As of this writing, there are 280 servants in FGO (114 of which are limited or unplayable). Not to mention a cavalcade of NPCs that don’t possess any magical powers that we have to rank as well. Needless to say, we have our work cut out for us. But either way, we’ve compiled a ranking of some of the most popular waifus that FGO has to offer!
20. Osakabehime
Osakebehime is a self-proclaimed NEET. She enjoys nothing more than staying inside for days at a time to watch anime and play video games. Sound familiar? Osakabehime was meant to revitalize the Quick meta by providing support to Quick servants, but failed to live up to expectations. Her swimsuit variant is decently strong, but fans of Osakabehime stick around for her personality more than anything. Lucky Masters who manage to summon Osakabehime will finally have found their Player 2!
19. Sei Shounagon
Sei “Zoomer” Shounagon is a relatively new servant introduced to FGO – but one that left a lasting impression with her… eccentricities. Sei’s skill animations see her taking multiple selfies, dabbing, and even headbutting a football into the face of her enemies! Sei’s NP also inspired a huge trend of artists reimagining their favorite characters striking Sei’s signature double peace pose (similar to the recent advent of Jack-O posting). Sei might be too much to handle for the Boomers of the FGO world. But those who can keep up with her pace will have a companion for life.
18. Yu Mei-ren
Yu Mei-ren hates you. No, really; she utterly despises everything about you. Who doesn’t like a challenge, huh? Mei-ren is a four-star assassin who’s considered to be incredibly weak. Not only that, but she goes out of her way to express her disdain for her Master, and her undying love for the Frankenstein horse monster Xiang Yu. Despite this, fans have come to masochistically love her over the years, and are constantly vying for her to be buffed. Those who enjoy being stepped on should summon her immediately.
17. Quetzalcoatl
Quetz won fans over with her big sister energy and role in Babylonia. Her vocal inflections are incredibly endearing, and her shy love for her Master is a nice juxtaposition with her powerful strength and muscly build. Quetz is a Rider, and one that relies on critical hits to deal insane amounts of damage. The next time you find yourself being bullied by Olga Marie and Romani, don’t be afraid to let them know you’re telling on them to your big sister.
16. Katsushika Hokusai
Hokusai is an arts Foreigner capable of inflicting heavy damage and debuffs with her NP. She talks with an Edo-era working-class dialect, which is fascinating to listen to for language enthusiasts. Regardless, Hokusai is a cute and easily-flustered artist who would love to stop by your Chaldea for a painting session.
15. Kiara Sessyoin
Upon first glance, you may think that Kiara has come to save you from the depravity of FGO’s fanservice. That maybe she has descended as a heavenly angel to erase Bradamante’s NP animation from the game. Unfortunately, this nun is anything but holy. When entering her Devil’s Bodhisvatta form, she prioritizes pleasure above anything else. Kiara isn’t too great in her base class. But her Summer Moon Cancer form is incredibly strong. Not to mention that she transforms into a leather-clad Dominatrix in this form as well. Be sure to grab Anderson and run as far away as you can.
14. Medusa
Medusa is not only a fan favorite for her role in FGO, but she has also starred in mainline Fate series games such as Fate/Stay Night, and multiple spinoffs such as Fate/Grand Carnival. Her skills are enough to get the job done for free-to-play players. But those who invest in Medusa do so out of love for the character above all else. Her quiet nature if offset by an adorable awkwardness. And regardless of which class or form she’s in, her damage is nothing to scoff at.
13. Meltryllis
Melt is what’s known as a Sakura-face, in that her appearance is the same as popular Nasuverse character Sakura Matou. However, this is where the similarities end. While Sakura is kind and gentle, Melt is cold and condescending (at least upon first meeting her). Melt’s story over the C.C.C arc of FGO brought fans to tears, and truly cemented her as a love interest for the main character. Not only this, but Melt packs huge damage inside of her single-target Quick NP. And her Summer Lancer form can loop until the Passionlip’s come home! She also receives points for being an adorable penguin in this form.
12. Leonardo Da Vinci
Da Vinci is Chaldea’s main source of information, and your guide to the many worlds you’ll explore throughout FGO. Da Vinci is confident in her genius, and isn’t afraid to show it! She can be found jokingly messing around with Romani when not feeding you intel. Her Caster form is nothing to write home about but (SPOILERS!) after she’s killed and replaced by her Rider form, she becomes one of the best NP loopers in the game!
11. Minamoto-no-Raikou
Raikou is the traditional “ara ara” mother of all Masters who play FGO. Raikou is a Berserker class servant, and one capable of dishing out heavy AOE damage with her NP. Despite her power on the battlefield, her real Berserker nature will come out, should she catch you canoodling with any other servants. If you plan to summon Raikou to your Chaldea, make sure you have eyes only for her!
10. Nightingale
Keeping things moving with somewhat of a controversial pick, Nightingale is a nurse whose office we’d all be happy to be sent to. Nightingale receives a lot of flak due to her underwhelming kit in-game, coupled with her less than appealing sprite and artwork. However, fans of Nightingale have gone above and beyond to draw her in a way that truly encapsulates her beauty. Even FGO official artists have drawn Nightingale in a much better light for some of her Craft Essences.
