Holy Grail War

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Holy Grail War
Original	聖杯戰爭
Type	Magical ritual and conflict between Masters and Servants
Occupation/Role	Summons Heroic Spirits to compete for the Holy Grail, a wish-granting mechanism often sought as a route to the Root 193 219
Affiliation	Historically associated with the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou families in Fuyuki; the Church serves as supervisor in the Second Tokyo War 193 219 472
Status	Multiple iterations documented; the First Tokyo War ended without a clear victor, while Sajo Ayaka and Lily won the Second Tokyo War but declined to make a wish 93 547
First Appearance	Chapter 6

Rules and Structure

Masters and Servants

The standard form of the ritual calls for seven Masters to summon seven Servants—Heroic Spirits drawn from human history—to fight until a victor claims the Grail. Servants retain independent consciousness rather than functioning as mere mage-controlled familiars. 219 263

• A Command Spell identifies its bearer as a Master and can compel a Servant's actions. 459 208
• Masters may eliminate rivals, strip their Command Spells, and seize their qualifications or rewards. 461
• Heroic Spirit summons can be directed through Holy Relics connected to a desired historical figure. The strength of the resulting Servant is influenced by the hero's fame and the reach of their legend. 192 458
• The Grail is widely treated as an omnipotent wish-granting device, though participants disagree sharply over whether it can safely fulfill wishes. 193 490

Greater Grail and Wish Fulfillment

The Greater Grail cannot independently grant a wish; it requires the souls of the seven summoned Heroic Spirits as fuel. Mages may preserve a Command Spell until the end to forcibly turn their Servant into fuel for this process. 89

• Its underlying purpose is tied to reaching the Root, the ultimate aspiration of many Mages. 193
• Michael characterizes wish granting as using immense Mana to bypass the normal chain between cause and effect. 284
• The Heroic Spirit summoning system and the Third Manac, Heaven's Feel, are considered more valuable than the wish-granting function by Michael. 284

Church Supervision

During the Second Tokyo War, Sangred Fain represents the Church as the official combat supervisor. He claims the Church must remain fair and neutral in conflicts directly concerning the war. 472

• Magecraft signal fireworks are used to summon Masters when major rulings must be announced. 513
• The Church enforces the concealment of Mystery, which prohibits exposing magecraft and supernatural events to ordinary society. 513
• Fain temporarily altered the rules during the war, offering a Command Spell to whoever eliminated the Linglongguan Family's Master and Servant. 514

Known Iterations

War	Location / Circumstances	Outcome
Third Fuyuki Holy Grail War	Preceded Michael's preparations for the Fourth War; its aftermath corrupted the Fuyuki Grail with All the World's Evil. 6 284	The Grail became a destructive, black-mud-producing wish mechanism. 284
First Tokyo Holy Grail War	Included seven Servants, with Rider initially holding a clear advantage. 93	Michael destroyed the Holy Grail; no clear victor remained. 93 95
Fourth Fuyuki Holy Grail War	Michael entered after long-term preparation and planned to modify the Greater Grail to summon fourteen Servants. 192 196	Its final outcome is not documented in the provided material.
Second Tokyo Holy Grail War	Began ten years after the first, using a Holy Grail Michael had left behind. 454	Sajo Ayaka and Lily defeated the King of the Holy Grail; they chose not to make a wish. 547

History

Fuyuki Grail System

The Fuyuki ritual was devised by the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou families as a large-scale system intended to reach the Root. It summons Heroic Spirits from across human history and presents the surviving victor with the Holy Grail. 193 219

The Greater Grail had already been corrupted by the Third Fuyuki Holy Grail War. Its Mana became black mud, and wishes made through it would be interpreted in a destructive, “wicked” direction. 197 284

During the Fourth Fuyuki Holy Grail War, Michael entered with extensive preparations, including Holy Relics, land in Fuyuki, a workshop, and a fortified stronghold. He later released the Grail's seal, beginning its descent ritual; as Servants returned to the Throne, black matter from beyond a sealed “Gate” leaked into the Grail. 192 196 285

