Archer (Fate/stay night)

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Archer is a fictional character from the Japanese visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night by TYPE-MOON.

He is the Servant of one of the series' main heroines, Rin Tōsaka. Due to an incomplete summon, he apparently has no memory of his previous life or identity. Archer is sarcastic and cynical - but under his apparent hardened exterior lies a complex and dark persona that unfolds throughout the story. Although skilled with ranged weapons, he can hold his own in mêlée combat, favoring a pair of twin Chinese swords, Kanshō and Bakuya. He considers Shirō Emiya to be weak and delusional in his idealistic endeavors, recognizing Shirō's mentality of "wanting to save everyone" as a foolish and impossible task.

The seiyū for Archer is Junichi Suwabe, and his English voice is provided by Liam O'Brien.^[1]

Contents 1 Servant Status 2 Abilities 3 Noble Phantasms 4 True Identity 5 Role 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Servant Status

Master:	Rin Tōsaka	Sex:	Male	Color:	Red
Alignment:	True Neutral	Height:	187 cm	Talents:	Tinkering, stewardship
Noble Phantasm:	???	Weight:	78 kg	Likes:	Chores
Strength:	D	Magic Resistance:	D	Dislikes:	Heroism
Endurance:	C	Independent Action:	B	Nemesis:	Rin Tōsaka, Sakura Matō, Illyasviel von Einzbern
Agility:	C	Clairvoyance:	C
Mana:	B	Sorcery:	C-
Luck:	E	Eye of the Mind (True):	B

[edit] Abilities

Unlike most other Servants, Archer possesses extensive knowledge of a conventional, if unusual, branch of sorcery. He is master of the art of Tracing, a brand of sorcery that allows users to modify existing objects and transmute them into other ones. In contrast to normal Tracing, however, by virtue of his Reality Marble, Archer is able to produce Noble Phantasms by drawing on raw magical components from his own inner world. Once a Noble Phantasm has been produced, Archer commonly uses traditional Tracing to alter the weapon into a black arrow. In some instances, Archer does not proceed to this extra step, provided the Noble Phantasm he produced is aerodynamic enough to be fired.

This style of producing Noble Phantasms allows Archer to extensively benefit from manipulating his weapons into Broken Phantasms. The energy output of a Broken Phantasm exceeds that of a normal Noble Phantasm, but using a weapon in such a manner always leads to its destruction. Although all Servants possess the knowledge of turning their weapons into Broken Phantasms, reconstructing weapons granted by the Throne of Heroes is extremely difficult, and these Servants do not enjoy the prospect of potentially fighting opponents without possessing a Noble Phantasm. Because he can construct as many Noble Phantasms as he wishes, Archer lacks the inhibitions as these other Servants, and is free to make use of the technique without additonal penalty. Due to personal preferences, however, Archer often reserves this ability, prefering to fight with any matter of sword in close combat.

He also has great skill with a fundamental prerequisite to Tracing, Reinforcement. Sorceries of this type are invoked to temporarily strengthen the structure of objects, allowing them to better withstand damage. In order to apply this augmentation, users of Reinforcement must understand the physical configuration of an object, requiring sorcerers to develop the ability to analyze and identify the components of an object when concentrating. The highest level of Reinforcement allows users to physically enhance living tissues, a feat which demands not only unsurpassed sorcerous prowess, but knowledge of skeletal and muscular anatomy. Archer is able to make use of the highest level of Reinforcement, and commonly invokes the sorcery to magnify his vision, giving him limited Clairvoyance to observe events from great distances.

Through surviving and engaging in countless battles, Archer has also developed a skill known as Eye of the Mind (True). This skill, a product of accumulated combat experience, allows Archer to quickly adapt to an opponent or situation he is unfamiliar with, and develop successful countermeasures to achieve victory. Using this theory of battle, Archer is able to formulate a winning strategy provided there is at least a 1% chance of victory.

Archer is also in possession of a sleek black longbow, which is constructed from a synthetic, metallic yet flexible compound that does not exist in the modern time period. This bow has been designed to withstand the strain of mounting weapons, such as Noble Phantasms, and propel them as if they were mere arrows. Simmilarly, Archer's breastplate and boots are crafted from the same material, while the red cloak he wears is a holy burial cloth that protects Archer from his surroundings.

[edit] Noble Phantasms

• Unlimited Blade Works - Infinite Creation of Swords

Rank: E ~ A++

Type: Support

A Reality Marble, also known as an Innate Bounded Field, which is an extremely rare high-class type of sorcery that creates an enclosed separate reality that is a physical representation of a user's soul. Archer's Reality Marble is known as "Unlimited Blade Works", which manifests as an open, barren field, littered with countless Noble Phantasms imbedded in the ground like grave markers. While aided by a Reality Marble, users are able to bypass the laws of nature; for Archer, it is the creation of an ideal battlefield. Although not a true Noble Phantasm, this spell is treated as one.

