Illya - Supporting Characters

Supporting Characters

Kiritsugu Emiya (衛宮切嗣, Emiya Kiritsugu?)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese), Kirk Thornton (English)

Shirō's adoptive father who saves Shirō following the massive Fuyuki fire. At age 29, he becomes Saber's Master for the fourth Holy Grail War, the events of which are covered in Fate/Zero. During his lifetime, Kiritsugu strives to be a Hero of Justice, a defender of humanity who could protect the weak. He feels he failed to do so, but his efforts were a source of inspiration for Shirō. Kiritsugu is a Magus, but does not teach Shirō seriously and assumes he has little talent for the craft. At the conclusion of the fourth Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu is afflicted with a curse by Angra Mainyu where his body weakens and becomes lame. He eventually passes away from the curse at age 34.

Taiga Fujimura (藤村 大河, Fujimura Taiga?)

Voiced by: Miki Ito (Japanese), Julie Ann Taylor (English)

She is an English teacher at Shirō's school, homeroom instructor of Shirō's class and the supervising teacher for the archery dojo. She is widely called "Tiger" (タイガー, Taigā?), a nickname she dislikes, but Shirō calls her "Fuji-nee" (older sister Fuji). After Kiritsugu passes away, Taiga becomes Shirō's guardian and has been living with him for several years. Taiga and Shirō are very close, and she regards him as a younger brother. She has a grandfather named Raiga.

Issei Ryudou (柳洞 一成, Ryūdō Issei?)

Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono (Japanese), Lex Lang (English)

Issei is the Student Body President of Shirō's school, and another close friend of Shirō. Issei often asks Shirō to fix broken equipment for the Student Body to save money on school expenses. Issei and Shirō often have lunch together in the Student Body office where they talk about what ever comes to mind. His father is the head priest of Ryūdōji Temple, and his brother was a classmate of Taiga and Neko-san. He dislikes Rin, thinking that she has cursed Shirō, but he seems to be unusually at ease around Saber. Issei mentions to Shirō that a mysterious but beautiful woman (Caster) has been staying in his temple.

Issei is a minor character in all three routes, but is involves in one of the Bad Ends in the Unlimited Blade Works route, in which Shirō inquiring after Caster causes a spell cast on him by Caster to activate. This causes him to stab Shirō and then himself.

Shinji Matō (間桐 慎二, Matō Shinji?, Shinji Matou in anime)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese), Doug Erholtz (English)

Sakura Matō's older brother, and a long-time friend of Shirō. Shinji is very popular as vice-captain of the archery dojo despite being chauvinistic and a narcissist. Like Rin Tōsaka, he is of a distinguished lineage of sorcerers, though the Matō blood has thinned and no longer produces heirs naturally capable of sorcery. Shinji feels uncomfortable with his sister's daily visits to Shirō's home. He has an open crush on Rin, but she does not return his feelings.

In all three routes of Fate/stay night and the anime, he participates in the fifth Holy Grail War as a Master, with Rider as his Servant, although he does not have Magus abilities. He initially tries to get Shirō to ally with him against Rin, and later tries to team up with Rin, but they both decline. His Command Seals are on a book that he carries around, revealed in the Heaven's Feel route to be the Book of False Attendant, a false Command Seal created by his younger sister and Rider's true master. In the Fate route and the anime, after Rider loses to Saber, his book burns up; he flees but is killed by Berserker. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he is implanted with the heart of Illya, the seed of the Holy Grail by Gilgamesh, but is later rescued by Rin Tōsaka and ultimately survives. In the Heaven's Feel route, he is killed by The Shadow while attempting to rape Sakura.

Lancer (ランサー, Ransā?)

Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna (Japanese), Tony Oliver (English)

The first hostile Servant to appear in the story. Lancer is a fierce but balanced warrior who enjoys combating a worthy opponent. He has a playful attitude and takes a very carefree approach to life, but is quick to work himself into a frenzy during a heated battle. Lancers are hailed as the "Most Agile" of Servant classes. His Noble Phantasm is Gáe Bolg: Spear of Impaling Barbed Death (ゲイ・ボルグ, Gei Borugu?). It is a long, red spear which inflicts wounds that do not heal. When activated, it reverses the laws of cause and effect, meaning that the fact that the next strike will hit the opponent's heart becomes a forgone conclusion, even before the spear is thrust. This causes its next strike to become completely unavoidable and fatal, ignoring all magical and physical protection, bending at impossible angles and around obstacles. The only way to survive this technique is to be blessed with a large degree of luck in order to have the spear strike a region other than the heart, as avoiding the blow is impossible. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he also uses Gáe Bolg: Spear of Striking Death Flight (ゲイ・ボルグ, Gei Borugu?), which maximizes Gáe Bolg's true capabilities as a thrown weapon. This Lancer was Cúchulainn in his previous life.

