Shirou's magic circuits are a central aspect of his abilities in the Fate/stay night series. Magic circuits are a part of the human body that enable individuals to perform magic. These circuits are responsible for the flow and manipulation of magical energy, also known as prana. In the case of Shirou, his magic circuits are unique and distinct. While most people have an average of twenty to thirty magic circuits, Shirou possesses a far greater number. This is due to the fact that he inadvertently inherited the circuits of Kiritsugu Emiya, who was an accomplished mage and Shirou's adopted father.

Shirou magic circuits

So, magic circuits. I think I read that Rin had like 100 and than Ciel had like more, and that their somewhat required for magic or something but I don't quite get it. are they like another bodily system like the nervous system? Are they like Mp reserves? what do they actually do? and what does having more actually do? and how the duck are they transferred?

ps: I've read the wiki but it feels like college textbook I was too lazy to read on a subject I hated.

Magic circuits are similar to a body’s system, but are part of the soul instead. They are the green lines you see appear on Shirou’s skin in the anime adaptations.

Magic circuits are like your nerves or blood vessels, they’re pathways for magical energy that let you form spells. They vary in amount and quality between people, and these two traits affect the person’s potential as a mage (since obviously more circuits equals more pathways to conduct magical energy through, while better quality circuits equals more efficient energy transfer).

Since the number and quality of one’s magic circuits is something a person is born with, you normally cannot improve either with training. Count and quality however, are traits that can be passed down from parent to child, thus mages tend to marry for the purpose of creating genetically superior children. Combine that with family crests (basically a family’s spells and research embedded into the body and passed down from heir to heir,) older families with long lineages often prove to be more powerful than younger ones and thus higher in the social hierarchy of mages.

The numbers you are mentioning is Od capacity, Od being the term for mana (magical energy) created within the body rather than the mana found in the environment. Rin’s maximum output of 1000 units dwarfs the average mage’s of 20-30, her potential for magecraft is obscene. Ciel’s is 4 times larger at 4000 units; in terms of Od capacity she is a super mutant closer to magical beasts like Medusa’s steed Bellerephon than to she is to people.

It is important to note that while this part of Nasu’s worldbuilding may seem like a justification for the eugenics and other nasty things mages partake in, someone’s stats don’t really end up mattering much within the stories. Shirou’s ability is actually perfectly average. Having an Od capacity of 25, it’s only because Rin and Sakura are both statistical outliers that he looks really weak in comparison. Still, his average power level manifests in such a unique and absurdly dangerous way in his reality marble Unlimited Blade Works that Rin hides him from other mages out of fear that they’ll seal him away. Ciel on the other hand has monster stats that make regular mages look like ants, but her family were poor French people running a bakery without a history of magic, their daughter just happened to be born that way.

There are those who are born without magic circuits entirely and cast spells through mystic codes, and there are normal people without strong potential that nevertheless proved extremely powerful in other ways. The whole magic circuit detail essentially exists to bolster the narrative of how the world of magi spends so much effort trying to create someone special, rather than recognizing all the ways their children are already special.

[WIW] Fate - The Franchise (1 Viewer)

I've heard the common thread here is "making Shirou act against his character", but I'm not sure how that fits with going to the temple with Saber.

For that, you need the Tiger Dojo, one of the most wonderful parts of the VN, the post-bad end omake/hint corner ran by Taiga and Ilya. It's glorious fun, and something no adaptation has ever been able to utilize, to all their detriments.

They basically take the bad ends and allow you to decompress with something light, which is nice. And occasionally go "whoa, that was crazy!" with you, too.

Pip

Citizen and Resident of Ireland, born in the UK

The Fireballed Mage

Validated User

Fortunately, Sakura is having none of this, and is going to go in the kitchen. Enter Taiga. The time it took for the penny to drop for the “Boarder” remark is the time it took for Sakura to prepare dinner and serve it. I love how Taiga immediately spots the potential for this to be a Harem Comedy (which, were it not for The Gathering, it would be) and complains about it.

