Lancer's powers and abilities
As a demigod whose father was an almighty god who possessed every skill such as knowledge, techniques and magic, and whose mother was Deichtine, the younger sister of King Conchobar, Cú Chulainn exhibited superior talent from birth. Boasting supernatural ability that separated him from ordinary people from a young age, in time, the grown Cú Chulainn was accepted as a member of the famous Akaeda Knights. His actions after that rendered him unmatched.[1] Having seen in him a worthy student and disciple, Scáthach later taught him all that she knew about martial arts and the more powerful aspects of thaumaturgy.[10] In his training in the Land of Shadows, he was taught incredible magic and unrivaled demonic spearmanship and received the original Runes and the terrible magic spear Gaé Bolg.[1]
Other than Lancer, Cú Chulainn also qualifies for the Berserker and Caster classes. He had gone berserk several times in life, however, there is no doubt that the Lancer class suits him best.[11] He also takes great pride in having the ability and knowledge enough to qualify for the Caster Class due to his knowledge on Runes.[1][14] Thanks to not just being a reckless warrior, he can see through Medusa's Blood Fort Andromeda from just a glance, consider the situation, and make a decision not to destroy it. He is able to tell the quality of a Bounded Field and decide it does not belong to Caster due to not being at the same level as her Bounded Fields.[1] As a Lancer, he possesses supreme agility, as well as excellent close combat skills. Although they tend to be less flashy than the other classes, they are a very reliable type of Servant.[11]
Cú obtains no geographical boosts from the cultural sphere around Japan,[15] since those of Celtic mythology are not well known in that country.[16] However, if the stage of the Holy Grail War were anywhere but Japan, he would be a shining existence on par with Heracles and King Arthur.[11] In western Europe, he would receive a general boost in power similar to other European Heroic Spirits, and he would display a much sharper increase in power in Ireland.[17] There, he is a great hero that surpasses in fame even King Arthur,[16] due to poetry and statues praising him still remain to this day.[1] He is without a doubt one of the greatest heroes of that country.[10] While Diarmuid Ua Duibhne is stronger than him in terms of pure firepower due to his Master giving him a greater mana supply, should both of them fight in Ireland, Cú Chulainn would gain an edge over him.[15]
Combat
Lancer's continuous thrusts pushing back Archer.
Lancer fights with a two-meter spear, allowing him to only need to attack when an opponent enters his range. Such a distance as three meters between him and the opponent matters little, so while it is easier to thrust at an approaching enemy instead of moving out, he will still quickly close the distance between an opponent instead. All of his thrusts are enough to be called a final blow to strike the opponent down. The main strength of the weapon is in its swings rather than thrusting as its shape would indicate. Its wide swing utilizes its long range to not allow the enemy to dodge by stepping back. Partial retreat from a strike will not allow for escape, attempting a counterattack would result in receiving a slashed stomach, and simply going forward will result in a smashed rib from the long shaft of the lance. Thrusts are still dangerous, but it is possible to avoid an attack that targets a specific point once it has been seen through to allow for the strike to be redirected to create an opening.
He fights with intensity, and it would normally be that closing in on an opponent in such a matter would be suicidal with such a long weapon. Lances are effective against swords because there is no effective way of parrying them with a sword. Strong rebuffs from a sword only results in a counterattack, while weak rebuffs do not create any openings. The most important part of a battle between the two is defeating the enemy while they are at the wrong range. Spearmen normally use their length and freedom of range to win a battle, and discarding such an advantage by closing in should mean defeat. Such by the book tactics mean little to him, as his ability with the lance shows no vulnerabilities due to not having to follow the general rule on lances. His strikes that are fast enough that even the afterimages are blurred allow him to easily remove any possible openings, and he can constantly increase the speed of his thrusts and make continuous attacks without allowing the slightest pause in between.
Cú Chulainn specializes in survival, and his capable of returning alive no matter how hopeless the situation.[11] He usually prefers to fight with his full power as a warrior. However, contrary to his legendary battle prowess, his fighting in the Fifth Holy Grail War is extremely limited.[1] Thus, this time luck wasn't on his side.[11] Due to the Command Spell of his Master Kirei Kotomine "Fight with everyone, then withdraw," he was commanded to involuntarily perform reconnaissance missions.[1] Fighting several Servants to a draw, he will never start a fight on his own. Even if he gains a full chance to kill an opponent, he is to merely observe and is given no authority to attack. Even in the middle of his first battle with EMIYA, he showed decisive action by leaving the battle to kill Shirou Emiya whom he recognized to have witnessed it. The withdrawal was also very skilled, giving the appearance of realizing that the situation was unfavorable.[1] He can only go all out against an opponent during their second encounter due to the Command Spell, so his first true "battle without any binds" is against Archer. Without anything binding him, his strikes are much faster and harder to see than in the previous battle. The only way Archer is able to keep up with him in direct combat compared to the previous fight is due to the experience of previously fighting him.
