sailors of the Cthulhu Mythos, to be pretty easy symbols to include, so I depicted Salem as a port town in the story. Another major source was The Crucible (1996 movie adapting Arthur Miller's homonymous play), which is set in Salem.

The House of the Seven Gables (left). A sailing ship docked at Salem's port (right). Photos by Hoshizora Meteor, 2014.

Let's bring the subject back to the game. Tells us what led you to choose Abigail Williams to be the Servant representing the witch trials.

Meteo: The Servants in FGO come in two forms: the characters requested by name and the characters proposed by their writers. She's an example of a character proposed by me. I believed Abigail Williams was the most obvious choice of main character for a witch trial narrative. When the promo video first aired on TV, quite a lot of people saw Kuroboshi Kouhaku-sensei's character design and immediately guessed her name. There were also theories about her being Lovecraft in a dress. Those really caught me off-guard. It hadn't occurred to me that this was a thing I could have done (laughs).

We also had a few fictional characters from Lovecraft's novels as NPC, such as Lavinia Whateley and Randolph Carter.

Meteo: I believed some things needed to be made explicit early on to convey the idea that this was a Cthulhu chapter. Emblematic of that is Carter, Lovecraft's self-insert character. In FGO's world lore, the Cthulhu Mythos and its associated collection of novels are unknown to the non-mage public. Lovecraft is a person who unquestionably existed in the past, but he's nothing more than a practically nameless ghostwriter. As far Lavinia, I borrowed her straight from her source novel for her deep involvement with the deity depicted in-story, so she could be the figure who provides the trigger for Abigail's awakening.

One of my favorite scenes in Heretical Salem is when Carter is scared of a cat. It's a really high-context character moment, because only the readers who know Carter is a cat lover in his novels would realize something was off with his behavior.

Meteo: It's an honor be hearing those words from Morise Ryou himself. My priority with my storytelling is to convey all the information that a player who never read a Lovecraft book would need to know… But they're not the whole audience. The Lovecraft fandom is there, and they will want something more. Thus, I mounted the script full of Cthulhu easter eggs for them to enjoy a fun little treasure hunt.

On that note, tell us about your first contact with the Cthulhu Mythos.

Meteo: It were the TRPGs for me. They were trending in my middle school days, and I got as addicted to them as any otaku my age was. The first one I played was Dungeons & Dragons, and right when I was feeling ready to try out another one, Hobby Japan released Call of Cthulhu. I spent my whole time there as a regular player, with a friend being the game master, but with how different its lore felt from D&D, I never felt like the world and its systems made sense. Why didn't my character ever get stronger? Why was it mandatory to be afraid? But with enough time, I realized that role-playing wasn't just about rolling dice and beating monsters, it was about enjoying an ongoing situation in a different world and with different status. That was around when Yuuentai released Arisaka Jun's Twilight Angel campaign scenario. The one that came in a hidden link on Net Game 88. That game hooked me good. I consider it my biggest gateway. That was around the time the sci-fi and fantasy fandoms finally accepted the Cthulhu Mythos as mainstay genre of the otakusphere, and that also got me reading the novels published by Seishinsha and Kokushokankokai to catch up with the times.

Which would be your favorite titles?

Meteo: If anything, I tend to like the works of the adjacent writers more than anything written by Lovecraft himself. Stuff like Robert Bloch's Strange Eons or, getting even more distant from the source, Clark Ashton Smith's The Enchantress of Sylaire. As for Lovecraft… his prose wasn't the smoothest, so I found myself frequently losing the battle against sleep, only persevering in my readthroughs for the reward of making the TRPGs more enjoyable. Despite everything, some of the novels featuring Randolph Carter still managed to be memorable. That'd be The Silver Key and Through the Gates of the Silver Key. Really impressed me with the crazy twists he could pull off with a pair of interconnected stories. Another favorite of mine is Gotou Juan's ALICIA.Y. This one is an erotic manga rather than a novel, but it's as authentic Cthulhu Mythos as it gets. Seeing the old ingredients I knew being cooked up with such a different recipe really appealed to my glorification of freedom.

Did any of your previous works before Heretical Salem contain elements from the Cthulhu Mythos?

Meteo: Never as directly as this, but I wrote Kusarihime back in my Liar-Soft days, and I believe the reading experience had some impact there. We have that fear of the unknown going on there, which major spoilers, also turned out to be a cosmic entity.

Lastly, tell us what you believe to be the appeal of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Meteo: My favorite self-identified sci-fi writer is Philip K. Dick. I love the way he takes his time to build his worlds in the first half of the book, only to make it collapse under itself in the second half. Everything we believed about the world and its scope falls apart, completely shifting our perspective and leaving us lost, unsure of what will happen… There's something like that in the Cthulhu Mythos. The experience of losing track of reality and watching everything blur before your eyes is a huge element of it, in my opinion. The word madness doesn't do it justice. What was supposed to be frightening becomes enticing, and what was supposed to be horrifying starts looking beautiful. The stories change you on the inside, and that's their most powerful appeal. Another one is how they keep its relatable elements despite the cosmic scale. Be it in the fear of the unknown inherited from youkai tales, weird fantasy, and urban legends; or in the deeper exploration through sub-creation enabled by the shared universe. The TRPGs also enable you to experience these steps into the unknown firsthand. I consider that their main selling points.

