Fate Lancelot

Berserker (Lancelot) - Fate/Zero

Background

Lancelot (Knight of the Lake). He was considered the strongest of the Knights of the Round Table, tasked with protecting Camelot under King Arthur, who viewed them as equals, earning them great admiration throughout the land. He earned the name "Knight of the Lake" because he was raised by a lake fairy, Nimue, after losing his parents as a child. He initially spoke with Guinevere in hopes of finding a way to ease King Arthur's burden, but the two eventually became friends, and he felt drawn to her. They had an affair, and when enemies discovered and exposed him, the queen was ordered to be executed. He tried to save her, killing several knights he knew, but ultimately failed and fled. King Arthur blamed himself and forgave him, but Gawan, a knight whose brothers had been killed by Lancelot, refused to allow him to return to fight alongside King Arthur. This caused discord among the Knights of the Round Table and a civil war that ended in the fall of Britain. When Lancelot learned of King Arthur's death, he was so distraught that he descended into madness.

Appearance

His armor, designed by Hirokazu Koyama, used many elements of Saber's armor, but all with a black coloring that earned him the name "Black Knight" until the servants discovered his true name. Only through the slit in his helmet could a bright light be seen. He also had a ghostly, black shadow radiating from his form. His armor also featured many spiked elements and covered his entire body. His physical appearance is quite different under Mad Enhancement and from his past. He was a handsome man with long purplish-black hair, dark, piercing eyes, and a serious disposition. As a Berserker, his eyes are bulging and exhausted. His hair is also closer to smooth black than purplish-black. His skin is a lifeless color, and he has sharp, pointed teeth. Atsuhi Ikariya was in charge of character design for the anime and was inspired by mecha and metal.

Personality

Being a raving lunatic, he is unable to have a personality stronger than a crazed maniac. He is also unable to communicate other than through grunts and screams. He is, however, able to tell Saber before her death, in his final comments, that she was "...greatest among the king. All who served you...believed so." Deep in his heart was the pain of having betrayed King Arthur by falling in love with his queen, Guinevere. He carried the guilt with him for so long because King Arthur never suspected anything of him. He wanted to receive his punishment so he could atone for his misdeeds and be at peace.

Wish

Berserker desired atonement which would be death at the hands of Saber for betraying her by falling in love with his queen Guinevere.

SKILLS

Lancelot was already an incredibly skilled knight, but he also had a crazy enhancement that, due to the loss of his ability to communicate and the increased difficulty of controlling him, made him extremely overpowered. He has a low magic resistance of one rin and the protection of the fairies that increases his luck. The black fog that swirls around him and blurs his appearance is actually a noble phantasm called "For One's Glory." He also has mastery over eternal weapons. By using Knight of the Owner, anything he considers a weapon can become his noble phantasm, reminiscent of the time when he fought skilled armed fighters with only an elm branch.

Death

Lancelot is killed by Saber Excalibur, but only after his master Kariya Matou is drained of all his mana and Berserker freezes before her. Previously, he had attacked her, and she had only defended him because she did not want to fight him and was filled with guilt for her part in what he had become. Tearfully, she tells him that she hopes to obtain the Holy Grail to atone for her past mistakes, including her part in his despair. Lancelot regains his sanity for a short while before fainting and admits that he had not wished for her forgiveness but for her punishment, which would have erased his guilt, which he could not forgive unless chastised by her. Yet, he notes that he dies in her arms anyway like a respectable knight. His final comment is one of chivalric loyalty and admiration: "You were the greatest among kings. All who served you... believed so."

Master

Berserker Mastar in Fate/Zero Kariya Matou is a powerful Servant. He was summoned because Zouken Matou wanted a strong Servant for Kariya to command, as Kariya was not a competent mage. Kariya only participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War because he wanted to free Sakura Matou from her ruthless mage training for the Fifth Holy Grail War. He made a deal with Zouken that if he took her place now and won, she would be freed. However, he had to speed up his training with Crest Worms, which greatly destroyed his health. Even the fact that he managed to stay alive surprised Zouken. Berserker was difficult for Kariya to control due to his Mad Enhancement, and he often suffered injuries while in combat.