I decided to finally do it. I would try to catalog all the various Saber variants there are. The fact that there are more and more variants of Artoria Pendragon has gone from a few different versions of the main heroine to a running joke that has had an official term for characters who look like Artoria: Saberface. In Fate/Grand Order there are units whose whole gimmick revolves around doing more damage to Saberfaced characters, certain characters will target Saberfaced characters, and there was even a whole event centered around Saberfaces.
All of this attention is clearly because Saber is a popular character but it has also engendered an equal amount of resentment for all the focus the Saberfaces have gotten. As a major aficionado of Saber I decided to catalog how many Sabers there are. I went to all the different version of Sabers as well as the different costumes those characters have.
As always a few caveats on any list I make:
1. I am pretty much purposely invoking Cunningham’s Law here. I am almost surely missing an official iteration or two. I plan to update this list whenever I get the chance so new additions are always welcome.
2. I realize some of these are the same character in different outfits. The main thing is that over time some iterations of Saber in costume have become characters in their own right. Lily Saber and Saber Bride are 100% this case in action. Therefore I have just decided to make all different versions their own thing but readily admit that this list could easily be condensed.
Lets see how bad this really is.
1. Original Saber
The one that started it all.
2. King Saber
A popular new variant of Artoria dressed as she would have been when she was the King of the Britons.
3. Casual Clothing Saber
Artoria when she is not in armor.
4. Unlimited Blade Works Casual Saber
The new outfit for Artoria made for the Unlimited Blade Works TV series.
5. Brown Dress Saber
Saber’s special dress from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia.
6. Raincoat Saber
Artoria running around in a bright yellow raincoat has become a popular variant.
7. Saber in a Suit
The sexiest version of Artoria as seen in Fate/Zero. Has a cool motorcycle.
8. Realta Nua Extra Ending Saber
The outfit Artoria wears as she waits for Shiro in the Realta Nua version of Fate/Stay Night.
9. Bathing Suit Saber
Artoria’s swim wear from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia.
10. Swimsuit Saber
A new piece of swim wear made for Fate/Zero.
11. Saber Maid
Given Takeuchi’s tastes it was only a matter of time.
12. Saber Dress Code
A new dress made for Type-Moon’s 10th anniversary.
13. Saber Miko
An omake outfit from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia.
14. Yukata Saber
Made for figures and promotional material. Reminiscent of the Summer Festival parts of Kagetsu Tohya.
15. Tiger Dojo Saber
The comedic chibi version of Saber that from the Tiger Dojo segments. Interesting enough she got a Nendoroid before the regular version of Saber.
16. Wedding Dress Saber
Saber in a wedding dress mostly made for figures and promotional materials.
NOTE: Saber Bride is another version of Nero and not this version of Artoria just to make thing confusing.
17. Saber Alter
The original alternate Saber. It is Saber after she is corrupted by Angra Mainyu.
18. Casual Saber Alter
Saber Alter needs casual clothing too.
The creator of Black☆Rock Shooter made his own version of Saber Alter.
20. Volks Saber Alter
I guess I have to admit that Dollfie Dreams have done at least one good thing. Despite that Dollfie Dreams are still overall just creepy dolls.
21. Bathing Suit Saber Alter
Another outfit that came out of the Dollfie Dream version of Saber Alter.
22. Training Jacket Alter
Another outfit that came out of the Dollfie Dream version of Saber Alter.
Saber Alter as an evil Santa Claus from the Christmas event for Fate/Grand Order. She is a Rider class Servant in this version.
24. Saber Alter Maid
Takeuchi would eventually make sure Saber Alter also found her way into a maid outfit.
This version of Artoria was originally introduced in Fate/Unlimited Codes. Originally she was supposed to be a what-if version of Artoria who was broken by Caster in Unlimited Blade Works. Fate/Grand Order makes her a young Saber before she has Excalibur and still has Caliburn.
A new version of Saber Alter who never drew Caliburn and instead wields Rhongomyniad. Apparently the lack of Avalon makes this a very busty version of Artoria. There is a non Alter version of her on the way if spoilers are to be believed.
A very silly version of Artoria in Fate/Tiger Colosseum. She has gone on to be a fairly commonly used variant in comedic spin offs.
A silly joke version of Saber from the Capsule Servant game in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia for the Vita. It is only a mater of time before she is commonly used version.
Originally from April Fool’s event Rojiura Satsuki Chapter Heroine Sanctuary she has become official thanks to Fate/Grand Order (and me.)
A new variant of Mysterious Heroine X from the Saber Wars event from Fate/Grand Order. There is something telling that even comedic version of Saber get their own spin offs.
A Fate/Zero event asked viewers to request another class for Artoria to be drawn by Takeuchi. Interestingly enough Master was the most popular answer and so Master Artoria was born.
Probably the most contentious of the Saberfaces. She was originally designed to be a bit of a fake out in Fate/Extra where audiences thought she was Artoria but it turns out it was in fact Nero. Since then the Red Saber vs Blue Saber Wars have raged on.
When Fate/Extra CCC came out one of the big selling points was all the new outfits for the Servants. The poster girl was the Saber Bride. Since then she has become rather iconic version of Nero which became equal to the original.
