Fate Anime Series Order

What Order Should You Watch All the Fate Anime Series

The Fate series has grown in popularity over more than 15 years. And because of that, more canon content is constantly being produced to appease the millions of hungry Fate fans around the world. You could say that the work of fiction started by Kinoko Nasu has grown into a full-fledged multiverse, better know to Fate aficionados as the “Nasuverse.” Because of the current size and scope it has achieved by 2020, it’s understandable if you feel intimidated about even attempting to get into it as a new fan. Common obvious questions to begin your quest for the Holy Grail are:

“What Fate series do I start watching first?”
“In what order should I watch the Fate series?”
“Do I have to watch the Fate series in a specific order?”
“How many Fate series are there?”
“Do I have to watch all the Fate anime series?”
“Do I have to play the Fate game(s) before watching the Fate anime?”

We’ll do our best to answer these questions based on the research we have conducted. We’ll try to answer the questions in a logical order.

How many Fate anime series are there?

As of January 2020, there have been seven Fate anime series released. The titles are listed below, along with the years they were originally released. Note that this list doesn’t include any of the movies associated with the series.

Fate/stay night (2006)
Fate/Zero (2011)
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works(2014)
Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya (2016)
Fate/Apocrypha (2017)
Fate/Extra Last Encore (2018)
Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia (2019)

Fate/stay night (2006) and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works(2014) tell the same story but with major differences. You see, the work from which these two anime were based on is a visual novel game also titled Fate/stay night by TYPE-MOON, where you are put in the shoes of the protagonist, Shirou Emiya. Depending on the choices you make in the game, the way you handle conversations, etc., you get different responses and outcomes from other characters in the game. The game actually tells one story divided into three routes to play through, each focusing on and ending with you paired off with one of three love interests - Saber, Rin Tohsaka, or Sakura Matou. Fate/stay night (2006) is based on the “Fate” route where you end up with Saber. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works(2014) is based on the “Unlimited Blade Works” route where you end up with Rin Tohsaka. That said, most fans agree that Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is the better production of the two. So if you only want to watch one, you should probably go with Unlimited Blade Works. Fate/Zero is a prequel story to Fate/stay night. It does a good job of fleshing out the background and motivations of the characters we see in Fate/stay night. So we recommend that you watch in this order.

1st - Fate/Zero
2nd - Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014)

The other five anime that were listed above are all set in different alternate realities. This brings us to answering the next question…

Do I have to watch all the Fate anime series?

Because they are set in different realities, the events of one not affecting the other, and not following one chronological linear timeline, you don’t really have to watch all the anime series. You can pick which one(s) you want to watch. The different realities each tell different stories. You’ll find some of the same characters crossing the different shows, but they won’t all be characterized the same. They’ll have somewhat different origins in each reality. If you do watch all of these anime, you can compare the differences presented of each character. It’s like satisfying a “what if” curiosity.

Furthermore different shows each introduce some new characters not found in the other series. If you watch all the Fate anime series, you’re basically consuming different stories that share some similar themes and concepts. For example, the concept of characters fighting one another to win a prize called the Holy Grail has been used in many of these series.

Do I have to watch the Fate series in a specific order?

As we just explained, you don’t have to watch all the Fate series, so that means you also don’t need to watch them all in a specific order to “get the whole story.”

What Fate series do I start watching first?

That’s up to you, but we recommend starting with Fate Zero (2014). It provides a good jump-off point to get into and comprehend the lore of any of the other anime series released.

Do I have to play the Fate game(s) before watching the Fate anime?

Although there are over half a dozen different Fate video games from which many of these anime series are adapted, you don’t need to play them to enjoy the anime series. In fact, there are some differences from characterization and the flow of events between game and anime adaptations, like in Fate/Extra Last Encore, for example.