Release Date
2025
Warning: The following contains mild spoilers for Fate/strange Fake Volume 2 and Fate/strange Fake, Episode 1, “The Heroic Spirit Incident”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Fateis no stranger to ensembles - a necessary byproduct of its Battle Royale framework - andFate/strange Fakemight end up having the biggest cast yet as it progresses. Yet, among the eclectic blend of Masters and Servants, it’s the central protagonist, Ayaka Sajyou, who might be the most fascinating, the reasons for which stretch back to the very start of the franchise.
Kinoko Nasu’s fantasy visual novel,Fate/Stay Night, was released on Windows in 2004, telling the story of Shirou Emiya and his participation in the Holy Grail War across three distinct routes. However, longtime fans are aware of a much earlier version of that story that never was, one that is eerily reflected in the iconography of this newest adaptation,Fate/strange Fake.
The Fate That Wasn’t Meant to Be
Fate/Prototypeis a unique glimpse at the early stages ofFate’s development, the setting, cast, and premise of which were distinct enough to live a life of its own within the fandom.Prototypewas never expanded into a full story, but a prequel novel was written, and an animated short film showcased what the story would have looked like. It was animated in 2011 by studio Lerche, the same team behindCarnival Phantasm,the satirical Type-Moon comedy series.
Rather than being set in Fuyuki, Japan,Prototypewas to be set in Tokyo, and it wouldn’t be the Fifth Holy Grail War, but instead only the second. The cast retains some similarities, such as Lancer, Archer, and a sadistic prototype of Rin Tohsaka, but the biggest standouts are the two leads. Ayaka Sajyou was the protagonist,notShirou, and Saber was a man instead of a woman, though undoubtedly still King Arthur.
Ayaka’s Story in Prototype
Like Shirou, Ayaka’s backstory is one of tragedy, having lost her father and - to the best of her knowledge - her sister, and fearing that her own life will soon end. However, whereas Shirou was blindsided by the existence of the Grail War and thrown headlong into it, Ayaka knew all too well about the ritual and attempted to run from it.Unfortunately, the Grail War pulls her in, and she ends up summoning Saber by accident right as Lancer is about to kill her.
A rough outline of what the full story would have been is detailed not only in the anime digest but in an accompanying art book. Pouring over the details, one can see a lot of narrative beats that would later be incorporated into the three routes ofFate/Stay Night. For instance, Ayaka switching Servants like when Rin entered a pact with Saber inUnlimited Blade Works, or Saber’s corruption, akin to the events ofHeaven’s Feel.
What Ayaka Brings to Fate/strange Fake
The Ayaka Sajyou that audiences are meeting in this year’s latestFateadaptation may not be the same character as in thePrototype, but her role is spiritually similar in crucial ways. For one thing, she has thus far been characterized by her desire to run away from the Grail War and reject her part in it. Additionally,Saber may not be King Arthur, but Richard the Lionheart bears Excalibur all the same, and alongside Ayaka, their dynamic can finally be explored in full.
Compared to thePrototypeversion, Ayaka is a blonde girl who has arrived in Snowfield under the orders of a woman from the Einzbern family in Fuyuki to participate in the Grail War. Apart from the directive burrowed deep in her brain, however, her memories are hazy, as is her overall identity in the early parts of the novel series. However, one part of the story soon to be adapted into the anime is the key to unraveling the mystery behind Ayaka Sajyou.
A Grizzly Ghost Story From Fuyuki
The interlude ofFate/strange FakeVolume 2 takes place in Fuyuki and follows a group of students at the archery club at Homurahara Academy, the same school Shirou attended. Here, the reader learns the story of “The Little Red Riding Hood of Semina Apartments”,a ghost story based on a real murder-suicidethat took place in the titular apartment complex.
The story goes that a young girl who always wore a red coat was abused by her parents. An unnamed neighbor noticed the girl’s plight but minded their own business, although he did push the elevator door button for the girl, who couldn’t raise her arms to press it herself. When the parents committed suicide and tried to take the young girl with them, she instead ran to the neighbor for help, who initially ignored her pleas until he could no longer. Upon opening the door, he was met by the bloodied girl, asking him to push the button.
Ayaka and Little Red Riding Hood
As the novel goes on to elaborate, much of the ghost story is embellished, but through Ayaka’s viewpoint in Episode 1, it’s clear that there’s ample truth to the tale. Ayaka is not only hounded by the voice in her head directing herto participate in the Grail Warbut also pursued by the image of a girl… a girl in a red hood. It’s even alluded to earlier in the episode when she’s getting directions from the store clerk and asks if any of the motels have an elevator.
The implication is that whatever past Ayaka is running from, it has to do with Semina Apartments and the girl in the red hood. She could be the mysterious neighbor in that story, or something even more twisted. Between the ghost following her, the Einzbern woman directing her, and the Servant she’s stumbled into being the Master of, Ayaka might be the unluckiestFateprotagonist in a while. All the more reason whyFate/strange Fakecan’t come soon enough.
