Archer:
A path of frustration and self forgiveness

Archer is one of my favorite Fate characters. I think the reason of why that is the case, is because the concept of his character is very interesting.

A future version of our protagonist coming to kill his past self so he won't go down the same path. He is an excellent foe for Shirou to overcome.
It's always fascinated me how different Archer is from Shirou.

That is telling of the life he has lead. He not at all resembles the hopeful young man we know. In stead he exudes cynicism and even bitterness sometimes. All of this begs the question of, what happened?

His transition from hopeful Shirou to cynical Archer is the core of his character. Shirou has only one wish to be a hero. He stakes his entire life on that desire. That is quite frankly what is keeping him afloat after what happened to him.

Clinging to that speck of light is the core of his humanity. Of his entire identity. So of course losing that would transform him. The closer Archer is to grasping the dream that kept him human, the less human he becomes.

He as he described himself became a machine. His path is one of losing the hope that saved him. Which of course broke him the more he had to betray the thing he so desperately believed in.

"Drown in your ideals and die!"

From this he internalized guilt, regret and self loathing. He started hating not only himself that was the machine but himself of the past for dare dreaming something that now in his eyes is so awful.

Feeling all of this, it almost seems natural he would want to kill Shirou. In his eyes that is mercy. He knows how absolutely broken Shirou actually is. So killing him to Archer is like an act of mercy for both of them.

At times Archer can even be unreasonable in pursuing this desire. But to him Shirou is the embodiment of regret, guilt, naivete and inability. Everytime he sees him, he is reminded of the core which caused him to worp completely.

Not only that but Archer has lived a life where no one appreciated what he did. He was left forgotten and even executed in the end. No one to even say thank you or even remember him in a positive manner. He was executed as a traitor.

After everything he sacrificed the people who he gave his humanity to save turned their backs on him. After all of that of course he is gonna manifest frustration and bitterness.

And he is gonna detest the Shirou Emiya who not only still has humanity, but has people appreciate him as a human and support him. Shirou is the embodiment of what he hates, and what he secretly yearns to get back.

His fight with Shirou is not only Shirou's trial but also Archer's. Not in his quest to kill Shirou, but to face his own self in the eye and embrace it. To embrace his past and what he is now. His wish that was in the end still something beautiful.

This fight was the first step to Archer's self forgiveness. To know by looking at Shirou that his wish is not something to be so easily discarded. That it's a desire of a broken person to do something meaningful with his pain.

Witnessing this and remembering his talk with Kiritsugu, he finally regains his humanity. The light he has lost.

It's fitting that his last scene is with Rin. Rin is another part of his humanity. The girl he once loved and who wanted to help him. Looking at her one last time, he reassures that she has done well for his finally okay and is ready to take on his life.

And take care of himself while trying to keep his wish alive and never stray to darkness like he once did.
Unlimited Blade Works was Shirou's test of preservation, but for Archer it was his path of self healing and acceptance.