Why settle for stories with aboriginal heroes when mages tin summon these warriors to fight on their behalf? Blazon-Moon's Fate franchise combines noble warriors, historic figures, and mythological beings. Moreover, its premise requires them to knuckles it out in a battle royale that rewards one wish to the victor. Originally just the Fate/stay night visual novel, the Fate franchise evolved its story beyond more VNs, low-cal novels, and even anime and film.

Of grade, having this much material to view can make whatever newcomer feel overwhelmed with the Fate franchise. Thankfully, following a specific club can help viewers feel more than acquainted with Fate and the machinations of its Holy Grail State of war.

Updated on xix November 2021 by Rhenn Taguiam: Despite its rather lengthy set of visual novels, books, boob tube serial, films, and fifty-fifty a gacha game, the Fate series remains i of the most critically-acclaimed pieces of Japanese pop civilization today. In the TYPE-MOON universe – or the fan-named Nasurverse – characters in the Fate series are often dragged into the Holy Grail War. In this battle royale, a person and a Heroic Spirit team upwardly to best other participants in this secret state of war to attain one wish. Nevertheless, every bit the anime and films show, at that place's more to Fate than just a typical fight to the death.

Fate/Stay Night (Anime, 2006)

Saber from the 2006Fate/Stay Night Deen adaptation

This anime adaptation stars Shirou Emiya, the sole survivor of an incident that engulfed an area in Fuyuki City in flames. A decade afterwards, Shirou keeps himself decorated by the mean solar day with schoolwork and some odd jobs. Meanwhile, he also secretly practices bones magic taught past his late adoptive father, Kiritsugu. Despite his ordinary nature, Shirou aspires to live past his adoptive male parent's lawmaking: becoming a hero of justice. Unfortunately, a series of events would drag Shirou to the Holy Grail War.

Being a 2006 adaptation, fans should only treat Fate/stay night as a base of operations introduction to the franchise. Moreover, given the anime tries to comprise all iii routes in the VN, it'due south arguably kind of a mess. However, fans should strictly care for this 2006 anime every bit an interpretation of the "Fate Route," focusing on Shirou's relationship with Saber.

Why Watch Information technology? Despite reviews, Fate/stay night remains a decent introduction to the Fate franchise as a whole. It makes a off-white effort to summarize all the routes in the VN, leaving viewers enticed to play the game themselves. This is a great mode for viewers to see whether Saber is their all-time waifu, or if they adopt existence closer to Rin Tohsaka or Sakura Matou.

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime, 2014)

Promotional art for Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works - Fate Series Watching Order

At kickoff glance, Unlimited Bract Works seems to copy the first few episodes of the original Fate/stay night accommodation. However, things begin to alter when Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka are forced to team upward for their survival. This fourth dimension around, Shirou begins to have a growing friendship with the more experienced magi Tohsaka. At the same fourth dimension, Shirou explores his immense dislike of her Servant, the mysterious Archer.

This adaptation branches away out of the VN's "Fate Route" and takes its "Unlimited Blade Works Route," where Rin becomes Shirou's leading lady. Given its recent accommodation, UBW 2014 has quite the striking visuals and more fleshed-out characters.

Why Lookout man It? Given its more updated visuals, UBW finally gets to showcase the awesome fight scenes that the 2006 anime failed to show and the VN simply got to depict in words. Fans of the Nasuverse's tendencies for technical magical jargon will love the serious take towards magic hither. This is a perfect gateway to Fate/Zero, another anime that tries to become technical on the Holy Grail War.

Fate/Stay Nighttime: Heaven's Feel I to 3 (Movies, 2017, 2019, 2020)

Promotional art for Fate Stay Night Heavens Feel - Fate Series Watching Order

Again, as with Fate/stay dark and UBW, the Sky's Feel trilogy seems to copy the first few days of Shirou's life going into the Holy Grail State of war. However, this time around, Shirou becomes much closer to his childhood friend Sakura Matou. Unbeknownst to him, Sakura has a mysterious past connected not just to the Holy Grail War as a whole, but to the entity that has begun killing off the War'southward participants.

As with UBW, the Heaven'south Feel films explore the titular road in the VN, where Sakura becomes Shirou's leading lady. Fans would greatly appreciate Sky'south Feel every bit it further expanded the personalities of the characters from the previous series. Moreover, the focus on Sakura profoundly helped in building her every bit a solid deuteragonist in the films.

Why Sentinel It? Heaven's Experience is arguably 1 of the more than emotional routes of the original VN. Shirou, Rin, and Saber will have to find a way to save Sakura Matou from impending danger. Beingness gear up beyond full-length films, Heaven's Experience manages to aggrandize on the original cast much better than the series.