Battle lines

	1st Ascension	2nd Ascension	3rd Ascension
Level Up 1	Hmph.	You paid your taxes sufficiently.	Hmph.
Level Up 2	Oh.	Good. Bring me more.	Is there any point to this?
Level Up 3	More.	What are raising my Saint Graph for?	I accept it.
Battle Start 1	The conquest is afoot.	I don't need to stain my own hands. Just shadows should suffice.	You bar my path? How tragic.
Battle Start 2	Why such haste to rot?	What is it now? Another plebeian insurrection?	This strife is meaningless. What drives your refusal to understand me?
Battle Start 3	Why rush to your deaths? Why deny the joys of age?	Temperamental cruds. Are you that fond of bloodshed?	You won't be recorded in history. Only vanish like vapor.
Battle Start 4	My name is Black Lion. The heart within it, I've long devoured.	Do whatever you want. I'll do it back to you.	We aren't here to kill one another. Only to close the doors on each other's histories.
Skill 1	Deliver me death.	The peasants are vermins.	This deserves no words.
Skill 2	Make thyself and thy blood part of the wasteland.	The nobles are also vermins.	Here is the guidepost to the divine.
Skill 3	Salvation is unneeded.	And me? I'm fodder to the vermins.	I am... still... me...?
Skill 4	Ah... Round Table! Sun!	I'll show you how fodder fights back.	Not yet... It is still further...
Skill 5	Hear the roar of the Black Lion!	Get away. Are you trying to get corrupted?	I am not yet fulfilled.
Skill 6	Here is where light comes to decay.	Sigh... What are you people trying to accomplish?	A tyrant? Fine by me.
Command Card 1	Hmph.	Hmph.	No objections.
Command Card 2	Idiotic idea.	Barely decent.	Fine.
Command Card 3	Passable, for thy standards.	Fine, whatever.	Understood.
NP Card 1	No dust or ash shall be left.	You want to defile the land? Don't blame me latter.	No storyteller remains.
NP Card 2	I cannot guarantee thy safety, Master.	Fine. I'm game.	Time fell to oblivion. This is our chance.
NP Card 3	No need to keep appearances, I see.	Sure, I'll trust you.	-
Attack 1	Let it fill thy heart and collapse under it.	Too much taxation? You should be thanking me for reliving you of responsibilities.	There is no hope in your verses.
Attack 2	Thou hath my permission to die.	That's the power of money! Tax money!	The story shan't continue.
Attack 3	Raise thy head.	I can't even bother acknowledging the stones thrown my way.	None will hear your screams.
Attack 4	Show thy face.	Watch out for stray fire.	The land tells no tales.
Attack 5	Be gouged.	Be pierced, and explode.	Tread your path, do nothing more.
Attack 6	Raid.	Hmph, this will hurt considerably.	Wail for me.
Attack 7	Lower thy head.	Hah! Can you keep up?	Salvation comes not for the dead.
Attack 8	Patch the roads.	Two can play your game. Him, not me, I mean.	The winds mock all.
Attack 9	Be frozen.	Have a fair and honorable... sneak attack.	Sing the gospels for me.
Attack 10	'Tis a show of loyalty.	What an insult.	Sing blessings for me.
Attack 11	Dispatch the orders.	A guillotine? No, thank you.	Your journey bears no purpose.
Attack 12	Explode.	An executioner? No, thank you.	Shed blood bears no meaning.
Attack 13	OH... GRAAAH!	Haha, dance for me, dance!	Life and death are cyclical.
Attack 14	Excellently done. Thou are granted permission to perish.	Accept this reward.	The blades grow rust.
Attack 15	Thou hath my permission. Lay all bare.	-	-
Extra Attack 1	Here is thy reward.	Fools! Your ilk deserves no land!!	Your lives shan't be recorded in history.
Extra Attack 2	Kindly accept thy gravestone.	I'll be collecting your land as a tax.	The story of your souls shall never be told.
Extra Attack 3	-	Land corruption. Take your time to savor it.	-
Noble Phantasm 1	The oracle reveals the Magna Carta is no more, leading all kings, citizens, and nobles down the pits of nihil. See the true face of tyranny! The kind which invokes foolishness and grants ye no land to kneel on.	The oracle reveals the Magna Carta is no more, leading all kings, citizens, and nobles down the pits of nihil. See the true face of tyranny! The kind which invokes foolishness and grants ye no land to kneel on.	Inversio Libertatis Oraculum. Beyond the ends of time, mankind will be freed from both the tyrants and the unwashed massed. Incinerated world, take this moment to simply be charcoal and write thy history.
Noble Phantasm 2	Even the eternal sunshine mayn't illuminate the lands vanished into nihil. Sink. Expire. Rot. Drown in the interstice between life and death, alongside the poems ye composed. Deeper, ever deeper.	What drives you to believe there is a tomorrow to the land trampled today? To believe light embraces you? There is no peace in the future! Not to you commoners! Not to me, the King! Not even to the gods!	Achievements, folly, miracles, and tragedies all vanished, dissolved into the past. Know that the borders between the heroes and the common nobodies will be locked in this scroll, later to be carved into the bodies of thousands of storytellers.
Noble Phantasm 3	I needn't make my statement. Ye will perish regardless.	Lackland? Sans Terre? You sure know how to run your mouths. I know perfectly well this is not what the names are supposed to mean, but what's more poetic than watching those who mock others suffering and dying from a pun like this?	Numerous tales are passed down through humanity's generations, polished, and adapted into truths tailor-made for new eras. Not unlike the work of God. Ah, sorry for this nonsensical rant. It will all be over.
Noble Phantasm 4	-	Did I hear you call me an imbecile? I am indeed. As such, the land will rot and hope will wither. You did nothing wrong, but you will die the most pointless death thanks to my foolishness! HAHAHA! SERVES YOU RIGHT! SERVERS YOU RIGHT!	-
Damage 1	Ngh- Mrrrrr...	What the... hell is... this absurd... attack...	Even I am to be shattered to dust?
Damage 2	Nn.	Nghah!	Kh.
Damage 3	Thou hast penetrated my defenses!?	No way... This can't be...	Futile resistance...
Damage 4	Nngh...	Cease this!	Nngh...
Defeat 1	Yes... Ye and I are the same. Bound to return to the shadows.	Hahah... What a pathetic ending. Laugh at me.	Forget not. Naught happened here but the end of my history.
Defeat 2	Not yet. I shan't sink yet. From the outset, I have been... Damn thee, damn thee!	I won't forget this pain. My vengeance will come. I promise.	Your journey will also go untold by the one who thwarts you.
Defeat 3	Who was it who destroyed me? The Lion King? Or the lion-hearted?	Sorry, Master. I'm leaving first.	I see. This is where I expire.
Defeat 4	-	Will I ever reach the same grounds as Richard?	-
Victory 1	Ye shall know no victory or defeat. There shan't be anyone alive to tell thy tales.	Oh, come on, buddy! I haven't even stepped off my throne.	What a pointless slaughter. None will speak of this history.
Victory 2	I haven't the time to rot. I shall only descend into nihil.	Tell me, how do you feel having lost to the king consider the worst in history?	I shall be the only one to remember your strength.
Victory 3	Soldiers. Citizens. Enemies. Kings. All equally subject to decay.	My job is done, Master. The rest is up to you.	-
Victory 4	-	There is nothing Richard can do that I cannot!	-

1st Ascension

John Lackland (Black Lion)	CV: Yamazaki Takehiko
Summon	Kh... Kehe... Hahahahaha... You try to make a pawn of even my Saint Graph, Chaldea? How greedy can ye get? Greedy, yes, but not foolish, for your greed is what allowed ye to outlive your enemies thus far... Fine, then. I am Avenger. Ye may call me simply Black Lion.
Bond 1	Enemies. Deliver me enemies.
Bond 2	Chaldea will be a declared enemy of the world. That is my reason to go to battle.
Bond 3	I have nothing to say thee.
Bond 4	Give me commands, and nothing more. Thy words dull my soul.
Bond 5	Open not thy mouth. I shall grind all thine enemies to dust.
My Room 1	Enemies. We go.
My Room 2	There is no master and no servant here. Only a standing venturer and a carcass.
My Room 3	About thee, Master? I'll kill thee eventually.
My Room 4 (Arthurs)	The King of the Round Table. Rally the march... Rally the march once more...
My Room 5 (Round Table except Gareth)	The Knights of the Round. I shall again teach them the meaning of conquest!
My Room 6 (Gareth)	Decayed porcelain, radiance made impure... Damn thee, Gareth, Gareth, GARETH!
My Room 7 (Richard)	The heart of a lion... Laughable. Thou art but a fool, consumed by thy sobriquet and dancing to the tune of the plebeians. The world shan't forget thine honors and thine atrocities.
Likes	What I find desirable? Fierce conquest.
Dislikes	What I loathe? The laws of the world.
Holy Grail	The Holy Grail... Once one reach mine hands once more, say thy final prayers.
Event	I hope I may ignore the ongoing event.
Birthday	Celebrate thy birth? Doth thou have the time to spare?

