Fate/Stay night: Unlimited Blade Works Season 1 Episode Summaries

Fate/stay night: UBW Episode Summaries

Episode 0: Prologue

In a flashback outside the front gate of a mansion, a young child named Rin Tohsaka is handed a book by her smiling father, Tokiomi Tohsaka. Tokiomi walks away as Rin bids her father farewell and asks him to come home soon. The flashback is a memory appearing in Rin’s dream, which she is woken from by an alarm clock going off. In the present day, Rin is much older now than in the flashback - she is a teenage girl. She gets dressed and is about to head out to school when she remembers that she needs to wear a red pendant. As she holds onto it, she muses that she must be careful these days.

Rin arrives to school and runs into Ayako Mitsuzuri, a member of the archery club. It’s then that Rin confirms that the clocks in her home were an hour fast, consequently leading to her arrival at school earlier than most of the student body on this day. Rin thinks to herself that it might have something to do with the pendant, which she found the night before. The pendant used to belong to her father who is now deceased.

Ayako invites Rin to watch her morning practice and Rin takes up the offer. At the archery complex, another student comes in to join them. Her name is Sakura Matou. Sakura and Rin exchange greetings before Rin heads out to the school building. Shortly after, Rin is greeted by Shinji Matou, Sakura’s foster brother. Rin seems irritated to see him and turns down his advances outright. This angers Shinji. Rin continues on her way to class and leaves Shinji behind, only to run into the student council president, Issei Ryuudou, who is being assisted by a boy named Shirou Emiya. Later, at lunch, Rin is sitting and eating alone. She ponders about how and if she can summon a Saber-class Servant.

After school, Rin returns home to find a message on her machine left by Kirei Kotomine of the Holy Church. Kirei reminds Rin that the deadline for Masters to summon their Servants is tomorrow, and only two Servants remain - the Archer and the Saber class. The scene jumps to that night where Rin is standing in a dusty, dark room filled with books. She says the circumstances are at their best to summon the Saber-class Servant she seeks. She recites the words to call forth a Servant, culminating in a burst of magic. But to Rin’s dismay, she discovers that she has summoned the Archer, not the Saber. Also, the two seem to be at odds in their first encounter. Archer haughtily announces that he does not respect Rin and will call the shots when it comes to battle strategy. Losing her temper, Rin uses one of her Command Seals to force Archer to obey everything she says. Archer and Rin finally come to an understanding. He realizes her exceptional ability as a mage and feels connected to Rin by their pact. He promises to obey her.

The next day, Rin wakes up exhausted, most likely due to using too much mana during the summoning. Waking up too late for school, she decides to skip it for the day and take Archer around the city so that he becomes familiar with it. After night falls, the two stand atop the roof of a tall building. Archer reveals his incredible eyesight. And Rin reveals her goal in winning the Holy Grail War is simply to win, despite the Grail being capable of granting the winner anything he or she desires, including ruling the entire world.

On her way home, Rin spots Sakura. Not wanting to be seen after skipping school, Rin hides. Sakura appears to be talking to a mysterious blonde man.

The morning after, Rin arrives at school and senses a magical bounded field. She is troubled that one would be put up in her territory so brazenly. Later at night, Rin and Archer (in invisible spirit form) investigate the field and find its trigger point on the school’s roof. Rin claims the field could devour the souls of everyone in it to be harvested for energy. Rin comes to the conclusion that a Servant would benefit from that kind of energy. As Rin is about to erase the trigger point, the Lancer-class Servant appears and attacks her. With Archer’s help, Rin evades Lancer’s attacks. Archer, wielding dual blades, engages in a fierce and fast battle with Lancer. Appearing evenly matched, Lancer begins to activate his Noble Phantasm. But at that moment, all three notice a student is spying on the battle from a distance. Lancer chases after the mysterious figure fleeing into the school building, as witnesses are supposed to be eliminated. Rin and Archer chase as well and arrive at the body of the student, who is already lying in a puddle of his own blood thanks to Lancer’s spear. Rin discovers the student is Shirou Emiya! With her power as a mage and the mana in the pendant, she heals Shirou and saves his life.

Afterwards, Rin is struck by the realization that Lancer will go to finish off Shirou once he learns that he is still alive. Archer and Rin race to make it to Shirou’s home first. However, instead of running into Lancer outside Shirou’s home, they face an attack from Saber.

Episode 1: Winter Days, A Fateful Night

A flashback shows a scene from 10 years prior to the present day. An entire city is on fire and all buildings destroyed, with no signs of life except for a lone child. The child is a young Shirou Emiya. He is lying down looking lost and confused amongst the dangerous flames.

The scene jumps to the present, specifically the same day that Rin Tohsaka arrives to school early, as seen in Episode 1: Prologue. Whereas the first episode focuses on the perspective of Rin, the second episode focuses on the perspective of Shirou.

A teenaged Shirou is lying asleep in a storage room next to scattered tools. Sakura Matou comes in and cheerfully wakes up Shirou. The two discuss morning chores and Sakura leaves him to clean. Alone again, Shirou uses magic that emanates as a green light moving through a pipe.

A short time later, Shirou, Sakura and Taiga Fujimura are in the middle of their morning routines. The three sit down to eat breakfast. After pulling a prank on Shirou, Fujimura-sensei takes off for school on her scooter. While Shirou finishes his breakfast, he notices the news on the television that some office workers were taken to a hospital last night. Authorities believed they may have gotten sick from a gas leak. Shirou notes that a gas leak has been reported on the news before and tells Sakura they need to be careful.

Later, on school grounds, Sakura invites Shirou to morning archery practice. But Shirou declines, remarking that he has to do something for the student council.

As Shirou is checking on a busted heater, Issei Ryuudou is discussing the budget with him. Shirou asks Issei to step outside the classroom so that he can finish repairing it. When Issei leaves him alone, Shirou secretly uses his magic power to thoroughly check the parts of the heater and diagnose what he can do to repair it. As he finishes fixing it, he overhears Rin Tohsaka greeting Issei. Shirou gives a short greeting to Tohsaka.

Later, Shirou and Issei walk into their homeroom only to be mocked by Shinji Matou. Shirou brushes it off, which only irritates Shinji.

Night falls, and Shirou is walking home from school. On the road, he passes a mysterious girl with white hair (Illyasviel von Einzbern) staring and smiling at him. The girl warns Shirou that he needs to summon his Servant soon or he will die. This only confuses Shirou, who has no idea what she’s talking about. But as he turns to take a second look at the girl, he’s further puzzled to find no one there.

Back at home, Fujimura-sensei, or “Fuji-nee,” scolds Shirou for arriving late, as things have been dangerous in the city recently. She notes that he is always held up by helping others too much. Sakura asks if Shirou has always been this way, and Fuji-nee confirms it. She recalls that it was Shirou’s dreams as a child to be a hero of justice.

After dinner, the two leave Shirou to return to their own homes. Alone again, Shirou uses his magic ability on a pipe once more, uttering the words, “Trace on.” He then attempts to alter the components of the pipe with his magic but is unsuccessful. Frustrated, Shirou laments at not being able to do a basic spell. Without being able to progress in his abilities, he wonders how he can ever be a hero of justice.

