Shirou Emiya

Shirou Emiya is the main protagonist of Fate/stay night

Shirou Emiya is the main protagonist of Fate/stay night who acts as the Master of Saber during the Fifth Holy Grail War. Shirou Emiya is the adopted son of Kiritsugu Emiya, the adopted brother of Illyasviel Von Einzbern and the younger self of EMIYA.

Ten years before the start of Fate/stay night, Shirou Emiya was an ordinary boy living with his parents in Shinto. The great fire caused by the contents of the Holy Grail spilling out at the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War killed both Shirou Emiya parents and left him mortally wounded within the blaze. Shirou Emiya was rescued by Kiritsugu Emiya, who was dejected after indirectly causing the fire and, wishing to actually "save" someone for the first time in Shirou Emiya life, rescued Shirou Emiya by embedding Avalon in Shirou Emiya body. Shirou Emiya then later asked the recovering Shirou Emiya if Shirou Emiya would like to become his adopted son, fully disclosing Shirou Emiya identity as a magus. Shirou Emiya agreed and spent the next two years persistently asking Kiritsugu to teach him Magecraft. Kiritsugu eventually complied, and though he disapproved of Shirou Emiya 's desire to learn Shirou Emiya craft, Shirou Emiya advised applying it in secret, where it could only benefit people and not attract confusion or suspicion. The knowledge he imparted to Shirou Emiya was very basic and incomplete, leading him down a dangerous path with little results. Furthermore, and perhaps inadvertently, Kiritsugu passed on his philosophy of wishing to be a Hero of Justice capable of saving anyone to Shirou Emiya .

Five years prior to the fifth Holy Grail War, weakening every day due the effect of black mud from the Holy Grail, Kiritsugu dies, leaving Shirou Emiya frustrated, depressed, and alone. Shirou Emiya was subsequently watched over by Taiga Fujimura, Shirou Emiya 's longtime neighbor and his English teacher, and Shirou Emiya living expenses were managed by her grandfather, Raiga Fujimura. Shirou Emiya later went to a middle school where he encountered Matou Shinji around October of Shirou Emiya second year when Shirou Emiya had to remake the signboard of the culture festival according to the design of third year students in a single evening. Shinji, who oversaw that throughout the evening, said “Hmm… you’re an idiot but you actually do a pretty good job.” and started to laugh.

After starting in Homurahara High School, Shirou Emiya met Issei Ryuudou and became known as someone who would readily do anything to help others, such as fixing the school equipment. Shirou Emiya later joined the Archery Club, which led to an estranged relationship with Shinji. Shirou Emiya missed the target only once during the period that Shirou Emiya was enrolled, but even then Shirou Emiya said that he saw that “it will miss” before even shooting it. Shirou Emiya withdrew during the summer of his first year due to a bone fracture in Shirou Emiya right shoulder Shirou Emiya received during his part-time job, which left a burn mark over the skin. The wound itself was nothing major, but Shirou Emiya pointed out that it was unsightly for someone with a burn mark to do a formal shooting, so Shirou Emiya left the club as it was also a period when Shirou Emiya was busy with Shirou Emiya part-time job. Their relationship eventually stabilized, but some tension still remained, especially in regard to Shinji's abuse of Sakura Matou. Shirou Emiya also got closer to Sakura as she started to visit his household frequently during the period while Shirou Emiya was injured in order to help him cook and clean up the house. Even after Shirou Emiya was healed, she continued to come as a member of his surrogate family.