Saber was the character that got me into the whole fate series. I liked her character design very much that she was cute but at the same time, she wasn’t one of those characters built and tailored for fanservice like the most we see.
I liked how Saber held on to her ideals even if the thought was simply foolish to those around her. Her life from the medieval times up to the grail wars were a repetitious cycle of being ridiculed for being the kind of king that she was. Whether it be her knights, her fellow heroes, or Shirou, she never faltered and instead always stood up to defend her principles. She’s one of the strongest hearts ever in the whole franchise.
Meanwhile Ilya…
I like Ilya simply because she’s cute. And I really feel sorry for her. She was deprived of a good childhood by the grail war and out of her growth in the Einzbern house, has become ruthless and sadistic for a child her age. Nevertheless, she retains the child character in points that we see her genuinely frightened despite what she’s been through already. I wouldn’t say she’s a solid character though since she plays as influence only to Shirou. perhaps if type-moon made a series on how Shirou became Archer Emiya…