Minato Nagase

Minato Nagase (長瀬 湊)

Minato is Jun'ichi's younger sister. She is a year younger than him and attends the same school as him as a first year high school student. She is capable in all areas of house hold related work and is proud of it. She also has unique abilities, like listening to the ground to detect the presence of animals, as well as be able to communicate with them. She has feelings for Jun'ichi. She mentions that she was an adopted sister once, but later says it was a joke. Minato is blood-related to Jun'ichi in the PC game, in the PS2 version she is not related to him, and it is unclear as to whether she is blood-related to Jun'ichi in the anime. (Her and Jun'ishi end up believing that they are indeed blood related, although the parents make a comment at the end of the series.)

Yuuhi Katagiri

Yuuhi Katagiri (片桐優姫)

Yuuhi is the main heroine in the series. She is very beautiful, which often causes trouble for her, such as being harassed constantly by men. One day, when she was being harassed by two men, she was saved by Jun'ichi. She transferred to his school hoping meet her fiance because she heard that he was in this area. Later, after a misunderstanding from Jun'ichi, he kisses her in public, causing her to have ill feelings towards him, but her feelings grow more for him throughout the series.

Junichi "Jun, Genokiller" Nagase

Jun'ichi is the main protagonist of the series. He is a second year high school student and had a quarrel with a transfer student, Yuuhi Katagiri on the first day of school. It turns out that Yuuhi is his fiancé as arranged by his family. His life takes a drastic turn with Yuuhi entering his life.When he first met her he had the impression she was a helpless girl and kissed her because of a misunderstanding. After that, Yuuhi becomes much more violent towards Jun'ichi. Since Yuuhi is often harassed, he finds himself protecting her; as time progresses, their love for each other grows, even though neither of them will admit it. Throughout the anime series it is hinted that Jun'ichi has romantic feelings for his sister Minato, but he is reluctant to admit this even though he sometimes has fantasies about her.

Akira "Air King" Takizawa

 He lost his memory during a brain washing program. At first he thinks he is a terrorist. He met Saki in Washington D.C., being naked and only carrying a gun and a cellphone. When he helps her out, because she threw a coin in the grounds of the White House and is questioned by policemen, she gives him her coat, scarf and her hat. He has a very modern cell phone with the phrase "noblesse oblige" printed on it and 8.2 billion yen in digital money credit. When he makes his first call, a female voice claiming to be Juiz answers. After she sent him a map with the place where he was supposed to go he finds, in his apartment, guns and many different passports which seemed to all belong to him (after his arrival in Japan, Juiz told him that he has to use up all his digital money). Then he met the girl named Saki and they return to Japan together. According to his passport, he lives in Japan, Toyosu, his name is Akira Takizawa and he was born on January 7, 1989 and is, therefore, 21 years old. According to the phone, he is identified as Seleção No. 9.

The dangerous artifact of Nodoka Miyazaki, the Diarium Ejus

Nodoka Miyazaki

• Manga: Diarium Ejus: Nodoka gained a picture diary that can read the inner thoughts of people, and prints those thoughts into words and images. This is very useful in a variety of situations, including combat and information gathering, (especially for interrogations, though Nodoka is reluctant to forcibly read the inner thoughts of others - she always apologizes afterwards). This artifact is considered to be very powerful and its potential for misuse is considerable.
  
  
  Nodoka splits her Diarum Ejus to evade her pursuers.
  However, the reason why Nodoka received the book may be due to the fact that her innocent personality prevents her from abusing it. There are two drawbacks to take note. First, is that in order to read the thoughts of a person, she needs to know his/her name and second, the person's mind that the she wishes to read has to be within a 5-point radius of her. Its range might be further now, since Nodoka was able to read Yue's mind when she went chasing after her in the lower levels at Library Island. If she does not use the diary or not call a name, it will read her mind automatically by default, much to her embarrassment. Though now the weaknees of needing the person's name has since been solved with her acquiring a ring that can show her the name of anyone she wants. She has also attached a special magic item to the diary itself, which would tell her what is being written in the book through an earpiece, so she no longer needs to actually read the book in order to read other people's thoughts. Later in the manga, she also able to split her artifact into smaller versions so that she can read more than one person's mind.
• Negima!: Similar to her manga version 
• Negima!?
• Suka: Seal
• Cosplay: Similar abilities to her manga version, but with a pair of glasses added as an extra artifact.
• Armor: Thought Reading' Diary (sic): She has four encyclopedias hovering around her, with the books' abilities being a combination of the Diarium Ejus (the ability to read other people's minds and predict their movements in battle) and the Orbis Sensualium Pictus (the ability to look up information on, among other things, magic-related topics; Yue's Pactio item in the manga). She wears a robe and a bunny backpack in this form (similar in appearance to an outfit she wore in a manga spread).

