WMG / Fate/Samurai Remnant

The MC is Miyamoto Iori.

Miyamoto Iori was Miyamoto Musashi's adopted son and biological nephew, who inherited his father's fighting style - and it's shown in the Trailer that when fighting against the non-Proper Human History Miyamoto Musashi, he realizes that her fighting style is incredibly similar, as they both dual-wield katanas. Previous Fate installments have nearly always had the main protagonist be unique in some way, such as Emiya Shirou's Reality Marble, or Kishinami Hakuno's existence as an AI. Considering how attention is drawn to the connection between their sword-fighting styles in the trailer, it seems likely that the protagonist has at least some relation to Miyamoto Musashi.

• Confirmed by the 1st trailer.

The MC will be your primary method of fighting other characters, if not other Servants.

As seen in the trailer, the protagonist dual-wields blades and is even good enough with them to hold off Miyamoto Musashi, if only for a moment. Considering how Musashi's presence should remove the option of the main character's Servant being a Saber from the Waxing Moon Ritual (assuming the Ritual didn't only summon Knight classes for a bunch of samurai), and how the main character needs to fight against Musashi rather than giving orders to the Servant fighting for him, it's possible that a main function of the game will include you yourself fighting other enemies, possibly other regular humans and samurai.

• Semi-Confirmed. Iori is, in fact, a playable character; however, there are also other playable characters, including his Servant and Musashi herself.

The game will include the events of the Shimabara Rebellion.

If the main character really is Miyamoto Iori, then it would only make sense to include the conflict where Miyamoto Iori and Miyamoto Musashi both fought against the forces of Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, as we've previously seen Musashi and Amakusa have a connection in Fate/Grand Order during Shimousa. This conflict also resulted in Iori becoming the highest-ranked vassal in the court of the daimyo Ogasawara Tadazane, so it would only make sense to include this important event which gives a great opportunity for a Shout-Out.

• One of the Masters, whose Servant is Jeanne Alter Lancer, is a survivor of the rebellion.

The game will include some references to the GUDAGUDA Events.

• Unlikely, given a good chunk of GUDAGUDA's cast wouldn't even be born for another two-hundred years or so.
  • Coming back here, this once again is a valid possibility given Li Shuwen's presence.

We'll get to see more content of Oni-Blooded and Demon Hunters.

With the setting being in historical Japan, it's would be prudent to assume that we'll get to see some amount of supernatural creatures such as Demonic Beasts present, but while we might run into the occasional Phantasmal enemy, Fate games always focus more on humans and their own supernatural powers. With that in mind, including some humans of oni ancestry or families who have trained to become demon hunters seems like an obvious choice for one of the Masters in the war.

The Crimson Codex was created by Zelretch.

It's a talking Mystic Code like the Kaleidosticks, is said to be from the West, and taught Iori the Jewel Magecraft he uses. Its Japanese name even contains the word "Ruby".

• In Fate/Unlimited Codes, Rin's route has her using Zelretch's Grimoire to create a mystic code that will let her fight servants herself. Given Iori is shown able to fight them, this is very likely. Also, the word Crimson as a title hearkens back to Crimson Moon Brunstud as well as Rin and her Father, all who have ties to Zelretch.

The identities of the other Servants

The only Servants we know the identities of for sure are Jeanne d'Arc Alter (Lancer) and Miyamoto Musashi (Berserker). But that just leaves out the other five. Let's get to speculating.

