Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works 2nd Season

Shirou reflects on his past while Archer switches sides to aid Caster and Medea.

Shirou recalls Kiritsugu’s ideals and the Fuyuki City fire ten years ago. At the church, Caster tortures Saber, who reveals her attacks were voluntary and plans to use the church for the Holy Grail’s vessel. Kuzuki learns this. Rin and Archer arrive at the church, finding bloodstains. They confront Caster and Kuzuki, but Archer defends them, citing Saber’s defection. Archer pledges allegiance to Caster, revealing she is Medea, and allows her to stab him with Rule Breaker, taking Rin’s Command Seals. Kuzuki attacks Rin, but Shirou saves her. Caster summons Golems, but Archer stops her, demanding Shirou and Rin’s release. On the way home, Rin admits Archer joined Caster because her strategies were flawed. Shirou comforts her, returning a jewel and confessing his feelings. Rin thanks him for saving her life.

Shirou and Rin ally with Illyasviel while Caster recalls her past betrayal and Shinji attacks her villa.

Shirou informs Rin of his intent to continue the Holy Grail War without a Servant, leading her to reaffirm their partnership. They plan to defeat Caster and rescue Saber by teaming up with Illyasviel, relying on Archer’s revelation that Berserker is Heracles. Caster reflects on her previous Master, who feared her superior magic and ordered her death via Lancer’s Master. After killing him, she was injured by Lancer but saved by Kuzuki, who became her new Master. In the present, Illyasviel’s maids attempt to intercept Shirou and Rin at her villa. Shinji and his Servant breach the location, revealing knowledge that Illyasviel holds the Holy Grail’s vessel. The Servant uses a Noble Phantasm to summon and fire numerous swords, killing the maids. Illyasviel then confronts him and commands Berserker to attack.

Illyasviel confronts her homunculus origins while Berserker fights Shinji's Servant in a tragic clash.

A decade after the Fourth Holy Grail War, Illyasviel recalls a vision of her mother Irisviel accusing her father of betrayal. She eventually discovers she is a failed homunculus, leading to deep disillusionment. Although she initially resisted summoning Berserker, she relies on him now. During a ritual test in the woods, she is attacked by wolves, and Berserker saves her through his own free will. In the present, they battle Shinji's Servant while Shirou and Rin observe. The enemy restrains Berserker with chains from his Noble Phantasm and impales him with a spear. The Servant then blinds and stabs Illyasviel. As she crawls to Berserker, he makes a final futile strike before dying. Shirou attempts to intervene, but Illyasviel passes away peacefully, believing Berserker remains by her side.

Shirou and Rin confront Shinji after his Servant kills Illya, revealing Gilgamesh's identity.

Shinji’s Servant kills Illyasviel, prompting Shirou and Rin to intervene. Rin threatens Shinji, forcing a retreat before he reveals his Servant is Gilgamesh. While burying Illya, Rin argues Shirou must prioritize himself to avoid breaking, citing Kiritsugu’s rescue as admiration rather than justification for self-sacrifice. She claims wishing for others' happiness is machine-like, but Shirou remains committed to his ideals. The pair evaluates Gilgamesh’s power, deciding Caster remains their priority. Lancer approaches and offers assistance, which they accept. Meanwhile, Archer learns Kuzuki supports Caster’s plan to return to her era via the Holy Grail. Archer confronts the group at the church, engaging Lancer to buy Shirou and Rin time to breach the building. Rin reveals that only one such jewel exists in the world, and Archer had previously returned it to her.

The Dark Sword Bares Its Fangs

Shirou and Rin battle Caster and Kuzuki while Lancer overwhelms Archer, who mocks Lancer’s honor. Lancer unleashes a Noble Phantasm that Archer barely blocks with a barrier, destroying the church and exhausting himself. Archer reveals his betrayal of Rin was a trap for Caster, causing Lancer to depart. Shirou and Rin are overpowered until Archer ambushes Kuzuki, impaling Caster as she dies. Kuzuki attacks Archer for disrupting the Holy Grail War but is killed by a collapsing pillar. Shirou tends to Saber while Archer traps Rin in a sword cage, declaring his intent to kill Shirou as a Guardian.

