Fate/Zero

Fate/Zero ocurre 10 años antes de los acontecimientos de Fate/stay night, en la cual se detalla los sucesos que desencadenaron en la 4. ª Guerra por el Santo Grial en la ciudad de Fuyuki. La Guerra por el Santo Grial es una competencia a muerte en la cual siete magos (denominados “Masters”) convocan siete espíritus heroicos (llamados “Servants”) para que libren una batalla entre sí, en la cual el único equipo ganador que quede en pie será el merecedor del poder del Santo Grial, el cual puede conceder cualquier deseo. Después de tres guerras inconclusas en las cuales no hubo un ganador, la 4.ª Guerra por el Santo Grial está a punto de empezar. El Grial fue creado hace siglos atrás por las familias Einzbern, Matoû y Tōsaka. Los Einzbern, después de tres fracasos sucesivos, están decididos a obtener el Grial a cualquier costo, y por ello deciden en representación de ellos enviar como Master en esta 4.ª Guerra a Emiya Kiritsugu, un “magus killer” (asesino de magos). Él es un mercenario de élite sumamente conocido, tanto por su reputación como por sus tácticas, ya que es capaz de hacer cualquier cosa para lograr su objetivo. A pesar que en el pasado Kiritsugu deseaba ser un héroe y salvar a todo el mundo, él decidió abandonar su ideal al darse cuenta de que el salvar la vida de una persona siempre costará la vida de otras. Es así como decidió destruir despiadadamente a quien sea con tal de obtener la paz de otros. Sin embargo, Kiritsugu se encuentra profundamente dividido entre el amor que él quiere dar a su nueva familia —su esposa Irisviel von Einzbern y su hija Illya— y el objetivo que deberá conseguir en esta 4. ª Guerra.

The story of Fate/Zero takes place ten years prior to the events of Fate/stay night, detailing the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. The Holy Grail War is a contest, founded by the Einzbern, Matou, and Tōsaka families centuries ago, in which seven mages summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete to obtain the power of the "Holy Grail", which grants a wish to each member of the winning duo. After three inconclusive wars for the elusive Holy Grail, the Fourth War commences. The Einzbern family is determined to achieve success after three consecutive failures, no matter the cost. As a result, they have elected to bring the hated magus killer, Kiritsugu Emiya, into their ranks, despite his methods and reputation as a skilled mercenary and a hitman who employs whatever he can use to accomplish his goals. Though Kiritsugu had once wanted to become a hero who could save everyone, he has long since abandoned this ideal upon realizing that saving one person comes at the cost of another's life. Thus, this is the source of conflict, which he once sought to eliminate, due to finite resources/abilities. For the sake of humanity, he will ruthlessly destroy anything and anyone who threatens the peace of others. However, Kiritsugu finds himself deeply torn between the love he has found for his new family - his wife Irisviel and their daughter Illya - and what he must do to obtain the Holy Grail. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu's greatest opponent appears in the form of Kirei Kotomine, a priest who cannot find any sense of fulfillment in his life and sets his sights on Kiritsugu as the possible answer to the emptiness he feels. Towards the conclusion, the limitations of the "Holy Grail" are found to be in the fact that, while omnipotent in its wish-granting abilities, it is not omniscient, and therefore depends on the victor's knowledge and methods to determine the way by which the wish is carried out.