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Fate Stay/Night UBW Episodes 17 & 18 (Patreon)

Published:
2026-09-24 14:34:27
Imported:
2026-10
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Ralph

First

Lock in

I hate Gilgamesh. Leaving my comment here. That’s right we exist

KeanuofRivia

Great song waiting on full version!

Fabien

Oh Lancer in Fate stay night is very strong, don't confuse him with Lancer from Zero.

Ho shun Law

I hate this Gilgamesh, how about this

Caleb Martin

If you remember back in Fate Zero, after the battle over the river with Gilles, Waver and Iskander went to rest for a while because Iskander had used up most of his mana to manifest his Reality Marble. In that situation, Iskander used his own mana to fuel it instead of Waver’s mana, because he knew it was very draining and didn’t want to accidentally kill Waver. Archer did the opposite here. He used Medea’s mana to fuel Rho Aias, which drained her and made Rin and Shirou’s fight easier. That’s why he said “Haven’t you noticed her prying eyes left?” because she decided to stop watching them and instead use said mana to fight Rin. This also gave Archer the opening needed to betray her

Armando

Wesley’s intro, was 🔥 😂

Oscar Medina

Bro, it is an understatement. Lancer, is probably the third strongest of the seven in standard battle alone.

Eika Mikiku

Watching you guys trying to figure out archers identity is really funny

Kronosok

So here’s a bit of lore drop that is never explained in the anime but is actually a major part of fate. Basically the planet has a counter force consisting of two wills, Gaia - the will of the earth and Alaya - the unconscious will of the civilisation (they were once a single will but as humanity grew they became more separate because Gaia’s main concern is the planet and Alaya’s is the civilisation.) And those wills have different agents that enforce their needs. Gaia’s agents are fairies, some gods and concept you were not introduced to yet. And Alaya’s agents are the servants, both the usual heroic spirits and the counter guardians (because modern people cannot become heroic spirits). So whenever a threat appears that threatens either the planet or humanity, those wills employ their agents to stop it. Archer is Alaya’s go to solution when it needs something to be resolved and he got kinda tired of this (like no shot being servant for all eternity to fight all sort of monsters and world ending disasters would mentally exhaust you). Although there lots of other counter guardians.

Temojikato

Fate is the best :) I figured it out due to a clue (the biggest tbh) you missed when I first watched it back in the day, the second time that specific clue was mentioned. There's also layers to that one, tbh.

Sum Ting Wong

Funniest shit i have seen all week, almost 1 hour of guessing who archer is, this is so damn funny

Fabien

Ok a bit of explanations about things you may have missed, some are important points: - Kuzuki was killed very (very) easily by Archer because he didn't have Caster's reinforcement magic anymore. Kuzuki by himself isn't that strong. - Now you might understand what was the deal with the pendant: by the end of the episode last week, Tohsaka revealed that there should be only ONE of those pendants. Yet, Shirou previously picked up the one Rin left when she saved him in episode 1. Archer then gave his own to Rin, Rin thought it was the one she left next to Shirou. Later, when Shirou gave the original pendant back to Rin, she was very surprised, because she already had that pendant. Why did Archer have the same pendant that should be a unique piece ? That's how Rin understood who he is, even if she still wasn't certain. - [edit: erased that one, there are still more explanations next ep that could help you] - I believe it's been revealed in a few episodes what a guardian is (edit: ok you mentioned it later), you know that type of heroic spirit Archer is saying he is. I'll just say that's the reason he suffered so much. (edit: yeah you got it, he's seen different eras because he's a guardian) - Part of the reason Shirou improved so absurdly fast, is because he was copying his ideal self, the perfect way to fight for him. He sped run the process of getting stronger, to a degree.

CT

love the reveal, it was a good twist🤯 at some point, i had thought shirou was a reincarnation of archer lol

Eika Mikiku

Ahahah, they figured it out, good stuff guys lol

Kronosok

In fact as the time goes you could say Gaia will see the humanity as the threat too, that will put it at odds with Alaya. (In fact it already did but that’s for some other time).

ReCursed

Archer didn't "free" Saber he attacked Shiro in chapel and Saber jumped and pushed Shiro from the way of swords

Caleb Martin

“There is actually only one of these pendants.” Rin says this at the end of episode 16, and you guys unfortunately missed. If you remember all the way back to episodes 0, after Rin saves Shirou, Archer returns the pendant to her. But we see in episode seven he that when he wakes up, Shirou takes the pendant back home. I was really excited because you guys noticed the discrepancy and were confused about, but I guess you guys had forgotten

Mr.John Cordero

To be fair, Odysseus was a good guess. He is a famous archer and one of his traits was being worldly which could explain the weapons from different cultures. His pragmatic way of thinking also aligns with Odysseus but you are right that he didn't regret what he did. Though it would be a cool interpretation to explore him regretting the war of Troy.