2nd Ascension

John Lackland (King John)	CV: Koichi Makoto
Ascension 1	What's with the expression? Is my face this amusing? Stop staring, unless you want to see yourself sentenced to dismemberment. Consider me a half-stranger to the Black Lion. What we have in common is being a failure of a king. His sins are likewise my sins.
Ascension 2	I'll stay in this Saint Graph a while more? I don't know why I'm a Heroic Spirit with multiple prime ages, but it must be an effect of the Holy Grail, considering the multiple Singularities I've been through. Leave the interpretation there up to your team.
Bond 1	You must know I'm Avenger. You Chaldeans are included among my targets. Do well never to leave your back exposed to me.
Bond 2 and 3rd Ascension unlocked	I possess many Saint Graphs, but I intend to stick to this one while in Chaldea. The Black Lion and the aged king are not the most talkative kinds. That said, give up all hopes of friendship.
Bond 3	You must be thinking of how different I am from my initial Saint Graph. The Black Lion is the symbol of my tyranny. As I stand now, I symbolize foolishness. Disappointed yet? It won't bother me. Although the lack of insults at my direction puzzles me.
Bond 4	Dogs often appear around me. Considering how often I went hunting in life, I can see their reason to follow me. I've seen their breed among Father's pets. It's a breed with more history than most assume. Although their size may have been adjusted in their summon to match modern standards.
Bond 4 + Id completion	Don't worry, Master. When you head for the final battle, I'll find my moment to leave the ship. Like the other Avengers, I'll leave a shadow behind in the Saint Graph register, so use it to your best capacity.
Bond 5	Aware of my past misdeeds, you remain ever intent on treating me like any other of your Servants. And here I believed you excelled at seeing through people's lies and flatteries. You're a hopeless case. I see you require a lesson from the worst king ever himself. I'll teach how to pathetically and disgracefully flounder your way out of a terrible situation.
Bond 5 + Id completion	My reason to align with the decision of the other Avengers? Don't ask for detail. Don't waste your thoughts musing on a hated failure. Unlike me, you have a team and a person you want to save. Well, the thing is... Don't mind me. If you need to cry, remember the dogs hanging around me and cry over their loss.
My Room 1	Get yourself ready to go collect taxes. I don't care if it's doors that drop money or creatures that drop materials. Seize them for my treasury.
My Room 2 at Bond 2-	Servitude? I am king, and I won't abase myself for you, even if I am the most foolish of them all.
My Room 2 at Bond 3+	I already told you I won't abase myself for you. But I do understand the relationship between a Master and a Servant. Thus, erm... you see... the thing is... I can have you as a tea drinking companion, but that's as far as I'm willing to meet you halfway.
My Room 3 at Bond 4-	Our relationship? What makes you think that's an appropriate thing to ask a fellow... (ahem) excuse me, what makes you think that's an appropriate thing for a peasant to ask a king? Fool.
My Room 3 at Bond 5+	You're my enemy. I'm merely postponing my duties while in Chaldea. So if you ever meet me outside Chaldea, don't hesitate to shoot me. I might still remember you due to the traits of my Class, but kill me regardless. Are we clear? See, making this face is exactly what gets me worried, fool!
My Room 4 (Richard)	Is that... RICHARD!? Gh... Blaming Chaldea would be barking at the wrong tree... Even after death, the world remains intent on exploiting my brother's shadow as a disposable hero. Watch me escape, for I have nothing to say to my brother! Help me, Master! Stay alert, as if anything, Richard runs fast!
My Room 5 (adult Gil)	You have even King Gilgamesh? The original king, and the Hero King himself? I see he's my opposite in every way... HAH, I'm astounded that you summoned me when you already had such an extraordinary king by your side, Master. Fine by me. One day I'll let him learn that even the worst king won't go down without a fight... One day, no plans for when.
My Room 6 (Bakin)	So many... dogs... The Eight Canine Warriors? Heh... A-alright. I'm not fond of novelists, but I supposed I can open a fair exception and let your owner live. Hmm... ^(All I have on me is beef jerky. Here, boys. Don't fight over it.)
My Room 7 (Round Table except Gareth)	The Round Table... No, they're not to blame for what my brother became... It's the fault of Mother and the troubadours who spread their tales, and Richard's own fault for letting the stories alienate him. I never saw them as role models. Not even once. Oh, shut up! How many times do I have to tell they never inspired me?
My Room 8 (Nobukatsu)	Master! What is wrong with that Katsu fellow in the kotatsu room? He's completely nuts for his sister. Every time he opens his mouth, he's bragging about this Nobunaga. What's with your face, Master? What's so funny?
My Room 9 (Ivan)	IVAN THE TERRIBLE! How dare you ignore my call...s... Hold on, wait... Why are you so tall and... imposing... Are you really human? I'm n-not afraid. Master! C'mon, t-tell him I'm not scared of him. Tell him "Long live John"!
My Room 10 (Robin)	Robin... Robin, ROBIN, ROBIN HOOD! The May King! The No Face! The Blade of Sherwood! I don't care whether the one who directly defied me was you or another Robin, this calls for a duel! Kwahahahaha, I send Master as my proxy for our duel! Ouch! What are you doing, Master? Stop!
My Room 11 (Shakespeare)	Shakespeare... I hear you wrote a drama centered around me. No, stop. I have no intention of reading it, nor I care for a summary. Cease this at once! Do not attempt to interview me for material! Do not attempt to reenact the play! Do not sound out the new verses you're in the middle of writing!
My Room 12 (Prelati)	Oh, it's Prelati? Shoo, shoo, begone!
My Room 13 (Hippolyte)	Hippolyte... Reading the books, I thought of her as a throwaway antagonist that only existed to give Heracles additional feats. Why, then, she carries herself with so much pride nonetheless? Oh... I get it... While we're both throwaway antagonists, she elevates her foil while I only lose for no one's benefit... Comparing us an insult to her.
My Room 14 (Gareth + event completion)	That's... Gareth? No, worry not, Master. I don't resent her. The noble knight who killed me is dead. She there is another shadow without those memories. I know they have the same soul, but resenting her would be an insult to the woman who pierced me, that dreadfully radiant knight.
Likes	What I like? Hah! Exactly what the rumors of the future generations say. Extravagant clothes! A luxurious life! Wine! Women! Gambling! Money! Jewels were a particular favorite of mine! My hobbies were music, reading, and hunting! And in none of those, I was better than Richard... Have you heard enough? Also... I like... dogs... They don't disdain of me...
Dislikes	I hate my brother Richard. But never forget that I do not tolerate undue mockery of him, Master. Did you just think to yourself that I have an awfully difficult personality? OH, I DO INDEED. You have no idea how much I hate how difficult I am.
Holy Grail	My wish for the Holy Grail? First, I'd get the healthy and wholesome kind of immortality, the one you can turn off whenever you want. Next, monetary treasure, as much as I can take without crashing the economy. Then, 100 million unconditionally obedient soldiers who require no food or sleep. Afterwards, I'd use it for decorating my room. What do you think? Modest enough?
Event	There's something going on. Unlike me, you're well-liked. You have to at least go say hello.
Birthday	Your birthday? I hope this expectant look in your face implies you also know when my birthday is. Whatever. I'll give you something. By the way, my birthday is on Christmas Eve.

