| Waver Velvet | |
|---|---|
| Fate character | |
 Waver Velvet as illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi | |
| First appearance | Fate/Zero (2006) |
| First game | Fate/Grand Order (2015) |
| Created by | Gen Urobuchi |
| Voiced by | |
| In-universe information | |
| Title | Lord El-Melloi II[6] |
Waver Velvet (Japanese: ウェイバー・ベルベット, Hepburn: Weibā Berubetto) is a fictional character who first introduced in Type Moon's light novel prequel to Fate/stay night, Fate/Zero by Gen Urobuchi. Waver is depicted as a nineteen-year-old student studying at the Clock Tower. He then joins the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, Japan and becomes the Master of Rider, after stealing his teacher's artifact in hopes of forcing the Mages' Association to recognize his genius by winning the War. Upon returning, he later becomes a professor and the Dean of Norwich, the Modern Magecraft Theory Department of the Clock Tower. As the main protagonist in the spin-off light novel The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II by Makoto Sanda, Waver is formally given the title of Lord El-Melloi II (ロード・エルメロイII世, Rōdo Erumeroi Nisei), after being adopted into the El-Melloi family. He returns in the sequel The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II.[7][8]
Waver is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa in all of his appearances in Japanese, with multiple actors reprising the role in English appearances. His design was created by Takashi Takeuchi as a young bishonen. The character was created by Urobuchi in an attempt to balance the cast of Fate/Zero with Waver displaying more weak traits as young man who would develop into a fine adult through the events of the narrative. His El-Melloi persona was written by Makoto Sanda as a grown man sharing detective dynamics with his assistant Gray inspired by Sherlock Holmes. Urobuchi expressed mixed feelings when Sanda handled his character but still felt it was well developed.
Critical reception to Waver's role in Fate/Zero have been mostly positive. Multiple writers enjoyed the dynamic he has with his servant Rider due to how open they are with each other, with Waver maturing thanks to the interactions. In regards to his role in his spin-off series, Waver stood out from how he comes across as a more appealing main character than in Fate/Zero due to his growth as a teacher as he deals with multiple students.
- ^ "English-Dubbed "Fate/zero" to Run on Neon Alley". Crunchyroll. February 6, 2013.
- ^ Dodge, Lucien (November 9, 2017). "I reprise an old favorite in Fate/Apocrypha, now with 10,000x more grump". Twitter.
- ^ "@LucienDodge: Some of you have been asking about this for a while, and the fact that it's finally here and marks a personal milestone has emotionally taken me a bit by surprise. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it". Twitter. October 3, 2020.
- ^ "Sentai Filmworks Announces Fate/Kaleid liner Prisma Illya English Dub Cast". Anime News Network.
- ^ "Official Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 2wei! English Cast List". Sentai Filmworks.
- ^ Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files Material Book- Characters: Lord El-Melloi II (Waver Velvet) p.29
- ^ "小説「ロード・エルメロイII世の事件簿」の続編『ロード・エルメロイII世の冒険』の製作が決定しました。". Type-Moon (via Twitter). December 29, 2019.
- ^ "TYPE-MOON BOOKS 新刊情報。『ロード・エルメロイII世の冒険 1 神を喰らった男』を「12月25日(金)」に発売します。明日より順次取扱い店舗様での予約も開始されますので、よろしくお願いします。". Type-Moon (via Twitter). November 26, 2020.