Lancer (Fate/stay night)

Lancer (ランサー) is the Lancer-class Servant of Bazett Fraga McRemitz in the Fifth Holy Grail War of Fate/stay night. He becomes the Servant of Kirei Kotomine after Kirei fatally wounds Bazett, and remains under his command for the duration of the War. Due to Kirei not taking winning the War seriously, he is only used to scout out other Masters and Servants, all while remaining weakened due to a Command Spell. Caren Hortensia acts as his Master during the events of Fate/hollow ataraxia. He is one of the Servants of the Protagonist of the Grand Order conflicts of Fate/Grand Order.

Identity
Lancer's True Name is Kū Fūrin, the Child of light (光の御子), a hero from the of Irish mythology. He was a demigod, the offspring of a mortal woman,, the younger sister of King , and the deity, , the god who governed over the sun and a member of the Danann divine family in Celtic Mythology. Deichtine, the daughter of a druid, Conchobar's father, and Maga, the widow of Ross the Red, disappeared in the Land of the Young without marrying anyone. There, she bore Sétanta (セタンタ), the child of the sun god.

Hound of Culann
Sétanta was born in when it was still a land named after its abundant greenery,, meaning "green" in Gaelic. Receiving great divinity from his father, who possessed every skill such as knowledge, techniques, and magic, he exhibited superior talent from birth and boasted supernatural ability that separated him from ordinary people from a young age. The land was split into five countries, and he was sent with his uncle, Fergus mac Róich, to King Conchobar's army under the Northern kingdom of. He was to have a life that would follow the destiny to "one day become a shield of Ulster."

He took up the name Cú Chulainn after accidentally killing the protecting the house of master blacksmith. The guard dog was well-known to have the strength of ten men. The King was to take Sétanta with him after receiving an invitation to Culann's home, but Sétanta was in the middle of a hurling match with his friends. He would have lost the match had he withdrawn at that point, so he said, "I'll catch up after I win, so go right ahead." The King was humored the reply, and, allowing him to come late, went to the house first. Tragedy began after one of Culann's servants accidentally closed the gate.

Arriving late, Sétanta was attacked by "Culann's savage dog", well known as having the strength of ten men. He alone strangled it to death with his bare hands, and the people inside gathered at the gate after hearing the commotion. Upon learning that Sétanta defeated the guard dog, they were full of shock and admiration. There was some sadness in Culann's eyes at losing his prized guard dog, so Sétanta, ashamed of his actions told him "Does this dog have children? If he does, could you allow me to take care of them? I will raise them to be guard dogs just as strong as their father. Until then, I will be your guard dog."

Culann, impressed with the boy's offer responded to him with assurance that "I have no need of that. I will be the one to raise the dogs that will protect my manor. You, on the other hand, must train yourself. After all, you will one day be the guard dog of all of Ulster." All of the warriors at the scene nodded in agreement. Consequently, all began to call the boy "Culann's savage dog", Cú Chulainn in Irish Gaelic. The name praises not only his strength for killing the famous savage dog unarmed in his first battle and first time taking a life, but also for his character that thought of the owner of the lost dog even as a child.

He was still an apprentice warrior at the time, one in the training group for children wishing to become Knights of the Red Branch. He was around twelve or thirteen, though he claims it was just the adrenaline rush that allowed him to perform the feat. Honoring the noble declaration, he took up a geas that says he must never eat dog. It was prophesied that "this child will live as a hero" at a young age, and it could be said that he was predestined to become a hero due to his divine parentage. After his name changed, the group of apprentices gathered around a druid,, asking in an uproar which of them would become famed warriors.

Cathbad was powerful, with his divinations being strong enough to "determine the future" rather than simply "see the future." Not knowing how to handle the situation, he decided that he would tell it to only those who would take up arms on that day. The divination was bad enough that none of them attempted to go through the rites of warriorhood, though Cú Chulainn was fishing while leaning against a hazel tree due to his disinterest. He went through the rites of warriorhood on that same day, and received the prophecy that said "in exchange for glorious deeds of valor, his life would be short." He readily accepted such a fate, smiling and laughing.

