In the series 'Fate/Zero'.
In the extended version released on the streaming platforms, Jing Yu mainly added scenes focusing on Artoria.
For example, in the 'Fate/Stay' Night game storyline, there's some backstory about the King of Knights.
Of course, in expanding this part of the plot, Jing Yu chose to present both the historical and fictional depictions of Artoria.
The historical King Arthur is a vast topic, so Jing Yu only used visuals to represent that. There was just too much content. Adding too much to the expansion would impact the audience's viewing experience.
But the portrayal of King Arthur in this show...
In the three major streaming platforms' releases last week, Jing Yu included a five-minute epilogue at the end.
These scenes were essentially dramatizations of content from the original 'Fate/stay' night game.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough. A large amount of textual explanation was also needed.
Naturally, that became a perk for paying subscribers on the site.
And for the audience, this expansion of Artoria's story undoubtedly made Tang Rui's portrayal of Artoria the center of attention this week.
They were also blown away by the worldbuilding in the series.
In the 5th century of Blue Star's world, the Roman Empire faced foreign invasions, and its territory—including the British Isles—fell into chaos. Among the lords on the Isles was Uther Pendragon, who, along with his subordinate, the mage Merlin, planned to create a new king.
That's how Artoria came to be. As a girl, she couldn't inherit the throne directly, but she slept only three hours a day and was trained in martial arts and everything a king should know.
After Uther's death, his subordinates proposed choosing a new king via the Sword in the Stone.
But no one could pull it out—not even the strongest soldiers or most valiant knights.
Then, in that moment, Artoria—who had kept her identity as Uther's heir secret while undergoing kingly training—stepped forward.
"Once you pull out this sword, you will no longer be the little girl you used to be."
That was what Merlin said to her in her mind, just before she drew the sword.
Without hesitation, she pulled out the sword—the symbol of the king!
From that moment onward, time stood still for her. The power of the Sword in the Stone and its sheath froze her body and age at that exact moment—her most beautiful age: fifteen.
After becoming king, she married a queen named Guinevere to conceal her true gender.
However, Lancelot, the head of the Round Table Knights, and Guinevere fell in love.
Artoria Pendragon, chosen as king by drawing the Sword in the Stone—
She was so valiant, always charging ahead in battle, that soldiers regarded her as an invincible war god.
But a king whose appearance never aged, who always led from the front, and never died—over time, such a king inevitably became feared.
After violating the knight's code during a battle, the Sword in the Stone broke. Merlin then retrieved a new sword for her from the Lake of Avalon: Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory!
Victory in war always came at a cost. She'd squeeze a village's supplies dry to prepare for military campaigns.
If sacrificing a few lives before a war could ensure more people survived later, she would do it without hesitation.
But those around her didn't understand.
A merciful king wasn't a qualified king. So she never showed emotion—her rule was strict and impartial.
Yet her soldiers grew dissatisfied.
"King Arthur doesn't understand the hearts of the people."
How could selfish men accept the leadership of a selfless king?
When Lancelot and Guinevere's affair was exposed, Artoria didn't mind their relationship. But as king, she couldn't show favoritism—so she sentenced Guinevere to death by burning.
Lancelot and Guinevere may have committed adultery, but theirs was true love. Lancelot interrupted the execution and rescued Guinevere.
On another front, a character who resembled Artoria appeared—Mordred—claiming to be her child. She was, in fact, an artificial human created by Artoria's sister, the sorceress Morgan le Fay, using Artoria's blood.
During one campaign, Artoria led an expedition to Rome, and Mordred, incited by Morgan, launched a rebellion.
Those dissatisfied with Artoria's selfless reign joined Mordred's rebel army.
Eventually, Artoria and Mordred fought and gravely wounded each other. Though Artoria defeated Mordred, she was also severely injured.
Her former subordinate, Lancelot, returned with troops to aid her.
At Camlann Hill, Artoria looked upon the devastated battlefield. After both she and Mordred died in battle, Britain was on the brink of destruction.
Standing atop a hill of corpses, she watched everything with sorrow in her eyes.
She had given up her identity as a woman to become king.
She had sacrificed her emotions to become a king who benefited the people.
She fought countless enemies for her kingdom and her people.
But in the end, this was the fate of her kingdom.
Artoria couldn't accept it.
As she ordered her sword, Excalibur, returned to the Lake of Avalon, she spent her final moments reflecting on her mistakes as a king.
She regretted becoming king.
If she hadn't taken up the sword, perhaps her soldiers, her people, and her nation would've avoided such a tragic fate.
At Camlann Hill, Alaya—the will of the world—offered her a contract as a Heroic Spirit.
"She will obtain and use the Holy Grail while alive, and once her wish is fulfilled, she will die and become a true Heroic Spirit."
That was the contract.
That's why, in Jing Yu's past life, Artoria retained her memories of the Fourth Holy Grail War in the Fifth War.
She was alive, consciously participating in both wars, not like other Heroic Spirits, who are summoned only after death and have no effect on their historical counterparts. She was different—her body hadn't died yet when she fought in the Fourth War.
If not for meeting Shirou Emiya and realizing her wish in the Fifth War, she would have continued appearing in Holy Grail Wars indefinitely.
That was the contract: unless she attained the Holy Grail and fulfilled her wish, her last moments of life would loop eternally—she'd fight in Grail War after Grail War, unable to die.
This week, Jing Yu removed most of the Fifth War content and presented this entire backstory using brief video clips and explanatory text.
Of course, he considered whether this would be a spoiler for the audience.
But after thinking it through, he was at peace with it.
Although 'Fate/Zero' is a prequel to 'Fate/Stay Night', 'Fate/Zero' actually came out later.
So watching 'Fate/stay night' first doesn't ruin the experience of 'Fate/Zero'—in fact, only viewers familiar with 'Fate/stay night' can fully appreciate the brilliance of 'Fate/Zero'.
That's why Jing Yu had no qualms about "spoiling" Artoria's backstory.
Otherwise, in the Fourth Holy Grail War, audiences wouldn't understand the final battle between Berserker Lancelot and Artoria without this context.
But…
It must be said: Artoria's character is truly captivating.
Especially to the viewers of the Great Zhou.
A girl who aspired to become king from a young age and led Britain to greatness—only to face betrayal by her own people.
She was feared for her strength.
She was blamed for her selflessness, called:
"King Arthur doesn't understand the hearts of the people."
Even at the end, she regretted becoming king, thinking that if she hadn't pulled the sword, Britain's fate would've changed.
Her wish for the Holy Grail was simply to go back to that moment—to undo her choice of becoming king.
Who wouldn't be moved by such a character?
Viewers didn't care whether the setting was fantastical or not—this was another world's history. Jing Yu could make it however he wanted.
What mattered was that Artoria...
Tonight, before Episode 2 of 'Fate/Zero' aired, discussions about her were everywhere on film and TV forums.
Many TV viewers were stunned as they read forum posts full of debates about King Arthur, Artoria, the Sword in the Stone, Merlin, the Kingdom of Britain, and the Holy Grail.
"Are we... watching the same show?"
Jing Yu's extended streaming edition...
"How much content did you even add?"
Just ¥1.5 per episode? That's insanely generous!
"Are you trying to force us TV viewers to subscribe to the streaming platform too?"