Heaven's Feel

Lore & Background

The trilogy consists of three films: Presage Flower, which premiered in Japan on October 14, 2017, and in the United States between November and December 2017, with its English dub premiering on June 5 and June 7, 2018 in the United States; Lost Butterfly, which premiered in Japan on January 12, 2019, and was released in the United States by Aniplex of America in March 2019; and Spring Song, which premiered in Japan on August 15, 2020, and premiered in the United States on November 18 of the same year.

The story follows Shirou Emiya, an amateur mage dragged into the Fifth Holy Grail War—a fight to the death among seven mages and their Servants, familiars who are legendary figures from all eras. Shirou is determined to win the war to save the world and be a hero of justice, as well as keep his friend Sakura Matou safe from the war and her abusive brother Shinji Matou, with the help of his Servant Saber and his classmate Rin Tohsaka. Strange occurrences start happening in the war, and Sakura comes down with a mysterious sickness.

Reader's Guide

The main characters include Shirou Emiya, voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama (Japanese) and Bryce Papenbrook (English), the main character and Saber's master, a survivor of the Fourth Holy Grail War adopted by the magus Kiritsugu Emiya. He falls in love with Sakura and ultimately forsakes his ideals to protect her. He later bonds with Illya and loses his left arm while protecting her from the Shadow, resulting in the dying Archer transplanting his arm to save him.

After Sakura falls to the Shadow's influence, Shirō risks self-destruction by using Archer's arm to defeat the corrupted Berserker and enlists Kirei Kotomine's help. He helps Rin and Illya recreate the Jeweled Sword Zelretch, forms a temporary pact with Rider to defeat Saber Alter, and frees Sakura with Caster's Rule Breaker. He faces Kirei in a brutal fistfight and is saved at the last moment by Illya, who sacrifices herself to stop the grail. After Rider recovers Shirō's soul, Rin and Sakura transplant it into an artificial body, reviving him.

Sakura Matou, voiced by Noriko Shitaya (Japanese) and Cristina Vee (English), is the main heroine and true master of Rider. She is Shirō's longtime friend, later revealed to be Rin's younger sister given to the Matō family. Zōken converted her into an artificial Grail Vessel, connecting her to the corruption in the Grail, which manifests as an entity called 'the Shadow.' After snapping and killing Shinji, the Shadow corrupts and fuses with her.

She eventually breaks free of the Shadow's influence after Rin spares her and apologizes, and Shirō severs her connection to the Shadow. Rider, voiced by Yuu Asakawa (Japanese) and Melissa Fahn (English), is the Servant protagonist in Heaven's Feel, Shinji's Servant who bonds with Sakura. Her identity is Medusa. After Sakura is revealed as her true master, Rider exclusively defends Sakura, later moving into the Emiya household.

She becomes the only surviving Servant outside Zōken's control, and after Shirō reaffirms his pledge to save Sakura, she agrees to follow him. She confronts Saber Alter, using her Mystic Eyes of Petrification and Noble Phantasm Bellerophon combined with Shirō's Rho Aias to counter Excalibur Morgan. Illyasviel von Einzbern, voiced by Mai Kadowaki (Japanese) and Stephanie Sheh (English), is the secondary heroine, one of the seven participants, and master of Berserker. She is revealed to be the biological daughter of Kiritsugu Emiya.