History FanFic / FateZeroSanity

* NotSoDifferent: Avenger and her Master have very similar feelings toward their respective fathers.

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 12. Albert Clover, Master of Slayer and both the Fake! and True!Assassins, [[spoiler:is [[InTheBack literally]] [[TheStarscream back-stabbed]] by Conqueror, but survives and reveals his identity as Servant Ruler [[VideoGame/MegaManZX Prometheus]]]]. He and his Servants proceed to fight [[spoiler:Conqueror in his [[BadassArmy Icecrown Citadel]] [[GrimUpNorth Reality Marble]]]] and ultimately defeat and kill him, [[spoiler:though not before Ruler takes [[CoolSword Frostmourne]] for himself]]. All of this while hinting that Albert has plans for "Saber's potential"...

* WellDoneSonGuy: Mordred is summoned as Avenger and seeks the approval of her father (Saber) even while she wants to kill her. Caren feels similarly about her father: she hates him, but also feels something akin to happiness when he says her name and sounds proud of her.

* BloodKnight: Avenger admits to being a "battle junkie", at least to herself.

** During the battle at the Ryuudou Temple, Defender arrives just in time to save Archer from being finished off by Avenger and Caster.
* CoolVersusAwesome: Any Servant battle is this.

* OnlyICanKillHim: Avenger helps Saber and Saver against Berserker because she wants to be the one to kill Saber.

* BigDamnHeroes:
** Maka and Soul arrive to ([[InSpiteOfANail temporarily]]) save Shirou from Lancer's second assault at the Emiya estate.
** Both [[spoiler: Fake!]]Assassin and Avenger pull this off one after another against Berserker. [[spoiler: Of course, Avenger's reasons were far more [[OnlyICanKillHim personal]] towards Saber]].
** During the battle at the Ryuudou Temple, Defender arrives just in time to save Archer from being finished off by Avenger and Caster.
* CoolVersusAwesome: Any Servant battle is this.

* TimeStandsStill: True Assassin's basic strategy is to freeze time, unload [[MoreDakka a magazine's worth of ammunition]] at her opponent, and then restart time.

-->''Yes, he supposed today was off to a rather well one.[[note]]There are writing issues, but he means "going well" or "off to a good start."[[/note]]\\

* BerserkButton: Do not destroy Rin's 70 inch, plasma screen TV.

* BigDamnHeroes: Once again, a staple of Maka and Soul.

* CoolVersusAwesome: Look at that servant list.

* NotSoDifferent: Avenger and her Master [[spoiler:[[VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia Caren Ortensia]]]]. Her catalyst was meant to summon the Servant most compatible with her, after all.

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: It's quite obvious that while their Masters are cooperating, Avenger and Caster [[spoiler:[[Manga/FairyTail Future Rogue]]]] don't get along well.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Mordred is summoned as Avenger and seeks the approval of her father (Saber) even while she wants to kill her.

A sidestory, entitled [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10390833/1/Fate-OSG Fate: OSG]], was written and completed not long afterwards, essentially taking place during the [[TimeSkip last five years between]] the Fourth and Fifth War, chronicling the adventures and some eailer Character Development for [[TheHero Shirou Emiya]] as well as giving some backstory on the resident mystery group: [[FunWithAcronyms OSG]] and on the leader, [[MentorArchetype Edgar Silverstein]].

* DeusExMachina: [[spoiler:Caster]] is about to kill [[spoiler:Saber]] when a presence inside the Grail conveniently decides to somehow give the latter an infusion of extra prana, which results in [[spoiler:her]] winning the fight instead.

* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Saber]] thanks to being summoned with [[spoiler:[[Manga/FairyTail Caster's scarf]]]]. Ruler can also do this.

* TheOmniscientCouncilofVagueness: [[GratuitousLatin Ordinis Sancti Gladius]] fits this. They only appear at several points through the fic, and only truly become involved at the very end when all is said and done. They're also made up of people from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'', ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'', ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', and apparently ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. Their apparent ties to [[DimensionalTraveler Wizard Marshall Zeltrech]] might have something to do with this...

