Saber (King Arturia Pendragon, Miss Arti Pendragon) is one of the three main heroines of Fate/stay night and the Servant of Shirou Emiya in the Fifth Holy Grail War. She is often considered to be the "main" or "default" heroine of the series and is the most popular of the three within the franchise. In Unlimited Bladeworks route, she becomes the servant of Rin Tohsaka. After becoming the Servant of Sakura Matou in the Heaven's Feel route, she is known as Saber Alter or Black Saber. She is also the Servant of Kiritsugu Emiya during the Fourth Holy Grail War and one of the main characters of Fate/Zero.
She is voiced by Ayako Kawasumi in the Japanese version of the anime and Kate Higgins and Michelle Ruff in the English dubs of Fate/Stay Night and the Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works movie, respectively. In the English dub of Fate/Zero and the Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works anime, she is voiced by Kari Wahlgren, who also voices Celty Sturluson, Saya Otonashi and Sakura Kinomoto.
Best Friends: Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou, Ruby Rose, Naoto Shirogane, Samus Aran, Yu Narukami, Ezio, Cammy White
Main Enemies: Gilgamesh, Kirei Kotomine, Nagito Komaeda, The Lich (Adventure Time),
Personality[]
Saber is a strong-willed young woman who always speaks resolutely. She is courageous, determined, and set on winning the Holy Grail. She constantly insists that she is a knight first and that her gender is of little importance to her. She is resolute in following her own morals regardless of more viable tactics being available should she consider them to be underhanded, leading to conflicts with Kiritsugu over the strategy within the Fourth Holy Grail War. While obtaining the Holy Grail is of the utmost importance, rejecting her chivalry is something that she will not do under normal circumstance even if it should put her at a disadvantage.
She doesn't like to be treated as a woman, or even as a human, due to her status as a knight and a Servant. She tries to keep the notion that she is only a Servant, a tool for her Master, first and foremost in her mind, so she initially has no objections about Shirou accidentally seeing her naked body. She slowly becomes more aware of herself after their relationship develops, and eventually even becomes flustered upon the same situation being repeated. Despite being granted knowledge of the modern world upon being summoned, Saber still shows some signs of being a 'fish-out-of-water', as she was unaware of the innuendo of the phrase 'between my legs' and didn't understand why Irisviel was giggling afterwards. She's also unaware of what a date is, as the Grail doesn't give data on minor modern social structure and phrasing.
Saber is loyal, independent, and reserved; she appears cold, but is actually suppressing her emotions to focus on her goals. She is bewildered by Shirou's "protective" tendencies, and believes his erratic and reckless behavior jeopardizes her chances of winning the Holy Grail War. However, Saber is secretly deeply insecure, having no real sense of self-worth. Having lived as a man for most of her life, she has no sense of self-worth, and can only feel fulfilled by serving other people. Shirou realizes that even though she is a supremely skilled warrior, she would be happier if she didn't force herself to fight. Throughout her rule she was plagued by self-doubt about her being king, and later coming to hate herself for the actions she took trying to save her people. She also feels deep guilt over the destruction of her kingdom, believing herself to be responsible and that she was inadequate as a ruler. As a result, her wish for much of the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars is to undo her rule so that someone more suitable can take her place. However, Rider calls her out on this, saying that to undo her rule would be an insult to all those who died in her name. Shirou calls her selfish for wanting to redo the past merely because she didn't like the result.
Underneath her serious exterior Saber shows herself to be a kind hearted and gentle person who wishes to protect those she cares about, though she does get easily agitated by people's antics. She also gets rather jealous of others, especially when Shirou's involved, which causes her feel to self-conscious about herself. Saber is also extremely competitive as she hates to lose due to fact that losing reminds her of her weaknesses. She is also shown to be rather shy, as she dislikes being the center of attention. Saber is also very stubborn once she is set on a goal, which can cause her to ignore others' opinions if it's against her goal, such as when she rejected Shirou's belief that she should stop seeking Holy Grail. Despite being unable to attain happiness in her own life, Saber greatly enjoys seeing the happiness of others. This trait is a cause of concern for the people that care about her, believing she should attain her own happiness. In Fate/hollow ataraxia, Saber has become decidedly more open with herself and others, and is more willing to share her past with others, especially Shirou. She was known to be rather reckless in her pursuit to save others during her training with Caliburn, causing her to be scolded by her brother, Kay many times. During her younger days, Saber loved to take care of horses, which surprised Kay when she used them in battle despite her love for them. But, to her a horse dying in battle is a different sin than a soldier dying, as a soldier knows why they're on the battlefield while a horse does not.
