(alternatively, Altria), often known as , is a fictional character from the Japanese 2004 visual novel Fate/stay night by Type-Moon. Saber is a heroic warrior who is summoned by a teenager named Shirou Emiya to participate in a war between masters and servants who are fighting to accomplish their dreams using the mythical Holy Grail. Saber's relationship with the story's other characters depends on the player's decisions; she becomes a love interest to Shirou in the novel's first route and also serves as that route's servant protagonist, a supporting character in the second, and a villain called in the third route.
Saber is an agile and mighty warrior who is loyal, independent, and reserved; she appears emotionally cold but is actually suppressing her emotions to focus on her goals. She is also present in the prequel light novel Fate/Zero, in which she is the servant of Shirou's guardian Kiritsugu Emiya during the previous Holy Grail War, and in the sequel Fate/hollow ataraxia. Saber also appears in the novel's printed and animated adaptations, reprising her role in the game.
Saber was created by Kinoko Nasu after the series' leading illustrator suggested having an armored woman as a protagonist for the visual novel; writer Gen Urobuchi commented on her character becoming darker depending on the situations. Urobuchi created his scenario involving Saber and Kiritsugu because their relationship was little explored in the original visual novel. Saber has been voiced by Ayako Kawasumi in her Japanese appearances, and multiple actresses took the role in English-language dubs of the series' animated adaptations.
Critical reception to Saber's character and role in Fate/Stay Night, and by extension her relationship with Shirou has been generally positive. On the other hand, her characterization and relationships with characters in Fate/Zero has been subject to controversy. Her portrayal in Stay Night was that of a deeply self-assured, pragmatic ruler, capable of putting aside her ideals for the greater good of her nation, as shown by her utilitarian decision-making in allowing certain settlements to starve in order to feed her vanguard and ultimately ensure the survival of Britain as a whole. However, in Fate/Zero, characters such as Gilgamesh ridicule her for her naivety and steadfast devotion to chivalry, and her master Kiritsugu is relegated the role of having to educate her about the realities of war, despite her status as a monarch who has seen, participated, and killed in war to a far greater extent than he, and is far more aware of its grim realities. On the whole, Saber has been popular within the Fate series and anime in general, with numerous alternative depictions in the franchise and in Fate/Grand Order.
Character backstory
Saber's real name is Artoria Pendragon (sometimes written as Altria, Arthuria or Arturia). The character was inspired by the legends of King Arthur. At her birth, Uther decides to not publicly announce Artoria's birth or sex, fearing his subjects will never accept a woman as a legitimate ruler. Merlin entrusts Artoria to Sir Ector, a loyal knight who raises her as a surrogate son. When Artoria is fifteen, King Uther dies, leaving no known, eligible heir to the throne. Britain enters a period of turmoil following the growing threat of invasion by the Saxons. Merlin approaches Artoria, explaining that the British people will recognize her as a destined ruler if she draws Caliburn, a ceremonial sword, from the rock in which it is embedded. Pulling this sword, however, means accepting the hardships of a monarch; Artoria will be responsible for preserving the welfare of her people. Without hesitation and despite her sex, she draws Caliburn and becomes king of Britain. The only knights who know the truth of her gender are her foster brother, Sir Kay, and the king's secretary, Sir Agravain.
Artoria is plagued by feelings of guilt and inferiority throughout her reign; she sacrifices her emotions for the good of Britain, but many of her subjects and knights become critical of her lack of humanity and cold calculation. A traitorous knight mortally wounds Artoria, a homunculus named Mordred who is born of her blood during the Battle of Camlann. Morgan le Fay and Sir Bedivere escort the dying king to a holy isle; Artoria orders Bedivere to dispose of Excalibur by throwing it back to Vivian. In her absence, she reflects on her failures, regretting her life as king. Before taking her last breath, she appeals to the world; in exchange for her services as a Heroic Spirit, she asks to be allowed to relive her life, in which someone more suitable and effective would lead Britain in her stead.
Appearances
In Fate/stay night
In the visual novel Fate/stay night, Saber is accidentally summoned by a young mage named Shirou Emiya, stopping the servant Lancer in the process.
Fate route In the Fate route of Fate/stay night, Shirou and Saber often clash because of their fighting methods. Despite this, Shirou tries to persuade Saber that the past cannot be changed and that trying to change it is unwise. Once Saber discovers the Holy Grail is corrupt and causes only death, she accepts that her wish is indeed impossible to accomplish. She later works with Shirou to save the world she was summoned into.
Saber and Shirou develop romantic feelings for one another but decide to end their relationship once the Holy Grail War is finished. Having realized Kiritsugu Emiya sealed Excalibur's scabbard, , inside his body, Shirou passes it to his Servant so that she could defeat the Servant Gilgamesh. Saber and Shirou win their respective fights against Gilgamesh and his master Kirei Kotomine. Saber destroys the Holy Grail with Excalibur and, after accepting Shirou's feelings and confessing her own, is sent back to her original time and dies. In the PlayStation 2 remake, an extra ending in which Shirou and Saber reunite following their deaths was added. After accepting her own identity and dying, Saber forgoes becoming a Heroic Spirit so she can wait for Shirou in Avalon, the mystical land where only true heroes may reside. After waiting for many lifetimes for Shirou to earn the right to ascend to Avalon, they are finally reunited for eternity.
