Fate/strange Fake
Fate/strange Fake
An anime adaptation of Ryohgo Narita's 2015 light novel. The special "Whispers of Dawn" aired in 2023, with the TV series following from 2024. Miyamoto Musashi, founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū sword school, appears as Saber, facing off against fellow swordsman Sasaki Kojirō as Assassin.
Description
Overview
Fate/strange Fake is an anime adaptation of Ryohgo Narita's 2015 light novel, a spin-off within TYPE-MOON's Fate franchise. A 55-minute prequel special, Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn- (produced by A-1 Pictures), premiered in July 2023, with the main TV series following afterward. For the first time in the franchise, the story is set primarily in America, in the western city of Snowfield, where a new Holy Grail War breaks out.
Miyamoto Musashi as Saber
The series features two Servants closely tied to Japanese swordsmanship. Musashi Miyamoto, summoned as Saber, is modeled on the historical swordsman credited with founding the Niten Ichi-ryū school of two-sword combat during the early Edo period, and is depicted wielding a katana and wakizashi simultaneously in the anime.
Sasaki Kojirō as Assassin
Sasaki Kojirō, summoned as Assassin, is modeled on the swordsman said to have dueled Musashi on Ganryū Island. While the historical existence and biography of Kojirō remain debated among scholars due to limited primary sources, he has long been remembered in popular tradition as a master swordsman known for his "Tsubame Gaeshi" technique, and is portrayed in the series as a formidable rival capable of matching Musashi blow for blow.
Reception
The Whispers of Dawn special scored in the high 7s on IMDb, while the TV series has scored in the low 8s, making it one of the more highly regarded entries in the Fate franchise for its swordplay.
Relation to the Franchise
TOUKENZA also separately features Fate/stay night from the same franchise; strange Fake stands out for centering its narrative on the real historical swordsmen Musashi and Kojirō, making its engagement with Japanese swordsmanship more direct.
Real Swords Featured
Niten Ichi-ryū and Musashi's Two-Sword Style
Niten Ichi-ryū, the swordsmanship school attributed to Miyamoto Musashi, is characterized by the simultaneous use of a long sword (katana) and short sword (wakizashi) in a two-sword technique. Where katana are conventionally wielded two-handed, this school's method of controlling both blades one-handed each was considered a highly distinctive approach, documented in Musashi's own writings such as the Book of Five Rings. The anime's depiction of Saber Musashi fighting with katana and wakizashi simultaneously follows this historical characteristic of Niten Ichi-ryū.
The Duel at Ganryū Island and Sasaki Kojirō
The 1612 duel said to have taken place on an island off the coast of Buzen Province (present-day Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture) between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō is widely known as the Battle of Ganryū Island. Kojirō is said to have wielded an unusually long sword nicknamed 'Monohoshizao' and to have been known for a technique called 'Tsubame Gaeshi' (Swallow Counter), though accounts of the duel and Kojirō's own biography vary across sources and are believed to include considerable later embellishment. The anime's Assassin Kojirō is modeled on this legendary image of the swordsman.
See authentic Japanese swords
See authentic Japanese swordsThis page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.