Merlin

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Merlin (梅林)
Alias(es)	Court Mage of Britain; Magus of Flowers; Nightmare; quasi-Grand Caster; “Big Brother Merlin”
Species/Race	Nightmare
Gender	Male; appears in a feminine form within the British dreamscape
Affiliation	Britain; Chaldea; briefly Kama’s Servant during the Fuyuki Holy Grail War
Occupation/Role	Court Mage of Britain; Artoria’s teacher; singularity investigator; magical support and strategist
Status	Active
First Appearance	20

Appearance

Merlin is usually a tall, handsome white-haired mage with deep eyes and a gentle smile. His approachable appearance and polished manner make him popular with women, though his personality often undermines that first impression 116.

• Wears white mage’s robes and carries a staff 116.
• His British dreamscape form is a silver-haired, red-eyed woman in a short white mage’s robe 53.
• His feminine form is Artoria’s white-haired teacher, with a holy-looking appearance and star-like red eyes 54.
• Often escapes by dissolving into pink flower petals 128.

Personality

Merlin presents himself as relaxed, friendly, and playful, frequently smiling even in dangerous situations. He enjoys teasing others, especially Lan Ze, and repeatedly manipulates circumstances toward outcomes he considers useful—often without obtaining consent first 56 117 175.

As a Nightmare, Merlin states that he lacks emotions and sustains himself on human experiences. He watches humanity through Clairvoyance as though viewing different “TV shows,” which is both his entertainment and one reason he wants Humanity’s Order preserved 41 149.

Despite his evasiveness and tendency to cause trouble, Merlin is capable of genuine responsibility. He assists against Tiamat, investigates singularities before Chaldea detects them, and repeatedly acts to preserve Humanity’s Order 41 116 171. He also recognizes that Lan Ze has reason to resent him for his repeated schemes 246.

Abilities & Skills

Clairvoyance

Merlin can observe the present and extrapolate possible futures from available information.

• Foresees threats including Tiamat’s awakening, Britain’s doomed future, and emerging singularities 20 29 53 116.
• Cannot see every future with certainty; he explicitly describes Clairvoyance as limited to present observation and inference 20.
• Avoids using it on gods and Beasts, as they can detect his observation 45 116.
• His Clairvoyance fails to reliably predict Arcueid 249.

Dreamscape and Hypnosis Magecraft

Merlin creates and controls dreamscapes, using sleep magic for transport, protection, and spiritual summoning.

• Deepened Lan Ze’s sleep so he could remain in Tiamat’s Dreamscape for three days 20.
• Wove a dreamscape around the sleeping Tiamat to prevent her awakening 20.
• Used the Sea of Flowers and sleep magic to help Lan Ze reach Tiamat within the Sea of Life 41.
• Sent Lan Ze’s spirit body toward Fuyuki through Dreamscape magic so he could potentially answer a Heroic Spirit summoning 175.
• His hypnosis magic has severe side effects, including headaches 238.

Illusions

Merlin is a highly skilled illusionist, using magecraft to conceal identities and mislead opponents.

• Concealed Artoria’s gender from Britain, making others perceive her as male 56 78.
• Used an illusion to make Lan Ze believe Artoria was male, contributing to Lan Ze becoming her queen 62.
• Uses illusions in battle and planned to use them to repel Servants approaching Mount Enzou 143.

Sea of Flowers

Merlin can manifest a Sea of Flowers that counters hostile magical environments.

• Used it against Tiamat’s Sea of Life, creating an opening for Lan Ze to enter Tiamat’s dream 41.
• The Sea of Flowers is associated with his British dreamscape and magical training grounds 54.

Swordsmanship

Though primarily known as a mage, Merlin is an exceptional swordsman.

• Claims it is faster to defeat enemies with a sword than with lengthy spell chants 54.
• Deflected Gilgamesh’s barrage of Noble Phantasms with a sword, cutting down the incoming weapons in rapid succession 128.
• Describes himself as strong in both swordsmanship and magic when confronted by Kama 127.

Escape and Mobility

Merlin specializes in retreating from situations he cannot—or does not wish to—win.

• Dissolves into petals to evade attacks and relocate 128.
• States that no Servant in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War could catch him if he chose to flee 142.
• His escape ability is regarded as his greatest strength, even when manifested as a clone 142.
• Can create passages leading outside dangerous locations, though his Clairvoyance did not anticipate Arcueid entering through one 249.

Background / History

Merlin served as the Court Mage of Britain and became Artoria’s teacher after she drew the Sword in the Stone. He trained her nightly in swordsmanship and magecraft, while also arranging the political conditions for the successor to King Uther to become King Arthur 54 56.

