Fate/Apocrypha 15
フェイト/アポクリファ episode 15

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis

Shirou and the haughty Red Assassin address Red Archer, Red Lancer, and Red Rider regarding the shift in Masters to Shirou. Red Archer decides she doesn’t like a weak Master and agrees to work for Shirou. Red Rider and Red Lancer have concerns, but they too agree to help Shirou with his goal of saving mankind. However, they demand he reveal his plan to them. Meanwhile, Red Saber and Sisigou join the Black Faction for a meeting on the situation. Gordes finds Shirou’s goals, as described by Ruler, to be impossible. Sisigou explains how such a wish could be done by the Greater Grail, yet have devastating affects.

After the meeting, Black Archer meets with Caules, expressing his concerns about Fiore running the Yggdmillennia clan. Caules is initially offended until he learns that Black Archer is simply wondering if kind Fiore has what it takes to kill someone. Caules recalls when they were children how Fiore had a pet dog, even though this was a death sentence for the dog. Sometime later, the dog is brutally slaughtered in a magic rite, but Fiore doesn’t cry. It isn’t until she and Caules bury the dog that she breaks down and apologies repeated to the dead dog. Black Archer has a better understanding of his Master and requests Caules look after her when Black Archer is gone.

That evening, Ruler gives Sisigou an additional Command Spell as the payment promised to Red Saber. She gives Sieg two Command Spells, but strongly warns him twice about using that last Command Spell as she fears the worst will happen if it is used. Sisigou takes Red Saber back to their crypt hideout, where he explains how he is the last of his family line, due to a curse that resulted from a miracle. In that regard, he understands Rulers concerns over Sieg’s miracle of life. Although Red Saber wanted to sleep in a real bed, she is happy that Sisigou has plans for the two of them to take the Grail.

The next day, Gordes is unhappy that part of the castle has been turned into a hospital for homunculi troops. However, he agrees to help treat one troop. Gordes wonders where it all went wrong, since he thought this Greater Holy Grail war would be something more than the chaos it has become. Back on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Red Caster joins Red Rider, Red Archer, and Red Lancer on the deck. They are processing Shirou’s plans and demand to know if Red Caster knew. He did and whether Shirou is insane or not, Red Caster finds the plan interesting. Meanwhile, Shirou vows to do anything to make his wish come true.

Thoughts/Review

Well, things continue to be interesting in Fate/Apocrypha 15. I like that we get some character work as the stage is set for the next phase of the Greater Holy Grail War.

Red Faction

I guess I’m not surprised that the Red Servants, sans Red Saber, are agreeing to go along with Shirou. That way, we still have a Red vs. Black conflict with Black Assassin as a wild card and Red Saber and Sisigou only working with the Black Faction to stop Shirou. We didn’t get to hear what Shirou’s plan is, but it clearly seemed to shock Red Lancer, Red Rider, and Red Archer. And yet they are still going along with the plan. Frankly, I don’t see how they trust Shirou at all, considering what he did to their former Masters.

As to Shirou and Red Assassin, between his smug look and her haughty look, could the series telegraph any “louder” that these two are setting themselves up for a great fall?

Black Faction

While the Red Faction is being set up as the villains, the Black Faction is taking the hero route for now. To that end, we got some character development work here. For starters, there was Fiore and Black Archer’s concern for her as the leader of the Black Faction. Unfortunately, the anime is very vague on why Fiore having a pet dog was a bad thing in a mage family. It appears the dog was brutally sacrificed in some mage ritual, but why is not said. We only learn that Fiore didn’t cry during the slaughter of the dog, but did cry when she and Caules buried what was left of the dog. She doesn’t have the casual brutality of others in her clan and because of that, I kinda hope she wins the Holy Grail.

Caules got a little bit of development as well. I liked how Black Archer appreciated how Caules had been Black Berserker’s Master. I’ve thought that as well, since I believed that Caules actually cared for Fran-chan. I couldn’t see any of the other Black Faction Masters, save Fiore, having that kind of care and concern for their Servant.

Finally, Gordes got some character work as well. He’s still the gruff idiot he’s always been. However, I finally have an understanding of Gordes that I didn’t have before. He held some romantic notion of the Holy Grail War with magic and Servants duking it out. Instead, everything has gone to a sea of chaos and he’s at a loss. But, he’s come to understand that some of this means that he was wrong about things. And though he’s still gruff, he is helping treat the wounded homunculi troops in the makeshift hospital. I liked that.

Red Saber and Sisigou

In another one of those unsurprising things, Sisigou and Red Saber are only forming a temporary alliance with the Black Faction until they deal with Shirou. Or rather that’s the official plan. I’m a little bummed that the two of them are scheming to grab the Greater Grail while the remnants of the Black Faction battle the Red Faction. Frankly, I find this to be a rather short-sighted scheme on Sisigou’s part. Yes, the ultimate goal of any Holy Grail War is to win the Grail, but Shirou is not an opponent to be messed with. Red Saber’s power and skills will be needed to defeat Shirou and company. After that, the remaining Masters and Servants can duke it out if they like.

I’m glad Sisigou got a bit of character work as well in Fate/Apocrypha 15. Not only can he not produce offspring, but when he adopted a child, his Magic Circuits killed the child due to the curse on Sisigou’s family. I respect Sisigou for never forgetting his adopted child, and I suspect Red Saber appreciates that as well. I just wish Sisigou had the honor that Ruler and Fiore have. Who knows, he may surprise me in the end.

Red Saber gets a fun comedy moment when she tries to convince Ruler to give Sisigou one more Command Spell. I think the scene made me laugh because Red Saber is usually right to the point, but here, she acts coy with Ruler.

It was also amusing to see Red Saber having to put up with Black Rider defending his new Master.

Ruler and Sieg

I’m still unclear about the whole Command Spell system here. I guess when Black Saber gave Sieg three Command Spells, those were the only three he could get since Black Rider’s Master had apparently burned all three of her Command Spells. Granted, there’s no way that Sieg would make Black Rider do something stupid, but if he needed to boost her power (as we saw Sisigou do for Red Saber and Caules do for Black Berserker), I guess he’d just be forced to use Seig’s Command Spells.

Still, Ruler having the ability to replenish Command Spells means that Sisigou and Red Saber are in a better position. Sieg can transform into Black Saber three more times at a minimum. I wonder what the deal is with the third Command Spell of Sieg’s. I suspect he’ll use it and end up sacrificing himself before all is said and done.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

OK, now that I’m finally off the road, it is time to wrap up my review of Fate/Apocrypha 15.

• I keep expecting there to be some indication of Black Assassin being around and doing something. Since the Black Faction homunculi were designed with high magic capacities, I figured Black Assassin would be sneaking around, picking off homunculi mages to replenish her power.
• I like the snarky, female homunculus whom Sieg saved first. It is a shame they haven’t given her a name yet. I hope she survives the War. I’d laugh and love it if somehow she and Gordes got together romantically. No, I don’t expect that to happen, but it would be a hoot.

In the end, Fate/Apocrypha 15 provided a bit of character work for Fiore, Caules, Gordes, and Sisigou while setting the table for the next phase of the Greater Holy Grail War.