The Fate franchise is hugely popular in the anime community, with numerous shows, visual novels, and games incorporated into its lore. Popular options from the franchise include Fate/stay Night, Fate/Zero, and Fate/Grand Order. The material deals with mages summoning Servants, powerful individuals from the annals of history, to take part in a battle for the mythic Holy Grail. Each Servant belongs to a different class that determines their characteristics and power levels: Saber, Archer, Assassin, Lancer, Caster, Rider, and Berserker.
Each Holy Grail War will feature different Servants that have unique abilities, skill sets, and Noble Phantasms (think their ultimate move). While the Fate franchise has added on additional classes and alternative forms of commonly summoned Servants, the original Fate/stay Night timeline cannot be ignored for how much it shaped the series and set a precedent for fans on what to expect. In this list, we’ll be taking a closer look at the nine Servants who took part in the Fifth Holy Grail War during the different Fate/stay Night routes: this includes the Fate/stay Night series, Fate/stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, as well as the Fate/stay Night: Heaven’s Feel movie trilogy. Read further to find out which Servants I would classify as the strongest from what we saw of them.
9) Hassan of the Cursed Arm
Hassan of the Cursed Arm is an interesting Servant due to the fact he was cheated of his original spot in the Fifth Holy Grail War by the summoning of Sasaki Kojirou. His true name is forgotten by time, having abandoned it to take up the title of Hassan-i-Sabbah; he is one of nineteen to hold this title, alternatively known as “Old Man of the Mountain”. Each person who has become Hassan has left their identity and face unknown, donning the iconic mask to mimic the leader before them. Hassan is the front of a powerful group of assassins that originated in the Middle East.
In the Grail War, Hassan’s title is True Assassin (as opposed to Sasaki’s title of Fake Assassin). He is summoned by Zouken Matou in the Fate/stay Night: Heaven’s Feel route. Hassan’s most noticeable trait is the cursed arm affixed to his body that was said to be attached to the remains of a demon. While Hassan appears threatening, his specialty does not lie in magic or direct combat but rather assassination, as suggested by his class type, killing Masters instead of directly engaging with Servants. In battle, Hassan employs the use of dirks, or small daggers, that he utilizes to trap or corner his opponents while maintaining distance. His Noble Phantasm is called Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat— it creates a copy of his opponent’s heart for him to destroy.
8) Sasaki Kojirou
Sasaki Kojirou is a Servant who is summoned by Medea, another Servant, during the Fifth Holy Grail War. He is dubbed as Fake Assassin because of this fact, not truly belonging to the class he’s placed in, an irregularity that makes his existence a flaw in the War. Part of this can be blamed on the fact that Sasaki Kojirou is based on a legendary swordsman who fought Miyamoto Musashi— the problem being said swordsman never existed, creating a Servant based around folklore rather than a real person.
Despite the strange circumstances of his summoning, Sasaki Kojirou is a strong fighter, likely the most competent with a sword out of all the Servants present in the war. He wields Monohoshi Zao, an absurdly long sword that relies on Sasaki’s speed and finesse to catch opponents off guard. While Sasaki cannot rely on Assassin-level techniques, as he doesn’t belong in the class, he’s shown to naturally possess some level of stealth and concealment. It’s important to note that Sasaki doesn’t technically have a Noble Phantasm, but instead uses Tsubame Gaeshi, an impressive technique that produces three blades slicing at the enemy from all sides.
7) Medusa
Medusa was called forth as a Servant in the Fifth Holy Grail War and serves Shinji Matou in the general storyline of Fate/stay Night; her true Master, Sakura Matou, is revealed during the Fate/stay Night: Heaven’s Feel route. She is a classic example of a strong Servant that is affected negatively by a weaker Master, unable to properly wield her power. In the series, Medusa is based on the legendary Greek figure, though her myth contradicts the true life she was said to lead in the Fate franchise. The one constant is Medusa’s dangerous gaze, the singular part of her appearance in the show or movies that are comparable to her monstrous attributes in legend.
