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How do you like Emiya Kiritsugu as apposed to Emiya Shirou? Who is better as main? Why?

Oh, that's a good question. I think I can't make a choice. Seems like Kiritsugu is a better main character because he's fighting in a really intelligent way. But Shirou is Shirou and he has a very personal way to fight in this war... I think that makes Shirou more special than Kiritsugu. Both have something good. At this point, I can't make a choice, I'm sorry -.-

kiritsugu is cool but as a character he is kinda boring
hes pretty much just a hopeless man who has nothing but his naive ideals and ruthless tactics
going deeper than that...nothing
shirou is more dynamic but all the selfless hypocritical bs he does and the hax he pulls out of his ass turns me off though he does kinda redeem himself in HF with kirei as his foil
so i guess i do prefer shirou over kiritsugu

but kiritsugu is not without merits
its hard for people to come up with stories about adults instead of the generic highschooler type so thats a plus for kiritsugu

While Shirou (at least in the VN) had some good writing elements to him here and there, he's kind of a messed up individual and it's hard to really connect with or respect him. At least for me. A lot of the things he does causes me to roll my eyes and he removes weight/tension from the story.

Kiritsugu is someone I can immediately empathize with and he's a character type that's less commonly chosen to play the main role, so he's also more refreshing. Plus when you have a character like him and a writer like Urobuchi you don't know if and when the other side is going to survive an encounter against him. I'd have to go with Kiritsugu hands down.

This sums up my thoughts as well. Aside from Kiritsugu being boring, imo he is more interesting than Shiro as a character but the whole I-kill-brutally-but-feel-sorry-for-me-because-I-have-to-do-that thing is seriously annoying. Whatever Shiro does, his motto is not to regret it. I like this attitude because it shows that he is willing to take responsibillity for anything and everything he does not just for those things he is proud of. Kiritsugu just acts as if it had nothing to do with him.
What I dislike about Shiro is that most of the battles he's won, he won them because of plot device. But that isn't really a mistake of his charatcer so I don't take that much into account. Kiritsugu wins in this one since he uses all possible methods to win a battle and actually him winning seems realistic. In the end, I prefer Shiro to Kiritsugu because of his nature.

It can't be said who is better as a main, because they both are mains for different demographics and they are perfect/typical leads for their demographics and wouldn't work in the other. Both are very good leads in their respective anime/other stuff.

They're both grade A tragedy. I'm not about to choose which one is best, since you don't get the best effect if you separate and compare them on a face value level.

Kotomine Kirei.

Oh, them. Hmm... Speaking of the VN? Emiya Shirou, hands down. Although it's a bit unfair since he had a lot more time to expose his issues and develop.



Shirou's origin is "Sword." Also HF is the 'answer' route for Shirou. He adjusts into a normal healthy lifestyle and redeems Kiritsugu in a way. The routes are complementing of each others, Fate and UBW expose a question (and a problem), HF gives answer/resolution.

I rememebred that. ghost''d before I fix that.

Kiritsugu is a man with some seriously opposing forces within him tearing him apart at all times. A walking paradox, a man that appears to be unfeeling but in reality feels so much. Aren't broken characters so fun to watch? Especially when they're not exactly as they appear to be at the start? As a sidenote, his relationship with his daughter adds a very touching layer to his character as seen briefly in the LN. Shirou's attitude towards Saber and transparent ideals are very annoying to me. Kiritsugu is the much more compelling Emiya for me.

Ironically, Shirou is literally broken man, not Kiritsugu.

[opinion] Kiritsugu is more interesting and unpredictable. Also, he has a more mature and cool aura about him than the typical I will protect them because it's right! Even though I'm a human, I will abuse my plot armour to fight heroic spirits!

Kiritsugu's past, fighting style, appearance, voice acting, interactions, "Iri-Kun" and Time Alters > Shirou in every way. [/opinion]

I like Kiritsugu's character more than Shirou's. While they both have a sense of chivalry and honour, I found the way Shirou treats Saber in Fate/Stay Night (the Fate arc) to be both misogynistic and thoughtless in terms of strategy for the grail war. Kiritsugu, on the other hand, is much more cut-throat and logical in his approach to the grail war, which I find more appealing.

Are they not both?

Not quite. Kiritsugu tries to break himself to follow his 'ideals' (and pretends he's a cynic). He's traumatized and all but still capable of being easily normal if he dropped that lifestyle. Shirou's broken (literally. he's a empty as Kirei) that's why he HAS to follow those ideals. It's as necessary as breathing for him.

Could not have said it better itself. It makes you feel so bad for the shirou but im glad in heavens feel he follows a real heroes dream protecting the happiness of the one person that means it all to you. That's a lifestyle we all can agree on.<3

OH my bad. I perfer shirou since he was the main reason i started to get into fate stay night because of my own closeness to the character and how he is and how i can see so much of him in myself personality wise. I will say through Shirou is no badass but he is a teen willing to have his own happy personality that yet isn't badass but its own status of enjoyment.

Hmm. This may be splitting hairs, but I think there's some wiggle room in your statement. Kiritsugu could 'easily' be normal? I don't know. If he had someone like Irisviel to run away with, the right person to keep him grounded, then maybe. I don't think it's as easy as you make it out to be.
You compare Shirou to Kirei saying Kirei was born this way and has no choice. While mostly true, he did go through most of his life denying that part of himself. Also, he was practically prepared to walk away from everything after Risei's death until prodding by Gilgamesh. For a guy with no choice he sure did a great, long job of denying his nature. Talk about holding your breath.

While materializing and reinforcing swords out of thin air is pretty badass, Kiritsugu has Solid Snake skills so he wins by default.

If you read the VN beyond the first Shirou you see in Fate (where he's basically hiding his feelings and focusing more on Saber's) you'd find out SHirou is broken, he has no ideals he's nothing. He tries to be Kiritsugu's clone, or what he thought was Kiritsugu and Archer calls him out on this to which he admits eventually. Also while Time Manipulation is pretty damn awesome, you really shouldn't bash down Shirou's Reality Marble. The fact it can rival Gilgamesh's very own Gate of Babylon is pretty damn awesome.

Also, he's not materializing out of thin air, they're all inside his Reality Marble and he just draws them out whenever he needs them.

I dont think we can really compare the two since they are so different. Not only that the different in character is quite huge even if they want the same dream. So in the end it comes down to do you enjoy the more badass solid snake guy with a more darkside or do you enjoy the more hero teen who has his own kind of cool and is a badass in his own way without much of a darkside but a sign of hope.

I know, I get the Reality Marble. I was just trying not to get technical. and i wasn't bashing it in any shape way or form either, i even said it was pretty badass :)

Time Manipulation is cool on it's own, but coupled with clever stealth killing and Severing/Binding. Just damn. He's got more than a few tricks. Plus he's got Mayia, and is the only Master badass enough to practically disregard his Servant and leave them to their own devices mostly. And he ain't even a true Mage.

And also he's a terrorist with cool hair. So there.

I will say through either way they are both very badass. :D solid snake skills are pretty cool hell look how much that works against these mages