Lancer is able to easily put distance between him and his opponent at any point in a battle, and using his lance to vault thirty meters is not a difficult feat, Lancer's speed is extraordinary. Archer claims his speed is extraordinary among even the fastest heroes that would normally be chosen as Lancer. He far surpasses all of them, not even three in the world being at his level, and he is the only one with such "beast-like agility." In fact, both Medusa and him boast the most outstanding speed in the Fifth Holy Grail War. In average speed, Rider is faster, being able to move like a bullet and race around the battle field. Lancer on the other hand, surpasses her in immediate maximum output, as he is able to counter attacks with a lance with the speed of gods, while standing still. If the two of them were to fight each other, Medusa would display greater versatility thanks to having several different types of Noble Phantasms, however, having protective ability from Rune Magecraft, he'd be able to counter her Mystic Eyes. Being an expert monster exterminator, one who has a monster alignment such as Medusa would find a battle against him rather tough,[18] although not impossible. As implied in Hollow Ataraxia, Cú hinted that they had fought before and that he was now afraid of her because of it. Stating that "She's dangerous, she is. Not an ounce of mercy for her enemies." He even declared his fear for her Noble Phantasm Bellerophon calling it "A missile!" with Child-Gil adding "With a nuclear warhead to boot."
Skills
Class Skills
Magic Resistance (C Rank): Cú Chulainn holds a Magic Resistance of Rank C. Aria of two verses and below are cancelled.[1][2][7][10] Although this skill is ineffective against greater magecraft and Greater Rituals,[1][2][7][10] thanks to possessing A rank Agility, utilizing large-scale magecraft while confronting a Servant with such superior speed is nearly impossible. The skill required to successfully hit him with such invoked magecraft is considerable, so it can be said that he has a "necessary and sufficient" rank of Magic Resistance in terms of close combat.[1]
Personal Skills
Battle Continuation
Battle Continuation (A Rank): Legend tells that the dying Cú Chulainn tied himself to a tree before taking his last breath. For he who possesses such a legend, the dying struggle is particularly fierce.[1] When it comes to defense, his excellent agility and great experience make him an "impregnable wall", allowing him to be confident in fighting both Archer and Saber at once if the goal is occupying them.[19] He doesn’t know when to give up.[2][3] This is not a method to preserve one’s own dominance, but simply the karma that induces the pride of Celt warriors who does not stop fighting until their last breath.[2] It's possible for him to fight even on the verge of death, surviving as long as his injury is not decisively lethal.[2][3][7][10] Even in a hopeless battle, Cú Chulainn was still able to demonstrate astonishing tenacity, delaying Gilgamesh for half a day. Against EMIYA who dextrously fended off his spear thrusts, Cú Chulainn countered with an unyielding fighting spirit.[1] He counters his opponents with an unyielding fighting spirit, and unlike Saber who will fade away instantly from a decisive strike to the heart from Fragarach, he is able to last for a period of time afterward. Even without an active heart or Master, he is able to hold his rapidly fading form through the use of his "dirty survival tricks." After being forced to stab himself in the heart in Unlimited Blade Works, he has enough energy to get up, remove the spear from his chest, retaliate against Kirei, free Rin, ward off Shinji, and utilize the Ansuz Rune to burn his body along with the entire room. It is noted that he is definitively dying the entire time, and the simple act of standing up in the first place is amazing in itself. Although this skill is usually ranked A, in the Moon Cell, it is temporarily decreased due to his Master boosting his Endurance at the expense of this ability.[7][10]
Disengage (C Rank): Lancer possesses the ability to withdraw from the battlefield in the midst of combat.[1][2][3] It also returns disadvantageous battle to the turn it began (turn 1) and skill conditions to its initial values.[2] Due to simultaneously having this skill along with Battle Continuation, Cú Chulainn displays better his real worth in skirmishes than in one-on-one duels. However, since he likes duels vso much, this fact does not really stand out.[3] It is only when having been commanded to go on reconnaissance missions by his Master Kirei Kotomine, that this ability was fully demonstrated. From the start, Cú Chulainn excelled in seeing through battle situations, and had the responsibility to wage war and withdraw repeatedly from all the Servants.[1]
Divinity (B Rank): This skill defines whether or not a servant possesses Divine Spirit aptitude.[2][10] The higher it is, the more one is a mixed race of a physical divine spirit.[2] Demigods are fairly common amongst the Legendary Souls drawn from human mythology, although few of them are considered more than second-tier heroes by their adherents. Cú Chulainn, however, inherited the blood of the Absolute One, the main god of his nation's pantheon of immortal beings.[10] His father was Lugh, the god who governed over the sun, a member of the Danann divine family in Celtic Mythology.[1][2] At his ranking, this ability allows one to break through and defend against otherwise invincible skills, such as Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig and Protection of the Faith.[7][10]
Rune Magecraft (B Rank): As depicted in his legend, obtained 18 Original Runes, Norse Runes, after studying magecraft under Scáthach in the Land of Shadows.[1] The Runes are a form of thaumaturgy unique to Northern Europe. The foundation of this craft is the engraving of words of power into stone to induce various mystical events.[11] Having learned an ability that is believed to have been lost to time,[11] Cú naturally boasts skill and knowledge to qualify for the Caster class.[1] Although he is a nearly first-rate master, since he himself sees them as a hindrance he doesn’t usually employ them in combat.[3] He appropriately utilizes them to respond to different situations. One such rune, one with the purpose of searching, helps support his elusive actions during the Holy Grail War.[1] Holding the Ansuz rune allows him to set a blaze to reduce an entire room to ashes, causing a continuing conflagration that seeps into the rest of the Einzbern Castle and causes it to crumble. He can use them as a counter measure against Mystic Eyes, even those as potent as Mystic Eyes of Petrification.[18] He inscribes his armor with runic protections, and he is able to set up a powerful Bounded Field in an instant by carving all of his runes onto the ground. It is able to block a great Noble Phantasm, but it is unable to stop the encroachment of the Shadow.
