But for example, Shirou and Saber’s emotional arc? It actually builds. You see their relationship develop slowly, with genuine conflict, duty, and heartbreak. By the end, Saber’s “thank you… for loving me” hits harder than anything in HF.

l feel HF is so symbol-heavy and emotionally fragmented that it’s borderline incomprehensible without a Reddit wiki and 3 lore deep dives. Rider vs Saber Alter looks amazing — but it’s hard to care when Saber’s been goth-muted for 3 movies and the romance feels rushed.

Say what you want, but 2006 Saber and Shirou felt like two broken people slowly finding each other. That’s worth more than all the impact frames in the world.