Shirou Emiya is the main protagonist of the visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night. Throughout the story, Shirou becomes involved in the Fifth Holy Grail War and faces off against other mages and heroic spirits summoned as Servants. At the climax of each route in Fate/stay night, Shirou has the opportunity to make a wish upon the Holy Grail, an omnipotent wish-granting device. However, he chooses to destroy the Grail instead. There are a few key reasons why Shirou makes this fateful decision:
The Corrupted Grail
In the Fate route, Shirou learns from Saber that in the previous Fourth Holy Grail War, the Grail was corrupted after Avenger was absorbed into it. The Grail is no longer the omnipotent wish-granting device it was intended to be, and now carries Angra Mainyu’s evil and desire for destruction. If the Grail is used to make a wish, it would bring calamity rather than salvation. To prevent this, Shirou destroys the Grail with Saber’s Excalibur sword.
Kiritsugu’s Legacy
In the Fate route, Shirou learns that his adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya, was the Master of Saber in the previous war. Kiritsugu had won the war but rejected the Grail upon realizing it was corrupted. By destroying the Grail, Shirou is carrying on Kiritsugu’s legacy and preventing the disaster Kiritsugu gave his life to avert.
Ideal of Becoming a Hero
A core part of Shirou’s character is his drive to become a “hero of justice” who can save everyone. Throughout the story, Shirou struggles with reconciling his ideal with the realities of being unable to save everyone. Destroying the corrupted Grail represents Shirou reaffirming his ideal, as he sacrifices his own wish for the sake of saving humanity from the Grail’s evil.
Not Wanting to Repeat Past Mistakes
In the Heaven’s Feel route, Shirou destroys the Grail to prevent the past tragedy from 10 years ago during the Fourth War from repeating itself. In that war, the Grail was corrupted and its activation resulted in a massive fire that destroyed a large part of Fuyuki City. Shirou was the only survivor of that fire and does not want such destruction to happen again.
Why Does Shirou Have the Chance to Destroy the Grail?
Shirou is presented with the opportunity to destroy the Holy Grail because:
- He masters the use of projection magic to replicate legendary weapons like Caliburn and Excalibur
- He makes it to the end of the Holy Grail War by defeating other Masters
- The Holy Grail manifests before him to grant him a wish
As the victor of the Holy Grail War, Shirou is granted access to the Grail and has a chance to make a wish upon it. His projection magic allows him to replicate Excalibur, one of the few weapons capable of destroying the Grail. Shirou forgoing the wish and instead using Excalibur to eliminate the Grail is a fateful choice that shapes the ending of each scenario.
How Does Shirou Destroy the Grail?
Shirou destroys the Holy Grail using different methods in each route:
Fate
In the Fate route, Shirou projects Excalibur to destroy the Grail. As Saber’s Master, he has seen and understands the nature of Excalibur well enough to replicate it with projection magic. Together with Saber, he unleashes the replicated Excalibur’s power to smash the physical form of the Grail.
Unlimited Blade Works
In this route, Shirou projects a different powerful Noble Phantasm, Nine Lives Blade Works, to obliterate the Grail after his final battle against Gilgamesh. This powerful technique uses all his magical energy to destroy the Grail with nine consecutive slashes.
Heaven’s Feel
In Heaven’s Feel, Shirou asks servant Rider to destroy the Grail with her Noble Phantasm Bellerophon. Bellerophon takes the form of the Pegasus, and its charging power utterly demolishes the Greater Grail.
Conclusion
Shirou Emiya’s decision to reject the omnipotent wish offered by the Holy Grail and instead destroy it is a central moment in Fate/stay night. Though the methods vary, destroying the corrupted Grail represents Shirou staying true to his ideals and preventing the catastrophe that could befall humanity if the Grail is used for a wish. It is a decision shaped by his adoptive father’s legacy, his sense of justice, and his experiences over the course of the Fifth Holy Grail War.