Rin Tohsaka

Tohsaka Rin (遠坂 凛) is one of the three main heroines of Fate/stay night.

A model student and idol of Shirou's school, Rin is secretly a sorceress and Master in the Holy Grail War. She is descended from a long line of sorcerers, and though lacking a formal magic education, is extremely powerful in her own right. Her father, Tohsaka Tokiomi, was killed in the 4th Holy Grail War, and she has trained since his death to succeed him. She is perceptive, resourceful and avidly competitive. Although she tried to summon a Saber-class Servant, she accidentally called Archer instead.

History
Two centuries ago, the Tohsaka House, in collaboration with the estates of Makiri and von Einzbern, helped found the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars. The land of Fuyuki City, which possessed the second greatest spiritual power in all Japan, was owned by Rin's ancestor, Tohsaka Nagato; at the behest of the von Einzberns, he provided his property as battleground for present and future wars. Nagato was a, as well as a pupil of Zelretch; these titles gave him considerable influence on both the Mage's Association and the Church, allowing the Tohsaka to participate in the Holy Grail Wars, free from harassment by either organization.

Rin was reared as the successor to her family's magecraft, and was instructed by her father to prioritize sorcery over her own interests. Ten years ago, Tokiomi was selected as a Master in the 4th Holy Grail War, and Rin was entrusted to take care of the Tohsaka estate until his return. After her father was killed, Rin continued to perfect her sorcery, with some guidance from her guardian, Kotomine Kirei. To divert attention from her private life, Rin has diligently strived to earn the admiration of her peers, even though she is secretly stingy, tomboyish, and a slacker.

Although Rin resents the sacrifices she has endured for the sake of tradition, she is fiercely competitive and eager to prove herself as a skilled and capable sorcerer. She was immensely disappointed at summoning Archer and ended up in a quarrel with him; however, the duo soon reconciled their differences and quickly got along.

Abilities
As the Tohsaka’s successor, Rin excels in transformation of energy, which includes storage of Prana in objects. Because the amount of energy a magus can release at one time is restricted by bodily limitations, Rin has been able to accumulate all of the Prana generated by her body during her lifetime through jewel crystallization. As with practicing of sorcery, charging these jewels has become a daily process for her. When Rin's stored power is needed, she can detonate her jewels on contact with an object, resulting in a release of energy equivalent to an attack rank of "A".

Her most common offensive spell is a Finnish technique known as Gand, which concentrates Prana into Rin's forefinger, resulting in a hazy black orb subsequently fired like a bullet. Originally intended to a curse, Rin's variation on Gand takes on an unusual, corporeal form. Additionally, Rin has bypassed any need for a verbal component to initiate this spell, and she can fire many Gand shots in an instant.

Rin is also proficient with reinforcement sorcery; although not her specialty, she begins Fate/stay night with far more skill than Emiya Shirou has in the discipline. This spell is employed only once, when Rin uses reinforcement on her legs in the Fate/stay night prologue in an attempt to give herself enough speed to distance herself from Lancer. This displays her talent in the field, as the application of reinforcement to enhance parts of a living being is considered the pinnacle of difficulty.

Fate/stay night prologue
Rin narrates the prologue of Fate/stay night, detailing her first three days involved in the 5th Holy Grail War. In her dialogues, she reveals to her Servant Archer that she is only participating in the war out of her own competitive desire to become the winner. She also expresses dissatisfaction with Archer, for she was attempting to summon a Saber-class Servant, though she quickly grows accustomed to him.

After scouting out Fuyuki City, Rin is caught off-guard at Homurabara Gakuen by Lancer, who then engages in battle with Archer. This fight is interrupted, however, when Emiya Shirou is discovered and fatally wounded by Lancer; Rin, who has sympathy for Shirou, uses her family's treasured pendant, which possessed a strong concentration of Mana, to repair his heart. After she returns home, she realizes Lancer will continue to hunt Shirou when he realizes Shirou is not dead, prompting her to sprint toward Shirou's neighborhood. It is here that she first encounters Saber, and the three Fate/stay night scenarios branch off.

Fate/stay night
By the conclusion of the prologue, Rin would have used two Command Seals on Archer; the first is to force him into submission after he acts insubordinate to her briefly after he is summoned, and the second is to force him into ethereal form before he is killed by Saber. In all scenarios, her position as narrator is replaced by Shirou.

In Fate, Rin acts as an advisor to Shirou, dutifully attempting to school him in traditional sorcery in light of his powerful Servant, Saber. Although Shirou's recklessness results in the death of Archer, she bears Shirou no ill-will, though she hides bitterness at her loss of both her Servant and her chance at winning the war. Rin is later stabbed by Kotomine Kirei in Shirou's home, though she survives and ultimately leaves for London at the war's end to become a true magus.

Rin is the heroine in "Unlimited Blade Works" scenario, and has a romantic relationship with Shirou. In "Heaven's Feel" scenario, she uses the Jeweled Sword Zelretch to fight Matou Sakura.

Rin and Shirou become partners in every scenario. In fact, Rin does care for Shiro. However, aside from her heroine scenario, UBW, in which she ends the 5th Grail War while continuing some romantic interest with Shiro. Their relationship is still placed secondary to her desire to join the Association but she asks if Shiro would be willing to travel with her to London as her apprentice so they can stay together and she can watch over him. In Fate scenario, she becomes only an observer of Shiro's life and continues her friendship with Shiro after Saber's departure. In Heaven's Feel, she does not pursue her feelings further because of Matou Sakura, her biological sister, who is in love with Shiro.

Some believe that her interaction with Saber in one scene in the Fate scenario implies that Rin is bisexual, but girls having crushes on other girls is, while not common, nothing that raises eyebrows in Japanese culture. On the other hand, her actions go well beyond the normal limits of having a crush, as she participates in a sexual encounter with Saber in the Fate scenario, and states that both Shiro and Saber are "hers" in one ending of Unlimited Blade Works.

Fate/hollow ataraxia
Rin also appears in Fate/stay night's sequel, Fate/hollow ataraxia, when she wields the Kaleidostick, another of Zeltretch's inventions, which when activated transfers knowledge from an alternate version of its user into its current wielder, in addition to providing an ample source of Mana. However, the Kaleidostick dislikes its creator, and frequently manipulates its user into humiliating situations. In Fate/hollow ataraxia, the Kaleidostick is responsible for transforming Rin into the magical girl Kaleido-Ruby. Also Rin's rival from Clock Tower, Luviagelita Edelfelt is introduced.

At the night of the final loop, Rin guards the Fuyuki bridge with her servant, Archer, from a horde of "monsters" to prevent them from chasing after Shiro/Avenger.