Nasuverse character
Archer
Japanese name:	アーチャー
Also known as:	Wrought Iron Hero
Franchise:	Fate
Appears in:	Fate/stay night Fate/hollow ataraxia Fate/Unlimited Codes Fate/tiger colosseum Fate/Extra Fate/Extra CCC
Voice actor:	Junichi Suwabe Liam O'Brien (dub)
Character type:	Servant (Master: Rin Tohsaka)
Servant stats Spirit: EMIYA Japanese name of spirit: エミヤ Master: Rin Tohsaka Alignment: True Neutral N. Phantasm:  ? Strength: D Agility: C Mana: B Luck: E Endurance: C Class skills:   Independent Action B   Magic Resistance D Personal skills:   Clairvoyance C   Eye of the Mind (True) B   Magecraft C- Noble Phantasms:   Caladbolg II Anti-Unit At least B   Hrunting Anti-unit   Kanshou & Bakuya Anti-Unit C-   Rho Aias Support   Unlimited Blade Works Support E~A++
Gender:	Male
Height:	187 cm
Weight:	78 kg

Archer (アーチャー, ^?) is the Servant of Rin Tohsaka in the Fifth Holy Grail War of Fate/stay night.

Contents 1 Profile 1.1 Identity 1.2 Personality 2 Role 3 Abilities 4 References

ProfileEdit

IdentityEdit

Archer is not a proper Heroic Spirit in the sense of other heroes. He is Shirou Emiya of an alternate timeline from that of Fate/stay night who made a contract with the world and became the Heroic Spirit EMIYA. He acts as a Counter Guardian for the world as payment for the contract. He is summoned because he still has the jewel pendant that Rin used to save his life after Lancer stabbed his heart. The jewel he owns is the actual catalyst used for his summoning rather than the one that Rin still had at the time of his summoning. After the end of each of the three routes in Fate/stay night, the possibility for Shirou to become Archer still exists, but the chance is it happening is close to zero.^[1]

In order to save a hundred people dying in front of him in a calamity, for the sake of saving the lives that his eyes could see and for the sake of saving even more lives as a Heroic Spirit after his death, he made a contract with the world and became a hero. Although he desperately fought to end a war, he was branded as the mastermind behind that war and executed. His belief that he would continue to save many people as a Heroic Spirit didn’t come to pass, but rather he was made to clean up after human actions and forced to kill many more people to save humanity as a whole instead. After being shown human self-destruction and forced to oppose his own ideals countless times, he began to deny himself and his ideal. Even knowing that the Throne of Heroes was isolated from time and space, Archer desperately came to believe that his only hope of release was to be called into an era where Emiya Shirou exists and kill his past self, creating a time paradox which could potentially erase his existence as a Counter Guardian.

On the night of the second day, his statement that his memories were vague and he didn’t know his identity due the imperfect summoning was halfway true and halfway false. He no longer possesses Emiya Shirou’s memory, although he can still remember some key events such as being saved by Emiya Kiritsugu and meeting Saber. While Rin slept, he reasoned out his situation and realized that he may have the opportunity to achieve his goal. This was affirmed when the girl who summoned him introduced herself as Rin Tohsaka the following morning.

PersonalityEdit

His personality is thoroughly cynical, but at the same time, devoted, and even a little childish to the point that it makes him hard to hate. He doesn't lie, but he does keep secrets. He is sarcastic, but it's how he gives advice. He cannot approve of Emiya Shirou’s ideal of “hero of justice”, but at the same time he cannot deny it.

RoleEdit

In Fate, Archer is a nameless hero who gives up his life in order to let his master, Rin, escape along with Saber and Shirou. Before facing off with Berserker, Archer advises Shirou to 'imagine something that can defeat it' when presented with an enemy he cannot defeat. He is subsequently killed in combat against Berserker, but not before killing Berserker six times (five in the anime) and reducing his stock of lives from God Hand.

In Unlimited Blade Works, Archer is developed as an antagonistic character. Archer betrays Rin, aligning with Caster because, he claimed, she had the highest chance of acquiring the Holy Grail. He then betrays Caster and her master and kills them both, revealing his true intentions. Archer needed to be free from Rin's command seal in order to accomplish his goal of killing Shirou. Archer then kidnaps Rin after she forms a contract with Saber, forcing a situation where Shirou faces off one on one against Archer. Archer loses the fight, but only because he does not attack Shirou as he is stabbed through the chest. However, he survived the blow thanks to Independent Action, and hid until the final battle where he saves Rin from the Holy Grail and eliminates a cornered and near-defeated Gilgamesh. He then disappears for good with a smile on his face, confident that Rin will stop Shirou from taking a path that he'll regret.

In Heaven's Feel, Archer abandons his wish to kill Shirou, opting instead to fulfill his duties as a Counter Guardian to eliminate 'the shadow'. During a fight with Black Saber, Assassin and 'the shadow', Archer's core is critically damaged and he is mortally wounded. Since Shirou has discarded his heroic ideals to save Sakura, Archer chooses to have Kotomine graft his left arm onto Shirou, who lost his arm protecting Ilya (following the way of the Counter Guardians, sacrificing one life to save another rather than losing both). Much of Archer's knowledge was subsequently transferred to Shirou, though the foreign arm began to invade his body as well. Archer's final appearance in Heaven's Feel is a motivational image for Shirou, who is struggling with taking off the Shroud of Martin.

The Fate/stay night manga follows parts of both Fate and Unlimited Blade Works. He remains loyal to Rin instead of joining Caster of his own free will, and he displays the same antagonistic attitude towards Shirou. He is forced to join Caster once Kuzuki captures and holds Rin hostage. After freeing himself from her control, he proceeds with his plan to kill Shirou. He is stopped by Rin, who begs him not to kill his younger self and erase his existence as a Heroic Spirit, as she has respect for both Shirou and Archer. Eventually, Archer decides not to kill Shirou and continues his role as Rin's Servant.