Within Unlimited Blade Works exist all the raw materials and sorcery required to facilitate Tracing, allowing Archer to duplicate any bladed weapon simply by seeing it. Furthermore, his tracing allows him to inherit the combat skills of those who previously used his weapon, granting him instant proficiency with whatever he traces. However, the quality of enchantment on each weapon will be degraded by one rank, never equalling the original. Swords, spears, and halberds are favored, but shields are also replicable at a substantially greater Mana cost. Archer is also able to levitate weapons within his Reality Marble, arcing blades into the sky and then raining them down on opponents. Most of the Noble Phantasms in Unlimited Blade Works are copies of legendary weapons archived inside Gate of Babylon, although several others (listed below) were traced by Archer later during his lifetime.

The following chant are the words to Archer's Reality Marble. They are somewhat different from Shirō's chant:

"I am the bone of my sword.

Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.

I have created over a thousand blades.

Unknown to death.

Nor known to life.

Have withstood pain to create many weapons.

Yet, those hands will never hold anything.

So as I pray, "Unlimited Blade Works."

• Kanshō and Bakuya: Gan Jiang and Mo Ye

Rank: C-

Type: Anti-Unit

An adorned pair of Kan-Dao Chinese falchions, each blade represents the contrasting forces of Yin Yang. Both swords may be thrown like boomerangs, homing in on an unsuspecting target; if one blade is thrown, it will return to a wielder's hand as long as its mate is oppositely held. When strengthened with reinforcement sorcery, the blades will extended nearly twice their original length and take on appearence of tattered feathers; this form is known as Kanshō and Bakuya Overedge^[2].Additionally, each sword provides limited protection against various sorceries. The following are anti-demonic charms engraved on each blade by Archer, which describe a life of swordsmanship:

"Our souls, hard yet firm

Our power, tearing the mountains

Our swords, splitting the water

Our names, reaching the villa

Only one among us can stand under heaven"

The name of these twin blades have roots in a legend from the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese History, where a skilled blacksmith named Gan Jiang was commissioned by the Wu Emperor to construct two of the finest blades ever created, under threat of death. With his wife Mo Ye, Gan Jiang traveled to the mountains, where he discovered a fallen meteorite from the heavens containing the ore of a special metal. Despite his best efforts, Gan Jiang's hammering is unable to mold the tough material. Fearing for her husband's life at the hands of the Wu Emperor, Mo Ye throws herself on her husband's forge. Gan Jiang is horrified and saddened, but Mo Ye's sacrifice provides the fire with enough heat to allow him to shape the metal. The finished product, a male and female pair of swords, were named in honor of the legendary blacksmith and his loving wife.

• Caladbolg II: The Fake Spiral Sword

Rank:

Type: Anti-Unit

This voluted, alabaster sword was fashioned by Archer through a modification of Caladbolg, the legendary weapon of Fergus mac Róich in Irish mythology. Commonly used as a Mana-efficient arrow, Archer customized the original Caladbolg so that it would be more aerodynamic. When fired as a Broken Phantasm, Caladblog II's energy output is roughly equivalent to an attack of rank "A". The Celtic hero Cú Chulainn has a geis invoked against Caladbolg, and when forced into battle against one from Ulster weilding the weapon, he must submit to defeat.

• Rho Aias: The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens

Rank:

Type: Support

An extremely powerful spiritual aegis, and the only defensive Noble Phantasm Archer has skill with. Originally a huge bronze shield coated with seven layers of tanned ox hide, activation of this Noble Phantasm materializes seven consecutive prismatic flower petals, which each petal emulating the protective strength of a fortress. Rho Aias was once the property of Telamonian Ajax, a Greek hero from the The Iliad who evenly matched Hector of Troy in combat.

• Hrunting: The Hound of the Red Plains

Rank:

Type: Anti-Unit

A thick, serrated jet sword, first seen in Archer's possession during Fate/hollow ataraxia. When fired as a Broken Phantasm, Hrunting actively seeks out the most direct route to its target so long as Archer continues to aim at the target. It will continue to home in even if its blade is evaded, deflected, or blocked. This Noble Phantasm will also penetrate obstructions of its fight path, and it possesses enough power to bypass four layers of Rho Aias. In Dene, an enchanted sword named Hrunting was gifted onto the hero Beowulf by Unferth, and was later used to no avail in battle against a large ettin known as Grendel's mother, although Beowulf was grateful to Unferth for its use.

[edit] True Identity

Archer is actually an adult Shirō Emiya, the main character of Fate/stay night. He is ultimately the winner of the 5th Holy Grail War, and is a living incarnation of the "Hero of Justice". The Throne of Heroes, which preserves the souls of all Epic Spirits, exists outside of any conventional timeline, so Archer can be called from any point in history. The amulet Rin used as a catalyst in Archer's summoning was the same jewel she used to save Shirō's life.

