Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works
Seven mages, seven legendary heroes, one wish granting Grail.
Last updated: 10 November 2026
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is ufotable's adaptation of the second route of Type-Moon's Fate/stay night visual novel. It runs for 26 episodes counting the double length prologue, Episode 0, split across two cours in Fall 2014 and Spring 2015. The story follows Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka through the Fifth Holy Grail War, a battle between seven mages and their summoned heroes, with action scenes that set a new standard for TV anime.
About Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is ufotable's 2014 adaptation of the Rin Tohsaka route of Type-Moon's classic visual novel. Shirou Emiya, a kind hearted amateur mage, is dragged into the Fifth Holy Grail War and paired with the knight Saber, while top student Rin fights beside him with the mysterious Archer. Across 26 episodes the war peels back the pair's ideals, as Shirou's dream of saving everyone collides with Archer's bitter experience of where that dream can end.
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is a TV anime from 2014, first released in Fall 2014. It belongs to the Action and Fantasy and Supernatural genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.
Story & Plot
Ten years before the story, the Fourth Holy Grail War ended in fire that swallowed a whole district of Fuyuki City. The mage Kiritsugu Emiya pulled one boy out of the ruins, Shirou, and raised him as his son. Shirou grew up chasing Kiritsugu's dream of becoming a hero of justice, even though his own magic talent is nearly useless and his habit of helping everyone worries everyone around him.
The Fifth Holy Grail War starts early. Shirou witnesses two Servants fighting at school, is killed for it, saved by classmate Rin Tohsaka, and then attacked again at home, where he accidentally summons Saber, the strongest class of Servant, in his shed. With a target on his back and Command Spells on his hand, Shirou enters the war as its least prepared Master, while Rin and her Archer become his uneasy allies and teachers.
The middle of the series turns on betrayal. Alliances break, a Servant changes sides, and the war spills from school grounds into open destruction as an eighth, impossibly strong figure from the previous war steps in. Shirou keeps throwing himself in front of blades to protect others, and nobody pushes back against his selfless streak harder than Archer, whose bitterness about heroism feels oddly personal.
The finale is built around Archer's true identity and the question the whole route asks: is a borrowed dream of saving everyone still worth living for, even knowing it can end in regret? Shirou's answer, fought out inside his own reality marble, the Unlimited Blade Works, gives the series its name and its lasting punch, and the route closes with the war ended and its survivors choosing ordinary life in London's mage world.
Story Arcs & Episode Guide
The Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.
| Arc | Episodes | Years | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Episode 0 | 2014 | A double length episode told from Rin's side: her morning, her summoning of Archer and the first night of the war. |
| First Cour: The War Begins | Episodes 1-12 | 2014 | Shirou summons Saber, allies with Rin, and the pair clash with Berserker, Caster and the threat inside their own school. |
| Second Cour: Answer | Episodes 13-25 | 2015 | Betrayals split the alliance, Archer's plan comes into the open and the war ends with Shirou facing his future self. |
| Sunny Day | OVA special | 2015 | A short alternate ending released on home video, in which Saber remains in the world after the war. |
Why Watch Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works
- ufotable's film level action and lighting in a TV series
- A complete route told properly, with the prologue included
- Archer and Shirou's clash works as the story's emotional core
- Aimer's Brave Shine and Kalafina's endings give the second cour real weight
- The ideal entry point into the wider Fate franchise
Who Is It For?
For teens and up. Mage battles get bloody, Servants and bystanders die, and the story deals with war, guilt and self destructive ideals. Too intense for young children.
Main Characters
View all characters →Voice Actors
The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works.
- Shirou EmiyaShirou EmiyaJapanese voiceNoriaki Sugiyama
- Rin TohsakaRin TohsakaJapanese voiceKana Ueda
- SaberSaberJapanese voiceAyako Kawasumi
- ArcherArcherJapanese voiceJunichi Suwabe
- Sakura MatouSakura MatouJapanese voiceNoriko Shitaya
- Kirei KotomineKirei KotomineJapanese voiceJoji Nakata
Staff & Production
- Original Work
- Type-Moon (Kinoko Nasu, Takashi Takeuchi)
- Director
- Takahiro Miura
- Character Design
- Tomonori Sudo, Hisayuki Tabata, Atsushi Ikariya
- Music
- Hideyuki Fukasawa
- Animation Studio
- ufotable
Manga & Source Material
Unlimited Blade Works adapts the second route of Type-Moon's 2004 visual novel Fate/stay night, written by Kinoko Nasu and illustrated by Takashi Takeuchi. ufotable had already made the prequel Fate/Zero, and brought the same film style craft to this route.
