class: Archerreal name: Emiya Shirou
measurements: 187cm (height), 78kg (weight).
master: Tohsaka Rin
weapon: bow, twin swords.
colour: red.
natural enemies: Rin, Sakura and Ilya.
likes: houseworks (of all kind although he strongly denies it), hitting on people, being by himslef (he has never been that sociable and now even more), fixing things.
dislikes: heroes, himself and his vain dreams.
noble phantasm: Archer hasn’t a proper Noble Phantasm but he can use his Reality Marble to perform the Unlimited Blade Works or to create other noble phantasms as well.
- Unlimited Blade Works - Infinite Creation of Swords: the Reality Marble that allows Archer to physically represents his soul and let him create an ideal battlefield. - Kanshou and Bakuya: Archer'sd traced twin swords.
- Caladbolg II - The Fake Spiral Sword: The sword traced by Archer that could be used as an arrow.
- Rho Aias - The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens: The invincible shield traced on the model of the one belonged to the greek heroe Aiax.
personality: Archer appears as someone who’s not very keen on social
life and he doesn’t either try to be sociable with others. He’s very
serious although he likes hitting on others and flattering those he is
insterested in (like Rin for istance). He tries to be mysterious enough
in everything he does, from his plans to his real identity and past.
Although he doesn’t have a too high opinion on himself (mainly because
of BG reasons) he’s kinda round of his abilities and skills, especially
in fighting. He knows he’s strong and he doesn’t try to hide it. As all
servants he tries to suppress his emotions and he’s good at it. He
doesn’t seem to be attached to nobody and it seems something happened to
him changing him into the cold-hearted person he is. He truly believes
people can learn from mistakes but he’s not able to forget and he’s
especially severe with himself. He dislikes the whole hero concept so
appreciated by Shirou, since this concept implies the creation of
unlimited enemies elsewhere. He likes to work alone since he believes
people needs to learn from themselves and solve their problems without
involving others. But he’s always ready tp lend a hand after all… He
might also appear as arrogant and selfish and it’s partially true since
the changes occured to him completely destroyed part of his personality.
Some thinks he has personality disorders, and yes it’s sadly true. It’s
not easy to fully understand Archer and this description might be
accompanied by his history.
spoilers warning!!!
personal history: As you might have guessed, Archer and Shirou are the
same person. Archer can be considered Shirou’s adult form or better his
future self. They’re almost opposte in personality and motivations and
this is due to Shirou’s choices and events that happened in his life:
Archer seems to hate himself for those choices he mad as an immature
person and that condamned him to that existence he doesn’t enjoy at all:
But what truly happened to him? Let’s analize his story.
In Fate he’s destined to Rin, although she didn’t wanted him at the
first place. He equally fights against Lancer on their first meeting and
although he’s injured he doesn’t allow his enemy to beat him. Later on
he has the duty to protect Shirou’s house from the other masters and he
gives him many advices in their short but important meetings, warning
him on his lacknesses and trying to let him understand his real powers
and abilities. He’s killed by Berserker in Ilya’s residence as he tries
to gain time for Rin, Saber and Shirou to escape.
He has a more important role in Unlimited Blade Works as we learn
something more about his motivations. He’s again summoned by Rin but
this time he betraies her and join Caster. His real aim is killing
Shirou since it is the reason why he joined the war. The miracle he was
looking for was the chance to end his miserabile existence by killing
himself before choosing the path of being a heroe. Archer strongly
dislikes that existence that oblidges him to be summoned and fight
forever. Shirou on the other side is sure he made the correct choice and
tries to convince him, by fighting him of corse, that he’s right, he can
save people and protect justice. Sacrifices are needed but he’s sure he
can limited them with his efforts and determination. Archer is beaten by
him and he understands that those ideals belonged to a young heart and
that probably the whole mistake was made by him, by betraying his own
dream because of desperation. He’s finally happy and he accepts his
destiny; he will fight forever for those who’ll need him. In Heavens
Feel Archer is soonely defeated and killed in his attempt to save Rin
from the attack of True Assassin and Black Saber. He gives his left arm
to Shirou (who lost it in the attempt of protecting Ilya) before
vanishing and he entrusts him his Reality Marble, although he can’t know
it wouldn’t work as expected (since it reproduces swords inside Shirou’s
body and not outside).
Archer can be considered one of the possible evolution of Shirou, but not the definitive one.
In Heaven's Feel, in the moment in which Shirou decides to save Sakura and renounces to the idea of
saving everybody he should become a different person than him, although they share the same origins.
There are also some speculations about his own past experience which reflects the Fate scenario but with different happenings, like
not being able to save Saber, losing Rin and Ilya as well. And there's also the EMIYA transaction, a sort of phase between the
Shirou and Archer trasnformation. In teh attempt of reaching his goal, the ideal of becoming a hero, he started a sort of war, killing people
without even recognizing those who were completely innocent. That was necessary to realize his utopic dream. But when he realized it he decided he should do
something, at least for those he sacrificed without any reason, always thinking that the last murder would be the final one. He wasn't able
to preserve his ideal and his original goal, and to accomplish his presumed duties he decided to make a Pact with the World, in order to get
the strenght to become a real Heroe of Justice, changing the destinies of those he sacrified and preserving their existences.
As exchange for this miracle the Throne of the Heroes (an idefinitive force that collect and preserves eroic souls) he should become an heroic spirit in his afterlife.
He's eventually judged (and somehow betraied) by one of those he saved and executed for crimes against humanity.