Noble Phantasm

Noble Phantasms are "crystallized mysteries", powerful armaments made using the imagination of humans as their core, and weapons or abilities owned by Heroic Spirits. They are the embodiment of the ultimate mysteries of a hero that symbolizes his existence through historical facts and anecdotes. They can be phyisical weapons, such as swords, lances, and bows, or support items, such as rings and crowns. They can also be abstract concepts, like unique abilities, unique means of attack, curses, and changes to the environment and its physical properties. When summoned as Servants in the Holy Grail War, they are the trump cards of the heroes that allow them to overcome others in battle.

Origins
The Noble Phantasms of all Heroic Spirits are said to have originated from the Gate of Babylon, the treasury of Gilgamesh. They were the greatest treasures of the world collected throughout his lifetime, nameless, splendid weapons, that acted as their prototypes before becoming the objects of faith that act as the foundations for their legends. They spread throughout the world after his death, eventually becoming Noble Phantasms. Even though it can be considered a paradox, unless Gilgamesh as the original hero possesses them, they cannot be handed down as the Noble Phantasms possessed by the later heroes derived from his legend. Some abilities solely wielded by Divine Spirits like Brynhild Romantia, Sarasvati Meltout, and Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu are called Noble Phantasms, so it is unknown if they also fall into that categorization.

It is impossible for myths and legends to start from nothing, so they all have common points acting as the foundations that became the model for the legend. Those like demonic swords and holy swords were granted names and abilities once such legends begin to flourish in their lands of origination, but those within the Gilgamesh's treasury are their forms before they were granted such through myths and legends. Those possessed by Gilgamesh are the true original models, different than those that have been renewed from older Noble Phantasms over the millennia. Though differing in appearance, renewed weapons hold similar true natures, concepts for their creation, and souls. As with the progression of Merodach, Gram, and Caliburn, all carrying the "foundation of the sacred right to select the king", each cycle of transmigration causes the weapon to become weaker. Gilgamesh claims that the "children cannot defeat their parents", with each new incarnation simply being a deteriorated imitation that cannot match the original model, but Shirou Emiya claims "but there is no rule that an imitation cannot defeat the original" while taunting him.

There are cases where the nature of the Noble Phantasm is not actually a true crystallized mystery, such as Archer's Unlimited Blade Works, which is magecraft that symbolizes him, and Li Shu Wen's No Second Strike, which is the quintessence of his martial arts. Sasaki Kojirou is a case of a Servant without a Noble Phantasm due to his status as a wraith, but his technique, Tsubame Gaeshi, has managed to be on par with Noble Phantasms without the use of magecraft. Enkidu is described more as a "Noble Phantasm of the gods" than a Heroic Spirit, and Kingprotea is a being whose self can be treated as a Noble Phantasm.

Characteristics
Noble Phantasms make up part of the existence of Heroic Spirits, the anecdotes about their prowess and weaponry all becoming part the very "symbol" of their existence. As the "ultimate mysteries" and embodiment of the heroes, they are trump cards carried by each to be used at an appropriate time. Most Noble Phantasms will belong only to a single hero, activated only by them, their true owners, by channeling prana into them and releasing their true names. Normally limited to the exclusive usage its owner, other heroes who take hold of them will not normally be able to wield them properly without abilities like Knight of Honor. There are a number of Noble Phantasms that display passive abilities that continue to function without any need to call out their names. For weapons that release a great attack, they only reflect their power upon having their true name called, so striking with them as regular armaments will only reflect the physical abilities of the wielder. They each posses a great amount of prana that show them being things "outside of normality", miracles exceeding both humanity and magecraft.

They are brought into the world with Servants upon their summoning, normally complied out of prana and granted the ability to materialize and dematerialize at the wielder's will. Compared to the Servants who sometimes also possess normal weapons as well, they give off a clear level of prana that shows them to be Noble Phantasms. Similar as to how spells are required to activate magecraft, it is necessary to awaken and activate Noble Phantasms. While something like Gae Bolg is a splendid spear with history and itself a Noble Phantasm, it does not appear inherently extraordinary by itself, only able to display its full potential beyond the realm of normal weapons when imbued with prana and activated with the recitation of its true name. It may be the case that there are conditions required before Noble Phantasms can be activated, and some rare ones require materials to construct. The most common of such cases are those that still exist in the world in the present day requiring the Noble Phantasm be obtained, while rarer cases require actual materials for their entire construction. While normally complete existences, there are those that are too large to be possessed by a single hero and those that were incomplete but still recorded in the hero's legend.

