Heaven's Feel
Gilgamesh has a small role in Heaven's Feel scenario, in which he first appears when Shirou visited Kirei to ask about the Fourth Holy Grail War. Gilgamesh stood up and exchanged a few words with Shirou, his presence being enough to intimidate him greatly through the enmity of his presence, prior to going up to the next floor to watch the conversation between Shirou and Kirei that was about to commence. A while afterwards, he's seen speaking with Kirei in his room, commenting on how he disliked the being causing murders throughout Fuyuki, a comment which surprised even Kirei, so he clarified that he disliked it, because humans should only be killed by the king— himself, following up by once again asking him if he had any wish for the Holy Grail. Hearing Kirei's usual answer that he has none, he became amused and laughed, noting how well suited they were for each other; Gilgamesh killed humans because they were disgusting to him, while Kirei killed simply because it was enjoyable. Gilgamesh ended the conversation by leaving the room soon after.
In his final appearance, Gilgamesh lacerates Sakura with swords from the Gate of Babylon. However, he underestimated Sakura's regenerative abilities and is devoured by her shadows. Sakura is forced to quickly convert him to mana in haste because Gilgamesh's ego allows him to be immune to the mental pollution and she was afraid he might tear her up from the inside if she did not digest him.
Fate/hollow ataraxia
Gilgamesh utilizes his child form for much of Fate/hollow ataraxia to act low-profile in Fuyuki City and avoid interacting with previous Servants or Masters. 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.
Fate/unlimited codes
GilgameshUCopening.jpg
Opening
GilgameshUCending.jpg
Ending
He is given the title The Oldest King of Heroes (最古の英雄王, Saiko no Eiyū-Ō?) in Fate/unlimited codes. In his story, Kirei meets Gilgamesh and discussed about the assembled Master and Servant in the Fifth Grail War. Kirei confirmed the summoning of Saber to Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh becomes pleased after hearing this and calls her foolish for not knowing the real contents of the Grail. He proudly boast about his survival in the Fourth Holy Grail War when he was bathed in the black mud and how it is proof of his greatness, he believed others would have gone insane from its power. He calls those who believed the Holy Grail to be a wishing device to be foolish. Kirei questions about his intention because Kirei believes he doesn't need to part as a Servant. However Gilgamesh proclaims that the Holy Grail is his property and Kirei suggest him to use the Grail. Gilgamesh takes on the offer and looks forward to meeting Saber.
He meets Dark Sakura, Sakura remembers her encounter with Gilgamesh when he ordered her to die. Sakura refused to die while Gilgamesh was hoping the Holy Grail wouldn't form properly but is disappointed to see how it progressed. He decided for her to die and claims that Sakura hates herself for being so compatible. He says he does not allow murder by anyone other than himself because when a human kills another human, they become lost in guilt and suffering, which he does not find enjoyment in.
He meets Saber in the Emiya residence, Gilgamesh reminds Saber about his decision on making her his wife. Saber questions about how Gilgamesh was able to return in the Fifth Holy Grail War and Gilgamesh told her the truth. Gilgamesh offers Saber to be his wife, Saber refused and they both fight until Gilgamesh wins. Gilgamesh forces Saber to bathe in the black mud from the Grail, it is slowly corrupting her to be Saber Alter. Gilgamesh decides to show his love to Saber until he grows tired of her. "Until then, let us enjoy the pains and joys of life as we please."
ExpandFate/unlimited codes - Gilgamesh command list
Fate/tiger colosseum series
GilgameshTCending.jpg
Gilgamesh Ending
CarenTCending.jpg
Caren Ending
DarkSakuraTCEnding.jpg
Dark Sakura Ending
Fate/Grand Order
GUDAGUDA Honnouji
Gilgamesh appears in the singularity under the name Toyotomi Gilyoshi. After Ritsuka, Mash, Okita, and Nobunaga enter "Osaka", Toyotomi welcomes them as proclaims himself to be the King of Heroes and the ruler of Zipangu, the Land of Gold, and that all treasures belong to him whether they be gold or exquisite tea sets. He then continues to claim that he cannot be affected so easily by the singularity, telling the group that he is here on a different matter. However, when Mash wonders about the matter he speaks of, Toyotomi claims that he bestowed the group his finest treasures yet they said Rome's treasures were better. He continues that he wanted Rome's treasures too, and wonders why no one came to his summons. Toyotomi then says he won't give up, stating that some things are beautiful because you don't own them. He then proclaims that he will build up his power in preparation for the next event by gathering all gathering all gold and tea sets in the country. Toyotomi then becomes angered when Ritsuka and Mash are ready to fight him, to which he orders Takenaka Andersen and Kuroda Mephisto to give him a plan. Then, after Toyotomi and his subordinates are defeated by the group in battle, he is in disbelief at his lord, and then dies after saying to act now to become an Uruk citizen.
