For any fantasy anime the universe itself and the story are two of the three most important aspects that must be put into consideration. The universe itself must be captivating enough to draw in viewers and be fleshed out enough that it can sustain itself with seeming rather dull and predictable. I

n this aspect Fate/Zero really does shine, although the idea of having heroes from legends fighting each other is not necessarily a new idea, Fate/Zero knows how to pull it off right in its own universe. Of the seven masters present each can pick one out of the seven classes available, whichever servant they decide to summon will fit into one of these classes. The Magic in the universe is formed with a combination of prana and mana, with it a Magi can do any number of things, from manipulating time within their own body to creating an altered space that can form into any place that the user desires.

As for the Holy Grail itself, it is a tool that all Magi strive to achieve, as all Magi aim to find the Akashic Records or the "Root," the source of all information and events in the world. There are three main families of magi that are the most prominent of all each helped in the creation of the Holy Grail itself as a means to get to the root, however once they learned that only one person could have the Holy Grail they stopped working together and thus the Holy Grail War was born.

In Fate/Zero there is no focus on one particular character until later on very fitting for a free for all death match, in this aspect it allows all of the Masters to receive good character development. Every Servant that appears in Fate/Zero brings in their own conflicts and desires that they held from their previous lives. Some of them even having connected legends that creates points of conflict, with multiple parties, based on the problems that the heroes had in their past lives.

As the story unfolds the viewer gets to see interesting interactions between master and servants, usually the ideals of the servants clash with their Masters that creates tension and even some backstabbing. Each master has their own reason for wanting the Holy Grail, each with their own ideology and approach to the war itself, making the battle not the typical clash between two opposing forces, but rather a clash of principles. Some of the masters develop specifically because of the servant that they are paired up with, creating bonds that let them grow as a character.

Through the entirety of the show you get to see an intricate web of relationships between all of the masters and servants creating diverse and engrossing scenes. In regards to action in Fate/Zero it's not lacking, having any where from free for alls, one v ones, and even a raid against a gigantic immortal monster. Overall being able to pull off a story with legendary heroes and people and creating something that is both mature and engaging makes the story top notch.

Kiritsugu & Saber:
Although Fate/Zero does not focus on one specific character in the beginning these two are the ones who get more screen time as the story progress. Saber and Kiritsugu both have different beliefs has to how a person should go about saving others. Due to Kiritsugu's bloody past he firmly believes that the means justify the end, if he had to choose between letting 200 die to save a city he would do it in an instant seemingly without remorse. Although this may make him seem as a cold character he is in fact an emotional character who has chosen to execute his actions with regret nor emotion for the sake of the greater good. Saber on the other hand lead the life of a king who lead her people, as such she chose to take as much as responsibility as she could, even at the cost of her living a decent life. She is a firm believer in chivalry and holds the strong belief that a life should not be taken without good reason. It is for these reasons that both characters, especially as the story progresses their beliefs tend to create tension towards each other. At the same time their polar opposite beliefs causes the viewer to be able to see the obvious flaws of the extremes in the ideologies of the pair.

Kotomine & Assassin
This pair breaks apart rather early in the story due to spoilerish reasons. Kotomine is a twisted character that could not find joy nor purpose in life. He just single mindlessly goes about his life completing tasks regardless of what they are. Assassin is a character that is made up of multiple personalities due to the servant that he is. However he remains a true assassin and rarely ever sees combat remaining on the sidelines as a tool for Kotomine to spy on others. Due to this Assassin is one of the few characters that does not get any development. Kotomine does not truly develop until he meets and begins conversing with Archer, the servant of Tokiomi. It is Archer that allows Kotomine to realize who he really is and exactly how dark and twisted of an individual he is.

Tokiomi & Archer:
Tokiomi is a proud magi of one of the larger magi families who is an old fashion magi to the core that cares but nothing more for the lineage of his family and would like to see the Tohsakas get to the “Root.” A traditional arrogant magi that cares for nothing but living his family's future magi lineage.  Archer is an arrogant King he considers everything in the world to be his possession, due to his life as a King who owned most everything under the sun during his time. He considers himself to be the best around in both power and  the only true king in the world. He himself has no interest in Tokiomi and finds him boring, but quickly gains an interest in Kotomine. He helps Kotomine develop by pushing him to find what he finds to be truly enjoyable in life and actually does achieve this by the end of the story.

Waver & Rider:
Waver is a coward with a short fuse, indecisive with an inferiority complex due to the treatment he got from other pure blooded magi. Waver begins as a stereotype whiny useless character in the beginning but slowly gains the courage to stand in front of his enemies without fear. Rider is the third King in the anime is a confident and charismatic figure. His past makes him impulsive and greedy but he values the bonds of friendship he has with other. With Rider's help Waver develops into a more likable character that could even be the protagonist. Together they form a brotherly relationship where they both support the other and some of the other characters as well.

