/jp/ - Otaku Culture

HF represents Consequentialism. The desire to sacrifice everything for, even your dreams and yourself, so that one person can be saved. As Shirou cannot accept the consequences of letting Sakura die he choose to act in accordance with his selfish desire. Here Shirou abandones his idealism in favor of human desire to protect that which he loves over everything else. His priorities shift to his immediate inner circle rather than the wast outside. Where Kiritsugu chose the world over his own happiness Shirou chose his (and Sakura's) happiness over the world. But the core principle is the same.

Archer is a prime example of Greek tragedy. A man who stood up to the world and was crushed by its merciless nature. A man, who only wished to save people, was betrayed by the people he wished to save. Aristotle used the term mimesis (imitation) when describing tragedy - "Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of certain magnitude". Ironically enough Archer (and Shirou) is using imitations as their weapon against the unjust world. A man who is complete, a Heroic Spirit that cannot change is nonetheless finds that which he thought he had lost.

Saber is an interesting case and is often misunderstood. An ideal King fated to rule and to fall. But even here her character is written so well enough to be truly distinctive. A simple idealistic and kind-hearted girl denied herself her happiness and humanity for her duty. Yet her only mistake was that she thought that there was someone more worthy than her to do a better job. So human and so noble, such an honest and endearing desire to carry out her duty to the very end is so like her. She represents that even if you did everything right, if you did your best you may still fall. And the only thing left for you then is to be proud of what you did and not to seek to undo it. Her character is the heart of the novel and no wonder so many people find themselves drawn to her, myself included.