Land of Shadows
King Conchobar was enraged at him for becoming a warrior at his young age, causing Cú Chulainn's temper to also flair up. He smashed the spears of the castle and wrecked a chariot, responding with "Now try telling me one more time that I'm not strong enough to be a warrior." He was accepted into the Red Branch, but he claims there was not much in the title. He could do as he wished as long as he was not disloyal, allowing him to pick a fight with another land and then have a party the same night and forget all about it. There were many people causing trouble within the knights, so he would keep any eye on his own country more often than others.

He was often fighting as a warrior, and he fell in love with a princess,, the daughter of King , at first sight. He was enamored enough that he went to her castle to kidnap her, but she complained about not wanting to be with some nameless child. Only sixteen at the time, he went on a journey in search of fame. He journeyed to the "Land of Shadows" upon hearing of a powerful sorceress named Scáthach who had many warriors searching to be her apprentices. There were many warriors under her, and one,, a warrior of the neighboring country of , was his equal in competing for the demonic spear, Gáe Bolg.

They passed the vow of brotherhood, and though he has three priceless friends, Ferdiad held a special place in his heart as an older brother. With his incredible magic and unrivaled demonic spearmanship, he acquired the secrets of leaping, Gáe Bolg, and the original runes from her at the age of sixteen. She had said at the time he received the spear, "Perhaps, I wanted to be killed by your hands", while smiling with a serene voice like a prayer. She had been given a fate where even death was no longer in her hands. She then said, "I give up. Better die before that happens", laughing her same hearty laugh of which he had grown so fond.

Though he had arrived at the castle by the shortest route, she reflected, saying "If only you were born a little earlier... Young, still young... Sorry. Somehow, it seems I got sidetracked a lot." He could only plan to leave as a lone man lamenting the woman he loved. He stayed there for a long time, feeling at home with his teacher and good rival. , a lord of a neighboring country started a war with them, and Scáthach did not allow him to take the battlefield. After arguing, he was eventually allowed to fight alongside them, and managed to capture Aífe after a duel.

While they were hated enemies, he realized that he found her appealing, so he pursued her and was beaten by Scáthach for it. They eventually parted ways, and he asked that if she bore his child to name him and send him to Ulster. He was to be given three vows to follow: "To not answer his name when asked", "To not change course", and "To not back down from a fight", the worst possible rules that could be given to his son. He and Ferdiad left the Land of Shadows on the same day, and he did not see Scáthach when they left because she had passed down everything to him and had nothing more to tell him.

He and Ferdiad each asked "How about coming to my country?" as they left the castle, each laughing at the realization that neither would budge from their position. He returned to Ulster, starting dramatic battles and becoming known throughout Ireland in an instant. With exploits unrepeatable by anyone else, he came for the princess as promised. He was opposed by King Forgall and his troops, but he annihilated them and also achieved victory for Ulster's knights. These battles mark the youth of Cú Chulainn, and his subsequent battles bear a heavy shadow.

War with Connacht
The neighboring country of Connacht eventually took up arms against Ulster. Queen Medb, part of a long line of warmongering ruling queens, was the type of person who hated to give up, so she marched forces after a number of events transpired around her. She invaded irrationally simply to steal, Ulster's golden bull, simply to beat her husband in a comparison contest. It started with Fergus defecting after the king had killed Fergus' sons out of lusting for young women. The pride of the Red Branch Knights began to serve Connacht out of hatred for Ulster's King, and that influenced Medb's aggressiveness.

There was also the factor of the curse affecting the people of Ulster that rendered men around the country too feeble to fight whenever they were invaded. Due to being born in a fairy mound rather than truly being born of Ulster, he was unaffected by the curse, allowing him to make part of his brilliant war record during the battles. He supported the weaker Ulster against her forces, an allied army of three countries. He spent every day slaying Medb's forces, and it eventually came to the point where they came to an agreement to change the war to a one-on-one fight as they began to lose.

