Look, the Fate series is a mess. It's a gorgeous, high-budget, philosophical mess. If you’ve spent more than five minutes on an anime forum, you’ve seen the wars. People will literally scream at you for starting with Fate/Zero while others swear that the 2006 Studio Deen version is a crime against humanity. Honestly? They’re all kind of right, and they’re all kind of wrong. The struggle to find a perfect order to watch fate anime usually stems from the fact that the original story was a "choose your own adventure" visual novel with three distinct paths. Turning that into a linear TV experience is like trying to eat a 3D pizza one slice at a time without touching the toppings.
Most people just want to see King Arthur (who is a girl, get used to it) blow things up with a giant laser sword. But then you hit the lore. You’ve got "Grail Wars," "Counter Guardians," and whatever the hell "Unlimited Blade Works" actually means. It’s a lot. I’ve watched this series multiple times, through every confusing spin-off and mobile game tie-in, and the truth is simpler than the elitists make it out to be. You just need to pick a door and walk through it.
The "I Want the Best Animation First" Route
If you’re here because you saw a clip on TikTok of a guy in a blue bodysuit doing a backflip while everything explodes in 4K, you want the Ufotable experience. Ufotable is the animation studio that basically has an unlimited budget.
Start with Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (the 2014 TV series, not the movie). This is the most logical entry point for a modern viewer. It explains the mechanics of the Holy Grail War—seven mages, seven servants, one wish—without feeling like a dusty history lesson. You follow Shirou Emiya, a kid with a massive hero complex who accidentally summons Saber. The chemistry is great, the fight scenes are literally industry-leading, and it sets the stakes perfectly.
After you finish that, you move to the Heaven’s Feel movie trilogy. This is where things get dark. It’s the same timeline, starting at the same point, but it focuses on Sakura Matou instead of Rin Tohsaka. It’s visceral, depressing, and visually stunning. Once you've finished the "main" story, you go back to the prequel, Fate/Zero.
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Why watch the prequel last? Because Fate/Zero was written by Gen Urobuchi (the guy who wrote Madoka Magica). It’s a Greek tragedy. It assumes you already know how the world ends. If you watch it first, it spoils every single plot twist in the other shows. It’s like watching the Star Wars prequels before the original trilogy—you can do it, but you’re robbing yourself of the "I am your father" moment.
The Prequel First Argument (And Why It’s Tempting)
Despite what I just said, a huge chunk of the fandom will tell you to start with Fate/Zero. They aren't crazy. Chronologically, it happens first. It follows Kiritsugu Emiya, a "Magus Killer" who uses sniper rifles and C4 instead of just magic. It’s much more "adult" than the other entries. There are no high school tropes here. It’s just cold-blooded killers fighting over a golden cup.
If you start here, your order to watch fate anime becomes a straight line: Fate/Zero -> Unlimited Blade Works -> Heaven’s Feel.
The upside? You understand the weight of the characters' names immediately. The downside? Unlimited Blade Works might feel a little "young" after the brutal nihilism of Zero. Also, Zero is heavy on dialogue. The first episode is literally 45 minutes of men in suits walking in circles in a library explaining the rules of the universe. If you can survive that, you’re golden.
What About the 2006 Version?
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. Fate/Stay Night (2006) by Studio Deen.
It’s... okay.
Hardcore fans will tell you it’s essential because it covers the "Saber Route," which is the first third of the original story. Without it, you never truly understand Saber’s backstory. The problem is that the animation looks like it was made with a pack of crayons compared to the modern stuff, and the studio tried to blend all three routes together, which just makes the plot a garbled mess.
If you’re a completionist, watch it first. If you just want a good show, skip it and read a wiki summary of the "Fate Route." You’ll save 24 episodes of your life.
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The Spin-Off Rabbit Hole
Once you finish the main trilogy, the order to watch fate anime turns into a "choose your own adventure" map. None of these are "canon" to the main timeline in a way that requires you to watch them in order.
- Fate/Apocrypha: This is basically a 14-vs-14 team deathmatch. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, and it features some of the coolest servant designs (shoutout to Mordred). It exists in an alternate universe where the Grail was stolen during WWII.
- Fate/Grand Order: This is based on the massive mobile game. It’s complicated. You should start with the movie First Order, then watch Babylonia. Skip the Camelot movies if you aren't a fan of the game; they're a bit rushed.
- The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II: This is actually a detective show. It follows a survivor from Fate/Zero as he solves magical crimes. It’s brilliant, low-stakes, and very smart.
- Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family: Seriously. It’s a cooking show. After the trauma of the main series, seeing everyone just sit down and eat salmon is the healing you’ll need.
The Visual Novel vs. Anime Debate
I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention that the "best" way to experience Fate isn't an anime at all. The original Visual Novel (VN) by Kinoko Nasu is a masterpiece of urban fantasy. It’s also about 60 to 100 hours long.
The anime adaptations, as beautiful as they are, cut out about 70% of the internal monologue. In the VN, you realize Shirou isn't just a generic "hero" protagonist; he’s actually deeply traumatized and borderline insane. The anime makes him look like a standard shonen lead. If you have the patience to read, the VN is the only way to get the full picture. But hey, most of us have jobs and lives. The anime is a perfectly acceptable "SparkNotes" version.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Don't start with Fate/Extra Last Encore. You will be confused. It’s a sequel to a PSP game that most people haven't played. It’s directed by the guy who did Monogatari, so it looks like an abstract art project. It’s cool, but it is not for beginners.
Also, don't worry about "spoilers" too much. The Fate community is obsessed with the "perfect" experience, but the series is designed to be rewatched. Seeing how the pieces fit together after you know the ending is half the fun.
Finding Your Personal Path
The reality of the order to watch fate anime is that there is no consensus. Even the creator, Nasu, hasn't given a definitive "watch this first" decree for the animated versions. It’s a multiverse. Every timeline is valid because of some high-level magical nonsense involving "The Second Magic" and "Kaliscope." basically, everything is canon, even the silly stuff.
If you’re still paralyzed by choice, just do this:
- Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014) – The Hook.
- Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel (Movie Trilogy) – The Payload.
- Fate/Zero – The Context.
That is the most emotionally satisfying arc. You fall in love with the characters, you see them suffer, and then you see the sins of their fathers that led to the mess in the first place.
Actionable Next Steps
Stop scrolling through Reddit threads. Every minute you spend debating the "correct" order is a minute you aren't watching some of the best action animation ever produced. Pick Unlimited Blade Works and give it three episodes. If the concept of summoning historical figures like Hercules or Medusa to fight in modern-day Japan doesn't grab you by then, the series probably isn't for you.
If you find yourself getting lost in the terminology—what a "Noble Phantasm" is or why someone is a "Master"—don't pause the show to look it up. The series explains itself eventually. Usually through a long, dramatic monologue in the middle of a burning building. Just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. The lore is deep, but the heart of the story is always about what it means to be a hero in a world that doesn't want them.
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Go watch the prologue of Unlimited Blade Works. It’s told from Rin’s perspective, and it’s the perfect introduction to the vibe. Once you finish the main three, you can decide if you want to dive into the weird spin-offs or just walk away with a completed story. Either way, you’ve finally started.