* DrivenToSuicide: Contemplated by Edgar in the flashbacks, considering he had just lost his best chance of bringing his wife back to life and all his sacrifices for nothing. It was only the [[IGaveMyWord promise]] he made to his dying wife to live on that made him hesitate. Then [[{{Troll}} Zeltrech]] shows up...

* CurbStompBattle: Raymond [[spoiler: [[Manga/{{Bleach}} (Coyote)]]]] Starrk vs. Merem Solomon's [[{{Kaiju}} Demon of the Right Leg]]. [[spoiler: The dog didn't have a chance in hell after the former used [[WaveMotionGun Cero]] [[BeamSpam Metralleta]].]]

* {{Determinator}}: Shirou's still one. When he mock-battled Lambda, he refused to surrender despite her [[{{Cyborg}} superior]] [[StormOfBlades abilities]] and kept going until he had his blade at her neck from sheer willpower. [[InTheBack He got taken down by a sneak attack from behind]] not long afterwards, but still '''damn'''.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: This is Shinji's new personality. While he's still quite abrasive and smug, Shirou notes that it's more out of genuine confidence in his abilities than general [[{{Jerkass}} jerkassry]], and there are moments when he acts like a genuine NiceGuy, helping Shirou during his [[TrainingFromHell exercises]] in the early days and having a surprisingly honest heart-to-heart talk with Shirou about how he felt about [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan the]] [[ZombieApocalypse events]] that brought him here.
* LivingMemory: 'Echoes' appear to be on the surface ghosts, but are actually facsimiles of living beings created by magic or intense emotions, which possess fractured memories of the original, but are self-aware and capable of interacting with others. However, anyone who sees or interacts with them eventually forgets all about them, essentially making them an UnPerson. [[spoiler: An echo was created upon Sayaka's corruption into a Witch and subsequent destruction, wandering around the halls of OSG for almost two decades before eventually finding an new [[EmptyShell body]] to inhabit... which ended up being Lambda-11's.]]
* NoodleImplements: Edgar once fought Zelretch, who used magic the likes of which Edgar had never seen before. He claims that if he described the battle in detail, anyone reading his journal would never look at cows the same way again.

* PersonOfMassDestruction: In flashbacks, we get to see how deadly the normally [[BrilliantButLazy apathetic]] Raymond Starrk can be. [[spoiler: Not only did he match Edgar's [[SuperMode Shadow Form]] while fighting at his base power without too much effort, he utterly [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Merem Solomon's]] [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever Demon of the Right Leg]] when he activated his [[TheGunslinger Resurreccion]].]]

* SexyMentor: Shirou's swordsmanship teacher is [[JoanOfArc Jeanne]] [[LightNovel/FateApocrypha d'Arc]]. However, she's already married or at least dating someone else in OSG.
* ShoutOut: Both parts of Lambda-11's cover name: Noel Valenzuela, are references to both the ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' character of the same name, [[spoiler: who is technically her younger sister]], and her English voice actress, Creator/CristinaValenzuela.
* StormOfBlades: One of Lambda-11's and [[spoiler: [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Sayaka Miki's]]]] favored tactics in battle. [[spoiler: Makes sense then that the latter's soul [[BackFromTheDead restarted]] the former's body.]]
* SupremeChef: Shirou's cooking skills are already legendary by this point. Lambda-11 almost had a foodgasm when she first tasted it, and almost everyone at OSG eagerly anticipates when it's Shirou's turn to cook. 'Almost' meaning everyone but Edgar for some reason.
* TragicKeepsake: Shirou's cutlass, which he received on his first day at OSG headquarters, actually belonged to Kiritsugu before he cut ties with the group, leaving it behind. [[spoiler: It turns out it was one to him as well: It was Sayaka's last gift to him for his birthday before she went on a mission. She didn't come back... [[CameBackWrong not the same way, at least]].]]

