Fate/strange Fake Story Summary: What is Happening in Snowfield?

Fate/strange Fake aired Episode 5, titled "Stars' Banquet," on January 31, 2026. It is a great episode; although it doesn’t contain as many fights or battles compared to other episodes, it gave us the explanations we needed. In this episode, Faldeus Dioland explained that he used “Fake” Masters and “Fake” Servants as catalysts to create the “True” Holy Grail War.



Since Fate/strange Fake Episode 3, the “True” Masters and “True” Servants have been joining the Snowfield Holy Grail War one after another. Although it is very exciting for me, as the story is becoming more interesting and intense, the plot may feel strange and confusing for many people. Fate/strange Fake has progressed much faster and has more intense content compared to other Winter 2026 anime. If you don’t follow it closely, you will get lost and may fail to understand the story entirely.

Including "Episode 0: Whispers of Dawn," which aired on July 2, 2023, there are many details to keep track of. You might think the Snowfield Holy Grail War has lasted for several days, but the reality is quite different. Although the story has progressed a lot and feels like days have passed, that’s only because we are viewing events from so many different characters' perspectives. In reality, not much time has passed at all—and in fact, some characters haven't even appeared yet (based on the great Opening and the new Ending)!

Since the story of Fate/strange Fake is getting more intense and people are starting to get confused, I created this post as a quick and simple guide for everyone to understand what is happening in the Snowfield. Although this post only includes anime content and is free of manga or light novel spoilers, it does cover the episodes in great detail. Please be careful and leave right now if you haven't watched yet or if you want to avoid any spoilers!

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

Fate/strange Fake & the Legendary Author — Ryōgo Narita:

Before we dive deep into Fate/strange Fake, there is one thing we need to know first. Although it is part of the "Fate" series, the author is actually Ryōgo Narita. This is an important fact to keep in mind while watching, because this isn't a typical Fate story; it is a series built on Ryōgo Narita’s unique specialties.

Ryōgo Narita is the author of Durarara!!, Dead Mount Death Play, and more. He is a very famous writer, and the biggest trait of his work is the fast-paced ensemble drama. As someone who has read every volume of Durarara!! and enjoyed Dead Mount Death Play, let me explain what that means. Unlike Fate/stay night with Shirou Emiya, Fate/Grand Order with Ritsuka Fujimaru, or Fate/EXTRA Last Encore with Hakuno Kishinami, other Fate series have one central main character that the story is deeply involved with.

Not only are Shirou, Ritsuka, and Hakuno the most important characters in their respective Fate series, but the stories are also told from their points of view, portraying their entire journeys. To put it simply, they are the heroes of those works; they generally won't die and are destined to win. More importantly, they are deeply tied to the identity of their series. This is very natural for anime, and it doesn't mean it’s bad—it’s just very different from Ryōgo Narita’s style.

Ryōgo Narita’s work is very different from other anime; his plots don’t just revolve around the main characters, but involve everyone else as well. For example, while the most important characters in Fate/strange Fake are Ayaka Sajyou and "True" Saber (Richard the Lionheart), who holds the strongest, highest-ranking Servant in the entire story? It’s Tiné Chelc, who has formed a powerful partnership with "Fake" Archer.

Well, Tiné Chelc’s team has the highest possibility of winning the Holy Grail War; however, even with “Fake” Archer, they can’t win the game easily since someone has covered all of Snowfield with their power. In Ryōgo Narita’s work, everyone acts as a main character, and everyone has a significant role in the story. Their individual views and perspectives truly shape how the plot unfolds.

That is exactly why everyone is confused, and it’s the main reason why Fate/strange Fake keeps switching characters from one episode to the next. Although Fate/strange Fake does contain a lot of difficult lore and keywords like Dead Apostle, Zabaniya, and Old Man of the Mountain (also known as Hassan-i-Sabbah), it is actually very easy for newcomers to start with compared to other Fate series.

Fate/strange Fake might seem difficult and confusing at first, but once you understand and start to enjoy Ryōgo Narita’s style, you can follow it without any problems. This may not apply to other Fate works, but in Fate/strange Fake, we need to remember that every team consists of important characters, and until the very end, every team has a chance to win. The story doesn't just work for Ayaka and Richard; everyone has a significant role to play.

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

Whispers of Dawn & Snowfield: 

Now that we understand Ryōgo Narita’s style, we can start diving into what is happening in Snowfield and the Holy Grail War. I assume many people started Fate/strange Fake directly without watching Whispers of Dawn, but if you want to know exactly what happened, you need either the prequel or this guide. While this post may not be 100% exhaustive, it will at least help you understand the core of the story.

Faldeus Dioland is actually working for the United States government. Since the U.S. is plotting something, Faldeus teamed up with Francesca Prelati. Although the two of them managed to copy the Fuyuki Holy Grail system, Snowfield didn't have enough power to start a Holy Grail War on its own. To fix this, they prepared six “Fake” Masters and “Fake” Servants to use as catalysts for the “True” Holy Grail War.

