Lancer (Fate/Zero)

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, also known as Diarmuid of the Love Spot, is a supporting character in the Japanese science fantasy franchise Fate, appearing as a major character in the 2006-2007 light novel series and its 2010-2017 manga & 2011-2012 anime television series adaptations of the same name, and as a playable character in the 2015 turn-based tactical role-playing mobile game .
He is the servant of Lord Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi during the fourth Holy Grail War. He is a chivalrous servant who wishes to do his best to serve his master and obtain victory within the war for the grail. He shares a bond of mutual respect with rival Servant Saber, his greatest wish being to face her in fair combat.
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne is voiced by in Japanese and by in English. George has also voiced Izuru Kira in Bleach and Shuichi Saihara in Danganronpa.
==Character==
The servant summoned by Kayneth El-Melloi, Lancer's true identity is Diarmuid of the Love Spot, a hero from the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. Originally, Kayneth had wanted to summon the powerful Iskander, but the catalyst was stolen by Waver Velvet and he had to make do with Diarmuid. Diarmuid agreed to serve him because he wished to faithfully serve a lord once more rather than because he had a wish to make on the Grail. 
Due to his mastery of arms and his nobility, he is respected by both Iskander and Artoria. His loyalty to his Master is a source of great pride for him, but Kayneth is uneasy at Diarmuid's apparent lack of motive for assisting him. This matter is not helped by the clear infatuation Kayneth's fiancee holds for the chivalrous Servant. 
==Appearance==
Lancer is regarded as a remarkably handsome and beautiful man with quirky long hair combed backward in a rough fashion. He wears a dark teal outfit that is thought of by Saber and Irisviel von Einzbern as odd. Irisviel instantly notes that his features are capable of sweeping a woman's heart at a glance. It is described that the bold features of his face are the high bridge of his nose and his valiant eyebrow. His hard cut mouth marks him with a stoic air, but his eyes seem to hide a quiet grief. He has a beauty spot like a grain of tear below his right eye that only serves to make his gaze even more brilliant. She also senses that he has a strong, manly scent that rises from him. She soon realizes his elegant air of beauty is somewhat unnatural. Even though his features are considered handsome, much of it comes his spiritual power charming women due to the curse of his beauty spot.
==Personality==
Lancer is an extremely proud and noble knight who wishes to serve his lord to the best of his abilities. The geis laid upon him by Gráinne was taken by Lancer as a test of his pride. He never once blamed her for forcing it upon him, and he truly admired her ability to throw away her pride, title, and future for the sake of her love. He was constantly distressed by the fact that he betrayed his lord, and even as he died while Fionn did nothing, he did not blame his lord for his actions. Lancer believed that despite the cruel twist of fate that led him down this path, the days spent with his lord and his love were used to the fullest.
Lancer steadfastly believes in honor during battle. While being pursued by the knights of Fionn, he refused to fight against his former comrades. During his battles with Saber, he attempts to provide for the fairest conditions possible. He even goes as far as to fight alongside her, acting as her "left hand", after she suffers the crippling wound from Gáe Buidhe in order to be able to face her in battle again in the future.
==Biography==
Lancer is summoned by Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi in the fourth Holy Grail War in the stead of Rider-class Servant, Iskander, as the catalyst to summon him was stolen by Waver Velvet. The contract formed with Lancer is unique in that while Kayneth holds the Command Spells, the energy to materialize Lancer is maintained by Sola-Ui, Kayneth's fiancée. Lancer, on the orders of Kayneth, actively makes his location known in order to entice a battle, while Kayneth hides his location. Saber and Irisviel von Einzbern answer this challenge, and eventually Lancer attains the upper hand by successfully striking her with Gáe Buidhe.
Before their fight can continue, Rider, Berserker, and Archer interrupt the battle, and once Berseker begins to attack Saber, Kayneth orders Lancer to join him and finish her off. As it is against Lancer's code of honor, Kayneth uses a command spell to force him to attack. Rider, who holds similar values of honor to Lancer, decides to force Berserker to retreat, and threatens to face Lancer with Saber if Kayneth doesn't back down. Lancer is later berated for his actions, though Sola cuts it short by criticizing Kayneth for not actively participating. Lancer stands up for his master, who is irritated by Lancer because he believes that Sola has become infatuated with him. Before the issue can be addressed, their base, Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel, is attacked by Kiritsugu Emiya and Maiya Hisau, who destroy the hotel's foundation and collapse it around the three.
Lancer plays a key role in defeating Caster, when the Servant summons a giant monster to wreak havoc on Fuyuki City. He willingly destroys Gáe Buidhe in order to remove the enchantment inhibiting Saber's abilities, allowing her to employ her full power and destroy Caster.
Saber and Irisviel later confront Lancer to finish his duel with Saber, but both are unaware that Saber's Master, Kiritsugu, had already formulated a plan to eliminate both Lancer and his Master. They have an equal battle for a time, though Lancer is unsettled by the fact that Saber is simulating the injury from Gae Buidhe. He believes it is out of pity, but she corrects him in that fighting with honor is the only way to draw out her true strength.
