June 26th, 2012 
AstroNerdBoy フェイト/ゼロ Episode 25 (final)
Fate/Zero – 25
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Kiritsugu orders Saber to destroy the Grail, and she’s unable to resist the final Command Spell, thus she attacks it. However, the Grail is not destroyed and a dark sphere pours out a black muddy liquid that burns everything, causing a massive fire in Fuyuki City. The Grail mud causes Archer to become flesh and resurrects Kirei. Archer saves Kirei and when shown that this destruction is what he wanted, Kirei laughs hysterically and decides to go on a quest for truth. This amuses Archer, who decides to accompany Kirei on his quest. Kirei observes with disgust Kiritsugu desperately looking for survivors in the embers of the city.
Elsewhere, Ilya awakens from a scary dream and is comforted by the voice of Iri. Back at the Matou estate, Kariya manages to make it back and see Sakura, where he has a vision of reuniting Sakura with her mother Aoi and sister Rin. In reality, he dies and falls into the worm basement, where a cold Sakura states that this is what happens to those who disobey “Grandpa” (Zouken). Sometime later, Kirei officiates Tokiomi’s funeral and praises Rin for being stoic as the new head of the Tohsaka family. Outside the graveyard, the brain damaged Aoi awaits, unaware of the loss of Sakura or her husband. Kirei gives her the dagger Azoth, which causes her to break down.
Waver decides a course for his life and gets permission from the elderly couple to stay with them for a while. Meanwhile Kiritsugu, having found a young boy (Shirou) alive in the ruins of Fuyuki City, adopts him. Kiritsugu attempts to return to the Einzbern estate for Ilya, but the head of the family, Jubstacheit, keeps him away. So though he never saw Ilya again, he never lost Shirou or anyone else. As Shirou grew up, he decided to take the mantle of justice of his adoptive father. Elsewhere, Saber is on the battlefield with her dead knights all around. As Shirou makes his declaration, a beam of light shines from the heaves down on Saber.
Thoughts/Review:
And so it ends, and now it is clear why the comment from an earlier episode about Aoi-san being alive was requested to be hidden as a spoiler. I don’t remember Aoi in Fate/stay night though. I though Rin lived alone, but it has been quite some time since I saw that anime. She could have died in the following years like Kiritsugu did. Still, it is sad seeing her crippled and brain damaged.
Speaking of Kiritsugu, I seem to recall a scene of the young teen Shirou and Kiritsugu having their chat in Fate/stay night. I was kinda hoping for a scene of Shirou as an older teen, standing with Rin, Sakura, and Ilya at Kiritsugu’s grave. Oh well.
It was interesting to see Kirei’s motivation for continuing after the Grail War as well as Gilgamesh’s decision to remain at Kirei’s side. I already knew that they survived the war, but it was interesting seeing the aftermath of it.
In a weird sort of way, I could actually see why Kirei would allow Rin to live and even give her the dagger that killed her father. I still love the symmetry of knowing that Kirei’s fate is tied up in that dagger.
I don’t have a whole lot else to say about this episode, so I’ll save any additional thoughts for my final review of the series. Stay tunes. ^_^
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A bit strange that they put Lancelot’s final words to Saber in this episode and not in the last one. It certainly emphasizes Saber’s despair at the end, but it makes ep24 weaker and Saber’s motivation to get the Grail is less understandable. At least to me.
In reality, he dies and falls into the worm basement, where a cold Sakura states that this is what happens to those who disobey “Grandpa” (Zouken).
Sakura was certainly confused why Kariya came back and that she then realizes that this is probably a lesson Zouken wanted to teach her, but I saw her more being afraid and helpless in the LN. Well, in both adaptation and novel she shows that she is pretty much broken, but Sakura is again being treated the worst. No wonder she is the least popular heroine of Fate…
I don’t remember Aoi in Fate/stay night though.
I think I mentioned half a year ago or so that Aoi and Kariya are not mentioned anywhere in FSN. As you’ve said back then, it’s a problem of retconning and prequels and I agree with this.
A very cool scene with Gil is missing (for now). Gil resists the curse of the corrupted Grail, when he was showered by the mud. Angra Mainyu made a mistake and acknowledged Gil’s presence, the presence of “the King” in a place where nothing is supposed to exist. That is due to Gil’s unbreakable and unbelievable ego, selfishness and arrogance.
I remember something he told Saber in Fate when she suspected that he became insane when he was showered by the Grail mud.
Do not take me so lowly. How can I be a hero if I cannot swallow a curse such as this?
All evils of the world? Heh, bring at least three times as much as that if you want to stain me. See, Saber. A hero is someone who carries with them everything they see.
I am already carrying everything in this world.
That somehow makes me like and hate him more at the same time. On the one hand he is just badass, on the other hand an arrogant jerk >.>
Kiritsugu attempts to return to the Einzbern estate for Ilya, but the head of the family, Jubstacheit, keeps him away.
Not only that. Angry Manjuu’s curse slowly destroyed his body, almost rendering him blind, weakening his limbs and sealing almost all of his magecraft, making him unable to break through the Einzbern’s barrier and free Ilya.
