Who is Saber and how did she make her way into the new Melty Blood?

Saber will be getting added as a playable character in the upcoming 2D anime fighting game Melty Blood: Type Lumina. The reveal was originally leaked on social media. A screenshot of the game was circulated on Twitter showing the blonde-haired Type-Moon character in Melty Blood’s character select screen, complete with a character sprite and images.

Revealed on the official Melty Blood Twitter handle, a 50-second character introduction video accompanies the announcement showcasing the fighter in action against Melty Blood’s Arcueid Brunestud. The Twitter post mentions that Saber’s battle system relies on closing in on opponents and performing rush attacks.

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How did Saber turn up in the new Melty Blood game?

In the Type-Moon time video, French Bread’s Kamone-san explains how and why the character was added into the game. According to the DualShocker’s translation, Type-Moon initially asked French Bread to make a new fighting game, but no particular IP was attached to the request. With the new Tsukihime Remake being announced by Type-Moon, they requested permission to make the new Melty Blood.

Saber performing one of her supers (Image via French Bread)

During early development, some sample characters were created and Saber from the Fate series was one of them. After further discussion, French Bread thought it would be a waste not to use the character and got permission to add Saber to the game. The discussion begins at around the 34-minute mark in the video below.

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Melty Blood and Fate crossover is not new

This is not the first time Saber has appeared on a roster of fighting games. Type-Moon’s Fate/Unlimited Codes, a 2008 3D fighting game, saw the blonde-haired character join the ranks. The Fate/Zero version of Saber was also playable in the 2015 fighting game, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel.

Saber Lily in Fate/Unlimited Codes (Image via Google)

Including Saber in the new Melty Blood also completes the crossover between Fate and Tsukihime, as Arcueid Brunestud from Tsukihime featured as an enemy servant in the 2010 PSP game Fate/Extra. Regardless, fans and the community’s been surprised while also rejoicing at the announcement.

Twitter artist Hungryclicker even made an artwork in celebration of the announcement.

Melty Blood: Type Lumina is an upcoming 2D anime fighter, based on Type-Moon’s Tsukihime visual novel. The game serves as a prequel to the Tsukihime VNs and is a reboot of the 2002 fighting game Melty Blood. The game is releasing on 30th September 2021 and will be available for Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.