Type-Moon’s Fate/stay night visual novel set the groundwork for what would be nearly two decades of success in the Japanese game, anime, and print markets. The company was founded by illustrator Takashi Takeuchi and writer Kinoko Nasu in 1998, with Takeuchi responsible for many of the series’ iconic character designs and Nasu serving as the architect behind the amalgamation of shared settings fans would later dub the “Nasuverse”.
After finding a good deal of success with their Tsukihime series, the duo would keep their momentum going by releasing what would be the first of many Fate properties. The success of Fate/stay night inspired various manga and anime adaptations alongside a myriad of spin-offs that would flesh out the characters, settings that make up the Nasuverse.
The Fate/stay Night Timelines
The original visual novel’s narrative splits off into three separate paths, each with a different heroine at the forefront of the events at hand. The Fate route focuses on Saber, while Rin and Sakura are more prevalent throughout the Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel routes respectively.
The premise of the visual novel is always the same with each route; Shirou, having summoned a Heroic Spirit is forced to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Going through each route allows players to better understand each heroine while also revealing more about the world’s lore and the various characters involved in the conflict.
With each route comes different endings specific to each heroine and the events surrounding them. Though it is common for a visual novel’s main route to be considered the canon outcome, this isn’t necessarily the case for the Fate franchise. Instead, the conclusions of each route can be considered canon in their own way, as the overarching Fate universe is filled with alternate universes and parallel worlds.
In the sequel visual novel, Fate/hollow ataraxia, the majority of the cast returns. Its narrative takes place eight months after the original and exists in a world that makes use of multiple timelines in order to reunite characters in a way that circumvents the need to designate a single route as the absolute canon. While other franchises will establish a singular path to fall back on, the Fate franchise’s existence within the Nasuverse makes things a little more open-ended.
The Alternate Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Timeline
The Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya spin-off manga diverts from the main series’ timeline, changing the events of the Fate/Zero prequel in a way that completely alters its setting once the Fate/stay night era begins. The series takes place in a world where Kiritsugu and Irisviel put an end to the Grail War ritual, sealing away Illya’s memories of magecraft and letting her experience life as a normal girl instead.
Though familiar faces like Shirou, Rin, Luvia, and others appear throughout the series, they’re noticeably different from their stay night counterparts due to the significant changes made to the timeline. Rather than focus on the Holy Grail War, kaleid instead plays off as a magical girl story, with Illya, another version of Illya named Chloe, and a mysterious new addition named Miyu serving as the series’ main cast.
Miyu herself is from a parallel universe within the Prisma Illya timeline, which is later explored in the series. Like the kaleid timeline, Miyu’s universe is full of familiar faces and their fates and circumstances differ according to the events that took place within that world.
Fate/Apocrypha’s Parallel World
The Fate/Apocrypha light novel takes place in a parallel world, focusing on an entirely new set of characters with little to nothing to do with the main stay night narrative. In Apocrypha the Greater Grail is removed from Fuyuki following the Third Holy Grail War, completely altering the history of the mainline series.
Instead, the story focuses on two factions; the Red Faction which is represented by the Mage’s Association, and the Black Faction which is led by Darnic Yggdmillennia, the man responsible for the divergence from the mainline world.
The series introduces new servants and characters, with some appearing in other Fate works in varying roles. The Apocrypha narrative alters the Grail War format, giving both fractions access to 7 servants of each class while adding in a new Servant class, Ruler, to serve as a spectator.
Though Apocrypha might have the Fate prefix attached, it serves as its own standalone story. It’s one of many Nasuverse titles that opt to take the franchise’s lore, events, and characters and play with them to create something distinct. While it might be a standalone experience, it ultimately contributes to the extensive lore Type-Moon has amassed in their over two-decade-long history.
The Nasuverse
All of these stories – along with so many more – exist within the wider Nasuverse. Though they do not all directly relate to one another, the various Fate entries share settings, characters, and sometimes timelines as well. Other Type-Moon works such as Tsukihime, The Garden of Sinners, Fate/ Grand Order, and more also exist within this universe, though don’t necessarily directly relate to the other.
Nasu’s shared universe serves as a massive resource he and other writers can use to craft different narratives with both established and new characters, giving them the luxury to either expand upon them or craft something completely different.
The lack of a singular continuity, though potentially jarring to those interested in engaging with the franchise, also makes the Fate franchise one of the most accessible out there. Familiarizing oneself with the events and lore of the Fate/stay night narrative would serve as a helpful introduction, but fans can go on to experience the Nasuverse in any way they see fit afterward.