Miss Almost Weekly Santa Alter
Sending a letter to Santa Alter, Gilgamesh waits for her arrival. He calls it praiseworthy for a king to try and meet his subject's expectations, and he could learn her example though he won't. Gilgamesh then expresses his interest in Christmas, stating that even during Christmas even a modest woman cannot help but speak her heart out. He continues that he can't imagine a future but one where Santa Alter will confess her feeling to him, though he shall allow it. Gilgamesh demands for Santa Alter to come quickly, and says he'll make her understand their differences through his treasury. He then laughs that she is Christmas present. Ultimately, she never even bothers to visit him, saying that his house was empty.
Seventh Singularity: Babylonia
At the climatic battle against Tiamat, Gilgamesh is summoned by using his mortal self's death as a catalyst and aids Fujimaru and Mash in defeating the Primordial Goddess.
Final Singularity: Solomon
During the battle against the Demon God Pillars, Gilgamesh remarks that the appearance of Beast I means that it is only a matter of time before the Beast of the End shows itself.
Interlude
What's Worthy (値するもの?) is his first interlude.[21] Gilgamesh asks Ritsuka to bring him to the Fuyuki Greater Grail, where he wishes to guarantee his benefits for fighting on Chaldea's side. Mash panics because they have no treasure, but Gilgamesh replies that what he seeks is a proof of Ritsuka's worth in battle. After prevailing against seven Shadow Servants, he reveals that Ritsuka had survived what would have been a normal Holy Grail War and that he was pleased by their performance. When asked by Dr. Roman if he believes humanity has no value, Gilgamesh clarifies that while humans have no value to him, he does value what they create. He reminds them that he prizes results before all else.
Law of Creation (開闢の理?) is his second interlude.[22] Gilgamesh brings Ritsuka and Mash to Angrboda in the London Singularity, saying that he wishes to observe the disposition of its creator. When Mash asks if he meant Makiri, he explains that he lacked the power to create such a device but chooses not to elaborate, saying that no other clairvoyant (including Merlin) wishes to speak of the matter and that revealing what they wished to keep hidden will make their efforts all for nothing. He further states that the creator's obsession warped the Greater Grail, pointing to the ghosts massing around it as proof of its corruption. They fight off the ghosts, culminating in a battle against a Shadow Servant version of Charles Babbage. After defeating it, Gilgamesh tells Dr. Roman and Ritsuka that the obsession he spoke of was that of the enemy who sought to incinerate the history of man, born of foolish hatred. Noticing Mash's confusion, he explains that all action brings forth benefit in some way, but this particular hatred is born from the desire to leave nothing behind. He advises them that when they confront it, they should remember what it is they fight to protect. As they leave, Mash reminds Gilgamesh that they were promised a reward, but he tells them it was already granted and they would see what it was in their next battle.
Law of Heaven is his third interlude. Gilgamesh brings Mash and Ritsuka to an island said to be inhabited by a dragon. Mash is uneasy about the prospect of a dragon hunt since they are revered in some regions as gods, but this only serves to motivate Gilgamesh further. As they make their way into the dragon's lair, Gilgamesh notes that the nearby golems seem to have been constructed in the language of dragons. When the party confronts the dragon in question, they discover it was building a workshop and was not expecting visitors to arrive, though it is still quite eager to kill them. After the battle, Gilgamesh is disappointed to see that the dragon had used all its treasure to build the workshop. Mash asks if Gilgamesh wished to see if Ritsuka could be a proper Master in his eyes, but he laughs the idea off and says that when such a thing happens the world will have already been saved. He claims that he merely wished to sharpen Ea's edge in battle against a worthy foe, but nevertheless acknowledges that Ritsuka's growth is to be applauded.
