Kiritsugu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Kiritsugu Emiya (切嗣)
Alias(es)	Magus Killer
Species/Race	Human magus
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Emiya Family; Emiya Faction
Occupation/Role	Retired assassin; magus; head of the Emiya household; Master
Status	Alive 253
First Appearance	Chapter 1: From This Day On, I Am Young Hero Emiya

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Grand Magus	8	Identified as a Grand Magus while seeking Aozaki Touko's help for Illya, Sella, and Lizelotte.
Stark-based strengthening	177	Shirou provides Kiritsugu with an enhancement modeled after Coyote Starrk; it does not reach the original Espada's level, but raises him enough to fight Heracles with dual handguns.
Transformed state / Infinite Reload Cero	178	Takes command of the defense of the Emiya residence, transforms, and assaults Heracles with his Noble Phantasm.

Background / History

After the Holy Grail War ended in disaster, Kiritsugu wandered through Fuyuki's burning ruins after rejecting the Grail's demand that humanity be exterminated for world peace. He found a surviving red-haired boy beneath the debris, weeping with relief that someone had lived. He later named the amnesiac survivor Emiya Shirou and took him into his home. 1

Kiritsugu taught Shirou Projection and Reinforcement Magecraft, despite possessing only limited formal magecraft knowledge himself. During this training, he discovered that Shirou possessed enormous magical energy stored as reishi throughout his body, making the boy's existence comparable to a Servant's. 2

Having retained Avalon and his combat ability after the war, Kiritsugu traveled to the Einzbern Winter Castle to reclaim his daughter, Ilyasviel. Shirou accompanied him from Japan, helped breach the estate's defenses, and enabled the reunion between father and daughter. 3 4 6

Kiritsugu brought Illya, Sella, and Lizelotte to Fuyuki, forming an expanded Emiya household. Concerned by the limited lifespans of the Einzbern homunculi, he sought out Aozaki Touko and hired her to adjust their bodies under a Self-Geas contract. 8 10

During the later Fuyuki conflict, Kiritsugu defended the Emiya residence against Heracles after receiving a Starrk-derived enhancement from Shirou. He subsequently led Artoria, Irisviel, and Okita Souji toward the Greater Grail, using two Command Spells to support Irisviel's final sacrifice against the black Holy Grail. 177 178 208 215

In the Fourth Holy Grail War depicted after the time-travel shift, Kiritsugu summoned Artoria as Saber at Einzbern Castle. He later expended all three of his Command Spells to order her to destroy the corrupted Holy Grail with Excalibur. 217 253

Personality

Kiritsugu is pragmatic, efficiency-focused, and distrustful of conventional magus methods. Even after retiring as the Magus Killer, he continues to carry firearms and favors modern equipment over ritualistic combat. 4 12

His failure to achieve world peace through the Holy Grail leaves him disillusioned with sacrificing lives for ideals. Saving Shirou gives him a more immediate purpose: helping whoever he can without demanding another sacrifice. 1

As a father, he is protective but emotionally restrained. He worries about Shirou's recklessness and unusual maturity, yet gives him considerable freedom; with Illya, he struggles to express regret before finally embracing her during their reunion. 4 6 7

Abilities & Skills

Origin Bullets

Kiritsugu's signature ammunition is made from powder ground from his own ribs. Its effect reflects his Origin of “cutting and succeeding,” causing irreversible alteration when it severs and reconnects a target's composition. 3

• Fired from the Contender, a handgun with rifle-level performance. 3
• Designed to disrupt magi and magical defenses rather than engage in conventional duels. 3 229

Fixed Time Regulation

The Emiya family's inherited magecraft is described as the household's best Magic. Kiritsugu's personal version is limited to affecting himself. 130 164

• An inherited Emiya technique. 130
• Less extensive than Shirou's later application of the same principle. 164

Modern Combat Tactics

Kiritsugu treats magecraft as a tool and substitutes technology whenever it is more efficient. 4

• Uses firearms, including multiple concealed weapons. 12
• Combines gunfire with Natalia Kaminski in coordinated operations. 229
• Plans around unconventional tools such as tear gas to bypass magus defenses. 229

Starrk-Based Enhancement

Shirou strengthens Kiritsugu using a “blue version” based on Coyote Starrk, the Primera Espada. The result is a degraded imitation rather than the original's full power. 177 179

• Takes on a wolf-hunter-like appearance and wields two handguns. 177
• Fires blue barrages capable of slowing advancing Shadow Servants. 208
• Can engage Heracles alongside Artoria despite being an imitation of Starrk's power. 177 181

Infinite Reload Cero

Kiritsugu's Noble Phantasm, used after transforming during the defense of the Emiya residence. 178

• Used to bombard Heracles. 178
• Represents his most prominent documented combat escalation. 178

Mastery of Command Spells

Kiritsugu serves as Artoria's Master during the Fourth Holy Grail War. 217

• Uses two Command Spells to empower Irisviel during her attack on the black Holy Grail. 215
• Uses all three remaining Command Spells to compel Artoria to destroy the Holy Grail with her Noble Phantasm. 253

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Contender — A handgun with rifle-like performance. 3
• Origin Bullets — Ammunition made from his own rib powder. 3
• Firearms — Kiritsugu habitually carries multiple guns, even after retirement. 12
• Avalon — Remains inside him after the Holy Grail War, preserving his condition and combat ability. 3
• Command Spells — Used to command Artoria and support Irisviel. 215 253

Relationships

• Emiya Shirou — Adoptive son. Kiritsugu rescues, names, raises, and teaches Shirou, while remaining concerned by his extreme power and unpredictable conduct. 1 2 7
• Ilyasviel von Einzbern — Biological daughter. Kiritsugu returns to the Einzbern estate to bring her home after failing to return as promised for a year. 3 6
• Irisviel von Einzbern — Wife and Illya's mother. Kiritsugu later supports her at the black Holy Grail with two Command Spells. 3 215
• Artoria Pendragon — Servant. Kiritsugu summons her as Saber, though their relationship remains strained by his prior destruction of the Grail. 217 253
• Natalia Kaminski — Mentor and longtime combat partner. She taught him hunter's skills, and the two coordinate firearms-based tactics against Kenneth El-Melloi. 229
• Aozaki Touko — Hired specialist. Kiritsugu contracts her to modify the bodies of Illya, Sella, and Lizelotte. 10

Notable Quotes

“Still alive! Still alive!” 1

“I'm just a rich man who wants to live peacefully with his family.” 12

Trivia

• Kiritsugu's name is explained as meaning “cut” and “succeed,” reflecting the severing-and-binding effect of his Origin Bullets. 3
• Despite his reputation as the Magus Killer, Shirou consistently outclasses him at household cooking. 2 9