9. Nero Claudius
It’s always a party when Nero is in town. And her confident bravado is just endearing enough to not come across as arrogance. Nero, in her base form, is a fairly standard Saber with nothing to write home about. Her caster form, however, is capable of huge damage all while sporting a very fashionable swimsuit. Nero Bride, on the other hand, is a huge enabler for arts looping teams pre-Castoria. There’s plenty of Nero to choose from – so you shouldn’t have trouble filling your roster. Umu!
8. Tamamo-no-Mae
Mikon! That is all. OK in all seriousness, Tamamo won the hearts of players with her cute vernacular and overt infatuation with the player character. In a world of tsunderes barking about how much they hate you, it’s nice to finally feel loved by someone for once. Tamamo is a great arts caster and was top-dog (top fox?) before Castoria came along. Regardless, her many incarnations including a swimsuit Lancer form, a kitty Berserker form, and a disciplinarian assassin form, keep people coming back for more!
7. Ushiwakamaru
Ushiwakamaru left such a lasting impact on players after the Babylonia anime was released. While she had always been beloved by die-hard fans of the game, her sprite pre-update left a lot to be desired. But after fans saw just how adorable Ushiwakamaru could be (if given enough support and funding to reach her full potential), she would never have to worry about being sent to second storage again. Ushiwakamaru is one of few three-star servants to appear on this list. And while she cannot compete in power with her SSR peers, she’ll always have a special place in our hearts.
6. Jeanne Alter
The original tsundere and alternate form of big sister Jeanne, Jalter is so much more than your average “it’s not like I like you or anything b-baka!” As a Buster Avenger class servant, your only job when playing with Jalter is to admire her Shinjuku skin as your brainlessly drop your finger on any red cards on your screen. Yes, she has fallen out of favor in recent years due to the rise of break bars (Edmond Dantes replacing her as the arguable best avenger at the moment before Space Ishtar). Yet while people may flame you for farming sub-optimally with a buster servant, just remember that “haha red card go brrr!”
5. Scathach
“Shishou” is a character that has won the hearts of many of the years. Not only is she a diligent teacher, training you wherever she can, but her caster form was responsible for reshaping the FGO metagame! The Double Skadi System (or DSS) completely changed the way FGO was played. Now you don’t even have to play anymore! Just mindlessly tap a subset of buttons and you’re good to go. Scathach, on the other hand, is a powerful Quick-based lancer capable of one-shotting targets. Her bunny costume is right on the horizon – so stay tuned for some “pyon-pyon” goodness!
4. Okita Souji
Okita also won the hearts of many due to her perky and cute personality. She’s also one of the few OG Saber-class servants to remain relevant in an ever-power creeping metagame. Okita has great star generation and decent hits on her quick cards to effectively charge her NP. That NP is also capable of dishing out massive damage! Okita has also won the favor of fans due to her alter form “Majin Saber”. Okita alter is every bit as cute as Saber Okita, but a tad more forgetful. Whichever Okita you decide to rest on, just make sure you don’t regret it.
3. Miyamoto Musashi
Musashi has a habit of popping up in random places throughout your journey in FGO. Regardless, whenever she stumbles into your party, Musashi is always a welcome inclusion. Her ability to increase the hit count on her face cards makes her able to efficiently charge her NP in her Saber form, or three-turn loop in her Berserker form. But Musashi is just a bubbly ball of energy with tremendous big sister energy.
2. Ishtar
If this were a list of “best Fate waifus”, things might have played out a little differently for this particular character… Ishtar is a pseudo-servant that’s manifested into the body of Rin Tohsaka. And Rin Tohsaka is one of the most popular and fan-favorite characters of all time in the Fate Universe –so any character dubbed a “Rin-face” is going to receive special treatment. Ishtar just beats out Ereshikigal due to her great personality in the Babylonia anime.
1. Artoria (Altria) Pendragon
Call it a cliché – but a cliché is usually around for a reason! Artoria, otherwise known as Saber and the poster-girl for the entire Fate franchise, is really the best waifu available in FGO. When it comes to stats, Artoria in her base form does nothing too special. Although she received a buff in JP allowing you to change all of her face cards to Buster cards, thus allowing for some brainless brave chains when used with her NP. Artoria at this point has a variant of herself in almost every single class in FGO. Whether you like a lightsaber-wielding assassin, a bikini-clad motorcycling rider, or a bunny-eared bodacious ruler, there’s an Artoria for every player!
Honorable Mention: Mash Kyrelight
Everyone’s favorite eggplant, despite being just a demi-servant, had to place somewhere on this list. Being the first person we’re introduced to in the game has to stand for something. Joining you on countless adventures, Mash is always by your side and cheering you on. And Mash is also incredibly powerful for a free character given to everyone. Her skill set is focused on defensive and supportive buffs meant to keep her precious senpai alive. Whether you prefer Mash’s more stoic persona in the FGO game, or her zanier personality in spinoffs like Fate/Grand Carnival, she’s undoubtedly everyone’s favorite kouhai. Screaming BB noises intensify