The next morning, Shirou notices a bruise on Sakura’s hand. He questions what happened and asked if Shinji did it to her. Sakura lies and says it was caused by tripping and falling, but Shirou doesn’t believe her.

Walking to school, Shirou notices a police car and caution tape surrounding a local house.

At lunch in the cafeteria, Shirou asks Ayako Mitsuzuri if Sakura seemed okay to her. While she thinks Sakura is fine, she does think her brother, Shinji, is being too much of a jerk to everyone else in the dojo. Ayako guesses that Shinji is acting that way because he was turned down by Rin just the day before.

After school at the dojo, Shirou runs into Kaede Makidera, Yukika Saegusa and Kane Himuro. Kaeda mentions that Rin was absent at school today. And Kaede informs Shirou that police were at a nearby intersection because a family living there was stabbed to death.

On a bus ride home, Shirou recollects his time in the hospital ten years ago. While Shirou lies on a bed, Kiritsugu Emiya asks Shirou if he prefers being adopted by him or a foster family. Shirou silently expresses that he chooses Kiritsugu. At that moment, Kiritsugu reveals to Shirou that he is a magic-user. Shirou then recalls how it was Kiritsugu who found and saved him from the fires. As well as the life lesson that Kiritsugu tried to impart on young Shirou - that to be a hero means saving people who are on your side and not saving your enemies. Shirou hates this notion, exclaiming that he doesn’t ever want strangers to die around him as they did on that fiery day.

At Shirou’s home, Fuji-nee tells Shirou that Sakura left early. The scene jumps to Sakura encountering the mysterious blonde man (Gilgamesh) again.

The next morning, Sakura lets Shirou know she will not be able to come make dinner at Shirou’s place for a few days. She then notices a strange mark on top of Shirou’s hand. Shirou is not sure where it came from but thinks nothing of it.

Later at school, Shirou feels the magical bounded field, but in his ignorance he does not understand what it is. He chalks up the feeling to being tired. As the school day ends, he runs into Shinji. Shirou begins to question Shinji about Sakura’s injured hand, and Shinji angrily denies knowing anything about it. Shirou apologizes for making the accusation. To make up for it, Shinji says Shirou should clean the messy dojo even though that was the task given to Shinji by Fujimura-sensei.

By the time Shirou finishes cleaning the dojo, the school is dark. Shirou then notices sounds of fighting in the nearby baseball field. He sees Lancer and Archer in the middle of battle. Lancer notices Shirou watching and begins to chase after Shirou to kill him.. Lancer runs Shirou down inside the school building and stabs him in the chest. As Shirou lies on the floor in a puddle of blood about to die, he hears Rin’s voice, but he doesn’t recognize it’s her as he’s barely conscious. Rin saves his life with her red pendant.

A little while later, Shirou regains consciousness. He sees some of his blood on his uniform but does not understand how he was saved. He arrives back at his home to puzzle on the matter, when Lancer suddenly attacks him again. Shirou dodges the attack and uses magic to strengthen a nearby rolled up poster to be used as a weapon. Barely defending himself against Lancer’s spear, he makes a dash for the outside. Beaten up and greatly outmatched, Shirou retreats to the storage room.

As Lancer is about to land the killing blow, a nearby summoning circle activates thanks to Shirou. At that moment, the Saber-class Servant appears to protect Shirou. Saber asks Shirou if he is her Master. After confirming their pact is sealed, she goes on the offensive against Lancer using an invisible sword. Lancer uses his Noble Phantasm to strike what he hopes is a fatal blow against Saber, but she survives. Lancer then retreats.

With things finally settled down, Shirou begins to ask Saber who she is and what’s going on. He is completely unfamiliar with the Holy Grail War. At this moment, he also notices the Command Seals that formed on his hand and wonders what they are.

Saber suddenly senses another Servant in the area. She leaves Shirou to engage in battle once more. Shirou catches up to Saber to see her fighting Archer. Without knowing, Shirou uses one of his three Command Seals to stop Saber from fighting, which angers and confuses Saber. As Shirou tries to wrap his head around what is going on, Rin greets him. She is standing next to Archer.

Episode 2: The Curtain Goes Up

The story picks up immediately from the last moments of the previous episode. Shirou tells Rin about the attack on him by Lancer at his home. Rin, Shirou and Saber then sit and have tea in Shirou’s dining room to give Rin a chance to explain what’s going on. She reveals to Shirou that he is now a Master and Saber is his Servant in a deadly Holy Grail War between seven Masters, or mages. She teaches Shirou about the purpose and importance of Command Seals and that he has already used one of his three.

To further explain Shirou’s situation to him, Rin takes him to the church in New City to meet Kirei Kotomine. Kirei explains that the Grail has chosen Shirou to be a Master and that there is no backing out of this position. He also divulges the details about the Grail’s unlimited power granted to the winner of the war.

Shirou catches on that if he uses up his Command Seals, he would be freed from his position as a Master. Kirei admits this notion to be true but provokes Shirou by saying anyone who would forfeit in such a way is a novice or a coward. Shirou then realizes and confirms with Kirei that even if a Master is cruel or evil, the Grail will still grant the person their wish. Kirei uses this detail to further encourage Shirou to participate in the war so that Shirou can win it and prevent such a dark outcome for the world.

Finally, Kirei tells Shirou that the fiery disaster from ten years ago was caused by an unworthy winner in the previous Holy Grail War. This revelation stuns Shirou. Shirou then asks if a Master ever got his wish granted from the previous wars. Kirei replies that the Grail was touched once by a man, but the ritual was not completed and no wish was granted. For the ritual to be completed and the Grail to choose a worthy Master, only one Master is permitted to survive the war.

After this discussion, Shirou decides to fight in the war as a Master. As if already being familiar with Shirou’s beliefs, Kirei’s gives Shirou some parting words of wisdom. Kirei tells him to “rejoice” because Shirou now has a chance to be a hero of justice. And further claims that for a hero to exist, a defined villain must as well, referring to the other Masters he will have to battle and kill.

Outside of the Church, Shirou asks Saber if she agrees for him to be her Master. She claims no agreement is necessary at that moment because he was already her Master from the very beginning. They shake hands and Saber renews her vow to be Shirou’s blade.

As Rin, Saber, and Shirou walk away from the church, Rin surprises Shirou by saying that the two of them should part ways at this point. Now that Shirou is officially part of the war she proclaims that he and she are officially enemies to one another. Shirou says he has no intention of fighting Rin. Archer then materializes and says that Rin should take this opportunity to defeat Shirou. Rin replies that she owes Shirou for halting Saber’s attack on Archer and therefore cannot begin to fight him just yet. Annoyed, Archer accepts her words and dematerializes. Shirou embarrasses Rin by saying that she’s the kind of good person that he likes.

As Shirou says goodbye to Rin, Illyasviel von Einzbern appears. Illyasviel asks them if the two are done chatting and it soon becomes clear to Rin that Illyasviel is standing next to the Berserker-class Servant.