Since Snowfield is home to mages and others interested in the Holy Grail, Faldeus and Francesca easily gathered six teams and successfully used them as catalysts to start the “True” Holy Grail War. For those who haven’t watched Whispers of Dawn, it is essentially about how the “Fake” Masters summoned their Servants and their individual connections to the Holy Grail War. Most importantly, it gave us that incredible fight between “Fake” Archer and “Fake” Lancer.

After setting everything up in Whispers of Dawn, Francesca used one of her men to summon a Saber-class Servant, as it was finally time to summon the “True” Servants. As a quick note: other “True” Masters, like Sigma and Bazdilot Cordelion (both of whom appeared in Episode 5), also performed their rituals around that time.

Francesca aimed to summon Artoria Pendragon just to mock and humiliate her, but two unexpected things happened simultaneously. First, the “Fake” Assassin suddenly appeared and used "Zabaniya" on Francesca’s man. This led to the contract being signed by Ayaka Sajyou\ instead.

Even though the Master had changed, Artoria Pendragon could still have been summoned; however, the second unexpected twist was that Francesca had used the wrong catalyst. As a result, the Saber-class Servant Ayaka summoned was Richard the Lionheart, not Artoria. Following Richard’s arrival, the “True” Masters finished their rituals and summoned their own “True” Servants. This ultimately led to a "6 + 7" scenario, with a total of 13 teams joining a single Holy Grail War.

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

Francesca Prelati & Snowfield Holy Grail War:

Every character has an important role in Fate/strange Fake, but Francesca Prelati is on an entirely different level. From the hints given throughout the series, we know that Francesca has participated in other Holy Grail Wars. Even though she copied the Fuyuki system, she doesn’t actually want to follow the rules; instead, she wants to break the entire game completely.

One of the reasons many people are confused about Fate/strange Fake is that there are simply too many things happening in Snowfield at once. Normally, a Holy Grail War is monitored by a "Ruler" class Servant to ensure the process doesn't go off the rails. However, since Francesca has pushed the Snowfield Holy Grail War into such strange territory, there is no Ruler to maintain order. Anyone can become a Master and anything can become a Servant, which ultimately leads to two very strange occurrences.

The first strange occurrence is the participation of a Dead Apostle. In the "Fate" universe, Dead Apostles are similar to vampires and are meant to be hunted; they definitely shouldn't be able to join a Holy Grail War. But since Francesca is just looking for fun and doesn’t want to follow the rules, she allowed Jester Karture to participate without interference, even after knowing he was a Dead Apostle.

The reason for preventing a Dead Apostle from joining a Holy Grail War is simple, even for those who don't know much about the "Fate" universe. In Fate/strange Fake Episodes 2 and 3, Jester showed off his power by easily destroying Orlando Reeve’s army. The focus of a Holy Grail War should be on the Masters and Servants, not a monster capable of destroying all of Snowfield so easily.

Even without any knowledge of the Fate universe, if a monster who can physically pick up a car teams up with someone who knows multiple types of "Zabaniya," even a kid could tell which team is likely to win the Holy Grail War.

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

The second strange occurrence is the participation of Tsubaki Kuruoka and her Servant, “Mr. Black.” It is still hard for me to believe that little Tsubaki is a Master, considering she is in a coma. Not only is she incredibly young, but she also can’t even speak—yet she still became a Master. This alone shows you just how strange Fate/strange Fake really is.

Accepting an animal or a Dead Apostle into the Holy Grail War is somewhat understandable since Francesca is such a chaotic character, and honestly, it makes things quite fun. However, allowing a little girl in a coma—someone who can’t do anything in the real world—to join the cruel Snowfield Holy Grail War is truly difficult to process.

Of course, from certain perspectives, Francesca might not fully understand what is happening inside the Dream World. However, as someone capable of monitoring the entire war—even watching "True" Saber’s speech live—she definitely knew what Tsubaki’s parents were planning to do. Since Francesca once again chose not to interfere or say anything, little Tsubaki ended up summoning something truly horrific.

While the story of Fate/strange Fake may seem like a grand adventure for Ayaka Sajyou and her Saber, "Mr. Black’s" unique power is actually affecting all of Snowfield. "Mr. Black" and little Tsubaki have formed a strange partnership; he is the only Servant—or rather, the only thing—that can interact with, contact, or even care for Tsubaki while she is in a coma living in a dream world.

Tsubaki’s unique condition allows "Mr. Black" to exist in this world and join the Holy Grail War. In exchange, "Mr. Black" fulfills Tsubaki's every wish. But for a lonely, pure, and innocent child, what would she wish for? Naturally, her wishes are about her parents, animals, and even the desire for everyone to live in her dream world and never leave.

What many people didn't realize or even notice is that while “True” Saber was enjoying his time exploring Snowfield, “Mr. Black” was busy granting Tsubaki’s wishes by dragging people into the Dream World. Even for a being like “Mr. Black,” there is no way to bring something from the physical world into a dream without breaking the very laws of nature.

