Alter Servant

The term Alter (オルタ, Oruta^?) when used as an affix of a Heroic Spirit's True Name denotes them being summoned as a Servant with an altered aspect compared to their normal selves.

Characteristics[]

Alter Servants are Heroic Spirits "summoned with an alternative side or interpretation."^[1] Compared to an Alter Ego that renders a persona as an independent entity separate from the original individual, Alters are the same Heroic Spirit regardless of the differences between them.^[1] As heroes hold within them the capacity to have been merciless in their pursuits and those who were known to be cold-blooded could display virtuousness, Alter Servants can bring such hidden aspects to the forefront, but, differing from two aspects of a Servant being able to be summoned independently, Alters have been "mutated" somewhat so they no longer completely represent just another side of the Heroic Spirit.^[2]

Some individuals cannot possess Alters naturally. Solomon, as appraised by his human self, "If the opposite of good is evil, and evil is the opposite of good, Solomon is 'nothing.' He would remain the same, no matter what."^[3] For Jeanne d'Arc, she possesses no innate capability to be altered due to her capacity as a Saint, so Jeanne d'Arc Alter can only exist through the circumstances of a wish upon a Holy Grail.^[4]

While Blackening Servants through Holy Grail Mud can produce an Alter Servant, not all blackened Servants gain the Alter affix.^[5]

The status of being an Alter, possessing an "inverted state," is a quantifiable aspect of a Saint Graph that can be measured and identified.^[6]

For those designated as Watchers of the Underworld by Camazotz in the South American Lostbelt, the process of Altering them requires the Servant to renounce the very core of their Saint Graph, betraying their beliefs and their lives through their own will. Xquic gives the examples of Kingprotea Alter giving up her love of humanity and becoming a cruel goddess, Beni-enma Alter giving up her vow to remain as a children's tale and becoming an adult, and Ereshkigal Alter giving up her dream of making Kur beautiful and becoming a ruthless goddess.^[7]

Known Alter Servants[]

Others[]

• Antonio Salieri is temporarily referred to as Amadeus Alter before his identity is revealed.^[8]
• Alcides is initially offered to be referred to as Heracles Alter by Bazdilot Cordelion, but he rejects the idea.^[9] While similar to an Alter, he is not exactly like one.^[5]
• Before his True Name Revelation, Alessandro di Cagliostro pretends to be Cagliostro Alter.^[10]
• BB initially makes the assumption that BB Dubai is her Alter or another BB from a future Moon Cell.^[11]
• The female Hakuno Kishinami is briefly referred to as "Hakuno Alter" before the male Hakuno corrects Ritsuka Fujimaru and mentions that it'd be more accurate to call their situation a 'quantum fluctuation'.^[12]
• Tamamo Vitch Koyanskaya is referred to as Tamamo Alter by Tamamo-no-Mae due to her similarity to her tails but unfamiliarity with her actual identity.^[13]
• William Shakespeare refers to himself as being "half-Alter" in the Shinjuku Singularity.^[14]
• Ushiwakamaru is blackened by Tiamat's Chaos Tide, which Kingu says is the same thing as the black mud of the Holy Grail,^[15] meaning she was created the same way that Saber became Saber Alter. However she is never actually called "Ushiwakamaru Alter".

Development[]

The concept of Alter Servants began with Artoria Pendragon Alter in Fate/stay night. Nasu wished for players to be surprised after reaching the Heaven's Feel route, and Takeuchi wished to create a darkened version of Artoria as an antagonist.^[16]

The term Alter was chosen because "Dark Saber" was deemed to "[not] flow well."^[1]

Notes[]

References[]