For those who want to dive into the Fate series, you’ll probably be scratching your head when you see all these different titles.
I mean, there’s Fate/stay night with its various versions, then there’s Fate/Zero, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/EXTRA Last Encore, and Fate/Grand Order. Plus, there are all these spin-offs thrown into the mix, which will just make newcomers even more confused.
Therefore, I will try to explain, of course with a spoiler-free explanation. For a guide to following the Fate series and the order in which you should watch it.
Table of Contents
Fate/stay night Watch Order
If you’re looking to get into the Fate series, I always recommend starting with Fate/stay night.
Fate/Stay Night originally started as a visual novel, an interactive story with branching paths called “routes.”
1. Fate/stay night (2006)
| Route | Saber (Fate) |
| Episodes | 24 |
| Aired | 2006 |
| Studio | Deen |
This is the earliest anime adaptation of Fate/Stay Night. Since it was produced in the mid-2000s, the animation quality may seem a bit outdated by today’s standards.
However, it’s the anime that introduced Fate/Stay Night to a broader audience, at least.
2. Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS (2010)
| Route | Rin Tohsaka (Unlimited Blade Work) |
| Episodes | 1 (Movie) |
| Aired | 2010 |
| Studio | Deen |
This film was produced by Studio Deen after the release of the 2006 Fate/stay night anime adaptation.
Its storytelling has received a lot of criticism for cutting out a substantial amount of content from the visual novel, which led to confusion among viewers and a lack of overall coherence.
However, it did receive praise for the development of Shirou, his interactions with Rin and Archer, and a deeper exploration of its ideas. Additionally, the animation was considered superior to the 2006 anime series.
3. Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works (2014)
| Route | Rin Tohsaka (Unlimited Blade Work) |
| Episodes | 26 |
| Aired | 2014~2015 |
| Studio | ufotable |
Unlimited Blade Works was one of the most anticipated anime releases at the end of 2014, riding on the popularity of the Fate series and the prior success of Ufotable’s adaptation of Fate/Zero.
After its release, this Fate/stay night by ufotable received highly positive reviews from critics, with special praise directed towards the character development of Shirou and other characters, as well as its visually stunning animation.
Plus, with Rin Tohsaka’s route, it catered to fans of the beloved tsundere character archetype.
4. Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel (2017~2020)
| Route | Sakura Matou (Heaven’s Feel) |
| Episodes | 3 Movies |
| Aired | 2017, 2018, 2020 |
| Studio | ufotable |
This trilogy adapts Heaven’s Feel, the third and final route of the Fate/stay night visual novel. It centers around Shirou Emiya and Sakura Matou caught in the conflict among mages in the Holy Grail War.
Sakura takes the spotlight as the focal character and driving force of the story. She’s an old friend of Shirou and the true master of Rider. She often visits Shirou’s home since they first met and helps him with chores, especially cooking.
Originally, Sakura was Rin’s sister, but she was given to the Matou family because each mage family was only allowed one heir. Sakura was later altered by Zōken to become an artificial Grail Vessel, intended to overthrow the Heaven’s Feel system.
In the Heaven’s Feel, Sakura eventually becomes Shirou’s lover, but as her sanity erodes, she tries to protect him by leaving him behind.
Fate Series and Spin Off
Thanks to the popularity of the Fate series franchise, it has sparked the creation of numerous spin-off anime not only by Ufotable but also by other studios, each with its own unique style.
These works originate from parallel dimensions and different points in time. There isn’t really a specific order among them, so if you’re interested, feel free to check them out at your leisure.
1. Fate/Zero (2011)
| Episodes | 25 |
| Aired | 2011 |
| Studio | ufotable |
Fate/Zero is a light novel written by Gen Urobuchi and illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi. It serves as a prequel to all the routes in the Type-Moon visual novel, Fate/stay night.