Accepting several geas that would make him accept even his own ruin, one of which consisted of "fighting just one warrior a day", he forced the opposing country to take up geas unfavorable to them as well. It was set that they could only advance while he dueled one of their soldiers in the fords of the Ulster gorge. It was either lose five thousand men in one day, or only slightly advance at the cost of a single man, so Medb reluctantly agreed to it and started his series of duels. It began with Cú Chulainn's rune of vows, Ath nGabla, guaranteeing one-on-one combat with honor at stake.

Medb broke the conditions of the treaty and advanced. It was still a public vow, so it was only one unit that would not be noticed. It was still the best way of holding them back, but he had to deal with a number of issues. He had to fight a number of fine warriors and beings like the Calatin Clan monster, and he had to deal with other issues. He is ashamed that he had to sleep for an entire day due to fatigue at one point, so the training group of the Red Branch had to save him and was slaughtered because of it. He blamed himself for their deaths.

, the goddess who governed death and destruction, also appeared before him to offer her protection. He declined and she was insulted, so she transformed into many animals to go after his life. He was able to repel every attack, and he even went as far as treating the wounded Morrigan. She came to admire that nobility from the bottom of her heart, deciding to support him without his knowledge. She did not want to destroy his pride, so she decided not to help him when he was in his greatest perils and simply observed the way of a hero.

The fords were a land of death, and the conclusion to the war was likely the greatest of living hells in his life. It eventually came down to the strongest of the warriors of Connacht, the one man he never wanted to fight, Ferdiad. Their battle was not of Ferdiad's own will, but rather a scheme laid down by Queen Medb. Both had to serve their lords, so one life had to be discard to defend honor far more worthless than their friendship. They were equal in battle, resulting in the cornered Cú Chulainn having to utilize Gáe Bolg to pierce the heart of the man he loved as a brother.

Taking Ferdiad's life was the first time the demonic spear had seen battle since leaving the Land of Shadows, and it was released on his most precious friend. Holding his fallen brother in his arms, Ferdiad said his final farewell to Cú Chulainn, "Gáe Bolg is a glory given to only the most gifted of warriors. In that brilliant hall of learning, you were our pride." The battle ended with the defeat of Connacht, allowing the recuperated warriors of Ulster to pursue their army and add a great blow to the defeat. He had managed to hold out against them for seven years, and finally succeeded in making them retreat.

Final days
Though he captured Medb, he returned her to Connacht, not killing her or shaming her, but instead treating her as a Queen. Though it was not something he had planned, he never once killed a lord or a woman. He did not like killing women on the battlefield, and loving or hating them made no difference. There were no major battles after that point other than a strange young man coming down to the coast to stir up trouble. He beat any warrior who would speak to him, so the King declared that "Only Cú Chulain can beat this boy."

Other than before his own death, that event marked the only time his wife stopped him, crying that "you mustn't go." There was nothing he could do to avoid a royal order, so the two met in battle at the coast. He was a strong opponent that forced him to utilize Gáe Bolg. The warrior said "She didn't teach me that" before dying, revealing his tutelage under Scáthach. It was then that it was revealed that his name had been Connla, Cú Chulain's son. That marked the end of his golden years, as though he had become invincible, the sun still set for him.

Queen Medb had perceived her release as the greatest insult, vowing vengeance against him. As Celtic warriors had the custom of making geas, with those warriors who broke them being cursed, she utilized those of Cú Chulain against him. She assembled warriors from the lands with grudges against him, and cornered him with many plots. He was forced to break his geas one by one, resulting in him losing his abilities. Ulster was once again beset by sickness, so he challenged the army of Medb single-handedly. Acting as the shield of Ulster and committing many deeds of valor, he had a life unexpectedly short in comparison to that valor.

