"This is a promise. I'll only be Sakura's ally of justice."
Shinji's decision to cover Unlimited Blade Works (UBW) first before transitioning to Heaven's Feel (HF) wasn't out of reverence for the original game but stemmed from his own reasoning and intent.
The biggest difference between Shirou in HF and his counterparts in the other two routes is that HF Shirou abandons his ideal of becoming a "hero of justice" and instead chooses Sakura, the person he loves.
Anyone who has watched UBW knows how significant the ideal of being a "hero of justice" is to Shirou Emiya—it's practically the meaning of his existence.
It is precisely because of the weight of this ideal that viewers are so shocked when Shirou chooses Sakura in HF.
That's the reaction Shinji wanted.
Of course, Shinji believed that Nasu, when writing the script for Fate/Stay Night, likely had similar considerations in mind.
Some viewers might think that HF's Shirou is selfish for only choosing to protect Sakura. Shinji doesn't deny this, but he also finds it to be a deeply romantic promise.
When two people fall in love, they can ignore the world collapsing around them, as if the person before them is the entirety of the universe.
To Shinji, this is true love.
The world of magi is insane and twisted. Their values are not only far from correct but barely human.
In such a world, isn't Shirou Emiya, who chooses to protect the one he loves, far more relatable and human than the Shirou who upholds noble ideals and strives for boundless justice?
On the surface, HF seems like a dark and tragic story, but Shinji feels its core theme is about "choices."
The story explores whether people are willing to fight for their choices, even at the cost of being misunderstood by the world or sacrificing their own lives.
In fact, every major character in HF makes a choice and pays the price for it:
Kirei Kotomine chooses pleasure, longing for the birth of "All the Evils of the World," a being he believes mirrors his nature.
Zouken Matou chooses his ideal, clinging to his 500-year obsession despite his decaying soul and body.
But the most pivotal choice is Shirou's.
For once, he doesn't choose justice but love, giving HF a completely different significance compared to the other routes.
Stories rarely allow protagonists to make such selfish decisions.
Across cultures and histories, most stories celebrate heroes sacrificing themselves for others.
The mainstream view is that sacrificing the individual to save the world is the natural thing to do.
But is acting for your own happiness truly the greatest sin?
In Shinji's memory, notable stories where the protagonist makes such selfish choices include HF from Fate/Stay Night, Makoto Shinkai's Weathering with You, and the game The Last of Us.
Regardless, both Weathering with You and The Last of Us share a common premise: the person most important to the protagonist is burdened with the fate of sacrificing themselves to save the majority.
In The Last of Us, Ellie represents humanity's hope for survival, but the price is her death. In Weathering with You, the only way to stop Tokyo's endless rain is to sacrifice Hina.
These stories' greatest appeal lies in the protagonist making a "rebellious" decision against humanity.
In The Last of Us, Joel's only desire is for Ellie, his emotional anchor, to live, even if it means humanity's extinction.
In Weathering with You, Hodaka cannot accept Hina's disappearance and chooses to bring her back, even if it means Tokyo gets submerged in water.
Their choices lead to severe consequences—The Last of Us ends with humanity's hopes dashed, and Weathering with You turns Tokyo into a waterlogged city like Venice.
But it's precisely these outcomes that deliver a visceral impact, setting these stories apart from traditional narratives.
That said, such stories are notoriously difficult to write.
To make the audience accept the protagonist's selfish choice requires extensive groundwork beforehand. Without it, the protagonist could easily come across as irrational.
Thus, these protagonists often follow a similar mold: isolated, cold, misunderstood, and unloved by the world until they meet the heroine.
In The Last of Us, Joel abandons his humanity, becoming ruthless and uncompromising to survive.
In Weathering with You, Hodaka struggles alone in bustling Tokyo, barely managing to scrape by.
Although HF's Shirou has a comparatively better backstory—given his few close relationships like Taiga and Issei—he is still considered an oddball by most people.
The ufotable film adaptation even emphasized Shirou's loneliness in its opening scenes.
This is why Shinji decided to adapt HF as a six-episode series with two-hour episodes rather than a trilogy of films.
