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While I do love F/Z alot and feel like the Banquet of Kings is great in the heat of the moment, overall it's one of the overrated parts of F/Z as it undermines and ruins how Heroic Spirit Artoria's character and how she's supposed to be portrayed from Fate/History.
F/Z's Saber is potrayed as more honorable and naive, when her character is the complete opposite. Artoria during her rule as king is more comparable to Kiritsugu. She would PILLAGE HER OWN VILLAGES for necessities her army needed and doesn't care for the Knights input on it.
If anything Kiritsugu and Artoria would get along fine and easily win the HGW if it wasn't already corrupted by Mainyu. They both share a similar mindset to commit evil for the sake of their impossible Ideals, but instead they don't see eye to eye due ---
Kerry not wanting to get attached to THE STRONGEST SERVANT IN THIS HGW and using her as more of tool than person. Saber sees alot of herself in Kiritsugu, but her pride and honor that he mocks makes her personal dislike him. To further this, let's talk about the fall of Britain.
It was inevitable that Britain would fall the moment Artoria pulls Caliburn as MERLIN states, but despite this Artoria without hesitation pulls the sword and held on fighting Britain's fate that would fail as predicted. All the pain and sacrifices she has made is all for nothing.
Artoria as King understands already, you have to sacrifice in order to gain, similar to Kiritsugu methods. Even if she fails in the end, she shouldn't be the Honorable Person seen in Zero that disagrees with underhanded plans on ENEMIES to WIN THE GRAIL because of honor.
Her way of ruling Britain is no different from saving the majority over the minority, it saves the most lives as you can't save everyone which she personally knows with Mordred and for the benefits of her army.
But why do Gil and Rider disprove her way of Kingship? It's because she wishes to undo a mistake she believed she made, of drawing the sword. Choosing not to draw the sword would lead Britain to a more peaceful end. Which she believes as King, would be better for her country.
Gil understands this perfectly, since Uruk fell. Difference is Gil believes no one besides him could have led Uruk which fits his character.(For RN) He's mostly silent during their debate as to him the best King overall is himself so his input doesn't matter.
Rider on the other hand is a Conqueror, not Ruler. When Iskandar fell, his "land that he owned" also fell with him as it was just land and not established property. He wasn't a good ruler, but is debating his beliefs of what makes a good King to Saber doesn't make sense.
If Artoria already doesn't listen to her closest subjects, the Knights of the Round Table about her methods and Shirou in the Fate Route of F/SN about her undoing her "mistake", why is she listening and even worse being affected by what Iskandar is saying?
She character is DRASTICALLY different from any other counterparts of her because she's needed in this moment to make Iskandar look like a "True King." She's too naive which doesn't follow her actions in F/SN or history which makes inconsistences in her character.
Artoria does have honor as a warrior, but knows how war works. She sacrificed her own people for her survival over the citizens and also attacks Rin when she isn't looking and Archer saves her in F/SN. Fighting Lancer in a "Fair Duel" when she's in a HGW makes no sense.
In F/SN she has no problem with Killing Shirou in some of the bad endings for the Grail, but in F/Z has a problem when Kiritsugu uses a twisted plan to take out Lancer and his master in a underhanded way when she's fine with it in other Fate Franchises.
Iskandar telling Saber he doesn't see her as King doesn't matter and shouldn't affect because it's his outlook as a King and not hers, she shouldn't care. Even lancelot WHO BETRAYED ARTORIA IN LORE at end of F/Z says Artoria was a Good King despite being in madness.
That's pretty much it. On a stand alone series Banquet of Kings is an awesome and great concept, but to a prequel of a completely different "mindset" of Saber in F/SN and Lore/History she's terrible inconsistent.