Capsule Servant
Shirou celebloomers end.jpg
Shirou's ending in Celebloomers ending.
Carnival Phantasm
Gilgamesh in CP.png
Gilgamesh appears in Carnival Phantasm, serving the role of a "friend nobody likes" based on the general reaction of the other Fate characters to his presence.
He appears in the first episode outright breaking the rules and using his Noble Phantasm to attack Lancer. In episode 5, he is referred to as "Gil the Prankster." He attempts to get rid of Berserker but fails and becomes the first Servant Berserker defeats. Berserker also trips on him later on in the episode. In episode 8, Gilgamesh teases Saber over her employment at Ahnenerbe, but receives a verbal backlash from Saber Alter, whom he immediately develops a crush on. In episode 9, Gilgamesh participates in the race even though Kirei Kotomine did not invite him due to his rule-breaking tendencies. The episode reveals Gilgamesh spent the ten years between the 4th and 5th Grail Wars developing a passion for race cars.
Gilgamesh's child self appears in episode EX as Caren Hortensia's Servant alongside Lancer.
All Around Type-Moon
Gilgamesh, in his child form, appears once in All Around Type-Moon.
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 Tine Chelc, and Gilgamesh in Fate/EXTRA CCC is one of the four selectable Servants summoned by Hakuno Kishinami along with Saber, Caster, and Archer. Fate/Prototype features Archer, an alternate version of Gilgamesh that lacks his kingly disposition. Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA features an incarnation of Gilgamesh that takes form as his child self.
Gilgamesh also appears in Fate/EXTELLA as a member of Altera's team, as well as Altera's second-in-command. Like all Servants, he has his own side story.
Abilities
Gilgamesh is the strongest Heroic Spirit and thus the most powerful existence among the Servants in both the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail War.[13][23][24][25] While the energy of his soul is worth that of hundreds of thousands of souls, and taking him in is enough to fill a partially-full Lesser Grail even while it lacks several other Servants,[5] Gilgamesh is only as physically strong as Saber or Heracles, if not weaker.[26] The reason Gilgamesh has the advantage over most other Servants in combat is that he is capable of exploiting their weaknesses thanks to possessing the originals of all Noble Phantasms.[1] All Heroic Spirits have things they were weak against in life, their greatest weak points, and he possesses all of the Noble Phantasms ever owned by mankind, including those that killed each hero.[1][27] As a result, he could be called the "Servant Killer".[1] Gilgamesh does not display power as an "individual" soldier, but rather as a "war" that even the strongest soldier could not overcome by himself. Only those who are a "war" themselves will be able to compete against him.[28] In terms of the "firepower" available to him due to the versatility of his weaponry, he can be said to have the strength of "5 Servants + a", a force able to match all the Servants and Masters defending the town in Fate/hollow ataraxia, putting him at an advantage against those like Arcueid Brunestud whose strength is based on the "single entity ability" of the opponent rather than their weaponry.[29][30] Although Gilgamesh possesses overwhelming, cheat-like strength,[25] other servants such as Enkidu, whose combat strength is roughly the same as that of Gilgamesh do in fact exist.[31]
Shirou Emiya claims that even Saber at full power as Rin's servant would be no match for Gilgamesh. On the other hand, Saber says that although he is certainly a strong enemy, she would not lose easily against him if she went into defense. Even though Rin had seen Gilgamesh defeat Heracles without breaking a sweat, she also told Shirou that he seemed to be thinking pretty highly of Gilgamesh. In response, Shirou said that although he is sure that Saber is stronger than Gilgamesh, let alone in swordsmanship, he would defeat her thanks to her attributes not being fit to fight him. However, Shirou claimed this without having yet learned of the existence of Excalibur, believing Invisible Air was Artoria's only Noble Phantasm. Taking all things into account, Saber believes there is a chance at beating Gilgamesh with her holy sword before he can use his Noble Phantasm.[28] A fight between Saber Alter and him would be just a measure of their skills as a miracle wouldn't happen due to Saber having lost "the protagonist's compensation or the glimmer of the stars". Back when they were alive, both had extraordinary magical energy output so it would be a measure of their firepower where Gilgamesh would gain a slight advantage due to his "omnipotence and cunning". Should they fight as Servants, Saber Alter could win due to Gilgamesh not gaining any assistance from his master for fighting relying only on his own power, regardless of his Master being a first-rate or third-rate Mage. Gilgamesh could defeat her if his "Master's charm as a human" is high.[32]