%%** [[spoiler:Zouken Matou]].

* FaceDeathWithDignity: All the Servants die content, or at least calmly, when defeated, no matter who their opponent was. Even [[spoiler:Saber]] dies with some measure of peace, thanking Berserker and Soul]] mentally for their friendship and forgiving them for killing her.]]

In this, [[spoiler: Obito Uchiha]] from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is the servant of the Assassin Class. [[spoiler: Whitebeard]] from ''Manga/{{One Piece}}'' is Lancer. The Berserker class has been filled by [[spoiler: Maka (along with Soul)]] from ''Manga/{{Soul Eater}}''. Caster, in this fic, is [[spoiler: Natsu]] from ''Manga/{{Fairy Tail}}''. [[SomethingCompletelyDifferent To cap it all off,]] we have the Avenger class appearing to be filled by [[spoiler: Alucard]], from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'', [[spoiler: with a dash of personality from WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged.]]

While at first the fic appears to run on the standards of most multi-crossovers, it becomes rather obvious from roughly the halfway point that this isn't the standard, and not just in terms of 'replace Servants and see where the plot goes from there'. There appears to be [[TheOmniscientCouncilofVagueness another group working from behind the scenes observing events,]] and within the Holy Grail [[spoiler: [[NothingIsScarier Angra Mainyu is not alone]]]].

A sidestory, entitled [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10390833/1/Fate-OSG Fate: OSG]], was written and completed not long afterwards, essentially taking place during the [[TimeSkip last five years between]] the Fourth and Fifth War, chronicling the adventures and some eailer Character Development for [[TheHero Shirou Emiya]] as well as giving some backstory on the resident [[TheOmniscientCouncilofVagueness mystery group:]] [[FunWithAcronyms OSG]] and on the leader, [[TheMentor Edgar Silverstein]].

A true sequel, officially called ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10658926/1/Fate-Stay-Nightmare Fate: Stay Nightmare]]'', tells the story of the Fifth Holy Grail War and of the [[EvilPlan machinations]] of the Grail to be truly reborn. And this time, it has every intentions of doing so, going so far as to summon '''[[UpToEleven 15]]''' Servants (the original eight plus the new classes of Beast, Saver, Ruler, Defender, Conqueror, Slayer and Fallen) to the battlefield.

* AntiVillain: Assassin and Kirei fall under this. [[spoiler: The later performs a HeelFaceTurn near the end when he [[BackFromTheDead comes back to life]], saves Berserker and Soul, and destroys the Grail fragments.]] The only thing that keeps him from being a full-out hero is that he still [[EvilFeelsGood enjoys the suffering of others]].
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: After seeing Lancer's memories, Kayneth asks him why he wanted a family despite being so rich and powerful. Lancer tells him his reasons and asks Kayneth what does he truly want to wish for.

** Uryuu Ryuunosuke is immediately put out of commission and then killed soon after.

* ArrangedMarriage: Due to the fact that the Arranged Marriage between an Archibald and a Sophia-Ri still stands, [[spoiler:Sola-Ui and Waver are wed as a compromise in order to officially induct the later into the family]].

* {{Badass}}: '''[[WorldofBadass Everyone]]'''.
** HandicappedBadass: Assassin becomes this by the final battle. He's lost his right eye, preventing him from using his [[IntangibleMan intangibility]] and his [[HiveMind Six Paths of Pain]] from his previous battle, but he still holds his own against [[spoiler: Caster and Berserker]] at once, had the former on the ropes before the other appeared, and nearly kills the later. [[spoiler: Helps that he still had the [[StoryBreakerPower Rinnegan]]]].

