Games Top Ten Game - Interim Round 105: Top 10 Hottest video games female characters

[Faust]

Schedule

Current :

Interim Round 105
Hottest Female Video Game Characters
Host: @Erinyes

On Hold :
Worst Tropes in Anime/Manga/Light Novel
Host: zimbardo

Note: The schedule could still be changed/re-arranged depending on the hosts' availability.

Spoiler: Reserved Themes

Host:
@Erinyes


Artist Characters


Badass Video Game Characters


Slice of Life Anime/Manga/LN

Host:
@Purity of Magi

Magi Characters

Whey They Cry Characters


Chainsaw Man Characters
Host: @Gajeel


Haikyuu Characters
Host: @Holt


Video Game Characters [Remake]
Host: @Sky


Dads/Father Figures
Host: @z.5


'Big 3' Music Rounds
Host: @Xadyu


Anime Pandas
Host: @Copy Panda

Tokyo Revengers Characters
Host: @Hermit

Spoiler: Past Interim Rounds

Interim Rounds
#01: Animated Shows Host: @Faust
#02: Animes Host: @Faust
#03: Music Bands/Groups Host: @Faust
#04: Music Duos Host: @Faust
#05: Music Artists Host: @Faust
#06: Anime OPs Host: @Faust
#07: Anime EDs Host: @Faust
#08: Anime OSTs Host: @Faust
#09: Anime Fights Host: @Faust
#10: Anime Groups Host: @Faust
#11: Anime Moves Host: @Faust
#12: Anime Duos Host: @Faust
#13: Anime Movies Host: @Faust
#14: Manga Series Host: @Faust
#15: Music Videos Host: @Faust
#16: Animated Movies Host: @Faust
#17: Video Games Host: @Faust
#18: Mangakas Host: @Faust
#19: Manga Characters Who Lived Up to the Hype Host: @Faust
#20: Most Sad Anime Moments Host: @Faust
#21: Anime Senseis Host: @Faust
#22: Video Game Duos Host: @Faust
#23: Anime Leaders Host: @Faust
#24: Anime/Manga/Light Novel Swordwielders Host: @Faust
#25: Anime/Manga/Light Novel Marks(wo)men Host: @Faust
#26: Anime/Manga/Light Novel Athletes Host: @Faust
#27: Video Game Villains Host: @Faust
#28: Animated (Non-Anime) Villains Host: @Faust
#29: Anime/Manga/Light Novel Villains Host: @Faust
#30: Underappreciated Anime Series Host: @Faust
#31: Underappreciated Animated Films Host: @Faust
#32: Anime/Manga/Light Novel Rivals/Archnemeses Host: @Faust
#33: Anime/Manga/Light Novel Romantic Pairings Host: @Faust
#34: Anime/Manga/Light Novel featuring Physical/Mental Disablities/Illness Host: @Faust
#35: Anime Full Soundtrack Host: @Faust
#36: Super Smash Bros. Fighter Suggestions Host: @Faust
#37: Animals Host: zimbardo
#38: Sci-Fi Movies Host: @Faust
#39: Type-Moon Characters Host: @Faust
#40: Countries with Best Cuisine Host: zimbardo
#41: Anime/Manga/Light Novel Characters That You Want To See Go All Out Host: @Faust
#42: Animal Crossing New Horizons Villagers Host: @Ustegius
#43: Dragon Ball Characters Host: @Faust
#44: One Piece Characters Host: @Faust
#45: Naruto Characters Host: @syx
#46: Bleach Characters Host: zimbardo
#47: Female Lead Characters [Anime/Manga/LN/VN] Host: @Brandish μ
#48: Parents/Guardians [Anime/Manga/LN/VN] Host: @Faust
#49: Fullmetal Alchemist Characters Host: @Purity of Magi
#50: Boku no Hero Academia Characters Host: @Hermit
#51: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Characters Host @GrySun
#52: Secondary Characters [Anime/Manga/LN/VN] Host: @revo
#53: Best Story Arcs [Anime/Manga/LN/VN] Host: @Faust
#54: Kimetsu no Yaiba Characters Host: @revo
#55: Anime Hair Host: @Evil3ye
#56: Gintama Characters Host: @Gryffindor
#57: Black Clover Characters Host: @Juviii
#58: Tensais Host: @Erinyes
#59: Waifus Host: @SirSamuel016
#60: Manga Artworks Host: @revo
#61: Hunter x Hunter Characters Host: @Nii
#62: Yū Yū Hakusho Characters Host: @Faust
#63: Pokémon Host: @Evil3ye
#64: Inspiring Characters Host: @desin24
#65: Shokugeki no Sōma Characters Host: @Tatsumaki
#66: Shingeki no Kyojin Characters Host: @Farfalla
#67: Stylish Characters Host: @Erinyes
#68: Husbandos Host: @revo
#69: Fairy Tail Characters Host: @Brandish μ
#70: Dr. Stone Characters Host: @Hermit
#71: Jujutsu Kaisen Characters Host: @Nii
#72: Romantic Scenes in Manga(wha) Host: @Erinyes
#73: Brawlers Host: @Faust
#74: Anime OST Composers Hosts: @Farfalla and @MArGi
#75: Video Game+Visual Novel OST Composers Hosts: @Farfalla and @MArGi
#76: Badass Male Characters - Host: @Erinyes
#77: Badass Female Characters - Host: @Erinyes
#78: Nanatsu no Taizai Characters - Host: @Hermit
#79: Manga/LN/VN That Need An Anime - Host: @Brandish μ
#80: Eurovision 2022 - Host: @Riku
#81: Female Mangaka - Host: @Erinyes
#82: Fate Characters - Host: @Nii
#83: Best Character Designs (Male) - Host: @Erinyes
#84: Best Character Designs (Female) - Host: @Erinyes
#85: Annoying Characters - Host: @Evil3ye
#86: Voice Actors (Seiyū) - Host: @Farfalla
#87: Video Game Character Designs (Male) - Host @Erinyes
#88: Video Game Character Designs (Female) - Host @Erinyes
#89: Eurovision 2023 - Host: @Riku
#90: Feel Good Slices of Life Anime/Manga/Light Novel - Host: @Erinyes
#91: Kingdom Characters - Host: @MArGi
#92: Anime OPs (Remake) - Host; @Erinyes