He fell into scores of traps during the battle, and, battling furiously, he was eventually brutally killed and died pierced by his own magical spear. He would not allow himself to die lying down, and tied himself to up to a post. He saw an otter drinking the blood that had spilled into the river, and he died standing while laughing at its greediness. There landed a crow on the shoulder of his standing corpse in his death, said to have been the incarnation of Morrigan who continued to give him her unrequited love. Poetry and statues praising Cú Chulainn still remain to this day in Ireland.

Appearance
Lancer wears deep ultramarine full body tights covered in Runic protections. He gives off the impression of a beast, even carrying a bestial smell. He takes to wearing casual clothing in Fate/hollow ataraxia, especially a Hawaiian shirt and black pants.

Personality
Lancer is a fierce, but balanced warrior who enjoys combating a worthy opponent, but at his core he believes in justice and is easy to get along with. He is an agreeable youth acting out the role of one gentle in disposition yet strong in body. He has a playful attitude and takes a very carefree approach to life, but is quick to work himself into a frenzy during a heated battle. He was known as a brave, compassionate, and likeable young man in the legends. He mercilessly killed his enemies on the battlefield, but he respected faith and had the nobility to never once break a promise he had made.

He enjoys fishing, hunting, and hitting on cute girls. He is a proud warrior, someone who can't abandon a fight just because he's losing. He's ready to fight until the end, for the sake of his fighting will and also for his Master. He easily loses his cool, especially to insults calling him a dog.

He's not interested in killing innocent people, though he still strictly follows the rules of the war to kill bystanders like Shirou. He's very keen on his mission and somehow professional in his "work". He's noble and he can't really stand people who're joking with him or simply betraying his trust. He's also easily touched by others problems and if he chooses to protect someone, he will do his best till the very end. He really enjoys dating women or simply to spending his time in relaxing hobbies like fishing.

He regretted nothing in his life, though it was one full of wrong turns. There may have been disappointment, but he does not regret his life one bit. His spear only took away the lives of his loved ones, his close friend and son, but its only regret was that it had been meant to murder a single woman that he was unable to kill. Though it is impossible to swap one's life for another, he thinks saving Bazett from the looping world may allow him to leave the regrets of his youth behind. He only has a complaint about his fate as he tries to save her, that he never has any luck with good women.

Fate/Stay Night
Lancer was originally summoned by Bazett Fraga McRemitz, an Irish representative of the Mage's Association. She used Cú Chulainn's rune stone earrings as the catalyst and he responded to the summoning solely because he wanted to engage in a valiant fight to the death but this simple wish was never granted to him. However, Kirei Kotomine betrayed Bazett and severed her left arm to obtain her Command Spell, leaving her almost dead. He then used her stolen Command Seals to gain the allegiance of Lancer and enter into the 5th Holy Grail War. Despite his wishes to avenge his fallen master, Lancer was forced to bend to Kotomine's will. Lancer is disgruntled at having to serve a Master who uses such cowardly tactics, but he is forced to obey Kirei's wishes.

Kirei chooses to employ a passive strategy regarding Lancer. He has Lancer go out on reconnaissance, and scout the locations and identies of other Masters and gauge how dangerous their Servants are. During his fight with Archer, Lancer noticed that Shirou Emiya had witnessed his entire battle. Believing Shirou to be an ordinary human, to preserve the secrecy of the Holy Grail War, Lancer silences Shirou by stabbing him through his heart.

Later, Lancer realizes that Shirou has recovered from his mortal wound, so he tracks and corners the young mage within the shed of his home estate. Before Lancer is able to strike a mortal blow, Shirou is rescued by the recently summoned Servant, Saber, who then engages Lancer in combat. Outmatched, Lancer flees the scene just before the arrival of Archer and his master.

After this, for the majority of the story, Lancer is generally inactive.