Little Tsubaki doesn't truly understand what is happening; she is simply expressing her feelings and her desire for people to stay with her. However, because she is being granted these wishes by something so powerful, it has ended up affecting all of Snowfield and led to many of the strange scenes we see in Fate/strange Fake. The animals and humans in Snowfield who suddenly develop weird scars are the ones being dragged into her Dream World.

Let’s share one more detail: did you notice the nurse mentioning that Tsubaki’s parents suddenly stopped coming to the hospital? At first, I didn’t understand the meaning behind it, but once I saw the parents with those weird scars, I realized we could guess where they had gone.

This X post might catch your interest:

『Fate/strange Fake』
📺第6話「彷徨える王のロックンロール」
📅2/723:30～放送予定

本日のスペース配信のゲストは演出の森大貴さんです🙋‍♂️コメントお待ちしてます📨#strangefake #ストレンジフェイク pic.twitter.com/c38xG4w8J4

— A-1 Pictures (@a1pictures) February 7, 2026

Orlando Reeve & Faldeus Dioland & Francesca Prelati:

Another reason why the story of Fate/strange Fake has confused people is the complex relationship between Orlando Reeve, Faldeus Dioland, and Francesca Prelati. These three are actually the masterminds behind the Snowfield Holy Grail War; they planned and executed everything. However, they all have different standpoints and are working toward different goals. Most importantly, they do not trust one another.

As I mentioned, Ryōgo Narita’s style involves letting every character fully live within the story, giving each of them an important role. Orlando, Faldeus, and Francesca are the best examples of this. The story seems confusing because while so many other characters are moving and taking action, these three are simultaneously trying to use their own methods to reach their individual goals.

Everyone has a chance to win, including these three masterminds. Although Francesca seems to be enjoying the game, her refusal to stop Jester Karture and Tsubaki Kuruoka from becoming Masters has created major problems for Orlando and Faldeus. Because of Jester, Orlando’s army was heavily damaged, and Hansa Cervantes is now using all his forces to hunt him down. Meanwhile, "Mr. Black" has caused so many strange phenomena in Snowfield that Faldeus can no longer afford to ignore it.

Orlando and Faldeus know that Francesca is doing nothing to help, but since she won’t listen to them, they have no choice but to play along. To make matters worse, because Francesca gave some "bad stuff" to Bazdilot Cordelion, he managed to warp Heracles' personality. He even forced him into the Avenger class, granting him even more power. Now, Heracles—also known as Alcides—has become so strong that he takes no damage from "Fake" Archer’s Noble Phantasm.

Francesca isn’t the only one doing things behind the scenes; Orlando has been using his Servant’s ability to research every team. In Fate/strange Fake Episode 6, even with just a few small clues, his “Fake” Servant was able to deduce Saber’s True Name and uncover many facts about him. Orlando has known Francesca for a long time, and as someone who is determined to win the Holy Grail War, I don’t think he will sit idly by regarding Francesca and her “True” Servant.

Similarly, Faldeus is also working in the shadows. As the representative of the United States, he has access to vast resources and subordinates to use in this war. Even without those advantages, Faldeus has summoned the “True” Assassin—the one with the skull mask—who truly lives in the shadows and can assassinate anyone at any time if he so desires.

This X post might catch your interest:

『Fate/strange Fake』
📺第6話「彷徨える王のロックンロール」、放送後のスペース配信のご視聴ありがとうございました‼️来週もよろしくお願いします📺‼️#strangefake #ストレンジフェイク pic.twitter.com/EG4UnE16n9

— A-1 Pictures (@a1pictures) February 7, 2026

Conclusion:


Compared to other Fate series, Fate/strange Fake actually doesn't contain that many complicated "Fate" universe keywords, making it one of the best anime to watch in Winter 2026—and the perfect choice to start your "Fate" journey. What confuses most people isn't the lore, but rather Ryōgo Narita’s unique style of letting every character truly live within the story.

If this is your first Ryōgo Narita series, then it is natural to be confused since you aren't yet familiar with his unique style. As a long-time supporter of Narita's work, I have truly enjoyed Fate/strange Fake; I love how even someone like little Tsubaki is fully "alive" and impacts the story so significantly.

In my personal opinion, Narita’s signature fast-paced ensemble drama is exactly why Fate/strange Fake is famous worldwide. The Fate universe is so well-known that even without knowing every detail, you can usually guess the general plot. However, because every character here is so active and everyone is using their own methods to win the Holy Grail War, every episode remains unexpected and exciting.

Youtube Videos might catch your interest: Provant 潜在的なアイ Ver 2

This X post might catch your interest:

◤『Fate/#strangefake』第6話
ご視聴ありがとうございました！◢

第6話は #山田有慶 さんのイラストをお届け！

第7話「神は黄昏より舞い戻り」
2月14日(土)23:30～放送予定📺
お見逃しなく！

各プラットフォームでも順次配信開始⚡️https://t.co/oO0dMGcECv#ストレンジフェイク pic.twitter.com/W33FgMX7OX

— TVアニメ『Fate/strange Fake』公式 (@Fate_SF_Anime) February 7, 2026