Fate Testarossa

Fate Testarossa (フェイト・テスタロッサ, Feito Tesutarossa^?), also known as Fate T. Harlaown (フェイト・T・ハラオウン, Feito T Haraoun^?) in A's epilogue and StrikerS, is a fictional character in the anime series Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. She is voiced by Nana Mizuki.

In the first season, Fate is a mage from the Garden of Time, who is sent to collect Jewel Seeds, which puts her at odds with rival Nanoha Takamachi. She is aided on her quest by an animal familiar, a mature dog-woman named Arf. She later becomes friends with Nanoha. The second and third season of the series showed her career as a Time-Space Administration Bureau officer and the development of her relationship with Nanoha. The two had begun to live together and later on joined by Nanoha's adopted daughter, Vivio Takamachi.

Fate in Nanoha

Fate first appears in episode 4 with her familiar Arf and her device Bardiche (バルディッシュ, Baruddishu^?, Voiced by: Kevin J. England), materializing in the town in search of Jewel Seeds. It is soon apparent that not even Fate knows why she is looking for these specimens of Lost Logia (the series' term for ancient magical artifacts), but she does not care, stating, "I must get them, because my mother wants them." Fate is initially dismissive of her young and naive rival, Nanoha, and tells her that her quest is worthless, but Nanoha's steadfast dedication to reforming Fate gets to her heart, and she begins to wane. However, this does not impress Fate's mother, Precia Testarossa, who tortures the girl for not getting all the Jewel Seeds. Fate remains loyal despite Arf's protests; she remembers a time when Precia was kind and stable, and thinks that the Jewel Seeds will cure her mother's insanity.

Fate teleports to her home from the top of an office building with complicated coordinates and magic. Her home is in a gloomy hideout in the Garden of Time with her mother and Arf, sharing a room with the latter. She appears in the city whenever she senses a Jewel Seed, as she has no school and nothing else to do. This is also the reason why she spends much of this season in her transformed state.

Late in the series, Arf strikes out at Precia and is thrown out for being "useless", ending up with Nanoha's friend Arisa. Fate finally starts to question her mother's motives, as Arf has always been there for her, but still refuses to join Nanoha and fully accepts her challenge to a winner-takes-all battle for the Jewel Seeds. When Fate loses, Precia appears and steals the Jewel Seeds. Fate tentatively joins up with the Time-Space Administration Bureau, and it is revealed that her memories of the past were copied, and that she is a clone of Precia's biological daughter, Alicia Testarossa. Fate does not take this news well and collapses after Precia shows that she truly hates her. She attempts to convince Precia to give up by, saying that she is still her daughter because she created her; the madwoman however laughs in her face, and states that the Jewel Seed collection was an attempt to reach the legendary Al Hazard and resurrect Alicia, and tells her that ever since Fate's creation, Precia has despised her. Fate, still very hurt, attempts to save Precia, but is rejected by her, as Precia who chooses to be with the preserved body of Alicia, falling into a dimensional rift. Fate later then accepts Nanoha as a partner and a friend, and even though she is arrested for what she did for Precia, promises to come back as she will probably be acquitted of all charges, seeing as she only did this for her mother and not for selfish reasons.

Fate in A's

In A's, Fate and Arf join the Time-Space Administration Bureau, as a temporary mage, and go back to Earth to team up with Nanoha again. She arrives barely in time to save Nanoha who had just been beaten by Vita, Fate manages to hold Vita back until Signum arrives, where she is beaten as well, even having Bardiche cut in half, although Bardiche is easily fixed using the Recovery skill.

After escaping from the Guardian Knights, Nanoha introduces Fate to her friends, Arisa and Suzuka, as a transfer student (though they had already met via Nanoha and Fate's video messages), and Fate has to get used to civilian life on Earth, due to the situation, as the Asura was being repaired and the crew was living on Earth for the time being. She also has a new mother figure in Lindy Harlaown (who later adopts Fate). Early on in the season, Bardiche is upgraded, along with Nanoha's Raising Heart, to be able to compete with the Wolkenritter's Belka type weapons, and is renamed "Bardiche Assault" which also now uses the cartridge system similar to that of the Wolkenritters weapons.