This is the line I mentioned earlier.

In the Japanese, while violently shaking him, Taiga yells out, "Who do you think you are, the lead in a love comedy?!"

'Love Comedy' is the Japanese term for what the West terms 'Harem Anime.' The fact she's effectively yelling, "Who do you think you are, the lead in a harem anime?!" while surrounded by 4 (four!) girls(!). and considering the VN's eroge origins. just makes me madly giggle. Such a fantastic lampshade.

Count_Zero

Game Master

Episode 10: The Calm Interlude

Shirou is cleaning the dojo before the morning training. Rin is not a morning person.

Shirou is also taking the day off from school for training - and it’s hard to play hooky when your guardian is your homeroom teacher, and comes to your house every day for breakfast.

Shirou, while it probably is better for the dojo floor if Saber doesn’t wear her armor (what with the steel greaves and all that), saying it’s better she doesn’t wear her armor because she looks prettier that way doesn’t actually show that you’re taking this seriously.

Shirou proceeds to get his ass beat by Saber - though I don’t know if he really gets just how good Saber is - he’s breathing really hard, and Saber hasn’t broken a sweat, after two straight hours of training.
Shirou asks Saber about her planned Grail Wish - she wants the wish to “fulfill an obligation” though she won’t state what. Yeah, Rin probably wouldn’t wish for world domination. That would be Shinji.

Saber laughs at Shirou’s remark. before her stomach rumbles. As shirou goes out for groceries, he runs into Illya, and is appropriately scared out of his mind. Fortunately, instead of Holy Ground being off limits during The Gathering, it’s fighting during the day (particularly in public spaces), so he’s safe for now.

Illya proceeds to fuck with him by mispronouncing his name. She just wants to sit down and have a chat.

Illya doesn’t have enemies, she has people who haven’t been brutally killed with a giant axe that is indistinguishable from a blunt object.

Illya and Shirou just sit and talk about where Illya came from and her family. Apparently Illya is living in a house nearby, by herself, where she’s kept cooped up. Illya gets a Taiyaki from Shirou. I haven’t had Taiyaki, but I have had Imagawayaki at the Beaverton Uwajimaya, and I’m interested in seeing if there’s a difference in taste (in terms of filling and crispness of the batter).

Shirou wonders that if he had a little sister, she’d be like this, and I’ll note that Illya’s dad in her flashbacks looks like Shirou’s adoptive father. Illya senses that Berserker has awakened, and heads off, and Shirou goes to return to a very likely pissed off Saber.

Meanwhile, Shinji is confronting Rin at school. Saber looks really sad that she was left alone and hungry. Shinji apparently asked for an alliance, and Rin socked him one. I suspect that the story about Shinji being pissed because Rin turned him down was related not to dating, but an alliance in The Gathering.

Shirou walks in on Saber in the bath, though the pan moves fast enough that we only get a brief view of Saber’s butt. Shirou immediately scrambles out, only for Saber to open the door without covering up. Saber is currently okay with him seeing her nude, but Shirou, being chivalrous, and not knowing the origins of this game, is feeling really awkward about the whole thing, which is funny.

Shirou tries to show his reinforce spell to Rin, but it doesn’t quite work. We get some info here on the concept of “Magic Circuits,” what they are, and how they work. Basically, a spell is a circuit flow diagram from the spell to whatever outcome you’re trying to get. Once a Magus learns a spell, that circuit path is established and set, and you can cast the spell more easily whenever - but for mundanes, they have to re-make the circuit every time. Rin has Shirou swallow a gem that should help him do this more easily. The next step up from Reinforcement, Shirou’s current spell of choice, is Projection, or the duplication of an existing object using mana.

Episode 11: Temple of Blood

Why is Viewster giving this episode the title of “Blood Fort Andromeda”?

The Previously On makes episode 10 look like the “Shirou gets startled” episode.

