Iskander apparently invites Saber and Archer to have a friendly talk on what makes a worthy king over a drink of wine.
Most people have to admit that Rider has a lot of admiration and it shows in this episode. Instead of fighting, he just sat down with Saber and Archer to have a drink with the latter complaining about the wine. From there, it brings an interesting discussion about what makes a true king. This is where Rider’s view comes out strong. He argues that a king should lead while people throw their support behind him or her, even if it means sacrifice. He also mentions that kings are basically tyrants, but it depends on what extremes they take, either good or evil, meaning that not all of them are cruel. Lastly, they should rule without any regrets.
Although Saber brought up some good points on ruling with morals, the problem is that she didn’t lead. She was so caught up with her ideals and saving people that she didn’t listen to her own people. With her coming right from knighthood and given the position of king, I expected this. However, it’s not fair to write her off as different countries and regions are going to hold different philosophies. While her moral briefs wouldn’t work well back then, they are more in line with democratic governments today. The only difference is that politicians don’t sacrifice themselves, but get voted out by the people. Nevertheless, this weakness might hamper her later in the war unless she turns it around. However, it’s more than likely she will stick with her ideals.
As for Rider’s Noble Phantasm, it looked awesome. He simply summoned a reality of open desert and brought his followers who are still loyal to him. From there, his forces literally rip all the Assassins apart without a chance to fight back. This is predictable since they are horrible in open field combat and I wonder how many exists after their brutal massacre.
Since we are heading to the end of the first half of Fate/zero, I have to disagree with those who think this show is inferior to Fate/stay night. The prequel focuses more on what makes a hero, their ideals and human nature rather than the fight scenes. Not only that, the developments of Saber and Archer is more important in this work as it gives a better understanding on what happens to them in the 5th Grail War. I do admit that I haven’t finished the Fate/stay night anime or played the visual novel. Even so, this show is definitely brings more interesting moments and has a better adaptation compared to the former.
Well, see, Rider didn’t mind her ideals, actually. The full conversation between them was omitted in episode 5:
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