Caleb Martin

Oh, another thing. In episode 17, Archer (finally) reveals Lancers true name, Cù Chulainn, so feel free to look him up if you want

Artema

This episode was so fun to watch, I believe this show is like Steins;Gate where if you watch it a second time knowing what happens its like to watch a different show. I'm going to try and give a bit of context (And avoid things that will be said in following episodes) and try to summarize it simple (Also if anyone has any remarks please add them!): Right now there are 2 ''guardian types'' (They are called counter force), one represents the planet (Gaia) and are things like fairies or myth beasts like Cerberus or Jormungandr that have no affiliation we could say but are there for the sake of the planet. The other represents humankind (Alaya) which enforces Counter Guardians like Archer here, this ones are send to eras where humanity is on the brink of self-destruction to balance the situation for the sake of humanity. I don't think they explain this further but basically Shirou in life made himself close to a hero of today and Alaya offered a contract to join the counter force, thats why he was able to see so many different weapons jumping from era to era fixing humanity mistakes. I'm leaving a lot out to not make a huge testament So far Archer used Caladabolg (When fighting Medea and when he shot Berserker in ep 3) which is a sword from an Irish hero, the Twin swords called Kanshou and Bakuya and Rho Aias in this one. Fate also added more stuff in spin-offs like Apocrypha and mostly Grand Order, giving more context and complementing what was already there, really hyped for your journey in this franchise!

C

So the Throne of Heroes, that is the place where the souls of Heroic Spirits are recorded, is outside of the time-space continuity. That’s why it can summon heroes of every age into the present. Past, present and future. You can think of it as a library that contain all of human history. Btw, they said Lancer's true name, Cu Chulainn. He is the greatest Celt heroe. Son of Lugh, the light god. Also I think is time to explain his Noble Phantasm, Gae Bolg just like I did with God Hand previous episode. Class: Lancer True Name: Cu Chulainn Noble Phantasm: Gae Bolg Gae Bolg have 2 forms, anti-person and anti-army 1. Anti-person needs Lancer to be close to the enemy to activate. Once activated the lance will twist cause and effect in order to stab the heart on the enemy. That means the lance is a sure hit/kill. The only way to evade it is to have a Luck rank above the rank of the lance itself. Reason why Saber managed to survive, cuz her Luck is A rank while Gae Bolg is B rank. 2. Anti-army need Lancer to throw the lance. Once throwed the lance becomes a "fuck everything in that direction" kind of thing. The only way to stop it is to have a shield with more Magical Energy than the lance itself. Reason why Archer managed to survive. The explanation of Heroic Spirits and Guardians… let’s save that for later.

Fabien

Another cool thing, [EDIT: I forgot they explain it next ep, SPOILER SPOILER don't read Steph] is that Rin was mistaken when she thought the only reason she summoned Archer was because she failed her summoning ritual. The real reason is that she unknowingly had an artefact: the pendant. Before Shirou even got it, but it was still an artefact linked to him as a heroic spirit.

Kronosok

Also regarding Gil, it’s quite easy to hate him because he is an arrogant narcissist that will kill you at the first inconvenience. But to call him evil or good is a bit pointless because he operates in a different morality framework (that is of an ancient world) and most of the modern morality shaped by the abrahamic religions which have a different set of values. He may not be a nice guy but he also sees people for what they are, he’s a tester, the king who gives challenges to people to see their worth.

ByakkoByakuya

Think back to the first two episodes. Shirou was actually part of a certain club alongside Sakura and Shinji. The club president, Mitsuzuri, and Sakura were constantly asking him when he planned to come back since he was their club's Ace. Shirou was a member of the Archery Club.

ReCursed

We all know that Archer is Actually Satan

Caleb Martin

The other reason that Archer went with Caster is that he need to get free of Rim’s command spell that prevented him from harming Shirou while they had an alliance.

del

Here’s one more hint you guys didn’t catch. So far Archer identified, by name and basically on sight, Medea, Hercules, and Cu Chulainn. And Archer also indicated he knows Saber’s true identity. What is the circumstance that someone could immediately identify heroes from Irish, Greek, and Arthurian mythology? Maybe if that person had been involved in a past holy grail war?

Sum Ting Wong

to support your *theory*, he is in the opening song's first and last scene, the show is named UBW, name of his attack, it's almost like he is the MC of the show huh??, crazyyy, Also, while archer was fighting sasaki kojiro (assassin), saber said archer's fighting is like he does not have a mean bone in his body essentially (clear heart), someone like we know off also, by gilgamesh saying "faker", i think he meant that archer is faking that he does not care about what shinji does to Rin, i mean not sure but maybe. anyways, i think he is odysseus also, i am the one who commented they dont teach anything in US history, glad it caught and annoyed you that much, sorry lol

ReCursed

Well i think it's okay to just say it now that Archer just lied about amnesia. It won't be told explicitly in next episodes but it's how it is

Jon

You guys actually got the reasoning for why Gilgamesh calls Archer faker earlier. Because Gilgamesh has all the original noble phantasms while Archer can replicate any weapon he’s seen so he’s the fake to Gilgamesh’s original

Lewis Kavanagh

Congrats guys, you finally got it. On my first watch I realised as soon as shirou gave back rin's amulet and rin sais "there's only supposed to be one of these". What happened was archer left his version with shirou when he was almost killed at the school and rin also kept her own after she healed him with it. So now there are two amulets when there should be one at that point in time.

banlungx001

at this rate , you two have to do a special episode where all the clues is show since episode 0 !! i try to think back and specify all of them in the next episode comment. even this exct now , i can think of like 5 clues that is provide by a couple of character already !! and yes!!! it ALL start with !!! hiroshima.........

