Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh (ギルガメッシュ), also known as Archer (アーチャー), is the Archer-class Servant of Tokiomi Tohsaka in the Fourth Holy Grail War of Fate/Zero. He later forms a new contract with Kirei Kotomine that lasts ten years later into the time of the Fifth Holy Grail War of Fate/stay night. He has a fascination with Saber during both stories.

Identity
Gilgamesh is the great half-god, half-human king that ruled the Sumerian of, the capital city of ancient , in the years before. He was an ultimate, transcendent being so divine as to be two thirds god and one third human, and no others in the world could match him. He was a despot possessing high divinity who believed he was invincible. He is not merely a legend, and is said to have actually existed and ruled during the Sumer Dynasty five thousand years ago. He was the King of Heroes who possessed all things in the world, whose tale is recorded in mankind's oldest epic poem, the "."

Gilgamesh was originally a tyrant who did not care about his people, but his behavior slowly changed after he gained a friend considered to be an equal,. Enkidu was created by the goddess Aruru in response to the prayers of the people who suffered under Gilgamesh's oppression and tyrannical policies. He is described as a foolish and ridiculous fellow whom, despite having a body made of mud and soil, set his heart to stand shoulder to shoulder with gods. The two met as was fated, and they strongly affected each other even though Gilgamesh feared Enkidu as an enemy at first. While Enkidu was released to fight against Gilgamesh, and they met and battled as enemies, they eventually came to understand each other soon after, recognized each other as equals, and worked together to rule the country.

The two eventually defeated the, the guardian of the forest and beast of the gods. He became the greatest and richest king on Earth, who eventually acquired all the treasures of the world. Uruk became unprecedentedly prosperous, and Gilgamesh was considered so powerful that even the gods could not ignore his existence. One goddess, the goddess of fertility, even fell in love with Gilgamesh and proposed marriage to the perfect king. He rejected her immediately because he knew her to be a witch who was unfaithful, cruel, and the corruptor of all men. She became furious, feeling that he had insulted her, and went to her father, the god, to get revenge. She persuaded him to unleash the Bull of Heaven.

The unopposable beast of the gods caused seven years of starvation and destruction on the earth. Gilgamesh and Enkidu cooperated, faced the Bull of Heaven, and they successfully defeated it after Gilgamesh bound it with the Chains of Heaven. Ishtar's reputation was once again crushed, and her fury did not abate. She complained before the Gods to give death to one of the men, as it was a sin for human to kill the beast of the gods. Her wish was granted, and since he was created by the gods, Enkidu could not resist the command. Due to his hubris and disrespectful arrogance that offended the gods in heaven, he suffered divine retribution that caused him to slowly weaken to death.

Gilgamesh is unable to forget the way Enkidu passed away with tears streaming down his face. He asked Enkidu "Why are you crying? Could it be that, only now, you are regretting having taken my side?", to which Enkidu responded “Who would understand you after I die? Who else would march forward by your side? My friend… when I think that you will live on all alone henceforth, I can’t help but shed tears…” As he saw Enkidu taking his last breaths, he realized that the way the man who was human but wanted to surpass humanity had lived was even more precious and more brilliant than all the treasures he had collected. His final words to Enkidu were “You fool who stretches your hand towards realms not of men… There is only one person in heaven or earth who’s worthy of appreciating your destruction, and that is none other than I, Gilgamesh. Sink into my embrace, oh you glorious and illusionary man. That is my decision.” As Enkidu's golden majestic brilliance disappeared in the night mist, there was only an evil laughter left echoing long after.