• Saber: Yamato Takeru
  • They're clearly using a Japanese tsurugi strongly associated with water as their Noble Phantasm, echoing the Kusanagi-no-Tachi used by Ibuki-douji (who mentions that there are multiple such swords in existence).
  • They predate the use of paper in Japan as they demonstrate a clear lack of knowledge of what it is. Paper was introduced in 600 A.D. Yamato Takeru died in 114 A.D., centuries before paper's arrival.
  • They're dressed primarily in white and black, matching several paintings of Yamato Takeru.
  • They're supposedly a famous Japanese figure and offended that Iori doesn't recognize them on sight, which coincides with Yamato Takeru's story being a semi-legendary historical figure.
  • Confirmed to be Yamato Takeru.
• Archer:
  • Hangaku Gozen
  • Hua Mulan
    • The two women are jossed because Archer is voiced by Kensho Ono, so he's clearly male.
  • Hou Yi
  • Zhou Yu: The 2nd trailer reveals that he's linked with fire, ships, and chaining. These are references to the Battle of Red Cliff/Chi Bi, something that Zhou Yu is heavily linked to in both history and novel alike. Additionally, this Archer is a Bishōnen / Pretty Boy, and Zhou Yu is known to be a very pretty man. Add the fact that the game is being made by the same company and division as the ones who made the Dynasty Warriors series, it wouldn't be too alien for them to have a Three Kingdoms Heroic Spirit in the game...
  • Confirmed to be Zhon Yu.
• Rider: Raikou. Her voice actor is concealed because it would be recognizable. Her armor resembles Golden Huge Bear and the Interlude descriptions of Raikou wearing armor that concealed her gender. The second trailer shows a giant hoof that could be Ushi Gozen.
  • The symbols on the armor tell this troper that this is a Takeda. Either it's Shingen's brother Nobushige, or his son Katsuyori. Alternatively, it's Takeda Shingen himself: He's just hiding his signature gunbai/battle fan to better hide his identity (and meta-wise, seeing that the Sengoku era is often linked with the GUDAGUDA event, then this is another way to hide: No one would expect Shingen to appear in somewhere else that's not GUDAGUDA when his rival (Nagao Kagetora/Uesugi Kenshin) is already a regular there and Shingen's own debut in Zipang was so recent).
  • Since the Takeda are distantly related to the Miyamoto, both could be true, with Rider being a Takeda descendent that's a Raikou-face.
  • Raita, who did Raikou's character design, is also his character designer.
  • The anime opening shows Rider from behind, without armor. Presumably that's them, since their sword is very long and the outfit has the same Tron Lines as the heavy armor. Rider is apparently a woman with a dark-colored bob cut.
    • She could be Raiko [Lily], since the figure shown looks younger than Raiko's more well known... "developed" figure.
    • The character trailer for Rider and their master ends with a woman laughing. Any FGO player would recognize that laugh belongs to Raiko.
  • Both confirmed to be Minamoto-no-Raikou/Ushi-Gozen, albeit in a younger form than usual, implying she is a [Lily] version of herself too.
• Caster:
  • The feminine silhouette and fiery shapes on her sleeve make me think this is Yaoya Oshichi, a prominent arsonist from a few years after that era.
    • Jossed. Caster is voiced by Anri Katsu which means he's male.
  • Alternatively, it could be possibly that Caster is Ikkyu Sojun, a Buddhist heretic.
  • Jossed, they are actually Hieda-no-Are, who is amusingly one of the most unknown people in all of history despite being the one who catalogued a considerable amount of ancient Japanese history, culture, and myth into the Kojiki.
• Assassin: Kouga Saburou, the man who was directly involved with Mochizuki Chiyome's curses, judging from the heavy snake motifs from that brief shot of him that we got.
  • Confirmed to be Kouga Saburou.
• Rogue Saber: Yoshinaka, the husband of Tomoe Gozen. They wear almost identical chest armor, sandals, and gloves, and share a similar overall color pattern. The emblem used in Yoshinaka's flag can be seen on his gloves.
  • Confirmed to be Kiso-no-Yoshinaka.
  • He shares the same character designer as Tomoe which makes the theory plausible.
• Rogue Berserker: Samson, for his incredibly long hair, massively powerful build, and chains as he was chained in his capture by the Philistines before destroying the pillars of their temple.
  • Bizarre hair colors in Fate often imply a direct connection to a deity; compare David, another follower of Yahweh with green hair.
  • Confirmed to be Samson.

The Jeanne d'Arc Alter summoned in the Waxing Moon Ritual is actually just a corrupted Jeanne d'Arc

While it has been implied that Jeanne d'Arc Alter cannot exist outside of Fate/Grand Order, what's most curious about her presence in the Waxing Moon Ritual is the fact that she was summoned by the Sole Survivor of the Shimabara Rebellion, a presumably Japanese Christian. Jeanne d'Arc Alter has been established to abhor Catholicism, so this doesn't align with what we know about her character. Therefore, it's likely that Jeanne d'Arc was summoned as a Lancer and was somehow turned into an Alter to fight on behalf of a master who likely wants to see his fellow Japanese Christians avenged.

• FGO also states that Jeanne can't be corrupted, that's why Jeanne Alter exists, the grail had to make her whole cloth to grant Giles' wish for an evil Jeanne.
• I'd like to think that that isn't Jeanne d'Arc or Jeanne d'Arc Alter, but rather another figure entirely: Jeanne Hachette, a girl who was named after the saint. Her story was about repelling armies that were invading her town with nothing but a hatchet in her hands, a part of which involves breaking the enemy banner. There's also her Noble Phantasm, Flamme Pays Étranger, which could also play into the invader repulsion side of the story.
  • Alternatively, she may be Jeanne des Armoises, a conwoman who resembled Jeanne d'Arc enough that even the saint's own brothers may have been fooled (though some suggest that they were in on the scam).
• strange Fake suggests another possibility—that Chiemon summoned the normal Jeanne and corrupted her afterward.
• Confirmed. Chiemon summoned the proper Jeanne d'Arc, and the sheer hatred of his wish and Jeanne's natural desire to protect people ended up making her do a Heroic Sacrifice to accommodate Chiemon, corrupting her in the process into an actual Jeanne d'Arc Alter instead of a facsimile fictionalization made by Gilles de Rais's wish.