3rd Ascension

John Lackland (Divine King Lackland)	CV: Yamazaki Takehiko
Ascension 3	You have achieved me, Master? Both the self that caused all manners of atrocity in the fields of war and the self wet behind his years are equally facets of me. This Saint Graph here manifest is a soul wholly withered, remaining merely as a doll to be injected with divine power. You needn't trust me. My younger self will serve as a better conversation partner.
Ascension 4	Destiny always invoked fear in me. Even the Saint who survived the torture wheel was ultimately fated to beheading. I lived my whole life fearing the world. Yet, being frigthened of the mighty current couldn't extinguish my flames of revenge. Use me until I'm ash. You are capable of easing my fears, if momentarily.
Bond 1	In this Saint Graph, I have nothing to say to you. Nor have I the right to speak my peace. If you must converse, do it with my younger self.
Bond 2	Master, mine words mean nothing. They're but hogwash spilled from a withering vindicator. I have nothing worth hearing for Master of thy stature.
Bond 3	I was not a good king, father, husband, or son. Only one hopelessly incorrigible man told me I was a good brother. That is all.
Bond 4	Your interests are questionable. You must know my reputation in your times. This reputation is no error. Trust me not. Chaldea will become dilaped, much like my nation was. This is no matter of malice. Merely consequence of me being the fool.
Bond 5	There is little I can do. I am proficient in conventional legislature and governance, but lack the talents needed to improve a nation. If, knowing that, you still demand something from me, allow me to take action now before you burn yourself. Let your enemies... Chaldea's enemies... be burnt in a fool's flames.
My Room 1	Are you leaving, Master? I hope my blade proves useful in your march.
My Room 2	I'm no longer king or god, only a dreadful something. If you deign yourself to give me form as a Servant, I can only obey.
My Room 3	Our relationship? Friend or foe, every Master commanding Heroic Spirits serves as a guidepost. The path you guide me to might be one of glory, or one of ruin.
My Room 4 (Richard + event completion)	I have nothing to say to my brother. It would shameful to show my face to him, although he would not care. Master, make not such face. In this Saint Graph, even my hatred for Richard ran dry. That is where the shame comes from.
My Room 5 (Georgios)	Saint Georgios? I recall Richard spreading the tales of the dragon-slaying Saint upon returning from his expedition. In my eyes, that Saint symbolized execution, but here, I came to believe the story of him at the torture wheel was source of solace. Some realizations certainly come too late.
My Room 6 (Round Table except Gareth + event completion)	The Knights of the Round. I thought the legends were nothing but legend, until the Round Table confrontied me on the battlefield... (sigh) I resisted them with all I had. I attempted every approach, atrocious or righteous, to conquer them. And without second thought, I would have done the same if given a new encounter with them in the battlefield. That is the only form of respect I am willing to offer to those who lived in the legends.
My Room 7 (Gareth + event completion)	My flames of vengeance weren't meant to be directed at the Round Table. But, I still crossed blades with them, for they were obstacles in the way of my revenge. I do not regret it. However, the sublime knight consumed by my corruption... To have laughed off her resolve is one regret I will carry with me for eternity.
My Room 8 (any Rhongo Arthuria)	My brother was said to have the heart of a lion, but the King of the Round Table was a complete lion. In her heart, soul, and conduct. Richard spoke much of the forebearer king that he yearned for and failed to reach, yet she was more than what he described. Even now, with my emotions withered, I still fear her.
My Room 9 (Morgan)	Morgan. A faerie of the lake. The fae queen. I can tell at first sight. Yes, she, and only she, is Britain incarnate.
My Room 10 (Enkidu)	Wisdom of the People? A Noble Phantasm that couldn't be more antithetical to me. The title of the other Noble Phantasm has grown ironic to my current self. It's the perfect Noble Phantasm title for one of the original travelers, the ones still capable of having any faith in the common people.
My Room 11 (Hippolyte)	The queen of the Amazons. Impressive of you to continue fighting to overcome injustice, and to retain your pride, even after being crushed by the trickery of the gods. You shine brighter than what my eyes can endure.
My Room 12 (Prelati)	Prelati... They are the opposite of me. They love human folly more than anyone. Meanwhile, I became what I am now because I couldn't withstand it. How ironic.
My Room 12 (Ephemeros)	Ephemeral Fruit Spirit, I have no intention to apologize. Curse me if you will. I never desired forgiveness. However, I refuse to claim that your encounter with Master and your arrival in Chaldea were miracles. Be proud. You accomplished your aims.
Likes	I often appreciated wine. However, despite my luxuries with clothing and implements, wine was different. Only cheap wine agreed with my palates. Perhaps my tongue was the only part of my that didn't attempt to reach beyond my stature.
Dislikes	As I am now, I dislike nothing anymore. If pushed to name one thing, I would say I hate myself for my inability to extinguish the flames of revenge in spite of how withered I have become. Unlike with wood, my withering doesn't reduce me to ash faster.
Holy Grail	The Holy Grail? Not something I still need. If you needn't yours, why not offer it to my brother's grave? Oh, I must say, my brother's remains were split into parts buried in different places, and you will not find any in England. Search carefully.
Event	Hmm. There seems to be an event in place. You, the Master, should go greet the participants, to give them peace of mind.
Birthday	You thank your birth and celebrate your growth. To be able to honestly do so is sublime. You won't become like me.

Summon

Francesca: Ahahahaha, hilarious. Oh, no, no, I'm not laughing with you, Master. I'm laughing AT you. You gotta have some screws loose to summon me of all people. I guess the first order of business now that I'm Chaldea is to steal your pile of Grails and kidnap you away? Our sweet e-lo-pe-ment trip! Sike!

