Shirou Emiya (Fate)

* 17 Years Old
* Later Years
* In Avalon

## Powers and Stats

**Tier:** **8-A** with Reinforcement | **Low 2-C**, **higher** with Overloaded Caliburn | **Low 2-C** | **1-A**

**Key:** **Pre-Projection** | **Day 10 (Caliburn)** | **Day 13 (Kanshou and Bakuya)** | **Day 14 & 15 (Avalon)**

**Name:** Shirou Emiya, Fake school janitor, Vacuum cleaner of the Archery Club, Homurahara's brownie

**Origin:** Fate/stay night

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 17 during *Fate/stay night*, likely 37 during the Last Episode

**Classification:** Human, Magus, Master

**Powers and Abilities:**

* Abilities
* Resistances
* With Equipment/Projections

* **Magecraft** ()
* **Information Analysis**, **Psychometry**, **Conceptual Manipulation**, **Weapon Mastery**, **Weapon Creation**, **Creation**, **Power Mimicry**, **Matter Manipulation**, **Limited Memory** and **Information Manipulation** ()
* **Superhuman Physical Characteristics**, **Statistics Amplification**, and **Transmutation** ()
* **Supernatural Willpower** ()
* **Extrasensory Perception** ()
* **Regeneration** (At least **High-Low**; )
* **Limited Law** and **Mind Manipulation** ()
**Resistance** to:

* **Caliburn:** **Light Projection** and **Damage Boost** ()
* **Kanshou and Bakuya:** **Enhanced Durability** and **Magic Resistance** (), **Magnetism** ()
* **Avalon:** **Immortality** (**Type 1** and **3**; ), **Regeneration** (**Low-Mid**; ), **Conceptual** **Forcefield Creation** and **Higher-Dimensional Manipulation** (), **Attack Reflection** ()

**Attack Potency:** **Multi-City Block level+** with Reinforcement () | **Universe level+** (Shirou projected Caliburn, using it to deflect multiple of an amped Berserker's attacks, with even a failed projection of Caliburn being able to cut off his arm), **higher** with Overloaded Caliburn () | **Universe level+** () | **Outerverse level** (Shirou was able to project Avalon, which is referenced as [*"The thing which surpasses the strongest"*], meaning the Avalon Shirou projected surpassed Gilgamesh, including the casual *Enuma Elish* he used on Saber, which [easily overwhelmed her Excalibur])

**Speed:** At least **Athletic Human** () with **Irrelevant** reactions and combat speed () | At least **Athletic Human** with **Irrelevant** reactions and combat speed () | At least **Athletic Human** with **Irrelevant** reactions and combat speed () | At least **Athletic Human** with **Irrelevant** reactions and combat speed ()

**Lifting Strength:** **Class G** with Reinforcement () | **Class E** () | **Class E** | **Class E**

**Striking Strength:** **Multi-City Block level+** with Reinforcement () | **Universe level+** | **Universe level+** | At least **Outerverse level**

**Durability:** **Multi-City Block level+** () | **Universe level+** | **Universe level+** | At least **Outerverse level**

**Stamina:** **Superhuman** (His willpower lets him move even in a deplorable state, instantly rising back to his feet to continue fighting after being gruesomely injured. He was even capable of forcing himself to his feet after being nearly cut in half by Gilgamesh to keep on fighting, even projecting Avalon right after. Even before the beginning of *Fate/stay night*, he was capable of maintaining a harsh training regimen for his magic daily for years, turning parts of his nervous system into a Magic Circuit for an hour despite the pain - described as being equivalent to having a burning steel rod shoved into his spine)

**Range:**

**Standard Equipment:** None notable

* **Optional Equipment:**
* **Can Create/Summon:**

**Magecraft:** At first, Shirou is incredibly inept as a mage, with his Reinforcement Magecraft having a low success rate. He was trained in Magecraft by his adoptive father Kiritsugu Emiya, although his training was informal, as Kiritsugu had no desire to teach him originally, and aside from sparse knowledge, Kiritsugu taught him nothing of Magecraft, with Shirou not even having a "Switch" to activate his Magic Circuit until Rin Tohsaka makes him swallow a gem that forcefully opened it. Without a switch, Shirou was risking death each time he used Reinforcement by building a new artificial Magic Circuit for use each time, instead of activating the one he's already built.

