Gilgamesh (Fate)

"You can't look at me. Worms can only look at the ground when they die, like the worms they are."

- Gilgamesh, Fate/Zero

Gilgamesh, also known as Archer, is a villain from the Fate series. He serves as the secondary antagonist of Fate/Zero and Fate/stay Night, aside from the Unlimited Blade Works route of the latter, in which he is promoted to the true main antagonist halfway through. He is the Archer-class servant of Tokiomi Tohsaka in Fate/Zero, and later forms a contract with Kirei Kotomine that lasts ten years later into Fate/stay night. He has a fascination with Saber during both stories. In Unlimited Blade Works, he was given to Shinji Matou by Kotomine as his new servant after his previous servant, Rider, was killed by Souichirou Kuzuki. He is voiced by Tomokazu Seki in the Japanese version of the anime and Grant George in the English version. In the English dub of Fate/Zero, he is voiced by David Vincent.

Identity
Gilgamesh is the great half-god, half-human king who, during the years before Jesus Christ was born, ruled over the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, the capital of ancient Mesopotamia. He was an ultimately transcendent being so divine as to be two thirds god and one third human that no other person in the world could match him. He was a despot with high divinity who thought he was invincible. While not really a legend, he is said to have actually existed during the Sumer Dynasty five thousand years ago. He was the King of Heroes who possessed all things in the world, whose tale is recorded in mankind's oldest epic poem, "The Epic of Gilgamesh" which portrays him as a hero, destined to be king and achieve great challenges, who is driven to fulfill his destiny, facing these challenges themselves together with his best friend Enkidu.

Originally a tyrant without any care for his people, Gilgamesh however slowly changed his behavior when he gained a friend in Enkidu whom he considered to be his equal. Enkidu was created by the goddess Aruru in response to the prayers of those who suffered under Gilgamesh's oppression and tyrannical policies. Despite having a body of mud and soil, he is described as a foolish and ridiculous fellow who set his heart to stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods. Even though he feared Enkidu as an enemy at first, the day the two met was fated, and they strongly effected one another. While Enkidu was released to fight against Gilgamesh, and they met and fought as enemies, they eventually came to understand each other and began working together to rule the country together.

Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu eventually defeated the Humbaba, the guardian of the forest and beast of the gods. He became the richest king on Earth, eventually acquiring all the treasures of the world. Uruk was unprecedently prosperous, and Gilgamesh became so powerful that not even the gods could ignore his existence. One goddess, Ishtar the goddess of fertility, fell in love with him and proposed marriage to the perfect king. Immediately he rejected her, knowing her to be a witch who was unfaithful, cruel, and the corruptor of all men. Feeling that he had insulted her, she became furious and went to her father, the god Anu, to get revenge, persuading him to unleash the Bull of Heaven.

This unopposable beast of the gods had caused seven years of starvation and destruction on the earth. Cooperating, Gilgamesh and Enkidu faced the Bull of Heaven, and successfully defeated it after he bound it with the Chains of Heaven. Ishtar's reputation was once again crushed, and her fury did not abate. She complained to the gods to give death to one of the men, as it was a sin for a human to kill the beast of the gods. Her wish was granted, and since he was created by the gods, Enkidu could not resist her command. Enkidu suffered a divine retribution that caused him to slowly weaken to death due to his hubris and disrespectful arrogance that offended the gods in heaven.

Even so, Gilgamesh could not forget the day that Enkidu passed away with tears running down his face. He asked him, "Why are you crying? Could it be that, only now, you are regretting having taken my side?" to which Enkidu responded with, "Who would understand you after I die? Who else would march forward by your side? My friend... when I think that you will live on all alone henceforth, I can’t help but shed tears...” As he saw Enkidu taking his last breaths, he realized the way the man who was not human but wanted to surpass humanity had lived was even more precious and more brilliant than all the treasures he had acquired. His last words to Enkidu were, "You fool who stretches your hand towards realms not of men... There is only one person in heaven or earth who’s worthy of appreciating your destruction, and that is none other than I, Gilgamesh. Sink into my embrace, oh you glorious and illusionary man. That is my decision.” Only an evil laughter was left echoing long after Enkidu's majestic brilliance disappeared in the night mist.

