Faith/Stay Night part 1: The Knight Classes

I stumbled upon Type-Moon’s Fate/Stay Night anime (the first one by Studio Deen) back when I was in college. I grew to enjoy it and look up more of the franchise. Ufotable’s Unlimited Blade Works adaptation is one of my favorite series, and I still actively play Fate/Grand Order on my phone.

The basic gist of this series revolves around mages who summon servants called Heroic Spirits, famous figures from both history and mythology, to manifest the legendary Holy Grail. Special abilities called Noble Phantasms allow them to perform incredible feats tied closely to their tales.

Several people from the Bible have made an appearance in the Fate franchise as Heroic Spirits, including David, Solomon, and Noah. However, even with a confirmed nine-member roster, there are many notable Biblical figures that could fit the franchise. I’ve compiled a list of potential candidates for each of the main fourteen classes, split into 4 different posts. Some may look familiar, others you may have had no idea actually existed.

A couple of things to note before we dive in:
1. I’m not including the Beast and Savior classes on this list because (a) I haven’t been able to find enough information about these classes and (b) Jesus would be WAY too overpowered for this list.
2. Due to some Fate lore shenanigans, antiheroes and villainous figures can be summoned and still be considered Heroic Spirits. To accommodate that, we’ll have one Hero and one Antihero featured for each class (more fun that way).

Now, let’s begin with our first set of Fate/Stay Night servants: the Knight classes.

Saber

The Saber class is one of the most sought-after classes in the franchise. Saber servants have high ratings in almost all aspects, on top of their swordsmanship and attack power. It’s little wonder that many protagonists in the Fate stories summon a Saber as their servant.

Hero: Joshua (Exodus and Joshua)

Joshua son of Nun is a very notable figure in the Biblical narrative. He was Moses’s right-hand man and successor, leading Israel’s conquest into the Promised Land (which would be modern day Israel and Palestine). The story most people would be familiar with was his famous battle against the walled city of Jericho. After marching around the city for several days, he and the Israelite army let out a mighty shout. Because they followed God’s instructions, the walls came crumbling down, allowing them to invade and take the city.

What may be less known is that, out of all the Israelites Moses led out of Egypt, Joshua was one of the only two original Israelites to actually live in the Promised Land.

He and eleven other men infiltrated the land of Canaan to scope things out (his name is recorded as Hoshea in this part of the book of Numbers). They saw bountiful fields, wonderful farmland, and people so large they were likened to giants. While Joshua and another spy, Caleb, said that the land was ripe for the taking, the other ten spies focused more on the “giant” aspect and sowed fear into the Israelite camp. Their bad report nearly resulted in a rebellion. In consequence, God had the entire community turn around and wander in the wilderness. After forty years, the entire first generation of freed Israelites died out, except for Joshua and Caleb.

As a servant in the Fate universe, Joshua would be the conquering general, capable of leading large groups and demonstrating his battle prowess. His Noble Phantasm would no doubt be the Walls of Jericho, a mighty shout capable of crippling even the greatest of defenses.

Antihero: Ahab (1&2 Kings and 2 Chronicles)

After King Solomon died, the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms: Israel in the north, and Judah in the south. Ahab was one of the kings of northern Israel and often attributed as one of their most wicked rulers. Recurring phrases involving him go along the lines of “Ahab did evil in the Lord’s sight, more than any of the kings before him” or “No one sold himself to evil like Ahab did.” Much of the evil he committed was enabled by his wife, Jezebel, whom we’ll see pop up again later.

Despite his notoriety as an evil monarch, Ahab had much military success. One of his most notable feats was repelling Ben-hadad of Aram not once, but twice. The first time, despite an overwhelming disadvantage in numbers, he drove the overconfident Arameans away after an attempted siege on the capital of Samaria. Ben-hadad’s officers claimed that was because “the gods of Israel are gods of the hills, but they can’t take our chariots in the open country.” So, the following spring, Ben-hadad brought his army to an open field for the next campaign. However, Ahab took them down there, too.

As a servant in the Fate universe, Ahab would no doubt be a cruel and capable combatant. Factoring in his success against the chariots of Ben-hadad, he could even have some anti-Rider class skills. Perhaps his Noble Phantasm could be an anti-army Chariot Breaker.