ON HOLD
#??: Worst Tropes in Anime/Manga/Light Novel - Host: @z.5
#??: Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs)
For rounds hosted by @BluePegasus Go here
For rounds hosted by @Xadyu Go here
For rounds hosted by zimbardo Go here

Hosting Priority List and Window of Availability

Spoiler: theme poll winners

Video games in terms of story
Villains you wish had won [Anime/Manga/LN/VN]

Spoiler: Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Spoiler: To be reminded for upcoming rounds -zimbardo

I've made a thread to alert people when new rounds are starting, when lists are to be sent, when the number 1 has been released, etc.

I hope that it is a useful tool for you lot.

Please watch the thread and, if hosting, post messages to alert people to anything useful within the game

1K page celebration post [courtesy of Valhalla777]

 

[Copy Panda]

lmao red scarf saber is like 'why you summon me i was reading book'

 

[Demonspeed]

first choco mint, now zero is overrated?? demon

It's good yes, but definitely overrated IMO. Personally I am not very fond of the cast.

 

[Jammin]

who is the saber in the black dress? and is that saber with a water gun?? what is happening here

Maid Alter and Squirtoria.

Yes, those are both real characters.

 

[Demonspeed]

Maid Alter and Squirtoria.

Yes, those are both real characters.

Squirtoria? That's a fan nickname, right?

 

[Jammin]

Squirtoria? That's a fan nickname, right?

The FGO summer events are weird man and let's just leave it at that.

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 26, 2022, Original Post Date: Jul 26, 2022 ---

Also @Nii thanks for reminding me how great the Apocrypha music is. It's not quite "Abby's theme good" but Mordreds theme is really great.

 

[Nii]

Rank #4-3

64 points

Cu Chulainn
Child of Light
(Fate/Stay Night + Fate/Hollow Ataraxia)
@GrySun (10) @Kiki (10) @GB (9) @Gladiolus (9) @Asako (7) @MArGi (6) @Juviii (5) @BD_Beno (4) @Evil3ye (4) @Shad (3) @Valhalla (2) @revo (HM) @Demonspeed (HM) @Belserion (HM)



And here he is, in 4th place as prophesied :3 He's the first Servant we actually see in action, together with another we'll talk about later~ As is tradition for Lancers, he's chivalrous and a good guy who dies in gruesome ways. You definitely can't help but feel sorry for someone who's acrually a real bro and more often than not does the right thing, yet is never rewarded. It's a bit different in Hollow Ataraxia, but I won't talk about that bc spoilers.

