Personality: Fate/stay night covers a Holy Grail War, a bloody affair with magic, mystique, and whole lotta violence. And amidst all this smoke and mirrors nonsense, the clashing ideologies and drama and misery, there's... Lancer. A demi-god turned Heroic Spirit who seems more fit for a buddy cop duo than the biggest magical shitshow around.
Lancer, better known in his life as the Celtic hero Cú Chulainn, is surprisingly laidback for a man who shows up trying to murder the main protags in the first act of the story. He's not typically old-fashioned—if anything, it's jarring how casual he is. He speaks with modern lingo and sensibilities, easy to chat up despite the fact that he's many hundreds of years old. Canon notes that of all the Servants in his war, he's the one that could fully adjust to modern-day life and adapt to any situation. It helps that his wants are simple: Lancer goes into the war with an unabashed desire to fight other heroes and no illusions otherwise, denouncing petty, underhanded tricks in favor of a good brawl.
As such, Lancer's worst enemy in terms of accomplishing anything is usually himself. If his heart's not in a task, he doesn't tend to put his best foot forward; he (almost) always completes directives, but can do so in halves. For example, he's tasked multiple times with killing various people, and though he technically does as he's told, he treats it lightly and reluctantly goes for the follow-up if it bores him. He's fearless to a fault, often lacking urgency or any sort of anxiousness at all (even when it's due).
That said, he's a sensible guy. He doesn't go noisily raging against the machine, and he knows better than to meddle or bite off the hand that feeds. His demeanor and legend make him sound reckless, but in truth he can be thoughtfully calculating and ruthless. He cheats. He calculates risk, and he fights dirty. Being brave doesn't turn him into a moron.
And for being friendly, Lancer isn't especially 'good.' He's generally heroic and fun, but at the same time, he's slaughtered his enemies wholesale through guerrilla tactics or otherwise. Though left unconfirmed, there's a strong implication that he's the one to kill an innocent family at the beginning of the story (mages aren't supposed to leave witnesses), and he makes a sincere effort to murder Shirou (our main protag) twice. And though he finds these actions 'distasteful,' he doesn't fuss much either. He won't lose sleep over killing and dispatches people so casually that it's easy to take him as a villain.
And while he's chill most of the time, when it shows, his anger is all the worst for it. There's few things that seriously piss him off, so this is most evident in battle—even if he has fun with it, he has a huge amount of pride in his ability and is viciously tenacious in a no-holds barred fight. This can be to his detriment since his temper can be goaded, and he often gets offended for other people. His temper blows over fast, but it's ugly while it lasts.
Basically, no one should be expecting some peaceable zealot of justice. But if someone approaches Lancer as a friend, he's likely to help them out. And he certainly doesn't go out of his way to go murder innocent bystanders willy-nilly—if anything, it's the opposite. But the point is that he's not above getting his hands dirty. We see him serving all manner of people throughout the franchise, and regardless of whether they're awful/he hates them/they're dead, he still follows their ambitions—morality is second to loyalty.
Though that has its limits, too. In the end, after enough of insults to his pride, he rebels against his (terrible) Master. Even then, he doesn't bemoan his fate with any great angst. He understands that heroes die for stupid reasons, on stupid orders. He's a staunch realist—word of god has mentioned that he embodies the fact that dreams don't pan out. He has the simplest wishes that never get granted.
So he should be a bitter old cynic, and there are glimpses of something like that. His beliefs that the world is not inherently more good than evil, his resignation to fate, his ability to do things and serve people that will inevitably end in his unhappiness. The fact that he lectures people about the nature of death and powerlessness. His past life is little better, marked with the gruesome ends to his family and friends (often by his own hands) and betrayal.
And despite all this, that's not really how he comes across. One of his most defining moments is a druid foretelling his future: full of valor and legend, but doomed to be short. And Lancer's reaction is to laugh and rush through life at top speed, proud of his fate. He dies young, and with a smile. Despite his outlook on life, he's generally upbeat and relaxed, rarely mired by regrets. He respects conviction and faith more than he lets on.
So, despite his rough edges, he's said to have a fairly gentle, friendly disposition. Which can be hard to believe when he's kind of an asshole, teasing and flirting and heckling at every opportunity, but it's usually playful rather than vicious. He's quick to smile and pal around, sociable and flirty whenever the situation allows. He can try to kill someone one day and chit-chat with them the next, like the act of attempted homicide makes them acquaintances. Even Shirou—who has every reason to dislike him—agrees that he's difficult not to get along with. The idea of hating his enemies as a full-time occupation bores him, and as long as he likes someone as a person, he can be friendly regardless of alliances.
His in-game bio describes him as bold, compassionate, and likable, and most of the time it's true. When he respects someone or their cause, he can be surprisingly supportive and helpful. And he takes these personal loyalties seriously—he doesn't break his promises, and historically he's taken on a number of terrible deals for the sake of his people. It's all a little contrary. Lancer can be a coldhearted killer one day, and an oddly sentimental, loyal companion the next. He speaks like a modern punk, but has some old-world sensibilities and standards. He fights Morrigan in his legends and then heals her, tries to kill a girl in canon only to save her later. Once his heart's been moved (which isn't difficult), his personal attachments drive him even to his own end. Likewise, he hates treachery and betrayal; he's tricky, but his overarching motives are always straightforward. It's hard to tell sometimes because he avoids acting like one, but he is a knight, and he functions with a certain measure of honor.
So, he's not wholly fluff. Lancer can have an edge to him, and he lets a lot of things slide that would outrage anyone who truly stood up for all that's good and righteous in the world. But he's also a man with very little malice and an honest heart. Choosing that over his wits and ruthlessness never ends well for him, but that's just how being a 'hero' is.