His history differs from the Shirō in any particular storyline, although he is most similar to the version who progressed through the Fate scenario. Archer remains the former Master of Saber, but there is a strong possibility that Avalon, one of Saber's Noble Phantasms, was never removed from his body. He cares deeply for Illyasviel von Einzbern, and his inability to prevent her death one year after the war's end is his greatest regret. At one point in his future life, Archer finds himself incapable of saving the lives of several hundred people; to change the course of their destinies, he forges a pact with the world, whereby in exchange for a miracle he is obligated to posthumously and indefinitely serve humanity as an Epic Spirit. Later, one of those spared hundred uses him as a political scapegoat, executing Archer under the accusations of war crimes for wanton violence and destruction.

Throughout his heroic career, Archer struggles with the same doubt his father, Kiritsugu, acknowledged many years before; when the life of one person is saved, another person must be left to die. After fighting in many future battles, he is horrified to discover himself needlessly slaughtering countless numbers of the nefarious and innocent alike. In time, the once idealistic Shirō comes to the pessimistic conclusion that attempting to preserve all human life is futile, for the few must be sacrificed for the survival of the many. Accepting this concept frustrates Archer, for it betrays his life's conviction and renders his selfless dedication to defending mankind worthless.

Broken, bitter, and angry, Archer gracefully accepts his death, gambling his afterlife on the small hope of being summoned as a Servant back in the 5th Holy Grail War. His rationale is to kill his younger self and cause a time paradox, which Archer hopes will spare Shirō the anguish of realizing his ideals are a sham, even at a cost of ripping the fabric of reality asunder.

[edit] Role

Throughout the 5th War, Archer acts brusque, pessemistic and apathetic to everyone he interacts with, including his Master, Rin. At times, he is also a rebellious Servant, and early in the 5th Holy Grail War Rin had to use a Command Mantra to force him to listen to her; this powerful sorcery makes it difficult for Archer to act against the wishes of his Master. While he holds no love for his younger self, and in spite of his bellicose attitude and independent demeanor, Archer cares deeply for the people he knew in life, especially Ilya, Rin, and Saber.

In Fate, Archer is disabled early on in the war from a near-fatal injury inflicted by Saber, and he remains inactive until he is called upon by Rin to stall Berserker so that she, Shirō and Saber can escape from the brutish Servant. Although still injured, Archer is capable of competently fighting and kills Berserker six times before he himself dies, without the use of Unlimited Blade Works. In the anime adaption, Fate Project rewrote Archer and Berserker's battle by portraying Archer as having activated his Reality Marble, yet he is only able to slay Berserker five times.

In the Unlimited Blade Works scenario, Archer's role is greatly expanded as he takes center stage as the primary antagonist. This opportunity to kill Shirō arises due to two incidents: Saber fails to injure him when he and Rin approach Shirō's home after her summoning, which was a disability in Fate, and Rider is killed early in the war by Caster and her Master. These two events elliminate the circumstances that forced Saber to exhaust her Mana supply through use of Excalibur, prompting Rin to abandon Archer to a solo fight with Berserker.

As in Fate, Saber is nearly killed by Berserker; however, Archer takes over the battle, but unwilling to risk harming Ilya, avoids combating Berserker directly. When the opportunity arises, Archer creates a large conflagration as a diversion to allow everyone to escape. After Taiga is captured by Caster, Archer betrays Rin during an assault on Caster's stronghold at the Ryudo Temple, where he is stalled by and defeats Lancer before killing Caster and her Master. Archer catches Saber, Shirō, Rin and Shinji within Unlimited Blade Works; under the threat of tracing Excalibur, Saber is forced into a stalemate. The situation prompts Shirō to battle Archer in person, where Archer dominates the battle but yields the match after Shirō's determination softens his cold heart. Archer appears briefly at the end of the scenario to kill Gilgamesh following a weakening by Shirō. After an insightful and poignant dialogue with Rin, Archer fades away with a smile on his face, confident and content with the path his life had taken.

Finally, during Heaven's Feel, Archer excuses his desire to kill Shirō when he learns Shirō has already thrown away his life-long ideals in the interest of saving Sakura's life. Archer is mortally wounded in an engagement against True Assassin, Black Saber, and "The Shadow", but he survives long enough to surgically graft his left arm onto Shirō, who lost his own arm in that same battle.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Website for the Fate/stay night Anime Series (Japanese)
• TYPE-MOON's Official Homepage for the Fate/stay night Game (Japanese) (Contains Explicit Content)
• Fuyuki Wiki, a comprehensive fansite dedicated to Kinoko Nasu (English)

Fate/stay night (TYPE-MOON)
Characters
Shirō Emiya | Saber | Rin Tōsaka | Archer
Illyasviel von Einzbern | Berserker | Kiritsugu Emiya
Sakura Matō | Rider | Shinji Matō | Zōken Matō | True Assassin
Kirei Kotomine | Lancer | Gilgamesh
Sōichirō Kuzuki | Caster | Assassin
Taiga Fujimura | Bazett Fraga McRemitz | Avenger | Caren Ortensia | Zelretch
Minor characters
Information
Scenarios | Seiyuu | Fate/hollow ataraxia | Fate/Zero