ReCursed

Yeah it's one of the coolest things his main reason was rule breaker

Fabien

Ahah I love how you figured out more and more stuff toward the end of the video, during the post-episode discussion. Regarding Archer's memory, it will never be explained more than that so to be clear, he did initially lose his memory, but only temporarily. The first time he tries to kill Shirou (it was very early in the story), it's clear he already remembered everything. He just used that memory loss as it was convenient for his aim. Rin used a command spell so he wouldn't attack Shirou anymore, thus the only way for Archer to kill Shirou, was to change master. That's the TRUE reason he defected to Caster. Lancer was right: him and Rin probably would have been a match for Caster, but Archer only wanted one thing, Shirou. That's why he betrayed Rin (but still tried to protect her).

Oscar Medina

Something about the Tohsaka gem magecraft. It uses precious gems to store mana. From mildly expensive lapis lazuli to diamonds and rubies. The Tohsaka are a very rich family with many proprietary magecraft rituals to their name. Yes, in Fate mages have pay if they use magecraft rituals own by another family. Something that is not touched in Fate, much but more in outside works is that Rin is famously broke and very greedy. This is because her fortune and property was mismanagement by Kirei leaving her with more money than a normal person, but less than a mage of her craft requires. During the war Rin would burn millions in her gems.

banlungx001

@fabien you just spoil next episode , they have not figure it out that the pendant is the catalyst.

ReCursed

Oh you got that!)

KeanuofRivia

So i i'm kind of surprised that the show didn't really Explain it but what archer did to betray Caster was intentionally use a ton of her mana up to fight Lancer and then BE HEALED VIA HER MANA in order to weaken her so that she could be defeated more easily

Devastating_Warrior

This may have been one of the greatest reactions to watch, as someone who has the "reveal" knowledge beforehand and notices just how many hints are truly dropped through the dialogue/actions of characters.

Sum Ting Wong

SPOILERS, minor but still there in 3rd bullet

Fabien

banlungx001 -> Oh crap I forgot they explained it later, since I think it should be logical at this point. If that's ok I didn't erase the comment but I clearly marked as a spoiler for next ep to avoid them reading it.

Fabien

I erased it yes. Since they didn't guess it and next ep it's clearly said (I forgot).

Quinn

The pendent was the most recent and biggest hint you guys missed last episode but there’s way too many hints than you guys think you missed btw. This is my first rewatch so I was mind blown by a lot of stuff like they’re literally throwing hints at you since the first episode even before archer was summoned

Fabien

To be fair, they did throw so many hints because the initial premise is very counter-intuitive. Not just the idea of a heroic spirit from the future, but also his physical appearance (even his height, honestly I personally stopped growing after 17 yo, wth Shirou xD). I only got it early because it was through the visual novel for me, which is a very different experience. I don't know if I would have got it if I discovered everything through the animes.

Quinn

I think the show expected us to realize after the pendent reveal but like I’m embarrassed to admit I also had to be spoonfed like them :) tbf I was like 16 when I first watched it lol

BMO Mgrimm

Gilgamesh is great but Kirei is my favorite Fate character. Their interactions in Fate Zero are a big reason, but not the only one.

Caleb Martin

After the finish HF, I really want them to watch the abridged. It’s so good, and honestly explains things really well

ReCursed

Me too, idk if they would

eXxCeZz

The fun part is you missing every single clue in the series. I thought for sure you guys would figure it out by the pendant. The pendant that "revived" Shirou, there's only one, so how come Shirou returns the pendant, but Archer also returns the exact same pendant to Rin. Rin figured it out quite a while ago.

brde

Since you already know that big secret, you can watch the ending song safely in next week.

Marcos cruz

The main clue was in the a previous episode when Rin tells Shirou that there was only one pendant. I think your unusual knowledge of history is what betrayed you here, not many people have as much knowledge of history as you two, so is easier to narrow down the possibilities, in this particular case you took clues that other people would have brushed off, because they would have lacked the context, like you guys pretty much figured out every other servant just from their outfit alone, you even figured out that Archer outfit looked Asian at one point, which was wild

Aidos Smagulov

First, it was really fun watching your journey of guessing Archer’s identity :) Second, regarding the Gilgamesh discussion, it seems from the poll that you won’t be reacting to Fate/Strange Fake — but it’s really interesting, has some artsy animation, and, most importantly, features another solid iteration of Gilgamesh 👑 Thank you for the reaction!

Cinshadis

One fun thing - remember when Archer was with the Caster camp and he sat down with her master and said "hey, while we've got a minute - what's your deal? Call it a loose end, I'm just curious."

oliam43

laughts in "There is actually only one of these pendants."

