Let’s Look: Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works Episode 20: And Thus My Life Has No Meaning

Sorry for this review being late. I could have been lazy and did this review with episode 21 but I need this episode to be done right.

So we start off the episode with Shiro vs. Archer and it’s safe to say that one of these Fakers is stronger than the other. And it isn’t Shiro.

Nicely done and we’re starting without an opening. Side Note, Brave Shine is out. Go and get it whichever way you usally do it.

We also see that Archer’s reaching his limit of his Independent Action. Oooh but don’t worry even if he’s running on fumes he still has more than enough to kill Shiro. See Shiro you aren’t going to get off easy.

Nothing’s going to stop that. And that’s fact!

And then we switch over to Kotomine and Rin.

Sorry Kotomine. Her heart belongs to Shiro.

And then Shinji gets all butt hurt and whines about how Rin’s supposed to be.

And Rin talks about how she hates him and resists until the end but then we get this.

Best bro’s don’t die easy!

And then Lancer gets his legend on Kotomine.

Ah the swag of a best bro.

When Kotomine asks how they hell did he live through getting stabbed by his own Gae Bolg all Lancer has to say is this.

Any other person would be dead but Lancer has Battle Continuation as one of his personal skills. As long as the wound isn’t immediately fatal, he can keep on fighting. A Bro doesn’t die easy!

And then Kotomine dies. See you in Heaven’s Feel.

And then Lancer collaspes down again exhausted and Shinji the Wonder Loser sees his chance to kick Kotomine when he’s down and get his chance with Rin.

But Rin isn’t even afraid. Actually she’s trying to save him because at least she’s smart enough to know that Shinji’s being used by Gilgamesh.

But Shinji’s too dumb to realize that and he throws Rin to the ground and starts to choke her. Someone help Rin!

Wow Lancer. Forget the Heroic Spirit stuff, do the shotput! And Battle Continuation is a hell of a skill. Only true bros and heroes have it. Rider of the Red from Apocrypha along with Berserker and Lancer from Fate/Stay Night are the only ones that have it.

And then Shinji tries to call Gilgamesh but he ain’t coming.

Look at him waiting like Gil is actually going to come. Oh this fool.

Now teach him a lesson Lancer.

I know it’s a spear with a curse and it’s a Noble Phantasm but come on. It was one poke. And Shinji runs out like the prick he is. I’d normally say see you in Heaven’s Feel but you’ve got one more role to play in Unlimited Blade Works…ahahaha oh that’s going to be good to write.

And then Lancer cuts Rin free and Lancer collapses and Gae Bolg disappears, meaning Lancer’s about to die.

And that is when we switch back to Shiro and Archer.

And it isn’t going well for Shiro.

Forget this jacket Ufotable gave me! I’m getting back to my roots!

Pity that’s the only thing that he wore that had any style at all. Also I like the fact that Ufotable gave some of the characters updates. You see it with Shiro, Rin, and Saber’s winter coats, Shiro’s school uniform having a scarf with it, and everyone actually having cool breath. If in the Visual Novel, they didn’t tell you it was the middle of February you wouldn’t remember.

And then goes back into it with Archer and gets his butt kicked just as much.

He shouldn’t. Archer has had functionally infinite time to fully master projection. Shiro has been at it about two weeks max.

And then we get back to the fight and Ufotable keeps teasing us with the Emiya track. You teases!

And then we see something.

Hmm it’s happening. Due to the contradiction that Emiya Shiro existing in twice in the same place, Gaia the world is seeking to fix it. That process is causing Shiro to gain skill and power from Archer.

And each time they clash Shiro gains more but the question is will Shiro survive it?

Dude you’ll be dead long before that happens.

You can’t beat Archer Shiro. It’s impossible. Even worse each time they clash Shiro gains more of Archer’s memories.

And as those memories come through Shiro tries not to feel for Archer’s suffering but he says this.

This is the end of the path that you will take, Emiya Shiro. A worthless faker bound by anger and regret for the rest of his life. Do you really want to keep going?

This is your end, Emiya Shiro. Do you really want to keep going?

And Shiro falls back. And Archer guesses that Shiro saw his memories.

You never want to catch up Shiro. Never.

And just to drive the lesson home, Archer unleases Unlimited Blade Works. You do realize that you don’t have much mana left do you. It’s just Ufotable being stylistic.

