Rin Tōsaka

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Rin Tōsaka (遠坂 凛, Tōsaka Rin^?) is a character from the Japanese visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night by TYPE-MOON.

A model student and idol of Shirō's school, Rin is secretly a sorceress and Master in the Holy Grail War. She is descended from a long line of sorcerers, and though lacking a formal magic education, is extremely powerful in her own right. Her father was killed in the 4th Holy Grail War, and she has trained since his death to succeed him. She is perceptive, resourceful and avidly competitive. Although she tried to summon a Saber-class Servant, she accidentally called Archer instead.

The voice acting for Rin is done by Kana Ueda in the Japanese version. Mela Lee is the English voice of Rin.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Abilities 3 Role 4 References

[edit] History

Two centuries ago, the Tōsaka House, in collaboration with the estates of Makiri and Einzbern, helped found the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars. The land of Fuyuki City, which possessed the second greatest spiritual power in all Japan, was owned by Rin's ancestor, Nagato Tōsaka; at the behest of the Einzberns, he provided his property as battleground for present and future wars. Nagato was a kirishitan, as well as a pupil of Zelretch; these titles gave him considerable influence on both the Mage's Association and the Church, allowing the Tōsaka's to participate in the Holy Grail Wars, free from harassment by either organization.

Rin was reared as the successor to her family's magecraft, and was instructed by her father, Tokiomi Tōsaka, to prioritize sorcery over her own interests. Ten years ago, Tokiomi was selected as a Master in the 4th Holy Grail War, and Rin was entrusted to take care of the Tōsaka estate until his return. After her father was killed, Rin continued to perfect her sorcery, with some guidance from her guardian, Kirei Kotomine. To divert attention from her private life, Rin has diligently strived to earn the admiration of her peers, even though she is secretly stingy, tomboyish, and a slacker.

Although Rin resents the sacrifices she has endured for the sake of tradition, she is fiercely competitive and eager to prove herself as a skilled and capable sorcerer. She was immensely disappointed at summoning Archer and ended up in a quarrel with him; however, the duo soon reconciled their differences and quickly got along.

[edit] Abilities

As the Tōsaka’s successor, Rin excels in transformation of energy, which includes storage of Mana in objects. Because the amount of energy a magus can release at one time is restricted by bodily limitations, Rin has been able to accumulate all of the Mana generated by her body during her lifetime through jewel crystalization. As with practicing of sorcery, charging these jewels has become a daily process for her. When Rin's stored power is needed, she can detonate her jewels on contact with an object, resulting in a release of energy equivalent to an attack rank of "A".

Her most common offensive spell is Finnish technique known as Gand, which concentrates Mana into Rin's forefinger, resulting in a hazy black orb subsequently fired like a bullet. Originally intended to a curse, Rin's variation on Gand takes on an unusual, corporeal form. Additionally, Rin has bypassed any need for a verbal component to initiate this spell, and she can fire many Gand shots in an instant.

Rin is also proficient with reinforcement sorcery; although not her specialty, she begins Fate/stay night with far more skill than Shirō Emiya has in the discipline. This spell is employed only once, when Rin uses reinforcement on her legs in the Fate/stay night prologue in an attempt to give herself enough speed to distance herself from Lancer. This displays her talent in the field, as the application of reinforcement to enhance parts of a living being is considered the pinnacle of difficulty.

[edit] Role

Rin narrates the prologue of Fate/stay night, detailling her first three days involved in the 5th Holy Grail War. In her dialogues, she reveals to her Servant Archer that she is only participating in the war out of her own competitive desire to become the winner. She also expresses dissatisfaction with Archer, for she was attempting to summon a Saber-class Servant, though she quickly grows accustom to him.

After scouting out Fuyuki City, Rin is caught off-guard at Homurabara Gakuen by Lancer, who then engages in battle with Archer. This fight is interrupted, however, when Shirō Emiya is discovered and killed by Lancer; Rin, who has sympathy for Shirō, uses her family's treasured pendant, which possessed a strong concentration of Mana, to repair his heart. After she returns home, she realizes Lancer will continue to hunt Shirō when he realizes Shirō is not dead, prompting her to sprint toward Shirō's neighborhood. It is here that she first encounters Saber, and the three Fate/stay night scenarios branch off.

By the conclusion of the prologue, Rin would have used two Command Mantra on Archer; the first is to force him into submission after he acts insubordinate to her, and the second is to force him into ethereal form before he is killed by Saber. In all scenarios, her position as narrator is replaced by Shirō.

In Fate, Rin acts as an advisor to Shirō, dutifully attempting to school him in traditional sorcery in light of his powerful Servant, Saber. Although Shirō's recklessness results in the death of Archer, she bears Shirō no ill-will, though she hides bitterness at her loss of both her Servant and her chance at winning the war. Her interaction with Saber also suggests that Rin may have bisexual tendencies. Rin is later stabbed by Kirei Kotomine in Shirō's home, though she survives and ultimately leaves for London at the war's end to become a true magus.

Rin is the heroine in Unlimited Blade Works, and has romantic feelings for Shirou. In Heaven's Feel, she uses the Jeweled Sword Zelretch to defeat Sakura Matō. Rin and Shirō become partners in every scenario.

Rin also appears in Fate/stay night's sequel, Fate/hollow ataraxia, when she wields the Kaleidostick, another of Zeltretch's inventions, which when activated, the Kaleidostick transfers knowledge from an alternate version of its user into its current wielder, in addition to providing an ample source of Mana. However, the Kaleidostick dislikes its creator, and frequently manipulates its user into humiliating situations. In Fate/hollow ataraxia, the Kaleidostick is responsible for transforming Rin into the magical girl Kaleido-Ruby.

[edit] References

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 | Voice actors | Fate/hollow ataraxia | Fate/Zero