Fate Lancelot

Berserker (Lancelot) - Fate/Zero

Background

Lancelot (Knight of the Lake). He was said to be the strongest of the Knights of the Round Table which were tasked with protecting Camelot under King Arthur’s reign who saw them as equals which bore them great admiration across the land. He gained the name “Knight of the Lake” because he was raised by a lake Nimue fairy after losing his parents as a child. He first talked with Guinevere in hopes to figure out how to lessen the burden on King Arthur but the two eventually became friends and he became attracted to her. They had an affair and when enemies found out and exposed it the queen was ordered to be executed. He tried to save her, slaying several knights he knew, but ultimately failed and fled. King Arthur blamed herself and did forgive him, but Gawan, a knight whose brothers were slain by Lancelot, did not and would not allow him to return to fight by King Arthur. This caused disharmony amongst the Knights of the Round Table and civil war ending in the downfall of Britain. When Lancelot heard of King Arthur’s death he was filled with so much despair he slipped into madness.

Appearance

His armor, designed by Hirokazu Koyama, used many elements of Saber’s armor but all with black coloring which earned him the name “Black Knight” until Servants found out his True Name. Only from the slit in his helmet could a glowing light be seen. He also had a ghostly, black shadow that radiated off his form. His armor also had many spiky elements and covered his entire body. His physical appearance is quite different when under Mad Enhancement and from his past. He was a handsome man with long purplish black hair, dark piercing eyes, and a serious disposition. As a Berserker his eyes are bulging and exhausted looking. His hair is also closer to straight black than purplish black. His skin is a lifeless color and he has sharp pointed teeth. Atsuhi Ikariya was in charge of the character design for the anime and was inspired by mecha and metal.

Personality

Being that he is a Mad Enhancement Berserk he isn’t able to have much more of a personality than a crazed maniac. He is also unable to communicate more than through grunts and screams. He is however able to tell Saber before his death as his last comments that she was “...the greatest amongst the king. All who served you… believed thus.” Deep in his heart though was the pain of betraying King Arthur by falling in love with his queen, Guinevere. He carried the guilt with him for so long because King Arthur never suspected anything from him. He wanted to receive her punishment so he could atone for his wrongdoings and be at peace.

Wish

Berserker wished for atonement which would be death at the hands of Saber for him betraying her by falling in love with her queen Guinevere.

Abilities

Lancelot was already an incredibly skilled knight, but also had Mad Enhancement which at the loss of his ability to communicate and increased difficulty to control makes him extremely overpowered. He has low Magic Resistance from a rin, and Protection of the Fairies which increases his luck. The black fog that whirls around him and blurs his appearance is actually a noble phantasm called “For Someone’s Glory.” He also has Eternal Arms Mastership. Using Knight of Owner, anything he considers a weapon can become his Noble Phantasm which hints back to when he fought off armed skilled fighters with only an elm branch.

Death

Lancelot is killed by Saber excalibur, but only after his master Kariya Matou was drained of all his mana and Berserker stood frozen in front of her. Previously he had been attacking her and she was only defending because she didn’t want to fight him and was filled with guilt for her part in what he had become. Crying, she tells him she hopes to obtain the Holy Grail to atone for her past mistakes including her part in his despair. Lancelot regains his sanity for a short time before he fades away and admits that he had wished not for her forgiveness but for her punishment which would have cleared away his guilt which he couldn’t forgive unless he was reprimanded by her. Yet he notes that he dies in her arms anyways like a respectable knight. His last comment is one of knightly loyalty and admiration, “You were the greatest amongst the kings. All who served you… believed thus.”

Master

Berserkers Mastar in Fate/Zero is Kariya Matou. He was summoned because Zouken Matou wanted a strong Servant for Kariya to command since Kariya wasn’t a skilled mage. Kariya was only participating in the 4th Holy Grail War because he wanted to free Sakura Matou from her merciless mage training for the Fifth Holy Grail War. He had made a deal with Zouken that if he took her place now and won, she would be set free. However, he had to quicken his training with Crest Worms which greatly destroyed his health. Even the fact he managed to stay alive surprised Zouken. Berserker was difficult for Kariya to control because of his Mad Enhancement and he often suffered injury when he was in combat.