Saber (Fate/Crossover - Nanashi)

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

## Profile

### Identity

Saber's true identity is Nanashi, he is the mercenary Kotaro hires to help him get to the temple where Kotaro's guardian Shouan is. He's a highly skilled swordsman, but has chosen the path of a wanderer because of his cruel past. He later becomes one of Tobimaru's and Kotaro's friends.

He is a wandering ronin who has bound his katana to keep it sheathed. He meets the orphan boy Kotaro and his dog Tobimaru, ending up saving them from one of the members of the Ming squad chasing them. He's then hired to take them to the safety of a temple in exchange for a jade trinket.

Nanashi reveals that he really has no name and has gone with different names in different places. He's also red haired and knows of his origins only that he was the only survivor from a sinking ship. He was scorned upon because of his red hair until he started dying it black to keep low profile. At some point, he fought at Shogen Itadori's side under Lord Akaike until he was ordered to execute two children of a rival lord. He left military service after that, haunted by the children's death, and vowing to keep his katana sheathed.

Nanashi becomes attached to Kotaro, viewing protection of him as repentance for the children he killed. After he has delivered Kotaro to the temple and the boy's delivered to the Ming squad, he runs for miles to their fortress and finally unsheathes his sword to rescue Kotaro.

## Abilities

Nanashi normally would want to keep his sword sheathed to avoid anymore innocent bloodshed, however he is very skilled with the katana he wields due to his training.
Keeping his sword sheathed means he can't slash or stab anyone with the blade, but he can still use it as a less flashy weapon. He sometimes wields it like a katana, but can also hold it like a baseball bat or short staff, or use it as a lever in grappling and against chains. Essentially, it's a versatile club, and he's perfectly capable of killing with it.
when he fights with his sword he's essentially wielding a bokken, not a katana. Yet he consistently defeats opponents with far more deadly weapons.

Nanashi is not just a swordsman but also uses a bit of grappling, groundfighting and throws in a few altercations, usually to compensate for his sheathed sword or to struggle against an opponent who has him cornered. Samurai of the period were typically familiar with old school Jujutsu, then called yawara, kumiuchu or taijutsu, a last resort system of painful jointlocks, rough grappling and straightforward throws intended to disarm opponents or stun them long enough for the samurai to draw or acquire their own weapon.

### Noble Phantasm

#### **Nanashi - Sword of the Stranger**

While Saber may not have a true Noble Phantasm, he makes up for this in pure skill with a sword. Said skill is notable enough to be crystalized into a Noble Phantasm itself. When Saber unsheathes his blade, this skill automatically activates. Once it activates, Saber’s skill with the sword can immediately be seen in-full. He will be able to instantly recognize the weaknesses and strengths of his opponent(s) and use them to his advantage, as well as anything that he could use in the environment to his advantage.

#### **Unsheathing Strike**

Nanashi is forced by will to use his sword and charge forward and strike the enemy servant with precise and swift strikes all around and finishes with sheathing his sword back, and the enemy is taken down by more unseen strikes.

## References

https://swordofthestranger.fandom.com/wiki/Nanashi

https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Nanashi\_(Sword\_of\_the\_Stranger)

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/SwordOfTheStranger

https://fcoc-vs-battles.fandom.com/wiki/Saber\_(Nanashi)