In the Fate route, his death is not seen, but he is presumably defeated by Gilgamesh while buying time for Shirō Emiya and Rin Tōsaka to escape. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he collapses after being ordered to commit suicide via Command Spell, but not before killing Kirei and stabbing Shinji Matō as he attempts to rape Rin. He then sets fire to the Einzbern castle with magic before fading away. In the Heaven's Feel route, he is killed by True Assassin's Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya.

Kirei Kotomine (言峰 綺礼, Kotomine Kirei?)

Voiced by: Jouji Nakata (Japanese), Taylor Henry (English)

Through an agreement between the Mages' Association and the Church, the Holy Grail Wars are moderated by a priest. Kirei's father mediates the fourth Holy Grail War, and after he dies, Kirei feels obligated to replace him. His selection as mediator is unusual, for Kirei is a member of both the Church and Mages' Association, organizations on hostile terms with one another. After Rin's father dies, Kirei acts as an indirect caretaker for Rin. Ranked far lower in the Church hierarchy than Ciel (from Tsukihime), Kirei employs many of the same techniques and weapons she does. He is surprisingly powerful as a Magus, having trained under Rin's father. He is the master of both Lancer and Gilgamesh, having stolen the Command Seals for the former sometime before the start of the Fifth War.

He is a major antagonist in all three routes, but dies in all of them. In Fate, he is defeated by Shirō Emiya, who fatally stabs him with the Azoth Sword, a gift he gave to Rin Tōsaka years ago. In Unlimited Blade Works, he is defeated by Lancer, who stabs him from behind after having supposedly killed himself. In Heaven's Feel, his backstory is greatly expanded, and he is eventually defeated by Shirō in a climactic fist-fight at the grounds of the Great Holy Grail.

Rider (ライダー, Raidā?)

Voiced by: Yu Asakawa (Japanese), Karen Strassman (English)

The Servant of Shinji, first seen scouting around Shirō's school. Rider is silent, sultry, and vigilant, never hesitating to shield her Master from harm. She employs covert battle tactics and takes full advantage of her surroundings. With Shinji incapable of lending Mana to her, she is forced to seek alternative means to augment her abilities such as putting magical seals all over Fuyuki High School that, when activated, drain the life out of any living creature within. This is actually one of her Noble Phantasms, Blood Fort Andromeda: Outer-Sealing Blood Temple (ブラッドフォート・アンドロメダ, Buraddofōdo Andoromeda?). Her weapon of choice is a pair of long iron nails fastened to opposite ends of a single chain, which she effectively thrusts from distances. Her primary offensive Noble Phantasm is Bellerophon: Bridle of Chivalry (べルレフォーン, Berurefōn?), invoked while riding upon the winged horse Pegasus and is summoned when she stabs her neck. It drives the Pegasus into a killing fury, turning the Pegasus' charge into a wave of energy capable of causing mass destruction. Her legendary counterpart is Medusa. In all three routes of Fate/stay night and the anime, she wears a blindfold, actually another Noble Phantasm, Breaker Gorgon: Self-Sealing Dark Temple (ブレーカー・ゴルゴーン, Burēkā Gorugōn?), which seals away her powerful Mystic Eyes that are capable of paralyzing any weaker being who looks at her. However, in Fate/hollow ataraxia, she is seen wearing glasses.

In the Fate route, she is defeated by Saber's Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, which overwhelms Bellerophon. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, she is killed by Caster's master. In the Heaven's Feel route, Rider's role is greatly expanded. Sakura is shown to be the true Master of Rider, and after Shinji's death, Rider seeks to protect her despite her murderous deeds. Shirō eventually becomes Rider's provisional Master, and their combined efforts defeat Saber Alter. Rider then flees with Rin and Sakura, and goes on to survive in the True End, living peacefully with Shirō and Sakura. Her ultimate fate in the Normal End is not known.

Illyasviel von Einzbern (イリヤスフィール・フォン・アインツベルン, Iriyasufīru fon Aintsuberun?)

