Artoria Pendragon

Lore & Background

Saber's real name is Artoria Pendragon, inspired by the legends of King Arthur. At her birth, Uther decides to not publicly announce Artoria's birth or sex, fearing his subjects will never accept a woman as a legitimate ruler. Merlin entrusts Artoria to Sir Ector, who raises her as a surrogate son. When Artoria is fifteen, King Uther dies, leaving no known, eligible heir. Merlin approaches Artoria, explaining that the British people will recognize her as a destined ruler if she draws Caliburn from the rock. Without hesitation and despite her sex, she draws Caliburn and becomes king. The only knights who know the truth of her gender are Sir Kay and Sir Agravain. Artoria is plagued by guilt and inferiority throughout her reign; she sacrifices her emotions for the good of Britain, but many subjects become critical of her lack of humanity. A traitorous knight, Mordred, mortally wounds Artoria at the Battle of Camlann. Morgan le Fay and Sir Bedivere escort the dying king to a holy isle; Artoria orders Bedivere to dispose of Excalibur by throwing it back to Vivian. Before dying, she appeals to the world to relive her life so someone more suitable would lead Britain.

In Their Own Story

In Fate/Grand Order, Artoria Pendragon appears as a recurring Servant, one of the Servants of Ritsuka Fujimaru of the Grand Order conflicts. She appears as Saber, along with her multiple forms Saber Alter and Saber Lily, as well as her newer forms Lancer and Lancer Alter, and gag forms as Archer, Rider Alter and Ruler form wearing a swimsuit, maid outfit and bunny girl costume respectively, as well as another rider form as "Santa Alter" introduced in the game and a Caster form introduced for the game's 5th anniversary. Her other gag iterations are the Assassin-c.

Reader's Guide

Artoria Pendragon's character is rooted in the legends of King Arthur, but the Fate series reinterprets her as a female king who hides her gender to rule. In Fate/Grand Order, she is a Servant of Ritsuka Fujimaru, appearing in multiple forms that reflect different aspects of her legend or alternate timelines. Her Saber form is the original King of Knights, wielding Excalibur. Saber Alter is a corrupted version consumed by the Holy Grail, appearing in the Heaven's Feel route of Fate/stay night. Saber Lily is a younger, more idealistic version. Lancer and Lancer Alter forms are based on her wielding Rhongomyniad. The gag forms (Archer, Rider Alter, Ruler, Santa Alter, Caster) are introduced for seasonal events or anniversaries, such as the 5th anniversary Caster form. Players can summon these variants to use in battles across the Grand Order story chapters.

Did You Know?

• Saber's real name is Artoria Pendragon, sometimes written as Altria, Arthuria or Arturia.
• At her birth, Uther decided not to publicly announce Artoria's birth or sex, fearing his subjects would never accept a woman as a legitimate ruler.
• Artoria drew Caliburn from the rock at age fifteen, becoming king of Britain.
• In Fate/Grand Order, Artoria appears in multiple forms including Saber, Saber Alter, Saber Lily, Lancer, Lancer Alter, Archer, Rider Alter, Ruler (swimsuit, maid, bunny), Santa Alter, and a Caster form introduced for the game's 5th anniversary.
• Saber Alter is a corrupted version of Artoria that appears in the Heaven's Feel route of Fate/stay night.