The Fate franchise stands as one of anime's most expansive and intricate universes. At first glance, the multitude of interconnected series, spinoffs, and adaptations may seem overwhelming to newcomers. Spanning anime, manga, games, and light novels, the Fate series offers diverse entry points for fans.
Understanding the Fate Universe
Originally conceived as a 2004 visual novel titled Fate/stay night by Type-Moon (founded by Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi), the franchise has grown exponentially. While initially exclusive to Japanese audiences, Fate/stay night REMASTERED brought the three iconic routes - Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven's Feel - to global players in 2024.
The Perfect Starting Point
The 2006 Fate/stay night anime adaptation, though imperfect, remains the ideal introduction to the Holy Grail War and principal characters like Shirou Emiya and Saber. While it primarily follows the "Fate" route and contains spoilers for subsequent adaptations, it establishes crucial worldbuilding elements.
Exploring Alternate Routes
Ufotable's acclaimed adaptations - Unlimited Blade Works (2014) and the Heaven's Feel movie trilogy - offer divergent storylines from the original visual novel. Watching these in release order (starting with the 2006 anime) provides the most coherent narrative experience.
Pre-Quels and Spinoffs
Fate/Zero (2012) serves as an excellent prequel, though best experienced after the mainstay night adaptations due to spoilers. The franchise then branches into numerous standalone spinoffs like Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Extra Last Encore, and recent additions like Fate/strange Fake.
The Grand Order Experience
For those interested in the mobile game adaptations, the Fate/Grand Order anime follows a distinct timeline:
- First Order (Prologue)
- Camelot movies (6th Singularity)
- Babylonia series (7th Singularity)
- Solomon (Final Singularity)
All Fate anime (excluding some spinoffs) are available on Crunchyroll, with physical collectors' editions for major entries.
What's Coming Next
The Fate universe continues expanding with upcoming projects including the full Fate/strange Fake series (premiering 2025) and new installments in the Prisma Illya series. Type-Moon also continues adapting its other visual novels beyond the Fate franchise.