He is not a proper mage but more akin to a spellcaster, who only uses Magecraft as a means to an end instead of viewing it as a scholarly pursuit. His magical expertise is unlikely ever to surpass that of an apprentice mage. He entirely focused his efforts on the magecraft he was most skilled in, **Structural Analysis**, **Reinforcement**, and **Projection**.

Shirou's Origin is "Sword", as well as his Elemental Affinity due to Avalon being implanted into him. He is unable to use Magecraft of the Five Great Elements with precision because he doesn't have any of them as an Affinity.

* Shirou using *Structural Analysis*
* Shirou using *Reinforcement*
* Shirou using *Alteration*
* Shirou's bow
1/4
**Structural Analysis:** Shirou can visualize an object's structural composition, viewing it as a blueprint and understanding every corner of it. He can see things like what parts of a heater are broken, or where Magical Energy can be more easily transmitted. Shirou's Structural Analysis is not a form of Mystic Eyes.

**Reinforcement:** After visualizing the object's structure, Shirou can flow Magical Energy into the object in order to enhance its abilities. Reinforcement doesn't simply increase the "strength" of an object, but rather it's effectiveness. This can include its strength or durability, but also things like making a blade sharper, making a lamp shine brighter, making a bike go faster, even things like enhancing his own eyesight to be able to see kilometers away.

**Alteration:** Alteration is a step between Reinforcement and Projection. Instead of enhancing an object's existing properties or creating an entirely new object, Shirou can transmutate an object into a different shape by layering Reinforcement on top of Reinforcement. It's similar to Projection in the sense that Shirou has to imagine the finished product from the concept of its creation to create an object similar to the original, although its results are very questionable. When Shirou tries to recreate Archer's bow, it comes out ugly and crooked, and although its design is similar, it came out less curved, akin to a Japanese bow rather than a Western one, due to Shirou practicing Japanese archery and subconsciously altering the bow in this way without realizing it.

* Shirou using Projection
1/1
**Projection:** Also called **Gradation Air**, Projection is a practice involving the materialization of objects in accordance to the caster’s imagination through the use of magical energy. It is generally seen as a worthless spell, as items created from Projection are incredibly fragile and disappear as soon as the user loses focus. However, Shirou uses a unique variation of Projection, often called **Tracing** due to Shirou's Activation spell, *"Trace, On"*.

Normally, Projection Magecraft would allow the user to layer on the Projection onto a similar object and strengthen it, like Projecting the Jeweled Sword Zelretch using the Azoth Sword and additional materials. However, Shirou's Projection isn't normal Projection, but rather giving form to what's in his mind. Shirou doesn’t start at the blueprint, but all the way down to the idea of and the reason behind the object being made. He has to see the original object, read its concept, its origin, from the thoughts, intentions, morals, and faith of the creator, and then project an identical shadow cast by the real thing. Shirou goes through eight steps when using Projection, and they go as follows:

1. Judging the concept of its creation,
2. Assuming its basic framework,
3. Recreating the composition material,
4. Imitating the skill of its creation,
5. Sympathizing with the experience of its growth,
6. Reproducing its accumulated years,
7. Excelling every manufacturing process,
8. And finally, binding the illusion together and giving it form.

He reproduces his mental image of the object, meaning the object is only as accurate to the original as Shirou thinks it is. If there’s a flaw in his mental image, that flaw will be reflected in the projected object, even if the flaw is imagined after the object is brought into reality. For example, if Shirou tries to project a “sword that can’t break”, but it comes across an attack stronger than itself and breaks, Shirou’s mental image of the sword will falter, causing it to disappear.

