Fate/Apocrypha 04
フェイト/アポクリファ episode 04

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis

As Red Berserker lumbers gleefully through the forest, Red Archer (Atalanta) and Red Rider (Achilles) observe. Both discuss how they’ve yet to meet their Masters. Meanwhile, Black Rider is sent to battle Red Berserker. Black Rider uses his Trap of Argalia Nobel Phantasm on Red Berserker, removing his leg. Black Rider and Black Caster all but finish him off as the Yggdmillennia prepare to sever Red Berserker’s contract and make him work for the Black Faction. Black Rider returns to help the homunculus escape while Black Saber and Black Berserker go to face Red Rider. Black Archer covers his people while Red Archer covers Red Rider.

Back at the castle, Gordes is angry that Black Saber won’t use his Nobel Phantasm to take out Red Rider and spends two Command Spells to force the issue. However, when Darmic finds out, he stops Gordes and has Black Archer cover Black Saber’s retreat while giving Black Berserker an opening to go after Red Archer. Red Archer retreats as does Red Rider, after he salutes Black Archer. Elsewhere, Ruler cannot understand why the three Red Servants received no communications from their respective Masters. Ruler’s foresight ability leads her to see that there is about to be infighting among the Black Faction.

Meanwhile, Black Rider’s escape with the homunculus is detected, so Gordes and Black Saber are dispatched to stop this. Black Rider has the homunculus leave with his sword as Black Rider and Black Saber battle. Gordes gives chase, amazed that one of his creations has self awareness to preserve its life. The homunculus attacks, but Gordes easily knocking out the boy. Meanwhile, Black Saber has defeated Black Rider, but hearing Black Rider’s honorable intentions, the two join Gordes and the homunculus. Since Gordes won’t heal the injured homunculus, Black Saber knocks him out.

As Ruler arrives, Black Saber pulls his heart out, inserts it into the homunculus, then makes a request of Ruler that she set the boy free. Black Rider doesn’t want Black Saber to die. Black Saber dies, but as he does, magic surges through the boy and his magic circuits. The homunculus is now completely restored. Ruler introduces herself and vows to protect the homunculus, both life and soul.

Thoughts/Review

Well now, well now. I certainly didn’t expect to see a Servant sacrifice himself to help someone in need. But I have to say, I rather like it.

Red Faction

One thing that became fairly clear in this episode is that the Red Faction is completely being run by Shirou, save for Red Saber and Sisigou. Red Archer and Red Rider noted their lack of communications with their Masters. Ruler noted that Red Archer, Red Rider, and Red Berserker received no orders during the incursion into Yggdmillennia territory. As I recall it, Shirou had all of the Red Masters in what appeared to be an underground room of some kind.

So what is Shirou’s game? If Shirou is running the Red Faction, then it was he who ordered Red Lancer to kill Ruler. Not sure how this helps him obtain the Holy Grail and get whatever wish he desperately desires. I also wonder if Shirou somehow has mind control over the other Red Masters. They should all have their own wishes for the Holy Grail, so I can’t see them ceding that to Shirou. If Shirou is mentally controlling the Red Masters, then the Red Servants would be at his command by proxy, but it would cost Shirou no mana (prana) to have them do their thing. Ingenious, really.

Red Archer’s and Red Rider’s identities were revealed. Although I don’t use her, I have Atalanta Archer in my Fate/Grand Order collection (4* Archer Servant, but not as good as EMIYA 4* Archer, whom I also have). That aside, I’m glad we are seeing a bit more about the Red Faction and Servants as that has been sadly lacking.

Finally, is Red Berserker some kind of Trojan Horse? In Fate/Grand Order, he’s just a crummy 1* Berserker. Shirou had to order Red Berserker into battle, so what was the purpose? The Black Faction seem keen on turning Red Berserker into one of theirs (convenient timing considering what happened to Black Saber), so maybe Shirou plans to have Spartacus converted to the Black Faction, but still somehow have him betray the Black Faction.

Black Faction

Looks like Black Saber, Black Archer, and Black Rider are all honorable Servants of the good alignment. Black Archer had previously helped Black Rider assist the escaped homunculus. Black Rider attempts to get the homunculus to safety, though that gets foiled. And then Black Saber spares Black Rider’s life and even sacrifices his own to allow the homunculus to regenerate. I’m not sure how Black Saber’s heart did this, but I guess the magic of it did it once Black Saber “died.”

If they convert Red Berserker to Black Berserker 2, that makes up for the loss of Black Saber (sort of). Still, I can’t imagine things going well for Gordes. He wasted two Command Spells trying to force Black Saber to use his Nobel Phantasm earlier, angering Darmic. Now Gordes has lost Black Saber, and a Black Berserker 2 won’t make up for that in my opinion. So what happens to him? The Black Faction really is in disorder right now.

Finally, there’s Ruler’s involvement by taking Black Saber’s request as a vow to protect the freed and revived homunculus. In my mind, this shifts Ruler from being a neutral party to an active participant and I can’t imagine Darmic, Black Lancer, and Black Caster will be very happy about this.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Since I’ve only been working on this for about three weeks, maybe I better wrap up my review of Fate/Apocrypha 04.

• Where were Red Saber and Sisigou? They received word about Red Berserker running wild and I thought they’d at least observe and get a feel for enemy Servants. But they may have opted to play cautious, not trusting Shirou.
• As much as I love Jeanne’s Ruler Servant (mainly from playing Fate/Grand Order), I was just thinking how in reality, the Ruler class Servant is a retcon. Otherwise, she should have shown in up Fate/stay night for sure since that ended up not an exactly normal Holy Grail War.

In the end, Fate/Apocrypha 04 had the unexpected moment of Black Saber sacrificing himself. I find myself getting into the series a bit more as time goes on, even if I am way behind.