Episode 3: The First Battle

The story picks up immediately from the last moments of the previous episode. Late at night, Rin and Archer formally meet Illyasviel von Einzbern for the first time near a cemetery. When Illyasviel gives her family name, Shirou notices that Rin is already familiar with it, as is Saber. Rin scans Berserker and learns that it has more power than even Saber. She then mentally communicates with Archer to form a battle plan. After Rin convinces Archer that she, Saber and Shirou should be able to hold off Berserker, Archer dashes away from the area to take advantage of his long distance fighting abilities.

Rin tells Shirou that whether he stays to fight or not is up to him but advises him to run. Shirou stays and Illyasviel exclaims that she will now kill them. She summons Berserker to attack. As Berserker leaps forward to strike Shirou, a volley of red blasts fall down from the sky. The volley pushes Berserker back, but Rin notices that Berserker is unscathed. Berserker then moves forward at a speed faster than Shirou can track with his eyes. Landing next to Shirou, Berserker swings his sword at him only to be blocked by Saber’s invisible blade. Saber and Berserker commence in an evenly matched sword fight, with Berserker’s agility proving too quick for Saber to land a critical hit.

Rin summons Archer to give fire support. On top of a building far from the fight, Archer fires his bow at Berserker. The resulting explosion causes no damage to Berserker. Berserker continues with his powerful assault on Saber who can barely keep him at bay. In desperation, Rin throws purple crystals at Berserker that create an inescapable dome around him. Berserker now immobilized, Rin gives Archer the order to fire at him. An entire volley of red arrows land in Berserker’s back causing a huge blue explosion of fire. But Berserker still takes no damage.

Illyasviel commands Berserker to ignore Rin and Shirou as they are no match for him anyways and to focus his attack on Saber. While Saber leads Berserker to the grounds inside the nearby cemetery, Rin takes the opportunity to command Shirou to retreat from the battle. Rin runs off and leaves Shirou to re-engage Berserker, and Shirou falls to his knees feeling completely useless in the fight. Looking at his hand, he remembers how he had just promised to fight side by side with Saber earlier in front of the church. Finding his courage again, Shirou runs to rejoin the others in their struggle.

Back in the church, Kirei Kotomine is seen conversing with Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh asks if Kirei enjoyed his encounter with Shirou, and Kirei replies that it was like reuniting with an old acquaintance, referring to his enemy and Shirou’s adopted father, Kiritsugu Emiya. Kirei shares his excitement with Gilgamesh about the new Holy Grail War, but Gilgamesh asks him if it’s all right that hell on earth may result from it. Kirei shrugs that off as sins that God will forgive.

Shirou continues to catch up to the area of the battle. Berserker and Saber are once again seen evenly matched with their blades. Elsewhere, Rin tries to fire a magic attack at Illyasviel. But Illyasviel is shielded by two autonomous bird familiars. After Illyasviel mocks Rin, the two birds go after Rin with laser attacks, forcing her to find cover. Illyasviel calmly catches up to Rin and releases two more bird familiars. While Rin is able to use her magic to block the familiars’ attack and destroy two of them, the third familiar transforms into a blade that nearly hits Rin. The last of the birds also transforms into an aerial blade. As it almost strikes Rin, arrows fired by Archer deflect the attack. Rin uses this chance to escape.

A safe distance hidden from Illyasviel, Rin catches her breath and asks Archer where Illyasviel is. But Archer says he is unable to track the movements of Masters other than Rin. Rin realizes that Saber winning is their only hope and directs Archer to continue supporting from a distance. As Rin tries to meet up with Saber, she runs into Shirou. She scolds him for still being on the battlefield and claims he’s merely in the way, when in reality she’s worried for his safety and doesn’t want him to be killed. She again commands him to leave, but Shirou apologizes and says that he can’t because of his promise to Saber. Rin counters that only capable mages can make that claim, but Shirou refuses to believe he is incapable of doing something to help.

The two’s argument are disrupted by Berserker and Saber clashing close by. Rin notes that Saber has lured Berserker to the cemetery so that she has proper cover from his powerful attacks. Finally, Saber unleashes her Noble Phantasm at point blank range onto Berserker. The powerful yellow blast splits Berserker’s body in half. Although it seems the battle is over, Berserker’s body begins to heal, as if time around the injury is reversing. Saber realizes resurrection is Berserker’s Noble Phantasm that activates upon death. As Shirou tries to reunite with Saber, he senses Archer about to unleash his own devastating Noble Phantasm to finish off Berserker. Shirou and Saber get out of the way as quick as they can. Archer then strikes Berserker with a special sword-like arrow that levels the entire area and creates a small atomic explosion. But after the smoke lifts, it’s clear to Rin that Berserker survived even that attack.

Illyasviel then exclaims that she will withdraw and let them live for now as Archer has piqued her interest. After Illyasviel and Berserker leave, Shirou falls to his knees and begins to cough blood unexpectedly.

Episode 4: Finding the Will to Fight

Illyasviel von Einzbern is in her mansion bathing, attended by two older women. One of her attendants disapproves of Illyasviel letting Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya live in the battle the night before. Illyasviel replies that it wouldn’t be fun to have done that. The attendant presses the matter saying that two of her enemies are now familiar with Berserker’s Noble Phantasm. Consequently, she should have killed at least one of the enemies. But Illyasviel once again feels there is no problem as she’s confident that Berserker’s abilities make him undefeatable. The other attendant recalls how Berserker can use his Noble Phantasm, Restoration, as many as three times in one day. The first attendant asks Illyasviel if she takes pity on Shirou, but Illyasviel denies that and smiles, saying she will have Shirou suffer in Kiritsugu Emiya’s place.

The scene switches to Shirou having a dream. He’s standing in a field of countless swords struck into the ground. He wakes up to see Rin sitting over him. This startles Shirou and he jumps out of bed. Rin thinks this means he has already healed from the fight. When Shirou tries to thank Rin for saving his life, she scolds him and says he should not thank an enemy who he must fight to the death. Shirou then questions why she didn’t kill him, and Rin tsundere-ly replies that she simply didn’t feel like it at the moment. As she exits Shirou’s home, she says the next time they meet will be as enemies and that he should prepare himself.

After Shirou takes off his bandages he begins to look for Saber. He finds her resting in his dojo. Saber mentions how impressed she is with Shirou’s self-healing magic. She goes on to request Shirou refrain from dangerous actions, referring to him grabbing her to avoid the explosion that fell on Berserker. Shirou retorts that there was no choice, as Saber was in danger. Saber questions his care for a Servant he barely knows and Shirou reminds her of their promise to fight side by side. Saber is moved to hear this but still urges Shirou to be more careful. She explains that it’s important Shirou win the Grail so that her wish may be fulfilled.

Over tea, Saber teaches Shirou about the seven classes of Servants that the Grail fills with Heroic Spirits from the past. She goes on to explain the limits and weaknesses of the Saber-class Servant and requests that her identity remain a secret to Shirou. As an unskilled mage, Shirou’s mind may be read by a skilled mage, and Saber’s identity and consequently her weaknesses would be exposed for the enemy to take advantage of. Shirou agrees. Saber is surprised by this. Then Shirou asks her where she got her clothes from, and Saber answers that Rin gave them to her because she can not dematerialize.