Saber prefers direct, fair confrontations based upon codes of chivalry, so she has a strained relationship with Kiritsugu due to their differing methods and ideologies over obtaining the Holy Grail. The two rarely interact and when they do, it's usually some kind of disagreement, such as when Saber objected to Kiritsugu's idea to use Saber as bait to lure Caster out, saying that it would be better to take the fight to him to keep him from killing anyone else. As a result, Saber instead bonds with her proxy Master, Irisviel. Saber enjoys her time with Irisviel, who, while respecting her status as a knight, treats her much as a companion and friend, unlike Kiritsugu who completely views her as a tool. She guides Irisviel around while she takes in her first view of the outside world.
Though she once felt more linked to dragons, she came to enjoy lions after taking care of a lion cub for a month at some point in her life. She claims that it is not that she "likes" them, but rather the happiness she experienced as he became attached to her brought forth a bond with them. He was very energetic, often biting or scratching, but she wished to be able to stay with him until the end. She has had feelings for them since then, and even remembers the fond memories while holding a stuffed lion. Shirou seeing the memory of her rubbing her cheek against the lion comments on it being a time where she looks like a girl her age.
She is shown to have a humongous appetite, finishing large servings of rice within one minute. Although she can normally eat anything, Shirou's food education is what awoke her gourmet spirit. She originally did not appreciate modern food as she doesn't actually need to eat as a Servant and because she had believed that all food was like fish and chips. She had very bad experiences with the food in her time, due to being limited to meals like large quantities of potatoes, vinegar, bread, and ale or even at times simply eating vegetables alone. She did not concern herself with food much in her life, allowing the cooks to do as they wished. She felt it was unrefined, although she was not displeased by it. She does shudder at the thought of eating it compared to Shirou's cooking. She thought it had been made to suit the tastes of the knights because they acknowledged it as tasting good, but they simply were unable to say it was bad to the King's face. Gawain was an exception who enjoyed the meals, not noticing the others' distaste for it.
The Miracle Elite Storyline[]
Beauty and the Miracle Elite[]
Saber is in league with Oswald and Gwendolyn as the League of Extraordinary Swordsmen.
Trouble in London[]
Oswald and the league of swordsmen stayed in the mansion to look after it. Later Meanwhile, some members of League of Extraordinary Swordsmen have been kidnapped while Morpheus revived Hal 9000. Phoenix Inc. caught all the league of extraordinary swordsmen, but not four of them. Oswald and others gave them a big surprise. Morpheus summoned Hal 9000 and completely captured them all. Oswald and his friends are lock in the dungeon at Hellfire Factory. Phoenix Inc. forced the league of extraordinary to explain where Terra and her gang are. Saito got pissed at everyone for accusing him all a time. He and Kirito begin an angry argument, so they decides to kill each other off. But, they've stopped by Erza and Oswald to confront them. He reprimands Saito and Kirito for their actions, but the situation is quickly dropped by the former in order to focus on escape plan.
Chronicles of Great New Empire[]
Saber appeared as the member of the Force of Hevenburg. She participated in the war against the evil forces of Great New Empire. There, she helped the legendary Kamen Riders to end Hondao's tyranny.
Legends of the Multi-Universe: Armageddon[]
Saber appears as Ruby Rose's servant/ally/friend. Saber was major protagonist in The Clowns Arc and the Deal Arc. The former main antagonist in Ruby V Saber Arc, and a major protagonist in Project: Doomsday Arc.
