Fate/Zero

Fate/Zero is a Japanese light novel series written by Gen Urobuchi and illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi. It serves as a prequel to all routes in the Fate/stay night visual novel by Type-Moon. It was published by Type-Moon with four volumes released between December 2006 and 2007. The story follows the Fourth Holy Grail War, which is a magical tournament that is held in Fuyuki City, Japan. Seven mages known as Masters must summon Servants, which are reincarnations of legendary souls and heroes from all across time, where they fight in a deadly battle royale where the winner obtains the Holy Grail, a legendary magical chalice capable of granting wishes. The main protagonist of Fate/Zero, Kiritsugu Emiya, joins the tournament on behalf of his wife's family, the Einzberns. An anime adaptation was produced by Ufotable, the first season of which aired from October 1 to December 24, 2011, and the second season of which aired from April 7 to June 23, 2012. A manga adaptation was published by Kadokawa Shoten between 2011 and 2017. American publisher Dark Horse Comics licensed the manga and released it in English for North America. Fate/Zero was praised for its animation, themes, characters, soundtrack, and story. The series has also been a commercial success, with it selling over several thousand Blu-ray box-sets and winning multiple awards at the Newtype Anime Awards, including "Title of the Year".