Artoria Caster

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Note: This material is translated by u/savepoints

Info

Bio-Data

• Class: Caster
• True Name: Artoria Avalon
• Gender: Female
• Source: Fate/Grand Order
• Region: The Inner Sea of the Planet, The Roaring Sea of Tintagel
• Alignment: Neutral Good
• Height: 154cm
• Weight: 42kg

Meta

• Scenario writer: Kinoko Nasu
• Character designer: Takeuchi Takashi
• CV: Kawasumi Ayako
• Main appearances: Fate/Grand Order

Stats

Parameters	Values
Strength	B
Constitution	D
Agility	B
Magical Power	A
Luck	B
Noble Phantasm	A++

Class Skills

Magic Resistance: [A]

Cancel spells of A-Rank or below, no matter what greater magecraft it is.

Item Construction: [B]

Able to create tools that harbor magical energy. That said...the most common ones are "activated by running magical energy through them/one-time uses". The latter mostly resemble bombs.

Territory Creation: [EX]

The one who stands within the white walls of Camelot—stronghold of the Human Order.
She gives form to one of the greatest defensive formations in a confrontation with a "Threat to Humanity".

Fairy Eyes: [-]

Not the kind of Mystic Eyes possessed by humans, but rather an innate ability of fairies to "alter the world".
Fairy Eyes possessed by high-ranking fairies are described as eyes capable of seeing through every lie, and reflecting the truth. To fairies, good will and ill will are seen as one and the same, and as such this is a mostly meaningless supernatural power as far as they are concerned. On the other hand, it would not bode well for a human, perplexed by the distinction between good and evil, to possess these eyes.

Personal Skills

Charisma of Hope: [B]

Raised as the Child of Prophecy, Artoria, who set out on her journey, is endowed with a Charisma where people feel like they can depend on and expect things from her. Its effect is similar to the “dreamlike charisma that raises one’s morale” that the mage Merlin utilizes.

Avalon le Fae: [A]

A divine protection of the fairies originating from the Inner Sea of the Planet.
A blessing, or perhaps an oath, given by the Child of Prophecy.
The power possessed by a Fairy of Paradise to bless life and protect the target's karmic power from all sorts of corruption.

Holy Sword Creation: [EX]

A Skill which demonstrated to Artoria Caster the way she ought to be to find her way towards her ending.
An Arts version of Merlin's "Hero Creation".
Raises Arts performance, grants 1 turn of invincibility (the image of Avalon the scabbard), and grants special attack against a Threat to Humanity.
Once this power has truly awoken, everything that she creates will end up gaining the "sword" attribute.

Noble Phantasm(s)

The Star of Hope That Embraces You

• Rank: A
• Type: Anti-Army
• Range: 0~50
• Maximum Targets: 100 people

Around Caliburn.
Artoria's mindscape is unleashed upon the physical world by the Staff of Selection. It is the tolling of the bells from Paradise, and it both strengthens and protects all those who fight alongside her...even if she herself does not know how it got its name...
(Although not reflected in the actual game, it's supposed to be that "only Artoria herself is not buffed")

Promised Stars that Assemble in a Perfect Circle

• Rank: A++
• Type: Anti-Army
• Range: 1~999
• Maximum Targets: All allies

Round of Avalon.
Artoria’s Noble Phantasm after she becomes the Guardian of Britain.
She manifests the Camelot of Twilight and bestows the gift of a "Knight of the Round Table" to those who fight alongside her.
(In game, its effects are the same as Around Caliburn)

Artoria Caster fulfilled her duties in the Fairy Kingdom and vanished.
Afterwards, having consecrated her body to the Holy Sword and turned into the Holy Sword itself, she became a supporting device for the Human Order, which aids "those who oppose a threat that endangers the planet".
Its name is Artoria Avalon.
Her appearance in the third Ascension is actually the proper figure of the girl originally summoned here. What we see in the first and second Ascensions is but an emulation of the way of being of a "departed someone", which created her...not the memories as a Fairy of Paradise, but the memories of spring from when she traveled as the Child of Prophecy.