Gilgamesh's pride and carelessness often keeps him from fighting seriously, considering it to be unbecoming to be serious for the Holy Grail. As his dignity cannot be yielded, such weaknesses "kind of balance out" with the firepower of the other participants of the Fourth Holy Grail War when he could simply end it in one night should he wish it.[25] Kotomine comments that his notion of overlooking "worthless and meaningless things" is one factor that can lead to his defeat because "there are worthless things, but there are no meaningless things."[23] Shirou describes that along with his great power that he was "given the fate of being raised with his 'carelessness' skill maxed out."[33] He considers his title as a king "constrictive" in a sense that his pride will not allow him to go all out against people he considers to be unworthy, seeing taking such a person seriously as himself being defeated.[34] He will refuse to use Ea against anyone unworthy, either hesitating with its usage or testing them to make sure they are worthy of it.[34][35] He describes his going all out in Fate/hollow ataraxia as a once in a lifetime whim, and he would have been able to conquer the four day loop by himself had he not turned himself into a child.[30][36] Although generally the strongest existence among the Servants who cannot be rivaled when he is serious, he loses against Saber due to obsession, loses to Shirou due to pride, and loses to Sakura Matou due to carelessness.[13] It can be said he is forced to bend his knees before the universal law of "love conquers all" in Fate/stay night, but is allowed to "show off his overwhelming, cheat-like strength without restraint" in Fate/Zero.[25]
He normally does not care about his attire in battle while playing, but claims there are some restrictions for a serious, dignified battle. As he does not favor hand-to-hand combat, exercising his true power only requires his body and the key to his treasury. He has the absolute self-confidence to calmly show himself before his opponents, but he is also apt to simply kill by raining Noble Phantasms behind his enemies' backs depending on his mood. The will of the king cannot be simply gauged by the concept of tactic.[1]
Class Skills
He did not have any abilities to resist magecraft during life, so he only gains Magic Resistance as the class ability of the Archer class. He obtains C rank under Tokiomi, allowing him to completely nullify magecraft under two verses, but he is still susceptible to High Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals. It is lowered under Kirei due to his lack of magical energy, and remains at only the minimal level, rank E, that provides light damage mitigation against magecraft rather than full neutralization. The state of his Magic Resistance matters little, as he is able to neutralize most magecraft with his many items that defend against it. His armor and a shield are able to repel A rank magecraft with ease. Overall, he is much more likely to simply unleash a raging wave of Noble Phantasms against "mongrels" impeding the king by attempting to use large-scale spells, completely crushing them without even giving them the time to cast.[1]
Gilgamesh has a high rank of Independent Action, rank A, allowing him to easily utilize his Noble Phantasms and remain in the world without Tokiomi's backup. He is able to easily ignore his Master's orders, making it possible to stroll around without making his Master aware of his whereabouts. The only way to command him is through the use of Command Spells, but his disposition that does not even contain an ounce of respect for his Master makes utilizing them idly a bad move. Utilizing Noble Phantasms of great power does require backup from his Master.[1]
After being materialized, he gains the rank of A+, completely setting him apart from the rest of the Servants by allowing him to operate without a Master. Exceeding his previous rank, the support of the Master is unnecessary even while unleashing a large amount of magical power. It is an ability that bends the rules, and it allows for his continued materialization as a Servant even after the conclusion of the Holy Grail War for ten years. While he was always able to operate without regard for his Master, gaining a physical body is what allowed for him to remain materialized after the Holy Grail War. While he accepts energy supplied by Kirei from a number of orphans, he claims that the act was unnecessary overall.[1]
