Playable Saber (Fate/Extra)

Saber is one of the three playable Servants available to the Fate/Extra Protagonist in Fate/Extra.

Identity
Saber's identity is Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the Fifth Roman Emperor. She had the reputation of a notorious tyrant whose rule was made up of schemes and poison as she oppressed all religious forces, especially Christians, and the Roman Senate during the period from 50 to 60 AD. It is believed in one theory that the Book of Revelation was written as a reaction against said oppression. She was regarded in the same light as the devil, as the assumed Hebrew pronunciation of of her name as a emperor, Caesar pronounced as "NRVN QSR", equates with the "Number of the Beast". This name and the "Beast of Babylon" refers to Rome itself and it is not an alias given to her as an individual.

Nero's father was the lewd Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, cousin of the Fourth Emperor, Claudius, and her mother, Julia Augusta Agrippina, was the younger sister of Emperor Caligula. Agrippina eventually remarried with Claudius, leading Nero down the path to becoming emperor by her own evil designs. During her youth, Nero was revered as a very competent judge who brought in several important lawsuits with her fairness and efficiency, though Claudius had forbidden her from doing so due to her young age. Nero eventually succeeded her stepfather after his death in the year 54 AD and was enthroned emperor at the age of seventeen, which would have been extremely difficult with her origins. She boasted tremendous popularity from the citizens thanks to her generous policies, and her care of diplomacy caused Britannia's popularity in Rome during later years, essentially making her the person who built the opportunity for the legend of King Arthur to be born. She was also highly praised by Persia, which lead it to being considered "the country of Nero" by Rome after her death.

She established the "Nero Festival" in 59 or 60 AD, which was an athletic conference that took after the Greek Olympics and happened once every five years. She opened three fields for music, gymnastics, and horse riding and openly participated in the events herself. During July 19, 64 AD., there was a large conflagration that occurred to the extent of reducing Rome to ashes. The victims were contained to a bare minimum thanks to Nero's swift and adequate response as an administrator, and she earned immense popularity with the citizens by thoroughly carrying out her subsequent pledges. These measures are highly praised as "effective measures that exhausted the bounds of human intellect" even by the many historians who criticize her. She was eventually driven out of her position during a revolt in 69 AD, and was forced to escape from Rome. She eventually decided to kill herself, though such an end was considered unsportsmanlike by her. She stopped herself many times, having cried about "how can such a magnificent artist disappear from this world?", before finally stabbing her own throat with a knife.

Personality
Her characteristic anecdote is that she was an administrator for the citizens. She believes herself that she was a tyrannical emperor who injured the lives of many and met an ugly end. She does not deny that is the truth of her rule, but she is not ashamed of it either. While she has regrets about her life, she feels all that matters is that she was true to herself in everything. She is not one to cave to others' assessments, but she values the opinions of the Protagonist. She claims that even a poorly regarded emperor is still an emperor, and that she will defend her Master proudly as the best of Servants. Due to her legend, others, such as Saber refer to her as the "Whore of Babylon."

She believes that her true calling was that of an artist, truly thinking that she is "an artist who rivals the god of arts Apollo" and "a chariot driver that rivals the solar deity Sol." She boasts various accomplishments, such as working with marble, metallurgy, writing poems, and singing songs. She claims she mastered it all in the name of art, but there were not many people who appreciated or understood her artistic talents. She is aware of this fact, but simply suggests that her critics were not advanced enough to understand her artistic vision. She does not like to be criticized, and will go to great lengths to protect her artistic integrity. She nearly killed her dear friend Tacitus in an outburst of rage when he criticized her literary works, and she forced the audience of her Domus Aurea to sit through her entire performance when many attempted to leave partway through. When hesitating over to commit suicide, her main concern was that she was punishing the public by having "such a magnificent artist disappear from this world." She is also proud of her other accomplishments, such as creating a legend after publicly strangling a lion with a. She would be pleased if it were surpassed by an achievement of the Protagonist, such as by the defeating a large number of rare enemies.

She praises beauty above all, stating that "Beautiful young boys are good. Beautiful young girls are better. My singular preference is beauty!" She greatly expresses a desire to fight Greek Heroic Spirits like Atalante, because of their beauty. She doesn't like to be reminded of her short stature, especially if called little or petite. She finds being addressed as "princess" to be an insult because she is a grown woman, and instead prefers to be addressed as empress by her enemies.

She comes to develop feelings for the Protagonist, and discloses her true identity to them for that reason. She does not mind if she is called a tyrant or the Whore of Babylon by them. Even if she is disliked, she will simply work hard to become worthy of the Protagonist's love and take their heart. While she claims to be able to endure the pain, she looks like a child who is trying really hard not to cry while stating it.

Role
Saber is one of the selectable Servants in Fate/Exra. She is set to appear in Fate/Extra CCC with her original costume and a new alternate costume called "Saber Bride."

Abilities
She wields a scarlet long sword called Aestus Estus: The Original Fire (原初の火(アエストゥス　エストゥス). She brings it in when summoned under the Saber Class. It seems to be a handmade weapon, and it has the following inscription carved on it: regnum caelorum et gehenna (the kingdom of heaven and hell). Even before becoming a Heroic Spirit, she had the skill and strength to grapple a lion and snap its neck with a single bare arm even with her lithe, slender body and without any protection.