Here we have a man who clung to his ideal till the very end, then tragically came to the conclusion his entire life was a lie after he died. A man with an impossible ideal who gave up on himself in his last moments. A man who never found happiness. A man who desperately hates his past and is forced to look into a mirror and see everything he was. When he says he accomplished everything he wanted in life, it’s overflowing with bitterness. He saved countless people but he never managed to save everyone or himself. He is regret personified.
"Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist."
I love the character idea of Archer.
There's just something about his entire story and regrets that resonates with me. It would be interesting if we could all confront our younger selves in an attempt to prevent something we know we'll regret later in life. Shirou represents us as children when we admired and wanted to become superheroes. Archer represents our matured views of the world. Self-awareness is a beautiful thing. He takes full responsibility for what happened in his life although in his case, it would be justified if he blamed the people who betrayed him.
I like Archer's unique design, his calmness, his no-nonsense attitude, cynicism, sarcasm, fair assessment of others, wisdom and pragmatism. I like his soft side even more, and the character really did well to express his warmer side without compromising his awesomeness. When he decides to care about someone, he cares deeply for them; there is no middle ground. With all of that said, what amazes me is his sense of effortless empathy which is so rare in male characters!
Despite his shit talks, Archer is all about self-sacrifice and heroism when shit hits the fan. [ In UBW and FSN ** ]. Although he is not a 5-star Servant in terms of power, he manages to pull win after win by utilizing tactics - he's a symbol of "trying your best". He's got some of the most amazing skills and abilities in the Fate world: magic eyesight, Independent Action, Presence Concealment, massive fighting experience accumulated in his life, his Mind's Eye, unique projections, Broken Phantasms and UBW... make him an all-rounder with a tactical mind to boot.
Archer's message is very endearing: He admitted that there was beauty in Shirou's ideal. He admitted that he could not save everyone but the fact that he keeps trying is noble in itself and that it is worth fighting for even if he regrets not being able to do more.
Now, here is something that the anime does not explain: the real work of Counter Guardians: What we should know is that CGs don't empower people at all. They do not make efforts to prevent disasters, either. They "clean up". For example, if an evil overlord appeared in Japan, he could destroy the world, but CGs would only come after he had done some damage, then they would not only kill him but nuke all of Japan. They don't "save" people; they kill and destroy everything and everyone within a certain range of the disaster to prevent it from affecting the rest of the world. In summary, the Counter Force will summon a Counter Guardian, who will kill everyone involved, including the failed protagonists and random bystanders in the way. [ I believe that they should've added this information to the anime because it changes how we see Archer ].
** In UBW and FSN:
In FSN, Archer chose to die fighting Heracles to allow Rin and others to escape when he could have survived if he had escaped.
In UBW, Archer is a genuine hero: He still tries to save as many people as he can. He saved Shirou many times and protected him with Rho Aias. Although he broke the pact with Rin, he still planned for her to make a contract with Saber and win the War.
In HF, he sacrificed himself to save Rin and Shirou. He has no wish for the Grail.
Archer's fighting techniques in general are splendid! All my favorites are from UBW:
- Archer vs. Lancer = Gae Bolg vs. Rho Aias!
- Archer vs. Caster ("Imbecile! I said, 'Dodge this, Caster!' Caladbolg")
- Shirou vs. Archer (the philosophy is more interesting than the fight).