* BashBrothers: Rider and Caster eventually partner up and continue in this fashion throughout the Grail War [[spoiler:until Rider's death]].
** LovelyAngels: Saber and Berserker, likewise [[spoiler:until Berserker is forced to kill Saber]].
* BeamOWar: Played with. During the battle between Archer vs. Saber and Berserker, the later two use [[WaveMotionGun Excalibur]] and [[SwordBeam Kishin Hunter]] [[CombinedEnergyAttack combined]] against the former's [[WaveMotionGun Ea]]. While at first the two sides are evenly matched, [[EarthShatteringKaboom Ea]] quickly overwhelms the other two and blasts the two Servants.
** However, Saber and Berserker did survive due to their attacks weakening Ea's strike.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Shared between Kirei and Assassin, unsurprisingly. [[spoiler: However, considering that many of their actions are not overly evil or cruel, and that they have many PetTheDog moments, it's really only when compared to the others that they come across as villainous.]]
** [[spoiler: BiggerBad [[BigBadDuumvirate Duumvirate]]]]: However, the [[spoiler: two presences]] within the Grail immediately come across as this.
* BigBadWannabe: Both [[spoiler:Archer]] and, to a lesser extent, [[TheWormThatWalks Zouken]]]] are this. They both seem to believe that they're in the [[LightNovel/FateZero original 4th Holy Grail War]] and act accordingly, but ultimately [[spoiler:Archer is OutGambitted by [[ManipulativeBastard Assassin]] and dies against Saber and Berserker before he can get his revenge]] and [[spoiler:Zouken [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty manages to escape Tokiomi's wrath, but is axed off by members of OSG when they come to claim Sakura]]]].

** Berserker arrives in the nick of time to save Saber from [[spoiler:Avenger]].

* CameBackStrong: Of the not-quite dead variety and overlaps with NiceJobBreakingItHero. Getting shot with Kiritsugu's [[spoiler: [[MageKiller Origin Bullet]]]] cost Kirei his left arm. Assassin replaces it and a good deal of his left side with the [[GreenThumb same material that constitutes his own right side]]. For extra measure, [[spoiler: he also replaces Kirei's left eye with a [[MagicalEye Sharingan]]]].

* CombinedEnergyAttack: Saber and Berserker use this twice: The first time against Avenger's BadassArmy and the second time against [[ItsAllAboutMe Archer.]] [[spoiler: It fails both times: The former because they were just so many enemies, and the later because of [[EarthShatteringKaboom Ea.]]]]
* CoolBigSis: [[spoiler: Maka]] Becomes one to [[spoiler: Shirou]] after the War.

* DefrostingTheIceQueen: Lancer helps Kayneth becomes less bigoted and arrogant, evenly causing Kayneth to show his softer side to Sola-Ui.
* DeusExMachina: [[spoiler:Caster]] is about to kill [[spoiler:Saber]] when a presence inside the Grail conveniently decides to give the latter an infusion of extra prana, which results in [[spoiler:her]] winning the fight instead.

* DimensionalTraveler: Ordinis Sancti Gladius. They are able to travel to any dimension, [[spoiler: even dimensions not apart of Akasha]] by what appears to be the usage of the Second Magic.

* EnemyMine: When Avenger shows up to a battle between four other Servants, the others all decide to take him out together before returning to fighting each other.

** [[spoiler:GoodFeelsGood: That said, he's genuinely happy when he does a good deed without any evil desires attached. Such as comforting Rin after Tokiomi's funeral.]]

