Holy Grail War
Reborn in Type-Moon: Starting with Adopting Sakura
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Holy Grail War (圣杯战争) |
| Role | Magecraft ritual in which Masters summon Heroic Spirits as Servants and compete for the Holy Grail 7 40. |
| First Appearance | Chapter 7 7. |
Origins and Mechanics
The Holy Grail War was devised by the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern families. Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern became the nexus of its Greater Grail 40 65. The ritual’s original aim was to gather the souls of defeated Servants in the Greater Grail and complete the Third Magic, the materialization of souls. Its accumulated magical power also gave the Grail the ability to grant wishes 65.
- Masters and Servants — Masters summon and command Heroic Spirits. A Servant’s strength matters, but alliances, attacks on Masters, and Command Seals can also decide a contest 11 22 28.
- Victory — The Grail is the prize sought by competing groups; even allies may plan to fight over it once other opponents are gone 12 36.
- Secrecy — Participants are expected to conceal magecraft and Servant battles from ordinary people. The Fourth War’s combat repeatedly strains that rule 63 97.
- Supervision — Risei Kotomine serves as supervisor during the Fourth War, though Tokiomi Tohsaka seeks his favor 36.
The Fourth Holy Grail War
The Fourth War takes place in Fuyuki City. Rovey investigates the preceding war before joining because the identity of the Einzberns’ Third War Servant determines whether this Grail is safe to use 7 15.
| Event | Consequence |
|---|---|
| The Einzberns summon the Avenger Angra Mainyu in the Third War; after his defeat, the Greater Grail absorbs his soul 97. | All the World’s Evil contaminates the Grail’s magical energy, turning it into black mud and distorting wishes toward destructive outcomes 15 97. |
| Rovey summons Scáthach as Caster and plans to purify the Grail before using it 16 20. | His extraction and filtering of much of the Greater Grail’s energy delays and reduces the anticipated outbreak of All the World’s Evil, but also leaves the ritual short of operating energy 97. |
| The war culminates in Rovey and Scáthach’s confrontation with Gilgamesh 89 95. | After Gilgamesh’s defeat, Rovey agrees to relinquish his original wish and purify the Grail 101 104. He then wishes away the war’s harmful effects, reversing its damage and resurrecting innocent victims 105 106. |
Later Re-creation
The Fourth War’s successful Grail descent should have completed Fuyuki’s original ritual. Nevertheless, Aoko obtains ritual data from the Einzbern and Tohsaka families and establishes a new Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, initiated by London rather than the Three Families 475. Its preparations again involve seven Masters and Servants 489 520.
Touko controls the later ritual, with Sajyou Manaka serving as its temporary Winter’s Holy Maiden. Under the procedure Touko set, a wish cannot be made—and Manaka cannot return—until the war is complete and every Servant has died 530.