Fate/Zero (Anime, 2011)

Fate/Aught again takes place in Fuyuki Metropolis, a decade before the events of Fate/stay night. As this setting implies, Fate/Zero serves as the prequel to Shirou'southward adventures. This time around, Kiritsugu Emiya becomes a participant in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Unlike the innocent Shirou, Kiritsugu has a noticeable border as the world-renowned mage killer. He as well receives the backing of the Einzberns, his wife's family.

This anime serves as the accommodation of the Fate/Goose egg light novels. Dissimilar the chief serial, Fate/Goose egg has a profoundly deeper approach to the complexities of the Holy Grail War. Aside from its stellar animations, its exploration of the themes of cede and appetite earned the praise of viewers and critics.

Fate/Zero serves as a great third piece of media to span the main Fate/stay night story and its spinoffs. Later on Fate/Cypher, fans may also choose to play the /stay night sequel, /hollow ataraxia.

Why Lookout man It? Arguably one of the best prequel anime out there, Fate/Nothing is a bully way to expect at the Holy Grail War from the perspectives of more mature audiences. Dissimilar Shirou Emiya and his desire to be a hero, Kiritsugu Emiya has a darker await at the globe – something reflected by most other participants in the state of war and certainly axiomatic throughout the series. This stark change in tone makes Fate/Naught a worthwhile lookout man in the entire serial.

An argument can be fabricated that Fate/Goose egg should be watched before Fate/stay dark; however, the latter'southward visual novel is meant to be read prior to the former's. Consequently, the same can hold true for the anime versions.

Fate/Apocrypha (Anime, 2017)

A screenshot from Fate Apocrypha - Fate Series Watching Order

What if the Holy Grail War followed the conventional definition of a war? The story takes threescore years after the Third Holy Grail War, where the Yggdmillennia association declares war upon the Mage'southward Association. In this new Greater Grail War, Black and Red teams (assigned to the aforementioned factions) are comprised of Master-Servant pairs who want nothing else for their side to get the victor. And similar in the events in Fuyuki City, the Holy Grail War isn't always every bit straightforward as it seems.

Unlike the /stay night serial, Fate/Apocrypha takes place in an alternating timeline. Given its older premise, fans who appreciate historical fiction volition honey the Servants and the overall narrative featured in this anime.

Likewise, viewers volition dearest the separate story /Apocrypha shares, and the two sets of Servants who accept their ain abilities, personalities, and aspirations. This is the perfect start to a renewed expect into /stay night spinoffs.

Why Scout Information technology? Fans of alternate history will appreciate the more nuanced have towards historical personalities in Fate/Apocrypha. Unlike the waifu-focused premise of the Fate/Grand Guild game, Apocrypha finally gives players a deeper look into the relationships of characters within the fourth dimension period besides as the new cast coming from various timelines that have to participate in this war to the decease.

Fate Extra Last Encore Poster - Fate Series Watching Order

Events of Fate/EXTRA Concluding Encore start hazy, and that's by design. In this anime, Hakuno Kishinami wakes up in a strange world accompanied but past a Servant. With no recollection of his past, he somehow patently has to win the Holy Grail War and, hopefully, regain his identity in the process.

As with the mainline /stay night series, Fate/EXTRA Concluding Encore also adapts a game – this time, Fate/EXTRA. Fans will appreciate Terminal Encore for being a loose accommodation of the game. This means they can play the game and lookout the anime in any lodge.

Moreover, fans of isekai will too dear Last Encore for its Blazon-MOON take on the "inescapable VR game" genre. Likewise, some of its terminologies and concepts become relevant to Grand Order.

Why Watch It? Thank you to Terminal Encore, fans of Nasuverse volition get to meet the Fate creators dabble in the idea of the virtual reality isekai merely this time with the Holy Grail State of war twist. Despite its nature as a video game adaptation, information technology'due south nonetheless interesting to see how Hakuno manages to resolve the mystery behind the Holy Grail State of war without all the grinding and boss battles in between.

Fate/Grand Lodge: First Order (Movie, 2016)

Unbeknownst to the globe at large, the Chaldea Security Arrangement relies on the assay of various experts to make up one's mind potential extinction events to threaten mankind. Thankfully, their initial 2015 forecast predicts safe for the next century. However, the verdict all of a sudden announces the cease of the world in 2016. With no apparent cause, Chaldea but knows of a link – the events of 2004's 5th Holy Grail War, the setting of Fate/stay night.

In turn, Chaldea has announced a Yard Guild: to change the past and restore the time to come. To do this, protagonist Fujimaru Ritsuka – a new Chaldea recruit – and the mysterious Mash Kyrielight need to become back in fourth dimension.

