Why settle for studying simple history and mythology, when the Fate series has King Arthur is female and fights the likes of Gilgamesh? While both Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero explore events in the Fuyuki Grail War, they do have their fair share of unique Servants. However, the story of Fate doesn’t necessarily start and end in Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night.
In fact, fans aware of the Fate franchise know there are a lot more awesome Servants in media outside the core visual novel and stories, such as in Fate/Grand Order. Sometimes, some of the franchise’s most interesting Servants come from its other games like Fate/Grand Order and offerings. However, just which Servants have these more compelling tales?
10 Angra Mainyu (Avenger)
Unlike Heroic Spirits deemed worthy of the title, Angra Mainyu is a Heroic Spirit of humanity’s desire to bear all of the world’s evil. In life, Angra Mainyu was simply a village boy sacrificed by his peers to represent the world’s sins. As such, the boy developed a hatred for the world through the years until this was the only thing he felt. This would ultimately transform him into hatred himself, hence not having an actual “vessel.”
In Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero, Angra Mainyu makes brief “appearances” as a corruption within the Holy Grail. He only makes a formal appearance outside of the usual routes in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia as the cause of the temporal time loop that Shirou had to solve. Unlike other Heroic Spirits, Avenger is much weaker than other Classes. However, he managed to remove himself from Avesta, the record of all existence, therefore freeing himself from the confines of destiny and order.
9 Zhuge Liang (Caster)
When one looks at Zhuge Liang for the first time, they may feel surprised to realize that he looks an awful lot like Waver Velvet. That’s because this is precisely the case, with the oddity of the Grand Orders forcing Waver — now Lord El Melloi II, after his mentor — becoming the vessel of Zhuge Liang.
A master strategist in death and even in life, Zhuge Liang served as the strategist of Alexander (Rider)’s armies against Nero’s in the Second Singularity of Fate/Grand Order. In the game, Zhuge is a coveted support Servant with his impeccable buffing abilities. In the lore, he’s what is known as a Pseudo-Servant, a Heroic Spirit that couldn’t manifest as regular Servants and as such require human vessels, with their combination resulting in another entity entirely.
8 Ishtar (Archer)
One look at Ishtar and fans would think of two things: is that Rin Tohsaka, and, is that a god in the Fate universe? The answer to the two questions is "yes" and "yes," with a bit of lore in between. In Fate/Grand Order, the strange nature of the Grand Orders would make it possible for the likes of gods (Divine Spirits) to manifest in the world at a severe fraction of their power. Since the Grand Orders allowed timelines to intersect, a matron worshipper of Ishtar managed to grab Rin Tohsaka and use her as the goddess’ vessel.
Since Ishtar couldn’t be normally summoned, her inhabiting Rin's body makes her a Pseudo-Servant like Zhuege Liang. However, it’s said her powers are extremely close to her divine origin, with her Noble Phantasm An Gal Tā Kigal Shē allowing her to take the planetary “essence” of Venus itself and use its concept as a massively-powerful projectile against her enemies.
7 Jeanne D’Arc (Ruler)
First appearing in Fate/Apocrypha, Jeanne d’Arc originally helped liberate Orleans the Hundred Years’ War, an act which caused her death and, ultimately, beatification. It’s her death that would cause Gilles de Rais to go insane and explore the dark arts, which makes him the Caster Class in the events of Fate/Zero.
In her appearance in Fate/Apocrypha, Jeanne became the assigned Ruler Class of the Great Holy Grail War, serving as the arbiter of its two sides. Unlike the other warring Servants, Jeanne’s down to earth attitude in exploring the new world around her is a breath of fresh air in the series. And even then, Jeanne has remarkable abilities as Ruler, capable of using Command Spells for each Servant (God’s Resolution), determining the skills of Servants she sees (True Name Discernment), and inexplicably finding solutions to problems (Revelations). Her popularity would have her appear in other media, such as Fate/EXTELLA LINK and even Fate/Grand Order.
6 Arthur Pendragon (Saber)
Before Artoria Pendragon of Fate/Stay Night was Arthur Pendragon, he was the main character of Fate/Prototype and the template used by /stay night author Nasu Kinoko prior to the visual novel. Whereas Shirou Emiya summoned Artoria by accident, Ayaka Sajyou had summoned Arthur in the nick of time while being chased by Lancer.
