Kotomine Kirei takes part in the Holy Grail War as a Master in "Fate/Zero" and appears as the War's supervisor in "Fate/stay night," but in both cases he manipulates the story from behind the scenes. Let's take a look at what kind of character Kotomine Kirei is. We'll delve into the details of Kotomine Kirei, not only his personality and values, but also the Servants he summoned in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Who exactly are these characters in "Fate/Zero"?
Kirei Kotomine, who appears as a Master in "Fate/Zero" and later engages in a life-or-death battle with Kiritsugu Emiya, drops out early in the Holy Grail War, but continues to act for his own purposes. Kirei Kotomine also appears in "Fate/stay night," where he oversees the Fifth Holy Grail War while also manipulating Lancer and operating behind the scenes. This time, we'll take a closer look at Kirei Kotomine, exploring his personality, character, and role in the story, so be sure to check it out until the end.
Participates in the Fourth Holy Grail War as Tokiomi Tohsaka's assistant
In "Fate/Zero," which depicts the outcome of the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kirei Kotomine participates as an assistant to Tokiomi Tohsaka, who summoned the Archer Servant. While he is an inexperienced magician, Kirei Kotomine is a master of Bajiquan, a style of fist-like technique that has been refined to the point of lethal force, making him unmatched in hand-to-hand combat in "Fate/Zero." He also wields the Black Key, a special throwing sword used by Substitutes, and combines this with his mastered martial arts to advance in battle.
Summon an Assassin Servant
Kirei Kotomine summoned an Assassin Servant during the Fourth Holy Grail War, but was defeated by Rider's "King's Army" after the Holy Grail Question and Answer. His real name is Hassan-i-Sabah, the leader of a cult of assassins, and among them is "Hasan of a Hundred Faces," who suffers from multiple personality disorder and participates in the Holy Grail War. He uses the Noble Phantasm "Delusional Illusion (Zabaniya)," which allows him to split his mind and obtain separate bodies as needed, and his wish for the Holy Grail is "the unification of personalities."
Face Off Against Emiya Kiritsugu in the Climax
In the climax of "Fate/Zero," Kotomine Kirei faces off against Emiya Kiritsugu, overwhelming him with his martial arts skills. Because he is still inexperienced as a magician, he is not greatly affected by Emiya Kiritsugu's trump card, the Origin Bullet, and he gains the upper hand in the battle with his Bakyokuken, which he has perfected to the point of being a lethal fist. However, he is ultimately shot through the heart by a bullet fired by Emiya Kiritsugu, and Kotomine Kirei is defeated in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Appears as the supervisor of the Fifth Holy Grail War in "Fate/stay night"
Kirei Kotomine participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War as a Master, but in the Fifth Holy Grail War, he oversaw the outcome of the battle from the perspective of a supervisor. However, in reality, he was also the Master who controlled Lancer and manipulated the Holy Grail War from behind the scenes. Let's take a closer look at how Kirei Kotomine acts in the story of "Fate/stay night."
Sneaking Out an Acquaintance's Master and Using Lancer
Kirei Kotomine was originally intended to act as the supervisor of the Fifth Holy Grail War, but upon learning that Lancer's Master was his friend, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a member of the Mage's Association, he sneakily attacked him, stole his Command Spell, and used Lancer in his place. However, since his goal was not to win the Holy Grail War to the end, he did not instruct Lancer to fight aggressively, instead issuing Command Spells that instructed him to "wait and see" and "definitely return alive." Considering Lancer's combat prowess, there was a good chance he could have fought through the Holy Grail War to the end, but it seems he had other priorities.
He was also secretly connected to Gilgamesh
Kirei Kotomine has been connected to the Archer Servant Gilgamesh since the Fourth Holy Grail War, and this relationship remained unchanged through the Fifth Holy Grail War. This means that he has connections with two Servants, and there's no doubt that Kirei Kotomine is a unique Master, even looking back at past Holy Grail Wars. Tohsaka Tokiomi, who summoned Gilgamesh in the Fourth Holy Grail War, struggled to handle him. While the relationship between Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh isn't exactly good, it does suggest that they have a cooperative relationship based on mutual non-interference.
What is Kotomine Kirei like as a character? What kind of personality does he have?
Kitomine Kirei appears in both "Fate/Zero" and "Fate/stay night." Although his roles within the two works are different, his personality and character remain consistent. Kirei Kotomine possesses unique ways of thinking and values, but what kind of character is he portrayed as in the "Fate" series? To get a better understanding of his character, we'll introduce his background and personality.
Kirei Kotomine: An Inexperienced Magician
Kirei Kotomine is a talented individual, capable of serving as a substitute at a young age while belonging to the Holy Church. However, he specializes in Bajiquan and the use of the Black Key, a special throwing sword used by substitutes. Since the Kotomine family is not a lineage of magicians, Kirei Kotomine quit his magical training just before completing it, making his skills as a magician rather inexperienced. This is particularly evident in combat, where he overwhelms his opponents with martial arts rather than magical techniques. In fact, he torments Emiya Kiritsugu at the climax of "Fate/Zero."
A Person with a Disordered Personality, Innately Preferring Evil Over Good
Kirei Kotomine is unique in that he is unable to experience the beauty, joy, and fulfillment that ordinary people experience. Despite his strong sense of ethics, he struggles with his own flaws and distortions, and in the past has devoted himself to intense training in an attempt to eradicate them. However, he has achieved no results until the Holy Grail War begins, and he is portrayed as a flawed person, naturally preferring evil over good.
How will Kirei Kotomine meet his end?
Kirei Kotomine appears in both "Fate/Zero" and "Fate/stay night." How does he meet his end in each story? In both stories, he survives until the climax of the Holy Grail War and comes close to seizing the Holy Grail, but he never makes any conscious effort to seize it. Let's delve into Kirei Kotomine's will through each story and discover his purpose in participating in the Holy Grail.
In "Fate/Zero," he is covered in the mud of the Holy Grail.
Kirei Kotomine faces off against Kiritsugu Emiya in the final battle of the Fourth Holy Grail War. He gains an overwhelming advantage through his martial arts, but is ultimately shot through the heart and killed. However, thanks to his contract with Gilgamesh, who drank all the "evil of the world" (anri-mayu) that overflowed from the Holy Grail, the mud from the Holy Grail flows back into Kirei Kotomine, replacing his heart and reviving him. Witnessing the catastrophe in Fuyuki City with his own eyes, Kirei Kotomine comes to understand that he is "evil, devilish, twisted, and filthy." Furthermore, unable to accept the outcome, he resolves to witness the birth of "all the evil of the world."
Appears as a Final Boss in "Fate/stay night"
Kirei Kotomine appears as a final boss in the Fifth Holy Grail War, but he doesn't play a prominent role in the Saber route. In the Rin route, Kirei Kotomine commands Lancer to kill Tohsaka Rin, but when Lancer disobeys, he uses a Command Spell to commit suicide. However, Lancer doesn't die instantly, and Kirei Kotomine is immediately eliminated after counterattacking. Then, in the Sakura route, he is depicted as trying to create "all the evil in the world" in order to reach the answer, and he engages in a life-or-death battle with Shirou Emiya.
Summary
I've summarized Kotomine Kirei, but he appears in both "Fate/Zero" and "Fate/stay night" until the climax, and it's clear that his character and values are damaged throughout the series. In the "Fate" series, attention tends to be focused on the servants, but there's no doubt that Kotomine Kirei is a character who drives the story forward, so if you pay attention to how he acts, you might find it interesting in a different way.