Shinji needed time to flesh out Shirou and Sakura's relationship, allowing the audience to resonate with Shirou's mindset. Without sufficient emotional buildup, HF's reception would falter.
In Shinji's view, this type of story simply isn't suitable for a film—there's not enough time for the audience to immerse themselves emotionally.
This is why Weathering with You is rated lower than Your Name. While some viewers empathized with Hodaka's emotions, most couldn't grasp the feeling of "a world where only you exist" within a single film.
Compared to Weathering with You and The Last of Us, HF's script is somewhat more forgiving.
Perhaps due to considerations for audience acceptance, Nasu designed the plot so that saving Sakura and saving the world eventually overlap. This makes Shirou's choice seem less "anti-humanity."
Still, in Shinji's eyes, the focus of such stories has never been about whether the protagonist's choice is right or wrong.
It's not about praising or condemning any decision but about showcasing that everyone has something—or someone—they would burn the world for.
This dilemma is often incomprehensible to others but strikes the most delicate chords of the human heart.
People always hold principles and ideals they refuse to sacrifice, no matter what.
To others, this may seem like stubbornness or obsession. But regardless of how outsiders perceive it—be it persistence, infatuation, or delusion—the act of forsaking everything for something truly cherished is both humanity's greatest flaw and its most radiant beauty.
If we can't save the world, at least we can protect those we genuinely care about.
For Shirou Emiya in HF, Sakura Matou is the only person in the world he is deeply attached to—someone he would protect even at the cost of his own life.
<+>
"You've explained it quite well. But, Onii-sama..."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at Shinji, slowly raising her fist.
"What's wrong, my dear sister, Sakura-chan?"
Sensing danger, Shinji attempted to step back, only to find his retreat blocked by Medusa, who had "accidentally" gotten in the way.
"Onii-sama, you went on about all sorts of reasoning, but why did you design me like that?"
"Design what way? This is just a narrative contrast! Your initial frailty was meant to highlight your later strength!"
In Shinji's HF setup, Sakura only suffered physical abuse, so he felt confident—no, absolutely not!
Seeing Sakura's hair practically turn white from anger, Shinji felt the danger level skyrocket.
"From someone everyone can bully to someone who bullies everyone—is this extreme shift from masochism to sadism your thing, Onii-sama?!"
Sakura's words made the other girls in the lounge perk up with interest. They were suddenly very curious about Shinji's preferences.
"No way!" Shinji hastily denied it. "That's not extreme—it's just a transition from yandere to darkened transformation!"
"Men can never resist the allure of black; just look at the sheer amount of fanart of Black Saber flooding the internet."
Everyone knows that before Lancer Arturia's arrival, fanart of Arturia Pendragon was predominantly focused on Black Saber.
Blue Saber fanart typically went to two extremes: either serious and cool or utterly ridiculous and humorous.
When Lancer Arturia debuted, Arturia's fanart began shifting toward a different extreme.
Clearly, compared to physique, people's love for black themes is just a thing.
Of course, Shinji wasn't about to say this to Sakura because his dear little sister happened to excel in both black and physique!
Not that it mattered—Sakura had already made up her mind.
"Oh my~" Sakura's smile grew even sweeter.
"Since you like dark transformations so much, Onii-sama, I might as well grace you with a performance."
Snap!
Sakura snapped her fingers.
A flash of purple light later, Shinji found himself unable to move.
"Rider..."
Shinji managed to mutter with difficulty.
"Sorry, Master," Medusa said smugly as she adjusted her glasses. "But Sakura is my true Master, isn't she?"
'You're mixing the story and reality! Don't make me use a Command Spell to make you serve me forever in—beep!'
Unfortunately, under the protection of the great demon lord Sakura, Shinji didn't dare go that far with Medusa.
But Shinji wasn't out of options yet.
'Rider, prepare to reunite with your sisters in the Underworld!'
"What a foolish brother..."
Watching Shinji frozen in place, Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully.
'Since you put so much effort into building my character, I'll let it slide this time.'
Little did she know, Shinji had been so meticulous to ensure her portrayal of "Sakura Matou" diverged from the original, R-rated depiction.
If Sakura had known his true intentions, she wouldn't have just stopped at petrifying him—she'd have pinned him down and sanded him against the ground.
<+>
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