LOTM: Weirdmageddon[]
TBA
LOTM: Tales from the Ultra Despair Knight[]
TBA
LOTM: Darkmageddon[]
TBA
Relationships[]
Shirou Emiya[]
Although frustrated by Shirou's reckless behavior, Saber trusts and cares for him a great deal. She is bewildered by Shirou's treatment of her, who treats her more as an actual human being than a Servant despite her insistence otherwise. They both share several traits with each other, such as sharing practically the same guilt over their respective pasts. She is willing to sacrifice her own life in order protect Shirou, such as using Excalibur despite knowing she would disappear. She enjoys the meals that Shirou cooks for her, preferring his cooking to others. Saber also comes to enjoy her clothes due to Shirou saying they look good on her, which remains true in Fate/hollow Ataraxia when she wears more feminine clothing due to others saying it would please Shirou. However, Saber expresses concern for Shirou's dream to save everyone due to her own unfortunate experiences in life. Her determination to win the Holy Grail is strengthened when she sees Shirou's past, believing that she can change both their pasts to save Shirou from the same mistake she made. In Fate, Saber develops feelings for Shirou, though she hides them to focus on her duty. Her feelings become more apparent as time goes on, but Saber believes she is not permitted to love or be loved due to perceiving herself as a sinner and a failure as a king. Thus, she is astonished by Shirou's confession, but rejects him to keep to her duty despite her own feelings. Eventually though, she accepts Shirou's feelings and confesses her love for him before she vanishes. Even in her final moments Saber still wants to see Shirou, asking Bedivere if it was possible to experience the same dream again. In Last Episode, her love proves to be unwavering as she waits centuries to reunite with Shirou, even crying tears of joy when she welcomes him to Avalon. It is thanks to Shirou that Saber is finally able to accept her past and obtain peace within herself. In Unlimited Blade Works, her loyalty to Shirou proves to be unfaltering as she strives to protect him even after her new contract with Rin, even calling him her Master. If Shirou gives additional attention to Saber during the course of the route it results in the good ending: Sunny Day. In Sunny Day, Saber decides to stay by his and Rin's side, and entrusts him with providing her an answer someday about whether her path was wrong or not.
Kiritsugu Emiya[]
Due to their differing ideologies and methods, Saber does not get along with Kiritsugu. She disgusted by his strategies that use her only as a tool, such using her to lure Caster while she wishes to find and kill Caster before anymore children are killed. Saber is even more disgusted by Kiritsugu when his trickery causes Lancer's forced suicide during her duel with him, Sola-Ui's death, and her having to perform mercy killing on Kaynenth. The incident causes her to finally question if his goal truly is peace, stating that his methods will only make him evil. By the end of the 4th war, she feels utterly betrayed when Kiritsugu forces her to destroy the Holy Grail without telling her why. So, when Saber meets his adopted son, Shirou, in the 5th war, she is hesitant to talk about Kiritsugu. She does eventually tell Shirou about Kiritsugu's nature in the previous war, but she was hesitant to do so due to Shirou's pleasant memories of Kiritsugu. Saber eventually comes to forgive his betrayal when she learns of the Grail's corruption. She also feels grateful towards him when she learned that he implanted Avalon in Shirou ten years ago to save the latter's life.
Irisviel von Einzbern[]
Although Irisviel was assigned as her proxy Master, Saber is able to quickly become friends with her. They're able to become close enough for Saber to willingly tell Irisviel about her past. She enjoys the time she spends with her, though she is unnevered by Irisivel's reckless driving. She is able to believe in Irisivel's words defending Kiritsugu because she trusts her. When Irisivel is kidnapped, Saber mentally exhausts herself trying to find and rescue her. In the climax of the war, Saber rebukes herself for failing to keep her promise to protect Irisviel upon seeing the Lesser Grail.
Rin Tohsaka[]
Rin is one of Saber's closest friends within the modern age. They were able to quickly form a rapport with each other, despite Saber trying to kill Rin in their first encounter, as they're enemies under the rules of the Holy Grail War. Saber and Rin are able to agree with each other on how to best course of action during the war, such as in Unlimited Blade Works when they agree not to attack Ryuudou Temple after they and Shirou failed to eliminate Caster and her Master, Souichirou Kuzuki. However, they don't always agree with each other, as when during Fate, Saber wanted to attack the Master at the temple while Rin agreed with Shirou to not attack, believing it may be a trap. They share similar concern for Shirou's selflessness, believing it to be abnormal. Saber trusts Rin to teach Shirou the basics of Magecraft, and to protect him when she isn't around. She admires that Rin is able to stay beautiful and elegant, even in battle. During Fate however, Rin becomes a source of jealously for Saber, as she believes Shirou is more physically attracted to Rin than her due to being self-conscious about her own body. Also during this route, Saber becomes a target of Rin's teasing like Shirou, poking fun at Shirou and Saber's feelings for each other. In Heaven's Feel though, Saber treats Rin with hostility since Shirou didn't partner with her beforehand. They never get a chance to become friends during the route, as Saber is defeated and corrupted by the Shadow, becoming Shirou and Rin's enemy for the remainder of the route.
