Atalanta

Overview

Atalanta is a Servant appearing throughout the Fate series. First introduced as the Archer of Red in Fate/Apocrypha, she also plays a recurring role in Fate/Grand Order and other works across the franchise. Her True Name is that of the famed huntress from Greek mythology, renowned for her exceptional marksmanship and swift movements. Bound by the tragic circumstances of her infant years, she prioritizes the protection and welfare of children above all else, seeking the Holy Grail to bring about a world where every child is loved.

Appearance

Atalanta is a woman with unkempt green hair and sharp, animalistic eyes. Reflecting her myth, she possesses feline ears and a long tail. Her standard outfit features a green dress with puffy sleeves and a short skirt, paired with a black bodice, clawed gauntlets, and thigh-high boots while carrying her signature bow. She is also depicted with twin tails, an apple hair style, or dressed in Ancient Greek attire.

Personality

Despite her wild and unrefined appearance, Atalanta carries a solemn dignity expressed through her archaic speech patterns. She lives by a strict survival-of-the-fittest ethos, accepting nature's harsh principle of taking from others to survive, while maintaining the pure pride of a warrior who despises deceitful tactics. However, her past as an abandoned child makes her exceedingly gentle toward youth. She deeply cherishes the laughter of children and harbors extreme hostility toward anyone who would bring them harm.

Abilities

Atalanta is a remarkably swift Archer-class Servant proficient in marksmanship, sprinting, and grappling wrestling techniques. Her skill Beyond the Arcadia allows her to leap over obstacles across the battlefield, while Pursuit Aesthetics lets her outmaneuver opponents after they act. Her bow Tauropolos increases in physical power the further it is drawn. With her Noble Phantasm Phoebus Catastrophe, she launches two arrows into the sky to invoke Apollo and Artemis, calling down a wide-area shower of arrows. Furthermore, Agrius Metamorphosis grants her physical transformations—such as growing wings for flight—and boosted stats by donning a magical boar's pelt.

Background

Born as an Arcadian princess, Atalanta was abandoned in the mountains by her father, who wanted a son. She was rescued and nurtured by a female bear sent by the goddess Artemis, growing into a renowned huntress. She joined the Argonauts aboard the Argo and earned fame by striking the first blow during the Calydonian Boar Hunt. To avoid marriage, she forced suitors to face her in a footrace where losers were slain, until Hippomenes defeated her by throwing golden apples. Myth holds that she and her husband were eventually transformed into lions as punishment for violating a sacred sanctuary.

Relationships

Atalanta harbors deep reverence for Artemis, the goddess whose sacred beast nurtured her as an infant. Among the Argonauts, she intensely dislikes their leader Jason and remains wary of Asclepius's eccentric tendencies, though she enjoyed a competitive bond with Peleus, whom she used to throw in wrestling. She was close friends with Medea, often helping each other groom their hair, and formed a quick friendship with Circe on Aeaea. Her marriage to Hippomenes was forced upon her after he outsmarted her with golden apples during their fateful footrace.

Trivia

Her lion ears and tail reflect the myth in which she and her husband were turned into lions. Though she loves meat and eating apples, she harbours an aversion to wild boars due to the tragic conflict the Calydonian hunt brought upon her companions. In Fate/EXTRA, Red Saber refers to her as 'Beautiful Atalanta,' and her Argonaut junior Achilles warmly addresses her as 'Anee-san.'