Back in the Dojo, Shirou is continuing to be crappy. Saber speculates that when she has her hands on a sword, her emotions shut down - Rin wonders if it’s not a “class” thing, but a “woman” thing. Saber comments that she’s never thought of herself as a woman, nor has been treated as woman.

After sparring practice, it’s time for Rin’s magic lessons, which Shirou is dragged to by the front of his shirt. Shirou is tasked with reinforcing a whole bunch of lamps - and he keeps breaking them. However, in the workshop, Shirou has been projecting various metal objects, including a metal Shinai. Shinji calls him from school saying he needs to pass along some information, and Shinji wants him to come to school without telling Rin.

While Shirou and Rin have been absent, Shinji has re-instituted all the wards, and pulled the trigger on the spell as soon as Shirou started on his way.

Are they all dead by now? I’d hate for Taiga to be dead, especially like this.

Shirou dodges Shinji’s magic attack, and Rider’s initial strike, but then gets clobbered and defenestrated. However, Shirou is able to summon Saber (I presume using a Command Seal), while Shirou goes to beat down Shinji.

Rider can’t help you, she’s dealing with Shinji’s servant. Shinji refuses to drop the barrier, so Shirou threatens to kill Shinji. Shinji calls Shirou’s bluff. Shirou tells him he’s not bluffing - so Shinji backs down.

Shirou insists on Shinji giving up his command seals but Rider blasts past to Shirou and releases her Noble Phantasm - Pegasus, which pretty much blows apart the top floor of the building.

Shirou passes out after this, and flashes back to the aftermath of the last Holy Grail War. He wakes up at the house, and is confronted by Rin. Everyone survived, but a lot of students had to be taken to the hospital. Saber confronts Shirou in the dojo about the stupidity of running off half cocked without her - which is even dumber than when Saber did it at the temple, and Shirou understands this time.

I think this time Shirou really understands what’s going on, and. no, he’s still a moron - somewhat. I think his plan is to have Saber fight the Servants, while he tries to directly fight the masters and force them to back down. Did Saber go deredere when Rin caught them shaking hands?

Also, I couldn’t wait and skipped straight to watching this AMV, because I just can’t stop thinking about Fate and Highlander at the same time:

I know it's for Fate/Zero, but the similar video for Fate/Stay Night wasn't as good. Moving on.

Episode 12: Splitting the Sky

Shinji is now going full edgelord in public, among people. Yeah, he’s the last person you want winning the Holy Grail War.

The official story for what happened to Taiga is exhaustion. However, Shirou wants to stop Rider and Shinji from pulling another barrier like that again. Rin and Saber want him to rest up first.

Considering that the barrier is something generated by Rider, not Shinji, knocking Shinji out won’t be enough to end the existence of the barrier, and unless the Servants of defeated Masters disappear immediately after their master is killed, just snapping his neck won’t stop another barrier either - the barrier is draining mana from people en masse for the Servant, so Rider could continue to exist after the fact (and just killing Shinji would let her mass drain an area with impunity). So, Rider has to go down first. But, Rider’s noble phantasm is more powerful than Rider herself is, so she has to be beaten really fast.

They start their search at Shinji’s house, but he is not present, and they choose not to see Sakura because they want to keep her out of it. They search part of Newtown before Shirou gets overwhelmed and they head to a park to sit down. Saber offers to let Shirou rest his head in her lap, and he gets flustered - IIRC even in Saber’s time that would be a very personal thing - which leads to an interesting observation. Saber is starting to warm up to Shirou, so at what point does she start using her matter-of-fact mannerisms and that she didn’t care about intimacy earlier as a way to get Shirou to let down his guard and be intimate (not sexual - intimate)?

Footage re-use of Shirou’s near death experience when as a child, ultimately sleeping for an hour.

Rider magically calls out Saber & Shirou, and they barely avoid an ambush. Rider does the knife licking thing, Saber transforms, and battle is joined. Shirou moves into the building to find Shinji. However, Rider is better equipped to fight on the side of a building. As Shirou heads up on an elevator, it stops a few floors early, so he heads to the stairs, and completely misses Illya and Berserker hiding in the shadows.

