The Winter 2026 Anime Preview Guide

Fate/strange Fake

The Fake Holy Grail War has begun. The six heroes from myth and legend have been summoned and the first major battle—one between the legendary Gilgamesh and his best friend Enkidu—has left a massive crater outside the American city of Snowfield. Yet, as the magical war rages in the shadows, a young woman arrives in Snowfield—haunted by her own past trauma and unaware that she's about to turn this Grail War on its head.

Fate/strange Fake is based on the novel series written by Ryohgo Narita and illustrated by Shizuki Morii. TYPE-MOON originally created the Fate world. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.

My favorite part of any given Fate series is trying to figure out who all of the heroic spirits are. This one isn't making it too much of a challenge – I got both Jack the Ripper and Enkidu right off the bat. But that doesn't mean that I'm not enjoying the depiction of them; Jack in particular has some interesting choices associated with his role. For one, making him Berserker is a good call – I could see the temptation to make him Assassin, but if you read about the canonical murders, Berserker really makes a lot more sense given the escalation of the crimes. And even more to the point, having Jack not be able to tell his master who he really is is an excellent nod to history. Because recorded history doesn't know who he was, his summoned spirit doesn't either. It's a good twist on original Saber's situation from Fate/stay night, although I have definite issues with framing 1888's most famous serial killer as a “heroic” spirit and I'd be quite happy never to see a murderer glorified again. (If you haven't read it, Hallie Rubenhold's The Five is a good argument for history remembering the wrong person.)

In any event, it's clear that Fate/strange Fake is doing its level best to bring something different to the party, which may or may not include the entire cast of The Epic of Gilgamesh. We're told right off the bat that this Holy Grail War is something strange and different: it takes place in Snowfield, Nevada rather than Japan and purportedly will only involve six servants – Saber is not supposed to be present. But by the end of episode one, that already appears to be false, because a Saber has appeared…and been arrested by the local cops for an explosion at an opera house. Based on his comment about someone being as nimble as Loxley, my thought is that he's probably Richard the Lionheart (because Robin Hood's Merry Men wouldn't show up in gold armor); he's certainly happy to cast himself as being King Arthur's spiritual heir and seems very secure in his own righteousness. But why is he here? And why is Ayaka, the girl meant to be his master, refusing to play the game? (And can we blame the Einzberns?)

I'm more interested in that and in Enkidu's master being an actual wolf than in the other bits and pieces. Several of the extended cast are unduly annoying, especially Francesca, although I do love the skulls she's dyed into her hair. Caster's horrifying checkerboard teeth made it hard to look at him, and a bunch of old guys trying to figure out what's going on aren't particularly interesting. Much as I like the look of the show (Caster's teeth aside), I'm torn as to whether I'll watch anymore. But you could make that easier: if anyone knows if the wolf doesn't survive, please let me know. That'll make my decision very, very easy, because that poor pup deserves to have Enkidu lavish love on him after his gross owner tried to kill him.

At this point, I've reviewed both Whispers of Dawn and the first episode in full previously (technically twice for the later given that I reviewed the first four episodes late last year). So, instead of retreading what I've already written, let me instead highlight my favorite moment of these two episodes—the moment that encapsulates Fate/strange Fake as a whole.

Francesca is clearly set up as the “evil mastermind” behind all that's going on in Fate/strange Fake. While Faldeus and his organization are the ones that technically set up and are administering the Holy Grail War and Orlando Reeve and his police officers are kitted out to interfere and help take the war to its intended conclusion, Francesca is the one pulling the strings. She can walk with impunity into the chief of police's office and mock him for what he's trying to do.

Her villainous actions reach far beyond simple mocking, however. Not only has she somehow made it so that Jeanne d'Arc can't interfere in this twisted Holy Grail War as she did in Fate/Apocrypha, Francesca's hired Cashura to summon Altria and force her to immediately kill a civilian. This is done for only one reason: sadistic pleasure. Francesca simply wants to shatter Altria's pride and noble soul for the fun of it. Even once Cashura is killed, Francesca raucously laughs in pleasure. Having Altria arrive with her Master already dead is almost as good in the sadistic entertainment department. She feels so in control of the overall situation that little twists like this are not a cause for worry.