Furthermore, whenever replicating mystical objects such as Noble Phantasms, it is possible to faithfully copy their special abilities and any skill that their owner performed is available for use. The reason this is possible is due to the nature of **Unlimited Blade Works**, which at a glance, records the history, composition, and design of what the user sees, and then provides the necessary materials needed to reproduce them. The reason Caliburn acted on its own against Berserker was because Shirou reproduced the sword’s memory along with the sword itself. Through projecting Berserker’s axe-sword, Shirou's *Heaven's Feel* counterpart is able to analyze the memories from Heracles’s twelve labors and copy his Nine Lives sword technique.

Shirou's Projections are extremely stable compared to that of a normal mage, instead of disappearing almost immediately, objects Shirou projects can last indefinitely unless broken or dismissed, as seen with the Projected objects in his shed.

Projection is Shirou Emiya's one and only specialty. From the beginning, his body was a Magic Circuit specialized in this one thing. His Reality Marble, **Unlimited Blade Works**, is the source of his Projection and Reinforcement Magecraft. The actual reproduction happens within Unlimited Blade Works, and is then brought into the real world at need via Projection. Shirou doesn't use his Reality Marble in the *Fate* route, and is only able to achieve it after 20 years of training, ten years to master the basics, another ten years to become proficient at it.

* Shirou Projecting Caliburn
* Shirou and Saber using Caliburn
* Shirou and Saber using Caliburn (anime)
1/3
**Caliburn - Golden Sword of the Victorious:** The holy sword that is the symbol of the king pulled from the stone of appointment by King Arthur under the guidance of Merlin. With the words *"Whosoe'er pulleth out this sword of this stone is rightwise king of all England"* engraved in a golden inscription on its hilt, it became the symbol of England's King of Knights once it was pulled from the stone. In the legends, Caliburn is broken when King Arthur engages in a fight contrary to the principles of chivalry, never to be seen again. Shirou can project it after seeing it in Saber's dreams, though he cannot use it to its full potential on his own, needing her assistance. Like Excalibur, it converts the user's Magical Energy into heat and emits it as particles of light. While wielding it with Saber, Shirou instantly killed Berserker seven times over in a single strike with its real power. When he projected it again, the experience and memories contained within the soul of the sword allowed him to deflect a barrage of Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon, irritating Gilgamesh enough to draw its prototype, **Merodach: The Original Sin**.

* Shirou Projecting Kanshou and Bakuya
* Shirou fighting Kuzuki
1/2
**Kanshou and Bakuya - Gān Jiàng and Mò Yé:** *"Married"* twin swords representing Yin and Yang, crafted by the blacksmith Gān Jiàng (Kanshou) of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period of China. Archer encountered them at some point during his life and added them to the numerous weapons recorded and stored in Unlimited Blade Works. They were Archer's favored weapon in battle, which lead to Shirou projecting them against Souichirou Kuzuki in the anime version of the *Fate* route, similarly to how he did in the *Unlimited Blade Works* route. The main ability of the swords is their strong bond with each other, which not only allows them to attract each other, but it is also said they will return to their owner even if events cause them to be lost. If one is thrown while the other is held, the thrown sword will return to the wielder much like a boomerang. This works well with projection, allowing an already projected sword to identify a new projection as its partner sword. When both are wielded, the wielder's Magical and Physical resistance improve. Archer additionally crafted spells of warding all over the swords' blades.