Rin stands outside one of the buildings that was reported on the news to have suffered a gas leak. She and Archer sense mana in the area, and Rin deduces that one of the Masters is harming innocent bystanders, which angers her.

Back at Shirou’s home, Shirou is feeding a meal to Saber as he is not skilled enough to properly feed Saber his mana. Fujimura-sensei calls Shirou and commands him to bring her lunch at the school’s archery dojo. As Shirou walks to school, he is accompanied by Saber who has insisted on escorting him in case some unexpected trouble happens. When they reach school grounds, Saber mentions that she senses mana residue, meaning something is off. But it doesn’t seem too dangerous.

At the door of the archery club, Sakura Matou is surprised to see Shirou with a girl she is unfamiliar with (Saber). As Sakura goes to fetch Fuji-nee, Ayako Mitsuzuri thanks Shirou for bringing the bento. Mitsuzuri then teases Shiro asking him who the mysterious, beautiful girl was. Shirou replies that it’s complicated and then realizes that Saber has wandered off without being noticed.

Walking inside the school hallway, Saber encounters Kuzuki-sensei. Shirou catches up to the scene. Shirou tries to explain to Kuzuki-sensei that he’s merely giving a new acquaintance a tour of the school, and Kuzuki-sensei warns him to be careful as a foreign exchange student would be considered a curiosity to the other students. As he leaves Shirou, he tells him that Saber can not wear shoes inside.

As Saber puts on slippers in a visitor’s room, she and Shirou discuss Kuzuki-sensei. She says he is not a mage and does not have “the smell of blood” on him, but is impressed by his calm manner.

Saber continues to scan the school for danger until sunset, tiring Shirou out. Shirou again runs into Ayako. She asks Shirou if he’ll ever return to the archery club. He said he’d consider it in the future, which surprises Ayako because he seemed bored there. He suggests Shirou have fun and adds that he never smiles. This triggers Shirou to remember the trauma he experienced ten years ago.

After this exchange, Fujimura-sensei, Shirou, Sakura and Saber walk home together. Fuji-nee and Sakura question Shirou about the new girl. Shirou explains that Saber knew her father. And that Saber would be living with him for a while. This news shocks both Sakura and Fuji-nee but Fuji-nee eventually gives her blessing to the matter.

As the four eat dinner in Shirou’s home, Shirou feels an awkward silence has taken over. When dinner is finished, Fuji-nee announces that she will be staying at Shirou’s from that moment. She invites Sakura to stay as well, and Sakura expresses that she is happy to. Shirou is surprised by this turn of events but ignored.

Inside a building that Rin is investigating, Rin is staring down two skeletal dogs attacking her. She uses her mana to destroy them. A large lizard skeleton tries to ambush her by falling through the floor above, but Rin is able to dispatch this creature as well. Several other creatures stay hidden, realizing they can not defeat her. Rin then finds a room covered in a strange incense. Innocent people are passed out in the room. Archer says it’s the work of a witch.

Later atop a building, Rin and Archer discuss what they discovered. The flow of stolen life energy is leading up the mountain to Ryudou Temple. Rin concludes this to be the work of Caster. Archer then mentions that Caster must have had her eye on their battle with Berserker the night before and now knows of both Archer’s and Saber’s abilities. Making matters worse, they couldn’t even eliminate Berserker while tipping off the enemy.

Rin says they’ll go after Caster now, prompting Archer to question her resolve in killing off the easier target, Shirou. But Rin assures him that she will kill Shirou when she has to.

Episode 6: Mirage

Shirou Emiya is walking home from Rin Tohsaka’s mansion at night. He senses Archer following him invisibly, so Archer manifests his physical self. Shirou tells Archer to stop following him. But considering he was attacked and nearly died that day, Archer hints at Shirou’s need for an escort. Shirou retorts that he wouldn’t like an escort who wanted to kill him. Archer promises to obey Rin and not attack Shirou as they walk to his home. He goes on to berate Shrou for not being as cold-blooded as a mage should be. He cites Rin who has a few soft spots but the proper mindset for the war. Shirou replies that it’s lucky Rin is Archer’s Master then, since she’ll be Archer’s best chance at getting the Holy Grail. However, Archer claims he’s not interested in the Grail. He further reveals to Shirou his philosophy that Heroic Spirits are merely tools used to do the bidding of humans. When Shirou asks why Archer doesn’t also want the power of the Grail, Archer replies that he fulfilled his dream before dying.

Shirou arrives at his home and meets Sakura Matou and Taiga Fujimura. Fujimura-sensei says that Saber is mad at him. She also informs him that Ayako Mitsuzuri had been found earlier and was now safe in her own home. Issei Ryuudou is the one who relayed this to Fuji-nee. She goes on to say Ayako’s memory is jumbled but that she’s physically fine. Shirou thinks to himself that this was probably the work of Rider. He then asks Sakura to continue staying over his place to be safe. Sakura accepts the offer.

In Shirou’s dojo, Saber angrily questions his lateness coming home. Shirou tells Saber about the discovery of a new unidentified Master and his Rider Servant. He explains how this led to a truce between himself and Rin. Saber asks Shirou to confirm that this truce would end after the new Master is dealt with, and Shirou halfheartedly assures her it would. Shirou then takes the opportunity to ask Saber what she wants with the Grail. As her answer would not affect their current combat strategizing, she evades the question and the two agree that Shirou should train more for hand-to-hand combat.

The next day at school, Shinji taunts Shirou about what happened to Ayako. Angered, Shirou lays his hands on Shinji, but Shinji warns him that he had best not make false accusations and slaps his hands away.

After school in the school’s library, Rin and Shirou are searching for the sigils of the bounded field that were placed by the mysterious Master. Shirou uses Trace On and pinpoints the sigil while Rin removes it. They continue to find and remove sigils throughout the school. After they finish, Rin explains that removing the sigils weakens the field’s potency but does not destroy the field. She believes the Master will not like this and reveal himself shortly.

Rin leaves Shirou, explaining she has business to attend to. As Shirou begins to exit the school alone, he runs into Shinji. Shinji reveals that it was he who put up the field and sigils, and that he is Rider’s Master. Shirou asks if it was Shinji who attacked the female student the day before, and Shinji says that was the doing of his Servant, not him. He then asks Shirou to team up with him. Shirou declines. After Shinji concludes that Shirou is really trying to win the war, he says that his sister should no longer be staying around Shirou in his home. Shirou promises to make Sakura leave.

Later that evening, Shirou trains with Saber in his dojo. He is easily defeated by Saber over and over again. Afterwards, Shirou practices using his Trace On technique in his shed. Saber joins him, and he teaches her how his strengthening technique works. Intrigued, she gets so close to Shirou that he feels awkward and moves away from her. Shirou fails to strengthen a rock properly and Saber senses that her presence is distracting. So she excuses herself.