François: Haha! No way you summoned me! Awesome one, Master! Be sure you won't regret it! I'll give you all the dreams of pleasure and delight you need to feel like you're in Heaven, then follow up with the spiciest nightmare soup to take you to Hell! ...But, eh, busy times we're living in, huh? Not to mention that a bunch of Hells already called dibs on you before I got here. Then I'll play nice and put on some work for the sake of mankind! Later, Master!

François's Battle Lines

CV: Uchida Maaya	François	Francesca
Asc 1/3 Battle Start 1	Are you our newest toys?	Huh? We're fighting? What am I, a barbarian? Can we not?
Asc 2 Battle Start 1	"We are justice!", as the quote goes.	Hey ya, friends! You guys are under arrest for obstruction of Human Order aid!
Asc 1/3 Battle Start 2	I swear to fight with honor! Sike.	Did you buy your popcorn? You're here for one heck of a show!
Asc 2 Battle Start 2	You've seen me pass by earlier? That was, of course, also me.	Did you know? Even Heroic Spirits go to jail these days.
Battle Start 3	Sigh, fine. I'll go die over there. Be right back.	Sigh, fine. I can at least hold them back.
Battle Start 4	[1st Ascension only] Don't worry, Master. I'm quite fond of you.	I'll do just what you asked for: Crash! The! Par-ty!
Skill 1	Coke rules!	To the next scene! Go, go!
Skill 2	What's up next?	Now it's getting fun!
Skill 3	Let's stake our lives!	Are you hyped?
Skill 4	Sike!	You guys rule!
Skill 5	Hahahaha? Are you insane?	Pfft, stop! My pancreas and spleen are gonna swap places!
Skill 6	Oh, that's it! That's what I wanted to see!	-
Command Card 1	There you go again...	Can I? Really?
Command Card 2	Always a joker, you...	Ooo, what a go-getter.
Command Card 3	I need a break!	Oh, this will be fun.
Noble Phantasm Card 1	Huhuhuhu, you're into some nasty stuff, Master.	Hahaha! Awesome! Perfect!
Noble Phantasm Card 2	Sure about that? The enemy will hate your guts.	It's showtime!
Noble Phantasm Card 3	Kay. Be right back after some harassment.	NO WAY! Can I? For real?
Noble Phantasm Card 4	Time for the afternoon cinema!	-
Asc 1 Attack 1	Here goes the rocket punch! ...Hah, did you seriously believe?	Let's hear today's weather report!
Asc 2 Attack 1	Resistance is futile and encouraged.	Let's hear today's weather report!
Asc 3 Attack 1	My corruption corrodes you.	Let's hear today's rainfall forecast!
Asc 1 Attack 2	Scissor cuts rock, I win. Note: Not true.	Candy rain, candy pour♪
Asc 2 Attack 2	Watch out! It's gonna eat you!	Candy rain, candy pour♪
Asc 3 Attack 2	Don't break on me just yet.	Hmm, I wonder what this data is for?
Asc 1 Attack 3	It's showtime!	Sit down and watch the flowers.
Asc 2 Attack 3	All operatives, open fire!	Sit down and watch the flowers.
Asc 3 Attack 3	It's all yours.	You'll be our next sacrifice.
Asc 1 Attack 4	Having fun yet?	Can't we make peace?
Asc 2 Attack 4	Hands on your head! I'm still gonna shoot though.	Can't we make peace?
Asc 3 Attack 4	Bring me fresh blood!	A round of applause for our wonderful guests!
Asc 1 Attack 5	Mock Queen's Anne Revenge!	This one's caramel-wasabi flavored.
Asc 2 Attack 5	Suppress the targets! Go, go!	This one's caramel-wasabi flavored.
Asc 3 Attack 5	Meet yesterday's sacrifice!	This one's caramel-wasabi flavored.
Asc 1 Attack 6	Get 'em, [bleep]buster! What was that?	Butter with salt and habanero, coming in!
Asc 2 Attack 6	You have the duty to remain silent!	Butter with salt and habanero, coming in!
Asc 3 Attack 6	We call this one "Spirit Invocation"!	Butter with salt and wasabi, coming in!
Asc 1/2 Attack 7	Hello! Lunch time!	Every day is my birthday!
Asc 3 Attack 7	You look tasty!	Every day is Valentine's Day!
Asc 1 Attack 8	Happy Halloween!	Here's your holiday gifts!
Asc 2 Attack 8	Are you a fan of shark movies?	Here's your holiday gifts!
Asc 3 Attack 8	I choose you for today's sacrifice.	Have an official Prelati Inc.© toy!
Attack 9	Prelati Punch!	Oh no! No way! Don't kill me! Kidding!
Attack 10	I may forgive you, but my fist won't.	Having fun yet?
Asc 1 Attack 11	Welcome to the Gallery of the Grotesque... wait, I'm going, too!?	Sweet dreams.
Asc 2 Attack 11	Get yourself to jail!	Sweet dreams.
Asc 3 Attack 11	You offer tribute to me, I offer tribute to you.	Sweet dreams.
Asc 1 Attack 12	C'mon, let's wail together!	It's time to d-d-d-d-dance!
Asc 2 Attack 12	Time to carry out your sentence.	It's time to d-d-d-d-dance!
Asc 3 Attack 12	Let's get sacrificed together!	It's time to d-d-d-d-dance!
Asc 1/2 Attack 13	Ladies and gentlemen, I bid you adieu! Hah, as if!	Pop qquiz: which is the real me?
Asc 3 Attack 13	Ladies and gentlemen, I bid you adieu! Hah, as if!	Watch out for which has a shadow. She could be the real one.
Attack 14	Welcome to my one-man show!	How're you feeling? Tell me, tell me, tell me!
Attack 15	Committing a more serious murder every now and then is good for you.	I'm here to seduce you! Vwoosh!
Asc 1/2 Extra Attack 1	Hell can be found anywhere. Let's enjoy it.	Go, go, Cerberus♪ Get 'em good, Cerberus♪
Asc 3 Extra Attack 1	Hell can be found anywhere. Let's enjoy it.	Go, go, goddess♪ The best there ever was♪
Asc 1/2 Extra Attack 2	Walk on, go ahead. I made this wedding aisle just for you guys.	Did you know the boys love cookies?
Asc 3 Extra Attack 2	Walk on, go ahead. I made this wedding aisle just for you guys.	Every girl dreams of a good beam attack!
Asc 1/2 Extra Attack 3	Fear never gets old. And it's best when savored with a partner around, right, Gilles?	New debut: meet the Halloween Cerberus!
Asc 3 Extra Attack 3	Fear never gets old. And it's best when savored with a partner around, right, Gilles?	Blessings and curses to your lovely soul.
Asc 1/2 Extra Attack 4	"The roughest walks can feel less painful when I have you by my side..." Good one, right?	Don't worry, they don't bite. They do shoot beams, though.
Asc 3 Extra Attack 4	"The roughest walks can feel less painful when I have you by my side..." Good one, right?	Omigosh... Is that the real me? Naaaaaaah!
Noble Phantasm 1	Welcome to the theater of dreams. In the blink of an eyes, everything flips inside out, vanishes into thin air, and in enveloped in glory. Let us begin the spectacle of mutual butchering and humiliation!	Fallacy dances with deception, with their steps churning the sands of the natural laws. My glare devours the tower enshrining the maddened hearts! Chóros Tis Theás Tis Trélas.
Noble Phantasm 2	I offer good wishes, gratitude, and sacrifices in tribute to this broken world. Bring here a recap of their fickle yet resolute journey! Grand Illusion!	Ah! Let me see more! Let me see it closer! Let me see the ultimate standard of humanity, achieved only when sanity and insanity blend together! Chóros Tis Theás Tis Trélas.
Noble Phantasm 3	Close your eyes for a moment. You now stand at the Csejte Pyramid Himeji Ishtar Temple... Giant Haniwa? Who came up with this goofy-ass tour plan? Sure, why not? Having fun is all that matters.	Hmm... I guess it's okay to do it my base style from time to time. This is just a good-looking papier-machê bust. It can't hurt you. As if! Sike!
Noble Phantasm 4 (Asc 3 only)	-	I thank the folly of Zeus, for dropping on the Earthly lands. Thus, I expose mankind's folly, and endorse them even when taken to their last days.
Damage 1	Hahahahaha! I'm not surviving this one!	Hahahahaha! You're gonna wreck me here, buddy.
Damage 2	Oopsie...	Nice one.
Damage 3	Tsk, some people can't take a joke.	Ugh, c'mon, you guys can't take a joke.
Damage 4	Owie.	Ouchie.
Defeat 1	Huh? What about the rest of the show?	Aww... The curtains are lowering so soon?
Defeat 2	I really wanted to watch you guys until the end...	Sigh... And the party was just beginning, too... What a... pity...
Defeat 3	There's no way I'm the last Prelati. Just you wait for the second... and the third...	The rage bait worked a little too well...
Defeat 4 (Asc 1-only)	Thank you, Master. I had a great time.	Thanks, Master. I had a great time.
Asc 1/3 Victory 1	Thank you for this wonderful show! My applause and appreciation goes to the whole cast!	I'll at least spare your life. Sike!
Asc 2 Victory 1	You're coming with me for interrogation, buddy. The fun has just begun!	Follow me to your detention cell. Oh, wait? Maybe you should go to the morgue instead.
Asc 1/3 Victory 2	Say, Master, why don't we control these enemies with my illusions and turn them into allies?	Huh? It's over already? Where's the punchline? We don't get even a plot twist?
Asc 2 Victory 2	You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll be your lawyer.	Yeeeeah, pretending to be evil is way easier than pretending to be justice.
Victory 3	Meh, endings things like this would be boring. Both for me and for you.	Are sure you won't stand up? If you're helpless, then I'll have my way with you.
Victory 4	Had fun? Then send your donations over Master's way.	Hey, Master, see how I didn't backstab you? Praise me to your heart's content.