* Shirou and Saber calling Avalon's true name
* Shirou using Avalon to break out of the Grail Mud
1/2
**Avalon - The Everdistant Utopia:** The hallowed scabbard of Excalibur, the embodiment of the utopia King Arthur seeks, originally stolen from her shortly before the Battle of Camlann due to the machinations of Morgan le Fay. It was found by Richard I during his life and stored in a box, centuries later it was excavated in Cornwall at the request of the Einzberns shortly before the Fourth Holy Grail War. It is still in pristine condition after 1500 years, though it no longer functions without a connection to its original owner, it was used as a catalyst to summon Artoria as a Saber-class Servant. It is later used to save the life of Shirou at the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War, and it is once again used as a catalyst to summon Artoria during the Fifth Holy Grail War. No one knows what kind of Divine Mystery it is made from, but it was created by fairies along with Excalibur, an inscription written in Fairy Letters engraved on its center to show that it is not the work of man. It bequeaths limited immortality through constant regeneration, as well as preventing physical deterioration caused by aging. The regeneration of Avalon is so potent that Shirou can regenerate from getting his stomach blown out by Berserker's axe-sword after a mere ten minutes. Its function as a Noble Phantasm is an *"absolute defense"* that completely shields its user in the domain of the fairies, Avalon, the unreachable utopia that King Arthur dreamt of and was said to have gone to after her death. It is the greatest protection in the world that goes beyond defending or reflecting, completely isolating its user in a world completely separate from the regular world. The scabbard dissipates into countless tiny particles in the air and engulfs the user to become a "portable fortress" that shuts out all interference. It is the Bounded Field of the tranquil domain of fairies that keeps out all filth from the outside world, and allows nothing to harm the tranquil King that stands in the land of Avalon. The individual is shielded from all destructive interference in the physical realm, transliners from parallel worlds, and multidimensional communication as far as the sixth dimension. It is on the level of true Magic, an actual true Magic in itself, that transcends all Magecraft, and not even the Five Magics can overcome the barrier. Although unable to Project Divine Constructs normally, Shirou was able to Project Avalon perfectly without needing the eight steps of Projection due to Avalon being engraved into his body for ten years. He Projected Avalon in his encounter with Gilgamesh after him and Saber are defeated by Merodach and Ea respectively, using it with Saber to deflect an oncoming attack from Gilgamesh and making him flee, and against Kirei Kotomine to break out of the Grail Mud from Angra Mainyu.

* Shirou stabbing Kirei with the Azoth Sword
* Shirou gathering all his Magical Energy into his fist
* Shirou punching the Azoth Sword into Kirei's chest
* Magical Energy exploding from the Azoth Sword
1/4
**Azoth Sword:** A Mystic Code used as a tool for performing magecraft, amplifying the user's magical energy to assist with spells and strengthen them. Rather than being a Projection, the Azoth Sword was given to Shirou by Rin. He utilizes it by stabbing it into Kirei's chest, and then punching it after gathering his magical energy into his hand while calling the word of release.

* Merodach/Gram
* Durandal
* Herpe
* Vajra
* Dainsleif
* Monohoshizao
* Rider's Dagger
* Berserker's Axe-sword
* Houtengeki
1/9
**Unused Projections:** In the Visual Novel for *Fate/stay night*, we have the "Status" and "Weapons" screens, and it's implied the Weapons screen shows some of the weapons Shirou has access to due to the Weapons screen updating as soon as he learns about Projection from taking off the Shroud of Martin in the *Heaven's Feel* route. It's likely that Shirou *can* Project these weapons if pushed to, but he likely doesn't use them in character. In the *Fate* route, the following weapons appear in the Weapons screen:

* **Merodach:** The prototype to Gram, a demonic sword of ruin and glory that Sigurd, the greatest hero of Northern Europe, possessed in the Volsunga Saga. Gram is the model of Caliburn in the legend of King Arthur. As Caliburn was a chosen sword in a stone, Gram was also a chosen sword in the mighty tree of the Volsunga king. The legend of Gram and its possessor Sigurd is a story filled with glory and ruin, as one would expect from a great hero. "Der Ring des Nibelungen", composed later in Middle Ages Germany, is the story of a knight equal to the legend of King Arthur, and the sword Gram changes its name and appears in it as Balmung. As the "strongest demonic sword" equaling the "strongest holy sword", it even possesses the special characteristic of "dragon slayer". This sword could be called the King of Knight's natural enemy. Shirou saw this weapon when he fought Gilgamesh with Caliburn.
* **Durandal:** A holy sword favored by Roland, the paladin of Middle Age Europe. The king Charlemagne was granted the sword by an angel, and awarded it to Roland, the honored leader of the twelve knights. It holds three miracles and does not lose its sharpness even when its possessor's magical energy is depleted. Like Caliburn, it is a symbol of power splendidly made. Shirou likely saw this sword from Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon.
* **Harpe:** A monster-killing holy sword used by Perseus, the famous hero in greek mythology. Harpe itself is not an outstanding sword, but as its greatest characteristic it possess the ability of "refraction of prolonged life". This is a divine skill that nullifies the special abilities of immortals, and it is said that wounds made by Harpe cannot be healed. (Treatment in accordance with the laws of nature is still possible.) It was used to kill the youngest of the three immortal sisters, Medusa. Shirou likely also saw this from the Gate of Babylon.
* **Vajra:** One of the divine symbols of Indra, god of lightning, from ancient Indian mythology. Indra was originally a phenomenon introduced by the Aryans, and Vajra is officially called Vijya. But when he was renamed to Taishakuten as the age turned to Buddhism, his divine symbol also changed its name. It is a single-shot Noble Phantasm, a simple weapon that does fixed damage regardless of the possessor's Magical Energy. Also, Vajra is a weapon that Buddhist gods possess. Once again, Shirou saw this from the Gate of Babylon.
* **Dainsleif:** A demonic sword from Nibelungen. A cursed Noble Phantasm that brings ruin to its possessor. It is a demonic sword handed down through the family that killed the Northern European hero Sigurd, and it is a Noble Phantasm originally possessed by the dragon Fafnir. It has a strong curse of “revenge", but it also guides its possessor to ruin. Demonic swords and holy swords contain both glory and ruin, but this Noble Phantasm only brings ruin to its possessor.
* **Monohoshizao:** A longsword said to be carried by the swordsman, Sasaki Kojiro. Monohoshizao (literally, ‘laundry hanging pole') is only a nickname, and its real name is unknown. According to records, it is said to be 90cm long, but the Monohoshizao Assassin wields in this story is 150cm long, and its range is about that of a spear. Shirou saw this sword from seeing Assassin fight Saber.
* **Rider's Dagger:** A giant "nail" that Rider uses. Its origin is unknown, but it's possibly a weapon that reflects Rider's inner character. Shirou saw this from encountering Rider in the forest near Homurahara Academy, and later his encounter with Shinji and Rider within the School itself.
* **Berserker's Axe-sword:** A sword of rock that Berserker uses. It's part of the foundation of a temple the Einzberns prepared, and this itself was the catalyst used to summon Berserker. Heracles was skilled in archery, but since he has gone berserk, he has lost his former weapons and skills. Shirou saw this from his several encounters with Berserker throughout the route.
* **Houtengeki:** This is a one kind of halberd, a weapon passed down in the Chinese culture. A halberd is a polearm used to thrust and strike, and has many usages. Although it was a weapon that could be used by anyone, it died out as time passed, until it was revived in the Sung period as the Houtengeki. It has many uses, such as thrusting, swiping, pulling and parrying, but on the other hand, it is said that a great deal of skill is needed to handle this weapon. Shirou once again saw this from the Gate of Babylon.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Fate/stay night*; *Fate* Route; Day 11; *VS Berserker/And thus I pray, Unlimited Blade Works*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Fate/stay night (2006)*; Ep. 16
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Fate/stay night*; *Fate* route; Day 14; *VS Gilgamesh/Wish*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Fate/stay night (2006)*; Ep. 21
5. ↑ *Fate/stay night*; Day 1; *1st Day: Bedtime/Training (Magic Circuit)*