Shirou falls asleep on the ground in his shed. Mysterious mana threads enter the shed and entangle him. Shirou wakes up to find himself in Ryuudou Temple. Caster manifests in front of Shirou who is trapped and unable to move. She reveals to him that she was the one responsible for the coma cases throughout the city. She says their energy was used to create a base for herself at the temple. Back at Shirou’s home, Saber senses that something is wrong. She discovers the mana threads and follows them to the temple.

Outside temple grounds, Saber finds a bounded field meant to repel Heroic Spirits. Trying to get to Shirou, she runs into the Assassin-class Servant blocking her way. The two prepare to fight one another.

Meanwhile, Caster explains to Shirou that she wants his Command Seals so that her Master can control Saber, in order to defeat Berserker. Before she can do so, Archer appears and attacks her.

Episode 7: The Reward for the Fight to the Death

Continuing where the previous episode left off, the samurai Assassin and Saber are at a stand-off on the steps leading up to Ryuudou Temple. Assassin provokes Saber to win against him in a fight if she wishes to get through to the temple. At that same moment inside the temple grounds, Archer is protecting Shirou Emiya in a stand-off against Caster. Caster is angry at Assassin for failing to keep Archer at bay, but Archer comments that Assassin has his hands full with Saber. This fact doesn’t convince Caster of Assassin’s worth.

An intense sword fight takes place between Saber and Assassin. Saber has the upper hand in weight, power and speed, but she is confused as to why she can’t break Assassin’s defense. The two have an exchange of words, both annoyed but praising each other’s abilities.

Inside the grounds, Archer posits that Caster’s and Assassin’s Masters must be working together if Caster and Assassin have an alliance. Caster laughs the idea off and calls Assassin her pawn. She explains that Assassin has no Master, and Archer immediately guesses that Caster is breaking the rules of the Holy Grail War. She admits to this, saying that she summoned Assassin to be her Servant. Consequently, the samurai Assassin is not a true Assassin-class Servant of the war. Archer concludes that Caster does no actual fighting in the war herself and has others do the fighting. He berates Caster, saying this is an underhanded tactic by a magic-user. Considering the fact that a Master would usually not permit their Servant to summon a dangerous and powerful Servant of their own, Archer suspects that Caster’s Master must be weak.

The two continue to insult one another until Archer finally engages Caster in hand-to-hand combat. Archer seems to land a killing blow, but Caster’s body vanishes, revealing it was a fake. The real Caster is above the battle and unleashes an explosive blast at Archer. Archer blocks the blast with his dual blades while Shirou dodges the explosion, suffering some minor cuts and bruises. Archer concludes that Caster can use true magic within the area of her powered base.

While Archer and Caster continue to fight, Saber and Assassin do the same. Assassin is so close to landing a fatal blow to Saber that her neck is grazed by his sword.

Noticing Shirou now unprotected, she fires an explosive shot at him. Archer is able grab Shirou and saves him in the nick of time. Archer and Shirou bicker as Caster tries again to land a shot on the two of them as they flee. Then, Archer kicks Shirou away right before he is trapped by Caster’s immobilizing magic. Caster, believing this seals her victory, begins to mock Archer. But Archer’s dual blades fly from above Caster to surprise attack her. She is able to deflect the attack at the last moment, but it throws off her magic trap, freeing Archer. Archer manifests his bow and arrow, activating his Noble Phantasm. After saying, “I am the bone of my sword,” he fires his arrow and greatly damages Caster

Meanwhile, Assassin performs his Swallow Reversal on Saber. Saber’s counter allows her to just barely escape the attack with her life. Assassin then discusses this secret technique with her.

Caster asks Archer why he doesn’t finish her off. Archer replies that he promised to hit her with only one blow before the fight began, and he doesn’t believe in needless fighting. Caster concludes that Shirou and Archer are alike, as Shirou also does not approve of Caster needlessly killing humans. Archer and Shirou argue with one another about it, both believing they are not alike as Caster surmises.

Caster then offers an alliance between the three of them. Shirou refuses, not wanting to work with someone like Caster. Archer also refuses because he feels Caster does not have enough power to make the alliance worth it. Archer lets Caster escape, noting that Rin Tohsaka never commanded him to kill her.

After Caster leaves, Shirou asks Archer why he let her go, knowing that she will hurt and kill more innocence. Archer reveals that he actually wants Caster to do this so that she may become powerful enough to defeat Berserker. Archer says he doesn’t care about human lives, as all die somehow, sooner or later. This angers Shirou. Shirou says he would never sacrifice anyone to win. Archer retorts that some lives need to be lost to prevent Caster winning the Grail. He believes that if she wins the Grail, even more lives beyond those in the city would be lost. As Shirou begins to pursue Caster, Archer slices Shirou in the back to stop him. Archer attempts to finish him off, but Shirou trips and avoids his attack. Saber embraces Shirou. Impressed by Saber, Assassin permits them to leave. As this happens, Archer attacks from above only to be deflected by Assassin. With Archer distracted in battle against Assassin, Saber and Shirou retreat. Back in Shirou’s home, Shirou decides to train to become a better fighter.

Episode 8: Winter Days, Where the Heart Is

Shirou Emiya is on a field alone. His arms are suddenly covered with a pointy metallic armor that causes him great pain. He screams in agony but wakes up in his bed. He looks at his arm and sees no sign of the strange armor.

Shirou spars with Saber in his dojo using kendo swords. He is worn out by the end of their session. He asks Saber if she is going easier on him, but she remarks that she is not - he is simply improving. Particularly, he is not wasting movement in his stance. Shirou mentions that he’s actually mimicking Archer’s stance, as Archer got “in his head” from their last encounter. He apologizes to Saber for not mimicking her stance instead. Saber says she doesn’t mind, but by her attitude, it’s clear that she does.

Shirou arrives in his class room. Shinji Matou mocks him. His sinister smile at Shirou throughout the school day suggests that he has something devious in mind. At lunch, Rin Tohsaka embarrassedly waits for Shirou outside his classroom. A number of students are curious about the situation and focus their eyes on her. She makes Shirou follow her, but Shirou is confused as to why. He asks Rin if she forgot her lunch money and begins to offer to share his, but Rin cuts him off and calls him a numbskull.

Rin has Shirou sit next to her on the roof and they begin to eat lunch together. Rin apologizes for Archer’s attack on him the day before. She’s embarrassed and can’t look Shirou in the eye. She says she’s used one of her Command Seals on Archer, commanding him not to harm Shirou as long as their alliance stands. Although Shirou thinks that Rin shouldn’t apologize, Rin insists it’s her responsibility. So he accepts her apology. But he also mentions that he was partly to blame for how it turned out and that Archer did save him from Caster, so he feels he and Rin are even. The bell rings signaling the end of lunch, but Rin persuades Shirou to join her in skipping class so that they can continue their discussion. Back in Shirou’s classroom, Shinji notices that Shirou has not returned. He looks annoyed at first but then smiles.

