Although the series ‘Fate’ is massively successful, beginners might find it hard to go through all of it. Often things get confusing as beginner weebs do not understand where to start from. Studio Deen was the one who started the anime adaptations of Fate, but it was Fate/Zero by Studio Ufotable that began all the craze! Even Netflix has some of its original Fate series!
What is Fate?
Fate was originally a visual light novel. It has been running for quite a long time for which catching up with all the parts of Fate might be quite hectic right now. However, there are some ways you can watch it all.
Usually, there is the chronological order of Fate which is based on the time of the release. However, if you do not want to watch it like that, we have an order for you to follow while you watch the Fate series. Of course, there are certain spin-offs and movies too. We will explain everything as we proceed with the article!
Chronological Order to Watch the Fate Series
1. Fate/Zero
Fate/Zero, a light novel by Gen Urobuchi is the prequel of Fate/stay night and tells the story of Fate 10 years ago. It was also a game produced by Type-Moon. Watch Fate/Zero at first to understand the Fate anime series better. The first Fate/Zero is the place where everything began. Starting from the masters and servants- all the events began here.
You will understand the Fate franchise the best if you start with Fate/Zero as it tells the story of obtaining the Holy Grail
2. Fate/Stay Night
Fate/stay night was actually a visual novel. Type moon developed the game. Studio Deen later made the anime version in 2006. This is the original Fate/stay night TV anime of the franchise. The manga series was developed after the visual novel gained immense popularity.
This part is about the Fifth Holy Grail War which is entered by the simple teenager- Shirou Emiya He trains himself to become a mage to fight in the Holy Grail War but fails when some villains attack him. Saber comes to his aid and the story starts! Saber is extremely powerful, and we later get to know that the winner of the Fourth Holy Grail War was Saber.
3. Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works occurs after Fate/stay night. The story picks up with Rin Tohsaka, a mage girl right from Shirou’s school. She could use magic quite fiercely.
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works’ route proceeds with the protagonist- Archer as the servant of Rin. Following the events of Fate/Stay Night, when Shirou is almost killed by Lancer, Rin gets Sakura Matou to revive him. After a lot of struggles, Archer and Saber are successful in destroying the Holy Grail.
Unlimited Blade Works’ True Ending shows that Rin and Saber go off to London, and gets into a relationship while studying magic.
4. Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel
This is the third final route of the original Fate series. After the events of the Unlimited Blade Works, the anime picks up its pace with Sakura Matou. We later get to know that she is actually Rin’s sister.
Produced by Studio Ufotable, Sakura and Shirou deal with the hurdles of the war of the Holy Grail, helping each other. The visual novel of Type-Moon- Fate/stay Night, was adapted by Studio Ufotable to turn into a trilogy. Having three parts set in an alternate universe, Shirou and Sakura fight hard, and Shirou saves Sakura one two many times.
This is the main order of watching Fate. Of course, there are other spin-offs and movies of the anime series. But, if you watch these. all your questions will be answered. You can watch different routes later to understand more about the events of Fate.
Release Order of the Fate Series
1. Fate/Stay Night (Anime)
- Director: Yuji Yamaguchi
- Writer: Kinoko Nasu
- Cast: Noriaki Sugiyama, Kate Higgins, Candice Moore
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
- Streaming Site: Netflix
- Year: 2006
2. Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works (Movie)
- Director: Takahiro Muira
- Writer: Kinoko Nasu
- Cast: Mela Lee, Bryce Papenbrook, Noriaki Sugiyama
- IMDb Ratings: 8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 46%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Year: 2010
3. Fate/Zero (Anime)
- Director: Ei Aoki
- Writer: Kinoko Nasu
- Cast: Ayako Kawasumi, Kari Wahlgren, Sayaka Ôhara
- IMDb Ratings: 8.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Year: 2011
4. Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works (Anime)
- Director: Takahiro Miura
- Writer: Kinoko Nasu
- Cast: Noriaki Sugiyama, Ayako Kawasumi, Junichi Suwabe, Kana Ueda, Hiroshi Kamiya
- IMDb Ratings: 8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Year: 2014
5. Fate/Grand Order-First Order (TV Anime Movie)
- Director: Hitoshi Nanba
- Writer: Kinoko Nasu
- Cast: Nobunaga Shimazaki, Rie Takahashi, Madoka Yonezawa
- IMDb Ratings: 5.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Year: 2016
6. Fate/Apocrypha (Anime)
- Director: Erica Mendez
- Writer: Kinoko Nasu
- Cast: Natsuki Hanae, Maaya Sakamoto, Rumi Okubo
- IMDb Ratings: 6.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Year: 2016
7. Fate/Stay Night Heaven’s Feel (Movie Trilogy)
- Director: Tomonori Sudô
- Writer: Kinoko Nasu
- Cast: Yu Asakawa, Mai Kadowaki, Jôji Nakata
- IMDb Ratings: 7.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Year: 2017
8. Fate/Extra Last Encore (Anime)
- Director: Yukihiro Miyamoto
- Writer: Robina
- Cast: Atsushi Abe, Christine Marie Cabanos, Jessica Gee-George
- IMDb Ratings: 5.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Year: 2018
Fate/Stay, Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero are the authentic three main routes that were incorporated in the visual novel. There are in fact three main routes, each route having an individual love interest. The spin-off series is as follows:
- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya
- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei!
- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei Herz!
- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 3rei!!
- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya: Oath Under Snow
You can avail all of the Fate anime spin-offs on Netflix. All of the series can be found on Netflix, so you don’t have to worry about not finding it elsewhere.
What Route Should You Follow?
For beginners who are planning to get started with the Fate anime, this is the main and original route to follow. Fate/Zero- Fate/stay night- Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works- Fate/stay night Heaven’s Feel is the ultimate order if you want to know the entire series in a short period of time. You can watch the side stories or a spin-off later at your convenience.
There are other ways of starting Fate-
1. You can Complete the Series by Watching Only the Anime.
Here, it will be easier for you to navigate through the series as the movies, spinoffs, and OVAs might be too difficult to grasp together at once. Studio Deen and Studio Ufotable made all the TV anime series. Out of which you are bound to enjoy the Ufotable version more as fans claim it makes more sense.
However, no matter which route you get into, the overall anime will get you addicted to it in no time.
2. You can Include Visual Novels too.
The unadulterated route of Fate can only be found via its visual novels. You can avail all the information about anime best if you start through this route. You can play the games and then starts with the Blade Unlimited Works.
3. You can Follow that Anime with Regard to the Release Order.
Many fans try to do this, but the popularity of this method varies from person to person. Some feel this is the right way into the anime, but others just get confused. Different versions of the anime have been released at different times with an individual route.
The fanbase of the anime series- ‘Fate’ is vast indeed. So, you won’t face a problem, getting any help, once you start watching Fate. Do let us know if we have missed out on anything. Comment down below which one of the Fate anime adaptations is your personal favorite and don’t forget to share with your friends!