Gae Bolg is actually a really cool power, especially because it can be used in multiple ways as seen against Archer/Emiya. Buuut... it just never does the job it's supposed to do lol. I talked a bit about this with Demon before, but I can only think of one time where it actually kills. Yes it does hit more often, but for something that's supposed to be a 100% kill it's not as effective as you would think against other heroes of legend. Just bad luck again, I guess.

Speaking about bad luck, getting paired up with Kirei is just the worst possible match for him. They really aren't anything like each other (unlike Gil and Kirei), and he's mostly used as a pawn by him anyway. He gets trolled time and time again, even if he does get a bit of payback in UBW. Truly, this guy just can't catch a break.

Besides that, there isn't too much else I can say about Cu. He's cool, but he's not someone I would put in my Top 10. I like him a lot more than Diarmud though, he feels like an upgrade in every way. Case in point:



Need I say anything else? Anyway, I'm sure some of the Cu lovers like Gry and Kiki can add a bit more. But ofc I won't leave you without some pictures (kid version is official btw, he's in FGO Arcade):

Spoiler

81 points

Heroic Spirit Emiya
Counter Guardian/Wrought Iron Hero
@Gladiolus (10) @Seven777 (9) @revo (8) @Juviii (8) @Kiki (8) @BD_Beno (7) @Valhalla (7) @MArGi (7) @MarmaladeSky (5) @GrySun (4) @Shad (4) @Demonspeed (2) @Belserion (2) @Nii (HM)



Another funny coincidence that he appears together with Cu, considering how they're the first two Servants we see fighting against each other, and not just one time. In some ways they're pretty alike, in others they aren't at all.

There's a looot to unpack with this guy. I won't even try to hide his identity at this point, because I think just like with Artoria everyone knows about who this guy is. The single Servant who actually comes from the future, adult Emiya Shirou. Following the young boy's wish to its extreme, he ultimately ends up as a bitter shell of who he once was. To save everyone is a fruitless endeavor, and he's seen one too many tragedies, so he tries to use the opportunity he's been given to kill his younger self.

It's tragic, and even though he doesn't even know if it's going to eradicate himself too, he's dead set on this one goal he has left. Perfectly understandable in my eyes, knowing that he's basically been used as a tool by the Counter Force to solve various conflicts around the world (which is basically the planet itself employing Heroic Spirits to help it prevent its own extinction, but it remains a rather vague concept tbh. Only works for Heroic Spirits who aren't really famous though, so it's basically "relatively" normal guys turned heroes).

That being said, my opinion on HSE has changed a lot since I first read Fate/Stay Night. First I loved him, then started liking Shirou more, then thought he's kinda cringy and too edgy, and then come back around to liking him, just not as much as I used to. For me he's at his best when he isn't trying to kill Shirou, which is mostly because I think it brings out his worst qualities. As understandable as his reason may be, I find his "OMG I'm so hurt and broken, it's better if I don't live at all" attitude still kind of pathetic and it's just a bit too emo/edgy for me at times. I'm not at the point where I would make fun of it, but I have mixed feelings about it you could say.

STILL, there's a lot to like about this guy. He can be pretty damn cool, and his bantering with Rin is always entertaining (a better pairing than Rin/Shirou in my eyes). Him being a bit of a cynic works really well actually, and more than once you can spot a kind soul under his hard shell too. If he's not being edgy, he often gives good advice and you can see that he's much more mature than his younger self in multiple aspects. In the Fate route he actually sacrifices himself so that Rin and Shirou can get away, and in Heavens Feel he basically does the same thing again lol, but more flashy and with a little "present" for Shirou as well.

Just recently there was an event in FGO where he plays a major part, and there he could just be his laidback version, like how I would imagine an adult Shirou who's free of all of Archer's baggage. It was awesome, and helped rekindle my fire for this character

Lastly, I do think his abilities are great. Short-range, long-range, defense. Heck, he's damn good at a lot of things. And his Noble Phantasm is just epic, silly chant or not. It's a really memorable NP that fits him to a T and makes him capable of rivaling even someone like Gilgamesh. I personally don't find the chant too bad, but it's true that its english version is a bit questionable, thanks to the engrish we all have seen so much of in japanese media. Feel like he should use the japanese chant more often, it's nice. This vid is especially for @Jammin



That's enough rambling from me, though. Here's some more pics (with a little Easter egg):

Spoiler

And that's it. Sorry everyone, I don't think I have the time and energy to post 2nd and 1st place today But promise it's gonna come tomorrow! Until then o/​

 

[Demonspeed]

I like Archer more than I thought I did. He was in my HMs before I gave him points but before watching the HF movies I didn't think he'd be there. Then I watched the movies and when I saw him I was so happy for some reason. I didn't scream or anything but I thought "OMG it's Archer!" Nii said it before but this Route is really not kind to Servants...

