Entire Timeline of the Fate Series – Explained!
Stretched across various visual novels, light novels, anime, manga, video games, and related spin-offs, the Fate series is perhaps the most expansive of franchises out there.
With a convolution of plots and timelines, it is mind-numbing for most fans to wrap their heads around what’s actually going on in the series.
Today, I’m going to attempt to give you a simplified version of the entire Fate series timeline in a manner that will make sense for newbies as well as seasoned fans.
The Nasuverse (the cumulative works under Type-Moon, the Fate series production house) encompasses real-word history and legend in addition to in-world myth and lore.
I won’t go into details of the series and plotlines, but will stick to a clean rundown of its chronology the placement of each series within the overarching timeline.
Alright; let’s do this.
1. Before the Beginning
I. The Outside of the World: Swirl of the Root
In the beginning (and end, and beyond), is Akasha. Akasha is the root or vortex of the Nasuverse, a metaphysical location which acts as the source of all the phenomena that take place in every dimension of the universe.
It exists beyond time, directly opposing the World and the Reverse Side of the World. All timelines, souls, and realities exist thanks to Akasha.
Akasha is also the end-goal of every mage in the Fate universe, where their every effort is to try and create a path to this ultimate Truth, and consequently, True Magic.
The First Magic and Fifth Magic were the result of reaching the Root, while the Second, Third, and Fourth Magics were meant as a means to reach it.
II. The World: Gaia and Alaya
Gaia is the will of the Earth to survive and flourish with Alaya is the collective unconscious of mankind’s own determination to avoid extinction.
Together, these make the Counter Forces of the World, that eliminate dangers that threaten the survival of the planet and its species.
One of the Counter Force’s defense mechanisms is to summon Heroic Spirits from Earth’s history (Alaya) or Divine Spirits like Gods to save the planet.
Collectively, these Servants of the World stand to protect Akasha from anyone trying to reach it.
III. Reverse Side of the World
This is the space of the World that retains the laws of the Age of Gods.
It exists as a thin blanket that covers the actual Earth itself, the Earth with humans and laws of physics. The Reverse Side contains supernatural beings and retired gods, 2700km above the actual going ons of the Age of Man.
These 3 aren’t really events that happen in the timeline per say, but it’s important to understand the concept before we get into the actual timeline itself.
2. Genesis: 4.6 Billion Years Ago
The Earth was created.
3. Age of Gods: 4.5 Billion BC – 1 AD
The Age of Gods existed before the Common Era, where there was no man and no science, but magic and Mystery instead.
This was also when The Dragon of Albion – who appears in Fate/stay night and Fate/Grand Order, was born.
4. Age of Dinosaurs: 65 Million BC
The Mezozoic age began and Dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Until of course, the infamous asteroid Xiuhcoatl bombed the planet and the dinosaurs were wiped out. The age ended with the Cretaceous Period, after which the first humans began to appear.
5. Age of Deterioration: 12000 BC
Earth was invaded by Sefar and 80% of the planet was destroyed. Millions of gods, humans, plants, and animals were massacred.
The 6 Great Fairies forged the Excalibur, the Holy Sword, in the core of the planet, which was used to beat Sefar.
The Gods weakened, humanity grew.
The power of forgotten gods and goddesses was embodied and inherited.
Later, in 4000 BC, the 12 Olympians created the Pandora, known today as Erica Ainswothth. This happened 6000 years before the events of Fate/Prisma Illya.
6. Age of Separation: 4000-100 BC
In 2600 BC, the Mesopotamian Gods created Gilgamesh who is half-god, half-human. Gilgamesh rebelled against the gods, and the gods were made to totally separate from mankind, turning into Divine Spirits and retreating to the Reverse Side.
In 1000 BC the Norse Pantheon came to an end during Ragnarok, and in 931 BC Solomon, the King of Magic died.
In 700 BC, there was a certain unknown Trigger that caused the complete end of the Gods. Mystery on Earth was no more.
7. Age of Man: 1 AD – Present Day
Science vs. Mystery. As humans populated the earth and gods declined, the Five Magics were born and mages sought to acquire them.
The Mage’s Association came to battle the quickly rising Holy Church and in around 500 AD the Clock Tower, which is the first branch of the Mage’s Association, is established in London.
The Clock Tower excavates the Tomb of Albion and Magecraft is reinvigorated.
As of 1800 AD Modern Magecraft was made the 12th department, alongside the Holy Church and the Aristocratic and Democratic factions. This happened during the Industrial Revolution in England.
8. The Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars: 1810 – 2004 AD
The Holy Grail War ritual was established in Fuyuki, Japan by the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matao founding mage families.
I. The First Holy Grail War: 1810 AD
The Holy Grail is supposed to be a wish-granting device that can summon something called the Greater Grail using the sacrifice of 7 Heroic Spirits. This would lead to Akasha.
The first ritual was left incomplete.
II. The Second Holy Grail War: 1860 AD
The Second Holy Grail War took place in 1860, and involved a third-part to oversee the rules: the Church of England.
III. The Third Holy Grail War: 1930 AD
The Third Holy Grail War took place in 1930, before World War II. Many Servants were summoned, including Berserkers, Zoroastrians, and Avengers.