* FaceDeathWithDignity: All the Servants die content, or at least calmly, when defeated, no matter who their opponent was. [[spoiler: Even [[KnightInShiningArmor Saber]] dies with some measure of peace, thanking Berserker and Soul mentally for their friendship and forgiving them for [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice stabbing her through the chest]] to try and stop the Grail's destruction]].
* FakingTheDead: Zouken makes Tokiomi believe [[spoiler: that he killed Sakura]] when the latter attempts to kill him after Kariya tells what really happening to Sakura.
* FireForgedFriends: Saber and Berserker ultimately form what is potentially the most positive relationship between Servants in the entire war. How do they do this? [[spoiler: Fighting [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Avenger]] in the Einzbern Forest.]]
* ForWantOfANail: The story's entire premise. This was obvious from the beginning with the inclusion of the Avenger class, but only really took off when [[spoiler: [[KungFuWizard Kirei]] is shot by [[CombatPragmatist Kiritsugu]] during the attack on the Einzbern Manor and barely survives.]]
** Caster literally disarms Uryuu, refusing to let the man to be his master while Avenger kills him.
** InSpiteOfANail: Even so, several things do stay the same regardless. The first Servant battle at the dock is more or less identical to canon, and the King's banquet still happens, albeit with most every Servant joining in now.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Avenger. He gets whole limbs hacked off, pierced clean through with multiple projectiles, and even hit point-blank with an [[WaveMotionGun Excalibur blast]], and he shrugs it all off. It takes [[spoiler: him using [[BadassArmy Vampire King: Army of the Dead]], when he releases all of his contained souls for the battle,]] in order to leave him in a position to be killed, and even then, [[MadeofIron he refuses to go down easily.]]
* GracefulLoser: Surprisingly every Servant who dies does so without any real malice towards their killer. [[spoiler: Even Archer's genuinely respectful of Saber and Berserker for cutting him down.]]

* HiddenVillain: The [[spoiler: second]] being within the Grail remains mostly unknown throughout the story, referred to at various points as [[IHaveManyNames Reaper or Grey]]. Only once the epilogue arrives does [[spoiler:Angra Mainyu]] finally reveal his name at his own request: [[spoiler: [[MegaManZX Prometheus]].]]
* HyperspaceArsenal: [[spoiler:Assassin]]'s Magical Eye gives him this ability.

** How both [[spoiler:Archer]] and [[spoiler:Rider]] meet their ends. [[HumanPincushion Multiple times]] for the latter, [[spoiler:courtesy of Assassin]], and combined with a [[spoiler: WaveMotionGun from Saber]] for the former.

** [[spoiler: Berserker]] uses this on Saber to stop her from destroying the Grail. [[spoiler: It succeeds, but Kiritsugu's Command Seals prove stronger still...]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with [[spoiler: Zouken]]. When it looks like he avoided getting killed by [[spoiler: Tokiomi]] and is about to get away scot-free at the end, cue [[spoiler: [[Manga/{{Bleach}} two]] [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} members]] of OSG knocking on his door sent by a surviving Berserker and Soul]]...

* MagicalEye: Assassin has a Sharingan eye, which grants him the abilities of Combat Clairvoyance, [[YourMindMakesItReal casting illusions on targets]], [[spoiler:taking an Extra-dimensional Shortcut to teleport]], and [[spoiler:Intangibility]].

** After he saves her, [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Avenger]] gives [[spoiler: [[KidHero Rin]] his [[HandCannon Casull]] in the form of a [[MagicalAccessory silver cross]] because she managed to impress him with her [[LittleMissBadass courage]].]]
** [[spoiler:Caster gives Saber his scarf before he dies as a token of their friendship. Saber still has it when the sequel happens ten years later.]]
* MutualKill: What ultimately happens to [[spoiler: Avenger and Lancer]], though the later survived a little longer.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Tokiomi gets hit with this big time when Kariya tells him about what Sakura's [[NightmareFuel 'training']] really amounts to. In fact, it's enough for him to go and [[spoiler: [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge attack Zouken]] and [[KillItWithFire burn the Matou Manor down]] in anger when he thinks she's been killed.]] Even then, it still hits him throughout the remainder of the story [[spoiler: right up to his death]].
* MyGreatestFailure: Saber, as per canon, considers her failure to prevent Camelot's fall to be hers, though she has another one that might be even bigger: [[spoiler: Her role in [[WellDoneDaughterGirl Mordred's]] betrayal, refusing to [[IHaveNoSon acknowledge her as her successor]] because her bitterness against Morgan le Fay]]. She even flat-out admits that if she had, Camelot wouldn't have fallen, at least not in their lifetimes. This admittance only comes near the end, when she fights [[spoiler: an [[YourMindMakesItReal illusion of Mordred]] created by a trap set by Assassin]].
* NoodleIncident: Lorelei Barthomeloi has hated OSG ever since they stopped her from killing her target during an incident with five Dead Apostle Ancestors, half the Burial Agency, Lorelei's vampire hunting brigade, and OSG's drinking party. Apparently, the non-OSG combatants were attempting to battle it out in OSG's base.