Finding your past-self cringe is perfectly understandable .

UBW is really OP I don't get why people try to downplay the ability in-universe.

Cu is so much better than Diarmuid. The latter was super lame, only his relationship with Saber was cool.

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 26, 2022, Original Post Date: Jul 26, 2022 ---

Gil VS Rin... Please Nii at least keep the pics of F/SN Gil to a minimum .

 

[MArGi]

Don't tell me Gilgamesh is Top 1...

 

[Juviii]

Rank #4-3

64 points

Cu Chulainn
Child of Light
(Fate/Stay Night + Fate/Hollow Ataraxia)
@GrySun (10) @Kiki (10) @GB (9) @Gladiolus (9) @Asako (7) @MArGi (6) @BD_Beno (4) @Evil3ye (4) @Shad (3) @Valhalla (2) @revo (HM) @Demonspeed (HM) @Belserion (HM)



And here he is, in 4th place as prophesied :3 He's the first Servant we actually see in action, together with another we'll talk about later~ As is tradition for Lancers, he's chivalrous and a good guy who dies in gruesome ways. You definitely can't help but feel sorry for someone who's acrually a real bro and more often than not does the right thing, yet is never rewarded. It's a bit different in Hollow Ataraxia, but I won't talk about that bc spoilers.

Gae Bolg is actually a really cool power, especially because it can be used in multiple ways as seen against Archer/Emiya. Buuut... it just never does the job it's supposed to do lol. I talked a bit about this with Demon before, but I can only think of one time where it actually kills. Yes it does hit more often, but for something that's supposed to be a 100% kill it's not as effective as you would think against other heroes of legend. Just bad luck again, I guess.

Speaking about bad luck, getting paired up with Kirei is just the worst possible match for him. They really aren't anything like each other (unlike Gil and Kirei), and he's mostly used as a pawn by him anyway. He gets trolled time and time again, even if he does get a bit of payback in UBW. Truly, this guy just can't catch a break.

Besides that, there isn't too much else I can say about Cu. He's cool, but he's not someone I would put in my Top 10. I like him a lot more than Diarmud though, he feels like an upgrade in every way. Case in point:



Need I say anything else? Anyway, I'm sure some of the Cu lovers like Gry and Kiki can add a bit more. But ofc I won't leave you without some pictures (kid version is official btw, he's in FGO Arcade):

Spoiler

81 points

Heroic Spirit Emiya
Counter Guardian/Wrought Iron Hero
@Gladiolus (10) @Seven777 (9) @revo (8) @Juviii (8) @Kiki (8) @BD_Beno (7) @Valhalla (7) @MArGi (7) @MarmaladeSky (5) @GrySun (4) @Shad (4) @Demonspeed (2) @Belserion (2) @Nii (HM)



Another funny coincidence that he appears together with Cu, considering how they're the first two Servants we see fighting against each other, and not just one time. In some ways they're pretty alike, in others they aren't at all.

There's a looot to unpack with this guy. I won't even try to hide his identity at this point, because I think just like with Artoria everyone knows about who this guy is. The single Servant who actually comes from the future, adult Emiya Shirou. Following the young boy's wish to its extreme, he ultimately ends up as a bitter shell of who he once was. To save everyone is a fruitless endeavor, and he's seen one too many tragedies, so he tries to use the opportunity he's been given to kill his younger self.

It's tragic, and even though he doesn't even know if it's going to eradicate himself too, he's dead set on this one goal he has left. Perfectly understandable in my eyes, knowing that he's basically been used as a tool by the Counter Force to solve various conflicts around the world (which is basically the planet itself employing Heroic Spirits to help it prevent its own extinction, but it remains a rather vague concept tbh. Only works for Heroic Spirits who aren't really famous though, so it's basically "relatively" normal guys turned heroes).

