Fate Fourth Holy Grail War

Fourth Holy Grail War

History

The Fourth Holy Grail War is the fourth such war to take place in Fuyuki City, and occured in 1994, 10 years prior to the events of Fate/stay night. The war is part of the “Heaven’s Feel” system created over 200 years ago by the Three Founding Families—Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern—as a means to reach Akasha and recover the Third Magic, which the Einzerns had lost.

System

The Holy Grail War system works off of the Greater Grail which is able to summon forth Heroic Spirits from history in the form of Servants once enough mana is accumulated, a process taking 60 years. The Grail also summons seven mages to act as Masters in the war, commanding their Servants in battle. Mages are picked partly from the Three Founding Families but how the Grail chooses other mages is unknown. The war continues until only one Master and Servant remain to claim the Holy Grail and have any wish granted.

For the Fourth Holy Grail War, improper Servants such as Gilles de Rais were able to be summoned due to the contamination of the Greater Grail, which happened during the previous war when Angra Mainyu was absorbed into it. The corruption of the Grail also causes it to grant wishes in unforeseeable, often destructive ways.

Outcome

Kiritsugu Emiya and his Servant Saber are the last remaining Master and Servant, but realizing that the Grail is corrupted and won’t grant his wish the way he wants it to, Kiritsugu orders Saber to destroy the Grail, but in doing so some of its contents spill out, causing a massive explosion that kills hundreds of people. Due to a wish not being granted, the mana that had been accumulated for the war was not released but rather re-absorbed into the Greater Grail, which would result in another Holy Grail War, the Fifth Holy Grail War, only 10 short years later.

Participants

Masters
Kiritsugu Emiya
Saber’s Master, Kiritsugu is married to Irisviel and has a daughter named Illya. He would later become Shirou Emiya’s adoptive father. He is hired by the Einzbern family to represent them in the war and win for them the Holy Grail. Kiritsugu has a strong sense of justice and at one time wanted to become a hero of justice. However, his attitude has become more nihilistic and he begins to believe that saving one person often comes at the cost of another.

Kirei Kotomine
Assassin’s Master and later Gilgamesh’s Master, Kirei is an apprentice of Tokiomi’s and a clergyman of the Church with a twisted, evil mind. He delights in making others suffer. He is seen as Shirou’s opposite.

Tokiomi Tohsaka
Archer’s Master, Tokiomi is Rin and Sakura’s father. He is a powerful mage and an expert in fire magic. He takes pride in being a magus and puts that before everything else.

Waver Velvet
Rider’s Master, Waver Velvet is a highly respected professor at the Clock Tower. At the time of the Fourth Holy Grail War he is 19. He has a skinny, frail physique from studying all the time. He can also be arrogant, cowardly, and tends to doubt himself throughout the war. However, Rider helps to bolster his confidence. He would later become known as Lord El-Malloi II.

Kariya Matou
Berserker’s Master, Kariya made a deal with Zoukan to be able to participate in the war in order to get revenge on Tokiomi for his treatment of Sakura. But due to his lack of formal training as a mage he implants Crest Worms into himself to boost his magic powers. The Crest Worms, however, are slowly killing him and causing his body to fail.

Ryunosuke Uryu
Caster’s Master, Ryunosuke is a serial killer who is obsessed with death and dying. After finding an old spell book, he follows the tome’s directions and kills several families, ultimately completing a ritual and summoning Caster. During the war, he attacks innocent people and uses a bracelet imbued with Caster’s magic to lure children to his hideout.

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald
Lancer’s Master, Kayneth aka Lord El-Melloi is the Lord of the Mineralogy Department at the Clock Tower. He is a renowned magus and nobleman. However, he is also cruel and arrogant. He participates in the war in order to increase his position within the Mage’s Association.

Servants
Saber
Kiritsugu’s Servant, Saber’s true identity is King Arthur. She is loyal, proud, and has a strong sense of justice. Her Noble Phantasms are Invisible Air, Excalibur, and Avalon.

Assassin
Kirei’s Servant, Assassin’s true identity is Hassan-i-Sabbah aka Hassan of the Hundred Faces. He has the ability to manifest in multiple forms at once. His Noble Phantasm is Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion.

Archer
Originally Tokiomi’s Servant and later Kirei’s, Archer’s true identity is Gilgamesh, King of Heroes. He is arrogant, conceited, and overly confident. His Noble Phantasms are Gate of Babylon and Enuma Elish.

Caster
Ryunosuke’s Servant, Caster’s true identity is Gilles de Rais. He is cruel and merciless, and enjoys giving his victim’s a sense of hope only to shatter it. He becomes interested in Saber, mistaking her to be Jeanne d’Arc. His Noble Phantasm is Prelati's Spellbook.

Lancer
Kayneth’s Servant, Lancer’s true identity is Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. He is a proud and noble knight. He has no wish for the Grail and only wants to fight nobly in battle. His Noble Phantasms are Gáe Buidhe and Gáe Dearg.

Rider
Waver’s Servant, Rider’s true identity is Alexander the Great. He is noble, pragmatic, and often has a jovial personality. His physique is burly and strong. His wish for the Holy Grail is to become a human again. His Noble Phantasms are Ionioi Hetairoi and Via Expugnatio.

Berserker
Kariya’s Servant, Berserker’s true identity is Lancelot. Due to being under the effects of Mad Enhancement, he is very limited in his ability to think or speak and is overcome by bloodlust. His Noble Phantasms are Arondight, For Someone's Glory, and Knight of Owner.