Enkidu's death was what began the downfall of Gilgamesh himself. He was shocked by the fact that death could come even to a friend of his whom he had considered his equal, tormenting him with the fear of this "death." He finally traveled to the underworld in search of immortality, and obtained the miraculous elixir of immortality at the end of a long journey accompanied by many hardships. While he was bathing on his way back, the elixir was stolen by a snake. While Gilgamesh eventually died of grief, personally he claims to Saber that he didn't really need immortality, so he gave the elixir to the snake. It is said that, because it stole his elixir and drank it, the snake begins its life again in a new body after shedding its skin. The skin shed by the first snake in the world in ancient times was later fossilized and continued to exist for countless eons before being used by Tokiomi Tohsaka as a catalyst to summon Gilgamesh as Archer during the fourth Holy Grail War.

Appearance
Gilgamesh is a tall and dignified young man with golden hair that stands up like a blazing flame. He's described as handsome with an elegant face, and his blood-red eyes are visibly not those of a human and give off a mysterious radiance that make people wither. He has a "perfect, Golden-proportioned body" that is described as eminating majesty that makes the flames surrounding him afraid to come close. He regularly wears golden armor that makes a heavy first impression on those encountered by himself. When he fights at his full power in Fate/hollow atraxia, he gains a number of red tattoos on his body that are not usually present.

He is often referred to as the "Golden Archer" and the "golden-sparkling Servant", and Rider generally calls him "Goldy." Rin Tohsaka also calls him "goldie", though it has less to do with the color of his hair and more simply due to the fact that she thinks he looks to be having a rich and luxurious life.

Gilgamesh likes to wear casual clothing, "playing attire" to ward off boredom from being in spirit form when he's not battling, such as modern match-up of a leather jacket with fashionable furs and leather pants. He appears to be a regular foreigner to Rin and Archer, and does not openly give off the impression of a Servant or Master due to his body being made of flesh after the fourth Holy Grail War.

Upon drinking his potion of youth, he takes on a child form referred to as Child-Gil. He has the same blood-red eyes and golden hair that makes him stand out from others. Shirou is unable to identify him on sight and finds it hard to believe that they are the same person even after being told so.

Personality
Gilgamesh is extremely arrogant and selfish, claiming that everything in the world is his possession and that he's the one and only king. He is unable to acknowledge anyone's authority, not even from the gods. He's incredibly proud, especially of his treasure collection. He views everyone as inferior and does not care for their feelings at all. After having saw enough of the world, he decided cleanse it from humans since they were weak and unworthy of his rule. On the course of the fourth Holy Grail War, he took interest in Saber and developed an obsession with her. In battle he's prone to underestimating his opponents and views fights as a game of amusement. His huge ego prevents him from acknowledging his opponent as a real threat and he doesn't take fights seriously at all. As such, he prefers to severely handicap himself and mindlessly shoot his endless number of Noble Phantasms.

After drinking his potion of youth, Gilgamesh becomes a little boy. Surprisingly, this child version of Gilgamesh is well-mannered, polite, and amiable, not to mention perfectly sane and rational, completely different from his extremely haughty, rude (and sometimes irrational and violent-tempered) adult counterpart. He becomes popular and an idol among children in Fuyuki, as he is seen leading a Football team with amazing leadership. As a child, he not only retains his memory but also his royal and divine charisma as well. He remembers Shirou and greets him politely, while Shirou initially wonders whether he is Gilgamesh's younger brother before being corrected, though the child Gilgamesh wished he had brothers and sisters. He also expresses his uneasiness of how he grows up becoming someone so unpleasant, referring to his adult alter ego's personality. He also approves of Shirou's relationship with Saber and states that she is unsuitable for someone his age. Seeing him with the children, Shirou wonders how Gilgamesh will grow to be someone so unpleasant.

He retains his boy alter ego and amiable personality even when he reverts back to an adult, as he is seen fishing with several of his children companions (dubbed Gil's Brigade) at Fuyuki Dock, along with Archer and Lancer. He is also less arrogant than usual, showing that his personality has improved greatly somehow, even when he is boasting of his superior quality rods compared to Lancer's and Archer's own. He is also apparently a fan of Weekly Jump, telling one of the boys that he can read it after Gilgamesh is finished.

Gilgamesh had an extremely close relationship with Enkidu. He responds to Rider's request to join him as an ally with the words, "It is unfortunate, but I do not require a second friend. Past and future, my companion will only be one."

Given the pleasant personality his child form has is totally different from that of his adult counterpart, it is likely that Gilgamesh was a much better person when he was still a little boy. How he grew to be someone so unpleasant and haughty remains a mystery.