That being said, my opinion on HSE has changed a lot since I first read Fate/Stay Night. First I loved him, then started liking Shirou more, then thought he's kinda cringy and too edgy, and then come back around to liking him, just not as much as I used to. For me he's at his best when he isn't trying to kill Shirou, which is mostly because I think it brings out his worst qualities. As understandable as his reason may be, I find his "OMG I'm so hurt and broken, it's better if I don't live at all" attitude still kind of pathetic and it's just a bit too emo/edgy for me at times. I'm not at the point where I would make fun of it, but I have mixed feelings about it you could say.

STILL, there's a lot to like about this guy. He can be pretty damn cool, and his bantering with Rin is always entertaining (a better pairing than Rin/Shirou in my eyes). Him being a bit of a cynic works really well actually, and more than once you can spot a kind soul under his hard shell too. If he's not being edgy, he often gives good advice and you can see that he's much more mature than his younger self in multiple aspects. In the Fate route he actually sacrifices himself so that Rin and Shirou can get away, and in Heavens Feel he basically does the same thing again lol, but more flashy and with a little "present" for Shirou as well.

Just recently there was an event in FGO where he plays a major part, and there he could just be his laidback version, like how I would imagine an adult Shirou who's free of all of Archer's baggage. It was awesome, and helped rekindle my fire for this character

Lastly, I do think his abilities are great. Short-range, long-range, defense. Heck, he's damn good at a lot of things. And his Noble Phantasm is just epic, silly chant or not. It's a really memorable NP that fits him to a T and makes him capable of rivaling even someone like Gilgamesh. I personally don't find the chant too bad, but it's true that its english version is a bit questionable, thanks to the engrish we all have seen so much of in japanese media. Feel like he should use the japanese chant more often, it's nice. This vid is especially for @Jammin



That's enough rambling from me, though. Here's some more pics (with a little Easter egg):

Spoiler

And that's it. Sorry everyone, I don't think I have the time and energy to post 2nd and 1st place today But promise it's gonna come tomorrow! Until then o/​

I gave points to both Cu and Archer...

 

[Jammin]

*sigh* I think both of these are way too high but their both good.. Though they're good characters and I get why people like them, I look at who they beat to get where they are and...

Cu is at the very least the #1 character in fate you'd want to hang out with. Storywise the man's just got bad luck and doesn't get the chance to do much. He got saddled with like Fate's Kabuto as a master. He's a cool fun character but I don't put him top 10. He really doesn't achieve much in Fate but damn if he isn't likable anyway. If there were like a Fate office picnic. You'd want to sit at the table with him, Napoleon, and Iskander.

Edgy-miya is, ugh.. Nii is right if it wasn't for the engrish noble phantasm he'd bother me less. In general, I feel like normal Shirou can make me cringe with shounen-ism and Edgy-miya does it with chunni-ness. But the both have great character moments so that elevates them both a bit but not enough to make either legitimately belong here. FGO makes him more fun because it pushes more of Shirou's personality onto him. Showcasing his comically EX rank domestic abilities. He's also just plain nicer and not nearly as edgelord-y in that.

So, TLDR, Shirou > Edgy-imya. Neither belong in the top 10, IMO.

 

[Lawl Po Bia]

I am the bone of my sword- Archer

 

[Jammin]

I am the bone of my sword- Archer

He's such an edgy archer that his bow fires swords.

 

[GrySun]

Aaaaa @Demonspeed it really was 4th!

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 26, 2022, Original Post Date: Jul 26, 2022 ---

I gave points to both Cu and Archer...

Damn, Juviii always overlooked.

 

[Juviii]

Aaaaa @Demonspeed it really was 4th!

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 26, 2022, Original Post Date: Jul 26, 2022 ---

Damn, Juviii always overlooked.

My NP allows me to erase my existence is all.

 

[GrySun]

Hey Nii, I once watched on youtube a full playthrough of a somewhat older Fate fighting game, but the Lancer route. It was really satisfying, where he goes and beats everyone, and has such a nice epilogue thinking of his for,er master Will need to search and find it again, maybe you know what I mean.

 

[Nii]

I gave points to both Cu and Archer...

You're mentioned for Archer, but yeah, I forgot to add you to Cu for some reason... My bad, added you now

Hey Nii, I once watched on youtube a full playthrough of a somewhat older Fate fighting game, but the Lancer route. It was really satisfying, where he goes and beats everyone, and has such a nice epilogue thinking of his for,er master Will need to search and find it again, maybe you know what I mean.