François

François Prelati	CV: Uchida Maaya
Level Up 1	Are you sure you want me to get stronger? Real sure?
Level Up 2	Those embers taste better than I thought. Can you make them popcorn-flavored?
Level Up 3	You got some dangerous tastes. Don't go crying to me if someone betrays you. Like, say, me.
Ascension 1	Here's Costume 2. This fit? Turns out I have some history with the police. I pulled this one from some unremembered records. What'cha think? Do I look spiffy on it?
Ascension 2	Me sticking with this costume for a while longer could be a message from God telling me to be Chaldea's own police force. I'm always open for a good bribe!
Ascension 3	Sigh... It's been forever since I last wore this one. It's from the seances, devil summons, and all that jazz. Perhaps the most fun times of my Prelati phase. The good times when it was unclear whether I was summoning devils or I was the devil myself.
Ascension 4	Amazing. You know the world is bugged, because someone wacky enough to pour this many resources on us has no business surviving this long. Well, any glitch can become an exploit to a runner who knows what they're doing. I love it. I'll be the demon whispering in your shoulder, enjoying it to its very last. Be ready for me.
Bond 1	Hehe, is really a good idea to leave me to my own devices? I could backstab you . I could be a spy from the enemy's side. It's pretty 50:50 whether I'm friend or foe.
Bond 2	Honestly, it's a wonder you have the will to use me. If you know Gilles, you should know my track record perfectly well.
Bond 3	I can't tell if you're a wacko with a penchant for danger, a good-too-shoes taken to the extreme, or... You know what? Doesn't matter. Where's the fun in betraying someone who so effortlessly exposes me the back to stab?
Bond 4	I'm quite fond of you, Master. Sike! You show know better than expect me to open my heart just over some deepened bond. You wouldn't even want it to be true, would you? What could be more undesirable than being liked by a nasty miscreant like me?
Bond 5	Hm, yeah, the "quite fond" part was a lie. I'm actually super fond of you. I believe the same goes for Francesca. So, Master, I ask you to let us watch your journey down to its end. I don't care if it's a bad ending, a happy ending, or a "and the adventures continues forever". No matter what path you choose, I'll be your Servant and your curious bystander, watching it all until the credits roll. Hahahahaha!
My Room 1	So, when do I get to watch the action movie of you taking countless Heroic Spirits to battle? Oh, I don't mind being the spectator. You can find me observing from afar when the stuff is happening.
My Room 2	Servitude? Master, buddy, you know the way you can't tell who is on top when you're dealing with king Servants? That's the good stuff. Just the type of relationship that grabs me. Though you're always welcome to start a revolution and regain your control.
My Room 3	How I feel about you? Hmm, same opinion between François and Francesca. We like you lot, but not romantically. More like friendship, respect, reverence... No, not that either. Oh! I got it! Fandom! We're your fans, Master!
My Room 4 (Caster Gilles)	Gilles? Gilles...? Gilles! GILLES! Chaldea is so awesome! I never even dreamed of seeing you again! Haha, what a relief to see you're still the same as always. By the way, you picked up this COOooOOooL from who?
My Room 5 (Saber Gilles)	The madness born of Gilles' hatred for God is his and his alone. Rather than tempting him, I was the one who fell for his sweet charms, became his sworn brother, and followed the whole trip to hell. So if anyone says I instigated Gilles into becoming the way he did, I'll take it as insult to the madness he derived of his own accord. I won't let the comment slide. Not that you need to hear any of this, Master.
My Room 6 (Richard)	Lil' Lionheart really, really, REALLY knows how to make a trainwreck out of a good plan. Watch out for him, Master. That King might look like a pleasant fellow, but beneath the surface, the freak of a King has the potential to destroy a city with that same friendly smile.
My Room 7 (Paris)	Paris... You're an amazing fellow. Até's power made so many bold changes to history, but in the end, you still... Never mind, what happened in other timelines has nothing to do with you. Forget what I just said. Why don't we do something more fun instead, like shearing this sheep of yours?
My Room 8 (Vritra)	Vritra. The wicked dragon really had me in the first half. I thought we had similar tastes, but when it comes the last stretch we REALLY can't see eye to eye. When the human is cornered, back to the wall, she takes joy in watching them overcome the threat... which is fine and all, sure, but the opposite development is my favorite. How about you, Master? Can you appreciate a nice movie with an unhappy ending?
My Room 9 (any Gilgamesh)	Master, keep King Goldie away from me, if you'd please. He's just... y'know. Gives off that feeling something bad will happen to me.
My Room 10 (Sitonai)	I know she's a Pseudo-Servant now, but... is that the Einzbern girl? Oh, I see how it is... In their final moments, the Einzberns managed to... A toast to you, my good Jubstacheit von Einzbern.
My Room 11 (Kuonji)	Hold up! You got even a handler of Ploy Kickshaws here!? How the actual heck can this world's Human Order have something like that on their payroll and still face any level of difficulty!?
My Room 12 (HibiChika)	Oof, Francesca's prolly gonna have this one filtered out... Hibiki, I mean. Chika, she'll percieve just fine. Who could've thought the Labyrinth loot she had as practically her life goal would be working as a waitress? I can't imagine a funniest joke, personally, but Francesca would prolly... Hm... Yeah, that'd break her.
My Room 13	In the real world, Francesca and I swap bodies all the time. There's no "real one" among us. But a few things in our hearts swap along with it, and we got some memories we don't share. It's not perfect, but I guess the best way to put it is that I have more of the mind of a Heroic Spirit and Francesca has more of the mind of a living human. Note that this doesn't necessarily make me kinder.
Likes	What do I like? Humanity, duh! I love watching you overcome hardships, as much as love watching you lose to your desires and let corruption take you to a meaningless death! They tell me I'm on a toxic diet, but I eat that junk up knowing fully well it's bad for me!
Dislikes	I'm not too fond of lifeforms who distanced themselves from humanity too much. Bugs, in particular, are the biggest weakness of my magecraft. Ever heard of the Makiris? Their worm charmers mess me up soooooo bad!
Holy Grail	Ooo, the Holy Grail? If you mean it as a wish granter, I don't particular care. If anything, I'm way more interested in how you would use the Holy Grail for yourself. Ok, I'll bring you one from the vault. Huh? I can't? Bleeeh.
Event	We got a festival going on, Master! Got your popcorn? Bought your coke? Take a first row seat to watch us Servants slave away.
Birthday	Nice one, Master! As they say in Japan, with every new year, you walked a league closer to the netherworld! Yup, it's your birthday! Don't you worry about a thing, Master. If you die, you get to pick between any underworld of your liking. My personal recommendation would be, hmm, I guess the pit in the chocolate river?