Matthew Wise

I was thinking throughout episode 17 the comments really done you dirty, there's a much higher chance you would have got it sooner if you weren’t thinking about the comments teasing you lol. This is definitely the route where you find more *gems* the more you rewatch it. I am a fan of Gilga as a villan/anti-hero buy i don't 'like 'him. His ideals about how he values people and things and the problem with abundance decreasing people's value make his actions more understandable but not likeable. I think it's important to remember that we can recreate things without seeing them in real life, the better you understand it the more faithfully you can recreate it. The difference between a Gilgamesh and an Archer is like the difference between someone who buys high end fashion at full price and someone who goes to the market and buys a really good replica. Regardless of quality, there can be a feeling of superiority that comes with owning an original, and there usually is a quality difference. But imitations are easier to recreate. It's like Aventus Creed vs Club de Nuit in fragrance circles. Also Shirous projections are deeper than just appearances, he is recreating their concept, and even the memories they carry from past battles, which is why he seems to fight so well despite his inexperience. Lastly it's worth noting Fate has 3 routes, Archer is not from any of those routes, but most closely maps to Fate route which is largely depicted in the original anime which was voted against in the poll. But these exact events are not how it went down for original archer basically.

Cinshadis

Guardians are sent by Alaya to intervene when humanity might destroy itself. Usually they do that by neutralizing the threat, so the "I want to save everyone" mentality falls apart.

Erik

I could be wrong about this but it does make sense after this reveal. the every first fight shirou/saber/rin vs berserker, when archer shoots his arrow into berserker I always thought he also wanted to kill shirou in the meantime, to kill them both, thats why you can see him smile at the end after he sees shirou bleed out and cough blood Also the "Faker" line, me personally I took it as gilgamesh calling archer a "Fake hero" faking his way into becoming a heroic spirit. Just because archer gave up on his goals and ideals and decides to kill shirou to kill himself (potentially) And yes you are right about "guardian" being distpatched by "god" to help any world ending scenarious, sounds amazing but its a HORRIBLE curse, you are getting summoned against your will to help people against your will, across time and space no matter the time. Clocked in 24/7/365, I can understands archers suffering But in the end I think you got it right, Archer wanting to kill shirou to hopefully end this cycle of him turning into archer

Manoi

I remember having sus at episode 16 when Rin said there's only 1 this specific pendant. but ofc when archer said 'Trace On' that's just confirms it to me

Lulluf

Congratulations on not being spoiled until this point! Now I'm gonna recommend you to watch/react to the Abridged version of this from ProjectMouthwash on Youtube. It makes some clever jokes about the reveals early on and also gives us some fun jokes about the lore that you wouldn't normally get exposition or explanations on.

Manoi

I'll miss the theories, they're so good lmao. tbf we still get Rider but she'll be explored on Heaven Feels. Tbf the hints in the anime can easily be missed, but it's what makes it good for rewatching. The visual novel is pretty explicit with the hints and its details. So it's more like seeing a far-away train slowly closing in, then keep getting faster to hit you

Karol Sikora

From what I understand, the physical differences between Archer and Shirou are caused by his extensive use of projection magic, which ultimately is a magic beyond his capabilities, as he is an amatour without proper magic training. His magic circuits can't work efficiently enough to use projection on scale he did, and their overwork take a toll on the body, burning pigments in his hair, eyes and skin.

Vedhon

You guys are surprised about people liking gilgamesh so im gonna surprise you real hard now. Because I actually like matou shinji I really do. A lot of people who know fate might say oh you mean extra but no i mean the one in fate stay night. I don't have any resentment towards him at all, in fact he is kinda pathetic in a way to me that loops back to being endearing. Also shirou didnt die with regrets Shirou got regrets AFTER death

Jonno

The narrative richness of having an antagonist be the MC's future self in this way is one of the reasons Fate is great. The story structure and conceits allows for some deep thematic philosophical and character clashes like the Feast of Kings from last season or Emiya vs EMIYA this season

CD Elio

It's honestly entertaining to see Wes and Steph with all their theories about Archer. Don't worry been there done that hahaha. Anyway here's a food for thought it's interesting that Rin Tohsaka summoned Archer out of all the heroic spirits.

The Anime Dude

Shiro also used to be in the Archery Club before quitting, & apparently he was really good. There was also all the clocks winding back early on, the same pendants that there should’ve only been 1 of, etc. as far as clues / foreshadowing goes, but glad y’all felt the same way as me when I watched - spent so long trying to think of historical figures that I felt so betrayed when he wasn’t one. 😭 Basically took me like exactly as long as y’all to figure it out - they had to spell it out for me. (I started with F/Z too) Such good writing for what was originally an Erotic Game (porn game visual novel basically)

Cong Hui

It's also particularly interesting that they did it this way because this is the second route in Fate/Stay Night. In the first route which you HAVE to play before this one, they never actually tell you who Archer is.