I assume you mean Fate/unlimited codes : D It's something I haven't actually touched lol.

 

[GrySun]

I assume you mean Fate/unlimited codes : D It's something I haven't actually touched lol.

Yes that’s the one! Oh so there’s Fate works even you haven’t seen/played~

It seemed to have good writing and presenting some nice what-if scenarios. May even be a fun fighting game. Sure had me interested enough to watch some.

 

[Seven777]

Love Archer as a character, glad he made it so high. His powers are cool, the way he fights is wicked, but the best thing about him is the absolute hatred and disgust his displays towards the abomination that is Shirou Emiya during most of the Fate and UBW routes.
In literally every scenario, I hope he kills Shirou, and every time he tries, I hate Shirou more. The only shortcoming to Archer's character is that he doesn't actually follow through with the deed.
Archer's motivations are fine, he doesn't want to be a killer anymore so he kills his old self, cool. But what's most important about him is how sickened he is every time he looks at his old self, which mirrors my opinion exactly. I like to think that Nasu putting UBW after the Fate route is him acknowledging that yeah, Shirou was a big piece of shit in that arc, lets have a character acknowledge that.

 

[Rikudou King]

Cu Chulainn is someone I really feel sorry for. Based on his legend and his abilities, he really should be treated as a major challenge, with the power to kill someone before the attack even lands. But sadly, he was nerf in the main series, and made into a comedic character in most of the side series. Even in FGO, he's pretty much pushed to the side for his Berserker version. I did like his Caster version, and love his relationship with Medb and Scathach, though even they deal more with his other version.

I think my opinion of Emiya is more or less the same as with Shirou, though his evolution from a tragic hero to den mother is kind of hilarious. I did really like him in UBW, especially with his interaction with Rin.

 

[Nii]

So I have some complicated thoughts about this... that probably only @Nii will be interested in.

First about Heavens Feel. Here's the thing. IMO, Nii is absolutely right that it being the most like Fate/Zero but I don't mind it exactly. Where I differ is in a more fundamental place actually. I know with the various anime, and for the purposes of this interlude thing, you have to divide the Stay, UBW, and Heavens Feel routes of Fate/Stay Night because that's how the anime are. But the visual novel was not built that way and I do not view them in that way.

What do I mean by this? Well, Fate/Stay Night, despite fans denial of this fact, was a classical eroge, which is essiantly a visual novel with sex in it. Which I read a lot of when I was younger. Now when people think "eroge" they often mentally jump to "nukige" which the more pornographic type with less story, which Fate was not. Why is this important? Well Eroge are stories typically with multiple routes each with it's own heroine. The branching point is either handled by following the story along a common route to a branching point and then making a choices that leads to various route OR set where you follow one heroine route and then the story begins again on the next heroines, etc, etc. Written in a way where you are meant to experience each. If that latter structure sounds similar, it's because that's what Fate/Stay Night was pretty much to the letter. Even if Fate is probably the best one ever written, fundamentally it is what it is.

It is one story told in segmented sequential parts with a different heroine each time.

This first is Fate or the saber route. It's a simple approachable tragic love story that explains the core concepts of Fate. With a protagonist who is a bit obnoxiously shounen in Shirou but aside from him it's quite good.

This leads into Unlimited Blade Works or the Rin route. Which jacks up the complexity and turns Shirou into a much better character by turning the faults in his character into something more interesting. As well as delving much deeper relationship with Rin, who stands out strongly in the first route as well. While continuing to build upon the lore.

This then finally brings us to Heavens Feel or the Sakura route. Which is sort of the culmination of all that lore it's built up in the previous two routes. It's the most "Fate" in the sense they it really starts to dig deep into the core concepts of the grail and all of that. Which is both it's strength and it's weakness. It is a very complicated story that relies on what was built in the previous route to even function.

----------------------------

Now having said all of this. And why I think thier natures disqualifies them from head to head comparison. My opinion on that parts of Fate Stay Night is the UBW is the my favorite(Best characters and general story). Heaven's Feel is the most flawed. Largely this comes down to Sakura. Unlike the transition from Saber to Rin as heroine. Sakura was not a standout character in the previous two routes the way Rin was in Stay. That transition feels much more forced. I also just generally feel like Fate is at it's best when it's focusing more on the mythic heroes and villains and less on the masters. The mythic legend interacting with mortals is Fates strength. Not the weird lore, IMO.