Francesca

Francesca Prelati	CV: Uchida Maaya
Level Up 1	Oh, awesome! Crazy stuff! I can feel my intestines wrapping around my lungs! Wanna try it out, Master?
Level Up 2	Ehehehe? Are you sure this a good idea? What if I betray you when my Saint Graph peaks and make a funky seesaw out of your body?
Level Up 3	What are you powering me up for? Now I'm looking forward to what you got in the schedule.
Ascension 1	Pan~paka~pan♪ What'cha think? Isn't there something so perverse about a death row convict dressed up as a cop?
Ascension 2	Sucks not have new clothes. I'd be so down for arresting you, but the folks who wore these uniforms all believed in what they were doing. I'll behave while wearing this, out of respect to the little fellows.
Ascension 3	Aaah... Goddess Até's Saint Graph fills me up. I'm a pile of rubble formed from Até's remains, nothing more. Francesca? François? I don't know which is my true form anymore. No, I suppose both are true? The two reveal different faces of myself, so go ahead and pick your favorite, Master. Swap as you feel like.
Ascension 4	Hahahahahahaha! I always thought you were a funny Master, but I never thought it'd go this far! You genuinely didn't entertain the thought of me betraying you. Or did you put your hands in the fire already expecting it to burn? But you can have it your way. After this big show of folly, you got full support from me... from us Prelatis. Look how nice we are! Yay! Hahahaha!
Bond 1	Hey, Master, can you tell me more about the first enemy you murdered in the journey to save Human Order? Aha, oopsie, sowwy. I meant to say "first enemy you ordered a Servant to murder". Phrasing fixed.
Bond 2	Don't get so hot under the collar, Master. You should know by now I'm a recreational shit-stirrer. But in turn, you're free to troll me back any day of the week. Do your worst. Oh, no Chen Gong-ing, please.
Bond 3	Other timelines? If we go to where Até's influence is the strongest, my illusions can deceive the whole Texture of a large region. Over here, I don't see myself pulling it off, even with a little Grail boost. Yeah, me being powerful requires a good deal of special circumstances. Keep your hopes down. Big sorry.
Bond 4	I'm going off my rockers over here... If I had been summoned to a normal Grail War, I'd be partying wild. I so would have already back-stabbed my Master or thrown in a risky gamble or something. But you lamer is always jumping into danger without me getting to put on any work! So I keep having to bail you out instead of getting to be part of the fun.
Bond 5	Ahahahahaha, now that came out of NOWHERE! I never even imagined myself getting this intrigued by just one person. Fine, then. Im'ma playing real hard from now on, so you do well to fight back just as hard. Trust me, if it turns out you kill one of us instead of the other way around, you won't be hearing a word of complaint from either.
My Room 1	Are you not leaving, Master? I could cast an illusion to get the guys thinking you're doing your job. How about it? Deal?
My Room 2	I know my place. Being a Servant means I serve. I'd never stab my Master in the back, poison them, or use a Noble Phantasm to crush their heart in the moment of the summon. Tell me if I'm wrong, Master.
My Room 3	Our relationship? Hm, I guess you're our toy? Of course, making a toy out of you means I'm consenting to your attempts to make a toy out of me. Are you game, Master? How do you want to play with me?
My Room 4 (Saber Gilles)	Oh, look who we have here? Gilles still in his maiden days. Oh boy, one time, back when I was François, I passed off my current form, Francesca, as one the catalyst girls to tease him. ...I had no idea where that would go. What did we do? Gilles wouldn't want me to tell, so my lips are sealed.
My Room 5 (Caster Gilles and Ruler Jeanne)	Jeanne d'Arc... She's finally back together, Gilles. Congrats. I got soooo much to say to my girlie Jeanne, but let's not ruin the moment. First 'cause she's never seen me before, and second 'cause this calls for the party of all times. Get your ass seated for the 3 days and 3 nights of GillJean Fest!
My Room 6 (Beni-Enma)	Beni-Enma is so not for me. Can't even count how many times I've got my tongue lopped off. Why can't she see I only ever tell super helpful and beneficial lies? Prolly 'cause that's not true. Hm? Behind me? AH! BENI-ENMA! HAVE MERCY!
My Room 7 (Ishtar)	Wow, Chaldea also got their Ishtar. Huh? What the heck is wrong with her? Master, Chaldea's Ishtar is not playing fair! What's this devil she combined with?
My Room 8 (Waver, Gray, or Luvia)	Even here the El-Melloi Classroom keeps showing up? The Plundering Duke sure raised his tykes well. They're gotta be scheming to steal my spotlight.
My Room 9 (Merlin)	Merlin is kinda like the mentor to my illusion mentors. He's prolly aware of me, but I don't think he gives a rat's. Incubus boys ain't my type, either.
My Room 10 (HibiChika)	Tell me, Master, why's this chick possessed by Azumi no Isora—this Katsuragi Chikagi—always talking to herself? Hmm? Hibiki? Whomst? Wat? Wuzzat? What was I talking about?
My Room 11 (Aoko)	HUH? Why do you have No. 5 here? Oh, err, don't tell me her sister is also... The Scar R... No, I won't say. Dropped halfway, didn't count! She might come busting out of the door if I say the name.
My Room 12 (Ephemeros)	Wuzzat? Who's this funky fruit dragon Chaldea's got? What's the excuse the tsundere extraordinaire dropped when she knocked your door? Hey, girlie, did you wish for this? Did you catch the shooting star and wished "Please, God, anywhere but Chaldea"? Ahahahahahaha.
My Room 13 (John)	Don't let your guard down just 'cause John is in his baby boy form. No matter how much of a sympathetic dunce he looks like, you can't be forgetting all the things his Black Lion facet did in the fields of war. I'm DYING to see what you're gonna about him with that in mind! Gosh, this RULES!
Likes	What I like? It's gotta be humanity. You're human yourself, so welcome to the Hall of Fame of Prelati Favorites! Congrats, cheers, hurrah! Wuzzat? Where's the applause?
Dislikes	What I hate? The non-human boys trying to steal the honor of eradicating humanity from humanity itself! I can respect humans trying to slaughter each other to extinction, though. That's a fun romp.
Holy Grail	Oh, the Holy Grail? Hmm, you mean the wish-granting energy, right? Not the Greater Grail? Guess I'd drop it at Chaldea's cafeteria and set up a hidden camera to keep track of who nabs it first. With live commentary from YOU! Huh? I can't? Bleeeh.
Event	Master! We got an event! A festival! What's gonna be? Lotto? Missions? Point ladder? In every event, the game's the same: apple speed-eating!
Birthday	Happy birthday, Master! Wuzaaaat? Bracing yourself for a threat? It's fiiiiiiine. It's your birthday, I'll be normal about the celebration. Get ready for a whole day of the nicest illusions you've ever seen! Those sweet, sweeeeeet mirages, the kind you'll never want to wake up from♡

