Saber

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Artoria was raised as a man. Hector taught her knighthood, while Merlin instructed her in a king’s duties; swords and warfare left little room for her to understand romantic feelings 832.

At fifteen, she drew the Sword of Selection despite being shown a vision of her kingdom’s bloody end. More than ten years later, that warning became reality as former comrades turned against one another and Britain fractured. Artoria blamed the disaster on her inability to understand the human heart 49.

According to the legend recounted around Avalon, Morgan’s treachery caused Artoria to lose the scabbard before Mordred’s rebellion. At Camlann, Artoria killed Mordred and defeated the rebels, but received a fatal wound; Britain effectively perished with the rebellion 22 146.

Despairing over that outcome, she accepted the Counter Force’s offer to pursue the Holy Grail across parallel worlds. Rather than simply restore Britain, she hoped to return to the Sword of Selection, erase her own existence as Artoria, and leave the task of kingship to someone else 145 146.

Appearance

Artoria has flawless, androgynous features that can initially be mistaken for those of a beautiful blond boy. Her dignified bearing conceals a more distinctly girlish appearance 22.

• Ordinary Saber: Golden hair, emerald eyes, and a petite build 22 44.
• Battle attire: Silver-blue armor constructed from magical energy 64 84.
• Black Saber: Black armor, pale-gold hair, nearly transparent skin, and amber eyes. Her height and build remain unchanged, but her presence becomes markedly more dangerous 111 137.
• Lion King: A mature woman of striking beauty whose divine aura makes her seem more like a storm or calamity than a human knight 456.

Personality

Artoria values chivalry, honorable combat, and fidelity to her convictions. She openly respects Lancer’s martial skill, refuses to submit to Rider, and insists that her alliance with Shirou rests on shared beliefs rather than convenience. Even when Shirou expresses no interest in the Grail, she intends to challenge him fairly rather than accept his withdrawal without a contest 36 62 82 84 113.

Her restraint conceals deep self-reproach. She sees Britain’s destruction as her personal failure and struggles to admit a wish that would negate her entire life. Shirou’s apparent childhood sacrifice particularly disturbs her because it mirrors her own abandonment of an ordinary girl’s happiness 49 60 145.

She is protective, easily flustered by Irisviel’s teasing, and initially suspicious of anyone who might manipulate her Master or Shirou. That suspicion can soften into trust: after repeatedly questioning Lady Avalon’s influence, she eventually defends Shirou’s judgment of his own Servant 47 59 61 101.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship and Combat Instinct

Artoria combines accomplished swordsmanship with Instinct and Mana Burst to fight through attacks that would otherwise overwhelm her 36 81.

• Exchanges praise with Diarmuid during their first duel 36.
• Breaks through layers of Gate of Babylon’s attacks while Shirou intercepts Gilgamesh’s weapons 81.
• Uses Instinct defensively even after corruption, changing to a two-handed grip when Shirou’s approaching blade presents an unexpected threat 140.

Dragon Core and Mana Burst

A dragon furnace core in Artoria’s chest supplies the magical energy needed to maximize Excalibur’s output 139.

• Reinforces her ordinary physical strength through Mana Burst 56.
• Destroys Caster’s restraining tentacles and surrounding monsters with an eruption of magical energy, without swinging her sword 44.
• Possesses a Red Dragon’s heart capable of sustaining prolonged movement without tiring from that exertion 97.
• Gains substantially greater Mana Burst output as Black Saber, at the cost of reduced speed 138.

Wind King Barrier — Invisible Air

Wind King Barrier conceals her weapon, preventing opponents from accurately judging its shape and reach 35.

• Forces Lancer to maintain extra distance because he cannot determine her attack range 35.
• Conceals Avalon during their duel, allowing her to fight with the scabbard without immediately revealing it 36.
• Can be dispelled when she reveals the Holy Sword or prepares its release 45 97.

Excalibur and Excalibur Morgan

Excalibur, the Holy Sword of the Lake, accompanied Artoria throughout her life. It functions as a magical-energy amplifier, producing an A++ Anti-City attack in her hands 45 52 139.

• Its wide-area release risks striking civilians unless the target is moved to a safe position 49.
• Requires preparation before firing, leaving an opening against highly mobile opponents such as Rider’s Divine Chariot 96.
• Cannot compensate for her inability to fly; Rider exploits that limitation to suppress her 96.
• As Black Saber, she releases the reversed sword, Excalibur Morgan, as a destructive black aurora 138 139 140.
• Her corrupted form specializes in repeated Noble Phantasm releases, although its firing preparation is not significantly faster than before 138 140.

Avalon

Avalon, Excalibur’s scabbard, provides protection through isolation rather than by simply absorbing attacks 36 139.

• Possesses an absolute defense beyond the reach of the Five Great Magics 36.
• Halts aging and heals injuries in a manner compared to reversing time 108.
• Is sturdy enough for Artoria to use directly as a striking weapon 36.
• Is placed inside Irisviel to restore her failing physical condition, leaving Artoria without it after her corruption 108 113.