The main reason I placed him in the Saber class is because, according to Fate/Grand Order’s affinity charts, Sabers are weak to Archers, which ties directly with how Ahab died. At the end of his reign, he teamed up with King Jehoshaphat of Judah to reclaim a town from Aram. For some reason, Ahab suggested that he disguise himself as a common soldier while Jehoshaphat remained in his royal robes (and, for some reason, Jehoshaphat agreed). The Arameans chased after Jehoshaphat, but gave up after they realized he wasn’t Ahab. One of their archers randomly fired an arrow, and that stray shot nailed Ahab between the joints of his armor. He then bled to death in his own chariot.

Archer

Archer class servants are known for powerful Noble Phantasms and various abilities. Although not all of them specialize with a bow, all of them specialize in some sort of projectile weaponry. King David, who has appeared in the Fate franchise, falls under this class because he took out the giant Goliath with a sling and a stone. Speaking of David…

Hero: Jonathan (1&2 Samuel)

Jonathan was the son of Saul, Israel’s first king. He was a mighty warrior who brought victory to his father’s campaigns against the Philistines, although the two of them did not always see eye to eye.

During one battle, Saul made the Israelite army swear an oath: If anyone ate before they had defeated the enemy that day, they would be cursed. Sounds like a terrible idea to have during a war. Coincidentally, Jonathan was not present for that order. In fact, he and his armor bearer had snuck off for a Philistine outpost. Following a sign from God, they took down the outpost on their own and sowed chaos amongst the entire Philistine army. After the rest of the Israelites joined them in the fight, Jonathan snuck a quick snack from some wild honeycomb. Saul was ready to kill him when he found out, but thanks to the rest of the army begging him not to punish Jonathan after he brought about such a grand victory, he relented.

In another act of inadvertently going against Saul’s wishes, Jonathan became best friends with David, who had been anointed to take over the throne because Saul had sinned against God. By rites, Jonathan should have been the next king, but he instead became a sworn brother to the man who would take that position from him. No matter what, Jonathan had David’s back.

Because he was best buds with David, it makes sense that he could also be an Archer class servant in the Fate universe. There is mention in the book of 1 Samuel that he used a bow and arrow to signal David, which would make him a more fitting archer than David. His Noble Phantasm could even revolve around this, acting as either a homing arrow or a tool to reveal secrets.

Antihero: Nimrod (Genesis, 1 Chronicles, and Micah)

When most people hear the name Nimrod, they assume that you’re calling them an idiot. This is all thanks to Bugs Bunny. In the 1940s Looney Tunes episode “A Wild Hare,” Bugs called Elmer Fudd, the cast’s resident hunter, “poor little Nimrod.” While this was intended as an insult, Bugs was not simply name-calling. He was being sarcastic, if not downright ironic.

The Nimrod of the Bible first appears in the book of Genesis. Chapter 10, verses 8 and 9, describe him as follows:

“Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, ‘This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.’”

You don’t get a shoutout like that in historical texts if you’re a nincompoop.

Fate does have a prominent Archer character closely related to Nimrod: Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes. Gilgamesh is considered to be the first hero in Mesopotamian lore, with his tales recorded in The Epic of Gilgamesh. It’s entirely possible that these two could have been the same person. Both Nimrod and Gilgamesh were considered the first heroes in the world, the greatest hunters and warriors of their time. They would have lived in the same period, and they both credited for founding the ancient city of Babylon. Maybe Nimrod could be an alternate version or rival of Gilgamesh, since they both fill that particular niche within the Fate franchise.

However, I can see one significant and downright hilarious feature that could truly set the two of them apart: Nimrod needs to have an aversion to rabbits. Within the Fate universe, Heroic Spirits’ abilities, strength, and identity are heavily affected by how people perceive them. A person as highly regarded as King Arthur would be far more powerful than a folk hero like Paul Bunyan. Different people’s views can manifest different aspects of the same figure. Take Vlad Tepes, for instance. In Wallachia and Romania, he is considered a national hero. To his enemies, he was known as Vlad the Impaler due to how he executed people. For the wider world, we tend to focus on another one of his names: Dracula, the inspiration for vampires. Vlad has had multiple iterations of himself show up in the Fate franchise, and sometimes they can be diametrically opposed.

Thanks to Bugs Bunny’s infamous line, Nimrod’s name is no longer held in high regard. The once mighty hunter is now considered an insult. There is no way this won’t affect his performance as a Heroic Spirit.

Lancer

The Lancer class is known for more than simply wielding polearms. Lancer servants are fast, highly capable in close quarters combat, and, according to Fate/Grand Order’s mechanics, very strong against Archers.

