Saber (Fate/Crossover - Hibiki Takane)

**Saber** (セイバー, *Seibā*) is the servant of ??? in the ??? Holy Grail War.

"*I have fought many battles, yet, the fog of confusion remains, Father...*" - Hibiki Takane

## Profile

### Identity

Saber's true identity is **Hibiki Takane**, the daughter of Genzō Takane ( , Takane Genzō), a renowned swordsmith known throughout Japan during the Bakumatsu era. He had retired to an isolated area in the countryside with his daughter but continued his work with various swordsmen around the country.

One fateful day, a silver-haired man approaches Genzō and requests that he forge a new sword. Though the man radiated an aura of pure, unfathomable evil, the master swordsmith finds himself unable to refuse the request. He spends a time of almost 3 months forging this sword, which he dubs the “Yaso Magatsu Hi no Tachi” (, “Blade of Eighty Days Harbored Unwillingly”), detailing the amount of time he invested in the weapon. The labor renders him ill, however, and he is soon permanently bedridden.

He tells his daughter that the silver-haired man was the reason for his condition, and that she should pursue him and the sword that he had forged. With a concerned Hibiki by his side, he utters his last words: “The thing that I saw... that I felt, even you must understand.” Though she was confused by her father’s cryptic request, Hibiki gathers her belongings and leaves in search of the silver-haired man.

### Personality

Hibiki has a very calm and shy personality, probably because of the suffering caused by her father's death. Although she wants vengeance for her father's death, she is afraid of fighting and only wants to protect her father's legacy, and muses about the path she must take.

Her personality at her story ending depends greatly on how the player played: Should she become familiarized with her own swordsmanship, her personality becomes somewhat more determined, a little confrontational. In more recent appearances, she gains some haughtiness and becomes somewhat callous and prideful. Yet, her shyness and hesitation are still somewhat present, and in times of peace, she is cheerful and values companions like Amano.

In Samurai Shodown, her descent to madness as a result of slaying her enemies is amplified to the extremes, and sports a psychotic, and bloodthirsty mannerism, as seen in her quotes, facial expressions and tone, making her comparable to the Yandere archetype. She discards her righteousness and becomes a warrior who seek strong opponents, similar to Street Fighter’s Akuma. If in The Last Blade 2, she would at least warn Amano, with Jubei, Hibiki openly threatens him. She also develops an obsession in chasing Setsuna, for being the one responsible for her father's death. Despite near-evil mannerisms, she is not amoral and will still call out things that are clearly evil.

As shocking as her spiraling to madness is, there are no confirmations however about Hibiki's ultimate fate in canon.

## Abilities

Musō Shinden-ryū is a real style and an anachronism for the game; the style was not founded until 1932. It is a branch of Iaido. Some of her basic attacks bear some resemblance to Ukyo Tachibana's, where it involves frequent quick-draws, dashing-based slashes, as well as some solid counterattacks that require some precision but can prove to be fatal if landed correctly.

### Skills

#### Class Skills

* Magic Resistance (D Rank): Hibiki can use her chi to defends herself from various magic attacks.

* Madness Enhancement (D Rank): If Hibiki were to kill a certain amount, her mental state will falter and she will succumb to madness. This will lead to her Madness Enhancement to be activated, changing her class from Saber to a Berserker.

#### Personal Skills

* Chi Gathering (A Rank): Using the memory of her father as catalyst, she can absorb Chi energy from Gaia.

* Mind's Eye (Fake) (C Rank): Hibiki can translocate herself to another place.

* Quick Draw (A Rank): Hibiki can draw her sword from her sheath with uncanny speed.

### Noble Phantasm

#### **Shi o Osotrenu Kokoro Nari**

A quick draw from her blade. Hibiki unsheathes her sword, the strike begins in a single flash. As she drew back her sword, her target is mortally slashed from the attack.

## References

https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/Hibiki\_Takane