Artoria Pendragon

Artoria Pendragon is the Berserker Class Servant summoned to fight the Holy Grail War of Yggdrasil both in the First and Second Arc.

## Biography

Better known as Arthur Pendragon and King Arthur, who's regarded as a male in history. She's a legendary hero of Britain known as the King of Knights. She wielded the sword from the stone, Caliburn, but it was eventually destroyed. She later obtained Excalibur and Avalon from the Lady of the Lake. While Arthur is a hero well known as a model for knights, it is said that he actually existed as "Dux Bellorum", the leader of War, Caesar claims that Artoria Pendragon, in fact, descends from the Romans and in fact belonged to the Julius-Claudian dynasty. For this reason the King of the Knights is considered the last descendant of Caesar. Her real name is Lucius Artorius Castus.

#### Childhood

Artoria was born into a time of chaos and war that began with the demise of the Roman empire. It had been believed to be indestructible, but it was only awaiting its destruction at the hands of invading barbarians. In preparation for the war against the barbarians, Rome deprived her island province of any military forces left there. Once Britannia lost the empire's protection, it could not escape becoming independent, causing it to break into smaller countries soon after. This time of barbarian invasions and self-destructive strife between clans started a long period of war that would later become known as the "Dark Ages". Artoria was born into this period as the heir to the throne, the daughter of the King of Britain, Uther Pendragon, and the blue-eyed Igraine, the wife of Uther's servant, the Duke of Cornwall. The king, believing in Merlin's prophecy, yearned for the birth of his appointed successor, but the child born was a girl, not a boy.

She was entrusted to the king's vassals and was to be raised as the child of a mere knight. The king fell into despair at the situation, but Merlin was delighted because the sex of the one to become king had never mattered. He was confident that the fact of the girl being separated from the castle until the day of prophecy was proof that she would become king.
Merlin placed Artoria in the care of Sir Ector, a simple and wise old knight, who raised her as his adopted child and successor. Though Ector did not believe in the prophecy, he did feel the same air from the girl as he did his king. He felt that he must raise her as a knight, and he wished for her to grow.

#### Kingdom

When the girl pulled Caliburn from the rock she fulfilled the prophecy and officially became the new king. The king's gender doesn't matter, and no one will care about the king's appearance or even notice it as long as the king acts like a king. Even if anybody did notice the king was female, it would not be an issue if she was a good king. She stopped aging at 15 years old, back when she pulled Caliburn from the stone. Artoria led Britain from Camelot, and after becoming a feudal lord like her father, she became a king with many knights under her, including the esteemed Knights of the Round Table. She married Guinevere, but it was only out of obligation to have a wife. The truth was that Lancelot, one of Artoria's closest friends, and Guinevere loved each other, and due to Artoria having concealed her gender, Guinevere had to carry the burden of this her entire life. Guinevere felt guilt for her actions, but felt relief that it was Lancelot who had fallen in love with her. He, who shared the same ideals as the king, would share the burden with her and not cause the country to fall into a dangerous situation. He did so, supporting Guinevere and the King from the dark on his unrighteous path.

Artoria needed to act as the son of the king, as the one to govern the many territories and control the knights had to be male. While some people did grow suspicious of her, only her father, Merlin, and Kay knew the exact truth of her identity. She literally covered herself in steel to seal that truth for all her life, and due to her immortality from the protection of the fairies, no one questioned her small body or face that seemed like that of a girl. During that time, the people living in fear of savage invasions only wanted a strong king, and the knights would only follow an excellent commander. Having met these criteria, no one questioned her. She was considered fair and selfless as she always stood at the front of the army while defeating her enemies on the battlefield. While many enemies and civilians died, the king's choices were always considered correct, and she served as the king better than anyone else. No one doubted or had any need to doubt as long as the king was right.
Her army reconstructed the lost cavalry, and knowing no losses, they ran through the battlefield while defeating foreign infantries and crashing through numerous ramparts. Many people were discarded for her to join the battles, and all her enemies had to be defeated once she joined. It was common practice for the military to meet its needs by sucking all the resources out of a local village to supply the battle to protect the country. It can be said that no knight killed more people than her, and it is unknown if she ever found such to be a burden.
She strictly kept to the oath that a king is not human and that one cannot protect the people with human emotions. She never narrowed her eyes in grief while sitting on the throne, and she settled every problem while working hard in government affairs. She managed to balance the country without any deviations, and she punished people without a single mistake.