Saber secures a new Master while Shirou confronts Archer in a battle of swords and wills.

Saber protects Shirou from Archer, risking her existence until Rin forms a pact with her. Restored, Saber subdues Archer, who then casts his Reality Marble, Unlimited Blade Works, transporting them to a wasteland of swords. Shirou counters by summoning his own blade, destroying the duplicates and collapsing the alternate reality. A weakened Archer captures Rin to use as leverage before fleeing, instructing Shirou to meet at Illysaviel's villa. Rin wakes in the basement, confronting Archer about his past as a Guardian. Shinji and Gilgamesh arrive, and Archer agrees to hand Rin over after killing Shirou. Shirou decides to fight Archer alone while Saber rescues Rin. On the way to the villa, they are joined by Lancer, who is also determined to save Rin.

Shirou confronts his future self Archer while Kirei manipulates Lancer into suicide.

Shirou, Saber, and Lancer reach Illysaviel's villa, where Archer explains that Rin summoned him using a pendant identical to the one she gave Shirou. Lancer leaves to find Rin, while Saber questions Archer’s motive to kill Shirou. Archer reveals he is a future version of Shirou who became disillusioned with his hero ideals after killing to save others. He forces Saber to confess she is King Arthur, who seeks the Holy Grail to undo her reign over Britain. Meanwhile, Shinji attempts to assault Rin, but Lancer intervenes. Kirei appears, revealing himself as Lancer’s Master and the killer of Rin’s father. He orders Lancer to kill Rin to use her body for the Holy Grail. When Lancer refuses, Kirei uses a Command Seal to force his suicide. Archer then throws a sword to Shirou, demanding he kill himself. Shirou refuses, vowing to avoid Archer’s fate, leading to their impending battle.

Shirou battles EMIYA while Lancer kills Kirei and Rin is freed.

Shirou fights EMIYA, growing stronger over time, while Kirei attempts to take Rin’s heart despite Shinji’s objections. Lancer fatally stabs Kirei, then chases Shinji away after he tries to assault Rin. Lancer frees Rin, laments his failure to become her Master, and dies after setting a fire to consume the bodies. Meanwhile, EMIYA activates Unlimited Blade Works and gains the upper hand. Shirou witnesses EMIYA’s memories and his own future, causing his resolve to falter as he is nearly killed. Recalling Kiritsugu saving him ten years ago, Shirou reaffirms his ideals. Avalon, placed inside him by Kiritsugu, activates to heal his wounds. Restored and confident, Shirou prepares to resume his battle against EMIYA.

Shirou and Emiya clash as Gilgamesh reveals the Grail's corruption and corrupts Shinji.

Shirou and Emiya continue their battle, with Emiya chastising Shirou for continuing to pursue his ideal and declaring that he will remove every trace of him in existence. However, as the battle continues, Emiya begins to realize that Shirou, being himself, will never give up and that it is pointless to defeat him now. Finally, as he explains the beauty he saw in his ideal, Shirō's spirit begins to overwhelm Unlimited Blade Works, and he rushes Emiya. Emiya tries to react, but he becomes distracted by a flashback of Kiritsugu's last moments and is wounded by Shirō, just as Rin arrives. With this, Emiya admits defeat and allows Shirou, Rin, and Saber to escape, before being impaled by three swords fired from Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm. Declaring his hatred for fakes, Gilgamesh fires more swords at Shirō and Emiya, but Emiya pushes Shirō out of the way and dies after taking the full blow of the attack. Saber, expressing a familiarity with Gilgamesh, demands to know why he is here, and he explains that after the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War, in which he was an Archer-class Servant, he bathed in the Holy Grail during its destruction at the hands of Saber, also a Servant in that war, and took physical form. He then explains the nature of the Grail, disheartening Saber with the revelation that the Servants themselves form the Grail's contents as their collective essences are absorbed into it in order to fuel it, meaning that the Servants themselves never had any chance of using it to fulfill their respective wishes as only a Master - a mage - could make use of the Grail. Gilgamesh then reveals that the Holy Grail is actually corrupted and was so in the Fourth War as well, and is a container for thousands of evil curses, announcing his intention to use it as a weapon to eradicate the human race, being disgusted by the lifestyle of modern humans and hoping to rule over any potential survivors. He then leaves the the trio in the villa as it burns down from the fire Lancer started earlier, and later finds Shinji in the forest, learning from him about Kirei's death and the reason behind Rin's escape. When Shinji asks about finding a vessel for the Holy Grail, Gilgamesh implants Illyasviel's heart into him, deeming him a worthy enough vessel, and leaves him as he begins to mutate into a massive, shapeless form of flesh.

