Category:Noble Phantasms

A Noble Phantasm (宝具 hougu, fabulous treasure) is a weapon or an ability owned by a heroic spirit.

"Noble Phantasm" is the official English name, as given by the katakana reading of 宝具 in its encyclopedia entry.

In the legend of a hero, there is not only the man that the hero was, but the anecdotes about him, his arms and weapons: all of this is the "symbol" of his existence. Those "symbols" are the ultimate mysteries that the Servant, the embodiment of the heroic spirit, carries as a trump card. Those are the deadly weapons commonly called "Noble Phantasms". Noble Phantasms are the crystallization of the historical facts and anecdotes that made the heroic spirit famous, but that doesn't have to be a weapon; it can be a shield, a ring, a crown, but also a specific ability or a unique mean of attacking.

Sources: Fate/Zero, act 2 chapter 1 and act 2 chapter 4, and Fate/Side Material encyclopedia entry (p.71-72).

Currently, Fragarach is the only known weapon of Noble Phantasm rank still being owned by a living human (the Fraga family). This would imply that a Noble Phantasm isn't necessarily a weapon only owned by a heroic spirit, but could be a powerful Mystic Code that became legendary. The real scabbard of King Arthur, recovered by the Einzbern family and given to Kiritsugu to summon Saber, is still a Noble Phantasm. As usual in Nasuverse, the older a mystery gets, the more powerful it becomes.