June 12th, 2012 
AstroNerdBoy フェイト/ゼロ Episode 23
Fate/Zero – 23
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Rider and Waver are met on a bridge by Archer. Rider and Archer share a final drink together, where Rider proposes an alliance that would conquer the universe. Archer is amused and respectfully rejects the alliance proposal. Rider returns to Waver, where they mount Rider’s steed and charge as Rider envelops themselves and Archer in a Reality Marble. With his troops at the ready, they charge Archer, who brings forth a weapon that easily destroys the Reality Marble. Rider officially makes Waver one of his subjects with 
Waver calling Iskandar his king. With that, Rider charges as Archer opens up with a barrage of weapons. Rider’s steed is slain and Rider is hit, but as he makes it to Archer, he finds he is bound with chains from Archer’s Reality Marble. Archer stabs him, tells him he is welcome to challenge Archer again, and Rider dies peacefully. Archer goes to Waver, but upon learning that Waver is no longer Rider’s Master, but his subject, he commends Waver for carrying out his king’s last order and leaves.
Elsewhere, Saber rides her motorcycle into a parking garage, where she’s attacked. The bike is destroyed as she switches to battle garb on the fly. It is Berserker, who opens up with an automatic rifle. Saber destroys the weapon, but Berserker has a machine gun. Using a car as a shield, Saber charges Berserker, but her sword does not penetrate Berserker’s helm. She makes a flying leap attack, but Berserker catches her invisible Excalibur, telling her that her opponent must be someone she knew. She demands that as a knight, he reveal himself. The dark shroud that had enveloped Berserker vanishes like smoke. Seeing the knight carries the sword Arondight, Saber realizes this is Sir Lancelot, which is confirmed when Berserker’s helm opens. Enraged, Berserker continues to attack the stunned Saber as Kirei uses Iri’s body to prepare for the arrival of the Grail.
Thoughts/Review:
I have to say that while I knew Rider was dead, I am disappointed that it wasn’t a fight. Archer barely lifted a finger, and Rider’s Reality Marble was destroyed. He barely lifts another finger, and though Rider makes it to Archer, he never had a chance. Heck, I doubt that even at full power, Rider had a chance. Yet despite this, for whatever reason, Archer respected Rider as a fellow king.
I was surprised that Archer didn’t kill Waver, but then it makes sense that out of respect for Rider, Archer would spare Rider’s last, loyal subject now that Waver was no longer a Master. Waver’s decision to burn his Command Spells ended up sparing his life. He faced his fear, and then earned the respect of Archer as well, I think.
I was totally surprised that Lancelot turned out to be Berserker. It would make sense in some ways, as I seem to recall Lancelot going mad for a time after his affair with Guinevere. I suppose the flaws Rider had pointed out in Saber are why Lancelot is so enraged at and obsessed with Saber.
Kiritsugu’s slow, silent walk to find Kirei made me think of the scene in the movie Tombstone where Wyatt Earp says, “You tell ’em I’m coming… and hell’s coming with me, you hear? Hell’s coming with me!” I’ll refrain from saying more, knowing what I know on how things end.
I’m finding I’m not having a lot to say other than there are three more episodes to go. I’m looking forward to seeing everything brought to a conclusion.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Rider’s steed is slain and Rider is hit, but as he makes it to Archer, he finds he is bound with chains from Archer’s Reality Marble. He barely lifts another finger, and though Rider makes it to Archer, he never had a chance.
Wait, Archer doesn’t have a Reality Marble. 😀
I am disappointed that it wasn’t a fight. Archer barely lifted a finger, and Rider’s Reality Marble was destroyed.
Actually, I was never surprised by that fact because we already know Ea (which is an anti-world NP) and Enkidu from FSN.
The only reason why any Servant or Master could beat him is because Gil underestimates them and unfortunately, Rider impressed Gil so much, that Gil decided to take him seriously.
Gil not only respected Rider’s wish from episode 11 to drink the rest of the wine, before they try to kill each other(or his last wish to let Waver live on) or used Ea , he even used his most precious Noble Phantasm, the Chain of Heaven Enkidu. Which btw only works on divine beings like Heracles or in this case Iskander, as he was believed to be the son of Zeus or Ra and thus got Divinity rank C.
The only time I saw Gil going all out was in Hollow Ataraxia. And damn, he looks awesome:
http://sonohara.donmai.us/data/c3f4efd29089d9692fdc33a097912122.jpg
About Berserker: Short note, his sword Arondight is his true Noble Phantasm (and the fellow fairy sword of Excalibur) and automatically seals Knight of Honor and For Someone’s Glory. However, it boosts every parameter of his by one(which was already improved with Mad Enhancement as Berserker). The only problem is again the mana cost.
I’m finding I’m not having a lot to say other than there are three more episodes to go.
Two episodes. Episode one was kind of a double episode. I fear we don’t have enough time and Berserker’s flashbacks could be possibly cut like Gil’s one or rushed like Lancer’s one.
I think FZ needs one episode for the aftermath of the war and the epilogue, so I presume the timer will reach Zero hour next episode.
>Actually, I was never surprised by that fact because we already know Ea (which is an anti-world NP) and Enkidu from FSN.
I didn’t remember them from FSN. ^_^;;;
>The only time I saw Gil going all out was in Hollow Ataraxia.
Who was he fighting?
>I think FZ needs one episode for the aftermath of the war and the epilogue, so I presume the timer will reach Zero hour next episode.
Agreed!