Fate
In Fate, Shirou is lured to Kotomine's church, and once again wounded by Lancer. Saber eventually arrives to rescue Shirou. After events unfold, Kotomine reveals his other Servant, Gilgamesh, the Archer from the previous war. Kotomine orders the both of them to kill Saber and Shirou, and leaves. Lancer, disgusted by Kotomine keeping Gilgamesh's existence a secret from him, and by Gilgamesh himself, decides to rebel against Kirei. Though he claims he is doing it out of hatred for Gilgamesh and Kotomine, and not to help them, Lancer chooses to fight Gilgamesh and thereby aids Shirou and Saber in escaping. He survives against Gilgamesh for half a day, but is ultimately defeated.

Unlimited Blade Works
In Unlimited Blade Works, after being driven out of his church by Caster, and faking his death, Kotomine orders Lancer to cooperate with Shirou and Rin. Lancer helps them with their plan to defeat Caster by fighting Archer to distract him, so that Rin and Shirou are able to enter the church. Ostensibly defeating Archer, but choosing not to conclude their battle, he later reappears to offer his aid again to Shirou and Saber after Rin is captured. Upon rescuing Rin, Kirei suddenly appears and orders Lancer to kill Rin. In addition to his previous disgust with Kotomine, Lancer has come to admire Rin, and therefore refuses his order. In response to this, Kotomine uses a Command Seal to force Lancer to give himself a mortal wound. However, before he fades away, Lancer manages to kill Kotomine, and bids goodbye to Rin. Before his death, he sets the Einzbern castle on fire.

Heaven's Feel
In Heaven's Feel, upon sensing a disturbance at the Ryudou Temple, Lancer investigates it as per his orders by Kotomine to scout the competition. He discovers and engages in battle with True Assassin, but during the battle, he is attacked and killed while his heart is consumed by the True Assassin; then his body is absorbed by the black shadow of Avenger and Sakura Matou.

Fate/Hollow Ataraxia
In Fate/hollow ataraxia, Lancer's role is expanded far beyond Fate/stay night. He is normally spotted fishing at the Fuyuki docks, but he is frequently seen wandering the city or at his part-time job as a grocer. He is quite amiable, chatting with many of the former Holy Grail War participants, and is well liked. Nearly every female character in the game is subject to a pick-up attempt (or in Shirou's words, "harassment"). These attempts tend to work out well, thanks to not downplaying his Servant qualities. However, in the end things generally turn out differently, leaving Lancer annoyed and/or embarrassed and the girl(s) in question safe from the grasp of the Blue Panther. He makes no attempt to combat the Shadow Wolf Beasts during the Fuyuki eclipse, instead quietly presiding over Avenger's ascent into Heaven's Feel from a distance.

Fate/Unlimited Codes
In Fate/Unlimited Codes, he is known as the Blue Spearman of the Wind (疾風の蒼き槍兵).

In his story Lancer rushed back to protect Bazett but he finds her murdered by Kirei. Kirei has stolen Bazett's command spells and became Lancer's new Master. Lancer was disgusted with the idea of working together with Kirei and suggested him to use a Command Spell to force him to submit to him.

He encounters Caster at Ryuudou temple, Caster observed Lancer earlier and she can tell that Lancer is displeased with his new master Kirei. She suggested to work together so she can break Lancer's contract with Kirei. Lancer rejected the idea because of his loyalty of a knight, he claims that by changing sides, it is hard to maintain respect of others. Caster insults lancer by calling him the "Hound of Culan" and the battle starts. Before Lancer kills Caster, they had a deal and Caster used Rule Breaker to cancel the contract.

His final opponent is Kirei, Kirei was confused about how his command spells are not working on Lancer. Lancer revealed the truth to Kirei about his reason for him to continue the Holy Grail War without a master, to avenge Bazett who believed in Lancer and his abilities. Kirei finds this absurd for doing this for a dead woman and he can tell Lancer that he's going to fade away soon. Lancer confirms that his body can stay for a few minutes and killing him will only take that amount of time. Lancer doesn't have a wish for the Holy Grail and revenge is all he needs and kills Kirei in the end. In the end, he starts to fade and recounts his time in the Holy Grail War. He admits that Kirei is strong and regrets not fighting alongside with Bazett in the war but he is content with avenging her death. He announce he doesn't have a wish for the Holy Grail and he's happy enough to fight in flesh once more. He thanks Bazett for summoning him before fading away.

