Archer (F/SN)

Background
From Complete Material III

This is Emiya Shirou after becoming a Heroic Spirit in the future. He stubbornly trained himself after the Holy Grail War, and pursued the dream of becoming a superhero. However, he soon fell into despair as he realised that his own power was insufficient to save mankind. Before the dying people, Emiya made a pact with the” World” and become a hero that can produce miracles, yet he died a tragic death because of the betrayal of his allies. Although he died of betrayal, he did not hate mankind. However, the “World” ironically gave him the duty as a Heroic Spirit “to slaughter all humans at a particular location when mankind is at the threshold of complete self destruction” --- a “Counter Guardian”.

Character
From Fate/side material, p054, Fate Dictionary

Heroic Spirit of the bow. A type of Servant that has low basic parameters, but makes up for it with Skills and Noble Phantasms.

Of course, the Archer in the story was no exception, fighting to the bitter end while freely making use of unknown Noble Phantasms.

He is a thoroughly pragmatic cynic, but oddly enough, he also has a childish streak to him that makes him impossible to truly dislike.

His true identity is XXXXX. He is important enough to be considered a shadow protagonist, and it could be said that half of Fate/stay night is his story.

At the beginning of the game, his memory was supposedly fuzzy due to an imperfect summoning, but in reality that was only partially true.

The night he was summoned (after Rin went to sleep), he assessed the present situation, figured out his circumstances, and concluded that the opportunity to complete his objective had at long last appeared.

However, he didn't realize the girl who summoned him was Tohsaka Rin until she introduced herself. (His memory wasn't fuzzy, the name "Tohsaka Rin" had simply been worn away by time.)

At that moment, it all came rushing back like lightning. "Then I'll call you Rin. …Yes, it suits you well."

Archer's murmur at that time was thick with a heartfelt and madly passionate affection.

…By the way, there was lots of vague foreshadowing about Archer's identity throughout the game, but none was more subtle than after the battle with Berserker in the Saber route. Also, his skin was darkened from the rebound caused by using a certain sorcery… well, that's the story, anyway.

Combat
From Complete Material III

Since Emiya is a Heroic Spirit from the future, he does not have any blessings provided by fame. In addition, he does not have Noble Phantasms, as a result his basic abilities are below other Servants. However, his exceptional use of tactics and battle experience makes his combat style very distinct from other Servants. The Archer class originally focuses on long range combat, but Emiya loves melee combat and wishes to conceal his trump card, thus he focuses on melee tactics with Kansho and Bakuya when engaging other Servants.

The reason an Emiya with no Noble Phantasms is able to match other Servants or even exceed them is the Reality Marble “Unlimited Blade Works”, which includes “all the elements necessary to shape swords”. This Boundary Field can copy weapons that are seen only once, and store them within. In the Fifth Holy Grail War, the weapons stored had exceeded thousands. Emiya can freely take out and utilise the weapons according to the situation, and he can also assault the enemy by firing many Noble Phantasms from the Boundary Field like arrows in the same way as Gilgamesh’s “Gate of Babylon”.

Emiya’s trump card is firing copied Noble Phantasms as arrows – “Broken Phantasm”. On impact, the magical force will explode, generating overwhelming destructive power. By assaulting melee Servants with this type of long range attack, Emiya is able to turn the odds to his favour.

Magic Resistance: D
'From Complete Material III

Emiya’s Magic Resistance is weak. Its rank is D, in other words, spells more than one bar will annul this resistance. The benefit it provides is equivalent to an anti-magic amulet. This level of resistance can be easily overcome by a relatively strong magus.

Although Emiya was a magus during his life and possesses unusual Projection sorcery, his affinity with “sorcery” is much worse compared to Heroic Spirits of ancient times who saw sorceries and True Magics as commonplace. The level of Magic Resistance is a result of this.

For Emiya who possesses low Magic Resistance, it is easy to picture the kind of effects great sorceries and ritual spells can have on him. Even spells greater than two steps can be lethal to him if hit. Because of this, Emiya is at a disadvantage against Caster, who has powerful sorceries at her disposal. Depending on the situation, Emiya may even have to pay attention to the attack of Masters who are magi.

Independent Action: B
From Complete Material III

Normally if a Servant loses his Master, he will disappear within hours if he cannot replenish the mana required to remain in this world. The amount of time each Heroic Spirit has before disappearing varies, but Emiya can remain in this world for 2 days due to Rank B Independent Action. However, this is the ideal value achieved by maximally conserving mana and avoiding battle and Noble Phantasm usage.

In UBW route, Emiya’s Master switched from Rin to Medea, and after Medea’s death, he continued to operate independently and battled Emiya Shirou. Through all these events, one is able to recognise Emiya’s ability to survive alone. In addition, even if Emiya’s spiritual core sustained lethal damage, he can still survive for a short period. This ability is the reason why Emiya is able to secretly observe Shirou and gang’s battle as a spiritual body after being defeated by Shirou. In addition, after the battle between Shirou and Gilgamesh had concluded at Ryudo Temple, Emiya appeared in front of Gilgamesh as he attempted to pull Shirou into the darkness. He shot an arrow between the eyes of Gilgamesh and sent him alone into the darkness. The arrow shot at that time was a regular arrow, and from the fact that Emiya gradually began to disappear after this attack, this is probably the limit of Emiya’s materialisation.

Clairvoyance: C
From Complete Material III

The visual ability that is also called “Eagle Eye”. This is a must-have ability of the Archer Class. It is also frequently used during scouting. Simply looking from a high location is sufficient to fully survey the town and search for enemies. In addition, Clairvoyance will affect the accuracy of bows. Also worth mentioning is that, as Emiya readies his bow, he will be able to precisely snipe even enemies moving at high speeds as long as they are within a 4km range.