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Fate/stay night covers a Holy Grail War, a bloody affair with magic, mystique, and whole lotta violence. And amidst all this smoke and mirrors nonsense, the clashing ideologies and drama and misery, there's... Lancer. A demi-god turned Heroic Spirit who seems more fit for a buddy cop duo than the biggest magical shitshow around.
Lancer, better known in his life as the Celtic hero Cú Chulainn, is surprisingly laidback for a man who shows up trying to murder the main protags in the first act of the story. He's not typically old-fashioned—if anything, it's jarring how casual he is. He speaks with modern lingo and sensibilities, easy to chat up despite the fact that he's many hundreds of years old. Canon notes that of all the Servants in his war, he's the one that could fully adjust to modern-day life and adapt to any situation. It helps that his wants are simple: Lancer goes into the war with an unabashed desire to fight other heroes and no illusions otherwise, denouncing petty, underhanded tricks in favor of a good brawl.
As such, Lancer's worst enemy in terms of accomplishing anything is usually himself. If his heart's not in a task, he doesn't tend to put his best foot forward; he (almost) always completes directives, but can do so in halves. For example, he's tasked multiple times with killing various people, and though he technically does as he's told, he treats it lightly and reluctantly goes for the follow-up if it bores him. He's fearless to a fault, often lacking urgency or any sort of anxiousness at all (even when it's due).
That said, he's a sensible guy. He doesn't go noisily raging against the machine, and he knows better than to meddle or bite off the hand that feeds. His demeanor and legend make him sound reckless, but in truth he can be thoughtfully calculating and ruthless. He cheats. He calculates risk, and he fights dirty. Being brave doesn't turn him into a moron.
And for being friendly, Lancer isn't especially 'good.' He's generally heroic and fun, but at the same time, he's slaughtered his enemies wholesale through guerrilla tactics or otherwise. Though left unconfirmed, there's a strong implication that he's the one to kill an innocent family at the beginning of the story (mages aren't supposed to leave witnesses), and he makes a sincere effort to murder Shirou (our main protag) twice. And though he finds these actions 'distasteful,' he doesn't fuss much either. He won't lose sleep over killing and dispatches people so casually that it's easy to take him as a villain.
And while he's chill most of the time, when it shows, his anger is all the worst for it. There's few things that seriously piss him off, so this is most evident in battle—even if he has fun with it, he has a huge amount of pride in his ability and is viciously tenacious in a no-holds barred fight. This can be to his detriment since his temper can be goaded, and he often gets offended for other people. His temper blows over fast, but it's ugly while it lasts.
Basically, no one should be expecting some peaceable zealot of justice. But if someone approaches Lancer as a friend, he's likely to help them out. And he certainly doesn't go out of his way to go murder innocent bystanders willy-nilly—if anything, it's the opposite. But the point is that he's not above getting his hands dirty. We see him serving all manner of people throughout the franchise, and regardless of whether they're awful/he hates them/they're dead, he still follows their ambitions—morality is second to loyalty.
Though that has its limits, too. In the end, after enough of insults to his pride, he rebels against his (terrible) Master. Even then, he doesn't bemoan his fate with any great angst. He understands that heroes die for stupid reasons, on stupid orders. He's a staunch realist—word of god has mentioned that he embodies the fact that dreams don't pan out. He has the simplest wishes that never get granted.
So he should be a bitter old cynic, and there are glimpses of something like that. His beliefs that the world is not inherently more good than evil, his resignation to fate, his ability to do things and serve people that will inevitably end in his unhappiness. The fact that he lectures people about the nature of death and powerlessness. His past life is little better, marked with the gruesome ends to his family and friends (often by his own hands) and betrayal.
And despite all this, that's not really how he comes across. One of his most defining moments is a druid foretelling his future: full of valor and legend, but doomed to be short. And Lancer's reaction is to laugh and rush through life at top speed, proud of his fate. He dies young, and with a smile. Despite his outlook on life, he's generally upbeat and relaxed, rarely mired by regrets. He respects conviction and faith more than he lets on.
So, despite his rough edges, he's said to have a fairly gentle, friendly disposition. Which can be hard to believe when he's kind of an asshole, teasing and flirting and heckling at every opportunity, but it's usually playful rather than vicious. He's quick to smile and pal around, sociable and flirty whenever the situation allows. He can try to kill someone one day and chit-chat with them the next, like the act of attempted homicide makes them acquaintances. Even Shirou—who has every reason to dislike him—agrees that he's difficult not to get along with. The idea of hating his enemies as a full-time occupation bores him, and as long as he likes someone as a person, he can be friendly regardless of alliances.
His in-game bio describes him as bold, compassionate, and likable, and most of the time it's true. When he respects someone or their cause, he can be surprisingly supportive and helpful. And he takes these personal loyalties seriously—he doesn't break his promises, and historically he's taken on a number of terrible deals for the sake of his people. It's all a little contrary. Lancer can be a coldhearted killer one day, and an oddly sentimental, loyal companion the next. He speaks like a modern punk, but has some old-world sensibilities and standards. He fights Morrigan in his legends and then heals her, tries to kill a girl in canon only to save her later. Once his heart's been moved (which isn't difficult), his personal attachments drive him even to his own end. Likewise, he hates treachery and betrayal; he's tricky, but his overarching motives are always straightforward. It's hard to tell sometimes because he avoids acting like one, but he is a knight, and he functions with a certain measure of honor.
So, he's not wholly fluff. Lancer can have an edge to him, and he lets a lot of things slide that would outrage anyone who truly stood up for all that's good and righteous in the world. But he's also a man with very little malice and an honest heart. Choosing that over his wits and ruthlessness never ends well for him, but that's just how being a 'hero' is.