Review of Fate/Zero

I’ll preface this with some background on me. The first season of anything Fate I’ve seen was Fate/stay night (2006). To say the least, I did not enjoy that experience. It was so off-putting that, when a friend of mine said I should pick up this series, I kept pushing it off for several years, despite multiple attempts to convince me that this was worthwhile. Despite this being a prequel of sorts (Fate routes being what they are, it’s hard to be certain), I believed that this series would be dragged down by my prior experience. I have never been happier to be completely and utterlywrong.

Fate/Zero has since taken the top spot among all the anime that I have seen. Yes, all of them, and though the first season isn’t its strongest due to some issues with the pacing, this season also has my favorite moments in the whole franchise. The Banquet of Kings is among my favorite scenes of dialogue in any medium. The way these characters challenge each other on an ideological level is truly next level, and the fights, glorious though they are, are just window-dressing for a series that survives and thrives on its drama.

So, why Fate/Zero? Because it’s a perfect portrayal of a Greek tragedy, one that plays out to perfection in S2, but starts strong here. Kiritsugu is an amazing central character to build this around and one of my favorite characters of all time, but this series would not work with him alone. Rider (Alexander the Great) is the ultimate Chad and his relationship with his master Waver Velvet is what keeps this series balanced even if its darkest moments. Archer (Gilgamesh) is an excellent Jester character, weaving into the story as a sort of external viewpoint while at the same time having his own reasons to seek the Grail. While Assassin is a bit of letdown, every other character pulls their weight in a series that drags you in and doesn’t let go (sometimes literally, as is the case with Caster [Gilles de Rais]), in one of the darkest scenes I can recall).

This show is the reason Fate sticks with its fans so well, and in my opinion, it’s the gold standard that other anime tragedies are still trying to match.