Yasuko Takasu

 Yasuko "Mirano, Ya-chan" Takasu

 Yasuko is Ryuuji's thirty-three-year-old mother, though she refers to herself as eternally twenty-three; she has large, F-cup-sized breasts. Soon after Ryūji was born, her husband died which left her to raise her son by herself. She works at a hostess bar named Bishamonten Kuni where she goes by the name "Mirano" and single-handedly supports her two-member family financially. However, she has a childish personality and since she works, she entrusts the household chores to Ryuuji. She instantly takes a liking to Taiga and already regards her as a member of her family.

Ryuuji Takasu

Ryuuji "Taka-chan" Takasu

Ryuuji is a seventeen-year-old high school student in his second year, class C. Due to biological inheritance, his eyes make him look like an intimidating delinquent and causes many misunderstandings in his life. He lives in a fatherless family with just his mother, and due to this, Ryuuji has learned to be self-sufficient. He is good at cooking and keeping everything in his house clean, and also excels at sewing. He holds a crush on Minori Kushieda, a girl his age in his class. He has a pet parakeet named "Inko-chan" (inko literally means parakeet in Japanese). Ryuuji often helps Taiga with domestic chores which she is otherwise unable to perform. At school, he is known as "the only person able to stop the palmtop tiger", referring to Taiga's nickname.

Ami Kawashima

Ami "Amin, Bakachi, Stupid Chihuahua" Kawashima

Ami is Yūsaku's childhood friend who transfers into his class midway through their second year of high school. She is very beautiful and even works as a model, though after she transfers school, she temporarily stops modeling. However, she still continues to go to the gym readily and maintains a slim figure. She is always kind and generous towards others, though this is merely a deception. In truth, she is arrogant and will not hesitate to use others for her own benefit. During her first meeting with Taiga, Ami showed her true colors, but the tables were turned when Taiga threw a counterattack back at her. Since then, Ami and Taiga have been enemies, though Ami still sometimes envies Taiga since she can always be honest. It's hinted at, mostly through her childhood friend Yuusaku, that she's like this because she hasn't really known any other life than her modeling, which is part of the reason she moved to their hometown to attend school there.

Which is why, through her affiliations with Taiga and Ryuuji, Ami eventually develops more of a "middle ground" personality, signified with her losing her temper and taking out her frustrations on a stalker fan. While this doesn't mean that she automatically become friends with Taiga, the two of them also meet halfway to some extent, thus running into arguments far less frequently. She can still be somewhat manipulative and mischievous, but her "gravure airhead" personality is almost entirely abandoned for a more outspoken one, and she's even helped out her newfound friends -- INCLUDING Taiga -- on occasion. At some point, she even showed some interest in Ryuuji.

Taiga "Palmtop Tiger" Aisaka

Taiga is a girl in Ryūji's class. She has a well-regulated and beautiful appearance though is unable to stomach company from others. Due to her often snapping at others in brutal ways and her short stature at 143.6 cm (4' 8.5"), she is given the nickname "Palmtop Tiger." Her under-developed body and the added nickname has given her a complex which in turn serves to give her a negative attitude and facial expression. Essentially, Taiga gets upset easily and is considerably clumsy. Due to her cute looks, she often gets confessions by boys her age, but she turns down every one of them. She comes from a rich family but due to bad family relations, she has taken to living on her own. However, since she came from a privileged household, she does not know how to do any domestic chores.

When she meets Ryūji and learns of his domestic talents, she begins to depend on Ryūji for them. Aside from sleeping in her own house and going to school, she spends most of her time at Ryūji's house; so much so that she is almost considered a member of his family, and many classmates think they are dating.

Hikari Hanazono

 Hikari Hanazono

Hikari is determined to beat Kei in any kind of competition, whether it be in organizing a school event or a wrestling match. She's a kind girl who always worries whether others are having fun. She is second place in 10th grade for best grades, but is sometimes lacking in common sense. Stubborn, proud, and hot-headed, Hikari never backs down from a challenge, especially one from Kei, as she is constantly looking for an opportunity to surpass him. She's good at everything except for cooking and teaching. Although she can handle her own in a fight (often against boys), Kei, nevetheless, gets irritated whenever she puts herself in danger, thus treating her more like a female than she does herself. Stupid when it comes to love, as Kei is in love with her and everyone knows except her...she is very dense. When Kei shows any affection to her, she usually regards it as a joke, or just plain scary. When Yahiro first told her Kei is in love with her, she first freaked out, then later laughed it off as an impossibility (since they "are rivals," it would be "too weird"). She starts to fall in love with Kei in volume 4.