Fate/Zero is set ten years prior to the events of Fate/stay night and tells the story of the Fourth Holy Grail War, a secret magical tournament held in the city of Fuyuki. The main protagonist, Kiritsugu Emiya, who is the foster father of Fate/stay night’s protagonist, Shirou Emiya, is known as a ruthless mercenary and mage. He participates in the tournament on behalf of his wife’s family, the Einzberns.
The anime adaptation of Fate/Zero, produced by Studio Ufotable, received widespread acclaim for its animation quality, themes, characters, soundtrack, and storyline. It was also a commercial success and won several awards as one of the Best Anime series.
2. Fate/Apocrypha (2017)
| Episodes | 25 |
| Aired | 2017 |
| Studio | A-1 Pictures |
The story is set in a parallel world to the original Fate/stay night, where the House of Einzbern summons Ruler instead of Avenger in the Third Holy Grail War.
The Holy Grail is relocated from Fuyuki City to Romania after the war. Consequently, the events of Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero never occurred.
Fate/Apocrypha focuses on the conflict between two opposing factions, the Red and the Black, each summoning seven Servants, and the Grail itself summoning a special Ruler-class Servant as the mediator of the Holy Grail War.
Members of the Red faction are mages sent by the Clock Tower, the Mage’s Association, while the Black faction consists of Romanian mages belonging to a group known as Yggdmillennia.
3. Fate/EXTRA: Last Encore (2018)
| Episodes | 10 |
| Aired | 2018 |
| Studio | Shaft |
Fate/EXTRA: Last Encore is an anime adaptation of the game originally released on the PlayStation Portable.
The story is set in Tsukimihara Academy, an artificial high school that serves as the battleground for the next Holy Grail War. Created by the Moon Cell computer, this school is inhabited by souls projected to Earth to become Masters.
One of the chosen survivors is Hakuno Kishinami, who later manages to summon the Servant Saber.
With newfound powers, Hakuno embarks on a journey to reach the core of the Moon Cell, known as the Angelica Cage. There, they will uncover the reasons behind this artificial world’s existence and the blood-stained secrets of their past.
4. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya (2013-2019)
| Episodes | 42 + 2 Movies |
| Aired | 2013~2019 |
| Studio | SILVER LINK. |
Imagine an anime with a super cute magical girl, and that’s Fate. It’s this alternate universe spin-off of Fate/stay night, starring Illyasviel von Einzbern as the main protagonist.
In Fate/kaleid Liner Prisma Illya, the mage association members Rin Tohsaka and Luviagelita “Luvia” Edelfelt have this gig where they gotta find and snatch up seven Class Cards, each holding a Heroic Spirit.
To make their mission a bit easier, they get these cool powers from Ruby and Sapphire, two Kaleidosticks that can turn them into magical girls. How awesome is that?”
| Judul | Episode | Rilis |
| Fate/kaleid Iiner Prisma Illya | 10 | 2013 |
| Fate/kaleid Iiner Prisma Illya Season 2 | 10 | 2014 |
| Fate/kaleid Iiner Prisma Illya Season 3 | 10 | 2015 |
| Fate/kaleid Iiner Prisma Illya Season 4 | 12 | 2016 |
| Fate/kaleid Iiner Prisma Illya Movie: Oath Under Snow | 1 Film | 2017 |
| Fate/kaleid Iiner Prisma Illya Movie: Prisma Phantasm | 1 Film | 2019 |
5. Fate/Grand Order (2016-2022)
| Episodes | 23 + 3 Movies |
| Aired | 2016~2022 |
| Studio | CloverWorks |
Fate/Grand Order, often abbreviated as FGO, is a smartphone game featuring a vast array of characters from the earlier Fate series, along with the addition of numerous new characters. The anime series adaptation is produced by CloverWorks.
The story revolves around the Chaldea Security Organization, which employs experts in both science and magic to observe humanity’s future and potential extinction events. In response, Chaldea employs experimental time-travel technology known as Rayshift.
