Trying to figure out the watch order for the Fate series cost me a whole weekend

I started with the 2006 Fate/Stay Night anime, got confused, and spent two full days reading old forum threads and flowcharts. The real problem was that different fans argue for three separate starting points based on the visual novel routes. Has anyone found a clear guide that actually works for new viewers?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey26119d ago

Actually telling people to start with Fate/Zero is a huge disservice, it spoils major twists for the entire Stay Night story. That flowchart your friend saw exists for a real reason, because the routes build on each other. Jumping straight to the prequel ruins the mystery and character development the main series is built around. The watch order chaos is annoying, but it comes from trying to protect the intended experience. Just watching the 2006 version first, even with its flaws, sets up the world better than starting with the end of the story.

quinn_mitchell919d agoMost Upvoted

Watched my buddy Dave try to get into Fate last year. He called me after three hours of reading a flowchart that looked like a conspiracy theory board. He kept muttering about "Heaven's Feel" and "Unlimited Blade Works" like they were secret codes. I finally told him to just watch Fate/Zero first and deal with the timeline problems later. He finished it and said the guide should have been one sentence long.