Top 10 Best Fate/Apocrypha Characters

Ah, 2017. The Year of Fate. As TV Tropes best explains, it was packed with exciting developments for Fate fans. The first installment of the Heaven's Feel movie series, which adapts the titular route from the Fate/stay night visual novel, was announced. Alongside this, Part II of the Fate/Grand Order mobile game, now officially titled Cosmos in the Lostbelt, was released, with the game finally becoming available in the US.

That year also saw the launch of Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, anime adaptations of Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Extra, and Fate/Apocrypha, as well as the release of the anime movie Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya: Oath Under Snow. Truly, 2017 was a fantastic time to be a Fate fan.

Setting aside my personal opinions on the Fate/Apocrypha anime itself, I thought it would be nice to create a few lists dedicated to it, especially now that it has completed its run. The series concluded with its final episode airing on December 30, 2017.

Without further ado, here is the list of the best Fate/Apocrypha characters. Feel free to vote and contribute to this list!
The Top Ten
Mordred (Saber of Red)

Mordred is best girl. I'd probably say Mordred is one of my favorite Servants in the entire adaptation. Particularly, her tomboyish personality is what makes me catch on to her.

This incarnation of Mordred is one tough cookie. Being able to take things head-on without hesitance, the Knight of Treachery is able to accomplish many feats throughout the anime. Whether it be surviving Frankenstein's self-destructive Blasted Tree or, with the help of Sisigou, dealing a major blow to Semiramis before her death.

In addition, her character dynamic with Sisigou is probably the most interesting one of them all with their mutual confident man-to-man relationship. Not to mention her past with Artoria is delved into occasionally at key moments in the anime. It would have been nice to see more of Mordred's past, but for what Mordred brings to the table, she's easily not only one of my favorite Fate/Apocrypha characters but also one of my favorite characters in the Fate series.

Karna (Lancer of Red)

Put simply, Karna is truly a strong, heroic, and honorable Servant. For someone capable of taking on Gilgamesh of all people and someone who still wishes to save his Master even though his contract was broken, all these traits make Karna an admirable Hindu deity.

Every moment of him on screen was just enjoyable to watch. Him duking it out with Siegfried, taking on Vlad III himself, and of course, let's not forget his Noble Phantasm Vasavi Shakti. Granted, the animation botched up the NP release a bit, but nonetheless, it was a spectacular sight to see. Overall, a wonderful Servant not only in Apocrypha, but also the whole Fate series.

Astolfo (Rider of Black)

Whenever the term "trap" springs up in anime fandom, expect this "Dude Looks Like a Lady" guy to frequently pop up. While not without hype backlash with all his recent popularity (and now, his recently announced inclusion as a playable character in Fate/Extella Link), Astolfo is arguably one of the most notable Servants from the Black Faction.

From my personal perspective, his energetic and bubbly personality along with his interactions with Sieg made him quite endearing as a character in the long term. As expected from a person like Astolfo, he really cared for Sieg and went out of his way to save his life.

Plus, you have to feel sorry for the guy considering his Master Celenike is a complete monster who sees Servants as nothing but toys to abuse for her own sadistic pleasure. It makes me glad Sieg became his new Master.

Jeanne d'Arc (Ruler) Jeanne d'Arc is a Ruler-class Servant from the Fate series. She is the Ruler-class Servant of the Great Holy Grail War in Fate/Apocrypha. She is also one of the Servants of the Protagonist of the Grand Order conflicts of Fate/Grand Order.

Remember that cameo Jeanne d'Arc made near Gilles de Rais's death in Fate/Zero? Well, the days of Jeanne finally getting her own anime have been fulfilled. However, it appears opinions are rather divisive on Jeanne d'Arc and Sieg as a couple. Regardless, I still liked Ruler for what she was as a character.

As expected for the Holy Maid of Orleans, Apocrypha has Jeanne d'Arc serving as the Ruler of the Great Holy Grail War by hosting the body of a young French girl named Laeticia (it's complicated stuff, but nothing creepy, I assure you). Fate's latest animated Saberface tosses herself into quite a few scenarios: her growing love for the homunculus Sieg (and arguably the love triangle between them and Astolfo), defining herself as what does and does not make her a Saint, and her vital role in the Great Holy Grail War to find the disturbance plaguing it.

What I liked most about Jeanne was her selflessness, but most importantly, how she used that selflessness. From keeping a promise to the late Siegfried to doing what was right to alleviate the collective spirits of Jack the Ripper, it's no wonder many can still consider her a saint, even if she acknowledges that her actions were not without sacrifice.