And once again we’re inside Unlimited Blade Works. Archer you are so lucky that Gaia doesn’t press down as hard on Counter Guardians.

And then we move back to Lancer and Rin. Hey what’s that? Oh it’s just the trail of pee that Shinji left as he was running out.

As Lancer dies, Rin speaks with him. They talk about how the battle is going and Rin says that she can’t change Shiro or Archer but she has to be there for both of them. And with that Lancer dies but not before setting the mansion on fire.

One thing I thought was funny that Lancer said he would have enjoyed a master like Rin. It’s funny on a multitude of levels. In Fate/Extra, Rin’s Servant is this Lancer. And Rin’s prototype Misaya Reiroukan had Lancer as a Servant. In fact if Rin had Lancer as a Servant she would really clean house on everyone in the war.

And then we switch back over to Shiro and Archer.

And Archer’s just trashing him again and again both physically and idealogically.

And you’ll keep suffering until the end.

And Shiro doesn’t care even though he’s still seeing Archer’s memories. He rushes Archer but Archer stops him, saying as long as he is the represents Shiro’s ideal he will continue to hate him and reject him.

And Shiro’s answer is…

And then Archer catches him as he attacks and they stand back to back.

As they stand there, Archer says that he must become a Hero of Justice because that’s only thing that Emiya Shiro has even though it doesn’t even come from himself.

Archer talks about how Shirou and subsequently himself admired Kiritsugu and wanted the same thing but at the end it was not their own wish.

And the only reason that Shiro took up the ideals because they were so beautiful and felt right but at the end they are impossible. Archer breaks Shiro’s swords and goes at him again and now he’s just yelling and raving at him.

I don’t even thinks he’s talking to Shiro right now. He’s angry at him sure but he hates himself more for not choosing his own path.

Another thing that’s should be noted is Saber.

She’s just standing there with her mouth open. Why? Because Archer’s words are affecting her too. She’s in many ways a lot like Archer. Saber regrets everything she’s done. The only difference between them is Saber doesn’t want to erase herself totally. She just doesn’t want to be king. Just live out the life that Arturia the girl would have lived.

And then Archer stabs Shiro through the chest, telling him that he never knew who was the person that he really needed to save. It was himself, always.

And he says if he can’t live without those ideals and those dreams then drown and die.

And Shiro lay on the ground utterly defeated.

And while this happens Shiro has a monologue. I hope you make it quick. You’re dying right now.

He agrees with Archer to a point but feels that he’s missing something. And while he goes through this mental journey, he meets a form of Archer.

The two of them have a heart to heart where Shiro asks himself something and realizes the answer, what Archer forgot.

And as Shiro comes to his answer, Aimer’s single Last Stardust comes on and it’s beautiful. I’m not sure when it’s going to come out since it wasn’t on the Brave Shine cd. I’m guessing it’s going to be like LiSA’s version of this Illusion, a part of the soundtrack.

I have to say about Shiro’s answer that I enjoy it. I like it a lot more than Fate ending or Heaven’s Feel. The main reason is that Shiro’s walking the middle path. He’s had the contradictions to his ideals that we didn’t have in the Fate route and he’s going to stick with them and still care for the people close to him unlike like Heaven’s Feel. Then again this is supposed to be the middle ground between Fate and Heaven’s Feel.

And we see Avalon in Shiro glow as he looks upon his memory of Kiritsugu saving him. As that happens he walks up a hill and takes up a sword and swears even if his life is filled with hypocrisy he’ll still keep trying to be a hero of justice.

And with that Shiro starts getting healed by Avalon. Turns out as long as the keeper of Avalon is near Saber, they will get healed. You don’t have to be her Master.

And Shiro makes swords and gets ready to get into the battle again.

And that’s the moment that Shiro became awesome. And Archer says so what I’m still stronger but Shiro say that’s still can fight. He may have had his spirit broken but that doesn’t mean that he’s right.

And as the episode ends Shiro swears to beat Archer and the parts of him that he represents.

Ah that was a good episode. Why does Ufotable torture us with episodes like this? Because they know we’ll be back next week.

So until the next review,
Later Days

Extra Pic

Let’s be real. They’re not fighting over ideals. They’re fighting over Saber. I get my pics from the Zero-chan board not Pixiv.

Zero-chan Link

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