Kei Takishima

Kei Takishima

Kei is always a smooth winner, he's rarely seen stressed out or concerned unless it involves Hikari in trouble. He likes to refer to Hikari as "Number Two," or "Miss Rank Two" which never fails to provoke her.

He has the ability to remember anything he reads, including phone numbers. He excells at all subject from academics to athletics to martial arts. He usually prefers to do things on his own, until Hikari shows him how much fun it can be to work together with other people.

He is first in 10th grade for best grades. He is in love with Hikari, but she is too dense to notice it. Although he doesn't come straight out and admit it, it is common knowledge among the SA that he loves her, and Kei himself also doesn't deny it. The reason he hasn't confessed his love to her or asked her out is because he figured, knowing her, she'd probably just laugh it off (yes, for all her intellectual excellence, she is quite stupid/naive/innocent when it comes to love).

Although he is stoic most of the time and always keeps a calm facade under any circumstance, things involving Hikari are the only ones that bring out intense anxiety within him. It bothers him whenever Hikari pushes herself too hard, although it is for this very reason that he admires and respects her.

His birthday is on November 22nd.

Kamina

Kamina "Fearless Demon Leader"

Kamina is a young man from Jiiha village who dreams of leaving the village and go to the surface, which he saw as a kid. He's very passionate about his goals, expressing his wishes through energetic speeches, which seems to affect all those who hear him. He convinces Simon to help him with his plan to drill through the roof of the village and get to the world above, but the plan failed and he was put in prison. He left the village shortly thereafter with the help of Simon and a young girl named Yoko, as a result of fighting a Gunmen, who broke into the village from the surface.

After he, Simon, and Yoko break through, they meet many enemies and friends as they go, to the point of building up a resistance force, the Gurren Brigade to fight in their war against the Beastmen Empire who hunt on human beings who live on surface, and becoming their leader.

Zero Kiryuu

Zero Kiryuu

Yuuki's childhood friend, Zero is also a Guardian and likewise on the disciplinary committee. Yuuki has been taking care of him as her little brother since he was brought into their home (the Headmaster's). His family, a line of vampire hunters, was murdered by the pure blood vampire Shizuka Hio when he was young. He harbors a deep hatred for vampires and claims to have taken on the role of Guardian to learn to hunt them better. In truth, Zero was bitten during the attack on his family, and have kept the secret that he was a vampire from Yuuki until he was no longer capable of controlling his vampiric urges.

Zero's body rejects the blood tablets that most vampires take to control their hunger. Drinking Yuuki's blood helps him maintain his sanity, but he is destined to become a Level E vampire eventually. He has started to accept his feelings towards Yuki and has gone as far as to almost kiss her. Zero's weapon is the gun "Bloody Rose," given to him by Headmaster Cross. He made Yuuki promise that if he becomes a Level E vampire, she will kill him with that gun.

Kaname Kuran

Kaname Kuran

Physical Age: 18
Height: 184 cm

A pureblood vampire. He saved Yuuki from an attack by another vampire when she was little. Kaname is the class president of the Night Class, much feared and respected by the other Night Class students. While he is cold and authoritative towards his fellows in the Night Class, he is always kind and sweet to Yuuki. He has shown that he cares deeply for Yuuki ever since he saved her, and loves her in a romantic sense.

As a Pureblood, Kaname is capable of controlling lesser vampires, but he chooses not to exercise his powers, thus earning the respect of the Noble vampires. He shares the Chairman's hopes for peace between vampires and humans. He worked with the Chairman to create the Night Class at Cross Academy and with his presence, allows the Night Class to be kept in check. But the real reason Kaname agreed to attend the academy is so that he can be near Yuuki and protect her as she is his love.

Niche

Niche (ニッチ, Nitchi^?)

• Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura

Lag's personal Dingo. She travels with Lag, acting as his bodyguard against Gaichuu, and sticks closely to Lag along with her "pet", "Steak", on her head. She battles using her hair, also known as "The Golden Sword", manipulating it into powerful blade-like tentacles capable of lifting things several times her size. She has bearlike forearms and claws which she usually keeps covered with oven mitt-like gloves. Niche displays animal-like characteristics, such as licking wounds and sniffing the air for any trace of danger. She dislikes wearing underwear, but wears them for Lag's sake, claiming that he is the first male to make her wear underwear. Lag assumes that she is 7 years old based on her appearance but she recently revealed that she was born approximately 200 years ago in the town of Blue Notes Blues (永久氷河, Eikyūhyōga^?, lit. Permanent Glacier). Later on in Blue Notes Scale (氷河湖路, Hyōgakomichi^?, lit. Glacier Lake Road), a cave by Blue Notes Blues, Niche finds out that she has a twin sister with the same power as her and that she was the child of Maka. Her name is derived from "niche", a crevice or narrow space to put flowers as an offering to the Holy Mother.^[2]

Lag found Niche at a train station on his way to his Bee Interview. She was a "letter", but the address on her mailing label was incomplete and she was scheduled to be "abandoned" in two more days. Lag offered to take her to her new home ("Rabu Samuwan Daun (ラブ・サム・ワ ン・ダウン, Rabu Samu Wan Daun^?, lit. Love Someone Down)" according to the mailing label in the local writing, which he thought was an orphanage) even though he was on a deadline for his Bee job interview. While traveling, Lag found she had multiple names, so he named her Niche after where he found her - in a niche at the station.

After delivering Niche, Lag found out she was to be put in a side show act as "The Child of Maka" (摩訶の子, Maka no Ko^?, lit. Child of Greatness), Maka being a mysterious being both worshipped and feared in AmberGround's Northern territories. Lag hurried back to Love Someone Down with the excuse that Niche's delivery receipt had not been signed. When he got there he found that Niche had already wrecked the sideshow tent with her "Golden Sword" and gone on the run towards Gaichuu territory. He followed her and consequently saved her from a Gaichuu. She decided to stay with Lag after he explained that her address had become unknown (since she had destroyed the mailing label), and she insisted that from then on she would be Lag's "Dingo".

Vita

Vita

Vita is typically hot-tempered and stubborn. For much of her existence, she was constantly hostile and rude to the other Wolkenritter outside of battle, refusing to let them get closer to her. She is especially devoted to Hayate, and is willing to go to considerable lengths to protect her, but promises not to kill anyone in order to not "defile Hayate's future with blood." Vita shows hostility toward Nanoha in their battles, and often intentionally mispronounces her name as "Nantoka" ("Something or other" in Japanese), but eventually comes to recognize her as an equal and friend. By the time of Strikers, and after an incident when Nanoha was almost crippled from injuries sustained on a mission she and Vita were on, Vita shows a desire to protect Nanoha much like her desire to protect Hayate.

Adam Blade

A Needless who poses a "Zero" fragment that gives him the ability to memorize any opponents attacks, although the power is somewhat diminished. He masquerades as a priest, but his actions are quite the opposite. Blade has been shown to be extremely impulsive and irrational, and has a great weakness for younger girls.

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Aruka Schild

Aruka Schild

The older sister of Cruz Schild as well as a member of the resistance force that were massacred by Simeon. She was believed to have died while protecting Cruz from a Testament. In reality, she is the final member of the Four Strongest of Simeon and the one that leaked the resistance's information to Simeon. She had infiltrated the resistance in order to steal a datachip that contained information vital to Simeon, and set them up to be slaughtered. But the resistance were not the only ones she was deceiving. Despite being with Cruz since childhood she kept him in the dark about her allegiance to Simeon and only used 10% of her power around him. She claims to despise him due to him being useless and always depending on her, but kept him with her despite joining Arclight and hesitated to kill him herself when the resistance was slaughtered. She tends to wear featureless white masks. This was necessary to hide her identity due to her role as a spy, her identity as a Simeon King was so hidden even Disc didn't know who she was. Her fragment, "Agni Schiwatas" or "Flame God's Breath" , allows her to speed up kinetic energy resulting in massive explosion and melting solid objects. She is apparently the strongest of all the fire Needless. Like Cruz she can also analyze the abilities and weaknesses of others, using this insight along with her power to crush Solva, Seto, and Teruyama in seconds. After being unmasked in Simeon Tower she almost kills Cruz, and steals his pendent for the chip. She tried to finish him off twice but had trouble striking the finishing blow due to various interruptions. She was defeated by Blade, but he did not kill her. After the PF Zero blast she has been ordered by Arclight to search and finish Cruz off, due in part that they think he still has information useful to them. But the next time she sees him she pretends not to, and blows a hole in a wall blocking his escape. As she killed Hatfields non powered subordinate, she mentions that's she wants to see if Cruz can survive the situation now that she's made it slightly possible to live through. Her reasons for this are known only to her.