Archer/Future Emiya[]
Sakura Matou[]
Sakura is one of Saber's friends in the modern age. Their interaction are limited in the Fate and Unlimited Blade Works routes, but they're able to get along. In Heaven's Feel, they're able to interact more as friends; Saber is also able to enjoy Sakura's cooking in this route. However, Sakura brings out Saber's guilty consciousness when Sakura reprimands her for failing to prevent Shirou's recklessness. Saber would later voice her concern for Sakura to Shirou, as she realized Sakura has a guilty consciousness like her that places blame on herself. In Fate/hollow ataraxia, they've come closer as friends, with Saber helping Sakura bake.
Shinji Matou[]
Illya/Illyasviel von Einzbern[]
She is very cold and merciless to Illya during most of Fate/stay night despite her being Irisviel's daughter. This is due to the fact that she never asked Irisviel about the name of her daughter, and when Saber sees Ilya during the war, she completely disregards the possibility that it could be the same child. She believes that Ilya is too young to be the girl she saw getting a piggy-back ride ten years before, and she believes that she would have become more mature like her mother by the time of the Fifth Holy Grail War. She reasons that Ilya is a new homunculus completely unrelated to Irisviel with similarities in her appearance due to the Einzbern homunculi looking alike after their creation. Given a chance to casually interact with her, while she doesn't trust Ilya at first, she is eventually able to act nicely around her. She is able to freely have fun around her without any worries.
Rider/Medusa[]
Taiga Fujimura[]
Caster/Merlin[]
Saber greatly respects Merlin as both her teacher and advisor, even if she is exasperated by his mischief and womanizing. She believes him raising her into the ideal king will allow her to make Britain into utopia, though Merlin recognized she would eventually despair and regret. He also realized he and Uther were mistaken in raising her as the ideal king upon recognizing she became king for the people's sake. He is one of the few in her lifetime to know she doesn't smile for herself, but for others' happiness. He was taken aback when she wholeheartedly expressed her gratitude for him. However, he also realized she doesn't yet understand what is to love as a human.
Mordred/Saber[]
It is unknown what Saber's exact thoughts are concerning her "son", Mordred, only that she rejected Mordred as her heir. During the Battle of Camlann Hill, she would personally slay Mordred, who led the rebellion that destroyed her kingdom. In Fate/Grand Order, during the first summer event, Saber criticizes Mordred for wearing heavy armor to intimidate instead of wearing armor fitting of her small frame. She also take jabs at Mordred's reputation and demeanor, comparing her to a thug. Saber is willing to unleash her Noble Phantasm on her for even small offensives, such as scratching her drawbridge with Prydwen. She also angered by Mordred's theft of Prydwen, and wondering between using Excalibur and Rhongomyniad as punishment.
Gilgamesh[]
Due to his arrogant tyrannical nature, Saber feels great animosity towards Gilgamesh. As well, his numerous marriage proposals to her only add to her disdain for him, as she says she has no interest in such things especially with him. Although she does concede that he is superior Heroic Spirit that can withstand the curse of the Grail, she comes to the conclusion that he had already gone insane from the same curse. When Gilgamesh tells Saber that her inability to rule over everything caused her country to destroy, She accepts that fact but counters that his tyranny caused him to destroy his own country.
Kirie Kotomine[]
While they never interacted during the Fourth Holy Grail War, Saber was warned by Irisviel that Kirei was the most dangerous opponent to Kiritsugu. During the fifth war, Saber still holds her dislike of Kirei, refusing to enter the church. She shows a clear intent to kill him when he visits the Emiya residence during one of the Fate route's bad ends, terrifying even Shirou. Her dislike for Kirei turns into hatred in the same route after learning he killed Lancer's original Master, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, tried to kill Shirou, and that his wish caused the fire ten years ago. During her final battle with Gilgamesh, Saber compares Kirei to a corpse, hinting that she may have deduced why he still lives despite being killed by Kiritsugu in the previous war. In Heaven's Feel, Saber has Shirou ask Kirei for more details regarding the fourth war despite her dislike for him. Though she quickly tries to check Shirou for wounds after he leaves the church, believing Kirei may have harmed him.
Rider/Alexander the Great[]
While Saber can ally herself with Rider, she cannot agree with Rider's kingship that is lead by his own greed. However, Rider's words rebuking her own kingship bear down on Saber's already guilty conscience as she questions her own kingship. Ultimately, Rider's words and the truth about Lancelot cause Saber to fall into despair when she returns to Camlann, pledging to win the Grail to undo her rule.
