Summary
- Masters in Fate/Stay Night have varying abilities, determined by summoning success and personal skills.
- Some masters, like Shinji, rely on outside sources for power, hindering their potential.
- Powerful masters like Rin have lineage, artifacts, and skills that make them key players in battle.
Fate/Stay Night follows the story of the Fifth Holy Grail War, in which several Magi are called to summon powerful servants in order to fight a massive battle royale. While some Masters already wield exceptional power, others are much less willing to use it, or are entirely unaware of their abilities. The strength of each Master is determined by the success of their summoning ritual, as well as their abilities and their relationship with their servant.
Does Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works Still Hit As Hard?
It's the series that gave Ufotable a somewhat misleading reputation, but upon reflection, is Unlimited Blade Works all it's cracked up to be?
Though they are relatively powerless on their own, the Masters often have some form of hidden ability, whether in the form of magical items or incantations. The Masters are ranked only based on their performances in Fate/Stay Night, rather than in alternate timelines.
6 Shinji Matou
Despite His Family History, Shinji Is Out Of His Depth
Though Shinji is born from a Magi lineage, he is inept when it comes to taking part in the Holy Grail wars. His power is derived almost entirely from his family grimoire, rather than any innate magical abilities. Shinji has potential, but his ego prevents him from being a truly formidable Master.
Summoning Rider as his Epic Hero, Shinji certainly relies on her to survive tough encounters. He does show some strategic intelligence by drawing Saber to the roof of a skyscraper, allowing Rider to make use of her Noble Phantasm, but ultimately it isn't enough for Shinji to survive.
5 Shirou Emiya
The Unwitting Hero Takes A While To Improve His Abilities
Though Shirou is the central protagonist of Fate/Stay Night, his powers are fairly weak for the majority of the series. His innate tracing ability, which enables him to form replicas of any weapon he sees, is certainly a massive advantage, but he struggles to put it to good use until Saber's second encounter with Berserker.
A Beginner's Guide to Fate/Stay Night
Getting into the Fate series can be daunting to newcomers. Here's a look at how each series is connected.
Shirou's noble intentions and selfless desire to put himself in danger before his servant has certainly put him in peril on more than one occasion. Several times, he relies upon both Rin and Saber to revive him, though ultimately he does grow to become one of the strongest Masters overall.
4 Kuzuki Souichiro
The Trained Assassin Is On A Personal Mission
Kuzuku is an interesting case, because he is the only Master in Fate/Stay Night who has no magical abilities whatsoever. This doesn't make him weak, however, since he is a trained assassin with expertise in martial arts. His daytime disguise as a history teacher makes him appear weaker than he truly is, and especially with Augmented Fists, he can hold his own against most other Masters.
While he may not be all that powerful on his own, his unique bond with Caster makes them a formidable pair of antagonists. Caster's willingness to serve him is also a unique advantage when it comes to Master-servant relationships, as he has no need for Command Seals.
3 Rin Tohsaka
A Powerful Mage With Several Key Artifacts
Rin Tohsaka comes from a well-respected lineage of powerful mages who previously competed in the Holy Grail Wars. As a result, she is imbued with all manner of useful charms and items, as well as having plenty of her own magical spells and utterances. Along with her many gemstones, which increase her life force and mana, Rin is also in possession of the Azoth Sword, a supremely powerful dagger that ultimately plays a major role in the final battle of the series.
10 Best Servants Who Are Not In Fate/Stay Night Or Fate/Zero
There are quite a few Servants from the Fate franchise that are missing from these titles.
Partnering with Archer, Rin shows her skills on multiple occasions, including during her summoning ritual. She's also a capable fighter herself, playing a key role in the defeat of both Caster and Berserker. Her knowledge and expertise are the only reason Shirou is able to survive and develop his own powers.
2 Illyasviel von Einzbern
The Tiny Master Wields Exceptional Control Over A Powerful Servant
Illya von Einzbern is one of the most tragic characters in the Fate series for many reasons. Nonetheless, she is an extremely powerful Magi who has essentially been bred to fight in the Holy Grail Wars. Her summoning of the great Berserker is a testament to her powers, and she displays a flawless command of her servant, unlike most other Masters.
Along with her servant, Illya has her own arsenal of Magi talents, including the ability to hypnotize others and put them into a trance-like state, as she does to Shirou. She is also granted an entire mansion from which to plot her strategies and take her prisoners. Though she may appear relatively innocent at first, Illya has a brutal streak which also sets her apart from more empathetic Masters, who may hesitate before killing anyone standing in their way.
1 Kirei Kotomine
The Key Antagonist Is Strong In Every Area
Kirei is supposed to be the impartial overseer of the Holy Grail Wars, but it soon becomes apparent that he would rather interfere. Having previously won a Holy Grail War with Gilgamesh as his servant, Kirei now commands two servants along with his own magical abilities.
Fate/Stay Night: Most Tragic Deaths
Across all three routes in Fate/Stay Night, these character deaths are the most heart-wrenching.
Though Lancer is his main servant and Gilgamesh is more independent, Kirei still issues orders to both on occasion, but it is his abilities that make him the most powerful Master. Along with his top-tier martial arts and gun skills, Kirei also has a strong grasp of magic, as evidenced by his summoning of The Avenger. Even though he is eventually defeated this time around, it is fair to say that Kirei is by far the toughest challenge any other Master could hope to face.
Fate/stay night
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 7, 2006
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Studio Deen
- Creator
- Type-Moon
- Number of Episodes
- 24
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