Unlimited Blade Works route In the Unlimited Blade Works route of Fate/stay night, Saber is stabbed by Caster's Rule Breaker and is forced to become her Servant. Caster then forces Saber to kill Shirou and Rin Tohsaka, but Saber resists the spell, giving Rin and Shirou time to escape. After Archer kills Caster, Rin then forges a contract with her, becoming her new Master. Saber, Shirou and Rin remain conflicted in how to deal with Gilgamesh. Eventually, they decide that Shirou should fight their enemy as he possesses the same powers as the missing Archer while Saber and Rin go to stop the Holy Grail, facing the Servant Assassin in the process. After defeating Assassin, Saber destroys the Holy Grail with Excalibur, and Shirou manages to defeat Gilgamesh with the reappeared Archer's help. In the Good End of this scenario, Saber lives on as one of Rin's familiars along with Shirou. Nasu states her role to be more akin to a mother or guardian figure. In the True End, she disappears after destroying the Holy Grail.
Heaven's Feel route In Heaven's Feel route of Fate/stay night, Saber is consumed by the Holy Grail during a battle with True Assassin and becomes a stronger, corrupted version of her former self, known as Saber Alter, and a Servant under Sakura Matou, the heroine of this route. While Shirou is on his way to seek an alliance with Ilya and Berserker, Saber appears in her Alter form and defeats Berserker, making herself known to Shirou while nearly killing her former allies. Shirou returns to Illya's home and defeats Berserker, who is now working for Sakura. Saber approaches the weakened Shirou but refuses to kill him since she feels honored by his recent fight. In the Normal End and True End, Sakura orders Saber to kill Shirou and the servant Rider. However, the duo manages to overpower Saber, with Shirou killing his former comrade.
In Fate/hollow ataraxia In the sequel video game Fate/hollow ataraxia, Saber continues to protect Shirou; if the player chooses, Shirou can pursue Saber romantically once more. She kills Archer when he attacks Shirou in one loop. In another loop, Saber is killed by Bazett Fraga McRemitz's Fragrach when she tries to use Excalibur on her. In the final loop of Fate/hollow ataraxia, Saber aids Shirou/Avenger to reach the Grail by fending off mysterious monsters with other Heroic Spirits. When the stray hair on Saber's head is pulled, she reverts to her Alter form. Saber Alter is portrayed as crude and obsessed with fast food in direct opposition to Saber's love of Shirou's cooking.
Fate/Zero In the prequel light novel series Fate/Zero, Kiritsugu Emiya summons Saber to participate in the 4th Holy Grail War. To prepare for the war, Kiritsugu persuades his wife Irisviel von Einzbern to act as Saber's guide while he aids her in secret. As in the original visual novel, Saber wishes to obtain the Holy Grail to change her kingdom's past, which results in Gilgamesh and Alexander the Great mocking her ideals. During a fight against Lancer, Kiritsugu ignores knightly ideals and forces Lancer's Master to commit suicide, angering Saber. Shortly afterwards, Kirei Kotomine kidnaps Irisviel, and Saber goes to find her. On the way, Saber confronts Berserker, who is revealed to be her former ally, Lancelot. After Lancelot's death, Saber is ordered to destroy the Holy Grail by her then-master, Kiritsugu, using two back-to-back Command Seals. Still, she only succeeds in destroying its physical form. Saber returns to her world, still aiming to take the Holy Grail for her people.
Fate/Grand Order Artoria Pendragon appears in Fate/Grand Order as a recurring Servant. She is one of the Servants of Ritsuka Fujimaru of the Grand Order conflicts of Fate/Grand Order. She appears as Saber, along with her multiple forms Saber Alter and Saber Lily, as well as her newer forms Lancer and Lancer Alter, and gag forms as Archer, Rider Alter and Ruler form wearing a swimsuit, maid outfit and bunny girl costume respectively, as well as another rider form as "Santa Alter" introduced in the game and a Caster form introduced for the game's 5th anniversary. Her other gag iterations are the Assassin-class Mysterious Heroine X, Berserker-class Mysterious Heroine X Alter, and Foreigner-classes Mysterious Heroine XX and XX Alter; all four are stated to be Artorias who originate from a technically-advanced alternate timeline called the "Servantverse", so named due to Servants being the dominant lifeform there.
In the main story, Saber Alter appears in the Fuyuki chapter as the main antagonist, Lancer Alter appears in the London chapter, and Lancer in the form of "Lion King/Goddess Rhongomyniad" served as the central villain of Camelot chapter. Heroine X appeared in the Grand Time Temple chapter as one of "event and gag Servants" while its Caster form served as the central character in the "Avalon la Fae" chapter.
Other appearances