* PapaWolf: [[spoiler: Zouken]] found out the hard why you don't harm one of [[KillItWithFire Tokiomi Tohsaka's]] daughters... [[spoiler: [[KarmaHoudini even if he got away.]]]]
** [[spoiler: Until the end...]]

** [[ManipulativeBastard Assassin]], even when he's just betrayed [[spoiler: Tokiomi]], stolen his Command Seals, placed him under an illusion, and is now about to [[YourSoulIsMine devour his soul for an extra power boost]] to defeat Rider and Caster, still feels enough pity for [[spoiler: him]] to make his final vision in the illusion that of [[spoiler: his daughter Sakura forgiving him for actions that [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he had been beating himself up for earlier in the story]]]].

** Avenger is an evil psycho, but he's nice to Rin when he first meets her and saves her from a serial killer, then endeavors to get information from the kiler to put Rin's mind at ease.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Thankfully [[AvertedTrope averted]] between Tokiomi and Kariya. When they encounter each other this time, [[TheMentor Berserker and Soul]] have convinced Kariya to give Tokiomi a chance to talk, Aoi and Rin are nearby, and they're all in a public hospital. This is crucial because not only does it allow the two men to understand each other, [[spoiler: but it's what motivates Tokiomi's MyGodWhatHaveIDone and RoaringRampageOfRevenge against [[TheWormThatWalks Zouken]].]]

** Fourth Sage of the Six Paths: Assassin

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Archer, as Nasuverse Divine or Semi-Divine beings like him have these. Avenger has red eyes also. Averted with [[spoiler: [[EquippableAlly Soul]]]], one of the genuinely good guys. [[spoiler:Saber]] shows a brief glimpse of this at the end, according to Berserker.
* RedHerring: In terms of who would be the next villain. After disposing of [[spoiler: Archer]] and establishing himself as the resident MagnificentBastard of the war, one might be led to believe that [[spoiler: Assassin]] would survive and continue on his path in the Fifth War. [[spoiler: Nope! He's killed off by Berserker, who ''does'' survive to the next war.]] However, the story does set up who will be the major antagonist, just not in that obvious way.

* RunningGag: Someone questioning how Avenger can do something, and him responding with simply "Fuck you, that's how."

* TheStarscream: Played with in regards to [[{{Ninja}} Assassin]]. He's perfectly willing to lie and manipulate around Kirei [[spoiler:even being directly responsible for his father's death]], but his ultimate loyalty is to him alone. [[spoiler:After his Command Seals were taken by Assassin and used to force him to obey]], Archer [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal had every intention]] of becoming one himself [[spoiler:but died against Saber and Berserker before that could become reality]].
* SummonMagic: Masters can summon their respective Servants to them by using a command seal. Assassin has access to all of the summons available to users of [[spoiler:the Rinnegan]].

* UnstoppableRage: Surprisingly, [[AvertedTrope Berserker doesn't have this going for her.]] Played straight with Caster, however, [[spoiler: after Rider's [[HumanPincushion death]]]]. He completely loses it on [[spoiler: Assassin]], and would have killed him had the later's Master not used a Command Seal to get him out of there.

