Irisviel von Einzbern

Irisviel von Einzbern is a homunculus. She is the wife of Kiritsugu Emiya and the mother of Illyasviel von Einzbern. As a homunculus of the Einzbern, Irisviel possesses a genetic resemblance to her ancestor, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, who formed the core of the Holy Grail when the Holy Grail Wars began. Her long silver hair and red eyes are distinctive traits of Einzbern homunculi, such that Tohsaka Tokiomi recognizes right away that she is a member of the Einzbern family. Because of her striking appearance, she tends to stand out, despite her attempts to dress informally. Irisviel dresses in long white gowns trimmed in gold in the Einzbern castle, but wears more functional clothing when she goes to Japan. Her clothing choice, though considerably less formal than her usual garb, is still considered by ordinary people to be high-end fashion. Irisviel wears a burgundy blouse with a brooch, a white skirt, thigh-high white boots, and black tights; in cold weather, she also wears an elegant fur-trimmed white coat and a white fur cap. Irisviel is quite peculiar compared to other Einzbern homunculi. She was the first to have received the same treatment as a human and the first to have human emotions. Furthermore, she has interacted with humans for nine years and developed such colorful and eccentric mental activity. She was originally a blank slate that did not possess any human qualities. Her physical and mental capabilities surpasses those of a human, so they did not fail her during her exceptional growth, allowing her to gain self-awareness and emotions. Her knowledge of human emotion and human experiences is limited due to having lived for only nine years without ever leaving the Einzbern castle and only having Kiritsugu to teach her about the world. This is in contrast with her inherent knowledge and reason, the crystallization of the Einzbern's wisdom accumulated over millennia, that comes with the format of a homunculus. The result is her having both the elegance of an upper-class lady and the innocent nature of a child. Homunculi usually have their functions determined during their design process, but Irisviel developed the plan to conceive Illya after she was created. Jubstacheit decided to allow a special case in that she was to hold multiple "functions different from the plan", allowing her to both give birth and rear Illya. This allowed Irisviel to experience raising a child like a human mother, affecting her character in a way that Jubstacheit could not have predicted. Before meeting Kiritsugu, Irisviel had no emotion nor any sense of self-preservation beyond ensuring that she would survive as the Holy Grail. After Kiritsugu taught her about the modern world, she developed a sense of self. She loves Kiritsugu Emiya, her husband, and Illyasviel von Einzbern, her daughter. Despite his typically restrained attitude, Kiritsugu calls her "Iri" out of affection. Though she acts as one who is sheltered and innocent, Irisviel displays a mature attitude and understanding towards Kiritsugu and the agony he suffers, as well as the knowledge that she will likely die in the war because of his actions. She also tries to present Saber with a better impression of Kiritsugu since Saber feels her Master's cold nature derives from his belief she is unsatisfactory as a Servant because she is female. She approved of Kiritsugu's ideal and vowed to sacrifice herself for its sake, but the truth is that she never actually understood that ideal. She simply wanted to walk the same path together with the person she loved, but – in order not to burden Kiritsugu – she decided to behave as a woman who would die for that same ideal rather than just a woman that would die for her husband. Although she wished for Kiritsugu and Saber to keep winning and end the fighting, she had little desire towards achieving the Third Magic, which was the Einzbern family's ambition. She enjoys driving, but she is not very skilled. Kiritsugu bought her a "toy", a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, famous for being Japan's Yujiro IshiharaWP's favorite car, to educate her about modern science. It is a bit classical in terms of education because part of the reason it was chosen was Irisviel's own taste. While it was a custom model ordered by Kiritsugu, it lacked any substantial modifications. It was later stored in the Einzbern mansion after the Fourth War, happily becoming Illya's toy.