Berserker Musashi is not the same person as Saber Musashi.

During the events of Fate/Grand Order, in Lostbelt 5.2, Olympus, Miyamoto Musashi gave up her entire existence to cut through the void, with her status as a Servant from a Lostbelt long-erased meaning that she could never be summoned again, with all data of her being lost. Thus, the Berserker Musashi seen in this game cannot be the same person as the Saber Musashi. However, we also know that this likely cannot be Proper Human History Musashi either, since in Proper Human History, Miyamoto Musashi is canonically a man. While there's not a lot of evidence to say what the truth behind her existence is yet, we know there will be something big behind her appearance, due to her connection to Iori and inherent plot relevance.

• Jossed. The Famitsu interview confirms that this is Musashi prior to Olympus and after Shimousa.
  • On the other hand though, this does raise the question of how exactly the Musashi we know from FGO can be the official Berserker of the Waxing Moon Ritual when she's both a Dimensional Traveler and a Saber.
• It should be noted that it doesn't break any rules for there to be multiple versions of Musashi running around. If Musashi exists in the Throne, any number of Servant copies can be created. In fact, it would be logically consistent for her to appear in more stories after this; from Grand Order's perspective there's a short length of time where she was a Heroic Spirit in the Throne, but you can set any number of other stories in other timelines during that eternal moment. Additionally, a Heroic Spirit qualifying for multiple classes goes all the way back to stay night.

The golden fellow who Iori and Saber met at the end of the third trailer is a man who looks like Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh can't be the Rogue Archer because Arjuna took that spot and the Rogue Caster looks more like Circe. He can't also be the overseer of the Grail War because that's reserved for the Church. And he's supposed to be summoned during the 4th Holy Grail War. So, it's likely that this man is probably a Gil-face who is an NPC playing the role of a shopkeeper (who probably goes by the name Gorgeous P) or a quest giver.

• Jossed. He is the real Gilgamesh holding the Ruler class.

The Rogue Caster is Circe and the Rogue Assassin is Li Shuwen.

On the official website, you can see the silhouettes of the Rogue Caster and Rogue Assassin. Rogue Caster very clearly has Circe's head wings and long elf ears, along with her regular wings, long hair, and high heels, while Rogue Assassin has the slicked-back hair and large puffy overcoat of Li Shuwen's Third Ascension.

• Confirmed in the FGO Chaldea Broadcasting Station lite version ~ Servant Festival 2023.

Gilgamesh here is not a Servant. He is the real deal who successfully acquired immortality

• Already jossed before being first posted. His Class is Ruler.

Dorothea Coyett has some form of relationship or connection to Jester Karture from Fate/Strange Fake

She shares the same first name as Jester's original female identity and both are the Master of an Assassin class Servant.

Potential DLC Servants

The press release mentioned that there will be 3 sets of DLC in the future with new scenarios and new Servants.

• Osakabehime. She's supposed to be in the game but the developers had to remove her because of her connection with Musashi.
• EMIYA. Just the devs milking the game for its worth.
• Kiyohime. With the twist that she absolutely won't see Iori as "her Anchin" due to not being her master and only lend her aid sometimes, allowing us the players to see what she is like towards and around others when she isn't continuously driven perpetually love-struck by her "Madness Enchantment EX" that's solely aimed towards her master.
• Altria (OG Saber). She's Fate's Series Mascot. Given that she's added in Melty Blood, it's very likely that she's going to be here in this game too.
• Nobunaga. Most likely in her Archer class unless they bend the rules and have her show up as an Avenger.
• Tomoe Gozen. Just so she can finally be reunited with her husband.

The man who saved Iori as a child was Yagyuu Munenori

The brief glimpse we get of the mysterious sword saint has a similar color scheme and facial hair to Munenori as he appears in FGO. Iori also often compares the man's swordsmanship to the moon, and Munenori's FGO Noble Phantasm features the moon prominently in its animation.

The new characters from Fate/Samurai Remnant will be added to Fate/Grand Order

Just as several Servants introduced in Fate/Grand Order appeared in Fate/Samurai Remnant, so too will Fate/Samurai Remnant's Saber, Assassin, Caster, Rider, Rogue Saber, and Rogue Rider cross over into Fate/Grand Order. And even if the Fate/Samurai Remnant timeline is ultimately pruned, Iori and Chiemon — or variants of them from a similar timeline — would make ideal Saber and Avenger-class Servants.

• Confirmed for Saber as they were added as the 2024 New Year's Servant.
• Iori is added as a 4* Saber welfare servant. Yui and Rider (who is an Avenger) is also added.

The Waxing Moon is primarily made of Shirou Amakusa's hands.

Historically his arms were torn off and he died of blood loss before being beheaded. Those same hands have magic circuits that let him access any Magical Foundation by simply shaping his arms a certain way. Ideal for shortcutting a homemade Holy Grail.