Fate/strange Fake[Note 1] (フェイト/ストレンジフェイク, Feito/Sutorenji Feiku?) is a Fate light novel series created by Ryohgo Narita, started in 2015 and illustrated by Shidzuki Morii. It expands on the setting of an April Fool's joke published by Narita on his website in 2008 and its short story adaptation in TYPE-MOON Ace Volume 2 magazine in 2009.
Story
Setting
- Main article: World of Fate/strange Fake
Fate/strange Fake takes place around 2009.[1] The plot centers around a Grail War faultily copied from the Third Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. After the end of the third Grail War, an organization from the United States that has magi separate from the London-based Mage Association as members took data from Fuyuki's Grail War and planned their own ritual. After seventy years, they used the city Snowfield as the Sacred Land for their own Grail War. They were unable to successfully copy every aspect of the ritual, which led to it acting only as an imitation that has lost the Saber class and allowed for the summoning of strange Servants due to the definition of "hero" being blurred.
Plot
The Mage's Association has sent Langal and his pupil, Faldeus, to investigate the city and the status of the war. Faldeus, a spy from the US organization, has Langal sniped upon arrival, despite knowing that Langal was simply a puppet. He announces that their Holy Grail War has been in development and that it is real, which causes an uproar at the Clock Tower, and wishes to "advertise" the project to the Association.
Characters
False Holy Grail War
Characters related to the False Masters (偽マスター?) and False Servants (偽サーヴァント?) participating in the False Holy Grail War meant to prime the True Holy Grail War.
- Archer
- Tiné Chelc
- The master of False Archer.
- False Archer
- The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.
- Original Master of Archer
- The original master of Archer.
- Lancer
- Silver Wolf Chimera
- The master of False Lancer.
- False Lancer
- The Chains of Heaven, Enkidu.
- Wolf's creator
- The creator of the chimera wolf.
- Rider
- Tsubaki Kuruoka
- The master of False Rider.
- False Rider
- The Embodiment of Disease, Pale Rider.
- Yuukaku Kuruoka and Mrs. Kuruoka
- The parents of Tsubaki Kuruoka, trapped within Doomsday Come.
- Jiao
- Spirit summoned by the crossbow the Kuruokas planned to use as a catalyst for Qin Shi Huang.
- Caster
- Orlando Reeve
- The master of False Caster.
- False Caster
- The Author of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas.
- Clan Calatin
- Group of police officers serving under Orlando.
- John Wingard
- Clan Calatin member.
- Vera Levitt
- Orlando's secretary and Clan Calatin member.
- Axe-wielder
- Shield-wielder
- Bow-wielder
- Naginata-wielder
- Spear-wielder
- Assassin
- Jester Karture
- The master of False Assassin.
- False Assassin
- Failed Hassan-i-Sabbah Candidate.
- Berserker
- Flat Escardos
- The master of False Berserker.
- False Berserker
- The Serial-Killer, Jack the Ripper.
- Thia Escardos
- Flat's other self.
True Holy Grail War
Characters related to the True Masters (真マスター?) and True Servants (真サーヴァント?) participating in the True Holy Grail War.
- Saber
- Ayaka Sajyou (Player in the prototype version)
- The master of Saber.
- Saber
- The Lionheart, Richard I. Ayaka's Servant.
- Rounds of Lionheart
- Seven Heroic Spirits summoned through Saber's Noble Phantasm.
- Pierre Basile
- Archer
- Loxley
- Assassin
- Caster
- Philia
- Einzbern Homunculus responsible for Ayaka's participation.
- Little Red Riding Hood
- Apparition that appears to Ayaka.
- Cashura
- He is a magus working for the US government. Granted Command Spells by the Grail, he was planning to summon King Arthur, but summoned Saber instead. Killed during the summoning, Ayaka usurps the contract.
- Archer
- Bazdilot Cordelion
- The master of True Archer.
- True Archer
- The Distorted Hero, Alcides.
- Scladio Family
- Lancer
- Sigma
- The master of Watcher. He himself is meant to become True Lancer.
- Watcher
- A unique Servant, that is supposed to guide Sigma into becoming the True Lancer.
- Watcher's Shadows
- Seven individuals manifested as the "shadows" of Watcher.
- Rider
- El-Melloi Classroom
- Masters of True Rider. Students of Lord El-Melloi II, totaling 30 members.
- Roland Berzinsky
- Org Rum
- Fezgram vor Sembren
- Nazica Pentel
- Radia Pentel
- Verner Caesarmund
- Svin Glascheit
- Rin Tohsaka
- Luviagelita Edelfelt
- Caules Forvedge
- Mary Lil Fargo
- Yvette L. Lehrman
- Accompanying but not an active Master.
- Doris Lusendra
- The purported master of True Rider.
