Yamato Takeru | A Servant Mistaken for a princess

Yamato Takeru, Class Name Saber, is the Saber-class Servant summoned by Miyamoto Iori in the Waxing Moon Ritual of Fate/Samurai Remnant. They are also summoned as a Stray Servant in the Waxing Moon Ritual of the Edo Singularity in Fate/Grand Order and are later summoned by Ritsuka Fujimaru.

A legendary ancient Japanese prince whose story is told in the KojikiWP and Nihon ShokiWP. He has sometimes been called "Japan's King Arthur" due to similarities in their legends.

Takeru is the child of Emperor Keikō, ruler of the Yamato in the late first century and early second century. His birth name was Prince Ousu. After he slew his brother Prince Ōusu, he was sent away because his father feared his bloodthirst. Ordered by the Emperor to kill those who refused to submit to Yamato rule, he was given the sword Amenomurakumo-no-Tsurugi, which had long ago been retrieved from the monster Yamata-no-Orochi by the god Susanoo-no-Mikoto. One of the enemies he defeated gave him the name Yamato Takeru, meaning "the Brave of Yamato".

Takeru killed men and gods in his adventures. In one famous tale, Takeru dressed as a woman to infiltrate a party before killing everyone there. In another story, he used Amenomurakumo-no-Tsurugi to create powerful gusts of wind and put out a fire in a field. Takeru lost his beloved wife Ototachibana-hime on the night of a storm, when she sacrificed herself to quell the rage of a sea God.

Outcast by their family, friendless, and bereft of their beloved wife, Takeru slaughtered people, kings, and even gods as they continued along their path.

At the end of their life, Yamato Takeru died from poison after battling the god of Mt. Ibuki. Their sword Amenomurakumo, eventually renamed Kusanagi, would go on to become one of Japan's three imperial treasures.

After their long journey of conquest, their loneliness growing with each battle, Yamato Takeru's spirit became a white swan soaring through the heavens.

They share similar characteristics to Artoria Pendragon, such as facial features and hair, with it forming bushy forelocks and sidelocks with a single "antenna" sticking into the air. They wear the rest of their hair, which fades from black to white near the end, in a long, narrow braid which falls down their back or over their shoulder. They wear a long, white tunic in a traditional East Asian style with baggy black trousers and sandals. They also wear two pairs of bracelets, one pair set with a green stone, as well as a wide metal choker and a beaded rosary around their neck.

Saber's rather androgynous traits leave their gender unknown. Saber does not ever identify themself as a man or a woman, and the topic of their gender is not directly commented on within Fate/Samurai Remnant. While Edo citizens predominantly refer to Saber as a woman upon first meeting them, Musashi refers to Saber as "Saber-kun", "-kun" typically being a masculine honorific. Additionally, Iori refers to Saber with masculine pronouns when he dreams about their past. Throughout the game, Saber's Servant profile consistently designates their gender as unspecified, presented as a "?". However, later entries in their profile use masculine pronouns for Yamato Takeru, but may only be referring to the historical Yamato Takeru during their lifetime, and not as a Heroic Spirit.

In Fate/Grand Order, Mysterious Heroine X says that she does not consider Takeru a Saberface, but in an interview, their designer Takashi Takeuchi called them one.

Saber displays impulsive and self-assured traits. Frequent disagreements occur between Saber and Iori, primarily rooted in Saber's perception of Iori as lacking strength. When Iori inquires about Saber's True Name, they decline to disclose it, feeling offended by his inability to discern it solely through observation. In contrast, Saber gets along well with Iori's younger sister, Ogasawara Kaya. Over time, Saber begins to respect Iori, admiring his swordsmanship and dedication.

Saber perceives humans as fragile and susceptible to harm. Iori frequently intervenes to dissuade Saber from taking the lives of their adversaries. Initially, Saber displays indifference toward the potential collateral damage caused by their Noble Phantasm and even regards Iori's own life as expendable. Saber's mindset deeply unsettled their father following a tragic incident involving the death of their sibling, leading to their exile, ostensibly for compelling those who resisted the Yamato's authority to meet their demise. Surprisingly, Saber's preference leans towards peaceful times rather than times of conflict. In their past life, Saber's mentality resulted in their isolation from most individuals, except for their connection with Ototachibana-hime.

Saber is easily distracted by the sights of Edo, as the 17th century is an unfamiliar era to them. They struggle to grasp certain commonplace contemporary concepts, such as being unfamiliar with the concept of paper. Additionally, they often find it challenging to comprehend modern metaphors and idiomatic expressions.

Saber's favorite food is rice and miso soup. They see agriculture as a symbol of peace to be lauded, and their enjoyment may also be because of the presence of their dear Ototachibana-hime.

Abilities Yamato Takeru is a master of warfare that far surpasses the realm of Humanity. Saber possesses superhuman combat abilities, capable of defeating monsters, human armies, and even challenging certain Deities one-on-one. There are legends about how they defeated a terrible Sea Snake God in Kanagawa Coast. Their combat prowess stands at a different calibre, even when compared to inhabitants of that tumultuous era. It reached a point where one might question whether it was truly possible to attain such strength while maintaining a human form. For all these reasons, Yamato Takeru is regarded as the finest hero in all of Japan. Miyamoto Iori claims that Takeru is a veritable wellspring of energy. Dorothea Coyett agrees, and wonders how he was able to summon such a powerful Heroic Spirit like Yamato Takeru. Leonardo da Vinci also regards Takeru as a really big shot. Given the sword they wield, Amenomurakumo-no-Tsurugi, it makes perfect sense they would be summoned as a Saber.