Character

Pronouns

Pronouns used (first and second Ascension):

First person: Watashi (わたし)
Second person: Anata (あなた)/○○-san
Third person: ano kata (あの方)/minna (みんな)/minna-san (皆さん)**
Addressing her Master: ○○○-san/Master

Pronouns used (third Ascension):

First person: Watashi (私)
Second person: Anata (貴方)/○○○
Third person: Anata-tachi (貴方たち)/minna (皆)
Addressing her Master: ○○○/Master ○○○

Personality

A what-if had Artoria not drawn the king's sword, but been raised as a village girl.
A sore loser who remains strong in the face of adversity (standing up even if something unpleasant happens). She hides her true feelings without letting anyone know, due to her always taking the surrounding mood into consideration—the very picture of a perfectly common girl.
Spending her time doing nothing but studying magecraft, she is a practical researcher who runs around the fields just like a young boy.
As the Child of Prophecy, she sets out in response to the expectations of those around her, journeying for the sake of saving Britain, thus taking on the role of the story's protagonist.
...At least ostensibly, this is her personality and disposition.

The Artoria from Pan-Human History had a personality without facades, but Artoria Caster is not so strong. On the inside, she is a pessimist with an extremely frail and timid disposition.
Two factors—the Fairy Eyes which let her see the lies of all the world, and being a Fairy of Paradise meant to put an end to Britain—made Artoria Caster have such a despondent, not to mention pessimistic, disposition.
(This was further fueled by the apathetic influence of the childhood teacher who taught her magecraft)

In her heart, she lets out a sigh, thinking that both she herself, the "Child of Prophecy", as well as the people around her who self-destruct by placing their hopes on someone like her, are all fools.
(It is not like she has burned out or is looking down on them. She is merely feeling heavy.)

Still, since she is mindful about the surrounding mood, Artoria does not reveal those inner aspects of herself, and instead ends up keeping up appearances by saying "Okay, leave it to me!" and behaving exactly as those around her expect.

She wasn't always the strong heroine you see today. She's a hard-working commoner who is bad at the essentials, makes a lot of blunders, and stumbles all over her path. Her only merit is the fact she is quick to get up after a fall. One can say that the very fact that her personality—worrying about her surroundings, without falling to evil nor forgetting about decorum—does not waver, no matter what sort of harsh circumstances or cruel treatment she faces, serves as proof that she is a noblewoman. This is the definitive difference between her and the Fairy King Oberon.

◇

During the pilgrimage portion of “Round Table of the Fairy Realm - Avalon le Fae”, the false Child of Prophecy, Mashu, was motivated by a thought such as “I’m scared, but I need to do the best I can in order to help everyone”. Meanwhile, the true Child of Prophecy, Caster, was motivated by a thought such as “I’m scared, but I have no choice but to continue, since everyone would be disappointed if I said anything”.

She kept hiding this negative mental state in which "everyone is scary, society is disgusting, and I can't keep my motivation up even if you tell me to save the world. But since going against those around me is also unpleasant, I'll work hard as a savior".

Although that ended up becoming a noble deed in the eyes of others, "the same way of being as King Arthur", Artoria Caster's inner aspects are awfully abject, pessimistic and negative. As such, she is always finding faults in herself.
"I was able to persevere this time, but most likely, next time, I will probably end up giving up on everything..."

If the Fairy Kingdom is a fairy tale imagined by Morgan, the journey of pilgrimage is a fairy tale describing Artoria's growth. Despite appearing to fill the same role as Dorothy—the protagonist of "The Wizard of Oz"—she actually possesses a weakness akin to an aggregation of the scarecrow that can't walk properly (can't see his own feet, has no wits), the woodcutter with a hollow heart, and the lion that doesn't want to display courage.
Why was this Artoria able to remain as the Child of Prophecy to the very end? What was she fighting for?
That answer becomes the end of her story.

Setting

An orphan who came with the tides to the cape of Tintagel, on the edge of the British Lostbelt in the year 2001 of the Queen’s calendar.
She is the “Child of Prophecy” who will bring salvation to the Fairy Kingdom.

A special fairy who was dispatched from the Inner Sea of the Planet, Avalon, to the surface, along with the Staff of Selection.
After drifting into the Lake District, she was placed on a boat along with many treasures by the decision of the Chief of the Mirror Clan, eventually reaching the coast of Tintagel and being raised as a fairy of Tintagel from then on.

In the Lostbelt, she is the same being as the "someone" who was eventually burdened with the Holy Sword in Pan-Human History.
In addition, she is an "accumulation device" sent to collect information on the surface, in order to produce the Holy Sword—a decisive weapon against the "threat to the planet".
Since she is not a fairy originating from the Fairy Kingdom of Britain, the fairies from Britain have an instinctive antipathy against her.
Conversely, for fairies who hate all fairies from Britain, fairies not born in the Six Clans, and fairies who hate themselves to begin with, the "Fairy of Paradise" is a source of solace.

