The main story is about to begin. I plan to write about the Type-Moon world. As for Bleach, Dragon Ball, and others, I haven't finished them myself, and I'm just a casual fan. So I won't write about those. However, Type-Moon is quite complex even for me. The so-called lore is for reference only; it takes years to fully understand Type-Moon. If anything is incorrect, please bear with me. I haven't followed Type-Moon closely in a long time, and I don't even know where I put the books.
Here's a brief introduction. (If you dislike Type-Moon, you can unfollow. I'll end the book after writing about Type-Moon. Writing is tiring.)
A standard Holy Grail War involves seven mages summoning seven Heroic Spirits to fight each other. The last surviving pair can obtain the Holy Grail, which is a wish-granting device.
Class introduction:
Saber
Lancer
Archer
Rider
Caster (This refers to the summoned Caster class, not the mage who summons Heroic Spirits.)
Assassin
Berserker
Servant (The general term for summoned Heroic Spirits, they are familiars to the mages.)
In addition, Type-Moon also features Magic. Currently, five Magics have appeared, and there might be more. There are even rumors of a Tenth Magic. Holy Grail Wars belong to the Third Magic. Magics are all overpowered abilities, and I won't delve into them. Possessing one Magic generally places you at the top tier of this world, though there are still powerhouses who surpass this level.
The Type-Moon world has two Counter Guardians: the Counter Guardian of Humankind, Alaya, and the Counter Guardian of the Planet, Gaia. When a disaster threatening humanity arises, the Counter Guardian will activate and autonomously summon Heroic Spirits to prevent the extinction of the human race. Gaia is the will of the planet. Alaya protects human history, while Gaia protects the planet. For instance, during planetary collisions, Gaia will act to prevent Earth's destruction. However, I'm unsure how it acts, as I haven't seen any plot points where survival required Gaia's intervention, excluding April Fool's Day events.
There shouldn't be any major issues, right? That's about it. Now, let's discuss the recommended viewing order for Fate details.
*Fate/stay night* (Artoria Pendragon route)
*Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works* (Rin Tohsaka route)
*Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]* (Sakura Matou route - I don't acknowledge that surname!)
These three are part of the same worldview, background, and protagonist, differing only in the heroine. They are three distinct worldlines, and watching them in any order won't affect understanding.
*Fate/Zero*
This is the prequel to the above three, detailing the Fourth Holy Grail War. The ones above describe the Fifth Holy Grail War.
*The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II* takes place ten years after the Fourth Holy Grail War, before the Fifth. It should be watched after *Fate/Zero*.
*Fate/Apocrypha* is a large-scale seven-on-seven Holy Grail War, belonging to another parallel world. The viewing order does not matter.
*Fate/EXTRA* is a game storyline from the Moon Cell, which can also be seen as a parallel world story. The viewing order does not matter.
*Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front! Babylonia* is game content, specifically the seventh chapter of FGO's first part. It's another world and can be watched independently. It's different from the Holy Grail War; it's a story about saving human history.
*Kara no Kyoukai* (The Garden of Sinners) is focused on Ryougi Shiki. The timeline is around 1996, within the same world as the trilogy above. It's not part of the Fate series and can be watched independently.
There's also the upcoming *Fate/strange fake* series, which is another parallel world. It's set after the Fifth Holy Grail War, featuring the Sixth Holy Grail War in America. Here, you can see the battle between Archer Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Ishtar's true form, Avenger Gorrillas, King Richard the Lionheart, and others. The novel describes Gilgamesh using his Ea to its full potential, destroying an area estimated to be only the size of a state, not capable of cleansing the surface, which was a disappointing depiction.
Additionally, the *Magical Girl Illya* series started as fan fiction but was incorporated into official canon. It's recommended to watch the movie *Oath Under the Snow* first, then follow the TV series order, and finally watch the second movie. *Purely the Emperor* is worth watching.
Comedy anime: *Fate/Grand Carnival*
Food-themed anime: *Today's Menu for the Emiya Family*
That's all. While I called it a recommended order, it's really not. You don't need to worry about the order; as long as you can get into it, you can watch it however you like. Those who constantly ask about the Fate viewing order are generally the ones who can't get into it. It's too mentally taxing, slow-paced, and some plot points are quite unpleasant, along with tragic partings. It's not a power fantasy or romance anime.
Today, I've just given a casual introduction. I need to research further before I write. I'll try to make it as easy to understand as possible so that no one gets confused.