As every fan knows, Rin is from a prestigious line of mages with the talent in magecraft to back it up. It eventually earning her a spot in the 5th Holy Grail War as a Master tasked with fighting and eliminating every other Master and Servant pair involved. At least when she's not totally doing the opposite and helping out her opposition, Shirou.
One might think everything there is to know about Rin would be right there in the visual novel and the anime where she is from. And that's where they would be wrong. Several interesting tidbits are splattered throughout the franchise about our little tsundere magus. Here are some of the most interesting bits.
10 She Never Knew Her Father Was A Garbage Human Being
As a child, Rin knew as much about the 4th Holy Grail War as Shirou did about the 5th Holy Grail War. Which is next to nothing. Most of what happened during the events of Fate/Zero is a complete mystery to her. So she has little to no idea exactly what type of man her father was.
Arrogant, deceitful, and manipulative, Tokiomi Tohsaka is an excellent example of a mage but total garbage as a human being. Willing to do anything and everything to further his goals as a magus, even go so far as to sacrifice one of his daughters to the shady Matou family. His untimely but deserved demise during the 4th Grail War preventing Rin from realizing what sort of person he was.
9 She Was Born Able To Wield The Five Great Elements
Rin is considered a talented young mage but no specifics are given. Instead, she is portrayed as both knowledgeable and proficient with magic as she guides a bumbling Shirou throughout most of the war. Which is, admittingly, a good way to get the point across.
But specifics are always nice! Born talented, she has an affinity with the five great elements of magecraft. The little prodigy is able to manipulate fire, water, wind, earth, and ether. A rare talent highly prized by the Mage's Association.
8 She Is A Magical Girl
TYPE-MOON has a history of turning its heroines into magical girls and Rin is no exception. We're not talking about her short stints as a magical girl in the Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya spin-offs that take place in a different universe. Even regular Rin from the original series has a history of magical girl-dom.
Trapped in a chest along with several other magical items, Rin has a special wand called Magical Ruby that can transform her into Kaleido Ruby with all of the bells and whistles expected of a magical girl. Unfortunately, more often then not, whenever she uses it she ends up in embarrassing situations that alienate her from her friends or have her trying to explain why she was trapped in a chest with Shirou while dressed as a magical girl.
7 She Is Also A Wrestler
TYPE-MOON loves their April Fools jokes. While most of their recent attempts to fool their audience have been relegated to their mobile game, Fate/Grand Order, TYPE-MOON used to go above and beyond to fool their niche audience. Including creating elaborate websites and short visual novels. This is one of those April Fools' jokes.
Creating the FWF (Fate Wrestling Federation), TYPE-MOON cast its heroines as wrestlers throughout the event. Ignoring magecraft in pursuit of the title, Rin becomes a super heavyweight wrestler called Dynamite Rin that can walk the walk and talk the talk in the wrestling arena. Known both for her power and her skills for working a crowd on the microphone.
6 She Is Also A Servant
TYPE-MOON has cast Rin as many things. A tsundere heroine, a magical girl, and a wrestler, Rin becoming a Servant was bound to happen sooner or later. While most people tend to look towards Ishtar and Ereshkigal for Rin-flavored Servants, it happened much earlier.
Taking place in the lighthearted world of Capsule Servant, Rin turns into a Counter Guardian in the hopes of reducing her enormous debt. Tasked with hunting down and destroying every Holy Grail throughout the multiverse by the World, her debt is reduced for every completed mission. This leads to her encountering her younger self and Shirou depending on which route in the story the player takes.
5 Her Martial Arts Instructor Was Kotomine
While Kotomine is one of the villains of Fate/Stay Night, he was also the one responsible for raising Rin after both of her parents were indisposed. After all, it is the least he could do after figuratively and literally stabbing her father in the back.
Among many of his duties, he taught the young girl how to defend herself through martial arts. Though, true to his usual manner, he always made sure she didn't surpass him. Preying on her past traumas to make sure she never reached her true potential.
4 She Was Originally Designed To Be A Villian
Before turning into the Fate/Stay Night the fans are familiar with today, the franchise went through a prototype which had a different setting, characters, and several other difference to the story we know now. Among them, was the fact that it was aimed towards girls and that Rin went from heroine to villainess.
Rin was represented by the antagonistic Misaya Reiroukan who was the Master of Lancer in her original portrayal. Sadistic, cruel, and calculating, her story starts out very similar to Rin's story with her father having been betrayed and killed in the previous Grail War. The difference being that his death turned her into a sadistically cruel young woman who hunts down and tries to kill the protagonist, Ayaka Sajyou.
3 She Is Proficient With Reinforcement Magic
It's no surprise that Rin has Shirou beat when it comes to being a magus. Not only does she possess a rare talent for magic but she is also part of a prestigious family of mages. So it is no surprise that anything Shirou can do she can do better. Even if it's something he is supposedly good at.
Along with her affinity for magic, she also possesses proficiency with Reinforcement Magic. The same thing Shirou uses to make objects like pipes, chair legs, and other such blunt and sometimes sharp objects stronger, she uses to reinforce her body. Allowing her to run faster than what normal humans can perceive and strike hard enough to cause a Servant some damage. Two things that are far and beyond what Shirou could do with the very same magic.
2 She Becomes One Of The Top 100 Magi In The Entire History Of The Mage's Association
According to an interview with Kinoko Nasu, the writer for Kara no Kyoukai, Tsukihime (yes, it still exists!) and Fate/Stay Night, and Game Japan in 2007, Rin becomes one of the greatest mages of all time. Ranked in the top 100 Magi, not of the time, but in all of the history of the Mage's Association.
Unfortunately, not much information is given on exactly how she reaches the top ranks of the Mage's Association. Though, with abundant natural talent and latent potential, it is really any surprise that Rin reaches such grand heights.
1 Gen Urobuchi Considers Rin To Be The True Heroine Of Fate/Stay Night
Gen Urobuchi is the writer of anime such as Phantom: Requiem for a Phantom and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, as well as being the reason you cry at night. Know through the fandom as "Urobutcher," he is not shy about killing off characters and giving the audience a bittersweet or a straight-up downer ending to a series. So TYPE-MOON went to him first to write Fate/Zero.
And that's exactly how they got him to talk about Rin. While she may be a minor character in Fate/Zero, he considers her to be the true heroine of Fate/Stay Night. In an interview between him, Kinoko Nasu, and Takeuchi Takashi (artist and co-founder of TYPE-MOON), Urobuchi cites Rin and Shirou's equal relationship as the source of his belief. The way they mend each others' weaknesses with their unique strengths earning her the title of the true heroine in his mind.