And then it happens. The moment when her flighty, mocking veneer falls away—replaced by cold rage, disbelief, and disgust. The person who steps out of the summoning circle is not King Arthur. Rather, it is someone she doesn't know—a wild card entirely outside of her expectations.

This moment shows the lie of this Holy Grail War for what it is. No one is in control. Not Francesca, Faldeus, or Orlando. This is a story of pure chaos—where the biggest fools are those who believe they know what to expect. And this, of course, applies to the viewing audience as well. The more you know about Fate—the more you've seen, read, and played—the more familiar things feel. But that doesn't mean that there aren't surprises around every corner in this strange, fake Holy Grail War.

This is how I imagine the original pitch meeting between the Fate franchise producers and author Ryogo Narita:

PRODUCER: Look, Mr. Narita, we know that taking on a series as dense, complicated, and beloved as this one is a daunting task. We also recognize that might seem ludicrous to invent an entirely new cast of dozens of characters to try and balance in between all of the exposition, callbacks, and melodramatic scenery-chewing. Plus, it takes place in a made-up version of the United States where Nevada has a grand cultural and economic metropolis just north of Las Vegas, so there's the matter of trying to figure out just how a Holy Grail War set in the Land of the 2nd Amendment would even work. All of that being said, we truly believe that—

[Narita raises two impatient fingers to silence the man as he considers]

NARITA: You said that there will be dozens of characters to juggle?

PRODUCER: [Nervous, tugging at his collar] Er…yes, well, there are all of the different Mages to consider, and each one of them summons a historical figure from myth, you see, so we would also need to consider the Heroes' historical backgrounds…oh, and the fans love their evil conspiracies, so we'd also be throwing in plenty of supporting characters and maniacal villains, not to mention all of the references to the extended Fate besides! It is, admittedly, rather complicated……

NARITA: …in other words, you're telling me that I would have to untangle an unfathomable amount of almost impenetrable exposition that only hardcore fans will be able to grasp?

PRODUCER: …yes, I imagine that will be unavoidable….

NARITA: And this unwieldy, some might even say irresponsibly large cast of characters you mentioned? They're all a bunch of absurd, theatrical caricatures that are being pulled from this fever-dream version of the United States that we'd be making up?

PRODUCER: [Visibly resigned to this proposal's imminent failure] That's correct, sir. We have to keep topping ourselves, you see, and the original Fate/stay night is already a work of considerable girth. I understand that taking on such a property would be unreasonable for such a famous and presumably busy author such as yourself. I'll just take my leave and be—

[Narita shushes the man again, his eyes gleaming with mad intent as he stares furiously off into some unknown plane that only artists of his caliber can access in their moments of contact with the Muse.]

NARITA: …these new characters I will be inventing. I can name them…whatever I want?

PRODUCER: [Stunned] Um…sure. I don't see why not?

[In a flash, Narita reaches below the small chair he's been sitting on and produces several hundred pages of proofed copy, all neatly arranged and spiral bound on professional stock.]

NARITA: While you were going on and on, I went ahead and drafted the first four or five novels of the series, depending on how you want to split it up. The names are absolutely non-negotiable. Especially Flat Escardos. And don't bother with that checkbook in your breast pocket. I don't need your pittance. I do this because I'm the goddamned best there is.

[Narita pulls a capsule from his sleeve, throws it to the ground, and disappears into a cloud of smoke.]

Yes, readers, I am sure that this is exactly how it all went down. Anyways, I sure am glad that Narita is so good at what he does, because Fate/strange Fake could have easily been a disaster of confounding mess of neverending exposition and impenetrable storytelling. Instead, thanks to the author's deft touch (and the skill of the team at A-1 Pictures that is handling this adaptation), what we have is a delightful mess of neverending exposition and impenetrable storytelling. As mad as I was to find that the first two episodes of this series demand almost 90 full minutes of the viewers' time, Fate/strange Fake surely needed all of them to introduce this gargantuan cast and all-new setting to the already very crowded Fate universe. Would it have been more graceful and easy to digest if Strange/Fake took a cue from the original series and introduced its cast and concepts more gradually so we could focus on a story with a stronger emotional core and a few key characters to invest in? Almost certainly. This production, however, is clearly made for Fate Freaks who live and breathe the Holy Grail War and study fan-wikis like sacred scripture, so I can at least understand why the show wants to dispense with all of the setup straight away.