Ramms

Fun Fact: In the original timeline, Rin saves Shirou's life using her family's heirloom red pendant. Shirou keeps the pendant, and it eventually becomes a deeply sentimental keepsake that he carries with him into his future as a Counter Guardian. This creates a temporal paradox where the future Heroic Spirit, Archer, possesses the exact same pendant from his own past. Because Archer carries this heirloom into the afterlife, the pendant acts as a sacred catalyst from the Servant's side, allowing Rin to unintentionally summon him into the Fifth Holy Grail War. If you guys remember the two pendants showed up togather which was really good foreshadowing and a fun easter egg. AND YES THIS PLOT TWIST WAS EPIC

Ethereal

This was such an amusing ride that I had to formulate it in phases. (blissfully unaware) 26:27 "Trace... on." 28:02 "He spoke exactly the same words that I do." (the uno reverse) 30:37 "Is he (Archer) just copying Shirou?" (delusion) 32:23 "It's Odysseuss!!!" (system crash) 41:14 "Before I became a heroic spirit, I was a mage in life." (half an inch away from bullseye) 44:16 "Could Archer be a famous Japanese hero who Shirou is the descendant of?" (walking into a brick wall) 50:54 "It kind of feels similar to Shirou." 51:12 "So somebody who is very psychologically similar to Shirou." (the spark) 51:38 Wes clocking it. 51:49 Steph shocked by Wes' answer. (domino collapse) 52:23 All the dominos are falling!

Kidd

The "actually" is important, I think.

Kidd

Yeah, this isn't the Gilgamesh I love. We probably speak for a lot of people saying that too. He's *romanceable* in one of the games =D

Kidd

I figured this out at the same time you did ^^ On rewatches, it feels so damn obvious. I lowkey think the whole reason why this entire franchise has the whole idea of using class names instead of true names is for this twist. This is the first Fate work, after all. It's cool world-building for the future too, so it's not like it is a problem =)

HopelesslyImmersed

I think my favorite part of the reveal is that it changes your perspective and unlocks so many implications that you may have previously overseen. Imo its coded very close to how AoT reveals big plot points in its story telling. I love it. You can absolutely see it's Shiro by observing the way Archer and Rin bickered with one another. Then when he goes sit down with Kuzuki to talk about why he is involved in the Grail War, its written so carefully where you cant see the double meanings in the interactions until after the reveal. Like you guys mentioned, its such a better reveal after watching Fate Zero because if you have watched Unlimited Bladeworks first you mightve seen through to Archer's identity a lot quicker. It kept the mystery alive 😁

Nikolai Ilushko

I've been waiting for this for so long! 😂 It was so fun watching you try to guess which historical figure Archer could be.

Nus Nus

He really did initially have it cause of how he was summoned but then kept it up as lie when he got it back pretty early on

banlungx001

They have not figure out the pendant thing yet , come onnnnn , we pay 6$ to enjoy them figure it out , dont just "tell them"

banlungx001

wes and steph have not go all in on shirou=archer theory YET , but we have like 5 different comment spoil about the pendant (when both of them have not bring it up at all this episode mind you) and most of them have been heart thus pretty much confirimg this answer to them already , this is the most important reveal in the whole of all the 3 route in fate to me , none of the reveal in HF is going to be as good as this , yet it being spoil 1 week ahead anyway , so i guess i do it too. here s all the clues this route gave us about archer true name 1.archer gasp after seeing saber for the 1st time , implying to us that he knows her 2.archer return an empty pendant to rin while we clearly see shirou took it home 3.caster comment about how both of them think like a pacifist 4.shirou fascinating with kanshou bakuya dual sword as soon as he see them while archer use them all the time 5.saber comment about how shirou can be as strong as archer given time 6.archer experience about his arm that he told shirou/saber in the shade 7.archer clearly show concern for taiga after the bridge battle 8.rin call out to archer that he know saber before and rooted for her to win 9.the "trace on" before he ambush caster , this is the last one cause every clue after this is pretty much spoonfeed about the trigger word , mage use the same word as a mental trigger for activating their magic circuits for their spell , these word can be anything they choose for themselve , that s why it such a coincident that shirou and archer have the same trigger word , cause its not a coincident. / also , the gray color pigment in archer hair/eyes and dark skin is a side effect from him using a lot of projection magecraft throughout his life <<< which sound like a cheap excuse to me , imagine archer actually get summon with shirou hair and skin color , it would have been obvious.

Jonno

Oh remember how Masters would use some sort of object connected to a Hero in order to summon a particular one, well Rin of course had the gem that she used to save Shirous life, which he kept and was the catalyst she accidentally used to draw Archer

rryutie

21:12 i really appreciate u guys as reactors cause U DO PAUSE and talk about things, especially what might not be entirely clear. a lot of other reactors would just keep the video playing and miss details, never talk about certain things, etc. So it's a really enjoyable experience with u guys being this detail oriented. But the funny part is because of that you fall victim to overthinking haha, this has been SO enjoyable from a viewer's PoV. 51:42 wooooo you guys guessed it!!! heh

Armando

i just realized Wes was singing "Hanging Tree" from Hunger Games. 😮

Leksou

That was a hilarious watch thanks guys

Fabien

Yeah, if I remember well in the visual novel Gilgamesh is described as naturally wary of Archer. As if (my interpretation) he sensed he's incompatible with him. Of course, he's also being petty because you know, how dare he copy his treasures. But behind that, there was an insecurity.

Grimm

Don't diss Diarmuid, pretty sure Nash stated that Diarmuid was the better fighter than Cu but cause of the fame bonus Cu was technically stronger. But yeah both lancers are beasts.

Oscar Medina

Yeah, Cu has the bonus of being the being ferocious Celtic demigod with many feats.

