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Fate/strange Fake Characters: Who are the "True" Servants?

February 20, 2026
Fate/strange Fake Characters: Who are the "True" Servants?

One of the must-watch anime of the Winter 2026 season, Fate/strange Fake, aired its seventh episode on Valentine’s Day, February 14. With the premiere of Episode 7, the series has officially reached its halfway point (out of its 13-episode run this season). This episode finally gives viewers some clues about the "True" Servants of the Snowfield Holy Grail War.

In Episode 7, the final "True" Servant, "True" Berserker, finally appeared, went on a rampage, and gave us several amazing battle scenes. With this debut, we have finally gathered all seven Servants of the "True" side. Since there are 13 Servants in total joining the Snowfield Holy Grail War, let’s take a look at who belongs to the "True" side before the story gets any more complicated!

Like "True" Berserker and "True" Assassin, we still don’t know much about some of these characters, but simply knowing which Servants belong to the "Fake" or "True" factions will help us keep track of the upcoming Snowfield Holy Grail War. Since every Servant has different goals and is moving at their own pace, having this basic information won’t just help us understand the story—it also gives us a chance to pick a "best team" and see if they have what it takes to become the ultimate winner!

Before we dive deep, please note that this post only covers the Fate/strange Fake anime. Even though the story exists as a light novel and manga, I am an "anime-only" viewer and will be sharing my opinions based solely on the show. However, since this post contains episodic spoilers, if you haven't watched the latest episode or want to avoid spoilers entirely, please stop scrolling now!


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“True” Archer — The Servant Who Cast Aside His Name:

The first Servant of the “True” side I want to introduce is "True" Archer. He first appeared at the end of Episode 3 and went all-out in Episodes 4 and 7—both of which featured incredible action. Before Episode 7, I personally thought his fight against "Fake" Archer and "True" Rider was the best, but after seeing Episode 7, my opinion has changed; the impact of the latest episode was even greater than Episode 4!

In the “Fate” universe, every Servant has a True Name, and "True" Archer’s identity is originally the legendary Heracles (Hercules). In both history and the Fate series, Heracles is a noble Heroic Spirit with high moral values who wouldn't normally participate in a war like this. However, Bazdilot Cordelion, one of the leaders of the Scladio Family, used some dark tricks to change that.

From a strategic perspective, Bazdilot is quite similar to the “Fake” Master, Tiné Chelc; both of them know how to maximize their chances of winning the Snowfield Holy Grail War. Tiné used every resource she had to form a strong, healthy partnership with "Fake" Archer. In contrast, Bazdilot used his resources to corrupt Heracles, forcing the hero to possess the red mud—an item he obtained from Francesca Prelatii.

Originally, a noble hero with a heart of justice like Heracles would never have helped someone like Bazdilot. In fact, Bazdilot knew they wouldn't get along, but because he needed Heracles' power to win the war, he used all of his Command Spells without hesitation. He did this specifically to strip away Heracles' divinity and "stain" the hero with his own dark nature.

No matter what kind of Heroic Spirit you are, no one can easily disobey Command Spells. After receiving every order from Bazdilot, Heracles completely turned into someone else. He was no longer the noble Heracles, but Alcides—a Servant who will do anything, even killing children, to reach his goal.

Although it is quite sad to see a hero fall like this, this change actually adds a great "spice" to the story. Bazdilot and Alcides have formed a very mature partnership; they don’t have any unnecessary interactions, but they are both fully committed to winning. Winning the Snowfield Holy Grail War is the only thing they care about, and they don't care how they achieve it. To give you an idea of Bazdilot's cruelty, he sacrificed 24,976 people just to provide magical energy for Alcides—and Alcides was totally okay with it.

“True” Rider — The Warrior Queen on Horseback:

The second Servant of the “True” side I want to introduce is "True" Rider. A female Servant who first appeared in Episode 4, she has shown us countless epic battle scenes despite not having much dialogue yet. I think many people already know about "True" Rider because she made such a huge impact in Episode 4—she even went viral on the internet!

Up until Fate/strange Fake Episode 7, "True" Rider hasn't had many appearances, but she is a character who is easily remembered by viewers. Her True Name is Hippolyta, the Amazonian Queen. As a warrior full of pride, she is energetic and refuses to fight dirty or play tricks; she only fights fairly alongside her horse, Kalion.

Unlike the “Fake” Rider, Hippolyta truly acts like a traditional “Rider”; whenever she moves, she is always with her horse, even if the horse doesn't directly participate when she attacks. Although Hippolyta hasn't had many fights yet, the fact that she was able to dodge attacks from both Archers proves that her horse possesses impressive agility.

