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Illyasviel von Einzbern, often referred to as Ilya, is a character from the Japanese visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night by TYPE-MOON. Due to her white-blonde hair and red eyes, she is often considered as an albino.

A young German aristocrat, she traveled to Japan to participate in the Holy Grail War as a Master. Illyasviel has an angelic appearance and an unsurpassed potential as a Master. She lives in a castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, accompanied only by her Servant and two maids. Illyasviel asks those she feels comfortable around to simply call her "Ilya". Her mother, Irisviel von Einzbern, fought alongside Saber and Emiya Kiritsugu during the previous Holy Grail war.

The voice acting for Ilya is done by Mai Kadowaki and in English she is voiced by Stephanie Sheh.^[1]

Ilya initially appears as an enemy to Shirō Emiya. The reason she is after him was because his step father, Kiritsugu Emiya, was a Master working for her family in the previous War and he betrayed them by destroying the Holy Grail. After Berserker is defeated, she has no desire to continue fighting and stays at Shirō's house.

She is in reality a Homunculus, an artificial human given life by applying sorcery to sperm cells, originally created and raised by the Einzbern. She is actually slightly older than Shirō, her childlike appearance being a result of a distorted growth rate. During the Heaven's Feel scenario, it is hinted that the sperm used to create her was donated by Kiritsugu Emiya, making her his biological daughter and Shirō's step-sister.

The Einzbern, one of three families of sorcerers involved in the Holy Grail War (the others being the Tōsaka and the Makiri/Matō), were responsible for creation of the vessel which the souls of the defeated Servants would go into, while the Makiri created the system of Masters and Servants and the Tōsaka supplied the land which became Fuyuki City. As such, Ilya was prepared by her family to act as a living vessel for the Grail.

In Fate, Ilya serves as the initial adversary for Shirō and Saber, and eventually ends up living peacefully with Taiga after her defeat. She has her heart torn out by Gilgamesh in Unlimited Blade Works and during Heaven's Feel, she aids Shirō throughout his fight and eventually gives up her body to become the Holy Grail.

Fate/stay night (TYPE-MOON)
Characters
Shirō Emiya | Saber | Rin Tōsaka | Archer
Illyasviel von Einzbern | Berserker | Kiritsugu Emiya
Sakura Matō | Rider | Shinji Matō | Zōken Matō | True Assassin
Kirei Kotomine | Lancer | Gilgamesh
Sōichirō Kuzuki | Caster | Assassin
Taiga Fujimura | Bazett Fraga McRemitz | Avenger | Caren Ortensia | Zelretch
Minor characters
Information
Scenarios | Voice actors | Fate/hollow ataraxia | Fate/Zero