Shirō, Rin, and Saber plan to destroy the Holy Grail at Ryuudou Temple to defeat Gilgamesh.

Returning to Shirō's home, he, Rin, and Saber decide to avenge Emiya and stop Gilgamesh by destroying the Holy Grail. Rin uses familiar spirits to deduce the summoning location is Ryuudou Temple, identifying Shinji as the likely substitute vessel since Illysaviel was intended to become the Lesser Grail. To counter Gilgamesh, Rin realizes Shirō must master Unlimited Blade Works, as Emiya was the only one who could perfectly oppose him. Lacking sufficient mana, Rin performs a ritual to implant her Magic Crest into Shirō, allowing them to share mana storage. During this process, Shirō inadvertently accesses Rin's memories, causing her embarrassment. Later, Shirō finds Saber exploring his house, where she thanks him for guiding her toward her dream and extracts a promise that he and Rin will survive the Holy Grail War. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh completes transporting Shinji to Ryuudou Temple, successfully summoning the Holy Grail.

Shirou and Rin breach Ryuudou Temple to rescue Shinji while Saber faces Gilgamesh and Assassin.

Shirou and Rin attempt to rescue Shinji from Ryuudou Temple, where he has mutated within a black ooze lake from the Holy Grail. Saber fights Gilgamesh, revealing she can only use Excalibur once due to limited mana shared with Shirou. At the gate, Saber encounters Assassin, a nameless swordsman guarding the temple as his anchor to the world, who seeks to finish their duel. Assassin reveals he is fading and uses Swallow Reversal, but Saber dodges and fatally wounds him with Excalibur. Meanwhile, Shirou battles Gilgamesh, who claims the Grail is filled with mankind's malevolent wishes. Rin extracts Shinji from the flesh mass, which attempts to use Gilgamesh as a vessel. Gilgamesh defends himself with his Noble Phantasm, Ea, while the Grail continues to corrupt the area.

Shirou and Rin face overwhelming odds in a desperate struggle for survival

The narrative focuses on the intense challenges faced by Shirou and Rin as they confront a situation where all circumstances appear to be working against them. The central question revolves around their ability to endure and survive these dire conditions. This segment highlights the tension and uncertainty surrounding their fate as they attempt to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles presented to them in this critical moment of the story.

Shirou and Rin navigate life in London while Shirou confronts his heroic ideals and future.

Two years after the Fifth Holy Grail War, Shirou and Rin live together in London while studying at the Clock Tower. Shirou struggles with his ideals, fearing he will repeat Archer’s path. After Rin loses a duel to Luviagelita Edelfelt, Shirou considers an invitation to join the Mage's Association. He visits Glastonbury to say goodbye to Saber and later meets Waver Velvet, who questions his motives. Shirou declares his desire to be a hero of justice. He declines the Association's offer, choosing to stay true to himself despite potential similarities to Archer. Rin supports his decision, promising to remain by his side. Meanwhile, Archer reflects on his regrets within Unlimited Blade Works, acknowledging his flawed methods but affirming the correctness of his ideals.

Colchis and Its Princess

A Legendary Battle

Winter Days and the Shape of Wishes

The Dark Sword Shows Its Fangs

Where the Circle Begins

The End of Idealism (The Answer)

Unlimited Blade Works

The Answer

Winter Days on the Long Road Home

Incarnation

Unlimited Blade Works