Gilgamesh

Biodata

Background

Gilgamesh ruled Uruk during his lifetime. The narrative describes his younger self as a tyrant whom the gods sent Enkidu to guide toward proper kingship. His past includes slaying the Bull of Heaven, while Enkidu’s sacrifice remains a subject capable of provoking him intensely 18.

In his old age, Gilgamesh obtained an elixir of immortality from the underworld, but a snake ruined it before he could drink it. He later suggests that the incident involved deliberate interference and looks accusingly at Ishtar; she denies responsibility 45.

Appearance

• Usual presentation: A haughty man clad in golden armor 7.
• Battlefield entrance: Appears atop a streetlight at the Fuyuki docks, radiating enough golden light to draw everyone’s attention 23.
• Hairstyle adjustment: Brushes two locks of hair over his forehead after seeing a younger-looking parallel version of himself 21.

Personality

Gilgamesh treats royal dignity as an unquestionable entitlement. He routinely calls other participants “mongrels,” demands deference, and resents even Tokiomi’s respectful suggestions when they sound like instructions. He argues that an owner should gratefully surrender anything that catches a king’s eye 1 6 7 19.

His pride is closely tied to his treasury and strength. He claims that every treasure belongs to him, including the Holy Grail, despite admitting that he does not know whether the Grail is actually stored in his treasury. During the revelation that another ruler possessed his body, he initially focuses on the system calling him the strongest Heroic Spirit rather than on the possession itself 22 43.

He can be vindictive and deliberately cruel. At the docks, he limits his volleys because he wants to enjoy Feng Xi’s struggle before killing him. After a Hassan clone retrieves his severed arm, Gilgamesh kills the clone for touching it 24 27.

Nevertheless, he seeks entertaining opposition rather than obedience alone. He gives Rin a summoning card partly because her subdued behavior has become boring and he wants her to resume arguing with him. His confidence also has limits: when the system’s warning makes him sense a potentially fatal punishment, he abandons his attempt to retaliate against Qin Shi Huang 27 42.

Abilities & Skills

Gate of Babylon

Gilgamesh’s treasury provides weapons, defensive equipment, medicines, and luxuries. In battle, he opens golden spatial ripples and fires stored Noble Phantasms as projectiles 23 27 43.

• Ranged bombardment: Repeated volleys destroy shipping containers and cover Feng Xi’s escape routes 23.
• Defensive deployment: Summons shields against Feng Xi’s arrow and the Knight of the Lake’s gunfire 24.
• Noncombat storage: Holds magical potions, a rejuvenation potion, treasure chests, and fine wine 20 27 43.
• Demonstrated limitation: Its projectiles can be deflected by God Force or caught and reused by the Knight of the Lake 24.

Chains of Heaven

The Chains of Heaven restrain targets, becoming harder to escape as the target’s divinity increases 27.

• Immediately binds Ishtar when she threatens him at the Tohsaka residence 27.
• Gives him a decisive advantage against Ishtar, leading her to seek allies rather than challenge him alone 37.
• Appears in quiz footage restraining Iskandar before Gilgamesh pierces his chest with Ea 33.
• Ishtar’s initial capture is not proof of an effortless victory in unrestricted combat: her Rin-derived consciousness discourages her from fighting inside the Tohsaka home 27.

Sha Naqba Imuru

Gilgamesh attempts to use Sha Naqba Imuru to discover the answer to the first quiz 3.

• Cannot see through the Q&A system.
• Finds that information connected to the question—and his view of the Fourth Holy Grail War—has been blocked 3.

Weapon Proficiency

Gilgamesh claims proficiency with every weapon after Artoria questions a parallel version carrying two swords 21.

• Ea: Shown in quiz footage piercing Iskandar’s chest while the Chains of Heaven restrain him 33.
• Vimana: Used in quiz footage to pursue the Knight of the Lake’s fighter jet 9.
• Sword use: Kills a Hassan clone with a single sword strike 27.

Parameters and Resistance

Equipment & Items

• Golden armor — His usual battle attire 7.
• Magical healing potions — Reattaches his recovered right arm and restores it to normal; he does not perform the healing through his own magecraft 27.
• Rejuvenation potion — Keeps a bottle in his treasury and considers it a possible explanation for the child version shown by the quiz 20 21.
• Fine wine — Produces wine from his treasury during the royal banquet; both Iskandar and Qin Shi Huang praise it 43.
• Mystic Code — Unarmed Shinji-kun — Obtained from a quiz chest and immediately given to Tokiomi. It manifests a chibi Shinji doll capable of swallowing a vicious red stew 27.
• Heroic Spirit Summoning Card — Chaldea Version — Obtained from another chest and given to Rin because Heroic Spirits cannot use it to summon Servants. Rin uses it to summon Ishtar 27.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Entry into the Q&A System

Gilgamesh joins the communication system from the Throne of Heroes and immediately clashes with Rin. He later changes his displayed name to “King of Heroes,” refusing to let the other participants casually use his real name 1 2 7.