Personal Skills
He would normally possess the highest rank of Divinity among all Heroic Spirits due to being 2/3 God. He is at a level even exceeding Heracles, the son of Zeus who ascended to the Pantheon after death. The rank is instead decreased from A+ to B because of his hatred of the gods, who killed his only companion, Enkidu, unleashed the Bull of Heaven onto the earth, and caused him much trouble in his life.[1][4]
He has the skill Golden Rule, being fated to a life that is filled with riches. It does not measure the percentage of gold in one's body, but the chance of attracting gold in one's life. The level of gold provided by rank A will make the user incredibly wealthy to the point where money trouble will be unknown, allowing him to live the life of a nabob. While it seems unrelated to battle, it plays a great role in arming him. Claiming all the world's treasures as his own, he obtained the originals of Noble Phantasms preserved in his treasury during that period.[1]
He has the highest rank of Charisma with the influence to build a grand empire on a global scale. He is often praised as the greatest king, so his ability to command and lead great armies is excellent. Being such a rare talent, with even a B rank being sufficient enough to lead a nation, his A+ rank makes it no longer a matter of popularity or skill, but closer to something like sorcery or curse. His ego and self-confidence can surely boost the morale of any army led by him to an extremely high level, allowing them to gain a tremendous increase in abilities.[1]
Noble Phantasms
Gate of Babylon
Gate of Babylon.png
He 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 overwhelming amount of weapons on his opponents, each of them fired with godspeed and fatal power. Saber weakened as Shirou's servant believes the only way to stand a chance against him is to take him down before he gets serious and uses Ea.[37]
If he has a natural weak point besides his tendency not to fight seriously, it is that he is not a master of his weapons. He is not a "wielder" who has mastered his weapon to the limit, leaving some room for counters like Unlimited Blade Works. Knight of Owner is said to be a natural counter to him, though Lancelot is only capable of keeping up with Gilgamesh to the level he did because Mad Enhancement was boosting his abilities.[38] 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 Iskandar, though Shirou is able to guess after he gives a number of details about himself.
Most notable treasures contained in Gate of Babylon:
Ea
Enkidu
He normally wears Golden Armor (黄金の甲冑, Kogane no Katchū?) 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 Saber simply by protecting his head with his hands. He eventually stops playing around despite his armor not being in any danger of giving out to her attacks.[39] Shirou believes she would have been able to slash through it if she were to relaunch her barrage of attacks. He claims that he does not need it while playing around, and that it is only crucial for guarding against evil spirits like petrifying serpents, due to it being anti-petrification equipment, and gigantic bulls.[40]
One of his Noble Phantasms grants Gilgamesh the ability to levitate high into the air, to the point of being able to casually float over 100 meters above the opponent and remain perfectly still while having an all-out battle with Enkidu. He is capable of freely controlling it, allowing him to briefly descend to the ground before quickly returning to the air shortly after.
Although he does not normally have an aptitude for Magecraft, he has several Mystic Codes of great power that allows him to cast spells of considerable strength, such as his "spellbook", a stone tablet capable of casting runes, and countless magic staves capable of using Magic from the Age of the Gods, which vary to flaring magecraft-based fire attacks, launching magecraft-based homing light attacks, and surging magecraft-based lightning attacks.
Enuma Elish
Gilgamesh's most powerful Noble Phantasm is Enuma Elish, an attack performed by unleashing Ea's maximum output.[1][3] Said output is equal if not greater than Excalibur's,[1][3] and can be further increased by absorbing the energy of the other Noble Phantasms within Gate of Babylon.[1] Thus, its power cannot be completely neutralized even when colliding with Excalibur,[1] unless it is blocked by an Anti-Purge class armor or counterbalanced by an attack that deals damage of the same level.[3]
SaberKillsGilgamesh.jpg
Saber defeats Gilgamesh before he can react.