Nanoha and Fate later in the season, meet a sickly girl, Hayate, after being introduced by Suzuka, who is actually the master of the book of darkness. Later by accident, when visiting Hayate who was hospitalised at the time, Fate and Nanoha meet the Wolkenritter, and find out that Hayate is the master of the Book of Darkness, and the reason why the Wolkenritter are collecting pages for the book. Fate and Nanoha face off against the Wolkenritter, who do not wish for them to leave knowing their master's identity. However, the match is interrupted by the two masked men (later revealed to be the Liese twins), who trap Fate and Nanoha in magical binds and a barrier and then impersonate them, to make Hayate think that it was Fate and Nanoha who killed the Wolkenritter (as the masked men used their Linker Cores to fill the last pages of the Book of Darkness).

Fate along with Nanoha are forced to fight Hayate, as the Book of Darkness. However, during the fight Suzuka and Arisa discover Nanoha and Fate's true identity when the duo are trying to protect them from the Book of Darkness' attack. Fate is later then captured by the Book of Darkness and thrown into a dream from which she will never want to wake; with a happy life with older sister Alicia and a sane, kind Precia. However, Fate remembers that her friends need her, and says a sad goodbye to the life she always wanted in favour of the life she has now. With the help of the Wolkenritter and Hayate herself, they cure both Hayate and the Book of Darkness, which transforms into Reinforce, Hayate's partner and weapon.

In an epilogue taking place six years later, Fate is older, has been adopted by Lindy, and working for the TSAB along with Nanoha and Hayate who are now junior high schoolers. She has now changed her name to Fate T. Harlaown, with the T an abbreviation for Testarossa.

Fate in the manga

Two official manga series expand on what happens to the characters between the second season A's and the sequel of A's, StrikerS.

In the epilogue issue of the A's manga series, stated as being five months after the conclusion of the A's anime, Fate is depicted as having enrolled as a cadet officer the TSAB and has now been officially adopted by Lindy Harlaown.^[1]

The ongoing StrikerS manga series begins six years after the events of A's^[2] which shows the introduction to the gadget drones, before jumping ahead four more years to a timeframe just prior to the events of the StrikerS anime series.^[3] In it, Fate is in her third year of junior high school. She has now achieved the rank of Enforcer and acts as an investigator for the Interdimensional Navy of the TSAB, though she had to take her officer's exam three times before she passed (a fact which Signum continues to tease her about) because she was too worried about Nanoha's condition at the time, as Nanoha had suffered severe injury on an assignment after training too much and putting too much stress on her body.^[4] She has also assumed guardianship for Erio Mondial, a six-year-old boy who had been rescued by Fate during an unspecified incident involving a Lost Logia, though officially Lindy is Erio's adoptive parent due to Fate's age at the time and is technically his older sister.

Fate in StrikerS

Fate is now a 19-year-old commissioned officer of the TSAB, who has matured a lot since A's and is kinder to people, especially children. She lives on Earth in Uminari City with Lindy, who has retired from her position as Admiral, having had, as she says, too much excitement and is currently seeking a desk job. Fate who went to school with Nanoha, Hayate, Suzuka, and Alisa. She later abandoned her battle uniform for a TSAB suit, the completed anime showed her in her barrier jacket, which appears to have grown to continue to fit her as with Nanoha's barrier jacket. She also seems to have gained a white cape, according to two promotional pictures; what the cape is for is to tell which squad she's in. In the manga, both the TSAB uniform and the Barrier Jacket are used with the Barrier Jacket overlaying or replacing the uniform when activated for combat situations.

During the events of StrikerS, she, along with Nanoha, gives Hayate their support to form Riot Force 6, during which time, she and Nanoha share a dorm room together. She is now the head of the Lightning Squad and is a captain of the Riot 6 group along with Nanoha, and is a S+ mage without limiters, which is the third highest rank possible to be achieved by a mage. She shows very great concern for her squad, particularly Erio, as she is his guardian and Caro, a small child that she took in when no one else would, Fate takes her position as leader very seriously.