Ryuunosuke & Caster:
Ryuunosuke is a unstable serial killer who derives pleasure from killing and gutting others. He is obsessed with death and learning the process. He is a sick and twisted individual who gets satisfaction from getting every ounce of emotion from his victims before eventually murdering them. He has an extreme detachment from reality that he does not bother with anyone outside of his own murdering reality. He gets a thrill out of killing the innocent, mostly women and children, as the process of their murder makes it more exciting.

Caster is a perfect match for Ryuunosuke as he too enjoys watching people get a moments worth of hope before crushing it in their deaths. He has a mistaken obsession with Saber, who he believes to be his old friend. He encourages Ryuunosuke's atrocious hobbies by giving him the tools to get new victims easily. While Ryuunosuke encourages Caster's twisted view of God that he holds to the point that his original is no longer present. These two create a plethora of issues for the other masters as they are not so much focused on obtaining the Holy Grail but rather going on a murder spree. Which leads to inevitable confrontations with other masters.

Kayneth & Lancer:
Kayneth is very similar to Tokiomi in that he too is a proud and traditional magus. A nobleman born with talent due to his magus lineage, and an individual who believes himself to be entitled due to the life he has lived. He is arrogant with an attitude of “I am better than others.” He holds everyone to a lesser degree of worthiness whenever interacting with others, even his servant. Lancer is a chivalrous man who holds the knights code of honor above all else, his strict loyalty to Kayneth is admirable but misplaced. He sees the Grail as an opportunity as a way to redeem himself of the life he lived as a hero. This pair is an instant KO waiting to happen, with a master that does nothing but berate Lancer for living to his code and for believing that Lancer will take his wife away from him. At the same time Lancer does nothing about this however he does provide the anime a character of true chivalry to displace the lack thereof with many of the other characters.

Kariya & Berserker:
This pair is the only duo that does not get along due to the fact that Kariya is so obsessed with his goal that he sees Berserker as only a tool, and mostly because the Berserker class can't talk, they're aren't capable of rational thought. Kariya is a rather unfortunate man, the love of his life is married to another, something he let happen as he didn't want her to get involved with magic. Scorned by his family as he abandoned his position as the next in line for family head. And one of his “nieces” gets turned over to another family to act as his replacement as family head.

Which is the reason he decides to join the Holy Grail War, by striking a deal he can keep her from harm but only if he wins. The only reason he lives for as long as he does his for is iron clad determination to save those he cares about. Which leads him to become a thorn in others side as he tries to kill everyone without much strategy whatsoever. There isn't much to say about Berserker, without being able to talk, his actions speak louder than words. The only other character who he affects is Saber due to his identity as a hero. He does however acts as a wake up call to Saber's naive ideals.

The studio that produced Fate/Zero was Ufotable, a company well known for its ability to create some of the best animation seen in anime ever. Considering the Ufotable had a rather large budget to work with its no surprise they were able to create something of high caliber that almost no other anime can touch. The animation really shines during the fight scenes where every effect used makes the battle not only look fantastic but have an nice fluidity.

The composer of the soundtrack is Yuki Kajiura, well known for for being able to create master pieces and has done the soundtrack for other anime, games and movies. More notable examples of her work is the music in Sword Art online and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. In Fate/Zero her work shines in making the fight scenes have a grand scale and gives important moments the emotion they need. Overall her work in Fate/Zero us one of her best pieces she has created overall.

As a real big fan of the Fate universe and the Nasuverse (the universe that all Type Moon material is set in) overall Fate/Zero us a well balanced anime in all aspects. It's a mature anime with practically no fan service and manages to have an engrossing story that makes you want to keep watching to see who is the inevitable winner in the free for all death match. And with well written characters to boot it is an absolute must see for anyone interested in anime.

While it is the most well balanced anime I have seen, it is not without its faults, there are a few characters who don't get used in the best manner or they just don't get the proper amount of screen time. Also with the amount of story behind the Fate Series there is so much information needed to fully comprehend everything in detail that the entire anime ends up explaining what it needs to for its story but does most of it in the first episode. The first episode is basically an informational dump that may be a bit much to jump right into, but its written well enough that it doesn't bore the reader to death as it does also lay the ground with some exposition,

Fate/Zero being my favorite anime its no surprise that I give it such a high score but no anime is perfect, it has its faults but with everything it has going for it these small details are hardly worth getting stuck up on.

I loved /Zero, but what the hell are the "Archives of Akatan" or whatever?
And the ending is a clusterfuck unless you know what's happening next/get it explained to you.