They make it on the roof, where Rider has Pegasus waiting. It does make sense - the class is Rider, so naturally their Noble Phantasm would be a mount. Now, it would be hilarious if Rider was exceptionally vulnerable to Lancer (set a pike to receive a charge) or Archer (shoot a mount out from under them). Rider is some sort of demon. According to the MyAnimeList comments, the speculation from around the time the show came out was Medusa.

Shinji is somewhere around here, somewhere. Unless he has a spell that lets him project his voice. Saber unleashes her Noble Phantasm’s wind ability, and draws Excalibur, blows Rider out of the sky with a wave-motion-gun esque effect.

Meanwhile Rin is outside Sakura and Shinji’s house, with Sakura looking out the window, and she mutters something which we can’t hear. Meanwhile, Shinji’s book, which contains his command seals, is engulfed in flames, and Saber passes out from Mana exhaustion.

One Master down.

Episode 13: Winter Castle

We flash back to Arturia’s Britain, with Arturia leading her army - and we know this is a flashback because it’s sepia toned.

Back in our world, Shirou is worried about Saber. She’s resting with a pained look on her face. Saber has mostly tapped out her mana, so unless Shirou does something, she’ll disappear.

This must be when the sex happens in the game. Certainly boning is a preferable option to expending a command seal in order to force Saber to drain health from a person. You’d never forgive yourself - and neither would Saber.

We see young Arturia pull the sword from the stone. In this version we’re going with the Caliburn and Excalibur are the same thing version of the myth. Also, Merlin is without a beard. Arturia is also not pulling the sword by accident in order to replace Sir Kay’s broken sword from a tournament. Also, the knights are referring to Arturia as Arthur, with masculine pronouns, even though she’s wearing a dress.

Ah, Shirou was seeing all of this in a dream.

Archer points out that Saber used her Noble Phantasm to protect him.

And here’s Illya, and somehow she knows about Saber - and that he let Shinji get away. Her eyes are glowing. Apparently she’s charming him or hypnotizing him somehow, and knocks him out. He’s trying to find some way to produce the sword. And now Shirou is tied to chair in what appears to be a small girl’s room. This must be Illya’s house.

Meanwhile, back at Shirou’s house, Saber has come to, but is weak. Archer wants him left to his fate, and knows exactly how things went down.

Illya’s coming on to Shirou hard. Illya considers this a betrayal and is going to have Berserker kill Saber and Rin, and then will kill him. Illya had Berserker kill Shinji. I can’t say I feel bad for him. I feel bad for Sakura more, depending on how much she knows about the Holy Grail War, particularly since if their parents are absent or dead, she'd be the one who'd have to go identify the body.

Apparently Shirou ended up coughing up blood in the process of using magic to get out of his bonds. Meanwhile, Rin and Saber are on the way to rescue Shirou.

Thread: Upon the Nature of Magic and Magecraft

Though abandoned, forgotten, and scorned as out-of-date dolls, they continue to carry out their mission, unchanged from the time they were designed.
Machines do not lose their worth when a newer model appears.
Their worth (life) ends when humans can no longer bear that purity.

I remember someone describing Illya as a bunch of circuits given human form.

dunno where from sorry

Isn't that like, just what a Homunculus is?

Probably, but Illya moreso since magical functions were prioritized to the max over stuff like physical ability, lifespan or humanity.

死徒二十七祖 The Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors Join Date Mar 2015 Location Couch Age 25 Gender Posts 2,751 JP Friend Code *Angry Saber Noises* US Friend Code 771,751,115

There's a line in the UBW flashback about Illya being 70% magic circuit IIRC.

To be an actual magus, yes.

But there are other, more byzantine, ways to enact mysteries with a human body!

