Hansa Cervantes (ハンザ・セルバンテス, Hanza Serubantesu?) is an Executor of the Holy Church and the unofficial overseer of the True and False Holy Grail Wars of Fate/strange Fake.
Profile[]
Background[]
Twenty years before the False Holy Grail War, Hansa was from a small village in the mountainous region of Spain, but his hometown was destroyed by a Dead Apostle. It left the orphan boy surviving in the wilderness of the mountains. Hansa was eventually saved by Dilo and was later adopted by Dilo's acquaintance Delmio Cervantes. Delmio trained him with martial arts and Hansa decided to pursue the path of an Executor. He is a member of the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament. He was sent to Snowfield by the Holy Church as a moderator for the False Holy Grail War.[2] On paper, he is registered as an ordinary priest rather than an Executor, but he makes little effort to conceal his true nature from magi.[3]
Appearance[]
Hansa is a man of Spanish ethnicity, and appears to be in his mid-thirties. He has a striking figure, shoulder-length wavy black hair, a prominent mole under his left eye, and a flashy, distinctive eyepatch covering his right eye. The look of fearless determination in his uncovered eye gives him the appearance of a passionate film actor. Like most Executors, he typically wears an ordinary priest's cassock with a cross around his neck, and on occasion a black long-coat on top.
His clothing masks the fact that most of his body has been replaced with highly advanced, partially magical cybernetics. The exposed flesh of his hands is normally indistinguishable from the skin of an ordinary human, but when both his sleeve and the flesh covering are torn away, his cybernetic arm is shown to have a design similar to a suit of armor, though the plating is shed when he uses the arm's ability to extend itself. His right eye, concealed by the eyepatch, is in fact an artificial Mystic Eye encased in crystal.
Personality[]
While Hansa has a sociable personality, he has a bad habit of being distracted when fiddling with his cell phone, especially during times of an important colloquy; this does not seem to hamper Hansa's physical capabilities as he easily blocked a sudden attack from a fellow priest while doing so. He is a friendly and carefree man who doesn't take dangerous situations seriously and does what he wants to, frequently making snide remarks towards both his enemies and his superiors, even sarcastically mocking one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors over the phone when given the chance. He often appears totally unfazed by what is going on around him, simply lounging at the police department's reception desk and drinking coffee during the battle between Clan Calatin and False Assassin. His lax appearance does not mean he is unconcerned with his duties as an Executor, however, as he is quick to act in situations where civilians may be in danger from something such as a vampire. He is also easily angered by comments he views as absolute insults to himself and the Church; in particular having a great respect for the Burial Agency and its members, who he considers to be like a cataclysm that walks in the Lord's shadow executing the very works of God. As he is one who merely stands in the realm of mankind, he is highly offended by being compared to them.[2]
Hansa has a remarkably tolerant attitude towards the enemies of the Church, a trait which is highly unusual for an agent of the organization. While his family and village were slaughtered by Dead Apostles, he does not bear any desire for revenge or even hatred for their kind, and would overlook a Dead Apostle that suppressed their urges and did not feed on humans. He does not work as an Executor out of his religious devotion, and seems to judge individuals entirely on a case-by-case basis, claiming he sought to eliminate Jester Karture simply because he “acts and talks like a bad guy”. He has been told by others within the Church that this lack of enmity towards vampires makes him unfit to be an Executor, but does not appear to care.[2] Similarly, he is far more friendly with mages like Flat Escardos than his colleagues in the organization, even going as far as to half-jokingly encourage Flat to defect to the Church. These unusual attitudes of his are described by one of his subordinates in the Quartet as a result of him being "like a kid deep down”.[4] His more empathetic and less pragmatic approach to things is a result of Dilo’s influence on him, and he the bishop is among the three people he considers his parents, alongside his biological mother and his adoptive father Delmio.[5]
Hansa is fond of eating hot peppers, a taste in spicy food he shares with other members of the Holy Church such as Kirei Kotomine and Ciel.[6]
Role[]
Fate/strange Fake[]
Hansa is stationed at a chapel on top of a casino in Las Vegas with his adoptive father Delmio Cervantes when he is called on by the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament to mediate the Holy Grail War in Snowfield. He pays little attention to the information Delmio tries to provide him about his mission, being too focused on his cell phone and flippantly talking back to him when his father reprimands his inattentiveness. As he departs, calling the Quartet to accompany him on his mission, Delmio tests Hansa’s reflexes by launching a coin at the speed of a bullet at the back of his head. He catches the coin then launches it back at his father at the same speed, assuring him that his skills have not deteriorated and encouraging the elderly priest to get some “action” himself.[7]
Day 1[]
Hansa appears in a casino, where False Archer and his Master, Tine Chelc, are also staying. Hansa is able to see the hidden Tine and wins a couple of chips by guessing the same number. Archer is somewhat annoyed by him, but lets him go, with Hansa telling him that he is the overseer of the War and needs some of his luck for the upcoming challenge. Hansa then leaves the casino, along with four other women, intending to meet one of the masterminds behind the "joke of a war".