Ath nGabla
Another use of multiple Runes is Ath nGabla (アトゴウラ, Ato Goura?), a seal formed by pointing his spear at the ground and carving four runes, Algiz, Nauthiz, Ansuz, and Ingwaz, in four corners around him. It is a curse of one-on-one combat passed down to the Knights of the Red Branch, and it does not carry any inherent magical energy. It is an arena formed from four branches, guaranteeing one-on-one combat with honor at stake. Warriors having set the seal no longer have retreat as an option, and all warriors who see the seal are not allowed to refuse combat.
Protection from Arrows (B Rank): Cu Chulainn was born with the special ability to deal with projectiles. It's said that it's possible for him to avoid any long range attack as long as he has made visual confirmation of his opponent.[1][2] He can deal with most projectiles even in conditions where the opponent cannot be visually seen, as shown in his battle against Hassan of the Cursed Arm, where he cancelled the throwing swords hurled from the darkness.[1] He reads the course of the projectile attack by using the sound of cutting air and the enemy's murderous intent. He easily repels all of True Assassin's Dirks despite having precision rivaling that of Archer able to accurately fire between Lancer's swings, and even those that cannot be perceived coming from the darkness and those that come while he is surrounded by obstacles are easily repelled with a slight swing of his lance. As long as the attack is a thrown type, he can avoid even Noble Phantasms,[1] but he can't gain the effects of this protection with respect to wide range attack types where the attack range of the weapon explodes on impact, or a direct attack by a weapon that has simply long reach.[1][2]
Noble Phantasms
Lancer holding Gae Bolg.
Lancer's weapon is the Gáe Bolg, the spear of causation which carries a curse that reverses causality. The wounds inflicted by the spear cannot be healed as the curse of the spear renders them incapable of altering their fate, as long as the spear remains in the world. The weapon has two main techniques which can be classified as separate Noble Phantasms, the first of which reverses causality to always strike the heart, and the second of which unleashes the full potential of the curse to strike the enemy by hurling the spear with overwhelming power.[18] Cú Chulainn would never be able to harm Heracles due to God Hand nullifying all attacks ranked B or lower. However, by using his Runes in conjunction with his Noble Phantasm he'd be able to increase its rank to A temporarily, allowing him to fight against Berserker's God Hand. It would be a very disadvantageous fight, but it would still be "one with some chances."[20]
Due to Gae Bolg being a Noble Phantasm with a conceptual effect, it could kill Arcueid Brunestud even though she is superior to Lancer in pure numbers.[21]
If he were to be summoned in Ireland, he would have had potential access to a castle Noble Phantasm, a rare fortress Noble Phantasm that can only be used in Ireland, a chariot, a Blessing of Wakefulness (不眠の加護?), and the like due to being in the land where his legend took place.[22][23]
Gameplay
In the Extra series, he possesses the following skills:
Red Bough Wheel (赤枝の車輪, Akaeda no Sharin?) - A skill used upon himself. It absorb enemy MP when using BREAK. The effect would only last for 3 turns.
Spear play - Hammering Assault (槍術・初の槌しょのつち, Sōjutsu - ShonotsuchiShonotsuchi?) - physical damage and paralysis on enemy. The effect would only last for 3 turns. He will use this Skill on the 1st move.
Spear play - Median Lance (槍術・中つ槍なかつやり, Soujutsu - NakatsuyariNakatsuyari?) - Inflicts physical damage on an enemy. He will use this Skill on the 1st or 3rd move.
Ath nGabla: Shoal of Four Branches ( 四枝の浅瀬アトゴウラ, Shieda no AsaseAto Goura?, localized as "Shoal of Extremities") is a Rune technique that revives him. This effect which greatly boosts his strength and defense are permanent and would last till the end of battle, unless negated. The effect which would revive him will only last until his first death, unless negated.