Carnival Phantasm
Lancer has prevalent role in the Fate segments of Carnival Phantasm and also acts as part of a involving his death. He constantly is "killed" within a segment in each episode aside from the second. While he dies without mention during Tsukihime segments, characters comment on it during the Fate segments with "Lancer died!" (ランサーが死んだ！), "You bastards!" (この人でなし！) in a reference to Kenny McCormick's similar constant deaths in. He has an episode based on the concept called "Final Dead Lancer", parodying the film series, where he manages to avoid his deaths from the previous episodes. He ends up being retroactively killed in the events from the second episode, and he revives from his grave at the end of the episode as a horror movie reference. He drives a GaeBolger (ゲイボルカー). He is also able to be used as a thrown weapon by Berserker.

Other appearances
Lancer is the servant of Rin Tohsaka in the Moon Cell Holy Grail War. He is also the Servant of Kirei Kotomine. In Type-Moon's April Fools' Day 2009, moon.cinemas.jp is a fake movie theater site listing a number of parody films:
 * He was featured in Fishing fetish Sanpei (釣りフェチ三平).
 * He was featured in Dog Fate -DooGSDAY- (いぬふぇいと　―DooGSDAY―).
 * He was featured in the animated film Papillon Shin-chan ~I call for sleepiness! Spicy shaggy Kingdom~ (パピヨンしんちゃん〜眠気を呼ぶ！激辛モジャモジャ王国〜), a parody film of.

In Type-Moon's April Fools' Day 2015, Lancer is in a group called YARIO and is part of the Imperial Roma talent agency, his class is Farm idol unit (牧歌的アイドルニット).

Abilities
Lancer's weapon, the Gáe Bolg, a cursed spear which is said to inflict wounds that do not heal as long as the spear remains in the world. His weapon itself has two main techniques which can be classified as separate Noble Phantasms, the first of which reverses causality to always strike the heart, and the second of which unleashes the full potential of the curse to strike the enemy by hurling the spear with overwhelming power. He is an expert monster exterminator, giving him an advantage over someone like Rider due to her Gorgon monster alignment. Lancer also qualifies for the Berserker and Caster classes. He had gone berserk several times in life, and he takes great pride in having the ability and knowledge enough to qualify for the Caster Class due to his knowledge on Runes.

He obtains no geographical boosts from the cultural sphere around Japan. If he were to be summoned in western Europe, he would receive a general boost in power similar to other European Heroic Spirits, and he would display a much sharper increase in power in Ireland. If he were to be summoned in Ireland, he would have had potential access to a castle Noble Phantasm, a rare fortress Noble Phantasm that can only be used in Ireland, a chariot, a Blessing of Wakefulness (不眠の加護), and the like due to being in the land where his legend took place. Normally a "shining existence" on par with Heracles and King Arthur, he would only fully display it outside of Japan. Those of Celtic mythology are not well known in Japan, but he was a great hero that outmatched even King Arthur in fame in Ireland. While Diarmuid Ua Duibhne has an advantage in a fight due to having a better magical energy supply from his Master, Lancer would obtain more of an advantage should they fight properly in Ireland due to his fame.

Combat
Lancer fights with a two-meter spear, allowing him to only need to attack when an opponent enters his range. Such a distance as three meters between him an the opponent matters little, so while it is easier to thrust at an approaching enemy instead of moving out, he will still quickly close the distance between an opponent instead. All of his thrusts are enough to be called a final blow to strike the opponent down. The main strength of the weapon is in its swings rather than thrusting as its shape would indicate. Its wide swing utilizes its long range to not allow the enemy to dodge by stepping back. Partial retreat from a strike will not allow for escape, attempting a counterattack would result in receiving a slashed stomach, and simply going forward will result in a smashed rib from the long shaft of the lance. Thrusts are still dangerous, but it is possible to avoid an attack that targets a specific point once it has been seen through to allow for the strike to be redirected to create an opening.