When a mount is this amazing, there is no way the Rider would be weak—certainly not weaker than the horse itself! As someone related to Ares, the God of War, Hippolyta is able to channel divine power during battle, which is exactly what irritated "Fake" Archer. Since Hippolyta relies on the power of a god, "Fake" Archer—as a representative of humanity's independence—simply couldn’t stand it.

Although we know some details about Hippolyta, her Master remains a mystery at this point. While they haven't appeared on screen yet, we can assume they aren't an ordinary mage. They are clearly quite powerful, as they were able to observe the entire battle between "True" Rider, "True" Archer, and "Fake" Archer. Even after "True" Caster’s interruption, they still managed to follow the whole process—something even Bazdilot Cordelion couldn't fully do.

Based on the fact that Hippolyta is an energetic warrior full of pride, we can assume her Master isn't a "weird" or malicious person, as someone with a twisted personality likely wouldn't work well with her. Although Hippolyta and her Master haven't had many scenes together, the fact that she followed their orders in Episode 4 suggests they have a relatively healthy relationship so far.

Fate/strange Fake Characters - Who are the True Servants

Source: TVアニメ『Fate/strange Fake』公式 Official X account


“True” Assassin — The Assassin with the Skull Mask:

At the end of Fate/strange Fake Episode 3, one of the masterminds, Faldeus Dioland, performed a summoning ritual. At first, he thought he had failed, but it turns out he successfully summoned something, as he received a card reading: "I Ask You, Art Thou My Master?" Although this might sound like the opening of a horror movie, the Servant finally made contact with Faldeus in Episode 4.

The class and identity of Faldeus’s Servant weren't immediately revealed, but since it wears a skull mask, the chances that Faldeus summoned the “True” Assassin are very high. In the Fate universe, Servants with skull masks are typically Assassins. This is exactly why Jester Karture was so shocked during the events of Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn

Jester knew he was going to summon an Assassin, but instead of a Servant with a skull mask, he summoned the beautiful "Fake" Assassin, which drove him to the brink of madness. Although there are two Assassins in Fate/strange Fake, they possess completely opposite personalities, so it is quite easy to differentiate them.

It may be a little confusing, but since neither of them has revealed their True Name yet, I will refer to them as "Fake" and "True." While "Fake" Assassin loves to fight on the frontlines, uses her Zabaniya anywhere and anytime, and intrudes upon locations like a Berserker, "True" Assassin acts like a real assassin.

In complete contrast to "Fake" Assassin, "True" Assassin doesn't show off; he doesn't even let Faldeus see his body. Even though Faldeus is his Master, "True" Assassin refuses to show his appearance, choosing instead to speak from the shadows—even shutting off all the lights! He truly operates like a traditional Assassin: he appears like a shadow, rarely speaks, and most importantly, you never know exactly where he is.

Even though "True" Assassin doesn't have much direct contact with Faldeus, he has a very high level of professional capability. You might not have noticed, but "True" Assassin left two important notes for Faldeus. The first was: "Hast Thou Noticed Not! The Barrier Here Is Strong. Therefore The Cavalryman Enters Not," followed by: "The cursed, plagued wind of death." While Faldeus didn't immediately understand them, "True" Assassin did a great job protecting him and providing a major hint about the upcoming threats: the "cavalryman" and the "wind of death."

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“True” Caster — The Servant Who Dares to Piss Off Everyone:

In the first half of Fate/strange Fake Episode 4, we learned that Francesca Prelati had summoned her Servant, who immediately set out to stop the battle between "True" Rider, "True" Archer, and "Fake" Archer. At that time, we didn't know much about the Servant beyond the fact that they had the power to stop such a massive war—though they certainly managed to piss off "Fake" Archer in the process!

In Episode 5, we finally got more details about Francesca’s Servant, "True" Caster. He is truly the weirdest Servant among the entire cast of Fate/strange Fake. His True Name is François Prelati (also known as Furansowa Purerāti). Based solely on his name and appearance, there isn't anything immediately strange about him; in fact, he looks and sounds relatively normal.

Before diving further into the weirdness of François, let me share a small fact with everyone: both François and his Master, Francesca, share the same Japanese voice actor, Maaya Uchida. When they are alone, François doesn’t address Francesca as "Master," and she doesn’t call him "Servant." Instead, they refer to each other as "me" (using the same identity). A great example is in Episode 7, when François is sent off by Francesca; he doesn't call her his Master, but used me.

From this information, we can see that the crazy Francesca has somehow summoned herself as the opposite sex to serve as a Servant in the Snowfield Holy Grail War. While you can technically do whatever you want in this war, who would have ever imagined someone summoning themselves? It’s hard to believe a human could become a Servant, but it’s true—and François’s power is incredible. He can even deceive the "texture of the world" itself with his technique, Grand Illusion.