#### Downfall

Lancelot's affair with Guinevere was eventually revealed through the plans of traitors who hated Camelot, causing them to stand opposed. Artoria didn't see this inescapably unrighteous action as a betrayal, but instead understood Guinevere's sacrifice due to having concealed her gender.
Excalibur's scabbard was stolen while she repelled an assault along her country's borders; when she returned inland, she discovered Britain is being torn asunder by civil unrest. Despite her valiant efforts to placate the dissent, she was mortally wounded by the traitorous knight Mordred during the Battle of Camlann. Her dying body was escorted to a holy isle by Sir Bedivere. Artoria ordered a grieving Bedivere to dispose of Excalibur by throwing it back to the Lady of the Lake; in her absence, she reflected on her personal failures, regretting her life as king.

Her torment and hatred of the choices she made led to her exile from Avalon (the holy land). This made her the Berserker who's summoned by Yukiko Kumahira. This Artoria suffers from her bad choices and is now more like a wild beast that wants to destroy everything in her path.

### Personality

Artoria Pendragon is no longer what one might call "good king" now she is half an aggressive beast whose only desire is to kill her enemies, and half a girl aware of what she did in life and convinced that what she has accomplished was right. When she fights she screams like a wild animal and never talks to her opponent; instead when she comes face to face with Caesar, it can be seen that she rejects any criticism made of her and defends what her choices have been. This Artoria is a living contradiction. On the one hand she's the proud King of Knights but on the other she's a "mad king" with no place to rest in peace.

### Relantionships

#### Yukiko Kumahira

Yukiko is the Master of Artoria and the relationship between the two is not well understood. Yukiko is a sadistic, misanthropic and empathetic girl; when she kills her opponents ahe does so with such cruelty and with such pleasure that she gets veiled disapproval from Artoria. However, apart from this, Artoria doesn't seem to have a problem killing anyone who gets in her way.

#### Gaius Julius Caesar

The dictator and the king. These two figures so different yet so similar. The rivalry between Artoria and Caesar is based precisely on these differences. They both have completely different ways of understanding power, honor and life. Artoria rejects any criticism of Caesar, sees her as a simple tyrant who desires power and who doesn't care for justice. Also in Caesar, she sees a person lacking in honor and respect, unworthy to face a true knight like her. Every time Julius Caesar tries to draw similarities she rejects them because she cannot accept being compared to a tyrant.

In the Second Arc, during their battle, Artoria comes to respect her rival, and it's pointed out that they both smile during their last fight. Eventually, when Artoria discovers Caesar's real goal was to reunite her family in Elysian Fields, she lets herself be killed and promises that one day they will face each other in an equal duel.

## Holy Grail War of Yggdrasil

Artoria Pendragon appears in both the First and Second Arc of Fate/Yggdrasil. In both situations she's Yukiko's Servant and is defeated by Caesar.

### First Arc

Artoria Pendragon is referred to as the cause of the disaster in Ibaraki and also for the opening of a chasm in Regent's Park. The first time he appears is in Chapter 38 to defend Yukiko. Caesar immediately realizes the origin of Berserker and the two face off but their battle is interrupted by the arrival of Bradley Jenkins and the Mage's Association.
Berserker returns in Chapter 60 to attack Giovanni Monteverdi X but is stopped by Saber and the two fight for the second time. On this occasion Artoria uses Excalibur for the first time and it can be seen that her Noble Phantasm has a different name and is more powerful than normal.
From Chapter 73 onwards the final battle between Artoria and Caesar takes place. After a long and grueling duel, Caesar manages to defeat Artoria but due to her death the Grail of Yggdrasil is activated and Nidhoggr is summoned. The First Arc ends with the end of the world.

### Second Arc

Artoria Pendragon is introduced in Chapter 92 and kills Nostradamus (Caster). This is the first Servant to be killed in the Second Arc. In Chapter 121 Berserker and Yukiko intervene in the battle between Specter and Archer; Artoria hits Specter and then uses the powerful Noble Phantasm (Excalibur) with which she opens a chasm in Holland Park.
In Chapter 129 Artoria witnesses the massacre of magi belonging to the Rote Mäntel carried out by her Master. The girl doesn't seem to be happy to see those acts of pure and simple cruelty. In Chapter 149, Berserker and Saber clash for the first time in the Second Arc. During that duel, Caesar discovers the identity of her rival and after the retreat she hopes to face her again. Berserker and Yukiko face off against Lancer and Tetsuya. During the battle Berserker has a clear advantage over Lancer and although Lancer uses her more powerful Noble Phantasm, in the end it's all in vain. Artoria takes them both out with a single hit.
Chapter 160 centers on the final battle between Caesar and Artoria. In this long and tiring duel, Caesar manages to triumph only because Artoria allows herself to be killed.