As Shirou grew up, he decided to take the mantle of justice of his adoptive father.
The scene under the moonlight is actually at the same time Kiritsugu’s death scene. Being relieved by Shirou, he died because of the curse when he closed his eyes at the end of the episode.
Btw, Kiritsugu made preperations to prevent a fifth war. He placed mines that would detonate in 30 or 40 years to destroy the Grail system forever, but he couldn’t know that the next war would come in only 10 years. Oh, and the girl with the shinai in the background was Taiga. ^_^
40 years, I think. It was said in at least one of the Specials from the BDs for Season 1.
“It would take a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of about 40 years for the ‘bump’ to break.” –From the novel, Volume 4.
I doubt that Kiritsugu’s earthquake bomb was mentioned in the Specials. I think you mean the next war would start in 40 years. The wars start every 60 years.
“I think you mean the next war would start in 40 years.”
Yup.
“The wars start every 60 years.”
Oops, my mistake. I watched them a some time ago and already forgot when the wars start.
Sakura is such a tragic figure, I’m surprised she’s not as well liked. It is amazing she was able to function at all in FSN.
Thanks for all the information! ^_^
For those who want to know what later happened with Waver(not mentioned in FSN, only in supplemental books):
Jnire yngre erghearq gb gur Pybpx Gbjre va Ybaqba, frrvat ubj gur Nepuvonyq snzvyl jnf ba gur iretr bs ehvaf nsgre ybfvat vgf urve naq gur Zntvp Perfg gung jnf 8 trarengvbaf byq. Jnire’f gurbevrf jrer gehr naq nygubhtu ur erznvaf gb or na nirentr znthf, ur vf gur orfg yrpghere bs gur Pybpx Gbjre(nf jryy nf orvat rkgerzryl cbchyne naq n puvpx zntarg) naq gur orfg va gnyrag cebqhpgvba.
Uvf npuvrirzragf va gur anzr bs gur Nepuvonyq snzvyl erfgberq gurve tybel naq erchgngvba naq sbe guvf, gur urve bs gur Ry-Zryybv gvgyr, jub jnf bayl n yvggyr tvey ng gung gvzr, tnir gur gvgyr gb uvz, znxvat uvz Ybeq Ry-Zryybv VV. Ubjrire, fur pyrneyl fgngrq gung ur jnf whfg znxvat hc sbe jung ur pnhfrq va gur svefg cynpr naq znqr uvz ure “freinag”.
Ur orpbzrf Eva’f phfgbqvna va Ybaqba (ohg abg ure vafgehpgbe) naq vf npghnyyl cvffrq gung fur qbrfa’g xabj nalguvat nobhg Wncnarfr grpuabybtl, ryrpgebavpf naq tnzrf(cerggl zhpu gur bayl guvat ur rawblf bs Wncna), pnyyvat ure gur jbefg Wncnarfr rire. Va nyy ebhgrf va juvpu Fuvebh qbrf abg pbzcyrgryl qrfgebl gur Tenvy flfgrz (yvxr va gur SFA navzr), ur jvyy or gur bar jub qvfznagyrq gur Tenvy sberire. Naq unir n ybbx ng uvf bhgsvg. V guvax gung fnlf vg nyy. ^_^
uggc://fbabunen.qbaznv.hf/qngn/7r3or7o8q36oops47s1q6q9q26q84820.wct
uggc://uvwvevor.qbaznv.hf/qngn/ps10274n9184814786592qrpq11ps85n.wct
The pics: “Load”? *facestairs! (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKmGNS3trMU/SzDlz_d3yyI/AAAAAAAAAYs/_cRl-kAhMhk/s320/118af482f5fbd0_full.jpg)*
Off-topic: ANB. can you put encoder/decoder for ROT13 somewhere in this blog (for easier access)? It’s such a drag to go outside, use Google and search for it (once or twice is not a problem, but if we’re gonna used it often for encoding/decoding spoilers it would be better if we can get it easier).
The ROT13 encoder/decoder + JS code: http://simple-scripts.net/?view=17&set=0o7fOq3CJ-RbDpl1GngPNmR9Dq7fN-ATzr2XNolfz-QvOpkKJoA5QmjbxqAzKr7aJgzbMpReLaMXMpReLaMTCr6PG&cjn=1335564586.8479&guest=1335564586.1754
Oh, that happens a lot actually. Saber’s name in romaji is written Arutoria, so some people spell her Artoria (I believe Nasu confirmed this, but I can’t find the source) instead of the fan-translated Arturia. And you know how those guys in the Material Books romanized her name? Altria. -_-
Solution: Just call her Saber or King Arthur.
Though in this case some Japanese clearly just thought about how you pronounce “Lord” in Japanese and romanized it wrongly. ^_^
Bottom-line: Japanese never stop to amaze you. When they’ll learn to use dictionary (and at least sometimes Google)?
Waver just looks angry. ^_^; Thanks for the info. ^_^
@evgenidb — I’ll see what could be done with Blogger.