In his final fight against Saber in the Fate Route, when Gilgamesh finally decided to go all out after seeing Saber's determination, Saber managed to momentarily offset full power Enuma Elish with Excalibur despite being so exhausted she couldn't lift her sword or walk due to her legs not being even at one tenth of their original power. Once Ea's turns reached their maximum speed, and its light started to mow down Excalibur, Saber activated Avalon, completely protecting herself from his attack. Once Gilgamesh realized what was happening, he saw death running up his spine as the raised Ea cannot stop turning once it's being fired, and he wouldn't be able to jump back in time. In that instance, Saber run towards him while charging Excalibur once more, firing it once she was right in front of him, defeating him in the process.[37]
Gilgamesh's role in the defeat of Tiamat in the Babylonia Singularity was key. After Merlin transformed the Sea of Life into flowers draining her power and First Hassan not only severed her wings but granted her the concept of "death" by downgrading her Saint Graph into that of a normal servant, Archer Gilagamesh aided Ritsuka Fujimaru's party by dealing the finishing blow with Enuma Elish, destroying her weak spot in the head and collapsing her Spirit Origin in the process.[41]
Sha Naqba Imuru
Gilgamesh possesses a tremendously efficient Clairvoyance, taking the form of the Noble Phantasm Sha Naqba Imuru, that allows him to discern heavily concealed truths with a single glance, making him fully capable of reading the True Name and Noble Phantasms of his opponents and he is able to guide others with the most optimal tactics upon releasing his true name, simultaneously increasing the attack and defense power of his entire team. 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, as shown by how he effortlessly predicts the exact number of Projections prepared by Shirou, which he went as far as to ask 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.[42]
Incarnation
Gilgamesh is doused in a torrent of the black mud, the incarnation of All the World's Evil, spilling from the Holy Grail during the Fourth War. His body is instantly broken down and absorbed into it, becoming one with the flow. Servants are normally corrupted and blackened upon contact, 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. However, the incarnation inevitably makes his human side resonate with the people of the era, making him much more destructive and impulsive in the Fifth Holy Grail War compared to the Fourth.
It is normally impossible for correctness and affirmations to exist with the cursed vortex of hatred because all has determined that everything is ugly and hateful, so the words "yes" and "that is right" appearing within is an anomaly. It does not allow the existence of "entities", so such a thing should not be possible. It questions these affirmations, and gets a response. Gilgamesh, as the king, will acknowledge that the world was originally such a way, he will permit it to be so, and he will bear the burden of sin for the entire world. It then asks "what is a king?", causing a contradiction in that it admitted there was someone else within it.
Gilgamesh is recognized as a strange foreign object that cannot exist, and the King, a presence that is an absolute controller that has no equal, announces his presence and frees himself from the mud. The only change after being temporarily absorbed is that the saturation converts his spiritual body to one of flesh and blood like the blackened Servants. It could not digest him even after utilizing all of its hatred, so it crystallized the impurity within itself and abandoned it. He was given a corporeal body and regurgitated back into the present world. Becoming completely incarnated, he continued to survive as an existence with a physical body.
Gilvoid.jpg
The void appearing on Gilgamesh's body
Due to the connection, the Grail attempts to turn him into a host in Unlimited Blade Works in a last ditch effort to survive even though a Servant cannot become its core. It opens a black void on his body that proceeds to instantly swallow him. He managed to partially escape, but needs an anchor to keep from being sucked in completely. It begins to melt his body in various places, and the void shrinks into nothingness after he sinks into it.
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.[43] It also has to do with the power behind the curse, as the "mud" cut off from the main body that he managed to "beautifully escape" and the "shadow" connected to the thing itself are of different quality.[25] There is also the effect Sakura has as the Grail itself, as he was materialized under the Grail System. Regardless if he is incarnated or spiritual, he cannot resist the Grail, and due to the large amount of mana she absorbed from him, she buckled like a broken dam.[5]
Development
Creation and Conception
When 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. The overall concept of the character was changed very little since his initial conception.[5]
It is revealed that Gilgamesh's overall design and appearance was heavily based on Gilgamesh from the Tower of Druaga franchise. Nasu "selfishly demanded" that "Gilgamesh must wear a full golden plate armour" during the designing stage, reasoning it to be that Gilgamesh would have needed it to repeatedly challenge some sixty-story building in his era.[13]
Reception
In the first Popularity polls of Fate/stay night in 2004, Gilgamesh was ranked 13th and the fifth most voted male character.
In the second Popularity polls of Fate/stay night in 2006, Gilgamesh was ranked 13th and the fifth most voted male character.
In the Type-Moon's 10th Anniversary Character Poll, Gilgamesh from Fate/stay night was ranked 9th and the third most voted male character. Gilgamesh from Fate/Zero was ranked 74th.