Eve Neuschwanstein

 

 Eve Neuschwanstein

A Needless and friend of Blade. She possesses the Doppelganger ability, which allows her to transform both into other people, or simply turn parts of her body into other objects (ie, turning her arm into a drill). Though she usually means well, she's impatient and not very bright, making her appear immature. Since her ability takes up a large amount of calories, she is often drinking Super Dero Doro soda, which contains 5000 calories per can. She also has the habit of calling people by nicknames.

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Servant Archer

Archer is a fictional character from the Japanese visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night by TYPE-MOON. He is the Servant of one of the series' main heroines, Rin Tōsaka.
Archer is sarcastic and cynical. His hardened demeanor is assisted by a complex and dark personality which reveals rare occurrences of compassion and unfolds throughout the story. Though skilled with ranged weapons, he can hold his own in mêlée combat. He considers Shirō Emiya's idealism to be weak and delusional, recognizing Shirō's mentality of "wanting to save everyone" as naïve and impossible.

Abilities

Though Archer himself does not seem to have any special mastery of magecraft beyond his specialty, he possesses extensive knowledge of a conventional, if unusual, branch of sorcery. He is a Faker, an individual skilled at creating imitations of objects through the use of tracing and projection of mental images to form tangible objects. Though Projection is normally ineffective at creating durable or powerful artifacts, Archer’s unique approach to this craft enables him to materialize enormously powerful and accurate copies of the images recorded in his mind.
By drawing upon the nature of his Reality Marble without the need to deploy it, Archer is capable of recording all information regarding physical constitution, supernatural proprieties and even history of any manner of ancient weapon merely by glancing upon them, and then materialize an astonishingly precise copy. The copies not only possess the same magical and conceptual traits as the originals, but they also retain the memories of the weapons, enabling Archer to read into these records and download any skills or techniques these armaments might have been employed for. His method is not without limitations though, as weapons traced are lowered in power by one rank, and it is not possible to replicate artifacts composed of substances not existent in this world.
In addition, through the use of Alteration, Archer can modify the traced copies to infuse them with new special proprieties. The most effective use of this skill is the crafting of Broken Phantasms, Noble Phantasms overloaded with magical energy which, at the cost of being destroyed after use, exponentially increase their attack power. Whereas most Servants would be reluctant to sacrifice their weapons in such a manner, Archer’s unlimited arsenal allows him to employ this method at will, his particular style consisting of modifying swords to be fired as arrows.
He is also skilled in the basis of both Alteration and Tracing: Reinforcement; the art of temporarily strengthening the construction of objects through the understanding of their nature and perfection of defects in their structure through projection, enhancing the fundamental proprieties of the target, such as an armor’s resistance or the sharpness of a blade. One of the most difficult employments of this craft is the reinforcement of living beings, as insertion of magic energy in other live organisms is a complex process and any mistake in the procedure is perceived as an invasion and subsequently rejected. Archer employs this method on himself to enhance his physical performance, particularly in his eyesight, granting him such precise vision that it approaches a limited form of clairvoyance.
Archer is also in possession of a sleek black longbow, which is constructed from a synthetic, metallic yet flexible compound that does not exist in the modern time period. This bow has been designed to withstand the strain of mounting weapons, such as Noble Phantasms, and propel them as if they were mere arrows. Similarly, Archer's breastplate and boots are crafted from the same material, while the red cloak he wears is a holy burial cloth that shields Archer from spiritual interference in his surroundings.
As a Counter Guardian, a spirit that serves the planet and protects it from disaster, Archer is weaker than heroic spirits in terms of strength, stamina, speed, etc. However, he uses his projection ability to make up for the difference. For example, during his fight with Lancer, his falchions kept getting knocked out of his hands but he just projected new ones immediately. Also, by using different projected Noble Phantasms, he was able to kill Berserker six times (five in the anime version with his Master killing him a sixth).

Noble Phantasms

• Unlimited Blade Works: Infinite Creation of Swords (無限の剣製, Mugen no kensei^?)

Rank: E ~ A++

Type: Support

A Reality Marble, also known as an Innate Bounded Field, is an extremely rare high-class sorcery that expands an enclosed alternate reality that is a physical representation of a user's soul. Within a Reality Marble, users are able to violate the laws of nature, the creation of an ideal battlefield. Although not a true Noble Phantasm, this spell is treated as one.