Fans of the Fate franchise would fondly remember Grand Order equally the hit gacha game – with a gripping narrative despite its mobile nature. This moving-picture show adapts the prologue of the game's "Observer on Timeless Temple" storyline.

Why Lookout man Information technology? People who couldn't be bothered to grind through the mobile game's hours' worth of story tin can watch Offset Order every bit information technology is a true-blue adaptation of the game'southward get-go chapter. Fans of the game besides won't feel bored watching the motion picture despite knowing what would happen throughout the story, every bit the adaptation incorporates stellar fight scenes and gives more than personality to the characters.

Fate/Grand Guild THE Movie – Divine Realm Of The Round Table: Camelot (Movies, 2020, 2021)

A promotional art of the Divine Realm of the Round Table - Fate Series Watching Order

Courtesy of Operation M Order, Chaldea's Ritsuka and Mash travel in fourth dimension to "repair" Singularities that would cause Globe's devastation in 2016. This time around, they stumble upon their sixth Singularity during the Crusades.

Every bit with the other Chiliad Club media, the two-part Camelot films cover the sixth chapter of the Grand Social club game. Newcomers who go to watch the films will appreciate the rather solid narrative, despite simply being a part of a larger story. Conversely, fans will love how Camelot manages to tackle this chapter in both a self-independent story while also sharing its larger implications to the overall plot.

Why Watch It? While the film takes identify in the sixth chapter of the game, Camelot won't fail to help viewers get reacquainted with the residual of the story. With each affiliate of Grand Order existence its own standalone arc, viewers with no prior knowledge of the game won't have a hard time getting dragged into Ritsuka and Brew's timeline-saving adventures.

Fate/1000 Club – Accented Demonic Front end: Babylonia (Anime, 2019)

A shot from the Babylonia anime of Fate Grand Order - Fate Series Watching Order

In Babylonia, Chaldea'southward Ritsuka and Brew travel in time to Mesopotamia in 2655 B.C. Their goal is to prepare the Singularity in this era to prevent the Earth's devastation in 2016 – only for a monster-besieged region to surprise them.

The pair soon discovers that mankind's simply hope against these monsters lies in Uruk, a fortress metropolis. To their surprise, the King of Heroes Gilgamesh has taken leadership in humanity's last attempt against these monsters. And he's been calling the assistance of various Heroic Spirits to aid him.

As with First Society, Babylonia besides adapts a chapter from the "Observer on Timeless Temple" storyline in the game. This fourth dimension around, Babylonia adapts the seventh chapter of the main game. Thankfully, with the mode the anime is written, newcomers don't necessarily need to play One thousand Order to sympathise the ongoing events in Babylonia.

Why Watch It? Taking identify notwithstanding again within Grand Lodge'due south timeline-saving adventures, Ritsuka and Mash bear witness viewers a magnificent take on one of the most ancient civilizations in existence. Perhaps what's amazing hither is how fans finally get introduced to younger versions of more iconic heroes in the franchise, such as Gilgamesh. The flick serves as an interesting have on developing his persona, too as cementing his status as one of the fan-favorites in the franchise.

Fate/Chiliad Order: Last Singularity – Yard Temple Of Fourth dimension: Solomon (Movie, 2021)

Poster for Grand Temple of Time Solomon Film - Fate Series Watching Order

In Ritsuka and Mash'south adventures to repair the world'due south timeline and prevent Earth'south destruction, they stumble upon 1 final Singularity to fix. Surprisingly, their journeying ends when the world is nigh to end, in 2016. Ritsuka and Mash demand to stop Solomon'due south plans one time and for all.

This upcoming film is slated for a July 30, 2021 release. Every bit with the other Grand Order media, this story adapts a chapter of the "Observer on Timeless Temple" storyline. This movie covers the Solomon Singularity, the final chapter of said storyline.

Why Watch It? As the name implies, G Temple of Time: Solomon showcases the final storyline available in the One thousand Order game then far. Every bit this film reveals Solomon as the antagonist of the current storyline, some fans may be afraid that this release will be skipping quite a ton of build-upwardly for this grand reveal. However, 1000 Temple of Fourth dimension: Solomon compensates for this through compelling storytelling and quite a captivating take on the game's concluding chapter.

More than: Amazing Free To Play Anime MMOs Any Otaku Should Play Today

Hogwarts Legacy Gameplay Demo Gives Look at Character Creation

Gamers larn more details almost the character creation system for Hogwarts Legacy during Thursday's PlayStation State of Play event.

Read Next

About The Writer