Fate Testarossa - Fate in Nanoha

Fate in Nanoha

Fate first appears in episode 4 with her familiar Arf and her device Bardiche (バルディッシュ, Baruddishu?, Voiced by: Kevin J. England), materializing in the town in search of Jewel Seeds. It is soon apparent that not even Fate knows why she is looking for these specimens of Lost Logia (the series' term for ancient magical artifacts), but she does not care, stating, "I must get them, because my mother wants them." Fate is initially dismissive of her young and naive rival, Nanoha, and tells her that her quest is worthless, but Nanoha's steadfast dedication to reforming Fate gets to her heart, and she begins to wane. However, this does not impress Fate's mother, Precia Testarossa, who tortures the girl for not getting all the Jewel Seeds. Fate remains loyal despite Arf's protests; she remembers a time when Precia was kind and stable, and thinks that the Jewel Seeds will cure her mother's insanity.

Fate teleports to her home from the top of an office building with complicated coordinates and magic. Her home is in a gloomy hideout in the Garden of Time with her mother and Arf, sharing a room with the latter. She appears in the city whenever she senses a Jewel Seed, as she has no school and nothing else to do. This is also the reason why she spends much of this season in her transformed state.

Late in the series, Arf strikes out at Precia and is thrown out for being "useless", ending up with Nanoha's friend Arisa. Fate finally starts to question her mother's motives, as Arf has always been there for her, but still refuses to join Nanoha and fully accepts her challenge to a winner-takes-all battle for the Jewel Seeds. When Fate loses, Precia appears and steals the Jewel Seeds. Fate tentatively joins up with the Time-Space Administration Bureau, and it is revealed that her memories of the past were copied, and that she is a clone of Precia's biological daughter, Alicia Testarossa. Fate does not take this news well and collapses after Precia shows that she truly hates her. She attempts to convince Precia to give up by, saying that she is still her daughter because she created her; the madwoman however laughs in her face, and states that the Jewel Seed collection was an attempt to reach the legendary Al Hazard and resurrect Alicia, and tells her that ever since Fate's creation, Precia has despised her. Fate, still very hurt, attempts to save Precia, but is rejected by her, as Precia who chooses to be with the preserved body of Alicia, falling into a dimensional rift. Fate later then accepts Nanoha as a partner and a friend, and even though she is arrested for what she did for Precia, promises to come back as she will probably be acquitted of all charges, seeing as she only did this for her mother and not for selfish reasons.