◇

“In sixteen years hence, a savior shall travel the world, and at the end of a pilgrimage to six bells toll, the false throne shall fall to ruin.”
The Chief of the Mirror Clan, who was able to peer into the future, left such a prophecy.
Thereafter, it has been well-known gossip among the fairies living under princess Morgan’s oppressive regime, wishing it would only come to pass.
Artoria was given refuge in Tintagel as the Child of Prophecy, burdened with great expectations as she was treated as something precious, abused, and finally, at sixteen years of age, she embarked from the village.

She studied magecraft within Lostbelt Britain, having been chosen by the Staff of Selection. Her teacher was Merlin (or so he professed himself).
She used to hear voices coming from the staff every now and then, but that came to an end after a certain incident.
As such, one of the reasons for her to go on the pilgrimage is “to actually meet Merlin”.

She possesses Fairy Eyes which have been lost to the fairies of Britain.
Consequently, she may suddenly catch a glimpse of “human malice”.
When her Fairy Eyes are invoked without warning, she finds herself isolated in the midst of a “terrible storm of malice”.
This caused her to view fairies and human beings alike as equally “scary and revolting”.
When sleeping, she sees only this “storm of malice” in her dreams.
Originally, it wouldn't be surprising if this condition made her go mad and caused her to forsake Britain, but the one thing that served as hope for Artoria was a “single tiny, blue star that shined beyond the storm”.
She could not know whether it was “a handful of human kindness amidst the malice,” or “a shining future,” but it did not make a difference to her.
Artoria simply felt encouraged by the light of that star.
“Whenever I wanted to die, it always kept shining”
“No matter what, it was always there in the storm”
“Me and that star had no relation, no connection, whatsoever”
“But as long as that star kept shining, it was impossible for me to lose in any way”
→
“But, haven’t you been telling lies too?”
Artoria Caster started when she heard Oberon, the prince of fairies, point out her lies in the middle of the story.
Oberon could see through her, and tell that she saw the lies of people as something frightening and revolting.
※The Fairy Eyes’ influence allowed her to see the truth of the world→she saw it as a storm of darkness, mired in malice.
Occasionally, Artoria might show a “cute laughter, as if trying too hard to find something funny,” but in actuality it was rather that “she felt forced to laugh to be able to endure the sheer repulsiveness”.

She perseveres in helping because she sees that single bright light (the star) in the midst of the storm.

“There are so many things that scare me, and so many things I just find implausible”
“I couldn’t care less about either Britain or the future”
“But not ever would I betray the light of that little star, which has always shined so bright for me”

No matter how much that storm of human society seemed like a river of waste,
her hope, which she had seen since she was a little girl, was “something shining in the storm”.
It wasn’t for society, or for peace, or for herself.
Its brilliance had nothing to do with her, nor would it ever disappear, even if, until the very end, there was never a time where it came to her.
“Look how brightly it shines. How it continues to fight even now.”
It was that very tenacity which always encouraged her.

“As long as that little star keeps shining———
I myself will never be defeated”

Abilities

A fairy (A-Rei[1]) dispatched to the world’s surface from Avalon, the Inner Sea of the Planet.
She is the same sort of specimen as Morgan, the Fairy of the Lake; they’re basically sisters.
They are “accumulation devices” which gather information on the surface world, in order to construct a Holy Sword—a decisive weapon against a “threat to the planet”.
This power is always sealed by a safety lock, which can only be released by ringing each and every one of the bells situated across Britain.

Her third Ascension does not take the form of Artoria Caster, but the one who offered herself to casting the Holy Sword, consequently becoming the very concept of a Holy Sword. Her name is Artoria Avalon.
A nameless king who renders assistance in battle, whether it be the past, present, or the future, as long as there exists someone who requires a Holy Sword.
When she becomes Artoria Avalon, she can use many of her treasured swords as catalysts for magecraft.
The Shadow-Treading Carnwennan, the Lightning Flash Spumador, and the Mythological Mystic Code Marmyadose.
Marmyadose is a large sword that was forged by the god of fire and given to great heroes.
It is said that this sword exceeds Excalibur in power alone, and during times when King Arthur would lend Excalibur to Gawain, she used this large sword as a substitute.