First Tokyo Holy Grail War

A separate Holy Grail War took place in Tokyo. Its Greater Grail concealed a bound Apocalypse Beast: a dark mass with six manifested heads that required a seventh to be born fully. Its appearance threatened human history itself. 91

The nameless Servant assigned by the Counter Force concluded that the Grail could not grant his Master's wish without causing disaster and instead sought to destroy it. 91 Michael ultimately announced that the war had ended after he destroyed the Holy Grail, leaving no clear victor. 93 95

Despite the official lack of a victor, later outsiders referred to Michael, Lord Animusphere, as the war's winner and speculated over what wish he had made. 677

Second Tokyo Holy Grail War

Ten years after the first Tokyo conflict, the Church discovered the Holy Grail Michael had left behind and invited surviving affiliated families to participate. Sajo Hiroki declined on behalf of the Sajo Family. 454

This iteration differed substantially from the conventional seven-Servant battle. Seven towers appeared in Tokyo, visible only to the seven Masters. Each Master had to clear a personal tower trial and obtain a Faction Crest, granting access to the Sky Castle. 461

The Sky Castle's final phase required Masters to gather their sigils and challenge the King of the Holy Grail. The King guarded the Grail and declared that a challenger could obtain it only by defeating him and replacing the old king. 485 541

Sajo Ayaka and Lily eventually defeated the King with Caliburn. Although they won the war, they rejected the Grail's wish-granting reward, concluding that wishes should be achieved through personal effort rather than granted by the Grail. 547

Second Tokyo War Mechanics

Requirement	Function
Seven towers	Each Master is assigned a tower and must clear its trial. The towers are concealed from non-Masters. 461
Faction Crest / sigil	Proof of passage to the Sky Castle, obtained after clearing a tower. 461 485
Sky Castle	Final-stage arena that summons qualified Masters once all seven sigils have appeared. 485
King of the Holy Grail	Guardian and final opponent; defeating him allows a challenger to claim the Holy Grail. 485 541
Talisman / white key	Items received by some Masters during the tower phase; their full purpose was initially unclear. 543

The King of the Holy Grail

The King of the Holy Grail is the final guardian of the Second Tokyo War. He sits upon a throne within the Sky Castle and awaits challengers after each battle. 542

Noble Phantasm Replication

The King can connect to the Throne of Heroes and wield Noble Phantasms belonging to Heroic Spirits, though he can use only two at once. 542

• Used Blade of Deathly Slaughter against Gilgamesh. 541
• Replicated Gate of Babylon during the same battle. 541
• Manifested Karna's golden armor and earrings. 542
• Wielded a divine spear of annihilation powerful enough to overwhelm Gilgamesh's flood-based Noble Phantasm. 542

Final Defeat

After absorbing the Spiral Sword and assuming a colossal beast-like form, the King launched his final attack against Ayaka and Lily. They defeated him with the Holy Sword Caliburn. 547

• The Great Holy Grail merged into Lily's body, upgrading her Spirit Core. 546
• Ayaka received golden wings and greatly enhanced attributes during the battle. 546
• The King acknowledged Ayaka as a worthy opponent upon his defeat. 547

Relationships

• Greater Grail — central vessel of the ritual; collects Servant souls to fuel wish fulfillment. 89
• Masters — human participants marked by Command Spells who summon and direct Servants. 219 459
• Servants — summoned Heroic Spirits who fight on behalf of Masters while retaining their own consciousness. 263
• Church — official supervisor of the Second Tokyo War; communicates rulings and intervenes under claimed supervisory authority. 472 513
• Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou families — founding families behind the Fuyuki Holy Grail War system. 193 219
• King of the Holy Grail — final guardian of the Second Tokyo War's Sky Castle phase. 485 541

Trivia

• The conventional Holy Grail War is often described as a contest between seven Masters and seven Servants, but Michael planned to modify the Fuyuki Greater Grail to summon fourteen Servants. 196
• Servant Noble Phantasms can be sealed by special environments or by a Master's actions, severely reducing a Servant's combat power. 82 456
• The Church's declared neutrality is undermined by Sangred Fain's attempts to manipulate Masters and direct the war against the Linglongguan Family. 514 521