How to Watch the Fate Anime in Order: A Complete Guide

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Anime and manga expert Ryan Burns explains where to start watching Fate

Co-authored by Ryan Burns and Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: February 23, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Fate Watch Order
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• The Fate Anime, Explained
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• Spin-Off Watch Order
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• Fate/Grand Order Watch Order
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• Where to Watch
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• Video

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Fate (beginning with Fate/stay night) is more than just an anime—it’s a whole media franchise, which begs the question, what order are you supposed to watch it all in? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’ve played the Fate visual novel and mobile games or you’re just looking to explore the anime adaptation, this watch order guide will show you the best order to view the Fate series. Plus, we’ll also show you how (and where) to watch the Fate/Grand Order series and other Fate spin-offs, with exclusive tips from an anime & manga expert.

Recommended Fate/stay night Watch Order

• Fate/stay night (2006)
• Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014)
• Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. presage flower (2017)
• Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] II. lost butterfly (2019)
• Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song (2020)
• Fate/Zero (2011)

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Section 1 of 5:

The Best Fate Anime Watch Order

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1. 
   1
   Narratively, it makes sense to begin with the original Fate/stay night. Fans of the Fate anime are somewhat divided on the best starting place. Some fans, like anime and manga expert Ryan Burns, recommend starting with Fate/Zero, since it’s a prequel. Others feel that Fate/Zero spoils too much for first-time viewers—so if you’re watching for the first time, we recommend starting with Fate/stay night (the original 2006 series) instead. Thus, the Fate watch order is:

   • Fate/stay night (2006)
   • Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014)
   • Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. presage flower (2017)
   • Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] II. lost butterfly (2019)
   • Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song (2020)
   • Fate/Zero (2011)

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Ryan Burns is an anime & manga expert.
2. 
   2
   Chronologically, you should instead begin with Fate/Zero. “Best” is totally subjective in this situation—and if you prefer watching series in chronological order, that’s a valid choice, too! So, here’s an alternative Fate anime watch order for those who want to see each series chronologically:

   • Fate/Zero (2011)
   • Fate/stay night (2006)
   • Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (2014)
   • Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. presage flower (2017)
   • Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] II. lost butterfly (2019)
   • Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song (2020)
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Section 2 of 5:

All Fate Anime Series, Explained

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1. 1
   Fate/stay nightFate/stay night is the original introduction to the Fate series; although you’re welcome to start elsewhere, this is where it began! The series follows the first route of the Fate/stay night visual novel game, as protagonist Shirou Emiya is unwillingly thrust into the Fifth Holy Grail War, a deadly tournament in which competitors fight to be granted a single wish of their choice.

   • Number of seasons: 1 (24 episodes)
2. 2
   Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade WorksThe cool thing about Fate/stay night is that it was a visual novel first—so there are multiple “routes” within the game to explore in anime form. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works follows the second route of the visual novel, following Rin Tohsaka (a classmate of Shirou’s), who is also striving to get the Holy Grail, and whose path eventually meets up with Shirou’s.

   • Number of seasons: 2 (25 episodes)
3. 3
   Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. presage flowerFate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] is a trilogy of movies that adapts the third route in the visual novel. This first movie, presage flower, follows Sakura Matou and Shirou Emiya at the beginning of their story as they are thrust into the midst of the Holy Grail War.
4. 4
   Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] II. lost butterflyThe second of three movies, lost butterfly, continues Sakura Matou and Shirou Emiya’s story. After Shirou is eliminated from the Holy Grail War, he decides to keep fighting for Sakura’s sake, as well as the other participants.
5. 5
   Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring songThe final movie in the trilogy, spring song, concludes the story told in the Fate/stay night visual novel’s third route. In the movie, Shirou sets out to save a corrupted Sakura and claim (and destroy) the tainted Holy Grail.
6. 6
   Fate/ZeroFate/Zero is, as we’ve mentioned, a prequel series taking place before the events of Fate/stay night and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. Because it contains major spoilers for certain elements of Unlimited Blade Works, you can choose to watch it first or later in the watch order; regardless, it follows Kiritsugu Emiya during the 4th Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City.

   • Number of seasons: 2 (26 episodes)
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Section 3 of 5:

Fate Anime Spin-Off Watch Order

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1. 
   In addition to the main Fate/stay night continuity, there are several spin-offs (some being anime series, others being movies or shorts). The good news is, it doesn’t really matter what order you watch the spin-offs in! Generally, we’d recommend watching them after you finish the main series outlined above—but, beyond that, it’s up to you. Here’s the list of Fate spin-offs:

   • Fate/Prototype (2011)
   • Carnival Phantasm (2011)
   • Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA (2013)
   • Fate/Apocrypha (2017)
   • Fate/EXTRA Last Encore (2018)
   • Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family (2018)
   • Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files (2019)
   • Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn (2023)
   • Fate/strange Fake (2026)
     • Burns says that you can watch Fate/strange Fake without having seen the whole series.

Section 4 of 5:

How to Watch Fate/Grand Order in Order

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1. 1
   Fate/Grand Order: First OrderThe Fate/Grand Order anime is based on the free-to-play mobile game of the same name. It’s part of the larger Fate universe, following an organization called the “Chaldea Security Organization.” Here, we list each entry in the Grand Order series in watch order! The first entry in this series, First Order, is a film in which two members of the organization are sent to eliminate a Singularity threatening humanity.
2. 2
   Fate/Grand Order: Camelot - Wandering; AgateramThis movie is one of two that follows Bedivere, a knight in 1273 A.D. In it, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight team up with Bedivere to navigate a war-torn land together and ultimately resolve the 6th Singularity.
3. 3
   Fate/Grand Order: Camelot - Paladin; AgateramThis movie concludes the arc begun in Camelot - Wandering, with Ritsuka and Mash attempting to save humanity by dealing with the Singularity. Meanwhile, Bedivere’s story also sees its conclusion.
4. 4
   Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: BabyloniaBabylonia is yet another Grand Order arc, this time set in a land called “Uruk,” with Ritsuka and Mash on the case, trying to figure out why a trio of goddesses (and untold numbers of demons) have suddenly appeared. Like Camelot, which features the legendary Arthurian figure Bedivere, this series also features a hero of legend: Gilgamesh.

   • Number of seasons: 1 (22 episodes)
5. 5
   Fate/Grand Order Final Singularity - Grand Temple of Time: SolomonFinal Singularity tells the story of the Chaldea Security Organization’s final enemy—Solomon, the king of mages. Like the Camelot arc, Final Singularity is a movie, one that wraps up the Observer on Timeless Temple storyline.

   • On the Crunchyroll streaming platform, Final Singularity is actually grouped with Babylonia (listed as a second season rather than its own separate entry).
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Section 5 of 5:

Where to Watch the Fate Anime

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1. The Fate/stay night series is available on Amazon Prime and Crunchyroll. For the 2006 Fate/stay night, you’ll need to go to Amazon Prime; you can watch it for free if you have a HIDIVE subscription, or buy the season (or individual episodes). Then, for the rest of Fate/stay night (including Unlimited Blade Works, Zero, and [Heaven’s Feel], you can stream them with a Crunchyroll subscription.

   • The Grand Order series is also available on Crunchyroll’s streaming platform.
   • Additionally, most of the spin-off series are available on Crunchyroll, with a few exceptions:
     • Fate/Prototype isn’t available to stream.
     • Fate/Apocrypha is available on Netflix.
     • Fate/EXTRA Last Encore is available on Netflix.

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