Archer's Reality Marble is known as "Unlimited Blade Works", which manifests as an open, barren field, littered with countless Noble Phantasms anchored in the ground like grave markers. Monolithic black gears gyrate in the distance, and illumination from the sun is obstructed by thick haze obscuring the horizon. Wisps of black smog float on light zephyr throughout this world, and sparks from iron forging rise from the ground like bubbles from water.
Within Unlimited Blade Works exist all the raw materials and sorcery required to facilitate Tracing, allowing Archer to reconstruct any bladed weapon merely by seeing it. Furthermore, his tracing allows him to inherit the combat skills of those who previously used his weapon, granting him instant proficiency with whatever he traces. However, human imagination cannot fully conceptualize the existences of an object through only one sense,^[2] so the quality of enchantment on each traced weapon will be degraded by one rank, never equaling the original. Swords, spears, and halberds are favored, but shields are also replicable at a substantially greater Mana cost (Up to three times the amount). Archer is also able to levitate weapons within his Reality Marble, arcing blades into the sky and then raining them down on opponents. Most of the Noble Phantasms in Unlimited Blade Works are copies of legendary weapons archived inside Gate of Babylon, although several others (listed below) were traced by Archer later during his lifetime.

Archer's version of Unlimited Blade Works

The following chant are the words to Archer's Reality Marble. They are somewhat different from Shirō's chant:

"I am the bone of my sword.

Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.

I have created over a thousand blades.

Unknown to death.

Nor known to life.

Have withstood pain to create many weapons.

Yet, those hands will never hold anything.

So as I pray, 'Unlimited Blade Works'."

The following is Archer's Chant given in Japanese in accordance to the first screen when a new game is selected on Fate/Stay Night

体 は剣で出来ている。

血潮は鉄で　心は硝子。

幾たびの戦場 を越えて不敗。

ただの一度も敗走はなく、

ただの一度も理 解されない。

彼の者は常に独り　剣の丘で勝利に酔う。

故 に、生涯に意味はなく。

その体は、きっと剣で出来ていた。

and the direct translation of this,

My body is made of swords.

Iron is my blood, and glass is my heart.

I have overcome countless battlefields undefeated,

Without once retreating,

Nor once being understood.

Always alone, intoxicated with victory on the hill of swords.

Therefore, there is no meaning to that life.

Perhaps this body is nothing but a sword itself.

This is the English dub version of his chant:

"I am the flesh and bone of my own sword.

Steel flows through my body, and fire is what courses through my blood.

I have created over a thousand blades.

Unknown to death.

Nor known to life.

Many times I have withstood enormous pain to create thousands of weapons.

And yet, those hands that have braved so much will never hold anything.

So as I pray now, I call forth 'Unlimited Blade Works'."

In the Animax Version of the anime, his chant goes:

"I am the bone of my sword

Steel is my body and Fire is my blood

I have created over a thousand blades

Unknown to death, nor known to life

Through the centuries, I have withstood great pain to create many weapons for you

Yet the hands I speak of will never hold anything ever again

So as I pray to you, I pray, give me Unlimited Blade Works!"

• Kanshō (かんしょう^?) and Bakuya (ばくや^?): Gàn Jiàng (干将) and Mò Yé (莫邪)

Rank: C-

Type: Anti-Unit

An adorned pair of Kan-Dao Chinese falchions, each blade represents the contrasting forces of Yin Yang. Both swords may be thrown like boomerangs, homing in on an unsuspecting target; if one blade is thrown, it will return to a wielder's hand as long as its mate is oppositely held. When strengthened with reinforcement sorcery, the blades will extend nearly twice their original length and take on the appearance of tattered feathers; this form is known as Kanshō and Bakuya Overedge.^[3] Additionally, each sword provides limited protection against various sorceries. The following are anti-demonic charms engraved on each blade by Archer, which describe a life of swordsmanship:

"Our souls, hard yet firm

Our power, tearing the mountains

Our swords, splitting the water

Our names, reaching the villa

Only one among us can stand under heaven"

The name of these twin blades have roots in a legend from the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese History, where a skilled blacksmith named Gan Jiang was commissioned by the King of Wu to construct two of the finest blades ever created, under threat of death. With his wife Mo Ye, Gan Jiang traveled to the mountains, where he discovered a fallen meteorite from the heavens containing the ore of a special metal. Despite his best efforts, Gan Jiang's hammering is unable to mold the tough material. Fearing for her husband's life at the hands of the king of Wu, Mo Ye throws herself on her husband's forge. Gan Jiang is horrified and saddened, but Mo Ye's sacrifice provides the fire with enough heat to allow him to shape the metal. The finished product, a male and female pair of swords, were named in honor of the legendary blacksmith and his loving wife.

