Fate/strange Fake Needs a Real Release Date

Summary

Fate/strange Fake‘s release date remains vague in 2025, causing confusion and frustration among fans.
The series has faced delays and communication issues, with fans questioning its release strategy.
Despite the anticipation and positive reception thus far, the lack of a concrete release date is testing fans’ patience.

Title	Fate/strange Fake
Directors	Shun Enokido, Takahito Sakazume
Studio	A-1 Pictures
Release Date	2025

The highly anticipated addition to the “Fate” series titled “Fate/strange Fake” has generated excitement for quite some time now, with an hour-long special and the recent premiere release further fueling the anticipation. However, the suspense surrounding when this much-hyped title will be released has been somewhat prolonged due to its lack of specificity, leaving fans slightly impatient.

Initially, when Crunchyroll aired the first episode in November to mark Fate‘s 20th anniversary, it was thought that the Japanese broadcast on New Year’s Eve would mark the beginning of the TV anime. However, as late as December 27, 2024, MyAnimeList.net had the series scheduled for Winter 2025. But since then, the season has been removed from the schedule, and only a release window of “2025” remains, with no specific season specified.

Fate/strange Fake’s Stranger Timeline

In September 2022, during the Aniplex Online Festival, it was unveiled that Fate/strange Fake would get an animated TV special airing on New Year’s, called Whispers of Dawn. The duo Shun Enokido and Takahito Sakazume were disclosed to be at the helm of this project, having gained recognition with a 30-second promotional animated commercial for the original light novels in 2019. Regrettably, the special was postponed in early December 2022 due to production complications.

Despite not delivering the entire special immediately, the team at A-1 Pictures still managed to please fans by releasing a seven-minute preview. This sneak peek was unveiled during the annual Fate New Year’s TV program, offering tantalizing glimpses that kept fans content until the full special, which was later rescheduled for Summer 2023. Our review of the special was published shortly after its July release, scoring it a 7/10. Additionally, the special announcement came with news that a full TV series is currently being produced at A-1 Pictures.

The Countdown to Episode 1

Last year’s release of “Whispers of Dawn” had me eagerly waiting, and my patience was rewarded! During Aniplex Online Fest in 2024, I learned that Crunchyroll would be our go-to platform for “Fate/strange Fake”. The first episode was set to have its grand debut in Los Angeles in November, but the excitement didn’t stop there! After the world premiere on November 23, a sneak peek of the episode was made available on YouTube for just one week. To top it all off, I discovered that this episode would officially launch on Crunchyroll on December 31, perfectly timed with its Japanese debut. I can hardly wait!

It seemed reasonable to expect that “Fate/strange Fake” would start airing weekly after its initial release, given how it was listed at the top of Crunchyroll’s Winter 2025 schedule, and this assumption wasn’t limited to MyAnimeList.net. However, when inquired about the show’s premiere date in mid-December, Crunchyroll confirmed that the first episode would actually debut on New Year’s Eve.

As a die-hard fan, I’m thrilled to welcome the new year! While Fate/strange Fake’s next episode has been confirmed for 2025, I can’t help but wonder when exactly we’ll get to see it. A tantalizing sneak peek at Episode 2, “Ensemble vs Pretense,” has been revealed, and it looks absolutely captivating. This hints that the episode is likely in its final stages, yet we’re still left with a vague release window, leaving us eagerly awaiting more news!

Is Strange Fake’s Release Strategy Bad?

A Necessary Disclaimer

Discussing animation production can be challenging due to excessive hours, tight deadlines, and intricate challenges that require skilled professionals to manage. These topics are frequently debated in depth, especially when considering Japan’s animation industry. When talking about the duration of projects or the comparison between actual results and expectations, it is essential to keep in mind how these aspects impact the media we tend to underestimate.

I felt compelled to address this subject since it’s unrealistic to assume that a fresh episode of Fate/strange Fake will air next week or the one following. The ongoing speculation about the production status of this series has been rife, with a significant portion based purely on conjecture. While it’s true that Whispers of Dawn faced delays due to production issues, pinpointing the exact magnitude of these problems is challenging, especially when considering the TV anime format.

Too Many Teases?

The issue with “Fate/strange Fake” is more contemporary, primarily due to unclear communication about the official start date for the TV anime. The marketing language has been carefully chosen to prevent making promises A-1 Pictures can’t fulfill. However, if the intention was also to prevent confusion, it seems that goal wasn’t fully met, as even some of the biggest anime streaming services and databases were left in a state of uncertainty.

If Fate/strange Fake hadn’t been divided into such tiny segments, each designed to generate excitement for the “main event,” it might not have caused as much of an issue. Instead, we got seven-minute previews, an hour-long special, then a single episode a year later, followed by more hype for another premiere that just meant more waiting. It could have been wiser to wait until the entire season was prepared. By now, Fate fans are accustomed to some waiting, after all.

Do Fate Fans Even Mind?

Last year’s special and the first episode were generally well-received, and there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding the sneak peek of Episode 2. However, some fans have begun to express concerns about the unclear release schedule for new episodes. The official English account for the series on X (previously Twitter) shared the above update, causing confusion among followers as they inquired about when they could expect the next installment.

On the web, many people have playfully speculated that they might release one episode per year. Those who even considered questioning this are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s quite possible that less involved fans, having watched the first episode, anticipate a new episode next week. Admittedly, if it were true, the joke would be quite amusing – but it would still represent a communication mishap on the part of the marketing team.

Supporters tend to remain hopeful if they think the delay will lead to something valuable, yet having a rough timeline for when things will wrap up can be reassuring. At this stage, it’s nearly time for their patience to wear thin.

Fate/strange Fake has consistently lived up to its buzz, with each new installment adding depth to the story. It boasts excellent direction, visually appealing scenes, impressive Japanese and English acting performances, and Hiroyuki Sawano’s score remains top-notch. However, while fans are usually willing to wait when they see a promising payoff, it can be challenging to keep that patience, especially without knowing when the wait will end. And as the waiting period stretches on, it’s getting closer to the point where even the most patient fans might start running out of patience.

Sources: Internet Archive, ANN [Link 1][Link 2][Link 3][Link 4][Link 5]

2025-01-05 00:34