Enkidu's death began Gilgamesh's downfall. He was shocked by the fact that death could come to even a friend who was his equal, and he was tormented by the fear of this "death." He finally traveled to the underworld in search of immorality, and obtained the miraculous elixir of immortality at the end of a long journey and many hardships. It was stolen by a snake on his way back while he was bathing. While it is said he eventually died of grief, he personally claims to Saber that immortality was nothing he needed, so he casually gave it to the snake. It is said that the snake begins its life again in a new body after shedding its skin because it stole Gilgamesh's medicine and drank it. The skin shed by the first snake in the world in ancient times was later fossilized and remained in existence for countless eons before being used as a catalyst by Tohsaka Tokiomi to summon Gilgamesh as Archer in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Appearance
Gilgamesh is a tall and dignified young man with golden hair standing up like a blazing flame. He is described as handsome with an elegant face, and his eyes, crimson like blood, are visibly not those of a human and give off a mysterious radiance that makes people wither. He has a "perfect, Golden-proportioned body" described as emanating majesty that makes flames surrounding him afraid to come close. He normally wears golden armor that makes a heavy first impression on those he encounters. While fighting at full power in Fate/hollow ataraxia, he gains a number of red tattoos on his body that are not normally present.

He is often referred to as the "golden Archer" and the "golden-sparkling Servant," and Rider generally calls him "Goldy." Rin also calls him "goldie", but it has less to do with the color of his hair and more simply due to the fact that she thinks he looks like he is living a rich and luxurious life.

He likes to wear casual clothes, "playing attire" to ward off boredom from being in spirit from, when not in battle, such as a modern match-up of a leather jacket with furs and fashionable leather pants. He looks like a regular foreigner to both Rin and Archer, and he doesn't openly give off the impression of a Servant or Master due to his body being made of flesh after the Fourth Holy Grail War.

After drinking his potion of youth, he takes the form of a young child that is referred to as Child-Gil (子ギル). He has the same blood-red eyes and golden hair that makes him stand out from others. Shirou is unable to identify him from sight, and he finds it hard to believe they're the same person even after being told.

Personality
Gilgamesh is extremely arrogant and selfish. He claims that everything in the world is his possession and he's the one and only king. He cannot acknowledge the authority of anyone, even from the gods. He's incredibly proud, especially of his collection of treasures. He views everyone as inferior and does not care for their feelings at all. After he saw enough of the modern world, he decided to cleanse it from humans since they have become weak and unworthy of his rule. On the course of the 4th Grail War he took interest in Saber and developed an obsession with her. In battle, he's prone to underestimate his opponents and views fights as a game of amusement. His gigantic ego prevents him from acknowledging his opponent as a real threat and he does not battle them seriously. As such he prefers to severely handicap himself and just mindlessly shoot his incredible number of Noble Phantasms.

After he consumes the potion of youth, he becomes a little boy. Surprisingly, the child version of Gilgamesh is well-mannered, polite and amiable, not to mention perfectly sane and rational, completely different from his extremely haughty, rude (and sometimes irrational and violent-tempered) adult counterpart. He becomes popular and an idol among children in Fuyuki, as he is seen leading a football team with amazing leadership. In his child form, he not only retains his memory but his royal and divine charisma as well. He remembers Shirou and greets him politely. Shirou initially wonders whether he is Gilgamesh's younger brother before being corrected, though child Gilgamesh wished he had brothers and sisters. He also expresses his uneasiness of how he grows up becoming someone so unpleasant, referring to his adult alter ego's personality. He also approves of Shirou's relationship with Saber and states that Saber is not suitable for someone of his age. Seeing him with the children, Shirou wonders how Gilgamesh will eventually grow up to become someone so unpleasant.

He retains his boy alter ego and amiable personality even when he reverts back to an adult, as he is seen fishing with several of his children companion (dubbed Gil's Brigade) at Fuyuki Dock, along with Archer and Lancer. He is also less arrogant than usual, showing that his personality has improved greatly somehow, even though he is boasting of his superior quality fishing rods compared to Lancer's and Archer's own. He is apparently also a fan of Weekly Jump, telling one of the boys that he can read it after Gilgamesh is finished.

Gilgamesh had an extremely close relationship with Enkidu. He responds to Rider's request to join him as an ally by saying "It is unfortunate, but I do not require a second friend. Past and future, my companion will only be one."

Given the pleasant personality child Gilgamesh have and is totally different from his adult counterpart, it is likely that Gilgamesh was a better person when he was still a little boy. How he grew up to become someone extremely unpleasant and haughty remains a mystery.

