Fate Series

Fate Series Watch Order

Start with Fate/Zero (prequel), then Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, then the Heaven's Feel movie trilogy. Everything else is optional spin-offs.

Updated April 17, 2026

Viewing order

  1. 1

    Fate/Zero

    TV2011· 13 epsRequired

    Prequel — Kiritsugu's Holy Grail War. Gorgeous adaptation, best place to start for newcomers.

  2. 2

    Fate/Zero 2nd Season

    TV2012· 12 epsRequired

    Back half of Zero.

  3. 3

    Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works

    TV2014· 26 epsRequired

    Ufotable's UBW route — Shirou and Rin's story.

  4. 4

    Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. presage flower

    Movie2017Required

    First Heaven's Feel movie.

  5. 5

    Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel II. lost butterfly

    Movie2019Required

    Second Heaven's Feel movie.

  6. 6

    Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel III. spring song

    Movie2020Required

    Finale of the Heaven's Feel trilogy.

  7. 7

    Fate/stay night (2006)

    TV2006· 24 epsOptional

    Original Studio DEER adaptation. Skippable — UBW covers the same route better.

  8. 8

    Fate/Apocrypha

    TV2017· 25 epsOptional

    Alternate timeline, standalone cast.

  9. 9

    Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front — Babylonia

    TV2019· 21 epsOptional

    FGO mobile game adaptation. Enjoyable without game context.

The Fate franchise is a set of parallel timelines, not a linear series. Fate/Zero is a prequel to stay night and should be watched first for its self-contained pacing and character introduction. Fate/stay night has three routes (Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven's Feel) — each a distinct retelling of the same Holy Grail War. UBW and Heaven's Feel are both essential; the 2006 Fate route adaptation is widely regarded as the weakest and is safe to skip. Apocrypha, Grand Order, and other spin-offs live in alternate universes and can be watched in any order once you've finished the core Zero → UBW → Heaven's Feel path.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes for most newcomers. It's tightly paced, adapts a finished novel, and introduces the Holy Grail War rules cleanly. Some purists prefer release order (2006 Fate first) but Zero's animation and narrative quality make it the standard recommendation in 2026.