The casual clothing version of Nero from Fate/Extra CCC that has gotten a decent number of figures.
Another outfit from Fate/Extra CCC. It is more notable for the amount of skin it shows more than anything else.
Nero’s ultimate outfit from Fate/Extra CCC. This costume seems destined to become its own Servant in Fate/Grand Order.
37. Heroine Sanctuary Red Saber
This comedic version of Year of the Tiger Nero uses her karaoke as a weapon.
38. Imperial Roma
A different idol version of Nero from the 2016 Type-Moon April Fools Special.
39. Nero Saber Santa
A gag version of Nero from the Type Moon Ace Omake Theater who is a poor gift giver. I assume she will be involved in the 2016 Christmas event in Fate/Grand Order.
Another Artoria clone but this one turns out to actually be a gender swapped Souji Okita. She was originally just a gag in Fate/KOHA-ACE but her repeated use in the comic made her pretty official even before her appearance in Fate/Grand Order.
41. Coat of Oaths Sakura Saber
Sakura Saber dressed in her full Shinsengumi uniform.
The clone of Artoria made by Morgan le Fay. She is the first Saber clone and the one who is actually a literal clone. I this point I almost consider the daisy dukes version of Mordred the default version with the armored one being the variant originally from Fate/Apocrypha.
43. Armoured Mordred
The original version of Mordred who was first introduced all the way back in Character Material art book.
44. Girlgamesh Mordred
Mordred without her armor from Fate/Grand Order. This version of her is destined to be spun off into her own iteration.
45. Otaku Mordred
Mordred from the 2015 April Fools event where she is buying all sort of nerdy merchandise including Saber Nyan dolls.
46. Joan of Arc
The other major branch of Saberface. When Saber was first introduced it was no uncommon for people to guess that Saber was Joan of Arc before the big reveal of her actual identity. This eventually led to her introduction in Fate/Zero and then eventual spin-off into a full character in Fate/Apocrypha.
47. Casual Clothing Joan of Arc
When she is summoned into the body of Laeticia in the Fate/Apocrypha novels she wears this outfit as her casual clothing. If and when Fate/Apocrypha is made into an anime I suspect this will become a popular version of her.
48. Joan of Arc Alter
Fate/Grand Order introduced an evil version of Joan. It is only a mater of time before all Saber faces have an Alter version.
49. Kamikaze Magical Girl Jeann
The very silly version of Joan from Rojiura Satsuki Chapter Heroine Sanctuary. Her Year of the Dog costume hardly has the dignity you associate with The Maid of Orléans.
50. Devil Saber
Apparently adding together Demon Archer and Sakura Saber gets you an entirely different Saberface.
51. Fate/Prototype Saber
Nasu’s original rough draft of Fate/Stay Night Saber was your traditional male version of King Arthur. This is his most modern version from the Fate/Prototype novels.
52. Casual Fate/Prototype Saber
Prototype Saber also has some clothing to just hand around in when he is not fighting.
53. Fate/Prototype Saber in a Suit
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Prototype Saber gets a sexy suit as well.
54. Hana no Miyako Saber
This highly unusual version of Artoria is a cross dressing male. Hana no Miyako is very odd.
55. Gray
A decadent of Artoria from the Lord El-Melloi II Case Files. She has Rhongomyniad as well as a shinigami’s scythe.
56. Saber Class Card
The corrupted version of Artoria that comes for the Saber Class Card in Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya. She is more automaton that Servant.
57. Capsule Servant Master Joan
Joan is one of your opponents in the Capsule Servant game in the Vita versions of Fate/Hollow Ataraxia. This time she has a schoolgirl outfit. They really love to give Joan teeny tinny skirts.
58. Chibichuki! Saber
59. Chibichuki! Saber Alter
60. Chibichuki! Saber Lily
61. Chibichuki! Saber Lion
62. Chibichuki! Master Artoria
63. Chibichuki! Nero Saber
64. Chibichuki! Mordred
65. Chibichuki! Sakura Saber
66. Chibichuki! Joan of Arc
All these Sabers have their own school girl version within the Type-Moon Academy Chibichuki! manga. Unsurprisingly they get a decent amount of merchandise around these variants so they also make the list.
67. Koha Ace Saber
68. Koha Ace Saber Alter
69. Koha Ace Saber Lily
70. Koha Ace Saber Lion
71. Koha Ace Mysterious Heroine X
72. Koha Ace Nero Saber
73. Koha Ace Mordred
74. Koha Ace Sakura Saber
75. Koha Ace Joan of Arc
76. Koha Ace Devil Saber
Even more versions of Saber have show up in chibi from in the Koha Ace comics. These also get an unusual amount of merchandise.
The first time I posted this list in February of 2016 there were 56 different version of Saber. I’m sure the list will only grow in the future. Even I as Saber Fan #1 have to wonder what my fellow fans and I have unleashed on the world.
– Alain
Filed under: Character Studies, Editorials, Favored Topics, Type-Moon Tagged: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Extra, Fate/Extra CCC, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, Fate/Prototype, Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Tiger Colosseum, Fate/Unlimited Codes, Hana no Miyako!, Koha-Ace, Rojiura Satsuki Chapter Heroine Sanctuary, Type-Moon Academy Chibichuki!
