Historical figures in “Fate/Grand Order”: adapting Anastasia Romanova

Abstract

Historical events and figures tend to escape people’s memory as time goes by. In some cases, they are replaced by popular culture adaptations, e.g., video games, fiction, films, etc. Such adaptations may be beneficial to historical memory, preserving their historical models for posterity. Sometimes, adaptation become part of fictional history. “Fate/Grand Order” is a game released by Type-Moon in 2015 (Japan). Its fictional universe makes an active use of various characters of folklore and history, e.g., Joan of Arc, King Arthur, etc. The aim of the study is to examine the adaptation of Anastasia Romanova in the game “Fate/Grand Order”. The adaptation analysis scheme proposed by Linda Hutcheon, as well as the comparative method to cross-reference dialogs, illustrations, skills, craft essence in the game with photographs and biography of the real Anastasia Romanova were used. It is proved that Anastasia the Duchess of the Permafrost Empire from “Fate/Grand Order” is indeed an adaptation of the real Anastasia Romanova, the fourth daughter of the last Russian Emperor Nicolas II, although somewhat modified to match the traditional imagery of the Japanese popular culture.