Back on the roof, Rin explains her magic specialty is the transfer of power in herself or others. She thinks it’s fair to reveal this to Shirou because he had also previously revealed information about his magic to her. The subject moves on to the Matou family. Rin explains that her father told her the Matous were mages once but no longer considered a mage bloodline. Rin found out only that morning that Shinji was a Master - before that moment, she didn’t think he could possibly be one. She goes on to say that she wouldn’t attack Shinji just because she knows he’s a Master, and that she only attacked Shirou before because he wasn’t taking their position as enemies seriously. She also thinks their focus should be on finding the fourth unknown Master.

Rin says that Shinji asked her to form an alliance with him. She turned Shinji down and teased him, saying that she already had an alliance with Shirou. Meanwhile, a vengeful Shinji is in a dark classroom with Rider. He’s commanded her to activate a bounded field. Rider’s activation creates a giant eye above the entire school, turning the sky red. Shinji is pleased by this. Skeletal golems begin to materialize from out of the ground.
Shirou clutches his chest in pain from what Rider has activated, and Rin advises him to keep generating mana to stay conscious. Shirou runs to check on Sakura Matou. He finds every student in his classroom unconscious, drained of their energy. Suddenly, a golem begins to attack Rin. Shirou intercepts the golem’s movement and pushes it back. Rin destroys the golem with a blast, but more golems come to surround them. Shirou uses his Command Seal to summon Saber to his side. She appears next to him and quickly dispatches all the golems.

Shirou explains the situation to Saber while Rin tries to contact Archer. Because of the field cutting her off from the outside, she is unable to do so. Saber senses a Servant on the floor they’re currently standing on. Shirou and Rin head to the first floor to destroy the field while Saber stays behind to deal with the unknown Servant. Meanwhile, Shinji is attacked by an unseen enemy. Rider defends him, but she dies in the process. At the same time, a Rider doppelganger attacks Saber. She kills it, and it reveals itself to be one of Caster’s illusions.

Rin and Shirou find Shinji curled up in a ball, traumatized. They then discover Rider’s mutilated body. With Rider now dead, the field over the school disappears. Rin interrogates Shinji about who the killer is but he runs off like a coward before giving an answer.

Rin, Saber and Shirou compare notes, and they learn that Caster was likely the killer. Rin then comments on how well Shirou handled the situation.

Episode 9: The Distance Between Them

The episode picks up from the end of the previous one. Paramedics are at the school treating the weakened students. Saber, Shirou Emiya, and Rin Tohsaka begin to sneak out the back entrance of the school to avoid being seen when Archer suddenly manifests in front of them. Rin chastises him for arriving too late to be of help. She then informs Archer of what happened, including Rider’s death that was probably Caster’s doing. From this news, Archer surmises that Rider was weak and not a real hero, while Saber instead defends Rider for sacrificing herself to save her Master, Shinji Matou. Because of their argument, Saber readies herself to fight Archer at that moment, but Archer points out that he is under control by Command Spell to not fighter Saber. He says that she would be killing someone who couldn’t fight back, which would be against Saber’s code of honor. Rin breaks up their argument, threatening to use another Command Seal on Archer.

The conversation switches to the strategy to find and defeat the unknown Master and Caster. Once they learn the Master’s identity, the plan is to attack him before he returns to Ryuudou Temple where Caster is based. Shirou worries that the present incident at the school would prompt the Master to be cautious and stay out of sight, but Archer believes that Caster has made her Master a puppet and would not act that carefully. Rin then suggests that they all call it a day. Shirou wants to continue working together, but Rin whispers to him that Archer is acting funny. She says they need time to all get on the same page. As Rin and Archer take their leave, Rin begins again to scold Archer for not arriving when needed.

That evening, Saber and Shirou are sitting in his home having dinner. Saber says that she wants to sleep in the same room as Shirou from now on to keep him safe. Shirou doesn’t like the idea, but relents and allows Saber to sleep nearby, separated by a door.

Meanwhile, a panicked Shinji arrives at the church and speaks with Kirei Kotomine. Now that Rider is dead, Shinji believes he should withdraw from the war. Kirei claims that Shinji is the first to use the church for protection, which causes Shinji to fear what his grandfather would think of that. Shinji goes on to blame everyone but himself for his loss. Kirei offers Shinji another Servant to continue fighting.

The next morning, Fujimura-sensei eats breakfast with Saber and Shirou. Discussing the status of the students from yesterday’s attack, it’s revealed that they mostly only suffered anemia. Fuj-nee was told the cause of the incident was chemicals in an empty classroom on the first floor. She also says that Sakura Matou is doing fine and suggests that Shirou visit her.

At school, Rin tells Shirou that Issei Ryuudou may be Caster’s Master. Shirou doubts this but Rin persists. The two decide that Shirou will investigate the matter. At lunch, Shirou locks Issei in the student council room. He forces Issei to take his clothes off to see if he has a Command Seal tattoo on his body but finds nothing. Shirou then asks Issei if he’s noticed anything strange at his temple, and Issei says he knows nothing.

After school, Shirou spots Rin snooping in front of the Matou residence. They see a man they don’t know standing outside of it (Gilgamesh). Rin and Shirou make sure to hide themselves from Gilgamesh as he walks away. Rin tells Shirou that she once saw the mystery man talking to Sakura. She then teases Shirou for checking in on his kouhai Sakura instead of looking for the unknown Master. Shirou denies this, saying that he already had a report for Rin, but she left school before he could talk to her. He informs her that Issei is not a Master.

Shirou then asks Rin why she was there. Rin replies that she too was worried about Sakura. She then asks Shirou a hypothetical question - how does he think a girl would feel if she was given up for adoption to a family without a say in the matter. Shirou thinks the girl wouldn’t have any particular feeling if the family was kind to her, but dislike it if the family was cruel. This prompts Rin to ask herself why she even bothered with the question with such an obvious answer. The two agree to continue thinking of ways to find Caster the next day.

That night, Shirou again trains with Saber and aches from his defeat. Fuji-nee notes that it’s been a long time since Shirou practiced kendo. Saber is surprised by this, but Shirou explains that he stopped when his dad, Kiritsugu, died. This leads to Fuji-nee sharing with Saber what he was like as a child. Fuji-nee explains that Shirou was stubborn, the opposite of Kiritsugu who accepted everything the way it was. But Kiritsugu did try to help those in need, and Shirou emulated that. She claims Shirou acted justly as a child. Saber asked why he did, but he has trouble answering this. The current war has made him confront his ideals.

Episode 10: The Fifth Contractor

Archer stands alone in the field of swords. His body is run through by several weapons. Images of hung bodies flash against a close-up of Archer’s bloodied, angry face.

It’s morning in Rin Tohsaka’s mansion and she’s lying in bed awake. The scene with Archer was a dream she had. She concludes that it showed how Archer became a Heroic Spirit.