Most Heroic Spirits will only possess one Noble Phantasm, while those who sometimes obtain two or three would normally be the absolute limit, and it may be possible for some to have treasured three or four extraordinary weapons in their life. Medusa, with three, is noted to be exceptional among other Servants, and Perseus being granted five is the most given to a single hero in Greek mythology. Gilgamesh is unique in possessing an unlimited amount within his treasury due to having all of them. No Name Assassin possesses eighteen of the nineteen Zabaniya Noble Phantasms. Perseus possesses six with the inclusion of Bellerophon in his legend, Achilles possesses five, and others like Astolfo, Saint George, and Karna possess four each. It is possible that Noble Phantasms will be granted to heroes even if they had nothing to do with them in life, such as the misunderstandings of countless people thinking Semiramis had some connection to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon causing it to become her Noble Phantasm.

Noble Phantasms are ranked by their strength and mystery. Those called "extremely average" are around the level of B rank which have strength able to be represented through numbers and show only output of pure physical damage. Gae Bolg's thrown strike is a pure destructive attack, while its piercing version carries a conceptual effect, a "destiny interference type", that falls into a special category. Differing from regular attacks, even a C rank Noble Phantasm is the equivalent of an A or A+ ranked normal attack. It is possible for the ranks to be increased or decreased depending upon circumstances. Gae Bolg can temporarily be strengthened to A rank through the use of Runes, while Clarent loses ranks from having been obtained and used improperly. Defensive Noble Phantasms like God Hand and Armor of Fafnir use the concept of ranks as a means of defense rather than the relative power the ranks represent.

The most common Noble Phantasms are holy swords and demonic swords used by heroes during their lives. There is no specific form into which they must fit. They can be the weapons the hero used in life, and they can be famous anecdotes about the hero given form upon their ascension. While they can be physical weapons, the act of throwing many weapons at once or a "sword that splits into an infinite number" could be Noble Phantasms in themselves. Rin provides several examples of a Noble Phantasm's power, mentioning dragon-slaying swords, shoes that can run far and wide, god-killing demonic swords, and Hazanken, a sword in Chinese legends able to even slice through mountains that can only be swung once. There are those like Ionioi Hetairoi that is Alexander the Great's life sublimated into a Noble Phantasm due to having been acknowledged by all as the King of Conquerors, those like God Hand that is specifically noted to be a gift from the gods rather than a materialization of Twelve labors of Heracles, and there are those like Zabaniya that are Noble Phantasms because of their status as that which establishes their users as Hassan-i-Sabbah rather than having been recorded in history.

The current number of existing Noble Phantasms is very small, but they still exist in the material world. The only use of a Noble Phantasm in the modern age is Fragarach owned by Bazett Fraga McRemitz. The reason it can be used by a normal human is the members of her bloodline are "Tradition Carriers", who have the ability to reenact the powers of old due to the blessings of their god. Avalon, recovered by the von Einzbern family, also still exists as a Noble Phantasm. It lacks ability without a connection to Saber, but it still exists in pristine condition after one thousand five hundred years. Noble Phantasms that can also be utilized by Masters in the Holy Grail War are called Master's Noble Phantasms (マスターの宝具). Avalon can be sealed within a person to allow them to experience its healing effects so long as Saber is present.

It is possible to sacrifice a Noble Phantasm for an attack that is one rank higher, which is called a Broken Phantasm: the destroyed illusions. If a Noble Phantasm is packed with prana, it can be made to explode after striking its target. It is nearly impossible to repair a destroyed Noble Phantasm, and as they are the trump cards of Heroic Spirits, they are unlikely to take such measures. Archer is a special case, as he can reproduce as many copies of Noble Phantasms as his prana will allow due to Tracing, allowing him to also counterbalance the fact that all of his projections are lowered by one rank. If a Servant wishes to destroy their own weapon in another fashion, it is much easier than destroying one in normal combat. Lancer is able to easily break Gae Buidhe in half without any effort.

