Fate/Stay Night: All Servants, Ranked

Important takeaways

• Assassin is weaker due to stronger rivals and is controlled by Caster.
• Rider is strong but held back by a weak champion in the Holy Grail War.
• Lancer is hindered by philosophy, still skilled but weak compared to others.

Fate/stay night is one of the most beloved Battle Royale anime shows of all time. The story pits seven magicians and their servants against each other in a battle for the Holy Grail, with only one winner able to emerge among them. Each servant belongs to a different class of warrior, and as a result, they have different combat techniques, weapons, and special abilities called Noble Phantasms.

Each servant is summoned from the spirit of a powerful mythical figure, such as King Arthur or Hercules. The strength of each hero is a result of many factors, including the magical skill of their master, the skill of their summoning ritual, and the availability of mana as life force. The following rankings are based on the servants' performance in the original Fate/Stay Night, rather than Unlimited blade works or any other alternate timeline.

8 Killer

A good swordsman but inferior to other classes

The Assassin class is often one of the weaker classes called upon during any Holy Grail War, but only because of the strength of their rival heroes. Sasaki Kojiro,the legendary samurai, takes the form of this swordsman, who prides himself on being both honorable and technically skilled in swordsmanship.

Although he faces Saber, she is in a weakened state and still manages to defeat him. Beyond this, the Assassin is basically a backup servant controlled by the Caster. That he can be manipulated by a fellow servant in this way also speaks for his inferiority.

7 Rider

A strong servant when conditions are favorable

Rider is a formidable servant who is most prominent in the first half of the series when she tries to hunt down Emiya. She is somewhat unfortunate to be summoned by a weak master like Shinji, who despite his lineage is still inferior to many of his rivals.

Rider uses chains and spiked weapons to paralyze opponents and seems to derive sadistic pleasure from inflicting pain on them. Her Noble Phantasm, Pegasus, is among the more powerful in the series. With a little better luck, Rider could have gone further in the Holy Grail War.

6 Lancer

A fast, skilled fighter hindered by philosophy

Lancer is a skilled servant who shows off his abilities in the very first battle of the series against Archer. Although the fight is incomplete, Lancer shows that he can go toe to toe with most other Servants.

Although he survives longer than most Servants, Lancer is ultimately quite weak compared to many others. Much like Assassin, he serves in a secondary role under Gilgamesh for Kotomine Kirei. Despite his obvious talent, Lancer offers very little resistance when he eventually goes up against The Golden King.

5 Wheel

The Magic Class Servant has a variety of powerful tricks

Caster is a magic-based combatant with a range of abilities, including summoning skeletons to fight for her and creating illusions that she can manipulate. Although she is a powerful and superior servant, viewers never get to see the full extent of her abilities due to her master's weakness.

Caster's story and her relationship with her master, Kuzuki, is one of the most tragic in the series. As a non-mage with virtually no means to help Caster, Kuzuki took her in out of the kindness of his heart, even if it ends up being to the detriment of the pair of them.

4 Archer

A skilled servant in multiple disciplines with a strong noble phantasm

Archer is the coolest and most nonchalant of the servants, but he demonstrates his skills in a variety of ways throughout the show. Despite being a member of the Archer class, he primarily fights with two swords, which he can replenish if they are damaged or lost.

His Noble Phantasm, Unlimited Blade Works, is extremely powerful and would usually be enough to overcome most other servants. Unfortunately for Archer, he has a distant connection to his master, Tohsaka, and must face Berserker and Illya without her help.

3 Berserk

The monstrous servant sneaks through his opponents

The fearsome and speechless henchman, Berserker, establishes himself as one of the most powerful servants from his first appearance on the show. Combined with the powers of his master, Illya, Berserker is one of the most terrifying characters among all possible servants.

As an incarnation of the Greek demigod Hercules, Berserker possesses superhuman strength and combat abilities. In addition to this, his noble phantasm, The God Hand, grants him twelve lives, making him virtually indestructible for his first few battles.

2 Saber

The Ideal Servant's powers grow throughout the series

Although most masters consider the Saber class to be the most powerful and desirable class to summon, the fact that her master is the inexperienced Emiya Shirou puts Saber at a considerable disadvantage for most of the show. Depleted of mana, Saber loses to both Berserker and Gilgamesh at first, before later regaining her full strength.

Given that her true identity as an epic hero is that of King Arthur, much of Saber's power comes from her artifacts: Excalibur, Caliburn, and Avalon. Without these, and a substantial mana pool, she becomes quite weak. However, even in a weakened state, she is capable of beating other servants.

1 Gilgamesh

The King of Kings is worthy of his self-proclaimed title

It is hardly fair to call Gilgamesh a servant, since he basically only serves himself. Nonetheless, he is the most powerful of the Epic Heroes and possesses the most overpowered weapons and Noble Phantasm. As the winner of the previous Holy Grail War, Gilgamesh had already defeated servants from almost every other class before joining the battle a second time.

Summoning any weapon throughout history through his Gates of Babylon portals, Gilgamesh barely needs to lift a finger as hundreds of swords and spears rain down upon his enemies. The only other Servant who can give Gilgamesh any sort of competition is Saber, but even she must deflect Gilgamesh's own Enuma Elish back at him to defeat him.