Attitude toward Master (as the Child of Prophecy)

She immediately felt close to them when she heard they were a “magus”, even if from Pan-Human History.
Even more so when she heard they were “thrust into a position to save the world by those around them”.
As acquaintances, and like-minded individuals, they decided to travel together.
At first, because of curiosity and a feeling of kinship.
Before long, to root for each other and have fun.
And in the end, for no other reason than friendship.

However, those memories of spring were short-lived.

Attitude toward Master (when in Chaldea)

She is a perfect recreation of “the girl who went on a pilgrimage with the Master of Chaldea”.
An emulation based on “what if that girl was still alive right now”. Although, because she is the result of a sincere transformation by the guardian of Britain and the concept of the Holy Sword, Artoria Avalon, there is no falsity in neither behavior nor reactions.

Related Characters

Morgan (Lostbelt):

I may lose out in terms of magical energy and smarts, but I'm definitely on top when it comes to competitive spirit and guts! Huh? She used to be King of the Demon Boars[2] back in the day? Come on! She's a straight upgrade in every way———!
But still, when talking about final achievements, I'm hardly on track to lose, right?

Baobhan Sith:

From the first moment we met in Gloucester, she was a fairy who didn’t lie.
She said and did whatever was on her mind, even if it was rude, but I was used to harshness like that from Knocknarea, so I didn’t mind. I kinda liked Baobhan Sith, actually.
I feel bad about my winning line back at the auction house, though.

Barghest:

Even though she’s blessed in just about every way, she doesn’t let that get in the way of her diligence. That’s what Bageko is like. A spineless worm like me could never stand to look her straight in the eyes.
I’m just so jealous!
Fairies like that really need to be put to the test, so that’s why, whenever I get the chance, I drop by and pester her for a meal. If I leave her all on her own, she’ll probably just waste away in self-loathing.

Melusine:

I was fed up with Aurora as soon as we met, but if there’s one thing that makes me sympathetic to her, it’s being compared to Melusine...
Whereas Aurora grew little by little, and would stop being the kind of girl she’d always been, Melusine just remained the same the whole time, right?
What kind of sick torture is it to have something closer to your own ideal self grow so close to you?

Knocknarea:

I would like to show her what the woman from Connacht in Pan-Human History is like.
I’m sure she would have clawed her eyes out after seeing her, then raised her face while covering her eyes with her hands, and shouted out something really rude...
Ah, maybe not go as far as to swear. It’s Knocknarea after all, you know? As long as humanity’s got chocolate, I’m sure she’d emerge from anything bursting with joy!

Oberon:

I don’t really feel like I have anything in particular I need to say to Oberon, but...
Ah, melons! What’s up with Oberon eating melons in the cafeteria all the time!?
I don’t even think he likes melons either! He’s just always pestering people about how they’re the “rarest and most expensive ones”! They’re tiny too![3]

Merlin:

Huuuh, this is the real one...?
They look and act nothing alike, but they’re still soooo much like peas in a pod, aren’t they!?

Muramasa:

If fate was the primary reason that boy and this girl were led to each other, it would seem that fate is more than a little ironic, wouldn’t it?
On behalf of the girl who is no longer here with them, heartfelt gratitude and respect is extended.
If he had been able to meet with Ector, she’s sure they would’ve been a great match.
It seems that even at the very end he never told her that after being thrown down the pit by Melusine, and returning alive, he stopped by the smithy on the cape, where no one was to be found.

Nameless Fairy

The other Artoria.
She’s an unnoteworthy fairy girl of the Wind Clan (in the fairy system).
In Lostbelt Britain, those fairies who become “unpopular, without purpose, and without name” don’t have long before they turn into a sort of aquatic plant—into Moss[4]—and subsequently disappear.
This fairy had committed no crime whatsoever, but had simply lost her intended place as a result of losing her name, and as such drifted to Cornwall, a forest at the furthest reaches of Britain.
At the beginning of the scenario, she’s the fairy who helps the main character when they become stranded in Cornwall.
Around then, she was actually given her name from Artoria, who was trying to run away from “the heavy responsibility imposed on her”.
※At that time, her character nameplate in the scenario actually changes from “Nameless Fairy” to “Fairy”[5]. However, she doesn’t tell anyone that she received Artoria’s name.
During the final part of the opening scenario, when the main character is discovered to be human, and the fairies are pushed to the brink of savageness, she helps the main character and Artoria escape to the outskirts of the forest, but upon reaching her own limit, she turns into Moss, attacks the main character, and is then defeated.

