Fate/strange Fake: Introduction, Episode 1 Review and Expectations

Fate/strange Fake's release pattern is a little bit…weird. A-1 Pictures produced a television special, “Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn,” which premiered in July 2023. Subsequently, an anime series adaptation of the light novel premiered in December 2024, with only one episode. 

Thankfully, it was announced that more episodes of the anime series would be released in January 2026.

As such, it is time to refresh our memory on the plot and setting of the new Fate instalment and what to expect in the new episodes. 

Introduction to the world of Fate/strange Fake

It’s another Holy Grail War. 

The refreshing thing about the Fate series is that they are quite consistent in the plotting of the story. There are new characters, new places, new timelines, new alliances and new antagonists, but the objective of the story remains the same every single time:

Fight for the Holy Grail.

This instalment, however, throws a mini-wrench into the typical Fate gears. It’s a Holy Grail War, yes. But it’s a fake one. Hence, the name “strange Fake.”

Apparently, after the Third Holy Grail War, a mage organisation in America decided to copy the structure of the war to allow them to design their own war, to their own ends. As the Holy Grail War is a feat of intense magical design, the mages are unable to perfectly replicate the war, resulting in some strange irregularities. 

For example, a typical Holy Grail War has seven Servant classes: Caster, Lancer, Saber, Archer, Assassin, Rider, and Berserker. The rules state that a Servant from each class must be summoned for the Holy Grail War to commence. However, in this false war, the Saber class is missing. 

Also, a Ruler (a Servant that does not participate in the war) must also be summoned to oversee the rituals of the war. This false war is lacking a Ruler. The Ruler is supposed to be an external, balancing act in the war, and the absence of a Ruler is a sure sign that this war will not stay on the rails.

Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn

Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn was the television special released by A-1 Pictures in December 2023. This special served as a sort of “episode 0,” an introduction to the false Holy Grail War. This episode introduced watchers to the setting, the stakes, the different factions and the goal of this war. 

Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn is a must-watch if you are to understand the rest of the anime. 

Fate/strange Fake, Episode 1: The Heroic Spirit Incident

Episode 1 picked up from where Whispers of Dawn stopped, showing the immediate aftermath of the battle between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. 

The military is swiftly closing down the area in Snowfield where the fight occurred. A gas explosion is the official cover-up for the crater left behind after Gilgamesha and Enkidu battle it out. As the army rolls in, we are introduced to Ayaka Sayjou, a seemingly confused, quiet and reserved mage, stumbling into the Holy Grail War in Snowfield. 

Ayaka Sayjou is just one of the many parties and Masters involved in this war. She is not known to Faldeus, a member of the mage organisation orchestrating the war, and he places her under surveillance, just before she is kidnapped. 

From his command centre, Faldeus lists the current participants of this Holy Grail War: 

Flat Escardos, Tiné Chelc, a silver Chimera wolf, and the police chief. 

He lists other likely Masters but does not have the complete picture. While the organisation he represents launched this false Holy Grail war, he is having issues grasping the entire breadth of variables, while also being tasked with concealing the entire war. 

Across the pond, the Clock Tower is also struggling to come to terms with this false war. Lord El-Melloi II and Langal discuss the possible benefits of such a war, including the possibility that the organisation behind this war wishes to mass-produce the Holy Grail War system.

Meanwhile, back in America, another party is introduced: the Snowfield chief of police, Orlando Reeve, and his Servant, Caster. The relationship between these two is quite testy, a push-and-pull for dominance. 

The scene does not last long, and we are taken to an opera house, where Ayako Sayjou is being held. She is in the middle of a summoning circle and is being questioned by a man hired by Francesca about the markings on the back of her right palm. 

“That mark is no Command spell,” he says right before trying to summon Saber.

In the instant before he completes the summoning spell, however, he is killed by another Servant, Assassin. 

The magic restraints he used to hold Ayako in place break upon his death, and Ayako’s right hand touches the summoning circle. The magic of the circle is reactivated, and summoning is completed. 

We, the audience, were led to believe that there would be no Saber-class Servant in this fake war, but lo and behold, a Servant of the Saber class appears, wielding Excalibur.

This is not Arthur Pendragon. The identity of this Servant is not revealed, as he brandishes Excalibur, causing the Assassin to retreat. The power of Excalibur causes the partial destruction of the opera house, attracting the police and fire service. 

Ayako and Saber are apprehended by the police. While they are being led out of the opera house, Saber launches into a poetic rhetoric, apologising for his actions, right in front of all the spectators and cameras. 

Faldeus watches from his command centre in pure exasperation as his plan to conceal the explosion falls apart.

In a church in Los Angeles, two priests are seen discussing the false Holy Grail War. As instructed by the Church, they are expected to be supervisors in this war.

Verdict

The thing about the Fate series is that it is so well established in the anime society that it really doesn’t require intensive world-building. However, I appreciate the details provided by the Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn episode. New characters were aptly introduced, their motivations explained, and alliances swiftly defined. 

As the Fate series is centred around the Holy Grail and the battle for it, it might seem like the plot is obvious before the story is revealed. And while I do find the plotline to be straightforward, the storytelling, character development and fight scenes are quite engaging. 

I am looking forward to the progression of this fake war and all its irregularities.