During the Waxing Moon Ritual, Takeru refused to reveal their True Name to their Master Miyamoto Iori in case the latter was ever captured. Takeru states that knowing their identity would allow their enemies to uses their weaknesses as a Heroic Spirit against them. Even though Casters are generally at a disadvantage against the Three Knight Classes, Takeru feared fighting Hieda-no-Are because he knew their identity. Takeru also notes that they wouldn't rescue Iori if he was taken prisoner, as his presence makes no difference in their ability to fight. In their own words, if their master were to die, that would be one less thing to worry about. By the end of Chapter 1, Iori and Takeru can regularly connect to Leylines and draw telluric energy from them.

In the Waxing Moon Clashing Swords Chronicles, Takeru is summoned as a Stray Servant on behalf of the Human Order to bring the ritual to a halt. Despite being a "Rogue", Takeru doesn't feel his Magical Energy supply lacking much and their Saint Graph is stable as well. This is attributed to them having been summoned using the Human Order as a foundation rather than the Waxing Moon Ritual.

Takeru wields an uchigatanaWP-length sword with a jagged, curving edge similar to Aestus Estus. However, this is a disguise created from a sheath of water using their Noble Phantasm Divine Water, similar to Artoria's Invisible Air. In this state, the sword can release watery attacks. Its true appearance is an ancient Japanese tsurugiWP, Amenomurakumo-no-Tsurugi. They also carry a second, straight sword with ornate metalwork on the pommel and scabbard, which is suspended from their waist in back.

Yamato Takeru is a Saber-class Servant who swings a sword with unrestrained speed and power. Able to control water freely and use it to wash away surrounding enemies. At the start of the Waxing Moon Ritual, Iori admits that Takeru's skill with the sword is superior to his own. He describes Takeru's skill as something beautiful. During Chapter 3, Iori enters Takeru's mind and fights them. They are shown to be evenly matched until Iori exposes their True Name, awakening his servant from their sleep. In the Bad Ending, Iori fights Takeru to the death. While it seems to be a competitive fight, Iori eventually gets tricked by Takeru into believing they are about to fire their Noble Phantasm. Iori fails to the faint and is killed as a result.

Skills Class Skills Magic Resistance (A Rank): The highest rank of anti-magic, it negates all spells equivalent to Rank A or lower. As such, mages of this age cannot inflict any damage. Takeru claims that Caster-class Servants are no match for them due to their Anti-Magecraft powers. Riding (A Rank): The ability to expertly ride mounts. It enables the user to freely control all beasts other than those of Divine or Phantasmal rank. Divinity (D Rank): Possesses divinity. Personal Skills Mana Burst (Water) (B+ Rank): Consuming the magical energy used for their Noble Phantasm Divine Water enables the use of streams of water in attacks. Its rank is increased by Divine Water. As a Heroic Spirit, Yamato Takeru was granted the protection of water, and and can control watery torrents. Takeru was able to momentarily overpower Avenger Ushi Gozen with a water stream, however, they couldn't finish her off. Bloodstained Prince (EX Rank): Brothers related by blood, kings of foreign lands, and even the person Yamato Takeru loved died before Takeru's eyes. A skill that expresses one's way of life before death. Extermination of Gods and Demons (A Rank): Superiority over Divine and Demonic opponents. Yamato Takeru defeated gods, humans, and demons.

Noble Phantasms Yamato Takeru's main Noble Phantasm is Amenomurakumo-no-Tsurugi, also known as Kusanagi. It enables the wielder to temporarily assume a divine state, essentially becoming harmonized with the surrounding world. By revealing their True Name, Saber instantly gains access to godly power, the effect of which is up to Saber to decide. According to Leonardo da Vinci, it only shows its true power when used to stop a disaster, just like they observed with Kusanagi in the Heian-kyō Singularity. In the Fate/Grand Order collab, Takeru uses it to cut open the Waxing Moon Fantasy Tree. Surprisingly, this Noble Phantasm wasn't powerful enough to kill a fatigued and Masterless Ushi Gozen. It only destroyed her weapons. Since Ushi was still alive, Takeru had to finish her off with a regular swing of their sword.

Takeru's second Noble Phantasm is Divine Water, a body of water used to conceal their sword similar to Invisible Air. This Noble Phantasm also works as an enhancer for Mana Burst (Water). Consuming the necessary Magical Energy to unleash this Noble Phantasm enables the use of powerful streams of water for long range attacks.

Their third Noble Phantasm, Special Technique - Eight-Current Raging Storm, releases eight simultaneous water slashes from Amenomurakumo. These slashes resemble the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi, which the sword originates from. Miyamoto Iori regards it as a technique beyond all others exactly like the Sword Saint he saw as a child. It was powerful enough to kill Kugamimi-no-Mikasa with a single blow. Takeru expresses confidence in defeating Koga Saburo's Incarnation - Omen of the Great God Ibuki due to their prior success against a powerful Snake God during their lifetime. However, while Yui Shousetsu states that Takeru's sword would certainly kill Saburo if it hit him, she claims that Saburo's abilities may also prove equally effective. Consequently, direct confrontation is deemed a poor strategy. Furthermore, this Noble Phantasm has also been shown to be powerful enough to destroy Zhou Yu's Red Cliff Calamity - Cradle of Fire. However, despite Zhou getting a direct hit to his Spiritual Core, it didn't kill him. The fight would have continued had Zhou not ended up killing himself with an arrow.