- True Rider
- The Queen of Amazons, Hippolyta.
- Caster
- Francesca Prelati
- The master of True Caster.
- True Caster
- The Trickster, François Prelati.
- Assassin
- Faldeus Dioland
- The master of True Assassin.
- True Assassin
- Hassan-i-Sabbah.
- Aldora
- Faldeus' subordinate.
- Thorn
- Anti-magus assault team commanded by Faldeus.
- Berserker
- Haruri Borzak
- The Master of True Berserker.
- True Berserker
- Beast of the Cedar Forest, Huwawa.
- Ishtar
- Fragment of the goddess manifested into the world, Haruri's benefactor.
- Gugalanna
- Divine Beast summoned by Ishtar.
Holy Church
Characters involved with the Holy Church.
- Hansa Cervantes
- A priest and a member of the Holy Church sent to act as unofficial Overseer.
- Quartet
- Hansa's followers.
- Delmio Cervantes
- Adoptive father of Hansa.
- Dilo
- Bishop of the church who discovered Hansa.
Mage's Association
Characters involved with the Mage's Association.
- Lord El-Melloi II
- Lord El-Melloi II is highly regarded in the Clock Tower and he is the professor of Flat. He once participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
- Gray
- Student of Lord El-Melloi II and friend of Flat.
- Ayaka Sajyou
- Student of Lord El-Melloi II for a month. Identical to the Ayaka in Snowfield aside from her hair color, but they are not the same person. She also met Mr. A and the Little Red Riding Hood at the Semina Apartments, having an indirect hand in the tragedy there.
- Langal
- Clock Tower magus sent to spy on the American ritual.
- Christophel Beilman
- Student seen with Langal when meeting with Lord El-Melloi II.
- Rocco Belfeban
- Cryer
- A clerk of the Clock Tower.
- Yatagarasu
- Haruri's caretaker
Citizens of Snowfield
Citizens unrelated to the proceedings of the Holy Grail Wars
- Drugstore employee
- Unnamed man who meets Ayaka and Saber.
- Amelia Levitt
- Tsubaki Kuruoka's doctor and Vera's older sister.
Other magi
- Flueger
- Avi Dikhail, Carl Lexarm, Hyouma Sagara, Silvelt Kotcheff, and Zugzwang
- Independent magi attempting to defeat Flat Escardos and False Berserker. They were all killed by Assassin of Black in the Fate/Apocrypha world, reacting with unknown fear when Berserker takes on her appearance
Observers
- Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg
- Magician observing the world of the novel, looking into viable solutions for the world line.
- Caubac Alcatraz
- Dead Apostle who knows Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, helping Zelretch pick Ayaka.
Dead Apostles
- Van-Fem
- Dead Apostle Ancestor familiar with Flat Escardos and Jester Karture.
Fuyuki City
Characters from Fuyuki City mentioned in the story.
- Kirei Kotomine
- Met Ayaka in the past.
- Gilgamesh
- Version of Gilgamesh from the Fourth Fuyuki Holy Grail War. Met Ayaka in the past.
- Sella
- Einzbern homunculus living at the Einzbern Castle.
- Shirou Emiya
- Obliquely mentioned.[2]
- Gai Gotou, Shirano Tsunokuma
- Met Ayaka in the past.
- Kane Himuro, Yukika Saegusa, Ayako Mitsuzuri
Past
Historical figures
Characters who have appeared in flashbacks or characters that have been referenced
- Saint Germain
- Man who met Saber during his lifetime.
- Charles Nodier
- Contemporary of Alexandre Dumas.
- Prince Napoléon Bonaparte
- Contemporary of Alexandre Dumas.
- Count of Monte Cristo
Magi
- Mesala Escardos
- Escardos ancestor
- Dioland ancestor
- Ancestor of Faldeus Dioland who fought in the Third Fuyuki Holy Grail War.
