Fate Zero: The Appeal of the Classic Greek Tragedy

As a Greek who is well-versed with Greek tragedy thanks to the basic school curriculum focusing heavily on it and all of its elements, as well as my immense personal investment in studying it... I can say this was a damn well-made video. Good job.

These types of videos remind me why I like anime

I know Saber's way of thinking is very naive, but I couldn't help myself but getting absorbed into her character because of it. In a way, I think she knew deep down that her ideology was unrealistic, but she kept vigorously fighting reality during her life and during the war in hopes that she could change it, which unfortunately only made her situation much worse in the end. She's seriously one of my all-time favorite anime characters.

I fell in love with Zero for one reason. The sheer beauty of emotion that is painted into each scene via visuals and audio. The characters alone had me hooked with their desires and struggles. But none hit on a more personal level than Iskander. Getting to first see his character was like taking a full breath of clean ocean air. As the series progressed, I grew to love him all the more. because he is bold and passionate and literally challenging everyone and everything around him. He makes you look at yourself and asks you, "Is this all you want to be or do you have it in your heart to strive for more?" At the time I watched Zero, I was at a deep low point. I was just getting out of a ten year long abusive marriage. Group therapy for survivors of rape and domestic abuse weren't doing much. The I found UBW. It was spellbinding and had me get excited for something for the first time in eight years. Then I found Zero. And it was glorious. I fell in love with Fate, the characters, and how they made me feel things I had all but discarded ever feeling again. Iskander in particular made a big impact. I felt a kind of comfort and love I had long lost from when the person I love most passed away. The series gave me moments of exhilaration and deep emotional connection. I was left with the sense that no other series would ever move me that way again. It's still a special series to me after several years of delving into more amazing stories.

This was a really fucking good video. Definitely the best one I've ever seen on Fate/Zero, and probably one of the best anime-related ones that I've seen. I honestly can't compliment it enough. Now, let's answer those questions. 1. In the sense of giving the audience choices where there isn't necessarily a right or a wrong, I definitely consider this to be a return to greek tragedy. There were several parts of this show in which characters were faced with choices and I could really understand their struggles as I myself found the choices to be just as excruciatingly hard as the characters who were faced with them did. 2. I think there are many anime out there who attempt to do something like this, but few in the same scale as Fate/Zero does. I think one example that immediately sticks out to people would be Neon Genesis Evangelion but there are several ones out there. 3. The character I found myself relating to the most in this show was Kariya Matou as I could not only understand, but also respect his decision to sacrifice himself for the people he loves, and I also think his character symbolises just how cruel life can be. Throughout the series we see Kariya give up everything. He gives up the love of his life to Tokiomi in order to prevent her from falling into his father's clutches, he takes the crest worms into his body facing excrutiating pain and gradually loses both his sanity and his life during the war, all because he wanted to protect Sakura and let her be with Rin and her mother. And then despite sacrificing all of these things he dies having achieved nothing, only finding solace in the few moments before his death before he disappears from the world forever, with his only achievement being that he's hurt the ones he loved. And, as seen in Fate/Stay Night, there isn't even anyone left to tell his story. He is utterly forgotten. He lived sacrificing everything, but in the end he achieved nothing.

Definitely the best video on Fate Zero I've seen. This series really does have many resemblances with that of Greek Tragedy. Your video provides great insight for many Fate fans. Keep up the good work, Eric! :)

I think Berserk falls into this idea of a Greek Tragedy

"...I could write an entire thesis paper on it." ...if you won't, then I will, bud. This is everything I've ever wanted to say on Fate/Zero and I thank you for making such a fantastic video! Probably won't write a thesis paper on it, but I'll probably throw it under the microscope for a school project of some sort. I've always wanted to do something with it, and this video as lit a fire inside me for it.

A well-structured and thought out analysis. I look forward to more.

“People die when they are killed” ah, there’s no escaping that joke where ever you are LOL

Good video Eric, it was very interesting and almost fitting hearing the ideals of Aristotle being mentioned in reference to a show that has characters from all over history, some even from close to his time. With that said the following are my responses to the questions you posed. 1. I think in the sense that the classic Greek Tragedy is centered around the concept of a choice that is difficult to make I feel in some aspects Fate/Zero definitely displays such a conflict. 2. I think there are quite a few other anime that could also be considered a tragedy as described. Some examples being: Evangelion, Kara no Kyoukai, and even Code Geass to some extent but much less of one. I think while anime and these listed especially may not have all of the requirements I think they at least present a strong sense of Catharsis in them which as you mentioned is believed to be the most integral part of a tragedy.  3. The characters I found myself relating to the most were Kiritsugu due to how his ideals of sacrificing the few for the many and how in the end such an ideal may superficially work but it is impossible to quantify the worth of a human beyond simply numerically accounting for their existence. A person can be just one person but the inflated value we may feel towards that person makes them much greater than that. That is why when it come to human lives we cannot always arbitrarily and or simply say the many are more important than the few, we can only put the > or < between the numbers, we cannot put them between the names, or at least if we do well there is no correct answer since such a question is so deeply rooted in subjectivity that you will never get a unanimous answer. 3 >2 but They ≯ Them.

My favourite part of people discussing their ideas of “who was right” in F/0, is that it just proves the shows idea that no one person will look at the same situation the same as anyone else, especially on the matter of such a broad subject

Death Note is the first thing that comes to my mind as a tragedy like you would describe. Because you watch Light's good intentions turn into a hunger for power as his world crumbles around him and Light, like Kiritsugu is constantly faced with a question of what to do even if he always chooses the same option. And even with the good intentions the major flaws in himself become more and more prevalent and take over, leaving Light a shell of himself that is filled with bitterness and arogance

fate zero is a masterpiece, but do you know what's also a masterpiece? your videos.

"who else will I have ice cream with?" Line always make me lmao

So..... you ever gonna do that video on The Distorted Shell that is Shiruo Emiya

Firstly I would like to applaud you on the amazing job with this review of Fate/Zero. I've watched a lot of reviews and discussion on this anime and yours is by far one of the best I've heard. 1) I would consider Fate/Zero a classic Greek tragedy even though I think my English teacher would object. I was so immersed in the story for episode 0, which many people didn't like but I thought was amazing. 2) I have yet to come across an anime that tells such a compelling and yet such a deeply philosophical story, but that might be due to the fact that I haven't been watching anime for that long 3) Kariya Matou the master of Beserker was the character that I connected to the most. He's determination to save Sakura from a horrible future, and him putting himself through all the torture to improve his magic skills to him having his mind destroy by having Berserker as his servant to not only lose the grail but be betrayed by Sakura who he went through an ordeal to try save. For me the betrayal by Sakura and him slowly losing his mind felt like the most tragic moment in a story full of tragic moments

This was a really good video, very informative and well edited. While generally philosophy is a subject I usually don't get. I think I understood most of what you were talking about. It was a good video, your work is definitely getting better.  Also I just finished Fate/Zero like a month ago, but if I didn't I would have been totally shocked by the that beginning scene

As a Fate fan, I was always a bit disappointed in how Zero handled Saber’s character. It completely changed her character from stoic and war-hardened king of knights (who honestly should have gotten along fairly well with Kiritsugu, being pretty utilitarian and experienced in the art of war herself), to an overly chivalrous submissive character that gets emotionally scarred because a couple of other kings disagreed with her…

This video essay is one of the best I have ever seen on Fate/Zero. I will always come back to it, all these years later, as one of my absolute favorites. Thank you so much for making this masterpiece of a video!