Fate/Zero

Fate/Zero (フェイト／ゼロ, Feito/Zero^?) is a prequel to TYPE-MOON's visual novel Fate/stay night. It is a novel written by Gen Urobuchi with illustrations byTakashi Takeuchi. The first volume was released on December 12, 2006, and is a collaboration between TYPE-MOON and fellow developer Nitro+. The second volume was released on March 31, 2007. The third volume was released on July 27, 2007. The fourth and final volume was released on December 29, 2007, along with the Fate/Zero Original Image Soundtrack "Return to Zero". Four sets of Drama CDs were released from 2008 to 2010. From 2011 to 2012, an anime adaption of the series was produced by ufotable.

Plot Overview

Fate/Zero takes place 10 years prior to the events of Fate/stay night, detailing the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. Originally founded by the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou families, the war involves sevenMasters and seven Servants under seven classes: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker.

After losing three successive wars for the Holy Grail, the Einzbern family is determined to win the next one at any cost and elects to hire the notorious Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya, to become their representative in spite of his reputation as an unconventional and ruthless hitman. For the next eight years, he prepares the war in the Einzbern stronghold while unexpectedly forming a family with Irisviel von Einzbern, who is to become the vessel for the Grail, and their daughter, Illyasviel. However, Kiritsugu must contend with six formidable opponents, all participating in the war for their own reasons.

From one of the three founding families, the magus Tokiomi Tohsaka wants to achieve Akasha through the Holy Grail, receiving support from the priest Risei Kotomine and his son, Kirei Kotomine, who is also unexpectedly a master in the war. Unlike Tokiomi, Kirei has no direction in life and soon sets his sights on Kiritsugu as an answer to the frustrating lack of meaning in his life.

Meanwhile, Kariya Matou becomes a Master after learning Tokiomi's younger daughter, Sakura, was adopted into the Matou family. In hopes of saving her from suffering at the hands of Zouken Matou, he agrees to win the Holy Grail in exchange for her freedom to return to her family.

After learning of the war and taken by arrogance, Clock Tower magus and lecturer Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi decides to join the battle to increase his own prominence within the Mage's Association. However, his dismissive attitude towards the radical theories of his student, Waver Velvet, drives the young man to steal Lord El-Melloi's artifact and participate in the war in order to force the Mage's Association to recognize his genius.

When a seventh magus fails to answer the Grail's call, a serial killer named Ryuunosuke Uryuu is chosen to become the final Master in the war. Seeking exciting new ways of killing people, he winds up summoning a Servant from an occult book and proceeds to commit as many unusual murders as he can with the help of his Servant.

As the war begins, only one will emerge victorious.