Voiced by: Mai Kadowaki (Japanese), Jennifer Sekiguchi (English)

A young Teutonic aristocrat who travels to Japan to participate in the fifth Holy Grail War as the Master of Berserker. Illyasviel has an angelic appearance and an unsurpassed degree of magical power, seemingly able to control Berserker with ease. She lives in a castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, accompanied only by her Servant and her two maids Leysritt and Sella. Illyasviel asks those she feels comfortable around to simply call her "Illya". In the prequel, Fate/zero, it is established that Illya is the daughter of Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern and is therefore Shiro's stepsister. She is not a human, but rather a homunculus, created to serve as the vessel of the Holy Grail. When wearing the Dress of Heaven and empowered by the deaths of at least six Servants, she is capable of performing a limited version of the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel (ヘブンズ・フィール：天の杯, Hebunzu Fīru?), one of the Five types of True Magic (魔法, Mahō?) which can accomplish impossibilities beyond modern science or sorcery.

In the Fate route, she lives peacefully with Shirō after her Servant is defeated, although none of them are aware that she will soon die, her homunculus' body having been designed to survive only up to one year after the Fifth Holy Grail War's conclusion. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, she dies weeping over the dying body of Berserker, her eyes having been gouged out and heart torn out by Gilgamesh. She has a greatly expanded role in the Heaven's Feel route, in which her background as Kiritsugu's daughter is revealed. She eventually sacrifices herself to save Shirō and close the Great Holy Grail in the True End. Her ultimate fate is not revealed in the Normal End, although she is presumed to have perished due to her homunculus' design a year after the War's conclusion.

Berserker (バーサーカー, Bāsākā?)

Voiced by: Tadahisa Saizen (Japanese), Michael McConnohie (English)

The Servant of Illya, who appears as a swarthy giant with adamantine skin and gross brawn. He wields a colossal axe-club, and is capable of causing massive destruction with the mere backlash of his swings. As a Berserker, he is stripped of his sanity and reason, acting feral and animalistic in combat. Berserkers are praised as members of the "Strongest" class, though they are difficult to control and can turn on their Masters. However, Illya appears to have little trouble managing him. He was Hercules in his past life. Berserker's main Noble Phantasm is God Hand: Twelve Labours (ゴッド・ハンド, Goddo Hando?), which grants automatic resurrection, up to 11 resurrections - meaning Berserker needs to be killed 12 times to be eliminated, one for each of Hercules's twelve labors. A secondary effect of his Noble Phantasm is that any attack of 'B' rank or below cannot cause any harm to him. Berserker also possess a Noble Phantasm called Nine Lives: The Shooting Hundred Heads (ナインライブズ, Nainraibuzu?), which is the legendary bow and arrow set used by Hercules to slay the nine-headed Hydra. This bow technique consists of nine consecutive shots, but can also be adapted for use on other weapons. Due to his class, however, Berserker lacks the necessary complex motor skills to successfully manipulate Nine Lives during the fifth Holy Grail War. Instead, Shirō uses it in the Heaven's Feel route, projecting Berserker's own axe-sword against Dark Berserker to remove all his remaining lives in one go in a modified technique known as Nine Lives Blade Works: The Shooting Hundred Heads (ナインライブズブレイドワークス, Nainraibuzubureidowākusu?).

In the anime and the Fate route of the visual novel, Archer is only able to knock down some of his lives, and Rin able to only knock down one. However, Shirō and Saber perform a joint special attack with a traced Caliburn, Saber's lost Noble Phantasm, and eliminate the rest of his lives in one stab. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, Archer takes away one of Berserker's lives from the beginning and the remaining eleven are ended by Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. In the Heaven's Feel route, Berserker is consumed by Angra Mainyu and reborn as Dark Berserker, a blind, decrepit version of his normal self. He is later killed by Shirō Emiya, using Nine Lives Blade Works.

Sōichirō Kuzuki (葛木 宗一郎, Kuzuki Sōichirō?, Souichirou Kuzuki in anime)

Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata (Japanese), Patrick Seitz (English)

A well-built man with angular glasses and a conservative hairstyle, Kuzuki is a strict instructor in Rin's class. He primarily lectures on World History, though he holds classes in Ethics. Kuzuki is well respected among staff and students, but he is widely regarded as austere and impersonal. Unknown to most, he is actually a highly trained assassin who has no qualms about letting his servant Caster do whatever she wants, even if the actions are considered evil. He has been staying at Issei Ryoudou's place for three years. In the anime and the Unlimited Blade Works route of the visual novel, he has Caster enhance the power of his fists. In the latter, this proves enough to allow him to defeat Saber in hand-to-hand combat.

Kuzuki only plays a major role in the Unlimited Blade Works route, in which he is revealed as Caster's Master. After his Master is killed by Archer's hail of swords, he is defeated in melee by Archer. His identity as a Master is not made known in the other routes and his fate is thus unknown.

Assassin (アサシン, Asashin?)

Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese), David Vincent (English)

A solitary Servant, clothed in a traditional Japanese hakama and kimono with an indigo haori. This handsome man bars entry beyond the main gate of the Ryūdōji Temple. Quiet and composed, he maintains a degree of bushido and is eager to spar with other Servants. He is of the same class, but he is not to be confused with another Servant known as True Assassin. He initially claims to be Sasaki Kojiro, but in reality he is a nameless samurai "who forged his past and is a master swordsman only in people's memories". He was summoned by Caster as a guardian and watchman for the front gate of the Ryuudouji Temple. As an improper servant, Assassin is entirely dependent on Caster for mana and cannot move freely beyond the grounds of Ryuudou Temple. Furthermore, he lacks most of the usual parameters and abilities granted to his class. Because of his limited status, Assassin cares little for the Holy Grail, and outside of his duties to Caster, he only seeks to enjoy a decent sword fight. His special move is the Turning Swallow Strike (秘剣・燕返し, Tsubame Gaeshi?), an unblockable attack that hits from three directions simultaneously, reaching into parallel dimensions. It is a sword skill of the highest degree that requires no prana other than that needed for Assassin to move, and as such is incredibly efficient. It is a sure-kill move, although in a different sense from Gáe Bolg. Its one weakness is that it can only be executed with a level foundation and enough space to manoeuvre - otherwise, only two simultaneous strikes are possible.

In the Fate route, his ultimate fate is unknown, but he is presumed to have faded away after his Caster was defeated. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he is defeated by Saber on the last night of the Holy Grail War due to his blade being bent from their previous encounter, which leaves an opening in Tsubame Gaeshi. In the Heaven's Feel route, Assassin's flesh serves as Matō Zōken's catalyst for summoning True Assassin, with the latter bursting out from within his flesh.

Caster (キャスター, Kyasutā?)

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese), Tara Platt (English)

She is an honored guest of the Ryūdō family, permitted to live at their temple until the preparations for her marriage have been finalized. A gorgeous and talented yet mysterious woman of high stature, her presence has attracted the attention of trainee priests and even Issei. Unlike other Servants, she does not wield a weapon for physical combat, but her rank allows her to manipulate Mana and perform magic like a wizard, something which other Servants cannot do. Her magical ability far surpasses modern Magi, due to her technique, High-Speed Divine Words (高速神言?). This allows her to cast spells which would normally take minutes to cast by uttering a single word. In the anime and the Unlimited Blade Works route of the visual novel, she easily blocks Rin's Gandr shots and can teleport herself and her Master out of harm's way. Because of her Magus ability, she has a dual role as a Servant to Kuzuki, and a Master of Assassin. Her Noble Phantasm is Rule Breaker: Destroyer of all Talismans (ルールブレイカー, Rūrubureikā?), an otherwise weak dagger which dispels all forms of magic that it comes in contact with. Its greatest use is in severing the bond between Master and Servant. She also possesses a Noble Phantasm called Argon Coin: The Golden Fleece (アルゴンコイン, Arugonkoin?), a coat of golden fleece which is capable of summoning the original Colchis dragon that guarded it after it is thrown upon the ground. Caster does not have the knowledge or skill to summon a phantasm-beast, so it goes unused during the fifth Holy Grail War. If she did possess the proper skills necessary to summon the dragon, it would bring her up from being the weakest Servant to the middle-ranking among the Servants of the Fifth War. The dragon itself isn't strong enough to be able to make a clear difference against higher level opponents.

In the fifth Holy Grail War, shortly after her summoning, she kills her original Master within a few days, and is later taken in by Sōichirō Kuzuki at the Ryūdō Temple. Caster quickly fell in love with Souichirou, for he was the first man to show her genuine kindness, dedication and loyalty. Her primary objective shifted from obtaining the Holy Grail for herself to simply preserving their short time together. To that end, she takes the souls of other beings to sustain herself and strengthen her defensive power, as Kuzuki is incapable of providing her with Mana. Her legendary counterpart is Medea, a supposed witch from Greek mythology.

In the anime-original storyline, she kidnaps Sakura by possessing her body and stabbing Saber with Rule Breaker, but, because of Saber's A-ranked magic resistance, she was only able to take away Saber's ability to use her Noble Phantasm. She then tries to sacrifice Sakura, who has latent Magus abilities, to summon the Holy Grail directly. She is then defeated by Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon in her underground city. In the Fate route, She is defeated by Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon while attempting to attack the Emiya household. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, she personally stabs Saber with Rule Breaker, turning her into her Servant for a short time, but is later betrayed and defeated by Archer, who showers her with a barrage of Noble Phantasms from Unlimited Blade Works. In the Heaven's Feel route, she is killed by Saber early on, but Matō Zōken uses one of his worm familiars to maintain her body as a puppet.