He fights with intensity, and it would normally be that closing in on an opponent in such a matter would be suicidal with such a long weapon. Lances are effective against swords because there is no effective way of parrying them with a sword. Strong rebuffs from a sword only results in a counterattack, while weak rebuffs do not create any openings. The most important part of a battle between the two is defeating the enemy while they are at the wrong range. Spearmen normally use their length and freedom of range to win a battle, and discarding such an advantage by closing in should mean defeat. Such by the book tactics mean little to him, as his ability with the lance shows no vulnerabilities due to not having to follow the general rule on lances. His strikes that are fast enough that even the afterimages are blurred allow him to easily remove any possible openings, and he can constantly increase the speed of his thrusts and make continuous attacks without allowing the slightest pause in between.

He prefers fighting with his full power as a warrior, but his own beliefs are held back due to his Master's Command Spell to "Fight against everyone. But do not defeat them. Survive your first battle against any opponent" and then withdraw. He is unable to display his full strength during such involuntarily reconnaissance missions. His ability to withdraw from the battlefield in the midst of combat, Disengage, is very skilled, seen in decisive action of going after the possible threat, Shirou, in the midst of his fight with Archer, and the ability is fully demonstrated by having to fight all of the Servants then retreat. He excelled in seeing through battle situations during life, so he has the responsibility to wage war and withdraw repeatedly from all the Servants, showing the appearance of realizing that a situation is unfavorable. It also has the ability of returning an unfavorable battle to the beginning, "turn 1", and restoring the condition of techniques to their initial states.

Contrary to his legendary battle prowess, his fighting in the Fifth Holy Grail War is extremely limited. Fighting several Servants to a draw, he will never start a fight on his own. Even if he gains a full chance to kill an opponent, he is to merely observe and is given no authority to attack. He can only go all out against an opponent during their second encounter due to the Command Spell, so his first true "battle without any binds" is against Archer. Without anything binding him, his strikes are much faster and harder to see than in the previous battle. The only way Archer is able to keep up with him in direct combat compared to the previous fight is due to the experience of previously fighting him. Due to Gae Bolg being a Noble Phantasm with a conceptual effect, it could kill Arcueid Brunestud even though she is superior to Lancer in pure numbers.

Due to his Divinity as a demigod, he exhibited superior talent from birth and boasted supernatural ability that separated him from ordinary people from a young age. His speed is extraordinary, able to counterattacks with a lance with the speed of gods, all while standing still. It allows him to easily put distance between him and his opponent at any point in a battle, and using his lance to vault thirty meters is not a difficult feat. He is slower than Rider in terms of average speed, but he is faster in immediate maximum output. Archer claims his speed is extraordinary among even the fastest heroes that would normally be chosen as Lancer. He far surpasses all of them, not even three in the world being at his level, and he is the only one with such "beast-like agility."

Due to Protection from Arrows, the ability to respond to projectile weapons that he has had since birth, he can evade any kind of ranged attack. He has to be able to identify the object of the attack with his eyes, so no projectile from a visible opponent will be effective against him unless it is a great Noble Phantasm. He is able to respond even when the object cannot be seen, allowing him to generally deal with most projectile weapons. Any form of thrown attack, even Noble Phantasms, can be avoided, but the effect of the skill does not work for the wide range of weapons that explode in a large radius on impact or direct strikes with weapons with long reach.

He reads the course of the projectile attack by using the sound of cutting air and the enemy's murderous intent. He easily repels all of True Assassin's Dirks despite having precision rivaling that of Archer able to accurately fire between Lancer's swings, and even those that cannot be perceived coming from the darkness and those that come while he is surrounded by obstacles are easily repelled with a slight swing of his lance.