AbilitiesEdit

His strength does not come from talent, but from single-mindedly refining the little he had. Other than Reinforcement and Projection, the Magecraft which he excels at are 'unlocking' and 'restoration', both of which are derived from grasping the internal structure of things. He can also use magic detection and magic resistance, which are considered the basics of the basic, but not offensive Magecraft that work around the lines of nature interference. His dark skin, white hair, and gray eyes are a side effect of extensively using Projection Magecraft.

He does not possess a proper Noble Phantasm, but one could say that his Reality Marble is his Noble Phantasm. Replicated Noble Phantasms can be used as Broken Phantasms and fired as arrows. Incidentally, even if he replicates a holy sword on the level of Excalibur, he does not have the magical energy necessary to bring out its full potential.

The overcoat around his waist is a first rate conceptual armament made from the holy shroud of a saint; which opposes not enemies, but the external environment. His armor and bow are made from a special material that has yet to be discovered by mankind, and the latter was constructed to be resistant enough to fire Noble Phantasms.

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Fate/complete material III: During the last part of Sakura’s route, Shirou was saved by the tiny bit of residual mana in Rin Tohsaka’s pendant. Also, it seems like Rin knew about the difference in residual mana between the thing he got back from Archer and the thing he was holding, so could Sakura’s route be the one in which Shirou becomes a Heroic Spirit after all? Or could you tell us the route(s) in which Shirou doesn’t become a Heroic Spirit?
   A: I’ll just say now that he doesn’t become a Heroic Spirit in any of the routes, but the possibility is still present in all of them as well. Basically, the probability of it happening is almost zero.

Fate series characters
Fate/stay night
Main characters: Shirou Emiya • Saber • Rin Tohsaka • Sakura Matou • Illyasviel von Einzbern • Archer • Kirei Kotomine Secondary characters: Assassin • Berserker • Caster • Gilgamesh • Lancer • Rider • Shinji Matou • Souichirou Kuzuki • True Assassin • Zouken Matou Minor characters: Ayako Mitsuzuri • Bedivere • Gai Gotou • Issei Ryuudou • Kaede Makidera • Kane Himuro • Leysritt • Lizleihi Justica von Einzbern • Otoko Hotaruzuka • Sella • Taiga Fujimura • Yukika Saegusa
Fate/zero
Main characters: Kiritsugu Emiya • Irisviel von Einzbern • Saber • Kirei Kotomine • Waver Velvet • Rider • Tokiomi Tohsaka • Archer Secondary characters:Aoi Tohsaka • Assassin • Berserker • Caster • Kariya Matou • Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi • Lancer • Maiya Hisau • Risei Kotomine • Ryuunosuke Uryuu • Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri Minor characters: Byakuya Matou • Glen and Martha Mackenzie • Jubstacheit von Einzbern • Natalia Kaminski • Norikata Emiya • Shirley
Fate/hollow ataraxia
Main characters: Bazett Fraga McRemitz • Avenger • Caren Ortensia Secondary characters: Gil Brigade • Luviagelita Edelfelt • Minori Mitsuzuri • Perseus • Reikan Ryuudou • Scathach • Stheno and Euryale
Fate/Extra
Main characters: Protagonist • Saber • Archer • Caster • Rin Tohsaka • Rani VIII • Sakura Matou Secondary characters: Alice • Archer • Assassin • Berserker • Berserker • Caster • Dan Blackmore • Julius B. Harwey • Lancer • Lancer • Lanrukun • Leonardo B. Harwey • Monji Gatou • Shinji Matou • Rider • Saber • Saver • Twice H. Pieceman Minor characters: Aoko Aozaki • Issei Ryuudou • Kirei Kotomine • Shiki Ryougi • Taiga Fujimura • Touko Aozaki
Fate/Apocrypha
Astolfo • Atalanta • David • Frankenstein • Jack the Ripper • Joan of Arc • Karna • Musashibo Benkei • Rikudou Reika • Sagara Hyouma • Saint George • Sakata Kintoki • Siegfried • Semiramis • Shakespeare • Spartacus • Vlad III
Fate/Prototype
Ayaka Sajyou • Misaya Reiroukan • Manaka Sajyou • Sancraid Phahn • Saber • Archer • Lancer • Rider
Other characters
Grail-kun • kaleid liner Prisma Illya characters • Kay • Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg • Magical Amber • Magical Caren • Merlin • Mordred • Nagato Tohsaka • Neco-Arc • Phantas-Moon • Raiga Fujimura • Saber Lily • Saber Lion • strange fake characters • Stray Servant]

Servants
Classes
Saber • Lancer • Archer • Rider • Caster • Assassin • Berserker • Avenger • Saver • Ruler • Beast
Fate/Zero
Saber • Lancer • Archer • Rider • Caster • Assassin • Berserker
Fate/stay night
Saber • Lancer • Archer • Rider • Caster • Assassin • Berserker Archer • Assassin
Fate/hollow ataraxia
Avenger
Fate/Extra
Playable Servants Saber • Archer • Caster Non-Playable Servants Saber • Lancer • Lancer • Archer • Rider • Caster • Assassin • Berserker • Berserker • Saver
Fate/Apocrypha
Astolfo • Atalanta • David • Frankenstein • Jack the Ripper • Joan of Arc • Karna • Musashibo Benkei • Saint George • Sakata Kintoki • Siegfried • Semiramis • Shakespeare • Spartacus • Vlad III
Fate/Prototype
Saber • Archer • Lancer • Rider
Fate/strange fake
Saber • Lancer • Archer • Rider • Caster • Assassin • Berserker