A little later, Rin converses with Archer in her mansion as she has tea. Archer warns that siding with Shirou Emiya is a poor choice as he is the weakest Master. Rin defends her decision, saying that even though Shirou is not great in a fight, he’s a trustworthy ally. Archer presses the matter, saying that Shirou won’t survive the war and that Caster would be a better ally. Rin objects immediately, calling Caster a monster. Archer agrees that she’s a monster, but retorts that she’s a true Mage and that results she be prioritized over ideals. Archer questions Rin as to where her cold rationality has gone after meeting Shirou. Rin fires back that it’s Archer’s fault for showing her strange things, referring to the dream. Archer is puzzled by her comment, but Rin avoids explaining. She ends the argument by declaring that she won’t budge on the matter, and Archer gives up convincing her. He admits that it’s his job to support Rin and promises to continue to watch over her from the shadows. He then demanifests.

At school, Shirou is at his desk and looks tired. He wonders why he’s been feeling that way and remembers seeing Archer’s dual blades in action. He concludes that he likes them. Shirou later stumbles upon Souichirou Kuzuki giving Issei Ryuudou instructions. As Shirou and Issei have lunch in the student council room, Shirou asks Issei what his relationship is with Kuzuki-sensei. Issei replies that Kuzuki is like a surrogate brother to him and he has been living at the Ryuudou Temple for the last three years. Rin drops in on the conversation and asks if anything strange has happened in the temple lately. The only thing Issei can think of is the appearance of a woman who Kuzuki said he was going to marry. She is also currently living at the temple.

Later, alone, Rin tells Shirou she’s certain that Kuzuki must be the unknown Master and that Caster is the woman posing as his fiancee. She plans to confront Kuzuki that night to learn the truth, and Shirou reluctantly agrees to join her. After school, Shirou reports this to Saber and the two agree to follow Rin’s plan. Before leaving his house, Shirou again wishes he had swords like Archer’s but snaps himself out of it.

As snow falls at night, Shirou and Saber meet up with Rin at an abandoned gas station. Rin sets a bounded field as a trap for Kuzuki. Kuzuki approaches and the three hide. Rin fires a magic blast at Kuzuki, which forces Caster to manifest in front of him. Caster threatens to begin her assault if the hidden attacker does not reveal himself. Ignoring the original plan, Shirou comes forward by himself. He asks Kuzuki if he is being controlled by Caster. In return, Kuzuki asks Shirou why he thinks so. Shirou tells Kuzuki that he’s a good person, so there should be no way he would overlook how Caster was draining innocent people of their mana. Although Kuzuki admits he had no idea about the harm she was causing, he doesn’t mind. He claims that he is not a mage and will not fight in the war. He also does not care about anyone who dies and says that he will allow Caster to do as she wishes. Suddenly, Rin fires a magic attack at Caster. Caster blocks it. Saber rushes towards Kuzuki, protected from Caster by a magic resistance spell. Saber strikes Kuzuki, but he is able to defend himself with magic. He then takes the offensive and strikes the back of Saber’s neck with a mix of hand-to-hand fighting and magic. He further hurts Saber, proving to outclass Saber’s fighting abilities.

While Caster moves in to finish Saber, Kuzuki turns his attention to Rin and Shirou. With incredible speed, Kuzuki quickly knocks Rin out. Shirou attacks Kuzuki with his strengthened pipe, but Kuzuki easily breaks it and punches Shirou in the stomach. Realizing that Rin will die if he loses, Shirou projects dual blades to defend himself. The blades prove strong enough to bloody Kuzuki’s fists. Caster is surprised by the projection, which distracts her from Saber. Saber takes the chance to strike Kuzuki, but Caster is able to save him in the nick of time and the two retreat.

Rin comments that now Kuzuki will never leave the safety of Ryuudou Temple. She asks Shirou how he was able to project his weapons. Shirou replies that he had pulled off projection magic in the past but that the results were always hollow, saying that he’s just as surprised about the effectiveness of the blades. Shirou feels a strange sharp pain but tells Saber that he’s fine.

Elsewhere in a dark hall, Gilgamesh tells Shinji Matou that he will kill the Masters only after he has “done what needs to be done.”

Episode 11: A Visitor Approaches Lightly

Shirou Emiya and Saber arrive at Shirou’s home after the battle that took place in the previous episode. Shirou is in some pain while Saber’s injuries are not serious. Saber voices her concerns for his health but Shirou once again says he’s okay. As Shirou tries to sleep, he feels pain again in his arm illustrated by a reddened circuitry system inside of him that is usually green. This is the same system previously seen when he used strengthening magic on an object. The next morning, Shirou wakes up and notices the pain is gone. But as he tries to stand up to begin making breakfast, he realizes he can not use his arm properly. It is the arm where his Command Seal rests.

At school, Taiga Fujimura announces that Souichirou Kuzuki has called in sick and is absent. Again Shirou notices something wrong with his left arm. After school, Shirou realizes that he forgot to speak to Rin Tohsaka but figures there must be nothing important to report if she didn’t come to see him.

Back at home, Shirou is preparing a meal when his arm acts up again, forcing him to drop and break a dish accidentally. Then, the doorbell rings. Shirou opens his door to see Rin who immediately chastises him for skipping their regular check-in. Shirou apologizes, and Rin invites herself in to their lunch, much to Shirou’s dismay.

Saber, Shirou, and Rin discuss a plan of attack on Caster. Rin and Saber agree that brute force is the only way to handle Caster now but attacking the shielded Ryuudou Temple will be difficult. Noticing it’s already evening time, Shirou tries to prompt Rin to leave feeling awkward with her presence in his home. But both Saber and Rin agree that more planning must be done together. Shirou warns Rin that she’ll have to deal with Fuji-nee when she arrives.

Fuji-nee arrives at Shirou’s place in her usual cheerful and familiar manner. She’s surprised to see Rin there and gets embarrassed. Rin teases Fuji-nee about her close ties with Shirou and the way she treats him. As Shirou tries to wash the dishes from their finished dinner, he drops a dish again. Rin takes over his duty.

After his bath, Shirou approaches Rin who is standing outside in his courtyard. She comments on how she likes his bounded field because she senses human emotion in it, unlike the field at her own home. But she also notes that her home, which is much more closed off than Shirou’s, suits her personality. Shirou asks her if training to be a mage was difficult for her, but she replies that it came easy. That it’s been fun for her. Rin in turn asks Shirou if he’s also having fun training as a mage, but he never felt that way. He simply understood that others being happy made him happy and hoped he could use magic to help people some day. Rin is troubled by this, pointing out that happiness that he derives from others’ happiness is not the same as enjoying the practice of magic. She concludes that he only worries about others and never concerns himself with what he wants. She notes that he is almost identical to someone else who she doesn’t mention by name. She then storms off promising to make Shirou say “uncle” the next day. Shirou thinks Rin will go home at this point and offers to walk together with her, but Rin announces that she will stay over for the night in his guest room.

After this, Shirou practices his “trace on” technique in his shed on a pipe and Saber finds him. Shirou explains that his father, Kirtsugu Emiya, taught him to practice his magic every day but never taught him how to be a proper mage. Instead, Kiritsugu taught him to enjoy his life to the fullest. Saber finally asks Shirou what is wrong with his left side. Shirou tells her it’s numb, most likely as a reaction to the projection magic he performed the night before. At that moment, Archer drops into their conversation. He says that he might be able to help Shirou with his problem and seems to be very familiar with it. He examines Shirou’s back and claims circuits that were closed/dormant in Shirou from being neglected have now opened. He goes on to say the circuits that were never used are now filled with his mana, which put them in a state of shock. This led to the temporary numbness he’s been feeling. With one touch, Archer corrects the flow in Shirou’s body and says Shirou should be fine in a few days. He will also become a stronger mage than he ever was before. Archer reveals something similar happened to him in his past.