Oscar Medina

Now in fairness heroes do get the essentials on other heroic spirits when they get summoned, more so if the hero has a deep significance. An example is that all Heroic spirits are familiar with Excalibur even if they never saw it. The main difference here is that Archer is not just familiar with the other servants he makes many hints that he has personal connections with them. An example from the last episode was that he went out his way really get familiar with Kuzuki, hinting in his words that he previously was curious. This because Shirou never breached that level of closeness with Kuzuki.

Drake Chuckle

This was so hilarious to watch, lol.

del

Eh idk the whole point of servants going by their class instead of their name is it protects their identity which could expose their weakness. And Excalibur is easily identifiable because it is so famous and extraordinary. And I’ll counter you by saying there is at least one servant in this grail war that, given how Archer reacts with shock to their powers, makes it extremely clear he does not know who they are.

borntrouble

I didn't figure it out before this episode because I was under the impression that it had to be someone from the past, although I did "feel" something was strange earlier when the show mentioned that Shirou used to be in the archery club and was very good.

Lewis Kavanagh

They know know who archer is now so I'm not spoiling anything and besides it doesn't matter anyway since I realised I remembered wrong and it didn't go down like that

NoSoupRice

You're telling me Archer's true identity wasn't actually the multi winner League of Legends world championships?

tan pohheng

Here's some of the backstories behind the weapons that get used so far in FSN Lancer's Spear Gáe Bolg: A spear made from the bones of a sea monster, given by Scáthach to Cú Chulainn after training under her. In the original legend, the spear itself doesn't have reality bending powers that allows it to guarantee a lethal strike (like in the battle in ep 1), Cú Chulainn was simply that good with a spear. Whenever Cú Chulainn throws the spear in the legends, it always kills someone important. I suppose that was the part of the legend that was made his noble phantasm (NP) and why archer explains that his spear becomes stronger when thrown. Archer's twin swords: A pair of Chinese swords. The version of the legend I read was that a blacksmith was given an order by a king to make an imperial sword. The blacksmith forges a pair of swords, but only gives one of the pair to the king. Upon finding out about the other sword, the blacksmith is executed but the other pair is not found. In the official wiki page for the swords, the continuation of the story is rather grim and doesn't quite explains if the pair of swords ever gets reunited. This story about swords from Chinese myths is generally rare due to how most legends from China not focusing on the swords or weapons related to the myth, but rather the people who use them. The only other example of named Chinese swords that comes to mind is the sword of Guojian which was uncovered still sharp and free of rust even today. Caladbolg: A sword held by Cú Chulainn's foster father Fergus mac Róich. Archer uses it in the fight against caster and berserker in the earlier episodes. I don't recall much of it's description from the different versions of the tale of Ireland's child of light I've heard but apparently it cuts through hills according to the wiki. Rho Aias: A shield from a greek hero Ajax the Great from the Iliad, it's a 7 layered oxhide shield with a 8th outer layer of bronze. Its a shield that is huge and has a reputation of not being pierced by Hector's thrown spear (which usually just skewers the shield and the one holding it) during their fight in the Trojan war from what I've read. Archer uses it conceptually as a 7 layer shield to stop Cú Chulainn's Gáe Bolg. It's kind of a unstoppable force meets immovable object scenario because Gáe Bolg is a spear that always strikes down it's target when thrown and the Aias has never been pierced by a thrown spear. With hindsight, you can kind of tell Archer doesn't really fit any descriptions of any legends due to having weapons from 3 different legends from different countries and cultures. I myself was stumped thinking of Archer's identity when I first watched FSN fate route. because it didn't really fit the story of any well known blacksmith from Asia (because I assumed he was Asian due to his twin swords' design).

Mufty

You're wrong, I'm Archer 🏹

Random

I am so glad that the comments did not spoil this. I have been entertained watching this struggle. Also, ufotable did such a good job on this. The animation is great, I honestly do not know why they went more cartoony and less polished in Demon Slayer, considering this was at least decade before.

rikenad

😮 I’ve never considered this before… 🙏🏼 thank you

Carlo Marasigan

lol they didn't figure it out. The show go to the part where it was revealed!

Arjuna

I started to figure it out in episode 7 after Archer defeats Medea when she is trying to convince Archer and Shirou to join her she tells them something like: "See? You are exactly the same."

Arjuna

Im sure one reason why you guys didnt consider Shirou at all is because you have never seen a heroic spirit from the future, and the explanation is quite simple: unless you have a very particular connection (like in this case), how are going to summon someone you dont even know they exist?

Nikolai Ilushko

I think you forget the fact that Fate Stay Night in the visual novel begins on the "Fate" route, so certain things should be known to you before experiencing Unlimited Blade Works, not to mention Heaven's Feel after that. Fate/Zero reveals some of the things that the Fate route should have, but at the same time reveals too much. There is an adaptation by Studio Deen, but most people choose to ignore its existence because it awkwardly mixes elements from all three routes, so unfortunately, the only way to experience a proper adaptation of the Fate route is through the visual novel.