• Breathe right (see quote)
• Use your actual nerves, try not to kill yourself (like Kiritsugu "Worst Teacher Ever" taught Shirou)

"---To put it another way, a person who casts spells to cast magic is only a magus.
But if one's breathing, walking, and their existence itself can perform divine deeds, that person is a pure Magic Circuit that surpasses magi."
"Oh. I think there was something like that in Shintoism.
Like exterminating evil with mere footsteps or clapping of the hands."
"Yes, one spends all one's life mastering those embodiments.
But there are rare cases where one is born with this correct way of breathing or walking. These are people who themselves are Magic Circuits."
"As they are abnormal, they will be famed as prodigies and end up being claimed by magi. But there are a few who will grow up without catching anyone's attention.
These people have within them divine mysteries surpassing magic, without even knowing magic. But----"
"But? So Kuzuki-Sensei has a natural-born talent?"
"No. I do not feel such a thing in him.
. Um, this is contradictory, but I believe his breathing and walking techniques were acquired through training."
"I cannot believe it myself, but he is not a magus.
I believe his everyday training is affecting him in the perfect way."
What does that mean?
Does it mean Kuzuki-Sensei is living a pure and honest life?
"Saber. Then Kuzuki-Sensei is. "
"It means that he is an ideal teacher. A person like him is not rare.
It just means that he is admirable for someone like me who cannot breathe perfectly even with training."

This is due to the fact that he inadvertently inherited the circuits of Kiritsugu Emiya, who was an accomplished mage and Shirou's adopted father. As a result, Shirou has over a hundred magic circuits, making him exceptionally skilled and powerful in the field of magecraft. Furthermore, Shirou's magic circuits have a specific attribute known as Structural Grasp.

This attribute allows him to analyze and comprehend the structure of objects and project them as replicas or weapons. This ability is closely tied to Shirou's innate talent for projection magecraft, which enables him to recreate weapons and items using his mana. However, Shirou's magic circuits also present a challenge and limitation to his abilities. Due to the strain on his circuits, using magecraft or projecting objects takes a toll on his body. The higher the complexity and power of the projected object, the greater the burden on his circuits and physical well-being. This makes it difficult for him to use his abilities repeatedly or for extended periods without suffering adverse effects. In summary, Shirou's magic circuits are a crucial component of his abilities as a mage. Their unique attribute of Structural Grasp allows him to analyze and recreate objects, making him a formidable opponent. However, the strain on his circuits and the toll it takes on his body pose challenges and limitations to his magical proficiency..

Reviews for "Unlocking the Secrets of Shirou's Magic Circuits"

1. Jane987 - 2 stars

I was really disappointed with "Shirou magic circuits". The storyline felt dull and predictable, lacking any depth or originality. The characters were one-dimensional and unrelatable, making it difficult to invest in their struggles. The pacing was also off, with unnecessary filler scenes that added nothing to the overall plot. Overall, I found the book to be underwhelming and would not recommend it to others.

2. Mike123 - 1 star

"Shirou magic circuits" was a complete waste of time. The writing was amateurish and the grammar errors were distracting. The plot was convoluted and confusing, with no clear direction. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, and the characters were poorly developed. I struggled to finish the book and ended up feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. Save yourself the trouble and skip this one.

3. Sarah_G - 2 stars

I had high expectations for "Shirou magic circuits" but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The world-building was weak, leaving many unanswered questions and making it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. The magic system was poorly explained and inconsistent throughout the book. The main character, Shirou, lacked depth and his motivations were unclear. The pacing was also slow, making it a struggle to stay engaged. Overall, I was not impressed with this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.

4. Jack456 - 2 stars

"Shirou magic circuits" had a promising premise, but it failed to deliver. The writing was overly descriptive and bogged down the story, making it a chore to read. The action scenes were poorly executed and lacked excitement. I also found the romance subplot to be forced and unrealistic. The ending felt rushed and unsatisfying, leaving many loose ends. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and wouldn't recommend it to fans of the genre.

The Significance of Shirou's Magic Circuits in Fate/stay night