As Archer leaves, he again challenges Shirou’s ideals. He warns that if Shirou’s ideals are borrowed and not really his own, Shirou will not take responsibility for the pain he will inevitably cause others in a war. Archer concludes that his ideals are meaningless and his life is a lie. But Shirou refuses to believe that.

Episode 12: The Final Decision

Shirou is in his kitchen about to prepare food when he notices that the bread he bought is gone, replaced by three 100 yen coins. He goes inside the guest bedroom where Rin Tohsaka is just waking up. The sight of Rin in her pajamas embarrasses Shirou and he escapes the room immediately.

At breakfast, Saber asks Shirou how he feels. He replies that the numbness in his left side is gone but it still feels a little heavy. Rin enters the room and announces that she and Shirou will go on a date. Shirou is shocked.

Rin, Saber and Shirou, now dressed, are about to leave the house. Taiga Fujimura teases Shirou about his date. She then admits that she also has a date that day and speeds off on her vespa.

The three arrive by bus to their destination - a neighboring town. Saber mentions that she is only there as Shirou’s guard. Shirou denies that he and Rin are on a date, but Rin persists that they are. She leads the trio to a cafe to eat desserts. Afterwards, they go shopping. At one point, the three of them try on glasses. Seeing glasses on Shirou makes Rin laugh hysterically. This leads them to conversation about Shirou’s looks. Although Shirou is defensive, Rin assures him that he will grow up to be a great looking guy.

At the batting cages, Rin hits balls amazingly while Saber’s technique is not effective. Later, Shirou comments that Saber is a sore loser and far too competitive. He’s also annoyed by Rin being so good and jokingly accuses her of doing push-ups before she goes to bed. Rin gets embarrassed because his guess is correct.

The three sit on the grass and have a picnic. Rin presents a basket of delicious-looking sandwiches to Saber’s and Shirou’s surprise. Shirou comments that this solves the mystery of the missing bread. Rin continus to flirt with and tease Shirou, causing Shirou to call her some kind of devil. Rin points out that Shirou seems to have finally cheered up and is acting like his normal self. This relieves her. Shirou thanks Rin for staying with him since the day before. This finally embarrasses Rin.

Elsewhere, Fujimura-sensei is visiting the grave of Kiritsugu Emiya. She talks to the grave about the things going on in Shirou’s life. Suddenly, it starts to rain and Caster appears behind her in casual clothes.

Rin, Saber, and Shirou board a bus that starts to take them home. Saber senses something strange, and Shirou realizes that the bus has no driver. The bus crashes but the three are uninjured. Rin tries to reach Archer but is unable to because they are “sealed in” a bounded field. Regenerating water familiars begin to attack the three. Caster then reveals herself. She’s holding Fujimura-sensei, who is unconscious.

Caster says that she wants Shirou to be her puppet and will not do further harm if he agrees to that. She further claims that Shirou has no chance of winning even with his Servant, Saber. Caster points out that she has limitless mana/power to pull from the people of the city.

Shirou says he would never work with Caster and demands that she release Fuji-nee. This leads to Caster exposing Shirou’s past as a survivor of the last Holy Grail War. She provokes him to want the Grail as recompense and says that they can have the Grail if they work together. Caster claims that her power allows her to summon the Grail without requiring that all Servants fight to the death. Shirou again rejects her offer. He says that he wouldn’t work with a witch who treats people like food.

Shirou then approaches Caster. Caster believes he must be willing to give up his Command Seals if he wishes to save Fuji-nee. This means Caster would cut off his arm, and Shirou agrees to this. As Caster is about to strike Shirou with her knife, Saber steps in and blocks the attack. Caster and Saber begin to fight. Not wanting Fuji-nee to be harmed, Shirou commands Saber to stop, subconsciously using his Command Seal on her. Saber stops in her tracks, and Caster uses the opportunity to stab her in the heart. Caster explains that this is her Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker. She can negate magic with it, and has used it to take the Command Seals of Saber.

Caster then releases Fuji-nee to Shirou, but sets her sights on Rin. Using a Command Seal, Caster forces Saber to attack Rin. However, Shirou jumps in the way of the attack and is run through by Saber’s blade instead. Caster again tells Saber to kill them, but Saber’s magic resistance and her strength of will are strong enough to resist the command. At that moment, Archer appears and attacks Caster with a volley of arrows. He destroys all the water familiars, then shoots an arrow through the field to create an exit. Rin, Shirou and Fuji-nee escape.

Back in Rin’s mansion, Rin treats Shirou’s serious wound. He passes out. Rin and Archer discuss what happened. Rin then calls out Archer on the subtle care about Saber he’s displayed in previous incidents. She asks Archer if he remembers what Heroic Spirit he is, but he says that matter is still hazy.

Archer and Rin both conclude that dealing with Caster is the top priority. But Archer points out that Rin’s pact with Shirou must be over now that he is no longer a Master. Rin replies that it has to be Shirou’s decision to leave the War or not.

Shirou wakes up and gets out of bed, confused as to where he is. He notices Rin has gone off to battle alone without him. He tries to move but collapses, making a chest full of magic crystals and a pendant spill on the ground. The pendant is the same one that Rin used to save his life after Lancer’s attack. Shirou realizes this and it fills him with sorrow.

At the steps of Ryuudou Temple, Caster commands Assassin to defend the gate and her Master, Kuzuki-sensei. He mentions that he defended the gate from one of Illyasvial von Einzbern’s spying bird familiars. Assassin continues to talk back to Caster until she finally punishes him and bursts his rib cage. Assassin does not die from this punishment and vows to do as Caster commands. Caster notes that since she now commands Saber, she no longer has to hide in the protection of her base at Ryuudou Temple. She flies away.

Caster appears in the church in front of Kirei Kotomine. He is surprised by her appearance, as the church is neutral ground. Caster reveals that Saber is now her puppet. She goes on to demand the Lesser Grail be given to her. Kirei says it is not there. Caster doesn’t believe him and attacks him with three golems at once. However, Kirei destroys them easily. Caster then summons dozens of golems to attack him. He is able to evade them but is eventually surrounded. From a distance, Lancer watches. He promises that he will not interfere with the battle.

Elsewhere, Shirou is slowly walking on the street in search of Rin. He is in great pain. He eventually finds her on a roof. She asks why he came, stating that he is being a nuisance. She goes on to say that he is not a Master anymore and should hide in the church. Shirou still refuses to leave and says that he needs to help Saber. Rin coldly replies that he can do nothing to help her. Rin jumps from the building and is caught by Archer mid-leap. As they leave from Shirou’s view, Rin says something that can not be heard. It is later revealed that she told Shirou to stay away from this War from now on, or die.