Development
While selecting heroes for Fate/stay night, Gilgamesh was chosen as the oldest and most obscure hero that Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi could find in contrast to the well-renowned Heracles. While there were other candidates, they liked his strong-sounding name and myth. Since his initial conception, the overall concept of the character has changed very little.

Fate/Zero
Gilgamesh is summoned as Archer by Tokiomi Tohsaka in the fourth Holy Grail War. While the relic used as the catalyst looked like the broken fragment of a mummy, it was actually claimed to be the fossil of the first skin ever shed by a snake. He immediately takes notice of both Saber and Rider due to their status as kings. As they exchange their philosophies on ruling as monarchs, he develops a fascination for Saber due to her flawed ideals and the chance to see them crush her in despair. He feels Rider is a suitable opponent after witnessing Ionioi Hetairoi, and exclaims that he will be the one to kill him.

He eventually begins to take an interest in the actions taken by Kirei Kotomine, Tokiomi's disciple, because of the conflicts in his heart. He has begun to find Tokiomi boring and uninteresting to view, so he attempts to guide Kirei into finding true pleasure in his otherwise empty life. He suggests that Kirei should determine the backgrounds and the motivations of the other Masters and Servants as to why they wish to obtain the Holy Grail. As Kirei takes an interest in Kariya Matou, he convinces him to learn about him specifically

In the culmination of these events, Kirei reveals that Tokiomi will use a Command Spell to force Gilgamesh to commit suicide to gain the Holy Grail and proposes that he should form a new contract. Gilgamesh allows him to murder his former mentor and forms a contract with Kirei afterward. He continues to observe Kirei's movements with interest, and finally has his duel with Rider that ends in Rider's defeat. In a moment of respect, he spares Waver Velvet after the fight because he no longer has any claims as a Master, only proclaims that he is Rider's follower, and says that as his king told him to live, he cannot seek revenge only to die.

During the final confrontation with Saber, he proposes that she becomes his wife while she lays defeated in front of him. Their battle is interrupted by Kiritsugu Emiya ordering Saber to destroy the Holy Grail. Due to his proximity, Gilgamesh is caught off guard and becomes drenched by the pollution that spills from the Holy Grail. He obtains a physical body, and because he has been incarnated into the world, he decides that it is time to once again unite the world under his rule. He continues to follow Kotomine after the war is over, and Kotomine provides him with energy drained from children orphaned by the fire to sustain himself. He decides to wait for the next Holy Grail War to cleanse humanity, so he retrieves a potion of temporary youth from his vault that reduces his physical age and allows him to smoothly blend in with society for ten years.

Fate/stay night
"'All the evils in the world'? Bring thrice as much if you want to stain me!"

- Fate/stay night

Gilgamesh is one of the antagonists in each scenario of Fate/stay night. He first appears before the start of the Fifth Holy Grail War around Sakura's house. He identifies her as “the other Grail” and comes to tell her “Go die right now.” It is just a suggestion rather than a command, as he believes that the matter will develop into some sort of entertainment regardless of the situation. When asked about the encounter, Sakura just claims that he was asking for directions and that “It was English” in order to hide the truth.

Fate
In Fate, he kills Caster as she assaults Shirou's residence, and later ambushes Shirou and Saber during their date. After that, he kills Lancer. Ultimately, he is killed in a climatic battle with Saber at the Ryuudouji Temple atop Mount Enzou.

Unlimited Blade Works
Gilgamesh is more active in Unlimited Blade Works, and reprises his role as the final antagonist; He is "lent" to Shinji Matou after Shinji's Servant, Rider, is killed by Souichirou Kuzuki and later easily killed Ilya and Berserk. Gilgamesh attempts to use Shinji as the core of the Holy Grail, but he is killed by Archer after being cornered by Shirou.



It is interesting to note that in Unlimited Blade Works, Gilgamesh was depicted as a Complete Monster, unlike his other appearances in other Fate titles and routes. The Unlimited Blade Works version of Gilgamesh lacks the hidden depths of his counterparts in said other titles, and crosses the Moral Event Horizon twice in said route, first by ripping out Ilya's heart, and again later by using Shinji as a vessel for the Holy Grail.

Heaven's Feel
Gilgamesh has a small role in Heaven's Feel scenario, where he lacerates Dark Sakura with swords from the Gate of Babylon. However, he underestimates her regenerative abilities and is devoured by her shadows.