Hansa arrives to the police station, where he meets Orlando Reeve, the Master of False Caster and the leader of a police force named Clan Calatin. Hansa chats with him for a bit, announcing his position as the overseer appointed by the Church. Orlando, however, is far less friendly with Hansa, refusing to accept him as the overseer and even threatening to arrest him. Before Orlando and his men can do anything though, False Assassin appears in the building, looking for Saber, who has been taken captive by the police. Orlando and Clan Calatin then engage Assassin, all using Noble Phantasm imitations against the Servant, while Hansa simply watches and drinks coffee. Clan Calatin fares surprisingly well against Assassin, but their battle is stopped by Assassin's Master, Jester Karture, a Dead Apostle who Assassin refuses to accept as a Master. Jester sends Assassin away with a Command Spell and engages Clan Calatin himself. The previously competent officers are now, however, unable to even damage Jester, as their weapons can't wound him due to his nature as a Dead Apostle. Seeing their dire situation, Hansa now intervenes, teasing Jester, who in turn throws a sofa towards Hansa. Hansa easily kicks he sofa away and then smashes Jester into the wall.[8] Jester survives the blow, but is surprised by Hansa's unnatural physical strength and speed. Hansa and Jester then fight, their battle eventually moving outside. Despite Jester's inhuman physical and magical abilities, Hansa is capable of quite easily matching him. Jester even speculates that Hansa might be a member of the Church's infamous Burial Agency, their elite group. Hansa, however, is insulted by Jester even comparing him to the Burial Agency, whose power far exceeds his own, finally taking the fight seriously. Hansa uses his cybernetic enhancements to launch a rocket at Jester, that blows him into pieces. This destroys one of Jester's hearts, but he survives thanks to his three other hearts, taking on the appearance of a boy and escaping. Hansa is annoyed by not being able to catch him and soon leaves the scene. The whole battle between Hansa and Jester had been concealed by the four women serving as Hansa's assistants, who are also members of the Church.[2]
Day 2[]
Hansa takes residence in the local church, along with his assistants. He later meets with Flat Escardos, the Master of False Berserker. Despite being members of opposing sides, Flat being a student of Clock Tower and Hansa being an Executor of the Church, they get along well, with Hansa even offering Flat a place in the Church, if he ever gets tired of magecraft.[4]
When Saber prepares to travel to a battle between True Archer and False Berserker, he tells his Master Ayaka Sajyou to go to the church where she will be safe.[4] When she arrives, Hansa tells her Masters who still have Servants are not allowed to use the church for sanctuary. She denies she is a Master, but he can sense the connection between her and Saber. Despite his misgivings, he decides to let her stay.[9]
When Saber battles False Archer, Hansa asks Ayaka what is she, since she is somehow providing Saber with more magical energy than even a first rate magus. Ayaka, who has no knowledge of magecraft, says she cannot understand what he is saying. When False Archer impales Saber several times and slams him through the church's roof, Hansa pulls Ayaka out of the way of falling debris. Later, a wave of blackness washes over the street. When it passes, Hansa and all the other combatants have vanished, to the shock of those observing.[10]
Abilities[]
Around seventy percent of Hansa’s body has been replaced with cybernetic “consecrated gadgets” that both greatly enhance his physical abilities, and have various specialized functions. Hansa refers to his body as a product of the Church having the “apex in technology and Mystery”, indicating they are technological Mystic Codes similar to but more advanced than the puppet prosthetics often used by magi. Upon observing Hansa's body, False Archer is surprised that its nature has not yet caused him to be "reduced to a tool of his God”.[2] Among his cybernetic equipment includes an arm that can stretch up to three meters in length and contains a grenade launcher that shoots warheads infused with holy water, a consecrated chainsaw in one of his legs, and drill which he conceals the exact location of. These cybernetic alterations affect the flow of his body's magical energy such that a trained magus such as Flat Escardos can pick up on their presence at a glance.[4] Other tools hidden within his mechanical body are implements from his legs or feet that allow him to run up a vertical surface such as the exterior of a building with ease, leaving marks in the surface where they penetrate it, and a hidden blade with similar magical properties to a Black Key in the same arm he keeps the grenade launcher.[2] At least some of his teeth, in particular his molars, have been fitted with an unspecified variety of "consecrated tools" that, among other things, aid him in eating his beloved hot peppers.[6]