• Caladbolg II (カラドボルグII, Karaduborugu II^?): The Fake Spiral Sword (偽・螺旋剣, Gi rasenken^?)

Rank:

Type: Anti-Unit

This voluted, alabaster sword was fashioned by Archer through a modification of Caladbolg, the legendary weapon of Fergus mac Róich in Irish mythology. Commonly used as an arrow due to its low Mana cost, Archer customized the original Caladbolg so that it would be more aerodynamic. When fired as a Broken Phantasm, Caladblog II's energy output is roughly equivalent to an attack of rank "A". The Celtic hero Cú Chulainn has a geis invoked against Caladbolg, and when forced into battle against one from Ulster wielding the weapon, he must submit to defeat.

• Rho Aias (ロー・アイアス, Rō Aiasu^?): The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens (熾天覆う七つの円環, Shiten ōu nanatsu no enkan^?)

Rank:

Type: Support

An extremely powerful spiritual aegis, and the only defensive Noble Phantasm Archer has skill with. Originally a huge bronze shield coated with seven layers of tanned ox hide, activation of this Noble Phantasm materializes seven consecutive prismatic flower petals, which each petal emulating the protective strength of a fortress. Amidst legendary Noble Phantasms artifacts, Rho Aias is known for having exceptional and unsurpassed resistance against all types of spears. This shield was once the property of Telamonian Ajax, a Greek hero from the The Iliad who evenly matched Hector of Troy in combat.

• Hrunting (フルンディング, Huruntingu^?): The Hound of the Red Plains (赤原猟犬, Akahara ryōken^?)

Rank:

Type: Anti-Unit

A thick, serrated jet black sword, first seen in Archer's possession during Fate/hollow ataraxia. When fired as a Broken Phantasm, Hrunting actively seeks out the most direct route to its target so long as Archer continues to aim at the target. It will continue to home in even if its blade is evaded, deflected, or blocked. This Noble Phantasm will also penetrate obstructions of its flight path, and it possesses enough power to bypass four layers of Rho Aias. In Dene, an enchanted sword named Hrunting was gifted onto the hero Beowulf by Unferth, and was later used to no avail in battle against a large ettin known as Grendel's mother, although Beowulf was grateful to Unferth for its use.

True identity

Archer is actually a future adult Shirō Emiya, the main character of Fate/stay night. He is ultimately the winner of the 5th Holy Grail War, and is a living incarnation of the "Hero of Justice". The Throne of Heroes, which preserves the souls of all Epic Spirits, exists outside of any conventional timeline, so Archer can be called from any point in history. The amulet Rin used as a catalyst in Archer's summoning was the same jewel she used to save Shirō's life shortly after Archer was summoned (though she knew of neither fact at the time). This creates a time loop, linking the jewel to Shiro so that Archer is summoned if the jewel is used to summon a Servant, explaining his appearance instead of a Saber-class Servant Rin wanted.
His history differs from the Shirō in any particular storyline, although he is most similar to the version who progressed through the Fate scenario. Archer was formerly Master of Saber. He cares deeply for Illyasviel von Einzbern, and his inability to prevent her death one year after the war's end is his greatest regret. At one point in his future life, Archer finds himself incapable of saving the lives of several hundred people; to change the course of their destinies, he forges a pact with the world, whereby in exchange for a miracle he is obligated to posthumously and indefinitely serve humanity as a Counter Guardian, a spirit that protects the world from disasters. Later, one of those hundred people that he saved uses him as a political scapegoat, executing Archer under the accusations of war crimes for wanton violence and destruction.
Throughout his heroic career, Archer struggles with the same doubt his father, Kiritsugu, acknowledged many years before; when the life of one person is saved, another person must be left to die. After fighting in many future battles, he is horrified to discover himself needlessly slaughtering countless numbers of the nefarious and innocent alike. In time, the once idealistic Shirō comes to the pessimistic conclusion that attempting to preserve all human life is futile, for the few must be sacrificed for the survival of the many. Accepting this concept frustrates Archer, for it betrays his life's conviction and renders his selfless dedication to defending mankind worthless.
Through his deal with the world, he was turned into a Counter Guardian of the world, he still had hoped to serve mankind somehow in afterlife. However, as a Counter Guardian, he is only summoned to prevent the impending doom of the world by eliminating the cause, which usually means killing people who are responsible for bringing the disaster. This is not what Archer had hoped to do, but he is forever doomed to serve as a Counter Guardian by the deal he made with the world, and will have to continue to kill dozens to save hundreds, and thousands to save millions. In the end, he was betrayed even by his own ideal.
Broken, bitter, and angry, Archer gambles on the small hope of being summoned as a Servant back in the 5th Holy Grail War. His rationale is to kill his younger self and cause a time paradox, which Archer hopes will spare Shirō the anguish of realizing his ideals are a sham and free himself from the eternal servitude as a Counter Guardian, even at a cost of ripping the fabric of reality asunder.