Lancer/Diarmuid Ua Duibhne[]
Due to their shared belief in chivalry, Saber and Diarmuid very quickly reach a rapport to become friendly rivals. In accordance with said chivalry, they agree to have a honorable duel later despite their respective Masters's dishonorable methods. To ensure this duel will occur they'll team up against other Servants. Saber's respect for Diarmuid as a fellow knight is to the point that she considers the cursed wound he inflicted on her left arm to be a source of honor. Because of this she doesn't him to destroy his spear to heal it, even though she knows Exacalibur is the only way to destroy Caster's monstrous form. When duel finally happens, Saber simulates her formerly injured hand to match Diarmuid's loss of one of his spears out of respect. However, she and everyone are bitterly rebuked by him for dishonoring him to obtain the Holy Grail when he is forced by Command Spell to commit suicide thanks to Kiritsugu's scheming. This incident allows Saber to realize that Kiritsugu is truly without honor.
Berserker-Saber/Lancelot[]
Saber first met Lancelot when he aided her during one of her battles as King Arthur. They were able to quickly become friends, and invited him to become a Knight of the Round Table. She saw Lancelot as the ideal knight, believing in the righteousness of his actions. Even when Lancelot and Guinevere's adultery was discovered, Saber gave her blessings to them despite their so-called betrayal. Upon discovering Berserker to be Lancelot, Saber is guilt ridden to point of losing her will to fight. She cannot help to think that her eternal partnership with him to be just naive fantasy upon seeing his maddened state. When Saber deals a fatal wound to him, she couldn't help but cry, disgusted by her desire for the Holy Grail. Traumatized by the act of killing her friend, she confessed to Lancelot that she wanted the Grail to undo her past to save him and her country. When Lancelot rebukes himself as a disloyal knight, Saber wanted to say he was a loyal knight but was unable to find the right words before he disappeared. Lancelot's confession that he wanted to be punished for his disloyalty would send Saber into a state of self-reproach, as she regrets her kingship even more.
Ruby Rose[]
Saber serves Ruby as her servant in Legends of the Multi-Universe Armageddon. Over time however, the two become very close friends. Saber becomes very loyal to Ruby. Almost as much as she is to Shirou. It is for this reason Saber goes to great lengths to protect Ruby and insure she survives, despite Ruby saying she wants Saber to stay alive.
Naoto Shirogane[]
Samus Aran[]
Yu Narukami[]
Ezio Auditore da Firenze[]
Cammy White[]
Black Star[]
Mine (Akame Ga Kill)[]
Gilgamesh Junior[]
Sir Arthur (Ghost N Goblins) []
Tohka Yatogami[]
Koro-Sensei[]
Reimu Hakurei[]
Johnny Bravo[]
Excalibur (Soul Eater)[]
Kefka Palazzo[]
White Star[]
Ares (God of War)[]
Nagito Komaeda []
The League of Extraordinary Swordsmen[]
Saber is a member of the League of Extraordinary Swordsmen and Oswald's best friends.
Allies and Enemies[]
Allies: Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka, Archer/Future Shirou Emiya, Sakura Matou, Illyasviel von Einzbern, Taiga Fujimura, Irisviel von Einzbern, Oswald (Odin Sphere), Gwendolyn, Erza Scarlet, Kirito, Alice Liddell, Valkyrie, Saito Hiraga, Hiei, Allen Walker, Momo Hinamori, Psylocke, Monica Erica, Blandelli, Sakura Shinguji, Ruby Rose, Naoto Shirogane, Samus Aran, Naruto Uzumaki, Black Star
Enemies: Mordred, Gilgamesh, Kirei Kotomine, Caster/Giles de Rais, Rider/Alexander the Great, Berserker/Sir Lancelot, Caster/Medea, Souichirou Kuzuki, Rider/Medusa, Berserker/Hercules, Caster/Medea, Dormammu, Izaya Orihara, Pandora (Saint Seiya), Hades (Saint Seiya), Raziel, Robert Hirano, Dorian Gray, Sheriff Vaisey, Jack the Ripper (Assassin's Creed), Richmond Valentine, Hal 9000, Phoenix Inc., Tohru Adachi, Ganondorf, Medusa (Soul Eater), Joker, Sweet Tooth, Doomsday
Gallery[]
