Kirei Kotomine

Did You Know?

• Kirei appears in Fate/Extra and Fate/Grand Order.
• He confiscates the contract of Lancer after wounding Bazett Fraga McRemitz.
• He forms a contract with Assassin and later with Gilgamesh.

Creation and conception

Gen Urobuchi stated that Kirei's height in the original Fate/Stay Night visual novel was revised for Fate/Zero. Urobuchi regarded Kirei as the 'last boss' of Fate/Stay Night, while Kinoko Nasu said his strength came from his tenacity and numerous Command Seals. Urobuchi found it difficult to write the final battle between Kirei and Kiritsugu Emiya, and also struggled with depicting Kirei's Bajiquan. In Japanese, Kirei was voiced by Jouji Nakata; in the English dub, by Crispin Freeman. Nakata noted that a scene in Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel I. presage flower where Kirei ate mapo tofu 'had an impact on fans of the original work' who 'loved' the character.

Reception

In the Type-Moon 10th Anniversary Character Poll in 2012, Kirei ranked eighth. A 2018 Manga Tokyo poll placed him as the seventh most popular Fate character, behind Illyasviel von Einzbern and Gilgamesh. Reception of his relationship with Kiritsugu Emiya was mixed. Carlo Santos of Anime News Network called it 'flat' compared to other relationships.

Theron Martin noted that Kirei's gradual development in Fate/Zero went 'a long way' toward explaining his behavior in Fate/Stay Night, which he felt clarified the relationship between Rin and Sakura Tohsaka. Elliot Gay of Japanator described Kirei as a 'foil' to Kiritsugu's plans. Aiden Foote of THEM Anime Reviews found their relationship a highlight. Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku said the series should have included a backstory for Kirei.

A July 2015 poll ranked his rivalry with Kiritsugu as the 11th best in anime. Makoto Kuroda analyzed how Buddhist concepts oppose Christian ethics in the plot through the opposition of Shirou and Kirei, with Kirei representing the figure of Angra Mainyu. In a study of mobile game communities, Kirei is described as a dark figure who deliberately becomes comical when eating hot mapo tofu, a trait supported by voice actor Jouji Nakata's performance.