Irithylia

See, I told you the clues to Archer's identity were in your face the whole time!😂 You were probably just missing the little piece of information that heroic spirits can be summoned from any era. Emphasis on any. Also, pretty sure Gilgamesh said "Faker" to Emiya Shirou (Archer), is because he's imitating Gilgamesh's fighting style and even some of his swords. Also, I'm 100% not a Gilgamesh apologist. Gilgamesh did nothing wrong. "Wrong" and "Gilgamesh" is not something that goes together. It simply doesn't work like that.

kipp3 3

I think Archer is a Korean hero since Gilgamesh calledh im Faker

D. L. Pulver

I went through the same reasoning in Ep 17 (before the resolution in Ep 18): I had Odysseus, but there was the puzzling line about the shield in the "Rho Aias" scene - and the Iliad has just 3 Greek heroes who the poem describes having powerful shields: super-hero Achilles; the strongman hero Ajax the Great, and King Agamemnon. Hector never fought Agamemnon or Odysseus in the Iliad, but he dueled Achilles and Ajax. Neither's shield is named. ("Rho Aias" seems invented for the anime). But unlike Odysseus neither Ajax nor Achilles were archers? But, I found a link Ajax's brother, the hero Teucer, *was* an archer (best in the Greek army; Odysseus was second). And Teucer partners with his brother Ajax and *shelters behind his giant shield* to shoot! Teucer was also a good hand-to-hand fighter. So I thought he was Archer.. Of course, Ep 18 showed I was wrong! But it was a fun speculation...

Chris Williams

Hey, there are some people who don't figure it out even up to ep 22

Moogi

UBW was my introduction to the Fate series, and I watched it as one of my first animes 10 years ago when I was in elementary school. I could misremebering, but I think I put the connections between Archer and Shirou together at about the same time as this reveal. As a kid, I was suspicious of the similarities Shirou had with Archer: How his projection magic (which we learned earlier on that Kiritsugu said that Shirou was not very good at) was only able to make good enough replicas of Archer’s yin and yang swords, how Archer seemed to know Shirou very well despite being a “Hero of the Past,” and how he knew so much about the other Heroic spirits in this war. It was only until after this episode that it all clicked with me, with Rin’s dreams and her basically spelling it out for me.

Fabien

One detail: Kiritsugu never said Shirou wasn't good at projections, he said that projection isn't a useful magic (usually, it isn't). What Shirou isn't very good at, is reinforcement magic, even if it's the only other magic he can do at all. Because of this, Shirou neglected his projections for years and basically trained in the worst way possible. Of course, Shirou is actually a prodigy, but an ultra-specialist, he's only good at projecting weapons (and fighting I guess). Regarding Archer's clues, he also talks to Saber as if he knew her, amongst other things. In the 1st route of Fate stay night (which you have to do before doing the 2nd route: UBW), you had some little more clues, albeit very small: Archer talked to Illya as if he knew her, and it was very weird that an unknown hero like him could fight so well in one instance I won't detail just in case.

Fabien

I just discovered through your comment that Rho Aias is indeed not a proper mythological name. Even if the shield it was inspired from exists, it's Ajax's shield: another name for Ajax is "Aias", but I don't know where the "Rho" comes from. Regarding Archer's identity, it was still suggested throughtout the story that the name of the weapons he mentions or projects didn't mean much. Caladbolg being Irish (to be fair, not very known) and Gungnir being Norse (the lance of Odin, more famous).

Fabien

"Also, pretty sure Gilgamesh said "Faker" to Emiya Shirou (Archer), is because he's imitating Gilgamesh's fighting style and even some of his swords." You're right but just a detail: "all" the swords Archer ever made were technically (from Gil's point of view) Gilgamesh's swords. Since he has the prototype of all the noble phantasms that ever existed. In the end, everything was originally his.

Fabien

Uh the reveals in HF were crazy tbh. [it will be SPOIL about that route] In the visual novel, the foreshadowing about Sakura since the first route (!) was very good. To a least extent, about Illya too. And about the nature of the grail. The two things that makes it less impactful for anime viewers are: - Most of them were spoiled by Zero. - The slice of life nature of the visual novel gave the existence of Sakura another impact entirely.

Oscar Medina

Not on the servants summoned, but rather on general history, mythology, and folktales. It is very general as servants do not know details that were not part of known history or tale, like Saber being female. They can know prominent features of a servant such as weapons or feats which why Nps are big give away, but they don't know appearances. This is the same mechanism that allows servants to speak all modern languages and know about modern inventions like planes. It is a system that prevents servants from getting period shock or having to study every heroic spirit in the library.

Klinch

UBW might be an insane experience in a rewatch. (First time watcher here)

Carlo Marasigan

Lol i previously commented that we can tell you all the weapons that Archer summons and its not going to help you figure out his identity! As to how he saw them remember that as a guardian he gets summoned at different points of history.

Kwakado

Gilgamesh hater reporting in: One of the few things Kirei actually did properly as Rin's mentor was teaching her martial arts. Her stances and palm thrusts when she beats up Caster are very similar to the moves Kirei used throughout Fate/Zero.

ReCursed

Also another thing. Rin always summon Emiya (Archer) cause she uses her pedant as catalyst. He is removed from time and exists in throne of heroes that is outside time itself so you could say he predates even his original timeline because to himself he always was there

Jacob

I didn't figure it out until Archer said, "Trace on" You guys aren't dumb. You just had the wrong premise that the heroic spirits were all historical figures from our history. I feel like they set up that assumption but never stated that was what there were.

