June 1st, 2009 
AstroNerdBoy フェイト／ステイナイト Ep 16
Fate/stay night episode 16
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
With Rin in danger of being crushed by Berserker, Saber attacks, but does no damage and takes damage instead. Shirou launches a weaponless attack and gets beaten back as a result. With Shirou acting reckless, Saber activates her Nobel Phantasm which forces Shirou to use one of his command spells to stop her. Instead, Shirou thinks of Archer’s words and decides to form the sword he saw Saber with in her past. After creating it, he attacks Berserker and manages to cut off the arm holding Rin. However, the sword is not perfect and is destroyed in the process. So Shirou constructs a second sword and with the help of Saber, they run Berserker through to Ilya’s astonishment.
As Berserker dies, he regains his sanity as Heracles remarks on the illusionary sword that Shirou created, a replication of the sword Caliburn. However, despite only being a recreation, Shirou’s Caliburn was powerful enough to take Berserker’s remaining seven lives. With Berserker dissolved, Rin is now free of the giant hand and can breathe freely again. Shirou is in pain but notices the depressed look on Ilya’s face as she mourns the loss of Berserker. Saber is about to take out Ilya but is stopped by Shirou, who considers her to just be a little girl now.
After returning to Shirou’s home and getting some much needed sleep, Saber is not happy to learn that Ilya was sleeping in the same futon as Shirou. He doesn’t see the big deal about this since she’s just a little girl but when Rin gets up, both protest Ilya’s being there, citing the fact that she’s still a master, even if Berserker is dead. Ilya arrives and informs them that Berserker is the only servant she wanted. As such, Ilya will not try to grab another servant unless Shirou dies and Saber becomes free, something Saber opposes. However, Rin sees an advantage in keeping Ilya close at hand so she changes her mind and back’s Shirou’s decision to keep Ilya on site.
During the morning sword training session, Ilya remarks on how Saber seems to be going easy on Shirou. Saber denies this but Shirou feels she went easy as well and asks her not to. Saber is worried about their bodies coming in contact in a man-to-woman fashion, but this goes over Shirou’s head. At lunch, Saber shows that she’s accepted Shirou’s decision regarding Ilya and after lunch, she has a bath. Shirou decides to take one and accidentally walks in on her. Unlike before, both are now embarrassed by the situation with Saber feeling that Shirou wouldn’t want to look at her body, which is not as feminine as Rin’s.
Rin decides to have a talk with Shirou about his ability to create items, which is part of Shirou’s tracing ability. Since it is impossible to perfectly recreate an object, such magic is not very highly thought of. She warns him against using it, since recreating Saber’s sword would take more magic than Shirou apparently has. Rin and Shirou then talk about Saber’s sword Excalibur, where Rin informs Shirou that more important than the sword is the scabbard that held it. Were Saber to get that, she would be nigh invincible. However, since the scabbard was supposedly stolen, Rin’s thoughts on the subject get flushed.
That night, Saber finds Shirou in the storeroom practicing his creation magic. She mentions seeing one of his dreams now that they are connected. As such, she feels closer to Shirou and understands him more, seeing that they are very much alike. With that, Saber feels that Shirou’s attempts to be a hero of justice is not the right thing to do. Since both need the Holy Grail for their wish to be granted, Saber believes that Shirou summoning her was inevitable.
Elsewhere, the witch talks her plans to force-summon the Holy Grail, using a mage as a container. She considers Rin but decides the best choice is Sakura.
Thoughts/Review:
I mentioned last episode that I thought that Berserker would be killed this episode. What I didn’t expect was that it would take Saber and Shirou piercing Berserker midsection only once to kill him. I really didn’t expect Berserker to regain his sanity as Heracles before disappearing. That makes the creation of Caliburn by Shirou even more impressive in my opinion since it took the final seven lives of Berserker.
As I understand it, Caliburn and Excalibur are in fact the same sword but with different names. Since Saber is already using a sword that I assume is Excalibur, then I’m guessing the anime is making Caliburn and Excalibur different blades.
Also of interest is Ilya now being with Shirou, Rin, and Saber. I’d forgotten that a servantless master still has the ability to take a new masterless servant. However, it seems that Ilya has some 
sort of special relationship with Berserker. Too bad we only got a glimpse of that. However, it would explain how Ilya can control Berserker because by nature, a berserker is at best, hard to control.
