Archer (Fate/stay night)

The Servant of Tohsaka Rin in the 5th Holy Grail War. Well adept in bare-handed fighting, armed combat, Magecraft and even performing housework. Possess a personality that is thoroughly realistic, but at the same time devoted and even a little bit childish, to the point that makes him hard to hate. Doesn't lie but does keep secrets. Sarcastic but that is just his way to give advices. Cannot approve of Emiya Shirou’s ideal of “ally of justice”, but at the same time cannot deny it.

True Identity
True identity is that of a possible future version of Emiya Shirou, who made a contract with the world and became the Heroic Spirit EMIYA. Neither a proper hero nor a Reverse Hero. Summoned by Rin by the use of a jewel pendant as a catalyst (which later fell into the possession of Emiya Shirou after she used it to revive him after he was killed by Lancer.)

In order to save about a hundred people that were dying in front of him in a calamity, for the sake of saving just the lives that his eyes could see and for the sake of, after his death, saving even more lives as a Heroic Spirit, he made a contract with the world and became a hero. Although he desperately fought to end a certain war, he was branded as the mastermind behind that war and executed. His belief that he would continue to save many people as a Heroic Spirit didn’t come to pass, but rather he was made to clean up after human actions and forced to kill many more people to save humanity as a whole instead. After being shown human self-destruction and forced to oppose his own ideals countless times, he began to deny himself and his ideal. Archer came to believe that his only hope of release was to be called into an era where Emiya Shirou exists and kill him, creating a time paradox which could potentially erase his existence as a Counter-Guardian.

On the night of the second day, his statement that his memories were vague and he didn’t know his identity due the imperfect summoning was halfway true and halfway false. He no longer possesses Emiya Shirou’s memory, although he can still remember some key events such as being saved by Emiya Kiritsugu and meeting Saber. While Rin slept, he reasoned out his situation and realized that he may have the opportunity to realize his goal. This was affirmed when the girl who summoned him introduced herself as Tohsaka Rin the following morning.

A person who became entirely different from "Emiya Shirou": even if their origin is the same, their existences are different. His dark skin is a side effect of extensively using Projection Magecraft.

Abilities
His strength does not come from talent, but from single-mindedly refining the little he had. Other than Reinforcement and Projection, the Magecraft which he excels at are unlocking and restoration, both of which are derived from grasping the internal structure. Can also use magic detection and magic resistance, which are considered the basics of the basic, but not offensive Magecraft that work around the lines of nature interference.

He does not possess a proper Noble Phantasm, but one could say that his Reality Marble is his Noble Phantasm. Replicated Noble Phantasms can be used as Broken Phantasms and fired as arrows. Incidentally, even if he replicates a holy sword on the level of Excalibur, he does not have the magical energy necessary to bring out its full potential.

The overcoat around his waist is a first rate conceptual weapon made out of the holy shroud of a certain saint, which opposes not enemies but the external environment. His armor and bow are made from a special material that has yet to be discovered by mankind, and the latter was constructed to be resistant enough to fire Noble Phantasms.

Good with tinkering with gadgets and housework in general, likes doing chores even though he denies it..... Technical skill: no doubt an A+ butler.

Role


In Fate, Archer is a nameless hero who gives up his life in order to let his master, Rin, escape along with Saber and Shirou. Before facing off with Berserker, Archer advises Shirou to 'imagine something that can defeat it' when presented with an enemy he cannot defeat. He is subsequently killed in combat against Berserker, but not before killing Berserker six times and reducing his stock of lives from God Hand.

In Unlimited Blade Works, Archer is developed as an antagonistic character. Archer defects from Rin, aligning with Caster seemingly because of the highest success rate of acquiring the Holy Grail. He then betrays Caster and her master, and kills them both, revealing his intentions of defecting from Rin: Archer needed to be free from Rin's command seal, in order to accomplish his goal of killing Shirou. Archer then kidnaps Rin after Rin forms a contract with Saber, forcing a situation where Shirou faces off one on one against Archer. Archer loses the fight, but only because he does not stab Shirou as he pierces Archer through the chest, and as revealed in the next sentence, he survived that blow, and disappears until the end of the route, where he saves Rin from the Holy Grail, and eliminates a cornered and near-defeated Gilgamesh. He then disappears for good with a smile on his face, confident that Rin will stop Shirou from taking a path that he'll regret.

In Heaven's Feel, Archer abandons his wish to kill Shirou, opting to follow his duties as a Counter Guardian to eliminate 'the shadow'. During a fight with Black Saber, Assassin and 'the shadow', Archer's core is critically damaged and he is mortally wounded. Since Shirou has thrown his ideal of being a superhero away to save Sakura, Archer chooses to have Kotomine graft his left arm onto Shirou, who lost his arm protecting Ilya (subsequently following the way of the Counter Guardians, opting to sacrifice one life to save one life rather than losing both lives). Archer's final appearance in Heaven's Feel is a motivational device for Shirou, who is struggling with taking off the Shroud of Martin.