Although the system blocks his attempt to obtain answers through Sha Naqba Imuru, he guesses correctly in the first quiz. He receives five Saint Quartz and shares the highest win rate with Feng Xi and Waver, earning a golden treasure chest 3.

Feud with Feng Xi

Gilgamesh insults Zhang Jue as a “Yellow Turban Bandit,” drawing both Zhang Jue and Feng Xi into an argument. The hostility escalates when he and Kayneth mock Kiritsugu’s dream of becoming a Hero of Justice. Feng Xi challenges Gilgamesh’s reasons for slaying the Bull of Heaven and invokes Enkidu’s sacrifice, prompting an explicit death threat 15 18.

At the first-night gathering at Fuyuki’s docks, Gilgamesh attacks Feng Xi with Gate of Babylon. Feng Xi counters using Red Hare’s Class Card and God Force. A returning arrow enhanced by Royal Brand’s sure-hit skill severs Gilgamesh’s right arm while a second shot distracts him 23 24.

Kariya then orders the Knight of the Lake to exploit the injury. Gilgamesh exchanges fire with the Gatling-equipped Berserker, and Hassan figures later block Berserker’s approach. The battle ends without a decisive result as the participants withdraw; Gilgamesh leaves Feng Xi another threat 24 25 26.

Recovery and Ishtar’s Summoning

Back at the Tohsaka residence, Gilgamesh repairs his arm with a potion, then kills the Hassan clone who recovered it. Feng Xi’s system-derived equipment persuades him to open the treasure chests he had previously dismissed as unnecessary 27.

One reward is the summoning card he gives Rin. Her resulting summon, Ishtar, immediately threatens him, and he restrains her with the Chains of Heaven. At Tokiomi’s request, she agrees not to fight him for the time being; Gilgamesh releases her, and she moves to a hotel with Aoi, Rin, and Sakura 27 28.

Rin and Ishtar subsequently recruit Feng Xi to help deal with him. They agree to wait until Gilgamesh leaves the house so their attack will not destroy it. Their partnership remains in effect afterward 37 38 50.

Debate and Banquet of Kings

When the system organizes a debate over royal vision and worthiness to possess the Holy Grail, Gilgamesh leads the team containing Tokiomi, Kirei, and the Hassans 41.

Inside Qin Shi Huang’s recreation of Epang Palace, Imperial Privilege forces him into the rearmost seat. He prepares to retaliate after regaining control, but stops when the system warns of punishment 42.

During the banquet, he replaces Qin Shi Huang’s baijiu with wine from his own treasury and asserts that the Holy Grail already belongs to him. Iskandar’s declaration that he will seize what he wants leads both kings to accept that they must fight 43.

Versions Revealed by the System

The quiz distinguishes genuine versions of Gilgamesh from people using his power or body. D and F are identified as not being Gilgamesh 21 22.

Relationships

• Tokiomi Tohsaka — Master. Tokiomi serves him with extreme deference, but Gilgamesh dismisses his schemes and resents being directed 19 27.
• Feng Xi — Open enemy. Their arguments become a battlefield feud, with Feng Xi severing his arm at the docks 18 24.
• Rin Tohsaka — Frequent verbal opponent. Gilgamesh enjoys her defiance enough to give her a summoning card, inadvertently enabling her to obtain an ally against him 1 27 37.
• Ishtar — Longstanding enemy. He mocks her as a useless goddess and counters her divinity with the Chains of Heaven 27 34.
• Enkidu — Figure associated with his development as a king. Feng Xi’s reference to Enkidu’s sacrifice strikes a particularly sensitive point 18.
• Kirei Kotomine — An object of malicious interest. Gilgamesh watches him closely as Kiritsugu’s ideals leave him confused; the narration distinguishes this present interest from his corruption of Kirei in the original story 18.
• Iskandar — Rival king and prospective opponent. They disagree over ownership of the Grail, while quiz footage shows Gilgamesh killing him with Ea 33 43.
• Artoria — Fellow royal competitor. He ridicules her regret over Britain’s destruction and her desire to change its fate 43 44.
• Qin Shi Huang — Rival whose claims and imperial authority offend him. Qin Shi Huang forcibly seats him during the banquet 40 42.
• Lancelot / Knight of the Lake — Battlefield opponent. Gilgamesh is enraged when Lancelot catches and uses one of his Noble Phantasms 24.

Notable Quotes

“As a king, if something catches your eye, that is an honor for its owner. They ought to present it to you with gratitude.” 6

“I have far too many treasures. As long as something is a treasure, it must be one of mine.” 43

Trivia

• After publicly dismissing modern motorcycles, he privately orders Tokiomi to obtain one identical to the model shown in the quiz 20.
• Seeing Elizabeth Báthory casually collect Holy Grails makes him consider taking a walk to test whether his own A-rank Luck can produce the same result 35.
• He explicitly rejects being grouped with Wise King Gilgamesh: “He is he, and I am I” 21.