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: When Saber starts to question herself after the events of the banquet and Rider's [[WhatTheHellHero accusations]], Berserker and [[spoiler: Soul]] comfort her with this, stating they wouldn't have anyone else as their partner.
* YouAreNotAlone: Combined with the above trope, Berserker and [[spoiler: Soul]] comfort Saber after the Servant banquet and tell her that they will stay by her no matter what. This event is the turning point where Saber starts to truly accept them both as friends.
* YouRemindMeOfX: Lancer and Assassin both compare Caster to [[spoiler:Luffy and Naruto respectively.]]

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: A vertical example. [[spoiler: This is how Berserker finishes off Assassin in the end.]]
* HiddenVillain: The [[spoiler: second]] being within the Grail remains mostly unknown throughout the story, referred to at various points as [[IHaveManyNames Reaper or Grey]]. Only once the epilogue arrives does [[spoiler:Angra Mainyu]] finally reveal his name at his own request: [[spoiler: [[MegaManZX Prometheus]]]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: How both [[spoiler:Archer]] and [[spoiler:Rider]] meet their ends. [[HumanPincushion Multiple times]] for the latter, [[spoiler:courtesy of Assassin]], and combined with a [[spoiler: WaveMotionGun from Saber]] for the former.

* NoodleIncident: Lorelei Barthomeloi has hated OSG ever since they stopped her from killing a Dead Apostle Ancestor during an incident with the five Ancestors, half the Burial Agency, Lorelei's vampire hunting brigade, and OSG's drinking party. Apparently, the non-OSG combatants were attempting to battle it out in OSG's base.

** Emperor of the Sea: Lancer
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Archer, as Nasuverse Divine or Semi-Divine beings like him have these. Avenger has red eyes also. Averted with [[spoiler: [[EquippableAlly Soul]]]], one of the genuinely good guys.

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Servants in actual alliances notwithstanding, anytime [[{{Badass}} Avenger]] arrives on the scene, expect any other Servants there to team up on him. Even if they were up to that point just trying to kill each other.

* BigBadWannabe: Both [[spoiler:Archer and to a lesser extent [[TheWormThatWalks Zouken]]]] are this. They both seem to believe that they're in the [[LightNovel/FateZero original 4th Holy Grail War]] and act accordingly, but ultimately [[spoiler:Archer is OutGambitted by [[ManipulativeBastard Assassin]] and dies against Saber and Berserker before he can get his revenge]] and [[spoiler:Zouken [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty manages to escape Tokiomi's wrath, but is axed off by members of OSG when they come to claim Sakura]]]].

* ShoutOut: Rider's and Caster's words to each other during their Body-Count Competition mimic lines from Gimli and Legolas, respectively, in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.

* TheStarscream: Played with in regards to [[{{Ninja}} Assassin]]. He's perfectly willing to lie and manipulate around Kirei [[spoiler:even being directly responsible for his father's death]], but his ultimate loyalty is to him alone. [[spoiler:After his Command Seals were taken by Assassin and used to force him to obey]], [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal Archer]] had every intention of becoming one himself [[spoiler:but died against Saber and Berserker before that could become reality]].

* {{Irony}}: Archer makes several comments on killing the other Servants. [[spoiler:Archer is the third Servant to die.]]

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Uryuu.]]
** [[spoiler: Zouken even more so.]]
** Surprisingly averted with [[spoiler: Kayneth.]] You can tell the author went through the trouble to make you feel something other than "good riddance" for him.
* ArrangedMarriage: Due to the fact that the ArrangedMarriage between an Archibald and a Sophia-Ri still stands,[[spoiler: Sola-Ui and Waver are wed as a compromise in order to officially induct the later into the family]].

* BigDamnHeroes: Berserker gets in on this a lot.
** Avenger pulls this at one point [[spoiler: to save Rin's life.]]

** [[spoiler: Assassin]] subjects Berserker to this twice. [[spoiler: [[NoSell It fails both times.]]]]

** This was [[spoiler:Archer's intention to get back at Assassin]] for manipulating him. [[spoiler:He died before that could happen though]].