The Fate franchise can be somewhat tricky to navigate. It’s currently holding at 10 different anime adaptations, multiple video game installments and a wealth of expanded universe material. Trying to get into Fate at this point could feel a lot like trying to get into the Marvel Cinematic Universe after having ignored it for the past decade.

Know that this guide is not the be-all, end-all for the content available regarding this franchise. There are plenty bits I’ve yet to consume and many areas I’ve yet to discover. What I am covering are simply the most widely consumed and acknowledged mediums of the franchise. That is, anime and video game adaptations which have been localized or translated for English speaking audiences. Additionally, any of these installments can serve as an entry point into the series. I am merely suggesting it in this order as a method to understand it as a whole and the order which I retrospectively wished I could have experienced it.

But first, a bit of history.

Fate/Stay Night is a Japanese visual novel game published by Type Moon in early 2004. By this time, the primary writer Kinoko Nasu had written several installments in his franchise which has collectively come to be known as the Nasu-verse. None of these entries have any real connective tissue aside from utilizing the same world concepts as established and expanded upon in each entry. Fate/Stay Night (FSN) came to be immensely popular and would become the launching point for the series as a whole. You are free to start here if you’d like, but I wouldn’t advise it as it’ll take 60+ hours of clicking and reading to get through the first route alone.

[Full disclaimer: I have yet to play through the visual novel Fate/Stay Night and as such am unable to comment on the experience. ]

The Fate series revolves around the Holy Grail War; a magic ritual of typically 14 participants featuring 7 master/servant pairs. Masters are typically mages or people with a natural disposition toward magecraft. The masters summon servants for the ritual; heroic spirits from legends past, present and future who have etched tremendous deeds upon human history. The master/servant pairs face off in a battle royale, each vying for a chance to attain the Holy Grail at the conflicts end. The Holy Grail is supposedly a sacred relic that is said to grant any wish to those who obtain it. But only to the last pair whomsoever survives the Holy Grail War.

Because the Nasu-verse is so expansive, I’ve broken the franchise down to consumable chunks, keeping together series that have the most connective tissues for viewing comfort (and sanity). I’ve sourced links at the end of the article to places you can purchase or freely stream the content. To begin with:

Fate/Zero (TV)

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014) (TV)

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works “Sunny Day” (OVA)

Fate/Stay Night: Heavens Feel I. Presage Flower (Movie)

Fate/Stay Night: Heavens Feel II. Lost Butterfly (Movie)

Fate/Stay Night: Heavens Feel III. (Untitled) (Movie)

Optional: Fate/Stay Night (2006) (TV)

Optional: Fate/Hollow Axtaraxia (Game)

Fate/Apocrypha (TV)

Although FSN began Nasu’s rise to fame, Fate/Zero’s modern anime adaptation is a much more concise experience. It introduces the majority of the concepts that are a staple in the nasu-verse works while putting on an excellent high stakes drama. Fate/Zero is a prequel novel to FSN written by Gen Urobuchi which was published in 2006, 2 years after FSN was released. It was adapted as a 24 episode anime in 2011 by Ufotable to wide acclaim. Most fans consider the Ufotable adaptations of the Fate franchise to be the most definitive versions as far as adaptations go.

I chose to begin with Fate/Zero because I would wholeheartedly recommend the show to most other friends, family and colleagues. I’d compare it with Game of Thrones as a general experience: its a fantasy action drama with people spending most of the time talking in between segments of fantastic action sequences. The story focuses on character motivations and how their goals and ideals clash with one another. It’s not for everyone (nor is GOT), but if that sounds like your cup of tea, I can guarantee it is a most excellent cup of tea.

What makes the Fate series, and the Nasuverse by extension, so engaging after so many installments is that each iteration tells a different sort of story. Many would compare Fate/Zero akin to a Greek tragedy, but then the series shifts to a hero’s journey in Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works despite being very much grounded by the events of its predecessor.

The visual novel Fate/Stay Night had 3 routes: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works (UBW), and Heavens Feel. Each has been or is being adapted into an anime. Studio Deen’s 2006 adaption covers mostly the first route, Fate. However, due to creative decisions, the anime also takes elements from the other 2 routes which sums up to a convoluted, messy experience. Being the inferior adaptation, I highly recommend first viewing Ufotable’s take on UBW and Heavens Feel. If after you feel the need to experience a decisive ending for the series poster girl Saber, then I suggest you either play through the visual novel or watch Studio Deen’s adaption.

UBW and Heavens feel are sequels to Fate/Zero in that they fulfill the prophesies and developments of certain concepts introduced in Zero. Unlimited Blade Works is a 25 episode television series while Heavens Feel is a planned movie trilogy with only the 1st installment released as of the publication of this article. Beyond that, a psudo-sequel to the original Fate/Stay Night game was released titled Fate/Hollow Axtaraxia. This game has yet to be adapted to any form outside of a limited translated manga, but it expands on the story of FSN for the curious.

Lastly on this list is Fate/Aprocrypha, an anime adapted from a light novel penned by Yuuichiro Higashide by the animation studio A-1 Pictures. Unlike the aforementioned shows, Apocrypha is not a sequel to Fate/Zero. Fate/Apocrypha is more akin to a what-if scenario. Specifically, what if the events of Fate/Zero never took place? The conflict as depicted in Fate/Apocrypha follows an alternate timeline which culminates into a 24 participant Grand Holy Grail War. The anime has been picked up and exclusively released by Netflix for western audiences.

This concludes the first part of this series exploring the Nasu-verse franchise. In the next list, we’re diving deeper into the roots of Nasu’s work. His dark and edgy roots.

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[Fate/Zero] The anime has been out for several years now, so this is quite easy to find. Aniplex USA localized the anime for purchase, but also gave it an absurd price mark-up of $150 per season (I actually bought it tho. I blame it on anime convention compulsion.) You can purchase it mint at Right Stuf while supplied last (its lasted quite a while). The anime is widely available for streaming, both dubbed and subbed on popular platforms like Crunchyroll, VRV, Netflix and Hulu. Note that Crunchyroll is a free to stream platform.

[Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works] All of what was said about finding Fate/Zero applies to FSN:UBW. You can find it dubbed and subbed on Crunchyroll, VRV, Amazon (free with Prime membership), Hulu and Netflix. Unfortunately, you’ll only be able to watch the OVA legally by purchasing the Limited Edition Blu Ray Boxset II for $179.98

[Fate/Stay Night Heavens Feel] As of the publishing date of this article, the first part of this film trilogy has only seen a limited theatrical release in the US. If it follows the trend with Zero and UBW, it will likely be given a premium digital and boxset release within 2018/2019 with the following installments in the years after.

[Fate/Stay Night (Studio Deen)] You can find physical copies to purchase this series at a decently affordable rate licensed by Sentai Filmworks. Amazon sells the complete collection for $60-$80, Sentai Filmworks for $64.99, and Right Stuf for $74.99. Much cheaper for DVD across the board. You can also stream it on Amazon, HIDIVE, and Hulu. No free legal streaming source, unfortunately. Incidentally, you can also find Studio Deen’s movie adaptation of UBW much in the same ways, but it is considered to be inferior to the Ufotable adaptation, so there’s no need to trouble yourself to find it unless you’re a diehard fan.

[Fate/Hollow Axtaraxia] Yeah, good luck with that.

[Fate/Apocrypha] Nexflix. Netflix is your only legal option at this point.