- The Fate/stay night visual novel was released by Type-Moon in 2004, written by Kinoko Nasu with art by Takashi Takeuchi.
- The novel has three routes, Fate, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel, which retell the same war with different leads and outcomes.
- Unlimited Blade Works is the second route and centres on Rin Tohsaka and Archer.
- Fate/Zero, the prequel about the previous war, started as light novels by Gen Urobuchi.
- Studio Deen adapted the novel first in 2006, mainly following the Fate route.
Music
Hideyuki Fukasawa's score mixes orchestra, choir and electronics for the Servant battles. Aimer's insert song Last Stardust, used in episode 20, is a fan favourite moment in the second cour.
Opening Themes
- “ideal white”by Mashiro AyanoOpening for the first cour (2014).
- “Brave Shine”by AimerOpening for the second cour (2015), and one of the most loved themes in the franchise.
Ending Themes
- “Believe”by KalafinaFirst ending theme (first cour).
- “Ring Your Bell”by KalafinaSecond ending theme (second cour).
Series Timeline
- 2004
Type-Moon releases the Fate/stay night visual novel in Japan.
- 2006
Studio Deen's TV series adapts mainly the Fate route.
- 2011-2012
ufotable's Fate/Zero adapts the prequel novels about the Fourth War.
- 2014-2015
Unlimited Blade Works airs in two cours, starting with the Episode 0 prologue.
- 2017-2020
The Heaven's Feel film trilogy adapts the novel's third route.
Release Schedule
- Episode 0 (prologue)
- 4 October 2014
- Final episode
- 27 June 2015
- Episodes
- 26 including Episode 0 (25 numbered episodes)
- Extra
- Sunny Day alternate ending special (2015)
- Streaming
- Crunchyroll and Hulu (regions vary)
The series and its route are complete. Details as of 10 November 2026.
Quick Answers
Is Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works finished?
Yes. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works has finished airing, so you can watch the complete story from start to end without waiting for new episodes.
What genre is Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works?
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is a Action and Fantasy and Supernatural anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Action anime page.
When did Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works release?
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works first released in Fall 2014. It is a TV series.
Where should I start with the Fate series?
Unlimited Blade Works is the best starting point: it is a complete, modern adaptation of one full route. After it, watch the Heaven's Feel films, then Fate/Zero, which is a prequel that spoils later reveals if seen first.
How many episodes does Unlimited Blade Works have?
26 episodes in total if you count Episode 0, the double length prologue. The numbered run is episodes 1-25, split into two cours in 2014 and 2015, plus the Sunny Day alternate ending special.
Do I need to watch Episode 0?
Yes. Episode 0 shows the war's first days from Rin Tohsaka's point of view and introduces Archer properly. Episode 1 retells the same days from Shirou's side, so the pair belong together.
How is Unlimited Blade Works different from Heaven's Feel?
They adapt two different routes of the same visual novel, so the same war plays out differently. UBW centres on Rin and Archer, while Heaven's Feel centres on Sakura and is much darker.
Where can I watch Unlimited Blade Works?
Crunchyroll streams the full series, and Hulu also carries it in the US.
Watch Order
Here is the release order for Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works and the series connected to it. Start at step 1 and work your way down.
- 1Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014-2015)Watch first: the complete Unlimited Blade Works route, starting with the Episode 0 prologue.
- 2Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel films (2017-2020)The third route of the novel, focused on Sakura. Watch after UBW; it assumes you know the war's basics.
- 3Fate/Zero (2011-2012)The prequel about Kiritsugu and the Fourth War. Watch third: it spoils reveals from the main routes if seen first.
- 4Studio Deen's Fate/stay night (2006)Optional. The older adaptation of the Fate route, simpler and rougher than ufotable's work but still the only full version of Saber's route.
- 5Unlimited Blade Works film (2010)Optional curiosity. A compressed film retelling of UBW, fully replaced by the TV series.
Where to Watch
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is officially available to stream on these platforms:
Streaming availability changes often and differs by country. Please check the platform in your region.