Gilgamesh (ギルガメッシュ, Girugamesshu?)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese), Grant George (English)

An arrogant, selfish, and enigmatic Archer-class Servant. He appears familiar with Fuyuki City and has an overt but unrequited love for Saber. Typically clad in an ornate golden armor, he possesses an immense number of Noble Phantasms so that not even Saber knows his identity. It is later revealed that they are the original copies of nearly all Noble Phantasms, stored in one of his own: Gate of Babylon: King's Treasure (ゲート・オブ・バビロン, Gēto Obu Babiron?), a key-shaped sword that opens a portal to a mystical vault containing the Noble Phantasms. He can draw swords out individually for close combat, or fire them out of his gate like bullets. Incidentally, this method of attack made him suitable for the Archer class. Only two of his Noble Phantasms, Enkidu: Chains of Heaven (エルキドゥ, Erukidu?) and Enuma Elish: The Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth (エヌマエリシュ, Enuma Erishu?), the attack generated by the weapon Ea: Sword of Rapture (エア, Ea?) are representative of his true identity, which is Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes. He is initially known also as the Golden Archer, and he easily defeats Caster when he makes himself known to Shirō Emiya and the others in the Fate route of the visual novel. In the anime, he defeats both Caster and Kuzuki. Saber initially states that Gilgamesh defeated her as an explanation for why he is alive during the fifth Holy Grail War (Shirō also refers to him as the "eighth Servant"), but later clarifies that she and Kiritsugu Emiya had won the fourth Holy Grail War. It is later revealed during the Fate route that he was splashed with the mud of the Holy Grail back then, converting his body to one of flesh and blood and allowing him to survive without a source of mana. He is shown to be easily one of the strongest Servants, brushing aside Excalibur in the Fate route and anime, and ending eleven of Berserker's lives consecutively in the Unlimited Blade Works route. When consumed by Sakura in the Heaven's Feel route, Sakura commented that it felt like she was absorbing two Servants' worth of power. It is said that if he ever manages to put aside his overwhelming pride and go all-out, nobody can defeat him.

Gilgamesh is a major antagonist in all three routes, but dies in all of them. In the Fate route, he is killed at the grounds of the Ryūdōji Temple by Saber after his Enuma Elish is successfully blocked by her Avalon. In the Unlimited Blade Works route, he is killed by a fired sword from Archer while attempting to use Shirō to drag himself out of the Holy Grail, falling back into it. In the Heaven's Feel route, he attempts to kill Sakura but is consumed by the Shadow in the process.

Zōken Matō (間桐 臓硯, Matō Zōken?)

Voiced by: Masane Tsukayama

Zōken is a shrewd, powerful, and ancient sorcerer who is patriarch of the Matō family and is known to be the grandfather of Shinji and Sakura. He was also one of the original three Magi to propose the Holy Grail system, being the designer of the Command Seals. He has amassed a large and extensive library of sorcery knowledge, yet his lessons are strict and harsh. Zōken considers Shinji to be a disgrace of a sorcerer, and believes Sakura may have more potential than her brother.

He only appears in the Heaven's Feel route, but is a major antagonist there and also has an expanded role in the prequel, Fate/Zero. After seeing Illya in her Dress of Heaven and remembering why he fought to survive for so long, he allows himself to die peacefully.

True Assassin (真アサシン, Shin Asashin?)

Voiced by: Tetsu Inada

An exceptionally dangerous Servant with a limited appearance in Fate/stay night and Fate/hollow ataraxia, but an expanded role in Fate/zero. The designation of "True" is meant to distinguish this Assassin from another Servant that has usurped his place in the current war. All True Assassins share a collective identity and have appeared in every Holy Grail War throughout history. They are infamous for an ebony and tattered costume, as well as for concealing their identity behind an ashen skeletal mask. True Assassin's identity is that of the legendary Persian "Old Man of the Mountain", Hassan-i-Sabah, the leader of al-Assasīn, but later states that the name Hassan was passed down along with the leadership of the sect through many generations and that he himself was not the original Old Man of the Mountain. His Noble Phantasm is Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat (ザバーニーヤ, Zabānīya?), his long, demonic, three-metre long right arm, which replaces the heart of whoever it touches with a fake substitute, which can then be crushed, destroying the real heart.

He is the Servant of Zōken Matō, and only appears in the Heaven's Feel route, bursting out from within Assassin's flesh. He is defeated by Kirei Kotomine, but manages to survive, only to be destroyed by Sakura's Shadow.