Using Clairvoyance, Merlin foresaw Britain’s eventual destruction, including Morgan le Fay’s role in the tragedy and Mordred’s future conflict with Artoria. He believed much of this fate was predetermined, but Lan Ze’s anomalous existence gave him hope that the future could change 53 60.

During the Uruk crisis, Merlin arranged for Lan Ze to enter Tiamat’s Dreamscape and recognized Tiamat’s overwhelming power. Although Tiamat forcibly expelled him from her dream, Merlin continued supporting Lan Ze, countering the Sea of Life with his Sea of Flowers and sleep magecraft 20 22 41.

Merlin later brought Lan Ze into Britain’s dreamscape, revealed his apparent connection to King Arthur and Excalibur, and proposed that he marry Artoria to alter Britain’s future. He subsequently manipulated Lan Ze into entering Camelot, where Artoria publicly named him her queen 56 57 61 62.

After detecting a forming singularity in Fuyuki, Merlin descended as a summoned clone to investigate. He engineered Lan Ze’s confession to Ryougi Shiki in hopes that Shiki would develop an emotional attachment strong enough to aid in defeating a young Beast 116 117. Kama later discovered him spying and forced him into her service through a Command Spell, though Merlin covertly worked against her interests 127 128.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Uruk and Tiamat

• Facilitates Lan Ze’s entry into Tiamat’s Dreamscape and warns him of its Age of Gods-level magical density 20 21.
• Is forcibly ejected by Tiamat and concludes that no one could stop her if she fought seriously 22 23.
• Supports Lan Ze’s return to Tiamat with the Sea of Flowers and Dreamscape magic 41.

Britain and King Arthur

• Teaches Artoria, conceals her gender through illusion, and helped establish her as King Arthur 54 56.
• Identifies Lan Ze as another King Arthur due to his ability to wield Excalibur 56 57.
• Attempts to use Lan Ze and Artoria’s marriage as a means of changing Britain’s fate 57.
• Deceives Lan Ze into appearing at Camelot, enabling Artoria to declare him her queen 61 62.

Fuyuki Holy Grail War

• Descends as a clone after foreseeing a potentially catastrophic singularity 116.
• Manipulates Lan Ze into confessing to Ryougi Shiki to secure her future assistance 117.
• Becomes Kama’s Servant after being caught spying, then acts as a double agent 127 128.
• Cooperates with Lan Ze to alter the Holy Grail’s rules and protect Irisviel, the Greater Grail 143.
• Is repeatedly pursued, captured, and punished by Lan Ze’s allies over his manipulations 172 174 245.

Later Singularity Response

• Assists Roman in investigating magical fluctuations in Tokyo 171.
• Sends Lan Ze’s spirit body to Fuyuki through Dreamscape magic, allowing him to potentially answer a Master’s summoning 175.
• Continues using hypnosis magic to intervene during escalating conflicts involving Goetia and the Beasts 238.

Relationships

• Lan Ze — Frequent target of Merlin’s schemes and teasing; Merlin also considers him a crucial anomaly capable of changing fixed futures 57 117 246.
• Artoria — Student and King Arthur of Britain. Merlin trained her, arranged her accession, and concealed her gender with illusions 54 56.
• Tiamat — Merlin fears her immense strength and was expelled from her Dreamscape; later seeks her aid against threats beyond ordinary Servants 22 149.
• Morgan le Fay — Knows of Merlin’s role in Britain and questions why he intervenes on Lan Ze’s behalf 60.
• Kama — Temporarily his Master after forcing him into a Servant contract with a Command Spell; Merlin covertly resists fully serving her 127 128.
• Ryougi Shiki — Merlin regards her Root-connected body as a vital resource against the singularity’s Beast and orchestrates her relationship with Lan Ze 117.
• Roman — Requests Merlin’s help investigating magical anomalies; Merlin ultimately agrees despite trying to avoid work involving Lan Ze 171.
• Fou — Often accompanies Merlin; Fou later vents anger on him during his interrogation 53 245.
• Gilgamesh — Former ally in Uruk and hostile sparring opponent in Fuyuki; Gilgamesh recognizes Merlin’s hidden combat ability 20 128.

Trivia

• Merlin calls himself “Big Brother Merlin” when performing magic 189.
• He considers lengthy spell chanting inconvenient and prefers a sword when speed matters 54 128.
• Although he regularly claims innocence, he admits that being beaten by Lan Ze’s allies is understandable because he has tricked Lan Ze several times 246.
• His usual confidence vanishes when confronted by Tiamat, Sajyou Manaka, Ryougi Shiki, and other powerful figures holding grudges against him 172 174.