The ritual ended up being a failure again, and this time, the Greater Grail was contaminated, allowing for the summoning of something other than Heroic Spirits, like monsters and villains.
Taking into consideration the Fate/Apocrypha timeline (2000 AD), this is also when Nazis enter the scene. A Ruler is summoned instead of an Avenger and the Great Holy Grail War replaces the Fuyuki Holy Grail War. 14 Servants battle it out in a deathmatch to reach the true Grail.
We also have Fate/type Redline that occurs in 1940 AD (technically in 2020, but, you know, time travel) where we have the Nazis but also the Japanese military.
After the Third Holy Grail War, there is also another divergence into the Fate/Extra timeline where everything basically becomes a cyberverse and the moon a supercomputer. Don’t worry about it.
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IV. The Fourth Holy Grail War: 1994 AD
This is the start of Fate/Zero. In the Fourth Holy Grail War, which took place in 1994 (10 years before Fate/stay night), Irisviel von Einzbern was created through the placement of the broken Lesser Grail in the body of a homunculus.
Eventually the Greater Grail was manifested but Mage Hunter Kiritsugu Emiya, the Master of Saber and husband of Irisviel von Einzbern and adoptive father of Shiro, destroyed the Greater Grail.
Here, we have the events of Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files – after Fate/Zero but before Fate/stay night. A sequel to this takes place in 2014. The protagonist of this series is Waver Velvet from Fate/Zero, the Master of Rider in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Another important series to mention is Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, a divergence with 2 separate universes within it.
The Miyuverse, where Miyu and Shirou participate in the Ainsworth Holy Grail War (different from the usual Holy Grail War), and the Illyaverse, where the Fourth Holy Grail War didn’t happen. It’s basically where Kiritsugu decides to start a family instead of hunting mages.
V. The Fifth Holy Grail War: 2004 AD
This is the start of Fate/stay night. The Fifth Holy Grail War happened in 2004. This is the beginning of Fate/stay night. I don’t want to spoil the events of this series, but basically, it involves Irisviel and Kiritsugu’s daughter Illyasviel von Einzbern and Shirou Emiya.
Fate/stay night was originally a visual novel with 3 alternate routes and endings: Fate (the Saber route), Unlimited Blade Works (the Rin Tohsaka route), and Heaven’s Feel (Sakura route).
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia Loop (2005 AD) follows the events of all 3 routes of Fate/stay night. The entire thing takes place in a 4-day time-loop.
VI. Fake Holy Grail War: 2008 AD
15 years after the Fourth Holy Grail War, we also have Fate/Strange Fake, where the True and False Holy Grail Wars occur in the year 2009 AD. It might be part of an alternate universe since the whole series of events occurs in America. It also involves a giant flying whale.
VII. The Sixth Holy Grail War: 2011 AD
This war is mentioned in Fate/Requiem. This war is essentially the battle between Illya and the rest against the Blackened Servants from the Class Cards.
9. Dismantlement of the Fuyuki Holy Grail: 2014 AD
The Fuyuki Holy Grail was dismantled as a result of Lord El-Melloi II.
10. Fate/Grand Order
Before moving on, here would be a good time to tell you about Marisbury Animusphere, the founder of Chaldea, a secret organization to prevent the extinction of the human race.
Animusphere participated in the Fifth Holy Grail War (but the first and only one in its timeline) in 2004 and became the victor, and wished for the prosperity of his organization, Chaldea. The 3 parts of Grand Order consists of Singularities, Epic of Remnant, and Lostbelt.
Important events include the Human Order Incineration Incident in 2015 AD, the Remnant Order in 2017 AD, and the Human Order Revision in 2018 AD.
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Fate/Grand Order is the reason most people are so scared of the Fate timeline; I’ll tell you why. It’s all about time travel where certain souls are sent into the past to interfere and fix corrupted versions of historical events. Every new timeline created is a singularity, which exists outside of the primary temporal axis of Fate.
11. Fate/Requiem: 2025 AD
This series brings in an apocalyptic world where everyone has their own Holy Grail and summon their own Servants.
12. Moon Holy Grail War: 2030 AD
All the Mana in the world has dried up due to the ritual that took place in England. As a part of Fate/Extra, the Moon is the Holy Grail of the 7 Heavens and can grant wishes instead of the usual grail.
13. Fate/Extra Last Encore: 3020 AD
The Noble Phantasm, Chakravartin overwrites the rules of the Holy Grail War and the people in the Moon Cell are the last of humanity.
Note: I haven’t gotten into Fate Prototype, Fate/Fragment of Silver Sky, and Fate Labyrinth because it doesn’t have any connection to the original Fate universe (except for that one dream a character has that connects right back to Fate/stay night.)
I also have not touched upon the “Happy” timeline of bubble universes like Emiya Gohan, Fate School Life, and Today’s Menu.
14. About Fate Series
Fate/stay night is a Japanese visual novel developed by Type-Moon, released initially as an adult game for Windows.
The story revolves around Shirou Emiya, an honest and hardworking teen who is forced to enter The Fifth Holy Grail War.
In this deathmatch tournament, participants fight with magical abilities, as the winner gets to chance to have their desires come to life. Following a near-death experience, he meets Saber, an artificial personification of the legend Arturia Pendragon, designed to help the participants.
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