Some Noble Phantasms are Divine Constructs (神造兵器), including holy swords, Excalibur, Ea, and Ig-Alima. They are not normally replicable through Projection or Unlimited Blade Works except in special cases like the inside of the Moon Cell where the conditions to be able to replicate holy sword-class weaponry is boosted, but it still produces an inferior version.

Classification
Noble Phantasms are classified by their effectiveness against enemies. One Noble Phantasm may have multiple classifications depending on its abilities.
 * Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm (対人宝具) - Anti-Unit Noble Phantasms are those specialized against defeating other people in single combat. Compared to stronger weapons, they will not go beyond defeating other beings no matter how strong the magical energy or curse they wield. Saber's Invisible Air wouldn't increase the speed of an action like chopping wood, and Lancer's Gae Bolg, which strikes the opponent's heart, would just be a strong lance if the target is a rock or a house. The advantage over stronger weapons is that they can be compared to guns with unlimited ammo while Anti-Army Noble Phantasms are one-time missiles. Missiles are more powerful, but an Anti-Unit can be continuous like Invisible Air. There are also those that are very cost effective like Gae Bolg, so it can be called a sure-hit arrow that is better at killing single people than a cannonball.
 * Anti-Unit (Self) Noble Phantasm (対人（自身）宝具) - Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm used upon the wielder instead of another target.
 * Anti-Self Noble Phantasm (対己宝具) - The classification of The Queen's Glass Game.
 * Anti-Mind Noble Phantasm (対心宝具) - This classification targets the mind. While normally Anti-Mind, Sarasvati Meltout, within the cyberspace of the Moon Cell, becomes Anti-City, Anti-World.
 * Anti-Team Noble Phantasm (対陣宝具) - The classification of Aestus Domus Aurea.
 * Anti-Gate Noble Phantasm (対門宝具) - The classification of Fierce Tiger Forcibly Climbs a Mountain.
 * Anti-Army Noble Phantasm (対軍宝具) - Anti-Army Noble Phantasms are those with a wide enough range to be specialized against armies. They are more powerful weapons than Anti-Unit Noble Phantasms, capable of easily blowing them away, but they must be used more wisely because of their larger cost. Using an A rank Noble Phantasm takes a great deal of mana, so they must wait before they can use it again.
 * Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm (対城宝具) - This rank has powerful Noble Phantasms that can even blow away solid fortified structures. While the difference between Anti-Unit and Anti-Army is the variation in area of effect, Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasms are distinguished from other categories by the great difference in power. Only Excalibur has this rank in all of the Noble Phantasms of the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars. God Force in Fate/Extra also possesses this rank.
 * Anti-Populace Noble Phantasm (対大衆宝具) - The classification of Sarasvati Meltout.
 * Anti-City Noble Phantasm (対都市宝具) - The classification of Sarasvati Meltout.
 * Anti-Country Noble Phantasm (対国宝具) - The classification of Brahmastra belongs to this rank, but the difference in power from other classifications is not elaborated upon.
 * Anti-World Noble Phantasm (対界宝具) - Noble Phantasms that affect the World itself are of this rank. The classification of Enuma Elish belongs to this rank. While the actual output is around the level of Excalibur, its effect that is unquestionably that of the legend of "ripping the world" puts the sword in a special category.
 * Anti-Planet Noble Phantasm (対星宝具) - The classification of Angra Mainyu/CCC and Cursed Cutting Crater.
 * Anti-Thaumaturgy Noble Phantasm (対魔術宝具) - The classification of Rule Breaker belongs to this rank.
 * Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm (対神宝具) - Noble Phantasms effective against Divine Spirits are of this rank. They are few in number, including Enkidu and Vasavi Shakti.
 * Barrier Noble Phantasm (結界宝具) - Noble Phantasms used to create barriers belong to this rank, but it does not include those that are also used to attack. Avalon is purely defensive, so it is a typical example of a barrier. While other Noble Phantasms like Blood Fort Andromeda may create barriers, they will instead be classified by their ability to attack like Blood Fort Andromeda belonging to the Anti-Army category.