Thanks for the info. ^_^
I didn’t remember them from FSN. ^_^;;;
Too bad. ^_^ Enkidu was used against Cu Chulainn in the anime, iirc Gil didn’t use it in the VN Fate route. Or at least we didn’t see him use it because Lancer was killed off-screen. A weaker version of Ea was used a few times against Saber. But since he wasn’t really serious, we never saw he was practically unbeatable. (°~°)
Who was he fighting?
At this point it’s imo still a heavy spoiler, so I can’t tell you right now. Sorry. ^_^
Gilgamesh didn’t really use a “weaker” version of Ea in the battle with Saber, she offset a big part of its power with Excalibur all three times when she was hit by it. And during the final part of the last battle of the Fate route Gilgamesh was serious, he just got out-haxed by Avalon. About Gil destroying the Ionian Hetairoi with Enuma Elish, if UBW route is any indication then Excaliblast’s also powerful enough to disperse Reality Marbles.
That is basically what I meant with “weaker” version, actually. Its full power wasn’t unleashed because Saber countered with Excalibur. And if Gilgamesh had been serious he would have used Gate of Babylon more often or better: Enkidu. Saber is not divine, but he can hold her off for a crucial moment with it.
As far as I had understood it, he still wanted to make Saber getting polluted by the Grail, as this scenario happened in his Unlimited Codes route, though he already knew he would get tired of her, since she isn’t fun if she doesn’t oppose him and gets insane.
About Gil destroying the Ionian Hetairoi with Enuma Elish, if UBW route is any indication then Excaliblast’s also powerful enough to disperse Reality Marbles.
I guess that’s possible, with Excali’s mana outburst. Though Ionian Hetairoi will disappear anyway, if you kill enough Spirits, as this was the original novel explanation.
Gil killed enough men with one Enuma Elish and since Rider lets his men maintain the mana he used for the RM, it will crumble if there aren’t enough to maintain the world. In one way or another, Excalibur should be able to destroy IH – maybe with one blast.
“All right. I will not hold back in that case. Disappear. You are annoying, woman.”
Forget what I just wrote, I just reread the part. In the case of using Ea he was dead serious, but he still could have used more… cheaper tricks with Enkidu or Gate of Babylon in general. He didn’t treat Saber the same way he treated Rider during the whole fight regarding battle “tactics”.
Thanks for all the info.
Gilgamesh knows himself to be a game breaker, and hence deliberately restricts himself in his battles because he doesn’t feel that it is worth going all out. Rider earned his respect by forcing him to use Ea and Enkidu – his greatest treasures. While the battle was never really a fight, no battle Gilgamesh could ever be involved with would really be, provided he took it seriously. Fate/ Stay Night defines him as being the anti-Servant – his very nature is such that he is unbeatable by any other servant.
I remembered him being tough in Fate/stay night, but I remember him being defeated there, so I would have thought Rider had a chance at least.
Gil doesn’t have a Reality Marble, all his Noble Phantasm weapons come from one of his Noble Phantasms, the Gate of Babylon, the King’s Treasury. His most powerful weapon, and the only one he truly wields, is the thing Gil used to destroy Iskander’s Reality Marble, Ea, the Star that Splits the Heavens and Earth, which he refers to as Enuma Elish, and which we saw used against Saber and Shirou in Fate/stay Night and Unlimited Blade Works respectively. The chain that he used to restrain Iskander is another of his Noble Phantasms, Ekindu, the Chain of Heaven, which he used to bind the Bull of Heaven in his legend and more powerfully restricts its victim the more divine heritage it has, which is why it worked so well against Hercules as Berserker in Unlimited Blade Works. As Iskander has some divine heritage, through Zeus IIRC, in the Nasuverse, Ekindu worked well against him.
As for Zero Berserker, now you know why he goes after Saber so much. Lancelot really would have it out for Arturia, wouldn’t he? The sword he has, Arondight, is the mirror of Excalibur, and Lancelot also got it from Vivian, the Lady of the Lake. As stated above, using Arondight dispels both For Someone’s Glory and Knight of Honor, so Berserker can both reveal himself and use his proper Noble Phantasm to the best of his ability.
>As for Zero Berserker, now you know why he goes after Saber so much.
Yeah, it makes sense now.
good episode. I’m pleased the kid lived to tell the tail without really knowing the harsh realities from the background.
Yeah, me too. I don’t remember him from FSN though, but it is possible he was mentioned, or an afterthought.
The anime is not yet over, so he still might die. After all, all Hell will break loose in the upcoming episodes (the beginning of FSN guarantees it).
But I agree that I’ll prefer if he survives.
Ah…well, there is that. I guess I figured that with Rider dead and Waver not having any Command Spells that he’d just leave since Archer spared him.
Well, that’s just a possibility, so until the very end: *shoulders up!*
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Delete, please because it’s obviously a SPOILER. Anyone who wants to kill the fun and spoil him/herself can do as he/she pleases by reading the wiki, but it’s unfair to spoil others.
Everyone in the comments right now is speculating.
FZ is not over yet, so please let them speculate until the series is over.
ROT13 of original comments (including link).
Jung qb lbh zrna gung Jnire qvqa’g fheivir?
uggc://glcrzbba.jvxvn.pbz/jvxv/Jnire_Iryirg
Just watched the new episode. It’s great, although I expected something different!
Well, anyway, it appears that there really are gonna be just 25 eps.
I’ll have to look and discover where I saw the number “26” at. ^_^;
I might be wrong but the title of the next episode is Fate/Zero, soo… the chances thet it’s not the last are pretty slim.