Achilles (Rider of Red)

By far the best boy of Apocrypha, and the best servant as well. Achilles really saved the series for me. After the first arc, I was going to drop the series, but I kept watching because I wanted to finish it after watching about half of it already. I legitimately enjoyed the second arc, which was a huge improvement over the first, but what really made the series for me was the third. And the best servant of those few episodes was by far Achilles.

Achilles was the MVP of the last arc of Apocrypha and the unsung hero of the series. His relationships with some of the characters and his actions changed the outcome of the arc exponentially. His story with Chiron and Atalanta was really enjoyable and unique compared to the rest of the story. Achilles felt like a splash of color in a series that was otherwise bland and grey. He's fun, carefree, and boisterous but still kind. He really does have the best moments in the show (and the best fight), making him, to me, the best character in Fate/Apocrypha.

Kairi Sisigou (Master of Saber of Red)

I wouldn't have loved Mordred as much as I do now (though I still love her a lot on her own merit) if it wasn't for her relationship with Sisigou. While most main character Master-Servant relationships with opposite genders usually turn into romances, Mordred and Sisigou subvert that to an extent.

With both of their levels of confidence and determination, Sisigou and Mordred have a character dynamic equivalent to that of a bromance, if you ask me. Plus, Sisigou's appearance, voice, action, and strategies just scream all sorts of badass for a necromancer like him. It also helps that he has an extra layer of character in that his true wish for the Holy Grail is to bring back his adopted daughter.

All in all, Sisigou is quite possibly my favorite Master from Fate/Apocrypha. It's no wonder many people wished he and Mordred were the main protagonists of Fate/Apocrypha instead of being shafted as tritagonists.

Atalanta (Archer of Red)

Ah, the calm and collected Greek female hunter Atalanta. While the anime doesn't delve into her more interesting motivations like challenging suitors to a foot race to the death or joining the Argonauts, it does use her backstory of being abandoned as a baby and being raised by Artemis (it's Fate, so don't expect this to be 100% historically accurate). This gives us her likable and understandable motivation for wishing all children in the world to be loved.

This motivation defines her character and how she impacts the later parts of the story, especially when Jeanne d'Arc exorcises Jack the Ripper and Atalanta begins her descent into darkness due to her wanting to save Jack rather than exorcise her.

In addition, her sibling-like relationship with Achilles is described as close and tight even for two Servants not related by blood.

Frankenstein (Berserker of Black)

It shouldn't be a surprise if you're a longtime Fate fan that characters like Fran tend to be gender-flipped. But aside from that, there were a few things that I liked about her. First and foremost, her relationship with Caules was truly one of the more interesting character relationships that I wished could have lasted longer. Caules treated Fran like no other person had by treating her as a person rather than a monster, giving Apocrypha some adaptation expansion compared to the light novel.

In addition, her twisted past upon Victor Frankenstein creating her was nonetheless tragic, made even more so when she fell under Shakespeare's illusion and was reminded of her dark past with her maker. But her defining moment of awesome would arguably have to be when she pulled a final gambit on Mordred by trying to take her down with her self-destructive Noble Phantasm, Blasted Tree. Trust me, her NP's activation comes in handy very well in the later parts of the second cour.

William Shakespeare (Caster of Red)

Wow, who ever knew Shakespeare could have as much of an awesome ego as this Caster of Red incarnation of him? Seriously, every moment he comes on screen is just fun to watch, what with his large ham and booming baritone given by Tetsu Inada.

Blushing while proudly claiming he won't fight but write, being capable of creating illusions based on one's memories, and even going as far as to break the fourth wall for an episode preview. This guy's flamboyance is something to cherish every time he comes on screen! For someone of bronze rarity in FGO, he sure puts on a strong performance and is even capable of breaking Jeanne mentally with enough illusory manipulation. Man, I just love this guy.

Siegfried (Saber of Black)

A mighty warrior of Norse legend who conquered the evil dragon Fafnir, Siegfried was definitely one of the biggest ace Servants of the Black Faction. He was even able to go toe-to-toe with Karna in their first fight.

As for his character, while he unfortunately dies early on (technically, he gives his heart to the main protagonist Sieg and allows Sieg to transform into him by Command Spell), we do get a few tidbits of his background. Slaying Fafnir allowed him to grant his people wishes, but he never had a wish of his own. It was a truly tear-jerking yet heartwarming moment when, in his final moments, he realized that by willingly giving Sieg another chance at life, he was able to accomplish a wish of his own: to grant a wish of his own will that wasn't asked for by others.

The Contenders
Semiramis (Assassin of Red)
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