In the Fifth Holy Grail War, Medusa is part of the Rider class of Servants; it should also be noted that Medusa is considered closer to a Divine Spirit than a Heroic Spirit, like many Servants called to fight. Her Noble Phantasm use is varied and strong, making her a verifiable threat (though we don’t really see her do too much with these skills in the series because of Shinji not being her true Master). She is one of the fastest Servants and also possesses extreme strength in a fight, utilizing both with extreme tactical awareness. As any Rider Servant, Medusa is able to control a diverse number of mounts that she rides in battle, the most recognizable being a winged Pegasus created from her own blood. She also possesses the Mystic Eyes of Petrification that can freeze weaker opponents in place.
6) Medea
Medea is the Caster Servant summoned during the Fifth Holy Grail War. Her initial Master is Atrum Galliasta, who Medea eventually betrays and kills; later, she forms a contract with Souichirou Kuzuki, a mage who manages to see past her cold exterior to the compassionate person beneath. In her life, Medea was a Greek princess who was manipulated and tricked into betraying her family by the goddess Aphrodite to assist legendary hero Jason in his quest. After this, Medea slowly falls into utilizing magic to claim revenge on those who wronged her, namely Jason, earning her the label of a witch.
While not the strongest in terms of physical prowess and hand-to-hand combat, Medea is incredibly talented in wielding magic, hence her class being Caster. While Medea doesn’t have a traditional Noble Phantasm, she does have access to the dagger, Rule Breaker, which allows her to sever Command Seal ties and take them for herself. Though Medea cannot hold her own in a physical fight, her knowledge of magic allowed her to summon her own Servant who gives her the ability to affect the war’s outcome without getting directly involved. It’s also shown that Medea can exert control over others, essentially rendering them into puppets for her to control with the use of faux Command Spells.
5) Cú Chulainn
Cú Chulainn is the Lancer-class Servant that was called to fight in the Fifth Holy Grail War. His Master was Bazett Fraga McRemitz, but he switched to aid Kirei Kotomine after the latter killed his original Master. Cú’s backstory is steeped in Irish mythology, originating as a demigod that was raised to protect the kingdom of Ulster. Even as a child, Cú performed outstanding feats of strength that would mark him as the future warrior he would become. Despite his fierce nature in the heat of battle, Cú is also a man who values fairness and justice, with a distaste for slaughtering the innocent.
The Lancer class tends to excel in close combat, with agile reflexes and strength when fighting with melee weapons. Cú Chulainn is the perfect example of this, fighting with a long spear that gives him an edge in keeping a distance between himself and his opponent. His fighting style has few vulnerabilities, but much of it remains unseen in the war because of Kirei ordering Cú to attack and retreat to prevent any defeats. His Noble Phantasm centers around Gáe Bolg, the spear he wields: with it, Cú can reverse the damage inflicted on himself towards his opponent and can throw the spear with deadly force. It is stated that Cú has access to additional Phantasms when summoned in his homeland.
4) Emiya
Emiya, otherwise known simply as Archer, is summoned by Rin Tohsaka during the Fifth Holy Grail War. His identity is what makes Emiya so intriguing as a character— unlike the other spirits from the past, Emiya is the alternate reality version of a future Shirou Emiya. In this parallel timeline, Shirou makes a pact with Alaya, turning him into a Heroic Spirit that also acts as a Counter Guardian. While his actions were initially made from the pure desire to help humanity, Emiya began to experience more of humanity’s depravity and evil while serving his contract. This turned Emiya into a bitter version of Shirou that aimed to be summoned in order to kill his past self and be set free from his pact.