Development
When selecting heroes for Fate/stay night, Gilgamesh was chosen as the oldest and most obscure hero that Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi could find in contrast to the well renowned Heracles. While there were other candidates, they liked his strong sounding name and myth. The overall concept of the character was changed very little since his initial conception.

Fate/Zero
Gilgamesh is summoned by Tokiomi Tohsaka in the Fourth Holy Grail War. While the relic used as the catalyst looked like the broken fragment of a mummy, it was actually claimed to be the fossil of the first skin ever shed by a snake. He immediately takes notice of both Saber and Rider due to their status as kings. As they exchange their philosophies on ruling as monarchs, he develops a fascination for Saber due to her flawed ideals and the chance to see them crush her in despair. He feels Rider is a suitable opponent after witnessing Ionioi Hetairoi, and exclaims that he will be the one to kill him.

He eventually begins to take an interest in the actions taken by Kirei Kotomine, Tokiomi's disciple, because of the conflicts in his heart. He has begun to find Tokiomi boring and uninteresting to view, so he attempts to guide Kirei into finding true pleasure in his otherwise empty life. He suggests that Kirei should determine the backgrounds and the motivations of the other Masters and Servants as to why they wish to obtain the Holy Grail. As Kirei takes an interest in Kariya Matou, he convinces him to learn about him specifically

In the culmination of these events, Kirei reveals that Tokiomi will use a Command Spell to force Gilgamesh to commit suicide to gain the Holy Grail and proposes that he should form a new contract. Gilgamesh allows him to murder his former mentor and forms a contract with Kirei afterward. He continues to observe Kirei's movements with interest, and finally has his duel with Rider that ends in Rider's defeat. In a moment of respect, he spares Waver Velvet after the fight because he no longer has any claims as a Master, only proclaims that he is Rider's follower, and says that as his king told him to live, he cannot seek revenge only to die.

During the final confrontation with Saber, he proposes that she becomes his wife while she lays defeated in front of him. Their battle is interrupted by Kiritsugu Emiya ordering Saber to destroy the Holy Grail. Due to his proximity, Gilgamesh is caught off guard and becomes drenched by the pollution that spills from the Holy Grail. He obtains a physical body, and because he has been incarnated into the world, he decides that it is time to once again unite the world under his rule. He continues to follow Kotomine after the war is over, and Kotomine provides him with energy drained from children orphaned by the fire to sustain himself. He decides to wait for the next Holy Grail War to cleanse humanity, so he retrieves a potion of temporary youth from his vault that reduces his physical age and allows him to smoothly blend in with society for ten years.

Fate/Stay Night
Gilgamesh is one of the antagonists in each scenario of Fate/stay night. He first appears before the start of the Fifth Holy Grail War around Sakura's house. He identifies her as “the other Grail” and comes to tell her “Go die right now.” It is just a suggestion rather than a command, as he believes that the matter will develop into some sort of entertainment regardless of the situation. When asked about the encounter, Sakura just claims that he was asking for directions and that “It was English” in order to hide the truth.

Fate
In Fate, he kills Caster as she assaults Shirou's residence, and later ambushes Shirō and Saber during their date. After that, he kills Lancer. Ultimately, he is killed in a climatic battle with Saber at the Ryuudouji Temple atop Mount Enzō.

Unlimited Blade Works
Gilgamesh is more active in Unlimited Blade Works, and reprises his role as the final antagonist; He is "lent" to Shinji Matou after Shinji's Servant, Rider, is killed by Sōichirō Kuzuki and later easily killed Ilya and Berserker. Gilgamesh attempts to use Shinji as the core of the Holy Grail, but he is killed by Archer after being cornered by Shirō.

Heaven's Feel
Gilgamesh has a small role in Heaven's Feel scenario, where he lacerates Dark Sakura with Gate of Babylon. However, he underestimates her regenerative abilities and is devoured by her shadows.

