Here’s the Best ‘Fate’ Series Watch Order

If you’re confused about how to watch the Fate series, you’re not alone.

First off, I want you to congratulate yourself for recognizing that you have a problem, and for seeking the help you need. Awareness is the first step toward recovery. You’re aware of the fact that the Fate franchise is confusing as hell, what with all its movies, anime series, and mobile game spin-offs. The average viewer can soon find themselves in over their head after watching Fate/Zero or Fate/stay night, which are what we like to call a “gateway series” into the troublesome extended Fate universe.

Sometimes it’s best to “just say no” to confusing anime like the Fate series, especially when recovering from a similarly confusing series like Attack on Titan. I myself was an AoT viewer once, and I still don’t know what the deal is with season 4. Just be thankful that you didn’t fall in with the DOTA: Dragon’s Blood crowd. We have some people here at the center that are still in recovery from their confusion at the season 3 finale. Some of them may never be the same.

If you’re dead set on watching the Fate series anyway, I’m not going to stop you. That’s your decision. I do hope that before you spark up your TV and shoot the franchise into your main vein, you’ll consult this guide to do so safely. Maybe it will help you be able to handle your Fate dependencies, or perhaps it will steer you toward a less confusing anime series like Haikyuu!! or Food Wars. What could be confusing about simple joys like cooking and volleyball?

Here’s the order in which you’ll watch Fate:

1. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014-2015): This anime is the gateway into the Fate universe, and explores the events of the Holy Grail War. Be warned, it is easy to get confused at this point already because there is also an anime called Fate/stay night. Fate/stay night is like the original Fullmetal Alchemist before Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood came out. The original FMA wasn’t as good. The same is true of Fate/stay night versus Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works; the latter is better. Just watch that one. When in doubt, remember: the colon is your friend. Watch the series with the colon in the title.
2. Fate/Zero (2011-2012): Once you’ve finished Unlimited Blade Works, you can begin to watch Fate/Zero. Keep in mind, this series is a prequel to Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. It is set ten years before the events of Unlimited Blade Works and takes a darker and more mature tone in its exploration of the Fourth Holy Grail War. If you thought Gilgamesh was an asshole in Unlimited Blade Works, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
3. Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel Trilogy (2017-2020): Now the series is going to jump forwards in time again and pick up where the Unlimited Blade Works story left off. The Heaven’s Feel Trilogy is made up of three movies, Presage Flower, Lost Butterfly, and Spring Song. This adaptation explores the final chapters of the visual novel and delves deeper into the secrets behind the Holy Grail War. Prepare to be shocked and awed.
4. Fate/Apocrypha (2017): Now the main storyline of the Fate series is done, and the viewer now gets to dive into alternate timelines. Fate/Apocrypha is set in a universe where the Holy Grail War happens on a larger scale. In the Stay Night and Zero storylines, seven mages summon seven warriors for a 14-person battle royale to claim The Grail. In Fate/Apocrypha, two factions of seven mages duke it out for control of The Grail, and each mage summons their own warrior as well. That’s 28 people. See what I mean about how this series is confusing?
5. Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front – Babylonia (2019-2020): Now the confusion is going to get very intense. Most viewers of the Fate series never make it back from this point of no return. You’ve been warned. Babylonia is based on the popular mobile game Fate/Grand Order and follows the seventh Singularity of the game’s storyline. What the hell is a Singularity? Don’t ask me, you brought this on yourself. You need to learn to take responsibility for your own actions and handle your rampant confusion yourself. You can’t expect your loved ones or randos on the internet to help you when you’ve chosen to go down this path.
6. Fate/Grand Order: Camelot (2020-2021): This duology continues the story of Babylonia, and concerns the Sixth Singularity that is featured in the mobile game. This iteration of the story is split into two movies, Wandering; Agateram and Paladin; Agateram. Remember how I said the colon is your friend? The semi-colon is not. Why is there even a semi-colon in these titles? How is this grammatically correct? You made your Fate bed, now lie in it. Get ready for some serious extended universe shenanigans.
7. Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya (2013-present): Now we’ve really gone off the rails. If you want a different twist on the Fate universe, you can mainline this magical girl spin-off series straight into your optic nerves. This series follows Illyasviel von Einzbern, who was introduced during the plot of Fate/Zero. She faces a far less grim fate in this series, however, no pun intended. This series is a lighthearted romp around a universe that is usually soaked in blood and death. You could also watch it as a pallet cleanser after the visual trauma that is Fate/Zero. It might help you process the series yourself.

A further word of caution: these aren’t the only Fate stories that have been adapted for a visual medium. There are others, along with the aforementioned mobile game and light novels. If you wanted to, you could lose your life chasing after Fate. And you would be no different than the poor, doomed mages seduced by the pursuit of the elusive Holy Grail. The choice is yours. But please, think of your loved ones before you make it.

(featured image: Ufotable)

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Sarah Fimm

Sarah Fimm (they/them) is actually nine choirs of biblically accurate angels crammed into one pair of $10 overalls. They have been writing articles for nerds on the internet for less than a year now. They really like anime. Like... REALLY like it. Like you know those annoying little kids that will only eat hotdogs and chicken fingers? They're like that... but with anime. It's starting to get sad.