Alter Servant

The term when used as an affix of a Heroic Spirit's True Name denotes them being summoned as a Servant with an altered aspect compared to their normal selves.
==Characteristics==
Alter Servants are Heroic Spirits "summoned with an alternative side or interpretation." Compared to an Alter Ego that renders a persona as an independent entity separate from the original individual, Alters are the same Heroic Spirit regardless of the differences between them. As heroes hold within them the capacity to have been merciless in their pursuits and those who were known to be cold-blooded could display virtuousness, Alter Servants can bring such hidden aspects to the forefront, but, differing from two aspects of a Servant being able to be summoned independently, Alters have been "mutated" somewhat so they no longer completely represent just another side of the Heroic Spirit.Fate/Grand Order - Cú Chulainn Alter Interlude I: A War of Only Two 
Some individuals cannot possess Alters naturally. Solomon, as appraised by his human self, "If the opposite of good is evil, and evil is the opposite of good, Solomon is 'nothing.' He would remain the same, no matter what."Fate/Grand Order - Salomon: The Grand Time Temple - Section 11: Throne of the Light Band For Jeanne d'Arc, she possesses no innate capability to be altered due to her capacity as a Saint, so Jeanne d'Arc Alter can only exist through the circumstances of a wish upon a Holy Grail.Fate/Grand Order material III - Jeanne d'Arc Alter profile
While Blackening Servants through Holy Grail Mud can produce an Alter Servant, not all blackened Servants gain the Alter affix.Ryohgo Narita Twitter 10:08 PM JST · Apr 3, 2018 - "I will ask Mr. Nasu and Mr. Mita later if the criteria for Atalanta Alter's alternator is FGO only or the rule of the entire Fate series. Well, he's not exactly Alter or Lily in fake."
The status of being an Alter, possessing an "inverted state," is a quantifiable aspect of a Saint Graph that can be measured and identified.Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Shinjuku: Malignant Quarantined Demonic Realm - Section 8: Empress Christine
For those designated as Watchers of the Underworld by Camazotz in the South American Lostbelt, the process of Altering them requires the Servant to renounce the very core of their Saint Graph, betraying their beliefs and their lives through their own will. Xquic gives the examples of Kingprotea Alter giving up her love of humanity and becoming a cruel goddess, Beni-enma Alter giving up her vow to remain as a children's tale and becoming an adult, and Ereshkigal Alter giving up her dream of making Kur beautiful and becoming a ruthless goddess.Fate/Grand Order - Nahui Mictlan: Golden Sea of Trees Travelogue - Section 17: Yayauhqui, the Fourth Underworld Border
==Known Alter Servants==
Alter Servant 	Original Heroic Spirit 	First appearance
Arjuna Alter 	Arjuna 	Fate/Grand Order
Artoria Pendragon Alter (Lancer)	Artoria Pendragon (Lancer) 	Fate/Grand Order
Artoria Pendragon Alter (Saber) 	Artoria Pendragon (Saber) 	Fate/stay night
Atalanta Alter 	Atalanta 	Fate/Grand Order
Beni-enma Alter 	Beni-enma 	Fate/Grand Order
Britomart Alter 	N/AContrary to her appearances, she is not an Alter version of Britomart but rather she is the original, first-generation Britomart.	Fate/Grand Order
Cú Chulainn Alter 	Cú Chulainn (Lancer) 	Fate/Grand Order
EMIYA Alter 	EMIYA (Archer) 	Fate/Grand Order
Ereshkigal Alter 	Ereshkigal 	Fate/Grand Order
Galahad Alter 	Galahad 	Fate/Requiem
Jeanne d'Arc Alter 	Jeanne d'Arc 	Fate/Grand Order
Jeanne d'Arc Alter Santa Lily 	N/A 	Fate/Grand Order
Jeanne d'Arc (Lancer) 	Jeanne d'Arc 	Fate/Samurai Remnant
Kingprotea Alter 	Kingprotea 	Fate/Grand Order
Marie Antoinette Alter 	Marie Antoinette 	Fate/Grand Order
Medusa Alter 	Medusa (Rider) 	Fate/Grand Order: First Order
Mysterious Heroine X Alter 	Mysterious Heroine X 	Fate/Grand Order
Mysterious Heroine XX Alter 	Mysterious Heroine XX 	Fate/Grand Order
Nitocris Alter 	Nitocris 	Fate/Grand Order
Okita Souji Alter 	Okita Souji 	Fate/Grand Order
Theodoric Alter 	N/A 	Fate/Grand Order
Thomas Edison Alter 	Thomas Edison 	Fate/Grand Order
===Others===
*Antonio Salieri is temporarily referred to as Amadeus Alter before his identity is revealed.Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - Anastasia: Permafrost Empire - Section 1: Empire of Beasts
*Alcides is initially offered to be referred to as Heracles Alter by Bazdilot Cordelion, but he rejects the idea.Fate/strange Fake Volume 3 - Prologue VIII: "The Star Performers' Feast (Part 1)" While similar to an Alter, he is not exactly like one.
*Before his True Name Revelation, Alessandro di Cagliostro pretends to be Cagliostro Alter.Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - Id: Wastehole of the Unsalvageable - Section 16: The Flame of Hatred Eternally in My Heart
*BB initially makes the assumption that BB Dubai is her Alter or another BB from a future Moon Cell.Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - Archetype Inception: Succession Battle for the New Prime Species - Section 1: The AI Trapped on the Moon
*The female Hakuno Kishinami is briefly referred to as "Hakuno Alter" before the male Hakuno corrects Ritsuka Fujimaru and mentions that it'd be more accurate to call their situation a 'quantum fluctuation'.Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - Archetype Inception: Succession Battle for the New Prime Species - Section 13: The Cake Shop With Huge Orders
*Tamamo Vitch Koyanskaya is referred to as Tamamo Alter by Tamamo-no-Mae due to her similarity to her tails but unfamiliarity with her actual identity.Fate/Grand Order - Beast IV: L profile
*William Shakespeare refers to himself as being "half-Alter" in the Shinjuku Singularity.Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Shinjuku: Malignant Quarantined Demonic Realm - Section 2: Millennium Trap
*Ushiwakamaru is blackened by Tiamat's Chaos Tide, which Kingu says is the same thing as the black mud of the Holy Grail,Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: The Absolute Frontline in the War Against the Demonic Beasts - Section 9: The Mother of Demonic Beasts meaning she was created the same way that Saber became Saber Alter. However she is never actually called "Ushiwakamaru Alter".
==Development==
The concept of Alter Servants began with Artoria Pendragon Alter in Fate/stay night. Nasu wished for players to be surprised after reaching the Heaven's Feel route, and Takeuchi wished to create a darkened version of Artoria as an antagonist.
The term Alter was chosen because "Dark Saber" was deemed to "[not] flow well."
==Notes==
==References==
*
Category:Servants by type
Category:Servant True Names