A newly recruited individual named Ritsuka Fujimaru, accompanied by a half-Servant girl named Mash Kyrielight, embarks on a time-traveling journey to stop Singularities from occurring in different eras. Their mission is to prevent the disruption of history and save humanity from various threats.
| Judul | Episode | Rilis |
| Fate/Grand Order -First Order- | 1 | 2016 |
| Fate/Grand Order -MOONLIGHT/LOSTROOM- | 1 | 2017 |
| Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia | 21 | 2019 |
| Fate/Grand Order -Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot Part 1 | 1 Film | 2021 |
| Fate/Grand Order -Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot Part 1 | 1 Film | 2021 |
| Fate/Grand Order -Final Singularity: The Grand Temple of Time Salomon | 1 Film | 2022 |
6. Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family (2018)
| Episodes | 13 |
| Aired | 2018 |
| Studio | ufotable |
The story unfolds in an alternate universe that kinda resembles Fate/hollow ataraxia, where Shiro Emiya is living a peaceful life with his family and friends in Fuyuki City.
This anime zooms in on Shiro, who’s whipping up all sorts of Japanese dishes for his family and friends throughout the four seasons of the year.
The vibe is totally different from the usual action-packed Fate stuff; this anime is more like a slice-of-life spin-off.
7. The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II (2019)
| Episodes | 13 |
| Aired | 2019 |
| Studio | Troyca |
Set 10 years after the events of Fate/Zero and just two months before the events of Fate/stay night, the story zeroes in on Lord El-Melloi II, who used to go by the name Waver Velvet.
Waver was once the successor to Kayneth and a former Master during the 4th Grail War in Fate/Zero. Now, he’s a professor in the ranks of the Mage Association.
For years, he’s been acting as the interim head of the El-Melloi family until the rightful heir can take over. But when strange mysteries involving magic start cropping up in London, he teams up with a mysterious person and a mage named Gray to solve a bunch of mysteries.
8. Fate/strange Fake (2023)
| Episodes | 1 (OVA) |
| Aired | 2023 |
| Studio | A-1 Pictures |
This is the Holy Grail War shrouded in deception. Introducing another ‘Fate’ brought to you by TYPE-MOON and Ryougo Narita.
Every Fate Series Anime Release List
The Fate series is a collection of media from TYPE-MOON, a leading Japanese gaming company best known for its visual novels. Below is the title of the Fate series for which there is an anime adaptation.
| Judul | Episode | Tahun |
| Fate/stay night | 24 | 2006 |
| Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS | 1 Film | 2010 |
| Fate/Zero (Season 1) | 13 | 2011 |
| Fate/Zero (Season 2) | 12 | 2012 |
| Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya | 10 | 2013 |
| Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (Season2) | 10 | 2014 |
| Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS (Season 1) | 13 | 2014 |
| Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (Season 3) | 10 | 2015 |
| Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS (Season 2) | 13 | 2015 |
| Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (Season 4) | 12 | 2016 |
| Fate/Grand Order -First Order- | 1 | 2016 |
| Fate/Apocrypha | 25 | 2017 |
| Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya oath under snow | 1 Film | 2017 |
| Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] – Chapter 1 | 1 Film | 2017 |
| Fate/Grand Order -MOONLIGHT/LOSTROOM- | 1 | 2017 |
| Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family | 13 | 2018 |
| Fate/EXTRA Last Encore | 13 | 2018 |
| Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] – Chapter 2 | 1 Film | 2019 |
| Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Prisma Phantasm | 1 Film | 2019 |
| The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II | 13 | 2019 |
| Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia | 21 | 2019 |
| Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] – Chapter 3 | 1 Film | 2020 |
| Fate/Grand Order – Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot (Part 1) | 1 Film | 2021 |
| Fate/Grand Order – Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot (Part2) | 1 Film | 2021 |
| Fate/Grand Order – Final Singularity: The Grand Temple of Time Salomon | 1 Film | 2021 |
| Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn | 1 OVA | 2023 |
| Fate/strange Fake | TBA | 2024 |