Her true name is Hope.
She is a savior-type fairy, born to spread hope to the people (or rather, to the fairies).

◇

Like the name “Hope” implies, she is a fairy in charge of spreading hope throughout the world, and for a long time, she carried out her irresponsible duties (the unreasonable act of “making everyone happy” without any form of concrete plan!), but people demanded hope endlessly, and before long, hope became something taken for granted. No matter what good deed she performed, no one appreciated her. Everyone forgot about her, and she drifted off to the Nameless Forest, having been worn down and brought to despair by her very own namesake, “hope”.
In many ways, she is in the same position as Artoria Caster.

When viewing Hope as “a savior consumed by the people”, you can really understand the meaning of her lines when she is about to turn into Moss.
(However, it is perhaps something that can only really be felt by those people who can truly relate to it... At least, when the name Hope is mentioned at the end, I would really like it for people to react with an “Ah...”)

She lost her value to society, her role ended in fatigue, she became disappointed in herself, and both her place in the world and her name were lost. But even so, at the very end/until the very end, she became a “hope” without substitute for someone within the storm.

Since this was such a crucial role, I wanted Sumisu-san, who I had loved since the start of FGO, to draw her, so I requested for them to draw it.

Comment from the Illustrator

Castoria started out with her second ascension design, and then her first and third came along. Her second ascension design was drawn up as a rough sketch during the early stages of the second part [of the game]. When imagining a Caster-class Artoria, the idea that came to mind was “an Artoria sneakily stealing Merlin’s staff and traveling in secret, disguised as a magus”. Both the silhouette, and the pose itself, were almost done already at that point. When it came to formally creating her character, I made her first ascension based on what I saw of her role in the script and such. I also wanted to give her a fitting final stage, so her third ascension had its concept completely revamped, attempting to give her a new design based on “an Artoria who mastered magecraft”. As work on this design progressed, I really did feel like all the different experiences I’d gotten via FGO came together, and it gave me a sort of special emotional attachment to this project. (Takashi Takeuchi)

Comment from Illustrator (Hope/Nameless Fairy)

If talking about fairies, there’s definitely butterfly wings! And elf ears!!! While her back is hidden behind her wings, the rounded back gives a sense of romanticism...and also, short-cut frizzy hair just makes it even better!! I was super happy that I got an OK in response when I submitted the final drawing where I had stealthily added her drawers for the hell of it. If she was ever going to fly, that addition would really put my mind at ease. When the request for this illustration came in, the lines for the setting were like “a fairy girl who loves flowers” and “seeming rather hapless, admirable, and modest”, so it turned out to be quite the unusual silhouette from what I normally like to draw! There just came more and more decorations! It felt so weird! I was also a bit...worried that the bouquet around her neck would turn out too flashy, but I absolutely wanted to include that flower element, and I’m glad I was daring enough to do so. I guess I was also fortunate to have the luxury of coming up with the design while being able to fantasize about her standing next to Caster Artoria-chan... (Sumisu)

TL Notes

[1] See this BL post for a quick rundown on a-rei (亜鈴)

[2] I believe this is a reference to a line by Ector in chapter 28, section 4, where he compares a young Castoria to a non-existent Demon Boar Clan, thus making the joke about how she and Morgan are the same kind of existence, since Ector traveled with Morgan.

[3] As far as I can tell, this is a reference to a variety of melon in Japan called “Oberon”

[4] Here the word used is actually the usual モース, which in my own translations have been rendered as “Mors” until now (to relate to the death-aspect). However, Nasu gives us a parenthetical kanji here, 藻 (pronounced も), which at a glance in a dictionary means just “algae”, but actually in botany can refer to any sort of aquatic or semi-aquatic plant (See this link for more information). This kanji’s meaning, along with its pronunciation, as well as the fact that モース is a (rather) unusual spelling for “moss” gives us the answer that it was most likely supposed to be “Moss” all along. This can also be further evidenced by how most of their attacks involve clinging to things, how moss grows on “dead things” (Cernunnos and the fairies who act as the “land” in a sense). Artoria also references this same word at the end of chapter 1, section 6 (“The black algae that pollutes this world with its existence—-the curse of Britain, killer of fairies.”).

[5] Nasu says the nameplate changes to just 妖精 (fairy) here, but it actually changes to 妖精の少女 (fairy girl).

Material Images

(Lib will add after publish)

Dialogue

Occassion	English	Japanese
Summoned