The good news is, that after a solid thirty minutes of being confused and possibly a little bored, you will find that there is, in fact, a whole lot to like about this latest iteration of Type-Moon's beloved and unkillable behemoth of a franchise. For one, A-1 Pictures is delivering one hell of a production. The very brief flashes of true action spectacle are all wonders to behold - especially that climactic showdown between Gilgamesh and Enkidu that closes out “Episode 0” - but the real saving grace is how polished and cinematic everything looks when the characters are standing around and talking to each other (which is 85% of the show, at this point). The new cast of Mages and Heroes are all diverse and interesting, too. Tiné gives us some surprisingly solid indigenous representation, Flat seems pleasantly aloof and possibly a little bit insane, the Japanese lass that we meet in Episode 1 clearly has some mysterious connections to the larger machinations of the Holy Grail War that will be fun to uncover, and Enkidu's master is a freaking adorable wolf that obviously deserves to win the War and make a wish.

All in all, I'm very excited to see what Fate/strange Fake has in store for us this season. If you're a neophyte that feels intimidated by all of the lore and backstory, don't be. Take it from me, a guy who has only watched one anime and a couple of movies out of order: The details don't actually matter that much. Treat this show like a stupendously animated and charmingly self-serious chronicle of the world's most high-stakes professional wrestling match, and you're bound to have a fun time.

It feels a bit odd to write this review. This is the preview guide, and yet I'm reviewing a special that came out two and a half years ago, and a first episode that debuted a year ago. Those curious have had more than ample time to watch Fate/strange Fake, myself included. As of this writing, I have watched zero new anime episodes today.

Yet, something is different this time. After years of edging, we'll finally get some release in the form of the full series of Fate/strange Fake coming out weekly. I almost can't believe it's real; I was afraid that today's episode would actually be episode 2—and we wouldn't get anything else for another year. Like all competent edging, the bits we have gotten so far have been incredible. Based on a series of spinoff novels by Ryohgo Narita of Baccano! and Durararararararararara fame, this incarnation of Kinoko Nasu's expansive world explores what happens if a Grail War not only went wrong, but was deliberately messed up on purpose from the outset—by people who vastly underestimate the forces they're working with.

I'd love for more franchises to give Narita a spinoff to use their world as a playground. Fate's world of mages, with their culture twisted by a hunger for power—and the scale of the Grail Wars—is a perfect fit for his expansive, chaotic storytelling. He moves the story to the fictional Nevadan city of Snowfield, reveling in a different breed of Americana from Baccano!, but Americana nonetheless; my only quibble is that in real-life Nevada, pretty much every business has a few slot machines in the corner. His broad cast of characters is already memorable, including established characters like Waver Velvet and Gilgamesh as well as new additions including wolves, a new conception of Jack the Ripper, and an indigenous child leading a revolution against white settlers. My current favorite is Flat Escardos, a student of Waver's who is simultaneously so childlike and so terrifyingly talented at magic, it feels like he could accidentally unmake the world by dismantling it out of sheer curiosity.

While Fate has had a number of gorgeous adaptations over the years, this may actually be the most visually interesting. Directors Shun Enokido and Takahito Sakazume have been working as animators and animation directors for over a decade, and this is their first time helming an anime series. They make full use of Nevada's southwestern scenery, with cityscapes, deserts, and forests alike. The shot compositions and storyboarding are heavy with visual foreshadowing, making the dialogue scenes even more information-dense than they would have been in the hands of a less confident production team.

This review covers 80 minutes of content, so dense that if I were to delve into everything I loved about it, everything it does well, this would swell to the length of a full review. Maybe that's because I've had a year and change to mull it over in my head. The best time to get into Fate/strange Fake was years ago, but the second-best time is today.