Hero: The Three (2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles)

Once again tied to the Biblical powerhouse that is King David, there was a group of warriors in the Israelite army known as David’s Thirty Mighty Men. These fighters came from many walks of life and were very proficient in battle. Their leader, Abishai, once defeated 300 enemies in a single battle with just a spear. While this could earn him the Lancer servant nomination, he is listed second after another group: The Three. In fact, 2 Samuel says that his feats made him “as famous as the Three.”

So, who were the Three? These men were separate from the Thirty Mighty Men, but they aren’t just simply another unit amongst David’s forces. They were called his mightiest warriors.

Jashobeam, the Hacmonite: he once defeated 800 men with his spear in a single battle, more than doubling Abishai’s record.

Eleazar, son of Dodai: in one battle, when the rest of the Israelite army had fled, he fought back-to-back with David against the Philistine army until his hand was too tired to hold his sword (they both survived, by the way).

Shammah, son of Agee from Harar: he fought off the Philistine army in a field of lentils alone.

Now, why would I list all three of the Three for the heroic Lancer servant candidate, especially when only one of them has a confirmed polearm-related achievement? Well, I have two reasons.

First of all, there have been cases in the Fate franchise where multiple heroes are summoned, but they still count as a single servant. Examples include the twin Dioscuri from Greek mythology and three of the Valkyries from Norse legend. Having all members of the Three manifest as a single unit still makes sense in this context.

Secondly, they share a speed feet that is very on-brand for Lancers. During one of their many conflicts with the Philistines, David’s hometown, Bethlehem, had been occupied by the enemy. In a moment of nostalgic longing, David said he wished he could drink from a certain well in Bethlehem. Hearing this, Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah hatched a secret plan. In the middle of the night, they infiltrated Bethlehem, fought their way to the well David spoke of, drew water from the well, fought their way back out, and delivered the water to their beloved king. They went through that entire ordeal because they loved their king and wanted to grant even that passing wish. I could see their combined Noble Phantasm being based on this incredible stunt, moving as a single unit and barreling through the opposition. I’d imagine it would look like the Jetstream Attack utilized by the DOMs in the Gundam franchise.

Antihero: Absalom (1&2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles)

Surprise, surprise, we’ve got another figure tied to King David. This one, however, had a very different impact on his life compared to the previous entries. Absalom was one of David’s sons, a prince of Israel. He was described as incredibly handsome and sported an incredible mane of hair.

However, instead of being a staunch ally, Absalom led a rebellion.

Due to his shenanigans with Bathsheba, God told David that there would be strife within his household, and Absalom was one of the greatest cases. Polygamy and political marriages were common in those days, so David had many children who were half-siblings. Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and their half-brother, Amnon, fell desperately in love with her. Acting on the terrible advice from a friend, Amnon raped Tamar and, when the deed was done, he grew dissatisfied and practically kicked her to the curb. Absalom avenged her by killing Amnon. Despite fleeing for a time, he was eventually reconciled with his father.

After coming back to the palace, Absalom started currying favor with the Israelites who wanted to seek David’s counsel. He garnered so much support that he launched a full-scale rebellion. The threat he posed was so great that David fled from the capital with his wives, his children, and the few people that still supported him. Despite this, David loved Absalom and wanted him to be dealt with gently.

David’s forces were eventually able to mobilize and spread false information into Absalom’s council. They mounted a counterattack and caused about 20,000 casualties. Absalom encountered some of David’s forces in a forest and tried to escape on his mule. Unfortunately, his luscious locks got caught in some low branches. In a turn of events straight out of Tom and Jerry, he hung from his hair while his mule kept running. Despite David’s orders to treat Absalom with care, one of his commanders came upon the helpless prince and drove three daggers into his chest. Who was that treacherous man? You’ll find out in a future entry in this series.

I placed Absalom in the Lancer class because of their advantage over Archers. We’ve seen Archers in the main franchise get dogged by Lancers. Because David is canonically an Archer in the series, it makes sense for Absalom, who was able to drive Israel’s warrior king out of his own capital, to be a class that has a leg up on him. I was tempted to plug him in as a Rider, but his last ride was a rather tragic one. He would also be very susceptible to manipulation, considering that he acted on poor counsel multiple times.

This concludes our list for the three Knight classes. I hope you’ve enjoyed the speculative list so far and learned something new about some of the people featured in the Bible. Keep an eye out for Part 2 of this series as we cover the next group of servant types: the Four Horsemen classes.