Rider, who appears in "Fate/stay night", is a servant summoned by one of the heroines, Sakura Matou, but because he hates fighting, he leaves his rights to his brother-in-law, Shinji Matou. Rider has few active roles outside of "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel", which depicts the Sakura route, but what kind of character is he portrayed as?
We will introduce Rider's real name and character image, so please check it out.
Rider is a servant summoned by Sakura Matou
There are eight servants in "Fate/stay night", and Rider was summoned by Sakura Matou.
Rider always fights blindfolded and uses an iron stake with grass on it as a weapon, but in the character popularity poll, he is tall and has a bewitching beauty, and has a modest yet thoughtful personality, so he ranked high.
Let's start by talking about Rider, how he behaved in the Holy Grail War, and his relationship with his master, Sakura Matou.
In "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel," which depicts Sakura Matou's episode, you can see why he was acting for her, so be sure to check it out.
Following the instructions of his substitute master, Shinji Matou
It was Sakura Matou who summoned Rider, but because she refused to fight in the Holy Grail War, she transferred the rights of master to her brother-in-law, Shinji Matou, through the Book of False Retainers.
Therefore, in the Saber route and Rin route of "Fate/stay night," he is depicted acting with Shinji Matou, and there are no scenes involving Sakura Matou.
Also, since Shinji Matou, who became the substitute master, has low qualities as a master, he is unable to bring out the potential of Rider, like Shirou Emiya and Saber, and is easily defeated in the early part of the story.
Protecting Sakura Matou is his priority
Sakura Matou has entrusted her rights as master to Shinji Matou through the Book of False Ministers, but Rider himself seems to be constantly worried about Sakura, who no longer intervenes in the Holy Grail War.
If danger approaches Sakura Matou, his original master, he will show no mercy to anyone who harms him.
She also treats people who are concerned about Sakura Matou in a friendly manner, and is willing to cooperate with them to protect and save Sakura.
In particular, in "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel", Rider behaves like a kind older sister to Shirou Emiya, and even seems to trust him.
Are Rider and Sakura Matou in similar situations?
Rider is somewhat overprotective of Sakura Matou, but this is because the events and circumstances he experienced in the past are similar to Sakura's.
It could be said that Rider acts as if he is fighting against Sakura Matou's fate of "fatal to becoming a monster" and "failing to become a perpetrator while remaining a victim," and that he is simply prioritizing the protection of Sakura's life.
What is Rider's true identity? Introducing his real name, personality, and more!
Rider acts to protect Sakura Matou, and since this is derived from what he experienced in life, it is no exaggeration to say that the two of them had a fateful encounter.
Let's take a closer look at the secrets and details of Rider by introducing his real name and finding out what experiences he has had in the past.
Her real name is Medusa, the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters.
Lancer's real name in "Fate/stay night" is Medusa, the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters from Greek mythology. She is known for having the magic eye that turns anything she sees into stone, but she is actually one of the earth goddesses.
The three Gorgon sisters were tricked by the gods of Olympus, including the goddess Athena, and were led by the people's farce to escape to a formless island where they lived quietly.
Medusa was the only goddess among the three Gorgon sisters who continued to grow, but she killed people to protect her sister, and as she continued to drink blood while facing repeated prejudice and persecution, her personality collapsed and she eventually turned into the demon beast "Gorgon."
Though Medusa is originally an anti-hero, she has the aspect of a heroic spirit, "one who was once beautiful," and so she is invited to the Holy Grail War as the hero Medusa.
Do Illyasviel and Saber stimulate complexes?
Medusa, the only one of the three Gorgon sisters to grow, is depicted as a tall and beautiful woman with an excellent figure in "Fate/stay night", but to the Gorgon sisters, beauty means "small and cute".
As a result, since she was not able to recognize herself as beautiful, her own physical appearance is nothing but a complex for Medusa.
Furthermore, in the Fifth Holy Grail War, petite girls such as Illyasviel and Saber appear, so seeing them in front of her stimulates her own complexes.
He has the riding skills to ride even Phantasmagoria
As the legend of Medusa tells us, he possesses the highest class of petrification magic eye "Qubeley", and has the power to turn servants to stone unless they receive high rank magic power or protection.
In addition, his Noble Phantasm "Bellefoun (Reins of the Cavalry)", which can tame even Phantasmagoria if they can ride, boasts exceptional performance in both offense and defense, and is enough to kill even the strongest Berserker once.
As the rider's name suggests, he summons a Pegasus from a magic circle of blood and rides it, not only running freely across the battlefield but also possessing the fighting power to break through any amount of enemies.
Riders' positions on each route
The mirror excavated from an old temple in Eltoria was used as a catalyst to summon the rider, but more than that, he was summoned because of his strong bond with Sakura Matou, who was destined to become a monster one day.
However, Sakura Matou, who disliked fighting in the Holy Grail War, handed over her Master rights to her brother-in-law, Shinji Matou, and has few opportunities to appear outside of "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel".
Rider also appears often in "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel", but let's introduce what position and actions he took in each route.
Saber Route
Shinji Matou took over the Master rights from Sakura Matou and participated in the Holy Grail War, but was eliminated early on by the tag team of Shirou Emiya and Saber.
At this time, Saber showed off the "Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur)", and Rider was defeated in the Holy Grail War with this blow.
Having lost his Servant, Shinji Matou ran away from the scene, but was killed by an attack from Illyasviel and Berserker, who said, "Losers should die."
Rin Route
In the Rin Route, Rider is also defeated early on.
Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin begin investigating the barrier placed on the school, but the barrier activates during the investigation, making a battle with Rider unavoidable.
However, Rider, the master of the barrier, is not defeated by the two of them, but by someone else, and is dropped from the Holy Grail War.
Also, Matou Shinji, the substitute master, is the only one who remains silent in the Rin Route, and after the end of the Holy Grail War, he is shown repairing his relationship with his step-sister Matou Sakura and getting along well.
Sakura Route
In other routes, Rider is defeated early on, but in "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel," he is shown living with Emiya Shirou and Matou Sakura at the end.
Even though Matou Sakura is contaminated by "all the evil in the world (Anrimayu)," Rider continues to try to save her life, and chooses to team up with Emiya Shirou, who shares the same wish, and rescue her.
In the final battle against Saber Alter, a combined technique of the projected Rhoaea and Rider's Chivalry Reins destroys the "Sword of Promised Victory" and achieves victory.
Afterwards, Matou Sakura is freed from the black shadow, and the Fifth Holy Grail War is brought to an end by Illyasviel's power, and Rider remains in the world of reality, receiving magical power from Sakura.
Introducing the Riders! Summary
Rider, who appears in "Fate/stay night", is depicted as a main character in "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel", which depicts the Sakura route, and without her, it would not have been possible to save Sakura Matou.
This episode clearly shows Rider's feelings for Sakura Matou, and since Sakura Matou has also regained her relationship with her sister, Rin Tohsaka, it is impossible to watch it without crying at all.
If you follow the story of "Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel" while checking Rider's feelings, you may discover a different kind of fun.