Similar to Artoria, Arthur is also a Saber summoned in the previous Holy Grail War. While he carried the same ideals and matured personality as Artoria, Arthur of /Prototype seemed more of a knight in shining armor for the meek yet good-spirited Ayaka. It’s interesting to see Arthur Pendragon in /Prototype and its prequel Fate/Prototype Fragments Of Sky Silver, especially since he has almost the same powerset as Artoria, albeit with a different way of using it.
5 Hassan-I-Sabbah (Assassin)
While Hassan-I-Sabbah already makes an appearance as the Assassin in Fate/Zero, the circumstances of their true nature is what makes them such a compelling addition to the Fate universe. Due to the structure of the Holy Grail War, only Hassan-I-Sabbah is the most worthy Heroic Spirit to be granted the Assassin Class, with the moniker “Assassin” having come from them. It’s only in extremely rare situations that someone else is summoned aside from them.
When events in Fate/Apocrypha allowed Masters to document the appearances of Hassan, future Masters were able to modify the Summoning Ritual to summon other Assassins. However, those who wish for Hassan to become their Servant will be surprised to learn that there are up to 19 Hassan variants out there, each corresponding to various myths of the fabled Assassin, and all of which are available in the Fate/Grand Order game.
4 Nero Claudius (Saber)
When players of Fate/EXTRA were able to choose Saber as their Servant, they may have been surprised to see that she hides her True Name from the player. It took some time before players realized who she truly is: Nero Claudius of Rome. What’s perhaps surprising about Nero in the Fate universe is how she is testament to how deep the narratives of Fate Servants both include and diverge from their origin stories.
In Fate, Nero believed in her ability to get the support of the masses through fair rule, which she has until the end. Unfortunately, bickering Senates and the influence of her corrupt mother had planted the seeds of paranoia in Nero’s heart. As a Servant, Nero boasts incredible fighting ability, with her Noble Phantasm Aestus Domus Aurea, allowing her to create a powerful zone that weakens her enemy’s defenses while bolstering her attack. Nero primarily appears in the Fate/EXTRA series, as well as Fate/EXTELLA LINK and Fate/Grand Order.
3 Mordred (Saber)
The embodiment of a tragic beginning and end, Mordred first appeared in Fate/Apocrypha as the Saber of the Red Faction in the Great Holy Grail War. In life, Mordred was the Knight of Treachery, the son of King Arthur who would eventually betray him. Interestingly, in Fate lore, Merlin “transformed” Artoria into a pseudo-male to consummate her marriage with Guinevere until Morgan stole some of Artoria’s essence to create a homunculus clone, Mordred.
Forced to wear a mask until the end, Mordred worked her way to becoming an honorable knight out of admiration to the King. It was when Artoria rejected Mordred that her admiration became hate, eventually leading to the rebellion that would cause her death and Artoria’s. As a Saber, Mordred is extremely competent, giving her abilities like infusing her body with mana (Mana Burst), which she can also use to power up her Noble Phantasm Clarent Blood Arthur, a powerful sword attack.
2 Goddess Rhongomyniad (Lancer)
In the Fate universe, even alternate universes can become sources of Heroic Spirits. The case of Goddess Rhongomyniad is one such case, being the manifestation of a much older Artoria Pendragon who didn’t die when she was fated to perish. Armed with the Rhongomyniad and not Excalibur, the Holy Lance has eroded Artoria’s spirit into that close to a divine spirit’s, essentially transforming her into a pseudo-goddess.
Aside from being more mature, Goddess Rhongomyniad is almost emotionless due to her loss of Artoria’s key human characteristics. Her primary weapon is the aforementioned Holy Lance, which in truth is a pillar of light that anchors the outer “layer” of reality onto the planet. In the game, she serves as one of many alternate forms of Artoria.
1 Voyager (Foreigner)
In the world of Fate/Requiem, everyone has a “Holy Grail” and a Servant tied to them, with Utsume Erice being the only one without a Servant. That is, until a boy from the stars is the “last Servant” to have been ever summoned. Initially called the Little Prince, it was only after Erice formed a contract with the boy that his identity came to life — he is Voyager, as in the spacecraft.
Fitting for his odd identity is his Foreigner Class classification, with the Chaldea Organization of Fate/Grand Order also just as dumbstruck as to the true nature of the Class. Although innocent on the outside, Voyager is predicted to be capable of growing powerful enough to be humanity’s future protector.
Fate/Grand Order was released in 2015 and is playable for iOS and Android.