The Fate franchise has had no shortage of epic fights throughout its various movies, shows, and games, but a trailer for the series’ newest entry is promising its most epic fight yet. Fate is a franchise that mostly focuses around events called holy grail wars that involve mages using the revived spirits of famous heroes and villains from throughout history to fight each other. One of the most popular of these servants is Gilgamesh, the ancient Babylonian king who starred in a titular epic. Part of what makes the new anime Fate/strange Fake so exciting is the interesting ways it promises to use and develop his character further.
This is part of what makes the Fate/strange Fake trailer (posted to Youtube) so cool. At the end of the trailer, Gilgamesh and his old companion Enkidu face each other, each about to release the full power of their Noble Phantasms, special powers that each Servant has. Each one has a smile on their face in anticipation of the epic fight, as Enkidu expresses their gratitude at being able to face Gilgamesh in battle once again while Gilgamesh monologues about the creation of the world from which his Noble Phantasm derives its name. They both marshall their powers against each other in beautifully animated shots, with Enkidu harnessing the power of creation and Gilgamesh bringing forth the powers of destruction and the trailer ends as they say the shared name of their Enuma Elish Noble Phantasms in unison.
This is an incredibly epic moment even for fans who don’t know of Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s long history, but for fans who do, this scene is even better. Enkidu and Gilgamesh were incredibly close companions in ancient days. Then, in Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia, a fake version of Enkidu named Kingu was created and used by Tiamat and the Three Goddess Alliance to try and eliminate humanity and replace them with artificial beings. This brought Gilgamesh and Kingu into conflict, but it wasn’t quite as intense as it would have been if Kingu had been the real Enkidu. Fate/strange Fake is finally promising this fight that fans have been waiting to see since Babylonia.
Gilgamesh vs Enkidu Looks Like Fate‘s Best Fight Yet
However, even for fans less knowledgeable about Fate lore, this scene is still powerful. Attack on Titan’s composer Hiroyuki Sawano is the composer for this series as well and his epic new soundtrack elevates the tension in this scene brilliantly. In addition, A-1 Pictures’ beautiful animation gives the fight an otherworldly quality different from any Fate fight that has come before it. If this level of production quality carries over into the rest of the show as well, then this may not be the only epic fight fans have to look forward to.
The rest of the trailer is also incredible, teasing at the various other servants that will be taking part in the holy grail war and teasing the return of beloved characters like Waver Velvet. The whole thing feels somewhat reminiscent of Fate/Zero, widely regarded as the best entry in the Fate franchise. But if Fate/strange Fake delivers on its preview’s promise, this new series may easily take that title.