In Episodes 4 and 7, François used Grand Illusion to forcefully end those monstrous battles. Normally, it would be best for the other teams to use their Noble Phantasms and kill each other as quickly as possible. However, Francesca doesn’t want the United States to interfere too much, and she wants to enjoy the Holy Grail War for as long as possible. Therefore, she has used his Grand Illusion to shut down fights multiple times, simply to ensure her "show" continues.

If you are a person who relies on logic, Francesca and François are a terrifying team because they break every rule you know! From the very existence of François to his "Grand Illusion" technique—and considering Francesca’s vast web of connections—they don't just do what you expect; they easily do things you couldn't even imagine!

“True” Lancer — The Watcher Looking Down from Above:

Although Francesca Prelati is trying to break every logic and rule of the Holy Grail War, it seems the War has its own way of returning to its intended path. One of the “True” Masters, Sigma, performed a summoning ritual as part of his contract with Francesca and Faldeus Dioland.

Since Francesca only wanted to have fun, she didn't give Sigma a catalyst for the summoning. Because of this, Sigma simply recited the incantation without any sacrifice or relic. At first, Sigma expected to summon a Lancer, but instead, he summoned something that—once again—defies all logic. Sigma didn't summon a typical Servant; he summoned a massive whale that lives in the sky, constantly looking down from a high place.

The whale Sigma summoned is called Watcher. It won’t descend from the sky, and it won't directly contact or even protect Sigma; instead, it sends out seven "shadows" to act on its behalf. If you watch Episode 5 with Japanese subtitles, you can actually see the names of these shadows! There is 船長Captain (the old man), イカロスIcarus (the winged man), アスクレピオスAsclepius (the one with the snake), 自斎Jisai (the Japanese swordsman), オリオンOrion (the man with fur on his shoulders), エティエンヌÉtienne (the boy with the cross), and the only female shadow, エメリアAmelia.

Normally, Servants are the ones who grant a Master’s wish, but for Sigma, it is completely the opposite. Watcher won't grant Sigma a wish—mostly because Sigma doesn't have one in the first place. Instead, Watcher wants Sigma to grant its wish: for Sigma to become Lancer. It is one of the strangest requests you could get from a Servant, and while Sigma doesn’t understand what it means, he has no hopes or dreams for the future, so he decides to just play along.

Compared to other Masters, Sigma has definitely summoned the strangest "something" for the Snowfield Holy Grail War. If you were an ordinary person or even a typical mage, having Watcher as your Servant would be useless since the shadows can’t physically interact with the world. Even though the shadows talk to Sigma constantly, they can't physically intervene, meaning everything depends on Sigma himself. In a way, both Watcher and Sigma were lucky to find each other in this war.

Although Sigma looks young, he is an experienced soldier who has killed many people, leading him to a point where he can handle almost anything on his own. However, when your opponents are Servants, you need information—and that is where Watcher truly shines. Without lifting a finger, Watcher can sense what Faldeus is up to (as seen in Episode 7) and provide Sigma with the intel he needs to make better choices. Watcher can’t fight for Sigma, but since Sigma only needs information to succeed, Watcher’s unique ability has become his greatest weapon. He truly has a chance to become a "Lancer."

Fate/strange Fake Characters - Who are the True Servants

Source: TVアニメ『Fate/strange Fake』公式 Official X account

“True” Berserker — The Ultimate Robotic Weapon:

In Fate/strange Fake Episode 7, Halri Borzak completed her summoning ritual for "True" Berserker. While this Servant might seem incredibly strange compared to other Fate series, within the context of Fate/strange Fake—where we already have shadows and a sky whale—a giant robot feels almost normal!

Since Episode 7 marks its first appearance, we still don't have much information about it, but because Halri  refers to it as "Berserker" multiple times, we at least know its class. Even though Faldeus Dioland and Francesca Prelati were the ones who gave Halri the chance to join the Snowfield Holy Grail War, the robot she summoned left everyone speechless; no one saw this coming.

In Episode 7, "True" Berserker gave us some incredible battle scenes. It wiped out those weird creatures with ease, and between its fire and its punches, Bazdilot Cordelion's hideout was destroyed in no time. Since Halri hates mages and everything they stand for, even though this is her first Holy Grail War, she gave "True" Berserker full permission to go on a rampage.

While it might seem strange for a machine, "True" Berserker actually acts like a proper Berserker, making it the complete opposite of "Fake" Berserker. Up until Episode 7, "Fake" Berserker hasn't shown much of that classic Berserker charm; instead, he is constantly discussing strategies with his Master and coming up with plans and tricks to reach their goals.

