Fate/strange Fake Releases Premiere Episode Early (And How You Can Watch)

After years of waiting, the Fate franchise is finally back with a new anime TV series, and for those wishing to see it now, the English subbed and dubbed versions of Episode 1 are available today on Crunchyroll. Luckily enough, fans can soon also catch the premiere for free on YouTube. A new trailer and the first episode of Fate‘s newest spin-off, Fate/strange Fake, was unveiled during the “Fate Project New Year’s Eve TV Special 2024,” revealing that the series will be broadcast in 2025.

While an exact release date for the series has yet to be revealed, the first episode of Fate/strange Fake, titled “The Heroic Spirit Incident,” will be streamed for free in English dub on Aniplex’s official YouTube channel from January 8th to January 13th, 2025, making sure fan everywhere can catch the new series premiere in the new year.

[Related: Fate/Stay Night Remaster Announced]

Fate/strange Fake Announces 2025 Release Window With Special Early Premiere

Heaven’s Feel film trilogy aside, with Ufotable’s adaptation of Unlimited Blade Works having aired back in October 2014, it has been nearly a decade since the Fate franchise received a full-fledged anime series. As such, all eyes have been on Fate/strange Fake since the series was first announced at Anime Expo 2023. The spin-off released a 55-minute TV special prologue titled Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn back in July 2023, introducing the complicated yet intriguing premise and characters of the new spin-off, and the coming year will finally see the full story brought to life once again by A-1 Pictures.

Based on the spin-off light novel of the same name by Ryohgo Narita, Fate/strange Fake is centered around a “false” Holy Grail War created by a group of magi in the United States attempting to recreate the elusive Third Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. That said, their haphazard attempt at copying ritual results in many abnormalities and inconsistencies, the biggest being that the False Holy Grail War does not have a Saber-class servant. That said, taking place amidst the chaos of the False Holy Grail War is also the True Holy Grail War in Japan, which introduces Fate/strange Fake‘s Saber, Richard I, and his master Ayaka Sajou, both of whom take center stage on the key visuals and promotional material for Fate/strange Fake so far.

Unlike the rest of the Fate franchise, which primarily takes place in Japan, Fate/strange Fake is set in Nevada, USA, making for quite a change of surroundings. The series also introduced many new faces, both in terms of Fake and True Servants, while also including familiar faces like Gilgamesh. The latest trailer mainly shines a spotlight on Hansa Cervantes, the cyborg overseer of the False Holy Grail War in Fate/strange Fake. Fans may even catch a glimpse of some of these other Masters, including Orlando Reeve and Tiné Chelc, and Servants such as No Name Assassin and Alexandre Dumas with his unmistakable checkered teeth.

Nonetheless, it seems A-1 Pictures has all but nailed the visuals and animation, and with a story this fascinating, Fate/strange Fake is shaping up to be a must-watch for fans of TYPE-MOON’s vast yet beloved franchise, and fortunately, everyone can give the new spin-off series a go thanks to the new YouTube premiere event.

Source: Fate/strange Fake Official Anime Website, Crunchyroll