Fate is usually busy with investigating the Lost Logia incidents and some times would help Nanoha and Vita in training the new forwards of Riot 6, Subaru, Teana and her two fellow squad members Erio and Caro, usually Erio and Caro though. She is also the one who found out that the Drones were powered by small tiny fragments of the Jewel Seeds, and that the Jail Scaglietti was the one behind the relic incidents. Later Fate becomes Vivio's godmother and looks after her with Nanoha (who becomes Vivio's Guardian and later adopts her). Fate then later confronts two of the numbers during the attack on the Ground Forces' HQ, where she fends them off with ease even with her limiters on. Near the end of the season Fate heads down to Scaglietti's base in order to capture him, with aided by Sister Schach, who along with Verossa, found the base using Verossa's ability Infinite Hunt, whilst the others of Riot 6 go to stop the Saints Cradle from reaching orbit. There she is forced to fight another two Numbers, but the fight is interrupted with Scaglietti coming in and trapping Fate with a bind, while he reveals to Fate that he was the one who first created Project Fate and that her mother only perfected it, and states that she is like her mother, who only took in Erio and Caro so that they won't deny her and obey her, causing Fate to doubt herself. But Caro and Erio tell her that they chose their own paths, and not to listen to what Scaglietti says. This instantly makes Fate realize the truth, and she then proceeds to escape the bind and defeats the two Numbers, using her Riot Zamber and her new form, Sonic Drive, and then quickly captures Scaglietti. After Scaglietti is captured, the base begins to collapse and almost caves in on Fate and is saved by Erio . Later in the epilogue of StrikerS Fate returns to duty in the Interstellar Navigation Bureau, along with Shari and Teana who is working to become an agent as Fates second aide.

Fate in ViVid

Fate is still working as an Enforcer, during her mission-free time she often times spends her days helping Nanoha with raising Vivio, who called both of them Mama.

Fate in Force

By the time of Force, Fate and Teana have split up. However, the two of them meet up again during chapter 1 as they have both been assigned to work on the same case. In her other appearances, Fate has been seen looking into and investigating the incidents that Touma and Lily have been a part of, as the two seem to have obtained items that Fate and the others are looking for.

Powers

Fate's magical abilities developed at an astonishing rate, according to Rinis. She learned electricity-based attacks faster than other magical types, something that her mother Precia also specialized in. At the age of seven, she had already mastered several abilities to the point of not requiring the incantations. Behind her tutor Rinis' back, she also studied how to create and handle familiars.^[5] Her command phrase for her shooting abilities is "Fire!".

Fate specializes in mid-range and melee attacks, preferring speed to power and endurance. This was a result of the training that her mother demanded, which sacrificed the flexibility of a wide range of abilities for raw speed.^[5] Fate is also the fastest and strongest character in the Nanoha universe and is able to keep up with anyone without having to use speed enhancing spells, and when she does use them they make her even faster. After the events of the first season, she trained with Chrono to address the gaps in her initial training.

• Transformation — Fate transforms Bardiche into Device Form and her Barrier Jacket is activated as well.
• Arcus Cultus Aegeas — This is Fate's personal incantation for Bardiche. Generally she uses this to concentrate her energies, especially before unleashing a powerful attack.^[6]
• Jewel Seed Seal — Used to seal the Jewel Seeds so they will not fuse with anything.
• Lightning Bind — A powerful, but difficult to maintain, spell that prevents its target from moving.
• Recovery — Fate can restore Bardiche in seconds, even after she and Bardiche is heavily damaged.(Used in season one, episode 12 and episode 2 of A's)

Defensive Abilities

• Barrier Jacket — Fate activates her defensive outfit. After Bardiche is upgraded in A's, her Barrier Jacket gains two variations: Lightning Form and Sonic Form.
  • Lightning Form — This is similar to her original Barrier Jacket, with more protective power and some armor plates on her shoes and left glove.
  • Sonic Form — This lighter variation of Fate's Barrier Jacket dispenses with the cloak and instead puts Sonic Sails, Flier Fin-like wings on Fate's boots and arms, greatly increasing her movement speed. However, the defence of the Barrier Jacket is weakened, it might be fatal if she is hit by a powerful magic.
    • Sonic Drive — In episode 23 of Strikers, Fate first activates this variation of Sonic Form. Her speed and magic powers greatly increases in this form. Incantation to activate this form is Overdrive, True Sonic Form.,^[7] the appearance of Sonic Drive is similar to the Sonic Form.
  • Impulse Form — The new Barrier Jacket variation seen in StrikerS, it sports a complete new design that holds little resemblance with any of the other variations seen until then.
• Blitz Rush — Fate's movement speed is increased dramatically (if temporarily), to the point where human eyes cannot track her easily. In A's, this is upgraded to Sonic Move; in Sonic Form, she does not need to activate the ability. This move is later taught to Erio in StrikerS.
• Defenser — Bardiche's Auto-Guard magic. It can guard in every direction, but can be broken easily, as Signum's cartridge-loaded Device proves.
  • Defenser Plus — Used in the tenth episode of A's and the second episode of StrikerS, it is essentially a more powerful form of Defenser, and capable of being cast over a larger area to protect more than one person and can also block out gases and fumes from getting into the barrier.
• Bind Break — Attempts to deactivate a binding or imprisoning spell. The amount of time required to deactivate depends on the complexity of the target magic as seen in episode 10 of A's.
• Jacket Purge — Fate "unravels" the magic power that comprises her Jacket, causing it to explode. This has significant attack power, and can disrupt binding magic. However, she is vulnerable for a few moments after purging the Jacket, and she requires magic power to recreate a new one.
• Thunder Arm — A lightning defense on her left arm, possibly also able to use it on her right arm though it was never shown.^[8]

