Fate / Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia: Final Thoughts.

On my last entry for Fate / Grand Order, I said I was 75% of the way through.  Having completed the series, I must say it is a bizarre fusion of Avengers Infinity War, Avengers Endgame, The Return of the King, and any pie throwing fight you’ve seen in a Three Stooges short.

To start off, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight are led by Ishtar in a journey to the Underworld.  Their twofold mission is to liberate the fallen Gilgamesh from the bonds of death and to recruit Ishtar’s estranged sister, Ereshkigal, in their battle against the primordial goddess Tiamat.

Meanwhile, Tiamat and her son Kingu unleash a horde of fearsome creatures with talons for legs and grotesque grins where a head should be.  They are meant to be the successors of the human race and they literally tear through cities and their inhabitants on the way to the great city stronghold of Uruk.  There, Gilgamesh, Fujimaru, Mash, Ishtar and a host of champions will make their final stand before the advance of Tiamat, Kingu, and their brood beyond number.

Some comic relief of a sort arrives when Uruk’s heroes rally behind Ishtar and her “Noble Phantasm” (ultimate weapon) Gugalana, the Bull of Heaven.  When Ishtar timidly informs everyone that she has lost Gugalana, the cheerful mood of the others turns on a dime into jeers and scolding.  In shame, Ishtar carries a clay tablet in Sumerian that reads, “I AM THE WORST GODDESS.”

Included in the host defending Uruk is the Aztec god/dess Quetzalcoatl, who is always spoiling for a fight.  Alongside her is the manic Jaguar Warrior who, for all her power, is the butt of much slapstick antics at the hands of Quetzalcoatl.  Every living being, from mortal to god throws themselves against the advance of Tiamat and barely slows her down.

Tiamat’s titanic form seems to dominate both land, sea and sky.  This leaves only one vulnerable point:  The Underworld beneath, which is ruled by Ereshkigal.  A plan is made to drag Tiamat into the realm of the dead and imprison her for all time.  Tiamat falls into the trap, yet uses her strength to try and pull herself free.  The mysterious, magical little creature Fou comes to Fujimaru’s aid as he attempts to deliver the coup de graçe against the ancient god-monster.

This ferocious conflict signifies the last time gods will mingle with men. for the age of man alone will begin should they survive Tiamat’s onslaught.  The legacy of Uruk, even if the city itself falls, will be the survival and flourishing of the human race.

So what are my closing impressions of Fate / Grand Order Absolute Demon Front Babylonia? It reminds me in many ways of The Lord of the Rings, in which puny men make a desperate front against the seemingly implacable Sauron.   Fate / Grand Order also reminds me of more recent events in the real world.  This time it is men with godlike control over weapons of mass destruction that have ordinary people at their mercy.  There are hordes of humans that take the side of the likes of Trump and Putin.  Then there are the rest of us who have the less enthused support of Joe Biden.  We find we can only rely on each other rather than a superman to lead us to victory.  A modern day Tiamat advances, and we are left to stand firm or fall, from the best of us, the least of us, and perhaps even The Worst Goddess.

- JJB