Kirei Kotomine

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Kirei Kotomine is a male anime and manga character who features in Fate/stay.

Contents

Biography

Fate/Zero

Kirei Kotomine in Fate/Zero v1 #5.

Kirei Kotomine (Japanese: 言峰 綺礼, Hepburn: Kotomine Kirei?) was a male human born on December 28, 1967 as the son of Risei Kotomine wo had his son whilst on a pilgrimage. His father named him for the word for 'prayer' so that he would be pure and beautiful. He grew up according to Risei's expectations, showing morals and good sense from a young age, and was insightful enough to seem precocious to others. He has been actively involved with the Church since his youth, and he often accompanied his father to the holy grounds. He worked diligently as an Executor-in-training from an early age, and he was once chosen as an Executor around the age of ten. While he understood that he was living up to his father's expectations, he did not love his father. It was unrelated to having to meet expectations, and he grew up healthy. The problem was an intrinsic one, that he did not understand his father's notion of 'beauty'. He finally realized the inconsistency one morning, and wondered why it took him so long to figure it out. He simply woke up, raised his head, and knew at that moment that, while his father wished for him to be beautiful, he had always questioned why he had never thought the same of which that Risei had thought was beautiful. Understanding that he was not in accordance with the world, he worked hard to correct this mistake, attempting to be pure and beautiful. All throughout his teenage years, he did everything he could to overcome his defect after accepting its existence. He suffered agony, though he never knew if it truly was agony, trying to pursue something he lacked from the start. Following that he, as a sinner by nature, should punish himself following the morals in which he believed to keep balance in the world, he tried methods like shaving away the skin, ripping off flesh, and dislocating bones.

Rather than surrendering himself to his condition by indulging in twisted pleasure, he tried looking within his own body for what could not be found in his mind, attempted to use mental pain, which is more significant than physical pain for missionaries, and attempted to abstain from eating during their pious acts. After ten years of such things, all of his purgatories and sufferings were useless to change him. Unable to reach an epiphany, he arrived at the single conclusion that he did not have the sense to feel normal happiness. He turned to religion with fervor to turn himself into a normal person, believing that God may eventually bring him salvation. The path that became his creed was to become a priest and preach like his father. It is said that God forgives everything, so He should also save someone "who is not born with it." The result for him was tragic, as he abode by the rules of God, followed the law, and lived modestly with no results. He could not find greater pleasure than the pain of others, and while the Church's teachings forbid immorality, immorality was all he had at the time. There was no anguish at this realization because had always sought after something that never existed. There was nothing lost, so there was nothing to grieve. He was only concerned about the "why?" behind himself as he matured. He wondered about the nature of his existence, that if the world hates evil, what was the purpose of something that was never wanted being given life. Those with a deficiency should not be born, yet there are beings that exist to be hated and die. He wished to know the crime of his existence, the simple, pure question of "why?" and held a feeling of anger towards something unknown behind his reward of years of anguish and blind devotion not being salvation.

Kirei was not only a Master in the 4th Holy Grail War, but was also responsible for the monstrous conflagration in the ensuing turmoil following the war's end. He has lived a troubled and gloomy life, hounded by guilt and sorrow. Although Kirei understood the distinction between good and evil, he could only revel in committing sins. Like his father, Risei Kotomine, Kirei became a vicar, but he was trained as an exorcist and had an ironic talent for healing other people. With no alternative, Kirei prayed that, through marriage to a woman he loved, he could finally achieve respite from his tortured existence. When Kirei discovered marriage could not change him, he was on the brink of suicide; his ill wife, filled with concern, committed suicide to show to Kirei that he could still feel compassion for others. However, after her death, Kirei was disgusted to realize he would have preferred killing her himself; from that day on, he ceased pursuing salvation altogether.

As a representative of the Church, it is initially implied that Kirei summoned an Archer and gained entry into the 4th Holy Grail War. Fate/Zero reveals that Kirei actually summoned Assassin while Tokiomi Tōsaka, Kirei's mentor, summoned the Archer-class Servant. Risei Kotomine, the Manager of the 3rd and 4th Holy Grail Wars, died while trying to mediate a violent conflict. He took advantage of the ensuing chaos to murder Tokiomi and form a contract with Tokiomi's Archer. Toward the end of the war, Kirei clashed against Kiritsugu Emiya, but he was easily killed. In his last moments, the Holy Grail appeared to Kirei; filled with hatred and envy for Kiritsugu, he reached out and touched the cursed artifact. Kirei prayed for an end to humanity; his wish was granted in the form of fire. Amidst the roaring flames, Kiritsugu's Saber obliterated the Holy Grail, allowing its tainted water to soak Kirei's lifeless body, resurrecting him with an artificial, black heart.

In the aftermath of the war, Kirei became curious as to the capabilities of the Holy Grail; he decided contingencies in case another war began during his lifetime. After the Fuyuki fire died down, Kirei rounded up the surviving children and imprisoned them within the basement of his Church; he then allowed his Servant to consume their souls and stockpile Mana. While Archer took up residence in Fuyuki City, Kirei joined and participated on several missions for the Mage's Association, additionally acting as a distant supervisor for Rin Tōsaka. Nearly a decade after his death, Kirei was designated as Manager of the 5th Holy Grail War; at his request, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a sorcerer-hunter Kirei met on one of his assignments, joined him in the conflict. Kirei then fatally wounded Bazett, stealing her Command Mantra by slicing off her left arm. Using these mantra, he formed an additional contract with Bazett's now orphaned Servant, Lancer.