Mike Q

This was all I hoped for of your reactions! All that guessing for this plot twist and reveal! There's so many hints like you guys pointed out and other's in the comments too. Emiya being really good in the archery club, having great eye sight, knowing all the servant's identities, and being good looking in the future. Even in the flashes where Rin explains Archer's memories, you can see the silhouettes of Sakura and the school. From a time travel perspective, I like to think of it like Stein's Gate with those time travel mechanisms where an alternate future version of you can go into the past to change the World Line, getting to a timeline where Emiya wouldn't go through such a sad fate. Random tidbits: Caster's story is sad, but she gets pretty decent treatment in the fun spin-offs. She also is from the Age of Gods which magic was much more powerful , and gods were really around, and hence why Gilgamesh is insanely powerful and has divine chains that can hold gods.

A M

Once you decide to rewatch it someday, next time it will be painfully obvious just how many hints are dropped about Archer's identity. But don't worry, almost everyone got it wrong the first time. It's only obvious in hindsight, because everyone get focused on all the known heroes from the past and nobody entertains the idea of a hero from the future. Also, on unrelated note, In Fate Zero, when Iskandar creates his Reality Marble, you can already see future adult Waver among his trusted companions.

Vu3doo

I figured it after Shirou emphasized that Archer said, "Trace on", and Archer said to Saber that he should have never became a hero.

Chris Williams

Rho Aias can be translated to "Ajax's Shield", "Zhield of Ajax", or simply "Of Aias."

Chris Williams

As I'm sure you know, the shield was famous for being the only defense capable of stopping the otherwise unstoppable javelin of Troy's greatest champion, Hector. The spear pierced through six layers of hide, but was finally stopped by the seventh layer. Legend says that when Ajax later died, a red rocket larkspur flower (Consolida ajacis) bloomed from his spilled blood, its petals inscribed with the letters "AI" (representing the first initials of his name and also translated as "woe" or "alas") potentially referring to his state of mind in the wake of his suicide following his cousin's divine armor being given to the cunning Odysseus after Achilles died instead of him. I believe that is where the connection to its manifesting as a large 7 petaled purple-red flower comes from, as well as the fact that every time it's used the first 6 petals are broken fairly swiftly.

Tom

There is a lot of gilgmesh fans and I am one but I have only watched fate through you guys

Tom

32:10 I was yelling at the screen for 9 eps dont know if your right though also archer says I am the bone of my sword in english

Tom

Theory from an wes and steph only what if masters can be sommond from the futre and acher is emiya from the future

Grisly_Adamson

1:13:00 Are you referring to the Tsubada Reservoir Chronicles manga?? 👀 If so, I'm impressed. Such an underrated and underdog manga series.

Ryne

You see why no one would directly answer the question of how recent a servant could be summoned from. The actual answer tends to spoil this twist.

Azer S

Misterious stranger: Obsessed by Shirou, know Shirou life, has the same fighting style than Shirou, use the same weapons, have the same ability Viewer: is this Apollo ? :D

d34ddud3

I appreciate your anti-army description of "fuck everything in that direction"

d34ddud3

I think I figured it out about when Shirou got out of Rin's bed and stumbled into the table. He grabbed the pendant and commented that he had the same one at his house. Then I thought, "Man it's kinda weird Archer gave Rin the pendant back when Shirou had also grabbed it when he got up from getting revived." Then Rin saying that there should only be one of them confirmed it for me. In the very beginning she mentions that the gem in the necklace had mana collected in it over the course of years (I think by her father, Tokiomi, before he died). The reason that confirmed it for me was that once she said that I remembered from FATE/Zero they used catalysts/artifacts to essentially guarantee that they would get a servant tied to said artifact. Shirou is alive BECAUSE Rin had that pendant. She wouldn't have enough mana otherwise.

Dredgen Colin

Unfortunately for you, that leads credence to Gil's beauty as a character; youre really not supposed to "like" him. He's supposed to seem incongruent with our modern times(because he is), one of his roles in the story is reminding the viewer that RIGOROUSLY judging/persecuting ancient leaders by the morals and sensibilities we hold is an entirely fruitless endeavor. He did what he had to as the ruler of Uruk, even if we FEEL like he was cruel. (There is an awkward large sect that actually just like him because he's strong, cool, and oppressive. All things he IS, but they really shouldnt absolve him of his actions[as an Incarnation, in a time he isnt from])

TSP

Archer Gil fujos require too much head canon and copium to make him seem interesting. He's OP to the point of just being dumb, his philosophy is NOT that deep, and he's entirely obnoxious in the most annoying ways possible. Compared to even Kirei or Zouken he's pretty trash. Nobody is questioning or forgetting that ancient leaders had different moral codes (again, copium to make him seem interesting), most people just don't like that he's a poorly-written and very boring character that only attracts the fujo and "I'm an edgy contrarian" crowd. None of this is even to mention his stupid plot ass-pulls. About to die? No worries! Random weapon we've never seen before will show up to save him! Too bad he couldn't do that against the purple one, but live by the ass-pull plot device die by the ass-pull plot device - or lack thereof.