Fate/hollow ataraxia
In Fate/hollow ataraxia, Gilgamesh once again consumes his potion of youth, and holds a low-profile in Fuyuki City to avoid interacting with previous Servants or Masters. As a child, he is extremely popular with other children, retaining his royal charisma but also affable and amiable. When Shirou reunited with this younger Gilgamesh, Shirou did not recognize him and was surprised as to how Gilgamesh would eventually grow into such a haughty and selfish person. It is possible that Gilgamesh is a better person when he is still a child, or the potion he consume to revert to child affects his personality as well as his age. Furthermore, he still remembers the events in Fate/Stay Night as he recognizes Shirou and greets him politely. He is also aware of his adult alter ego and wonders why he grows up becoming someone so unpleasant. During the Fuyuki eclipse, he reverts to his adult form and assists the other Servants in slaying the endless horde of Shadow Wolf Beasts, providing the opportunity for Avenger to make his way to Heaven's Feel. He also seems to retain his pleasant personality even after he turns back as adult as he is seen fishing at Fuyuki Dock with several children, with golden fishing rods that his children companions think very cool albeit being slightly silly-looking.

Other appearances
Fate/strange fake and Fate/Extra CCC feature other incarnations of Gilgamesh separate from the version summoned during the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars. Archer of strange fake is the Servant of Teene Cherke, and Gilgamesh in Fate/Extra CCC is one of the four selectable Servants summoned by the Protagonist along with Saber, Caster, and Archer. Fate/Prototype features Archer, an alternate version of Gilgamesh that lacks his kingly disposition. In Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya, Gilgamesh is 8th servant as well as the 2nd archer. Unlike his Fate/stay night counterpart, who is extremely stingy when using either Gate of Babylon or Ea, Gilgamesh does not hesitate to utilize either of them at maximum output.

Abilities
Gilgamesh is placed into the Archer class because of his main Noble Phantasm, Gate of Babylon. It grants him access to all of the world's treasures that he collected during his life, which include prototypes of other heroes' Noble Phantasms, and he can launch them as the strongest arrows towards his opponents. While he may sometimes choose to wield them as regular weapons, he mainly fights by raining down an infinite amount of weapons on his opponents. The most trusted Noble Phantasms contained within include Enkidu and Ea. While he has numerous Noble Phantasms, none are indicative of his true identity, and the only person through both Holy Grail Wars to figure out his identity without being told is Rider. His compatibility against Heroic Spirits is great due to the versatility of his weapons. He can be called the "Servant Destroyer" because they are no match for him. He is undoubtedly the strongest Servant.

He is rarely serious while fighting, describing his going all out in hollow ataraxia as a once in a lifetime whim, and it is said he could have ended the Fourth Holy Grail War in a single night if he wished. He is extremely perceptive of magecraft, allowing him to see through Caster's fake death and tell the exact number of spells a magus is preparing just by looking at them. He is able to predict the exact number of Projections prepared by Shirou, and asks what kind of hero he would be if he could not see through a magus. He is also capable of accurately assessing his opponents' abilities. He would not even consider having a battle of swordsmanship with Assassin, and while he plays around with a weakened Saber in Fate, he immediately backs off from her to avoid hand-to-hand combat during Unlimited Blade Works after she receives a boost in power from her contract with Rin.

He normally wears golden armor materialized from magical energy much like Saber's armor. It is extremely strong to the point that Shirou initially assumes that it is his main Noble Phantasm. It has a strong innate Magic Resistance, and it is durable enough to block Tsubame Gaeshi and numerous strong blows from Invisible Air simply by protecting his head with his hands. While it is completely free from damage after Saber's attacks, he claims it is at its limit and that any more would be bad even if his armor doesn't give out to attacks often. Shirou believes she would have been able to slash through it if she were to relaunch her barrage of attacks.

Servants are normally corrupted and blackened upon contact with the incarnation of All the World's Evil from the Holy Grail, but Gilgamesh is unable to be controlled or blackened due to his powerful ego that can stave back the mental pollution. He claims that someone would need at least three times that amount to even think about affecting him. The only change is that the saturation converts his spiritual body to one of flesh and blood. During Heaven's Feel after being devoured by Sakura, she quickly converted him to mana in haste because she was afraid he might tear her up from the inside if she does not digest him.