Runes
Lancer obtained 18 Original Runes, Norse Runes, after studying magecraft under Scáthach in the Land of Shadows. He appropriately utilizes them to respond to different situations. One such rune, one with the purpose of searching, helps support his elusive actions during the Holy Grail War. Holding the Ansuz rune allows him to set a blaze to reduce an entire room to ashes, causing a continuing conflagration that seeps into the rest of the Einzbern Castle and causes it to crumble. He can use them as a counter measure against Mystic Eyes, even those as potent as Mystic Eyes of Petrification. He inscribes his armor with runic protections, and he is able to set up a powerful Bounded Field in an instant by carving all of his runes onto the ground. It is able to block a great Noble Phantasm, but it is unable to stop the encroachment of the Shadow. Another use of multiple Runes is Ath nGabla (アトゴウラ), a seal formed by pointing his spear at the ground and carving four runes, Algiz, Nauthiz, Ansuz, and Ingwaz, in four corners around him. It is a curse of one-on-one combat passed down to the Knights of the Red Branch, and it does not carry any inherent magical energy. It is an arena formed from four brances, guaranteeing one on one combat with honor at stake. Warriors having set the seal no longer have retreat as an option, and all warriors who see the seal are not allowed to refuse combat. They also have the ability to be used in conjunction with his Noble Phantasm to raise its rank to A temporarily, allowing him to fight against Berserker's God Hand. It would be a very disadvantageous fight, but it would still be "one with some chances."

He is not a reckless warrior, shown by being suitable to be of the Caster class. He can see through Rider's Blood Fort Andromeda from just a glance, consider the situation, and make a decision not to destroy it. He is able to tell the quality of a Bounded Field and decide it does not belong to Caster due to not being at the same level as her Bounded Fields. He has a Magic Resistance of Rank C, meaning that aria of two verses and below are cancelled. He is unable to defend against High Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, but utilizing large-scale magecraft while confronting a Servant of such superior speed is nearly impossible. The skill required to successfully hit him with such invoked magecraft is considerable, so is can be said he has a "necessary and sufficient" rank of Magic Resistance in terms of close combat.

Battle Continuation
Lancer has a high rank in Battle Continuation due to having fought from a disadvantageous position in many fatal battles during his life, living on while charging through the battlefields like a panther. When it comes to defense, his excellent agility and great experience make him an "impregnable wall", allowing him to be confident in fighting both Archer and Saber at once if the goal is occupying them. He is especially hard to kill, as told in the legend of the dying Cú Chulainn having tied himself to a tree to continue fiercely battling before taking his last breath. Being the best of the Servants at "surviving", he is able to take grievous wounds and still continue battling before succumbing to them, and possessing such a legend makes his dying struggle particularly fierce.

Not giving up easily, his tenacity allows him to battle on the verge of death and stay alive until he receives a clearly fatal blow. He is able to demonstrate astonishing tenacity even in the hopeless battle against Gilgamesh, delaying his opponent for half a day. He counters his opponents with an unyielding fighting spirit, and unlike Saber who will fade away instantly from a decisive strike to the heart from Fragarach, he is able to last for a period of time afterward. Even without an active heart or Master, he is able to hold his rapidly fading form through the use of his "dirty survival tricks." After being forced to stab himself in the heart in Unlimited Blade Works, he has enough energy to get up, remove the spear from his chest, retaliate against Kirei, free Rin, ward off Shinji, and utilize the Ansuz Rune to burn his body along with the entire room. It is noted that he is definitively dying the entire time, and the simple act of standing up in the first place is amazing in itself.

Development
He is a tragic Servant, who embodies the cynical notion that "wishes don't come true".

Reception

 * In the first Popularity polls of Fate/stay night in 2004, Lancer was ranked 8th and the third most voted male character.
 * In the second Popularity polls of Fate/stay night in 2006, Lancer was ranked 6th and the second most voted male character.
 * In the Type-Moon's 10th Anniversary Character Poll, Lancer from Fate/stay night was ranked 20th and the seventh most voted male character. Lancer from Fate/hollow ataraxia was ranked 232nd.