Nero

Appearances

Nero is a female version of the historical Roman emperor, first appearing as a main character in the 2010 game Fate/Extra. She later returned in Fate/Extra CCC (2013), Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star (2016), Fate/Extella Link (2018), and the ongoing Fate/Grand Order (2015–present). The 2018 anime Fate/Extra Last Encore also featured her as a key figure. She was planned for Fate/Extra Record, but that project was described as indefinitely delayed in 2026.

While historical records describe Nero as a male emperor, the Fate universe reimagines her as a woman. Her backstory draws from history: she rose to power through her mother Agrippina’s schemes, won favor with the Roman people through lavish policies and public performances, and fell amid rebellions, but the story reframes her as a sympathetic, tragic figure. In Fate/Extra, Nero is a Saber-class Servant bound to Hakuno Kishinami in the Moon Holy Grail War.

Fate/Extella, a sequel set after a victorious war, has Hakuno and Nero facing an invasion by the Umbral Star. In Fate/Grand Order’s “Eternal Madness Empire: Septem” singularity (set in 60 AD), the protagonist and Mash Kyrielight ally with the living Nero against invading forces led by her revived tyrannical predecessors. Nero has three summonable variants (Bride, Caster, and Beast forms), several dedicated side-stories, and appears prominently in events like “Nero Fests.”

Conception and design

To set Fate/Extra apart from the rest of the Fate series, producer Kazuya Niinō brought in a guest artist, Arco Wada, to handle character designs instead of using the series' usual illustrator, Takashi Takeuchi. Wada was asked to create a heroine who looked similar to the previous main Saber character in order to stir up a reaction from fans. The final version, called Red Saber, kept only about thirty percent of that initial concept. Niinō told Wada to base the Servant on the Roman emperor Nero.

The first sketch, which tried to copy Takeuchi's style, was turned down, and Niinō pushed for Wada to use his own approach without extra clutter. Writer Kinoko Nasu was not sure at first that Nero's personality could work as the foundation for a Saber heroine, and other historical figures were considered. Still, the choice to go with Nero stayed, though her character was adjusted to be more emphatic. As a Servant, Nero appears in her prime, before her rule fully declined.

She carries strong imperial pride and a deep love for the arts, seeing herself as a great performer and leader. Her personality mixes arrogance, dramatic flair, and genuine kindness toward her people and her Master, often hiding doubts about her reputation as a tyrant. She is drawn as a short, curvy young woman with pale skin, yellowish-blonde hair, and bright lime-green eyes. Her main outfit is a revealing red-and-white dress with military touches.

A white "Bride" dress appeared later in Fate/Extra CCC. In Japanese releases, Sakura Tange voices Nero; in the English dub of Fate/Extra Last Encore, Cassandra Morris provides her voice.