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 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 Japanese and Grant George in English.

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.