Anyway, if Rin and Saber were worried about Ilya still being a master, I’m confused. After all, Rin would then still be a master without a servant and could easily take another one if available. 
That aside, why couldn’t Rin or Ilya simply transfer their command spells to Shirou? Would that nullify them forever as being part of the Holy Grail War? I just don’t know.
Moving to Shirou’s ability to create artifacts, now we have the explanation of sorts as to the objects that Rin and Saber found a few episodes back. Still, with Shirou having such an ability, I do find it interesting that Rin would warn him about using such an ability while Archer seemed to encourage it.
With Ilya having spent the night at Shirou’s house, I thought for sure that Sakura or Fujimura-sensei would arrive to have a comedy scene about a little girl now living with Shirou. Then I remembered that Fujimura-sensei is likely still in the hospital and Sakura may well be mourning the loss of her brother.
Interesting that the witch appears to have targeted Sakura for her plans. So I guess rescuing Sakura will be on the menu.
So there an unexpected ease at killing Berserker and an unexpected new resident at Shirou’s estate. *lol* Who’s next?
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At last, Berserker, the Mid-boss of the Fate arc, has been defeated. Now, we get to the part where the story zooms along. Soon, the final boss, the strongest Servant ever will appear.
Indeed, in the mythology of F/SN, Caliburn and Excalibur are different swords. Caliburn was the sword Arthur/Arturia pulled from the stone which was lost. Excalibur and its scabbard, Avalon, were given to Arturia by Vivian, the lady of the lake. Avalon too has been lost, leaving Saber with just Excalibur. Although Caliburn is not as strong a sword as Excalibur, it suits Saber more.
It is worth noting that Shirou could not have used Caliburn to its potential without Saber. Caliburn only obeys the king.
The relationship between Ilya and Berserker is actually rather touching and tragic. Because she summoned him so early (months ago), she received no help from the Grail. As a consequence, it caused her much pain to make Berserker do anything. And then they dumped them in the woods in winter alone. She was forced to use Berserker to protect herself. It was excruciating and even as she had her Servant cut down the wild beasts that would have killed her, she cursed him in her agony.
Over time, however, she somehow developed a bond with the silent giant. She was concerned for him. He protected her. He was like a father. Like the father who had abandoned her, who had gone to fight for the Grail ten years ago and had never come back. And so, she vowed that she would have her revenge on Kiritsugu, that she would win the Grail like her Grandfather wanted, and she would do it with Berserker, the closest thing to a friend she had.
As far as Command Seals go, Ilya and Rin still have them. They are ready to be used if they were to form another contract. Unused Command Seals from dead masters return to the Greater Grail. There, they can possibly granted to other Masters by the Grail as they acquire new Servants, or by the overseer of the War (Kotomine in this case, although this ability may or may not be possible, I don’t know if it was confirmed by Fate/Zero).
Rin does remain a possibility. In fact, if Shirou were to be taken out, Saber would not hesitate to team up with Rin. In that case, Saber would finally be able to use her full abilities.
Rin warns Shirou about using these abilities because she doesn’t fully understand them. She doesn’t know how he’s doing it because she doesn’t know about his Reality Marble, which is the origin of his abilities. Still, to go overboard and produce something as powerful as Caliburn is very dangerous for him; he could burn out his Magic Circuits.
As far as the relationship between Ilya and Shirou, he has become her only family, which is the thing she wants more than anything. I think that the whole reason for her fascination with Shirou in particular is best described with this picture of Ilya and her parents.
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc280/brizzle_035/moe62336sample.jpg
That’s her mother, Irisviel and her father, who should look familiar.
That’s not Shirou’s adoptive father, is he?
“That’s not Shirou’s adoptive father, is he?”
Why yes it is. So now you can see why Ilya was so bent on revenge against Kiritsugu. He and Irisviel left to fight in the Grail War. Ilya knew that her mother would not return, but she waited for Kiritsugu to come back for her. And he never came. And then she hears that he has another child. You can imagine how an emotionally stunted and immature girl like Ilya would feel.
That gives more meaning to Ilya addressing Shirou as “oniichan.” *lol* So, does the anime address Kiritsugu’s not returning?