Role

During the 5th Holy Grail War, Rin's pendant, which saved Shiro's life, was the catalyst that helped call Archer forth. As revealed in Fate/zero, heroic spirits are recruited from past heroes and have knowledge of every other heroic spirit that was recruited. Since Archer was not a heroic spirit, no one can figure out his identity unless he reveals it, which happens in the Unlimited Blade Works scenario.
Throughout the 5th War, Archer acts brusque, pessimistic and apathetic to everyone he interacts with, including his Master, Rin. At times, he is also a rebellious Servant, and early in the 5th Holy Grail War Rin had to use a Command Mantra to force him to listen to her; this powerful sorcery makes it difficult for Archer to act against the wishes of his Master. While he holds no love for his younger self, and in spite of his bellicose attitude and independent demeanor, Archer cares deeply for the people he knew in life, especially Illya, Rin, and Saber. In the anime adaptation, Archer, due to Rin's incomplete summoning of her Servant, may not recall his true identity at first, though he remains dismissive of Shirō and seems to care about Rin, Saber and Ilya. He uses the name 'Ilya' near the end, implying he remembers her.
In Fate, Archer is disabled early on in the war from a near-fatal injury inflicted by Saber, and he remains inactive until he is called upon by Rin to stall Berserker so that she, Shirō and Saber can escape from the brutish Servant. Although still injured, Archer is capable of competently fighting and kills Berserker six times before being killed himself, without using his Reality Marble.^[4] In the anime adaptation, Fate Project rewrote Archer and Berserker's battle by portraying Archer as having activated his Reality Marble although he kills Berserker only five times using Unlimited Blade Works.^[5]
In the Unlimited Blade Works scenario, Archer's role is greatly expanded as he takes center stage as the primary antagonist. This opportunity to kill Shirō arises due to two incidents: Saber fails to injure him when he and Rin approach Shirō's home after her summoning, which was a disability in Fate, and Rider is killed early in the war by Caster and her Master. These two events eliminate the circumstances that forced Saber to exhaust her Mana supply through use of Excalibur, prompting Rin to abandon Archer to a solo fight with Berserker.
Saber is nearly killed by Berserker; however, Archer takes over the battle, but unwilling to risk harming Ilya, avoids combating Berserker directly. When the opportunity arises, Archer creates a large conflagration as a diversion to allow everyone to escape. After Taiga and Saber are captured by Caster, Archer betrays Rin and allies with Caster; while Shirō and Rin invade Kirei's church where Caster settled, Archer is stalled by Lancer. He betrays and ambushes Caster and her Master shortly after, killing them both. He then catches Saber, Shirō, and Rin within the confines of Unlimited Blade Works; under the threat of tracing Excalibur, Saber is forced into a stalemate. The situation forces Shirō to battle Archer in person, where Archer dominates the battle but eventually yields the match after being reminded of his own dedication to his ideal from watching Shirō's determination. Archer then disappears after shielding Shiro from Gilgamesh's surprise attack. He later appears briefly at the end of the scenario to save Rin from the confines of the Holy Grail, and to finish off Gilgamesh, weakened and cornered by Shirō. After an insightful and poignant dialogue with Rin, Archer fades away with a smile on his face, confident and content with the path his life had taken.
Finally, during Heaven's Feel, Archer abandons his desire to kill Shirō when he learns of what contaminated the Grail. Also, Shirō has already thrown away his life-long ideals in the interest of saving Sakura's life. Archer is mortally wounded in an engagement against True Assassin, Black Saber, and "The Shadow", but he survives long enough to have Kirei Kotomine surgically graft his left arm onto Shirō, who lost his own arm in that same battle. Shirō later uses Archer's arm in the battle against Black Berserker, Black Saber, and Kirei, and to trace the Jewel Sword Zelretch.