Volumes
Volume 1
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Volume 2
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Volume 3
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Volume 4
| Fourth volume transcription | ||
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Volume 5
| Fifth volume transcription | ||
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Volume 6
| Sixth volume transcription | ||
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Volume 7
| Seventh volume transcription | ||
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Volume 8
| Eighth volume transcription | ||
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呼び寄せられた“台風”によって混乱する聖杯戦争。『ネオ・イシュタル神殿』を中心に大規模な衝突が始まる中、ひとつの“影”が晩鐘の響きを携えて現れる。そしてエルメロイ教室の面々を前にアヤカは…… | ||
Volume 9
| Ninth volume transcription | ||
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Media
Manga
- Main article: Fate/strange Fake (manga)
Anime
- Main article: Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn-
- Main article: Fate/strange Fake (anime)
On July 01, 2023 after the world premiere showing of Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn- in Anime Expo 2023, it was announced that a TV anime series of Fate/strange Fake was confirmed to be in development.[3] On September 15, 2024, it was announced during the Aniplex Online Fest 2024 that the anime would hear its first episode in a world premiere live broadcasting on November 23 of the same year, at the Fate 20th Anniversary Showcase event in Hollywood.[4]
Development
Shortly before April 2008, Ryohgo Narita was feeling the urge to make a Fate/stay night fanfiction. Working with his friend Makoto Sanda, they came up with a fake role-playing style game for April Fool's Day called "Fake/states night"; Narita made the story, characters, and setting, while Sanda made the game manual. It was originally posted on Narita's homepage on April 1, 2008, presented as a prologue and introduction for the RPG, but having sent it to Nasu the night before, Narita was surprised the next morning to see that Nasu had linked to it on TYPE-MOON's website.[5]
The next year, the text was edited and "Fake/states night" was revised as "Fate/strange Fake", appearing as a one-shot in the TYPE-MOON Ace Volume 2 magazine. It was a stand-alone novel with illustrations by Shidzuki Morii, an afterword by Narita, and an epilogue describing the Player character.[6]
Years later, with the creation of TYPE-MOON BOOKS, it was announced that both a novel and manga series would be officially published,[7][8] and a brief trailer was made.[9] The first novel was given an additional three chapters and released for sale in January 2015. The epilogue with the Player character was removed in place of Ayaka Sajyou.
Narita designed all of his Servants to be countered by one of the Servants in the Fifth Fuyuki Holy Grail War of Fate/stay night.[5]
Sanda continues to provide some assistance in Narita's planning of the series. Narita was always asking Sanda questions on how to manage his characters, and these consultations grew more frequent ever since it was decided the series would feature the El-Melloi Classroom.[5] For example, it was Sanda who came up with Yvette L. Lehrman's Mystic Eye beam, after Narita asked for one more damage dealer for the El-Melloi Classroom and what more could Yvette do with her Mystic Eyes.[10] The damage to the North Pole in Volume 7 also happened because Sanda recommended Narita to make the battle more over-the-top.[11] Another memorable meeting with Sanda was trying to decide whether or not Ergo should appear and whether he would still be with the El-Melloi Classroom in the year of Fate/strange Fake. Sanda hesitated because back then he still wasn't 100% sure on how he was going to end Ergo's story. Having mapped out every plot event of the last volume in advance, Narita goes so far as to say that Sanda can finish the book in case he fell victim to unforeseen circumstances.[5]
Narita also consults other TYPE-MOON writers, such as Hikaru Sakurai overseeing every scene and lines Edmond Dantès appear.[12][5]
The police station scene in Volume 2 was nowhere in the initial plan. Hansa Cervantes only went there because Saber was arrested, and the attack on the station also happened because that was where he was. False Assassin was picked for it because Narita believed that she was the one who wouldn't care about the raid target being a police station. And that's how strange Fake is written, patching adlibs together on the fly.[5]
It is a common misconception among the fandom that Narita said he doesn't want Fate/strange Fake characters in Fate/Grand Order, but actually all he said was that a collaboration event shouldn't be expected until strange Fake is finished. He never forbade Grand Order from using strange Fake characters.[13] In fact, Narita never shuts up about wanting FGO to use his characters, and throughout FsF's publication years, he always wanted its characters in FGO, despite the mildly disheartening reality that he could not get them out before the series was over. Getting called about the playable debut of Richard I was a major cause for celebration.[5]
Trailers
The song "BELONG - From THE FIRST TAKE" by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Yosh was used in the CM. An opening sequence of the song can be heard in the opening scene of Episode 1 of the anime adaptation.
Notes
- ↑ Originally styled as Fate/strange fake. Alternatively styled as Fate strange Fake or Fate/strangeFake
References
- ↑
Fate/strange Fake Volume 6 - Chapter 20: "Dream Becomes Reality" "Part of the Holy Grail War that happened in Fuyuki. It was about 15 years ago, though.
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 1 - Prologue IV: Caster
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Anime Announcement Tweet
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake World Premiere Announcement Tweet
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 TYPE-MOON Ace Volume 17 - Makoto Sanda and Ryohgo Narita interview - Translated by Comun
- ↑ TYPE-MOON Ace Volume 2 - Special Appendix: Fate/strange Fake
- ↑ TYPE-MOON Ace Volume 9 - Hikaru Sakurai x Ryohgo Narita x Yuuichirou Higashide talk
- ↑ TYPE-MOON Ace Volume 10 - Fate/strange Fake article
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake PV Trailer
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 9 - Afterword
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 7 - Afterword
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 5 - Afterword
- ↑ Ryohgo Narita Twitter 5:47 AM JST · Sept 25, 2022
External Links
- Fan translation: HumbertoZero's Randomness