Hansa’s eyepatch conceals an extremely advanced artificial Mystic Eye made from a combination of multiple biological, mechanical, and electronic Mystic Codes inside an enchanted crystal. While the full capabilities of this Mystic Eye are not clear, some of its functions include enhanced vision dozens of times more precise than an ordinary human eye, as well as detecting signatures of magical energy and as a vector for farseeing magecraft that homes in on a target’s space.[11] His hearing is also greatly enhanced, being able to audibly perceive False Assassin’s ultrasonic "song" that ordinary humans cannot hear.[8]
As a result of both his cybernetic enhancements and martial arts training, Hansa's fighting abilities are far beyond even what most Executors are capable of, causing Jester to mistake him for a member of the Burial Agency during the fight between the two. He has incredible reflexes, being able to effortlessly catch a casino coin launched at the back of his head at the speed of a bullet, then launch it back at the man who threw it at the same speed.[7] He is skilled in the use of Black Keys, using them both as slashing weapons held in a claw-like pattern between his fingers, and as thrown projectiles. He can swing the Black Keys at speeds imperceptible to human sight, reducing the massive chunks of rubble thrown at him by Jester into dust in less than a second by slashing them apart. He moves fast enough to easily dodge bullets, evading a hail of bullets fired from a submachine gun and even batting some out of the air with his hand mid-flight. His strength is similarly exceptional, easily matching Jester in hand-to-hand combat and being able to stop a car thrown at him at the speed of a baseball with his leg thanks to mystic-mechanical springs built into his lower body. Even as a child, before becoming an Executor or receiving his cybernetic enhancements, Hansa had impressive reflexes, being able to easily grab a coin launched by Delmio with enough force to penetrate wood.[2]
During the battle between Saber and False Archer on the roof of his church, Hansa was able to strengthen the Bounded Field protecting the building enough to resist any collateral damage for most of the duration of the fight, indicating he has some talent with Magecraft.[10] Despite this, he doesn’t appear to possess Magic Circuits, as he was unaffected by the effects of False Assassin's "song".[8] Compared to a magus, however, he is relatively uneducated in some theoretical aspects of magecraft.[5]
Development[]
Creation and Concept[]
Narita was somewhat wary about making Hansa into a cyborg, but decided it was alright, as the Church had the best technology in the world.[12]
References[]
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 6 - Chapter 17: Day 3, Morning "Breaking Dawn and Wakeless Dreams II"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Fate/strange Fake Volume 2 - Chapter 4: Day 1, Before Dawn "A Battle Without Heroic Spirits"
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 5 - Chapter 16: “Breaking Dawn and Wakeless Dreams I“
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Fate/strange Fake Volume 4 - Chapter 13: Day 2, Night "At Last, a Second, and a Third..."
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fate/strange Fake Volume 7 - Chapter 23: The Age of Gods and the Modern Age <Daybreak>
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fate/strange Fake Volume 3 - Chapter 9: Day 1, Evening "A Horse Yet Pale: Mud Yet Firm"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fate/strange Fake Volume 1 - Prologue VII: “Visitor & ●●●●"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Fate/strange Fake Volume 2 - Chapter 3: Day 1, Early Dawn "Ensemble Versus Illusion"
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 5 - Chapter 14: "Gold and Lions I"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Fate/strange Fake Volume 5 - Chapter 15: "Gold and Lions II"
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 6 - Chapter 18: “As Dream and Reality are Both Illusion I”
- ↑ Fate/strange Fake Volume 2 - Afterword