Default

The unblessed Lackland. The foolish and incompetent John Sans Terre. Brother and betrayer of the Lionheart. Was he really a failure of a king? There's no way to know for sure. Not even for Chaldea. Because the story of this manifested Heroic Spirit is not guaranteed to have followed the same tracks as his life.

"…This land will rot in the name of the Black Lion. No dust or ash shall be left of it."

Bond 1

• Height / Weight: 185cm/70kg (1st and 3rd Ascension), 165cm/53kg (2nd Ascension)
• Source: Historical fact
• Region: Europe
• Alignment: Neutral Evil
• Attribute: Man
• Gender: Male

Commonly known as John Lackland. He is the younger brother of Richard the Lionheart, and tends to be depicted as the antagonist is several Robin Hood stories.

Bond 2

• 1st Ascension:

This form is John Lackland but technically isn't. The Black Lion is an amalgam of the curses of oppression gathered from all tyrants, underachievers, and failures who terrorized their subjects. He's made from packing curses in the armor of one Heroic Spirit who had his Spirit Core shattered, but not even John himself knows why the Heroic Spirit's armor remained as his property after his Spirit Core was crushed. His speculation derived a plausible answer, which he's been trying to drown out from his head—the irritation produced by this answer only deepens the tyrant's curse.

His memories are still fully shared with John's other forms, but his personality is practically someone else. However, upon learning facts that would have impacted the other John forms, the impact they suffered is properly transmitted to him.

Bond 3

• 2nd Ascension:

A young form, appearing to be around the age of 15. John from when he was a boy with a promising future, raised dearly by his father, trying to hatch into adulthood. This period can be considered the prime of King John's life. King Henry II gave John special treatment to compensate for the fact he didn't have any land to give him at birth. In turn, John was loyal to his father, unlike his brothers. That said, as an adult, he turned to the side of Henry II's enemy—John's brother, Richard the Lionheart. And this betrayal drove his father to die of disappointment.

"My prime was the time all I did was being pampered by Father? …Haha, I can't say I went any higher than this. Yeah, this doesn't bother me. It's completely true."

Bond 4 and event completion

TBA

Bond 5 and event completion

TBA

Also Bond 5 and event completion

TBA

Bond CE: Not My Cause of Death

Not My Cause of Death

"What astounds you so much? Is it that peculiar for a king to partake in peaches?"

"...Oh, very well. I see you're familiar with the rumors over my cause of death... Why do you even bother learning this inconsequential nonsense? There must be more important things to study if you're trying to save the world or to live after it's saved."

"First point of note: the scholars who concocted this theory made it up from nothing. The death of the failure of the century must have been quite the delicious source of entertainment for the people who outlived me. I know of a bunch who spread the word that I was a werewolf. Imagine the poor sense of humor it takes to make the lion's brother into a wolf. Naturally, this narrative didn't get too far, as no one in their right mind would consider me awesome enough to be a monster of legend. Although I would probably have been more useful to your forces if some kind of Innocent Monster variant manifested me in werewolf form."

"Still... 'He died for ravenously eating too many poisoned peaches', huh... You can get a far more memorable story with a queen dying from a piece of cheese to the head. Lil' old John is utterly pathetic even in his fake death scene... This is not the death I recognize as my real, but let people say whatever they want. This version suits me way better than a less stupid death, wouldn't you say?"

"Want some too, Master? Don't worry. They're not poisoned. My revenge against all of you will come later, but it will be honorably announced. Being all sneaky about it would defeat the point."

"Oh, you liked them? ...Great, so do I."