Archer, who possesses Clairvoyance, is able to execute “ultra long-range sniping” with accuracy transcending the realm of men.

Thaumaturgy: C-
From Complete Material III

During his life time, the sorceries learned by Emiya are unremarkable. Before becoming a Heroic Spirit, even “reinforcement” was quite difficult. However, the “projection” sorcery he wields is quite special, as it is able to duplicate weapons, including all the components, to near perfection. In addition, during duplication, he can even read the wielder’s skills, which allows him to gain all kinds of Noble Phantasms and combat skills.

During his life time, Emiya used the preliminary step of projection – “structural analysis”, to find the location of an item’s fault and proceed with repair.

Eye of the Mind (True): B
From Complete Material III

A danger-avoidance ability that utilises the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis, in order to predict the opponent’s activity and change the current situation. This is not a result of talent, but an overwhelming amount of combat experience. A weapon wielded by none other than a mortal, gained through tenacious training. Using Eye of the Mind, Emiya was able to successfully counter Cú Chulainn’s thrusts that were invisible to the eye.

Even with Rank B Eye of the Mind (True), Emiya was unable to see through Emiya Shirou’s passion-infused strike which put “ideal” on the line. (Translator’s Note: WTF?)

Infinite Creation of Swords - Unlimited Blade Works
 Main page here 

From Complete Material III

Rank: E ~ A++

Type: ???

Range: ???

Maximum Targets: ???

The “Innate Bound Field” wielded by Emiya. It is his ability as a Heroic Spirit with no Noble Phantasms. The inside of the reality marble is a world like a steel mill, filled with weapons, flames, and giant gears. The uncountable swords plunge into the ground and were preserved thus. The majority of the weapons persevered in the reality marble are Noble Phantasms of Heroic Spirits copied through projection sorcery, each possessing deadly powers. Although the majority of the weapons are swords, the Noble Phantasm that provides absolute defence against projectiles, “Rho Aias”, is also said to be copied and stored in the reality marble. Also, the ability of replicated Noble Phantasm suffers one rank down compared to the original.

Not only can Emiya freely access the weapon stored inside Unlimited Blade Works, he can also modify the weapons to his wish like Caladabolg II. In addition, he is able to capitalise on his ability to repeatedly project: use Noble Phantasms as disposable arrows, and then unleash the magical energy stored within – the tactic called “Broken Phantasm”.

From Fate/side material, p076, Fate Dictionary

Infinite Creation of Swords.

Though it is treated as a Noble Phantasm, technically speaking it is a type of sorcery called a reality marble.

Within this reality marble exists all the ingredients needed for the creation of swords. So long as Archer has seen the original, he is able to easily replicate it.

However, the replicated weapon has its rank reduced by one.

Replication of defensive armaments is also possible, but it requires two to three times more magical energy than a normal projection.

Once an armament has been replicated, it is registered inside the boundary field and can be manufactured with Gradation Air even without expanding the reality marble.

Against a normal opponent this is little more than a mildly annoying ability, but it is the natural enemy of a certain King of Heroes.

Kanshou and Bakuya
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From Complete Material III

Famous swords of Chinese legend. The Yin-Yang, Female-Male paired swords based on Yin-Yang theory. Emiya’s favourite melee weapons.

From Fate/side material, p057, Fate Dictionary

Kanshou (干将) and Bakuya (莫耶).

The yin and yang twin swords that Archer likes to use.

They were made by the famed Chinese swordsmith Gan Jiang, during the Spring and Autumn period.

Gan Jiang was ordered by King Helü of Wu to cast him a worthy sword, but he found himself unable to make one that lived up to his own lofty standards and soon grew frustrated.

Unable to merely stand by and watch this go on, his wife, Mo Ye, wagered her very life.

It is said that to create a masterpiece that treads on the domain of gods, a human sacrifice is necessary.

So it was that Mo Ye, standing before her beloved husband, cast herself into the furnace and used her own life to blend together the iron essence of the Five Mountains and the metal efflorescence of the Six Valleys.

In the midst of his grief, Gan Jiang completed two swords: Kanshou and Bakuya, twin swords embodying the concept of yin and yang.

Because they were created using the finest ingredients and a human life, not only is their ability as swords quite high, but they also have a strong mystical aspect.

Perhaps due to some design of Archer's, words that appear to be charms against evil are carved on the blades.

Rho Aias
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From Complete Material III

The shield used by the hero of Trojan War, Aias. The Bounded Field Noble Phantasm that provides absolute defence against projectile weapons.

From Fate/side material, p078, Fate Dictionary

Seven Rings of Heaven.

In Greek mythology, the shield used by the hero Aias during the Trojan War.

It was a bronze shield covered by seven layers of ox hide, and the only thing that proved capable of stopping the javelin of the great hero of Troy, Hector. (Though it managed to penetrate six layers of ox hide, the seventh layer was unbroken.)

Afterward, its fame spread, and its existence was eventually sublimed into a "conceptual armament"

boasting absolute defensive power against thrown weapons.

It is the only defensive armament Archer can use proficiently.

The Rho Aias that protected Shirou's spellcasting during the finale of the Rin route was not something he projected himself, but was actually made by Archer who was watching the battle from a distance.

Caladbolg II
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From Complete Material III

The legendary sword Caladbolg of the Ulster Cycle, projected and modified by Emiya. Obviously useful as a sword, but it is used as an arrow for Broken Phantasm.