Few fans know that Ayaka Sajyou’s true identity in Fate/Strange Fake originates from a chilling horror story.
The creepy “Little Red Riding Hood” story in Fate/Strange Fake originally stemmed from an unresolved urban legend introduced in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia. Through author Ryohgo Narita’s storytelling, this seemingly minor mystery was transformed into a shocking twist surrounding the true identity of Saber’s Master.
An Unexpected Connection to a Classic Fate Game
For fans who follow the Fate game and anime franchise, particularly those eagerly anticipating the latest developments in Fate/Strange Fake, there is an intriguing detail that many may have overlooked. The “Little Red Riding Hood” imagery associated with the female protagonist Ayaka Sajyou is not a random plot element. It actually originates from an urban legend briefly introduced in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, a classic game in the Fate universe that has never received an anime adaptation.
For this reason, many fans who have only watched the anime may be completely unfamiliar with the story’s deeper and considerably darker origins. Here is how Ryohgo Narita cleverly connected the two versions and transformed the original tale.
In Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, the story is recounted by Ayako Mitsuzuri as a terrifying urban legend set in Fuyuki City, titled “Little Red Riding Hood of the Semina Apartment Complex.”
The tale centers on an introverted university student referred to as “Character A.” One night, a young girl who lives next door and always wears a red hood frantically rushes to the student’s door, pleading for help after her parents die by suicide.
Frightened and unwilling to get involved in trouble, the student ignores the girl’s desperate cries for help. As a result, the girl dies in the apartment hallway, leaving behind a haunting curse. Her ghost returns to torment the student, eventually driving them to the brink of madness.
Initially, this was regarded as a straightforward ghost story intended simply to enrich the world of Fate. However, everything changed with the arrival of Fate/Strange Fake.
The Shocking Twists in Fate/Strange Fake
Under Ryohgo Narita’s pen, the urban legend evolved beyond a simple horror story and became a crucial piece of the puzzle defining Ayaka Sajyou’s true identity in the Holy Grail War.
1. “Character A” Is Actually a Female University Student
The first major difference concerns the gender of “Character A.” In Ayako Mitsuzuri’s account in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, the character is portrayed with a masculine voice, reflecting the narrator’s imagination. However, the truth revealed in Fate/Strange Fake establishes that the introverted university student was actually a woman.
2. She Opens the Door to Little Red Riding Hood
In the original urban legend, the person inside the apartment cruelly ignores the girl’s cries for help. The truth revealed in Fate/Strange Fake, however, is completely different. The female university student was manipulated by a hypnotic spell cast by the real Ayaka Sajyou, leaving her unable to ignore the girl and compelling her to open the door and let Little Red Riding Hood inside.
Even more horrifyingly, the girl was not an ordinary human being but a homunculus. The fateful fusion of the female university student, Character A, and Little Red Riding Hood became the key event that created a physical and psychological copy of Ayaka Sajyou.
This version of Ayaka, born from the horrifying incident, later enters the Holy Grail War in Fate/Strange Fake, becoming the mysterious Master of Richard I, the Saber-class Servant.
For longtime fans, Ryohgo Narita’s ability to revisit details that once seemed like insignificant background elements in earlier works and transform them into the foundation of a much larger conspiracy is a remarkable highlight. It demonstrates that the Fate universe contains countless layers of interconnected storytelling, waiting to be discovered by those willing to explore beyond its anime adaptations.
Sources: gamek