Magic Resistance

Artoria originally possesses A-rank Magic Resistance. Corruption lowers it to B, allowing Lady Avalon’s illusion to trap Black Saber within Fake Unlimited Blade Works 138.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Excalibur — Her golden Holy Sword and principal offensive Noble Phantasm 45 52.
• Avalon — Excalibur’s scabbard, supplied by Irisviel after serving as Artoria’s summoning catalyst; later entrusted to Irisviel for protection 22 108.
• Magical armor — Silver-blue armor formed from mana; its corrupted counterpart is black 84 137.
• Excalibur Morgan — The reversed Holy Sword wielded by Black Saber 139 140.

Relationships

• Irisviel Einzbern — Master and trusted companion. Irisviel gives up the scabbard’s protection for her, and Artoria later returns that protection when Irisviel begins failing as the Grail’s vessel 22 108.
• Shirou Amamiya — Ally, fellow Arthur, desired dueling opponent, and romantic interest. She comes to feel understood by him, recognizes his Arthur identity when he uses Avalon, and later regrets not confessing her feelings before their separation 49 113 139 146.
• Lady Avalon — Initially regarded as a suspicious influence exploiting Shirou. Artoria later accepts Shirou’s trust in her; Lady Avalon says Saber asked her to continue looking after him 61 101 147.
• Diarmuid / Lancer — Respected opponent who becomes a dangerous enemy after abandoning chivalry. His corrupted form targets Irisviel and fights Artoria on equal terms with Mana Burst 36 48 56.
• Iskandar / Rider — Rival king whose principles she rejects. He repeatedly seeks to recruit her, while she consistently refuses to submit 62 82 96 98.
• Gilgamesh / Archer — Enemy fought alongside Shirou. After her corruption, she confronts him over the danger of killing the Greater Grail’s terminal 81 110 111.
• Morgan — Elder sister associated with the loss of Avalon. Artoria remembers her family’s opposition as part of the isolation she endured as king 22 49.
• Mordred — Son and rebel opponent. Their final battle ends with Mordred’s death and Artoria’s fatal injury 22 146.
• Bedivere — Loyal knight whom she orders to return the Holy Sword after deciding that she wishes to rest 146.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Fourth Holy Grail War

• Summoning and restored protection: The Einzberns summon Artoria using Avalon. Irisviel rejects the plan to reserve it for herself and entrusts it to Saber instead 22.
• Lancer duel: Artoria conceals Avalon beneath Invisible Air and uses it as a weapon. Revealing the scabbard and Holy Sword allows Diarmuid to identify her as Arthur Pendragon 35 36 37.
• Caster confrontation: Shirou intervenes to save Irisviel, wielding a black version of Artoria’s own sword. Artoria cooperates with him against the monsters, then initially mistakes Irisviel’s attachment to him for possible charm magecraft 45 46 47.
• Growing alliance: She apologizes to Shirou and finds reassurance in his understanding of kingship. While she occupies Lancer, Shirou confronts the Sea Monster; afterward, she catches him falling from the sky with Command Seal assistance 49 52 57.
• Joint operations: Artoria follows Shirou’s plan to draw Lancer away from the Hyatt Hotel, later fights Gilgamesh beside him, and protects him during Assassin’s secretly staged attack 64 81 84.
• Grail revelation: Upon learning that the Greater Grail is corrupted, she agrees it must be destroyed. Irisviel’s collapse prompts her to place Avalon inside her Master 108.

Black Saber and the Final Confrontation

• Corruption: Artoria appears in black armor after exposure to Black Mud, opposing Shirou while still warning that she could have spared him had he left Fuyuki 110 111 137 138.
• Duel with Shirou: Lady Avalon traps her in Fake Unlimited Blade Works. Artoria targets the illusion’s creator with Excalibur Morgan, but Shirou intercepts it with a projected Avalon before continuing the fight alone 138 139.
• Recognition of another Arthur: Seeing Shirou use the scabbard confirms his identity as another King Arthur. She subsequently recognizes his distinctive power as the other Britain’s “Twilight Dragon” 139 140.
• Grail crisis: She warns that destroying the manifested Grail would release Black Mud. When Shirou refuses to abandon the city, she hesitates over his plan and later stands between him and the approaching Avenger 142.

Return to Britain

• Unspoken feelings: After her seven-day manifestation ends, Artoria returns to the forest near Camlann rather than the Heroic Spirit Throne. She realizes that she likes Shirou and regrets leaving without telling him 146.
• Decision to rest: Remembering Shirou’s rejection of her self-erasing wish, she delays accepting another summons and orders Bedivere to return the Holy Sword 146.

Lion King

• Changed salvation plan: Artoria later confronts Shirou as the Holy Lance Goddess. She proposes making him draw the Sword of Selection in her place, while she remains beside him as a knight rather than erasing herself 456.
• Continuity with Saber: She identifies the Saber encountered by Rin and Luvia as her “immature past” 826.
• Enduring affection: After fifteen hundred years of wandering, she tells Shirou that her feelings have not changed and that her attraction was not merely admiration for a better king 832.

Notable Quotes

“Shirou and I came together because we share the same convictions. We could never betray each other.” 84

“At least for now, I would like to rest for a while, Sir Bedivere.” 146

Trivia

• Shirou initially mistakes her for Morgan because of their identical appearance and the Holy Sword she carries; meeting her directly confirms that she is someone else 36 37 47.
• Her supposedly invisible “sword” during the first Lancer duel is actually Avalon: she has been striking him with the scabbard 36.
• Shirou describes eating as one of her greatest joys and assumes that vulgar conversation during a meal has offended her 75.