The second season of Fate/Zero is twelve episodes long. It is based on the prequel to the visual novel Fate/stay night, where it tells the events of the previous Holy Grail War. Since the previous season ended right in the middle of a huge battle between Caster and his huge monster versus all the other Servants, this is naturally where the season picks up from the very first episode. Caster is a formidable opponent and his summoned monster proves more than a match for the combined attacks of Saber, Rider and Lancer. However, this is the one event that gathers all the Servants together as even Berserker and Archer make an appearance. Despite the grand scale of it all, the problems involving Caster and his Master are somewhat resolved without too much fanfare.
On the other hand, Archer’s Master, Tokiomi (also known as Rin’s father), finally makes more than a token appearance. In the first season, he was regulated to just musing and monologuing in his room whereas now, he stands in the open targeting some of the other Masters. Kirei is rapidly inching towards the point where he betrays Tokiomi, as we now constantly see him performing actions that are contrary to their plan together. He eventually crosses over the line and does several despicable acts, which you wish that he will get karma for, but of which we know that he won’t.
Like the first season, the tone can be dark and the visuals can be gory. Emiya Kiritsugu is shown to be a ruthless participant. He does not hesitate in using any sort of methods, including blackmail and going back on his word, in order to kill the other Masters and Servants. It goes so far as to paint him in an anti-hero light. However, there are some instances where the way a Master is dispatched to be thoroughly underwhelming considering the focus that had been placed on them.
Continuing on the trend from the previous season, there are flashback episodes that come without any warning, which can be a bit jarring. The main one being how Kiritsugu became the coldhearted person that he is. Although there was only one episode before he spirals down his path, and another one to elaborate on what happens afterwards. While the events he had to go through are traumatic, it felt like such a sudden and dramatic change overnight. Some characters like Waver and Rider are well developed, where it is easy to see and understand their relationship. It gives them meaning and weight. While other characters like Kiriya and Beserker as well as Tokiomi and Rider are weak, with barely any screentime to flesh them out.
While consistent, Gilgamesh is still annoying with his smugness and arrogance. Considering that his abilities are overpowered, it’s frustrating to see that he fights from a distance, throwing numerous weapons against his opponents, and as a last resort, uses his more powerful weapon which pretty much annihilates everything. It’s not that ufn to watch since it’s so predictable and uninteresting. On the whole, fight scenes aren’t terribly great here. There is a heavy reliance on 3D animation during a lot of the scenes, from Caster’s monster to all the vehicles. It’s quite distracting and clashes massively with everything else due to the awkward way that they move about and how it stands out in terms of aesthetics.
Being a prequel, you’ll know the ending and it won’t be a happy one. Despite that, it has a strong lead up to the ending and explains why it ended the way that it did. Kiritsugu redeems himself somewhat, thanks to our deeper understanding. It is painful to see Saber feel betrayed like she did without truly knowing the full picture and the true nature of the grail. There is a fairly intense scene that perfectly captures the frustration and hopelessness of the two characters perfectly.
While the bulk of the story ends on the second to last episode, the final episode gives us an epilogue for all the surviving characters. It also portrays events that has significance and would eventually tie back to Fate/stay night. It’s at the end that you will realize that the anime did succeed in humanizing and giving us a proper look at Emiya Kiritsugu since he was fairly mysterious in Fate/stay night.
Overall, Fate/Zero is a solid prequel to Fate/stay night. There are several highs to the story but ultimately it can feel a tad bit too similar to Fate/stay night. There aren’t too many characters that you can say are proper heroes since the general tone of the anime is on the darker and more twisted side. There are no redemptions but at the very least, you understand the motivations of several of the grail participants. It does a good job at showing off the events of the Holy Grail War in the lead up to Fate/stay night.
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