Well you're right with a lot of things. There's some stuff I wanna point out, though.

1. The Visual Novel being a very different experience is something I've pointed out multiple times too, even in the Top 10 game so far. You're meant to experience these routes after each other, see the development of characters and/or new sides to them. So an anime-only guy will have a very different experience than a Visual Novel reader. I still think it's fair to compare the routes though - you can argue you have a more objective/more detailed view when you have the VN experience, but an anime-only can do the same and it's perfectly valid.

2. Clearly, UBW and HF have an advantage over the Fate route bc they don't need to introduce all the basic lore, characters, etc. but it's a fact almost all VN readers either have UBW or HF as their favourites. They get compared all the time, and it's perfectly legit in my eyes. You put a strong emphasis on the "these are heroine routes" but in the end that's only a secondary aspect in FSN. For example UBW is much more about Shirou/Archer than it is about Rin.

3. Not sure how you get the idea that fans are in denial of it's eroge roots. Don't think there are many of those, tbh. Yes the original had sex scenes, but as I wrote before, each route has like 2 or 3 sex scenes, each around I would guess 5 minutes long. So that's what? Not even an hour in a story that's 60 hours long. They make up like 1,6% of the whole VN (probably less). It's literally almost nothing, and was just part of the usual marketing for most VNs back in the day. So if anything, focusing on this aspect so much is weird. They're almost all inconsequential, have lulzy stuff, and even the author himself admitted that he was forced to add these even though he didn't want to. Heck he didn't even write them, which explains a lot They're not considered canon at this point, and it only makes sense. They exist yes, and if you prefer rather reading them all the power to you, but for the majority of people they're not a selling point but something to frown at, which is why it's important to explain how little they actual matter, both in content and length, and that there's a canon version out there that has all of them replaced.

4. Heavens Feel also isn't very complicated or has a lot of weird Fate lore. What would you consider more weird: How Mordred was created, or how the Holy Grail came to be corrupted? Heavens Feel has a lot of the essential basics behind everything involving the Holy Grail War, to the point where it plays a huge part in a lot of spin-offs. That's not weird Fate lore, that's important Fate lore. It's true Fate has a lot of weird stuff, but it's actually a lot more prevalent when it comes up with strange explanation why x Servant is female or just a book or whatever. So this is something where I entirely disagree with you.

5. In the end it comes down to personal enjoyment I think. You prefer the more epic clash of Servants, where these grander than life figures are the main focus and kind of dictate the story. Me, I like when it gets more personal and gritty, even better when the "normal" human Masters get a lot of attention too because they're part of the equation. There's a lot of raw emotions and fascinating ideas there you can't get with the more shounen aspects of Fate: I like it so much because it has both.

That's my stance on the matter, but I wrote a lot more than I thought I would xD Let me just add that it's okay we disagree on these things. No hard feelings from my side, just my honest opinion.

I personally disagree with HF being the most like Fate Zero but I will expand more on that when Nii posts the last interlude.

Curious to hear your thoughts, because I'm not sure which other Fate anime you would consider closer to Fate/Zero. You could argue that Heavens Feel isn't that much like Fate/Zero, but... guess I'll hear your thoughts about this today or tomorrow anyway :3

@Nii I feel cheated BTW. The art of Okita that you posted is great but when I look for art of her on the net the official design is litterally Saber in a kimono/samurai outfit.

What the hell is this . Please tell me the manga design became canon somehow .

I mean, her design in FGO is done by Takeuchi, the guy who also drew Saber, and she's even been introduced as a joke Saber way back then lol. This is how she looks in FGO:

Personally I don't thing it looks THAT much like Saber, and there's plenty of great art of her out there. Her Type Redline design is more distinct for sure, though. A canon design doesn't really exist for any character I feel, but if you prefer the manga art that much more you prolly need to wait until an eventual anime bc then she's going to be drawn more like that by other fan artists

Yes that’s the one! Oh so there’s Fate works even you haven’t seen/played~

It seemed to have good writing and presenting some nice what-if scenarios. May even be a fun fighting game. Sure had me interested enough to watch some.

Yeah, though it's the only fully translated release that I haven't really played/read/watched. Main reason is that I'm just not the biggest fan of fighting games, they're a lot of fun with friends but playing them alone is kinda a middling experience for me I find. And with just a bit of story pieces for what-if scenarios, it's not exactly high on my list. I have it on my PC already though, pretty funny that this game actually had an official release xD