Shirou Emiya is a survivor of the great fire that consumed Fuyuki City ten years before the main events, a disaster that claimed his parents and left him mortally wounded. He was saved from the flames by Kiritsugu Emiya, who used a magical artifact called Avalon, embedded within him, to preserve his life. Kiritsugu adopted him, revealed his own identity as a magus, and after two years of Shirou's persistent requests, began to teach him magecraft. The instruction was basic and incomplete, setting Shirou on a perilous path with meager results. Kiritsugu also passed on his ideal of becoming a hero of justice who saves everyone, a dream Shirou embraced as his own. Five years later, Kiritsugu died, leaving Shirou alone and frustrated under the watch of his neighbor and teacher, Taiga Fujimura, with his expenses managed by her grandfather. Shirou carries a profound survivor's guilt from being the fire's sole survivor, resulting in a deeply distorted sense of self-worth. He believes it is unjust to prioritize his own needs and finds value only in aiding others without compensation, viewing the act itself as the sole reward. He willingly accepts injury or death to help someone without hesitation. This manifests as a self-destructive stubbornness once he commits to a goal, and he will defend his views even when they cause others mental anguish. His dream remains to become a hero of justice who saves everyone, no matter the personal cost. He met Shinji Matou in middle school, forming a friendship after remaking a culture festival signboard. Upon entering Homurahara High School, he met Issei Ryuudou and became known for readily assisting others, such as by repairing school equipment. He joined the Archery Club but withdrew after a bone fracture in his right shoulder from a part-time job left a burn mark. This injury caused an estrangement from Shinji that later stabilized, though some tension remained. During his recovery, Sakura Matou began visiting his home to help with cooking and cleaning, continuing even after he healed and becoming part of his surrogate family. In the Heaven's Feel scenario, Shirou undergoes significant development as he must choose between his ideals and protecting Sakura Matou, with whom he develops a romantic relationship. He ultimately abandons his ideals to ensure her safety. After losing his left arm, Archer's arm is grafted onto him. This transplantation grants access to Archer's abilities but at great risk, as using its power accelerates the degradation of his body and mind. As Sakura becomes possessed by a shadow and transforms, Shirou risks himself to save her. He unseals the power of Archer's transplanted arm to replicate weapons and strength, defeating corrupted enemies like Berserker despite knowing it will eventually kill him. He allies with Kirei Kotomine, Illyasviel von Einzbern, and Rider to rescue Sakura from madness and halt the corrupted Holy Grail from bringing about the world's end. He projects powerful weapons such as the Jeweled Sword Zelretch and uses Archer's Rho Aias shield alongside Rider's Bellerophon to defeat his corrupted former Servant, Saber Alter. In the final confrontations, he severs Sakura's link to the shadow using a projection of Caster's Rule Breaker after she is freed from Angra Mainyu's influence through Rin's intervention. He then engages in a brutal fistfight with Kirei Kotomine, defeating him but hesitating to destroy the Grail due to a newfound fear of death and desire to reunite with Sakura. Illyasviel intervenes, revealing herself as his adoptive older sister and performing the Heaven's Feel ritual to separate his soul from his dying body, destroying the Grail and saving him. His soul is later transplanted into an artificial body provided by Touko Aozaki with the help of Rin and Sakura, allowing him to resume his relationship with Sakura and find peace. Across different narratives, Shirou's romantic relationships vary by route, but in Heaven's Feel, his commitment to Sakura becomes the central focus, leading him to forsake his lifelong ideals for her sake. His physical appearance includes auburn hair and golden-brown eyes, often seen in casual clothing like a blue and white baseball jersey and jeans, or his Homurahara Academy uniform. In Heaven's Feel, his puppet body closely matches his original appearance, and he wears a long sleeve shirt with black trousers. He is skilled in housework, particularly home cooking with a specialty in Japanese cuisine, and enjoys Japanese tea, black tea, and coffee while disliking plum kelp tea. He is not good with alcohol and takes part-time jobs to pay for his own expenses, disliking the idea of being a freeloader. He meditates in his household dojo to relax and practices magecraft by repairing electronics, becoming immersed for hours. His abilities include Projection magic, which allows him to create objects by judging the concept of creation, hypothesizing the basic structure, duplicating the composition material, imitating the skill of its making, sympathizing with the experience of its growth, reproducing the accumulated years, and excelling every manufacturing process. This magic can recreate an object's memory from when it was used in battle. He has also used Caliburn, the Golden Sword of Assured Victory, and Avalon, All is a Distant Utopia, a defensive tool that can block all matter. With Archer's arm, he gains enhanced capabilities at the cost of his physical integrity. Shirou's journey reflects a transition from a rigid adherence to ideals learned from his adoptive father to a more nuanced understanding of personal commitments and sacrifices, particularly evident in the Heaven's Feel narrative where his devotion to Sakura leads to his ultimate physical and emotional transformation.