As his name suggests, Emiya is the Archer class of Servant: most in this class tend to possess strong Noble Phantasms and are often from the Age of Gods. Emiya does not meet either qualification due to his origin; he does possess the Reality Marble, Unlimited Blade Works. This skill acts as his Noble Phantasm in a sense, allowing Emiya to copy and store legendary weapons that are only a grade weaker than the original. Emiya is able to summon a copy of Excalibur with this power, and can also mimic Gilgamesh’s limitless arrow summoning. Archer is notable because of how tactically smart he is in battle, using his experience and versatile powers to outsmart and outmaneuver stronger Servants.
3) Artoria Pendragon
Artoria Pendragon is nearly synonymous with the Fate franchise, despite not technically being the main character of the series she appears in. She is summoned under the Saber class, and is often called merely “Saber” by fans instead of her full name. Artoria was summoned by Shirou Emiya in the original Fate/stay night route; in Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, her pact is broken, and she becomes Rin Tohsaka’s Servant, and a similar event makes her the servant of Sakura Matou in Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel. Artoria was the legendary King Arthur, otherwise dubbed the “King of Knights” as well as the “Once and Future King”.
Saber is an incredibly powerful Servant that boasts masterful swordsmanship as her class name would suggest. Her offensive and defensive fighting skills are impressive compared to most Heroic Spirits, and her natural battle instinct is strong, typically reacting to threats before others perceive them. Many of Artoria’s skills are handy against enemy attacks, including proficiency in riding most mounts, concentrated mana bursts, and magical resistance. Saber’s Noble Phantasm is probably where she gets her most popularity from, though she does possess more than one. Her signature move is Excalibur, her Holy Sword that is nearly impossible to defeat once summoned and considered the strongest of all Holy Sword weapons.
2) Heracles
Heracles is a Servant that is often forgotten when speaking of the strongest in the Fate/stay Night storyline. He is part of the Berserker class and was summoned by Illyasviel von Einzbern during the Fifth Holy Grail War. Much like Lancer, Heracles was a demigod in life, born from the coupling of Zeus and a mortal. He’s regarded as the strongest hero in Greek mythology, having completed twelve labors of increasing difficulty that would eventually earn him an immortal body and godhood once he died.
Considered as one of the strongest Heroic Spirits that can be summoned, Heracles rivals many other Servants in terms of raw power. Heracles possesses skills in every class, but being a Berserker means he’s lost most of his sanity and reasoning during the duration of the Fifth Holy Grail War, greatly hampering his capabilities. For example, while Heracles is exceedingly strong and durable, his Berserker status locked away many of his weaponry skills and parts of his Noble Phantasm. Even still, his Noble Phantasm, God Hand, turns Heracles’ body into a near indestructible force against most Servants’ attacks; if he is killed, God Hand will resuscitate Heracles until he’s slain 12 times, the same number as the labors he performed.
1) Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh is an iconic antagonist in the Fate franchise and is commonly acknowledged as the strongest Servant that can be summoned due to his incredible versatility and resourcefulness. His contract is formed with Kirei Kotomine and lasts ten years until the events of the Fifth Holy Grail War take place. Gilgamesh is often dubbed as the “King of Heroes”, and often regarded as the oldest of humanity’s heroes. His origin placed him as a god-man hybrid that ruled in Mesopotamia as King of Uruk. During his life, none could best Gilgamesh in battle, and his status as the best of heroes and kings is recorded in an epic that preserved his legend thousands of years into the future.
He is an Archer-class Servant that has a devastatingly strong Noble Phantasm that earns him a spot at the top of this list: Gate of Babylon. This Phantasm allows Gilgamesh to access an accumulation of treasure he compiled while alive— this includes the Noble Phantasms of other capable Servants. Most often, Gilgamesh turns these treasures into an overwhelming force of arrows that rain down on his opponents with deadly force and accuracy. One of the strongest treasures in his arsenal is Ea, an exceedingly strong sword only Gilgamesh wields that can be used to unleash blasts of energy rivaling, and sometimes surpassing, Excalibur itself.
Did you agree with the choices on this list? Tell us who your favorite Fate servants are in the comments below.
