Semiramis

Overview

Semiramis appears in Fate/Apocrypha as the Assassin of Red and in Fate/Grand Order as a playable Servant. Known as humanity's oldest poisoner and the legendary queen of Assyria, she possesses a decadent yet regal presence. Uniquely summoned with dual-class traits, she combines the stealth of an Assassin with the powerful spellcasting of a Caster. In the Great Holy Grail War, she operates alongside her Master, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, utilizing massive floating fortifications and deadly poisons to dominate the battlefield as a strategic anchor for her faction.

Appearance

Semiramis is a striking woman defined by exceptionally long black hair reaching the floor, sharp golden eyes with slit pupils, and pointed ears. She wears a black, bare-shouldered dress featuring an exposed midriff and fur trimming, paired with detached sleeves, black stockings, and spiked bridal gauntlets that appear to pierce through her palms. During combat, she can manifest armor and protective barriers made from the black scales of a divine fish.

Personality

Semiramis possesses a haughty, arrogant demeanor befitting a monarch, viewing herself as supreme. She regards men as mere playthings to be manipulated through schemes and favors luxurious, decadent surroundings. Her core philosophy stems from a total rejection of others, expecting humanity to serve her without question. Despite her cold and domineering nature toward most, she develops complex, unresolved feelings toward those who value her tactical intellect and capabilities rather than falling captive to her physical beauty.

Abilities

Semiramis manifests with the rare Double Summon skill, granting her the abilities of both Assassin and Caster classes. She can command swarms of pigeons as familiars without contracts to maintain a vast reconnaissance network. Her primary Noble Phantasm, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, is a massive floating fortress requiring specific historical materials and a continuous three-day chanting ritual to construct; inside, her parameters increase, and she can launch relentless magical bombardments, teleport, and spawn winged dragon-tooth warriors. Her secondary Noble Phantasm, Sikera Usmu, turns the environment and mana itself toxic, allowing her to manifest poison-bearing mythical beasts like the giant serpent Bašmu.

Background

Born to the Syrian fish goddess Derketo and a mortal father, Semiramis was abandoned at birth and raised by wild doves. She initially married the elderly general Onnes, but King Ninus forced her into marriage after being captivated by her beauty. After assisting the king with brilliant battlefield strategies, she poisoned him during a banquet to seize the throne, ruling Assyria for decades. In the Great Holy Grail War, she was summoned by Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, constructing her floating gardens to fulfill his ambition of universal salvation.

Relationships

Semiramis shares a deep and unique bond with her Master, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, who gained her devotion by appreciating her intellect rather than her beauty. She harbors resentment toward her mother, the fish goddess Derketo, for discarding her in infancy. Her past relationships with her first husband Onnes and King Ninus—whom she poisoned—shaped her tragic perspective on romance and power. Among her allies in the Red Faction, Servants such as the Red Saber Mordred and the Red Archer Atalanta viewed her arrogant nature and poisoner background with persistent suspicion.

Trivia

Although the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were historically attributed to her through common misconception, her Noble Phantasm functions precisely by leveraging this widespread historical error as "vanity." In Fate/Grand Order, she repurposed her floating fortress into a chocolate factory during a Valentine's event, declaring chocolate to be a sweet poison that bewitches human minds. Reports from her pigeon familiars reveal humorous personal details, such as her requiring an eye mask to sleep well, disliking hot weather, and holding a secret love for chocolate.