I’m not saying that "Fake" Berserker is bad, but when it comes to the Berserker class, we crave these kinds of high-octane battles. While a Berserker who can think, plan, and execute strategies is a fresh take, who can resist a giant robot that shoots fire, punches everything, and destroys its surroundings? Although it’s a bad day for Bazdilot, it feels amazing to watch "True" Berserker tear everything apart.

In the Fate universe, Berserker is often considered one of the most powerful classes. Even though they can still be defeated—and I personally doubt "True" Berserker is very smart or will always listen to Halri—the fact remains that she found an incredibly powerful companion in Episode 7. For now, it’s going to be very difficult for any other team to stand against "True" Berserker. 

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“True” Saber — The Legendary King Who Earned the Name "Lionheart”:

The final Servant of the “True” side I want to introduce is "True" Saber, the one we know the most about so far. "True" Saber actually appeared in Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn, though it was only a brief scene. The summoning of "True" Saber was actually quite strange; originally, Francesca Prelati ordered her men to kidnap Ayaka Sajyou in an attempt to summon the legendary Artoria Pendragon.

As usual, Francesca just wanted to have "fun" with Artoria, hoping to see if the noble King of Knights would actually kill Ayaka if ordered to do so. It was a crazy and ridiculous thought, so luckily, everything went "wrong" during the ritual. The catalyst Francesca prepared for her men didn't actually belong to Artoria—it belonged to the "True" Saber instead.

Then, in a very lucky and strange turn of events, "Fake" Assassin suddenly appeared and used her Zabaniya on Francesca’s man, leaving Ayaka as the only one left to finish the summoning. Ayaka’s hand touched the summoning circle, and thus our "True" Saber was successfully summoned and joined the war. Even in Episode 1, "True" Saber did so much for Ayaka—saving her life and even using Excalibur for her sake.

Although "True" Saber has done a lot for Ayaka and is always planning his next move with her in mind, Ayaka constantly rejects the Snowfield Holy Grail War and even "True" Saber himself. As a viewer, I can understand why she acts this way; after all, she was sent to Snowfield by a mysterious voice just to be thrown into a bizarre killing game. Still, it’s sometimes hard to put up with her because she is constantly rejecting everything around her, including herself and her own Servant.

Since "True" Saber doesn't really have a specific wish, he is quite patient with Ayaka’s attitude. However, things are still difficult for them because, whether Ayaka likes it or not, their journey must continue. Luckily, after everything they’ve been through together, Ayaka finally opened her heart in Episode 7; she is not only trying to believe in "True" Saber but is also willing to help "Fake" Assassin. "Fake" Assassin is receiving magical power from a monster—something she deeply dislikes—Ayaka steps in to help her.

With this great change in Ayaka, "True" Saber—whose True Name is Richard I, also known as the Lionheart—can finally start making bigger moves. Richard doesn't really want the Holy Grail for himself, but since there are so many "irregulars" in the Snowfield Holy Grail War, he knows he needs better plans (and maybe even more Excaliburs!) to keep Ayaka safe.

Although Richard I doesn't possess divine power and isn't technically ranked among the absolute highest tier of Heroic Spirits, he is still more than strong enough to defeat other Servants. As a member of the Saber class, he receives boosted ratings across all categories; if Richard truly fights at full power, he is incredibly difficult to overcome. Furthermore, since he can mimic movements—like those of Loxley—just by calling out a name, I assume he can use other heroes' powers in a similar way. If he is truly capable of this, he can change his fighting style on the fly, making him even harder to defeat.

Ayaka’s personal growth will also have a massive impact on the upcoming war. Since Ayaka doesn't actually want the Holy Grail, she is a Master who is willing to listen to others, which helps her build amazing partnerships. In fact, while forming alliances was originally Richard's idea, the process has gone smoothly only because Ayaka decided to move forward and put her trust in others.

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Conclusion:


Although the Master of "True" Rider still hasn't made an appearance, all the Servants we need have officially joined the Holy Grail War. With both the "Fake" and "True" factions ready to unleash their full power in the coming conflicts, so many amazing battles are waiting for us. While living in Snowfield during this mess would be a total nightmare, as a viewer, I am incredibly excited to see them finally go "all out" in the upcoming episodes!

Thank you for reading this post! I have already published the story summary of Fate/strange Fake, and I will be publishing more content soon, including anime story explanations, character deep-dives, and much more, so please stay tuned! While waiting for the other posts, please leave as many episodic reviews as possible, as there are many challenges from AnimeOshi are waiting for you!

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Y
yaoyang

A dedicated content creator with a passion for storytelling and deep-dive analysis. YaoYang focuses on delivering insightful perspectives that bridge the gap between creators and the audience.

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Fate/strange Fake

Fate/strange Fake

In Snowfield, a city built for conflict, Masters and Servants clash in a twisted Holy Grail War filled with impossible summonings and shrouded in deception.

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