Fate/Hollow Ataraxia
In Fate/hollow ataraxia, Gilgamesh once again consumes his potion of youth, and holds a low-profile in Fuyuki City to avoid interacting with previous Servants or Masters. As a child, he is extremely popular with other children, retaining his royal charisma but also affable and amiable. When Shirou reunited with this younger Gilgamesh, Shirou did not recognize him and was dumbfounded as to how Gilgamesh would eventually grow into such a haughty and selfish person. It is possible that Gilgamesh is a better person when he is still a child, or the potion he consume to revert to child affects his personality as well as his age. Furthermore, he still remembers the events in Fate/Stay Night as he recognizes Shirou and greets him politely. He is also aware of his adult alter ego and wonders why he grows up becoming someone so unpleasant. During the Fuyuki eclipse, he reverts to his adult form and assists the other Servants in slaying the endless horde of Shadow Wolf Beasts, providing the opportunity for Avenger to make his way to Heaven's Feel. He also seems to retain his pleasant personality even after he turns back as adult as he is seen fishing at Fuyuki Dock with several children, with golden fishing rods that his children companions think very cool albeit being slightly silly-looking.

Other
Fate/strange fake and Fate/Extra CCC feature other incarnations of Gilgamesh separate from the version summoned during the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars. Archer of strange fake is the Servant of Teene Cherke, and Gilgamesh in Fate/Extra CCC is one of the four selectable Servants summoned by the Protagonist along with Saber, Caster, and Archer. Fate/Prototype features Archer, an alternate version of Gilgamesh that lacks his kingly disposition. In Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya, Gilgamesh is 8th servant as well as the 2nd archer. Unlike his Fate/stay night counterpart, who is extremely stingy when using either Gate of Babylon or Ea, Gilgamesh does not hesitate to utilize either of them at maximum output.

Abilities
Gilgamesh is placed into the Archer class because of his main Noble Phantasm, Gate of Babylon. It grants him access to all of the world's treasures that he collected during his life, which include prototypes of other heroes' Noble Phantasms, and he can launch them as the strongest arrows towards his opponents. While he may sometimes choose to wield them as regular weapons, he mainly fights by raining down an infinite amount of weapons on his opponents. The most trusted Noble Phantasms contained within include Enkidu and Ea. While he has numerous Noble Phantasms, none are indicative of his true identity, and the only person through both Holy Grail Wars to figure out his identity without being told is Rider. His compatibility against Heroic Spirits is great due to the versatility of his weapons. He can be called the "Servant Destroyer" because they are no match for him. He is undoubtedly the strongest Servant.

He is rarely serious while fighting, describing his going all out in hollow ataraxia as a once in a lifetime whim, and it is said he could have ended the Fourth Holy Grail War in a single night if he wished. He is extremely perceptive of magecraft, allowing him to see through Caster's fake death and tell the exact number of spells a magus is preparing just by looking at them. He is able to predict the exact number of Projections prepared by Shirou, and asks what kind of hero he would be if he could not see through a magus. He is also capable of accurately assessing his opponents' abilities. He would not even consider having a battle of swordsmanship with Assassin, and while he plays around with a weakened Saber in Fate, he immediately backs off from her to avoid hand-to-hand combat during Unlimited Blade Works after she receives a boost in power from her contract with Rin.

He normally wears golden armor materialized from magical energy much like Saber's armor. It is extremely strong to the point that Shirou initially assumes that it is his main Noble Phantasm. It has a strong innate Magic Resistance, and it is durable enough to block Tsubame Gaeshi and numerous strong blows from Invisible Air simply by protecting his head with his hands. While it is completely free from damage after Saber's attacks, he claims it is at its limit and that any more would be bad even if his armor doesn't give out to attacks often. Shirou believes she would have been able to slash through it if she were to relaunch her barrage of attacks.

Servants are normally corrupted and blackened upon contact with the incarnation of All the World's Evil from the Holy Grail, but Gilgamesh is unable to be controlled or blackened due to his powerful ego that can stave back the mental pollution. He claims that someone would need at least three times that amount to even think about affecting him. The only change is that the saturation converts his spiritual body to one of flesh and blood. During Heaven's Feel after being devoured by Sakura, she quickly converted him to mana in haste because she was afraid he might tear her up from the inside if she does not digest him.