"The Second Half Will Blow the First Half Away" - Tatsumaru Tachibana Discusses the Behind-the-Scenes Production of "Fate/strange Fake" and Casting Secrets

A special program titled "Behind the Scenes of 'Fate/strange Fake' -Delving into the Production Secrets-" was exclusively broadcast for free on ABEMA on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 10 PM.

"Fate/strange Fake" is a spin-off work of the Fate series based on a novel by Ryohgo Narita, depicting a "false Holy Grail War." Set against the backdrop of an unusual Holy Grail War that occurs in Snowfield, United States, the story unfolds an unpredictable battle and ensemble drama involving numerous Masters and Servants intertwining with each other.

In this program, Tatsumaru Tachibana, who voices Jester Karture, infiltrated A-1 Pictures, the animation studio handling the production. He directly interviewed Director Shun Enokido, Director Takahito Sakazume, and Director of Photography Yohei Miyawaki, conducting a thorough investigation into the behind-the-scenes of how "Fate/strange Fake" is created. Furthermore, a three-way discussion was held between Directors Enokido and Sakazume and Tachibana. Production secrets that can only be heard here were revealed one after another, from casting secrets to the behind-the-scenes of character development.

Directors Enokido and Sakazume: Differences of Opinion in Their Two-Person System "Are Not Nonexistent" - Infiltrating the Behind-the-Scenes of the Final Episode!

First, they headed to the animation and direction production site. At the desks of Director Enokido and Director Sakazume, who were said to be working on the final episode, they explored the core of anime production.

An anime director is involved in almost all processes of anime production, from casting selection to script and storyboard confirmation, and direction adjustment of key cuts, making the final judgments. Director Enokido stated that he is "in a position to bear the responsibility for the final direction," while Director Sakazume also revealed his attitude toward the work, saying, "Within the limited time, I scrutinize using every available moment."

When asked about differences of opinion unique to their two-person system, the two laughed and said "they're not nonexistent," while Director Enokido commented, "Our preferences are completely different. But we came to accept those directional differences as breadth, and we've developed a division of roles where I think 'this would be better left to Director Sakazume' and vice versa." Their trust relationship cultivated through years of partnership was evident.

Afterwards, they observed the actual work of the two directors. When asked about the number of days required for production, Director Sakazume explained, "It depends on the content of the cut, but for heavy work, one cut can take a week." In addition to the process of refining detailed nuances such as facial expressions, timing confirmation, and movement angle adjustments, vast background art and character design materials were also introduced, prompting Tachibana to exclaim in admiration, "All of this!? So detailed! So many people are working hard on this."

They also interviewed character designer Yukei Yamada. While expressing respect by saying, "I'm always conscious of how to reproduce the charm of Shizuki Morii's art style in anime," he also confessed the difficulties inherent in this storied series: "Since we're animating without Morii's illustrations, I imagine and draw what kind of picture each scene will become. Especially, there's great pressure in how to depict past characters." The behind-the-scenes of a production site where quality is enhanced through collaboration with many staff members was discussed, precisely because it's an ensemble drama with many characters.