CLOVERWORKS OUTDID THEMSELVES FOR THE FOURTH TIME!
This is already the best episode of Fate/Grand Order Babylonia. And dare I say it, the most epic episode in the entire history of the Fate franchise. Everything here is just perfect—the dialogues, the visuals, the soundtracks, and more importantly, the fight scenes.
We just saw SIX Noble Phantasms being unleashed in a span of 23 minutes. And while it might have overwhelmed some of the watchers—a topic which I will cover by the end of this review—for me, it is a dream come true as a fan of the game and series as a whole.
Tiamat is a terrifying monster (no matter how cute she looks). Her approach to Uruk despite all the injuries she had received did not even stop her from evolving to her true form. In all honesty, the entire episode reminded me too much of Percy Jackson’s The Last Olympian where Typhon, Father of Monsters, was on his way to destroy Olympus, and the gods threw EVERYTHING they got to stop him. It was only through Poseidon and his army of Cyclopes that the Olympians managed to finally chain Typhon and send him down to Tartarus, a scene that was eerily similar to how Enkidu showed up in this episode and restrained Tiamat long enough for Ishtar to blast a hole below the Primordial Goddess.
But aside from that, there are so many highlights in this episode, each one linked to the Servants and their respective Noble Phantasms. Ana, now in her true form of Gorgon, appeared one last time to destroy Tiamat’s wings. And her final moments were both epic and heart wrenching at the same time.
Kingu’s arrival and his change of heart was on that same level. But his final words to Gilgamesh was what sold the scene for me. Gone was the murderous puppet that Tiamat had created. Instead, this was Kingu finally accepting Enkidu’s purpose as a weapon: to preserve the world. And he fulfilled it with an act that showed why he deserved the friendship and respect of Gilgamesh.
Speaking of the Golden King, we’ve known him as an arrogant bastard in Fate/Stay Night and an annoying but reliable and polite kid in Fate/Kaleid Prisma Illya, but in this particular series, and in fact this very episode, we saw why he is the King of Heroes. This is the KING that everyone in Uruk worshipped and wanted to die for. This is the HERO that will not go down until his last breath, even if he is the only one standing, and is even willing to sacrifice himself to grasp victory.
THIS IS THE ONE TRUE KING OF HEROES.
The next scenes after that were every bit as epic and heart pounding as the previous ones. Ishtar, for the second time, has unleashed her Noble Phantasm and proved that, no, she is not a useless goddess.
Ereshkigal’s scenes were cute and funny, especially when she panicked after seeing Tiamat transform to her true form.
Merlin’s sudden arrival is probably an unexpected twist to those who never played the game, but it is still epic regardless. Honestly speaking, I was not sure how they could portray his Noble Phantasm in the anime. In the game, it was a buff skill enhancing the party. But they managed to pull it off and turn it into something that immensely help his comrades.
But perhaps the best part in this episode is the arrival of First Hassan in all his glory. The scene is both epic and haunting, evoking his image of a true Grim Reaper. First Hassan’s voice actor, Joji Nakata, who also voiced Kirei Kotomine, delivered one of the best and most badass lines in all of anime in a way that only he could. Combined that with an epic background music, and we’ve just seen one of the best character entrances in the entire Nasuverse history.
Now I know some are saying that the entire episode is rushed, but I will have to disagree a bit. It’s not that it is rushed. Rather, so many things had happened in just 23 minutes that some might, quite understandably, feel overwhelmed. But I never felt that. To me, 23 minutes passed by so fast that I was still craving for more by the end of it. And that is a testament of how flawless this episode is.
This is easily a perfect rating. 100/10 for me.