| Saber Artoria Pendragon | |
|---|---|
| Fate character | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:SaberFateGrandOrder.png) Saber wielding Excalibur, as seen in Fate/Grand Order. | |
| First game | Fate/stay night (2004) |
| Created by | Kinoko Nasu |
| Designed by | Takashi Takeuchi |
| Voiced by | |
Saber (Japanese: セイバー, Hepburn: Seibā), whose real name is Artoria Pendragon (アルトリア・ペンドラゴン, Arutoria Pendoragon) (alternatively, Altria Pendragon), is a fictional character from the Japanese 2004 visual novel Fate/stay night by Type-Moon. Saber is a heroic warrior who is summoned by a teenager named Shirou Emiya to participate in a war between masters and servants who are fighting to accomplish their dreams using the mythical Holy Grail. Saber's relationship with the story's other characters depends on the player's decisions; she becomes a love interest to Shirou in the novel's first route and also serves as that route's servant protagonist, a supporting character in the second, and a villain called "Saber Alter" (セイバー・オルタ, Seibā Oruta) in the third route.
Saber is an agile and mighty warrior who is loyal, independent, and reserved; she appears emotionally cold but is actually suppressing her emotions to focus on her goals. She is also present in the prequel light novel Fate/Zero, in which she is the servant of Shirou's guardian Kiritsugu Emiya during the previous Holy Grail War, and in the sequel Fate/hollow ataraxia. Saber also appears in the novel's printed and animated adaptations, reprising her role in the game.
Saber was created by Kinoko Nasu after the series' leading illustrator suggested having an armored woman as a protagonist for the visual novel; writer Gen Urobuchi commented on her character becoming darker depending on the situations. Urobuchi created his scenario involving Saber and Kiritsugu because their relationship was little explored in the original visual novel. Saber has been voiced by Ayako Kawasumi in her Japanese appearances, and multiple actresses took the role in English-language dubs of the series' animated adaptations.
Critical reception to Saber's character and role in the series and her relationship with Shirou has been generally positive. Her characterization and her relationship with the characters in Fate/Zero have also been met with a positive response. However, Saber's lack of character focus in the Unlimited Blade Works anime adaptation met mixed reactions. Additionally, Saber has been popular within the Fate series and anime in general.
- ^ a b "Two Magi (Part Two)". Fate/stay night (DVD). Episode 6. Sentai Filmworks. 2013. Event occurs at 24:14. Following the Japanese credits of this episode, the closing credits are presented in English with: English Vocal Cast, Japanese Vocal Cast.
{{cite episode}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Martin, Theron (2012-06-07). "Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works - Blu-Ray review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- ^ "Fate/Apocrypha English Cast and Crew". imgur. 2017-02-12. Archived from the original on 2019-02-18. Retrieved 2018-02-10.