Offensive Abilities

• Scythe Form — Bardiche's head flips up and generates a scythe blade of light.
  • Arc Saber — Fate swings Bardiche, launching the spinning scythe blade. Its power is comparable to Nanoha's Divine Shooter.
  • Scythe Slash — Fate's melee attack with the scythe, where the blade is enhanced in order to penetrate barrier-type magics such as Barrier Jackets.
• Haken Form — Similar to Scythe Form, but the scythe has additional "blades" or "wings" projecting backward from the haft. Bardiche Assault consumes one magic cartridge to activate this mode.
  • Haken Saber — A more powerful version of Arc Saber.
  • Haken Slash — The Scythe Slash-like variation of Fate's Haken Form.
• Thunder Bullet — This is analogous to Nanoha's "Shoot the Bullet" spell. It's a shooting magic where a magical bullet shoots out from Fate's Hands w/out the help of Bardiche.
• Photon Lancer — Fate's basic ranged attack, fired from a small collection of energy called a "Photon Sphere". Fate's shots are faster, but unlike Nanoha's Divine Shooter, they are unguided.
  • Photon Lancer Phalanx Shift — A variation of Photon Lancer (and Fate's most powerful attack in season 1), this spell amasses several large Photon Spheres and unleashes a storm of Photon Lancer shots on the target.
    • Spark End — A follow up to phalanx where Fate calls back the photon spheres to create a long lance of light which she throws on her target.
• Plasma Lancer — A more powerful version of Photon Lancer, with increased attack power and the ability to turn at Fate's command should it miss.
• Thunder Smasher — Fate's siege-type attack, analogous to Nanoha's Divine Buster. It was called "Thunder Buster" in episode 12 of season 1, but the DVD booklet indicates that the attack was actually Thunder Smasher.
• Plasma Smasher — Thunder Smasher's upgrade, used when Bardiche Assault is in Assault Form.
• Trident Smasher — The third upgraded magic of the Thunder Smasher line, three beams are shot simultaneously from the same firing-point, creating the illusion of a trident's blade. Debuted on the episode 12 of StrikerS.
• Thunder Rage — Fate's multitarget attack, activated with Bardiche in Sealing(Grave)Form. Together with Nanoha's Divine Buster, Fate used this to seal six Jewel Seeds at once.
  • Thunder Blade — An enhanced version of Thunder Rage, Fate focuses each attack into individual swords that can detonate on the command "Break!". Chrono Harlaown has a similar attack called Stinger Blade.
• Blitz Rush — Fate can increase the speed of her magic missiles such as Plasma Lancer.
• Zanber Form — Bardiche Assault's head splits in two and generates a large energy blade from the top, transforming the weapon into an enormous sword.
  • Sprite Zanber — This ability is designed to destroy force fields, binding magics, and illusions. Fate, after transforming Bardiche Assault to Zanber form, uses this to break out of the Book of Darkness' prison.
  • Jet Zanber — Fate's ultimate melee attack (thus far), she first throws a shockwave at the target, then swings Bardiche Assault in Zanber form. The energy blade of the Zanber grows to many times its typical size, so Fate can slash through a target that would ordinarily be out of range.
  • Plasma Zanber Breaker — Bardiche Assault in Zanber form unleashes a powerful energy blast.
• Riot Blade — A compressed version of Zanber Form which apparently possesses greater cutting power; the Riot Blade is able to cut away magical bindings with ease.^[7]
  • Riot Zanber — Bardiche Assault splits into two Riot Blades connected by a cord of energy between the hilts. This mode is known as Riot Zanber Stinger. Fate can also combine both of the Riot Blades to form Riot Zanber Calamity, which possesses a blade the size of the normal Zanber Form with the cutting power of the Riot Blade.^[7]

References