Seriously, people seem to hate him for sticking up to his ideals, despite praising shounen protagonists for the same thing.
Spoilers ahead!
Summary:
Many fans seem to be unhappy with the protagonist of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, Shirou Emiya.
Shirou clings to his idealistic worldview, which naturally upsets many fans.
A lot of people seem to prefer Fate/Zero because they like Kiritsugu as a main character way more — but the two works exist to complement each other rather than to be compared.
Fate/stay night, initially, was a visual novel with three distinct routes. The routes, due to the branching nature of the source material, all differ from each other in significant ways.
Some of the specific aspects of the Unlimited Blade Works route (adapted by ufotable into a 2-season anime) seem to be criticized by many fans, especially the behavior of the protagonist, Shirou Emiya.
The contradiction between Shirou and Archer
The main mystery of Unlimited Blade Works is the identity of Archer — whose goal seems to be to kill Shirou. In the end it turns out that the true identity of Archer is Emiya himself, summoned as a Heroic Spirit from the future rather than from the past.
Shirou’s ideals of a “hero of justice” are going to lead to his downfall in the future. Despite being presented with the actual evidence of this in the existence of Archer, he still holds onto them.
This leads to him being criticized by many fans, saying he’s stubborn and stupid — but that’s kinda the point of Unlimited Blade Works in the first place.
Themes of the anime
The theme of Unlimited Blade Works is being true to yourself. In the end, Archer accepts past Shirou’s determination and lets him walk his own path. Shirou himself has to accept the reality of his conviction leading to his untimely end.
This idealism is what makes fans dislike Shirou. That said, disagreeing with him here is perfectly fine: many fans prefer the Heaven’s Feel route, where he renounces his ideals. However, some fans don’t get why he’s like that in the first place — not getting the anime overall.
Comparison with Fate/Zero
Shirou inherited the “hero of justice” mindset from his adoptive father, Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu’s initial ideas of pragmatism and utilitarianism were deconstructed in Fate/Zero, a prequel to Fate/stay night (which, despite being written after the VN was released, got an adaptation before ufotable made the Unlimited Blade Works anime).
Many fans compare Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works unfavorably to Fate/Zero. The latter is much darker in tone (no wonder, because it’s written by Gen Urobuchi), which appeals better to many Western fans. A lot of otaku also prefer Kiritsugu as a protagonist.
Kiritsugu’s mindset in Fate/Zero is not to be followed though: he’s the protagonist, but he’s not a good person. Shirou’s ideals in Unlimited Blade Works are also very much flawed, but they’re far more humane, which makes the two works a great thematic match. It’s not a question of which one is better — they’re trying to do different things.
Seriously, people seem to hate him for sticking up to his ideals, despite praising shounen protagonists for the same thing.
Spoilers ahead!
Summary:
Many fans seem to be unhappy with the protagonist of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, Shirou Emiya.
Shirou clings to his idealistic worldview, which naturally upsets many fans.
A lot of people seem to prefer Fate/Zero because they like Kiritsugu as a main character way more — but the two works exist to complement each other rather than to be compared.
Fate/stay night, initially, was a visual novel with three distinct routes. The routes, due to the branching nature of the source material, all differ from each other in significant ways.
Some of the specific aspects of the Unlimited Blade Works route (adapted by ufotable into a 2-season anime) seem to be criticized by many fans, especially the behavior of the protagonist, Shirou Emiya.
The contradiction between Shirou and Archer
The main mystery of Unlimited Blade Works is the identity of Archer — whose goal seems to be to kill Shirou. In the end it turns out that the true identity of Archer is Emiya himself, summoned as a Heroic Spirit from the future rather than from the past.
Shirou’s ideals of a “hero of justice” are going to lead to his downfall in the future. Despite being presented with the actual evidence of this in the existence of Archer, he still holds onto them.
This leads to him being criticized by many fans, saying he’s stubborn and stupid — but that’s kinda the point of Unlimited Blade Works in the first place.
Themes of the anime
The theme of Unlimited Blade Works is being true to yourself. In the end, Archer accepts past Shirou’s determination and lets him walk his own path. Shirou himself has to accept the reality of his conviction leading to his untimely end.
This idealism is what makes fans dislike Shirou. That said, disagreeing with him here is perfectly fine: many fans prefer the Heaven’s Feel route, where he renounces his ideals. However, some fans don’t get why he’s like that in the first place — not getting the anime overall.
Comparison with Fate/Zero
Shirou inherited the “hero of justice” mindset from his adoptive father, Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu’s initial ideas of pragmatism and utilitarianism were deconstructed in Fate/Zero, a prequel to Fate/stay night (which, despite being written after the VN was released, got an adaptation before ufotable made the Unlimited Blade Works anime).
Many fans compare Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works unfavorably to Fate/Zero. The latter is much darker in tone (no wonder, because it’s written by Gen Urobuchi), which appeals better to many Western fans. A lot of otaku also prefer Kiritsugu as a protagonist.
Kiritsugu’s mindset in Fate/Zero is not to be followed though: he’s the protagonist, but he’s not a good person. Shirou’s ideals in Unlimited Blade Works are also very much flawed, but they’re far more humane, which makes the two works a great thematic match. It’s not a question of which one is better — they’re trying to do different things.