Actually, to be perfectly honest, he should be addressing her as “onee-chan.” ^_^
The anime actually doesn’t, at least not directly. However, you should know that Kiritsugu betrayed the Einzberns. They chose him specifically, compensated him, and even lowered their pride enough to allow him into their esteemed family and father a child with one of them. Yet in the end, he betrayed them (you will find out why and how later). So, for obvious reasons, the head of Einzbern was not keen on allowing Kiritsugu to just waltz back and claim Ilya.
It’s actually rather sad. I can’t remember if it’s mentioned in the anime, but Kiritsugu was infamous for leaving on trips and staying away for months at a time, leaving Shirou in Fuji-nee’s care. What is definitely not revealed in the anime is that it was during these times that he would travel to Europe and beg the Einzberns to allow him to take Ilya back. And all this time, Ilya was told that he didn’t want her. T_T
So why does Ilya seem so much younger than she actually is?
“Indeed, in the mythology of F/SN, Caliburn and Excalibur are different swords.”
Actually they are separate swords in the real story of king Arthur as well. The Fate legends are, for the most part, copied detail for detail from their original source. Like in the story of Hercules, he went through the ten (tricked into twelve by King Eurystheus) labers after killing his wife and children in a fit of rage. For his achievement he was awarded a life for each laber. I can’t remember if they went into detail in the anime or the eroge.
Ilya is not human.She is homunculus create to be container for the Holy Grail.Shiro is same person with Archer.Archer is Shiro in the futher.Rin use jewel that she use to save Shiro in the beginning to summon Archer.When they summon Servants they need something that connect to that servant like Shiro has Avalon in his body.Archer try to kill Shiro in Unlimited Blade work route(Rin’s route)becuase he regreted that he made Contract with earth and become Servant.I think Archer is Shiro in Rin’s route becease Shiro can use Unlimited Blade work(The one the Archer use to fight with Berserker in the end) in this route same as Archer.
It does not seem necessary that Shiro have to be Archer in future to make Archer exist.In Heaven feel route (Sakura’s route) Shiro cannot use Unlimited Blade work.
He create blade inside himself instead of outside.Shiro chose to save Sakura instead of many people
that make him different from Archer who try to save many people.In Heaven feel Ending I think Shiro die or become a doll,I cann’t remember.
Ilya is not human.She is homunculus create to be container for the Holy Grail.Shiro is same person with Archer.Archer is Shiro in the futher.Rin use jewel that she use to save Shiro in the beginning to summon Archer.When they summon Servants they need something that connect to that servant like Shiro has Avalon in his body.
Archer try to kill Shiro in Unlimited Blade work route(Rin’s route)becuase he regreted that he made Contract with earth and become Servant.I think Archer is Shiro in Rin’s route becease Shiro can use Unlimited Blade work(The one the Archer use to fight with Berserker in the end) in this route same as Archer.
It does not seem necessary that Shiro have to be Archer in future to make Archer exist.In Heaven feel route (Sakura’s route) Shiro cannot use Unlimited Blade work.
He create blade inside himself instead of outside.Shiro chose to save Sakura instead of many people
that make him different from Archer who try to save many people.
In Heaven feel Ending I think Shiro die or become a doll,I cann’t remember.
“So why does Ilya seem so much younger than she actually is?”
Well, she acts younger because she’s been without real familial interactions since she was eight years old (yes, she’s actually eighteen). She hasn’t matured as a person because her emotional needs have been neglected.
As for why she seems so young physically, I’ll quote this passage from Fate/Zero, translated over at Baka-Tsuki:
“Having no experience in raising children before Ilyasviel, Kiritsugu doesn’t know how they grow up. But he understands that it isn’t normal for his daughter, who turns 8 this year, to weigh 15 kilos.
Perhaps, the absurd adjustments she received at birth are the reason. To Kiritsugu and Irisviel, it was obvious she would be late in reaching adulthood. Will her body turn into that of an adult as years pass or not?
No, rather, they had no hope. As a magus, Kiritsugu has already closed his ruthless diagnosis. There is 80 to 90% chances that Ilyasviel’s growth will stop before her secondary sex characteristic appear.
Even so, rather than seeing her future as bad luck, she must have plenty of happiness— that wish is only the parents’ ego. Yet, the pain of that thought drilling his chest was proof of the love of the man named Kiritsugu.”