The battle ends when Kiritsugu, holding Sola-Ui hostage, coerces Kayneth into using his last Command Spell; Lancer is thus forced to drive Gáe Dearg into his own chest. The shocked Servant realizes that he has been fatally betrayed by his current Master, just as his former master Fionn caused his death during his first lifetime. Enraged, Lancer dies cursing the Holy Grail, Saber, Kiritsugu, and the world at large for his fate.
==Powers and Abilities==
Lancer is an extremely accomplished spearman, capable of skillfully using two spears of different lengths with blinding speed and agility. He is also just as skilled while wielding a single spear. He is extremely calm and perceptive during battle, and with his Eye of the Mind (True) skill, he will always have a much greater possibility of winning or properly escaping from battle. He is extremely insightful, as he is capable of leading Saber, whose Instinct skill allows her to avoid danger, into a well thought out trap. By utilizing her lack of knowledge of Gáe Buidhe, he made Saber believe that he had simply abandoned it, and later managed to lure her into a position where he could freely kick it towards her. He obtains no geographical boosts from the cultural sphere around Japan, and due to his greater prana supply from his Master, he has a greater advantage against Cú Chulainn in terms of pure firepower. Cú Chulainn would gain an edge over him should they fight in Ireland.
Lancer has exceptional speed, though the rest of his statistics are much lower. His Magic Resistance renders only high level magic a threat to him. He can easily defeat Servants who rely heavily on their Noble Phantasms. He has a good chance of genuinely winning the Grail if a sound tactic is used, but his failure mainly resides in the poor Master-Servant dynamic between him and Kayneth. It is noted that Assassin could potentially defeat him quickly, but no explanation is given as to the reason. He possesses a curse of the Mystic Face variety, not unlike the Mystic Eyes exhibited by Medusa. The curse takes the form of a beauty spot on his face, and causes any woman who looks upon his face to instantly fall in love with him. It can be overcome by individuals with high magical resistance, such as accomplished magi and Servants.
==Equipment==
*Beagalltach: Beagalltach, known by the Noble Phantasm name "Beagalltach: Ripples of Passion," was one of the two Noble Phantasm short swords wielded by Diarmuid as a Saber-class Servant. A magic yellow blade, demonic in nature, Beagalltach was given to Diarmuid by his foster father Manannán mac Lir. It was the shorter of his two swords, and wasn't meant to be wielded as a main offensive weapon. Beagalltach boosted the defensive capabilities, including the magic resistance, of Diarmuid. When wielded alongside his other sword Moralltach, Beagalltach helped increase Diarmuid's overall combat performance.
*Gáe Buidhe: Gáe Buidhe, known by the Noble Phantasm name "Gáe Buidhe: Yellow Rose of Mortality," was one of the two Noble Phantasm spears wielded by Diarmuid as a Lancer-class Servant. It was shorter in length than his other spear Gáe Dearg, measuring just under one and a half meters. Just like the sword Beagalltach, the weapon was yellow in color and was given to the Loyal Knight of Fianna by Manannán. In life, Diarmuid tended to wield Gáe Buidhe in conjunction with Beagalltach whenever danger was scarce. Gáe Buidhe was a useful Noble Phantasm, as it contained a curse that made it so that the wounds inflicted by the spear could never be healed. The only way to break the spear's curse was to destroy the weapon or slay its wielder. Diarmuid normally kept the spear wrapped in a talisman cloth in order to seal its abilities when not in use, as it helped keep his identity a secret during a Holy Grail War.
*Gáe Dearg: Gáe Dearg, known by the Noble Phantasm name "Gáe Dearg: Crimson Rose of Exorcism," was the other of the two Noble Phantasm spears wielded by Diarmuid as a Lancer-class Servant. The weapon was red in color and over two meters long, making it the longer of his two spears. Diarmuid tended to use Gáe Dearg as his dominant weapon when wielding his two spears together. The weapon was given to Diarmuid by his foster father Aengus Óg and, just like Gáe Buidhe, the knight of Fianna wrapped a talisman cloth around it whenever it was out of use. In life, Diarmuid preferred to wield Gáe Dearg in conjunction with the sword Moralltach for particularly perilous adventures. His red spear had the ability to negate any magical energy that it came into contact with, allowing Diarmuid to sever active spells and bypass magical protection. However, long standing magic such as contracts couldn't be negated by Gáe Dearg.
*Moralltach: Moralltach, known by the Noble Phantasm name "Moralltach: Surging Seas of Fury," was the other of the two Noble Phantasm short swords wielded by Diarmuid as a Saber-class Servant. Like his yellow weapons, Diarmuid received Moralltach from Manannán. It was a demonic blade like Beagalltach, though red in color, and was regarded the most powerful weapon in his arsenal by a considerable margin. Wielding Moralltach, the knight of the Fianna was said to bring certain defeat and death upon his enemies.
==Gallery==
ZeroLancer.png|Fate/Zero
2dnextstg2000ps20016.png|Fate/Unlimited Codes
lancer_info.jpg|Fate/Zero Cafe
Megahouse lancer01.jpg
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