Fate/stay night

He contacts the magus sent from the Mage's Association, Bazett Fraga McRemitz before the start of the Holy Grail War due to having been associated during past missions involving both the Church and Association. He quickly betrays her, fatally wounding her and severing the arm holding her Command Spells. He forms a contract with Lancer afterward, forcing him to become a scout for him to collect intelligence on participants of the war.

Fate/Unlimited Blade Works

During the war, he is assumed deceased by the hands of Caster when she raids the church to acquire the Holy Grail vessel and obtain a new hideout, but Rin taunts the witch saying that if she was not able to find the corpse, that means that Kirei is still alive. He reappears at Einzbern Castle alongside Shinji Matou, reveals to a kidnapped Rin that he was the one who murdered her father ten years ago and orders Lancer to rip out her heart and replace it with the Grail vessel. As Lancer just outright disobeys his order, Kotomine uses a Command Spell to order the Servant to kill himself, but as he was proceeding to finish the job, he is killed by a still alive Lancer. His corpse burns away as a dying Lancer proceeds to burn the castle with a Ansuz rune, just after saving Rin

Fate/Heaven's Feel

In Heaven's Feel, it was revealed why Kirei was so dedicated to have the tainted Grail to be completed. After he gave up on salvation, he questioned the meaning of his own existence. He questioned how a being like himself was allowed to be born. Kirei sought to find the answer by completing the tainted Grail. He figured that the tainted Grail was a large version of himself and by watching its birth, he would be able to find the answer to his question.

Overview

Personality and attributes

Unknown to all those around him, Kirei was born defective, possessing a warped mind since birth. He is an evil person, but not a villain. He is deviant, but not inhuman. Despite his personal accomplishments, he never felt satisfaction. Despite his best efforts he could not enjoy what other people found happiness in, and instead found himself drawn to negative emotions like the pain of others. He is able to act like a normal person, even bringing pride to his father, but he intrinsically does not feel the same happiness others do.

After first learning of his defect as a child, he attempted to correct it through various methods because he believed that it was not in accordance with the world. He had nothing that could be called a "sense of purpose" like his father or teacher, so he was unable to consider an idea noble, find comfort in any quest, or find solace in pleasure. Though he still believed in God, he lacked the maturity to perceive it, and he only felt that there was a supreme existence, still clinging onto the small hope that the word of God would lead him to supreme truth and save him.

At some point, he was noted to had met and married Claudia Hortensia (クラウディア・オルテンシア, Kuraudia Orutenshia?). He was known to have had a daughter with his name who was born Caren Kotomine (言峰 花蓮, Kotomine Karen?). In another timeline, he was estranged from his daughter who went by the name of Caren Hortensia (カレン・オルテンシア, Karen Orutenshia?, "Karen Ortensia") who became a member of the Church and worked as a priestess.

Powers and abilities

It was noted that he was born with Magic Circuits (魔術回路マジック・サーキット, Majutsu KairoMajikku Sākitto?) despite having a non-magus lineage.

Similar to his father, he came to join the ranks of the Holy Church (聖堂教会, Seidō Kyōkai?) that was a hidden side of the Roman Catholic Church that specialised in the hunting of heresy. He came to be trained as an Executors (代行者, Daikōsha?) who were inquisitors tasked with the destruction of demons, supernatural beings and other forms of heresy.

He came to be a practitioner of Bajiquan (八極拳, Hakkyokuken?) that was combined with magecraft allowing him to fight Dead Apostles.

Among the techniques known to him included:

  • Eight Grand Openings – The Standing Upward Cannon :
  • Eight Postures of the Buddha Guards :
  • Six Grand Opening - Elbow Upthrust :

The one magical miracle the Church allowed him to learn was the Baptism Rite (洗礼詠唱, Senrei eishou?) that was effective against spiritual bodies.

Kotomine was a skilled user of Black Keys (黒鍵, Kokken?) that were one of the Keys of Providence (摂理の鍵, Setsuri no Kagi?) that were conceptual weapons capable of purification. These were thin blades that resembled a rapier which were no longer than a meter with a short hilt and the signature projectile weapon of Executors.

By adulthood, he came to be a member of the Holy Church (聖堂教会, Seidō Kyōkai?) that was a hidden side of the Roman Catholic Church. He worked for the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament where he concentrated on training as an Executor.

Notes

  • Kirei Kotomine was created by Type-Moon where he featured in the setting of the Type-Moon universe.

In other media

Television

Films

Video games

  • In Fate/Grand Order, Kirei Kotomine appeared in the setting of the mobile video game. An alternate version of him appeared as a Servant with his True Name being Grigori RasputinWP (グリゴリー・ラスプーチンWP, Gurigorī Rasupūchin?) with his Class Name being Alter Ego (アルターエゴ, Arutā Ego?) and was Alter Ego-class High-Servant working as one of the seven Apostles of the Alien World in the Grand Orders of Fate/Grand Order.

Appearances

  • Fate/stay Night:

External Links

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