For those of you who love Fate’s epic battles and deep lore but think it could use more rainbow-colored magic circles, this spin-off is your dream come true.
If you’re a Fate series fan, you absolutely must not skip this gem: Fate/kaleid Iiner Prisma Ilya.
Ignore the naysayers who claim it’s “not Fate canon” or it’s “just another magical girl show”—they probably haven’t witnessed Ilya’s epic clash with Gilgamesh while sporting a cute outfit.
Plus there’s an existential crisis and a dark twist like Madoka Magica. Don’t judge a book by its cover!
Whether you’re here for the magical girl transformation sequences or just want to see Ilya tackle everyday problems like being late to school while saving the universe, there’s never a dull moment in this whimsical take on the Fate series!
1. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya (2013)
| Episodes | 10 |
| Aired | Summer 2013 |
Illyasviel von Einzbern’s normal life is suddenly halted by the Kaleidostick Ruby, a magical wand on the run from her former master, who instantly decides that little Illya has all the right stuff to become the next great magical girl.
However, Ruby’s previous owner Rin Tohsaka isn’t exactly thrilled to be de-wanded, especially since she’s just accepted an assignment to collect the seven legendary Class Cards.
It seems the only solution is for Illya to take up the task and learn the ropes under Rin’s supervision.
Meanwhile, a girl named Miyu has been chosen by the Kaleidostick Sapphire as HER new master, much to the irritation of Sapphire’s previous master, Rin’s arch rival Luviagelita Edelfelt!
Exactly what kind of plan are the wands conjuring up?
2. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei! (2014)
| Episodes | 10 |
| Aired | Summer 2014 |
The second season of Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya.
With great powers come great responsibilities, and that includes cleaning up the aftermath of your previous adventures.
Which means that, instead of getting a break after saving the world, newly changed magical girls Illya and Miyu have to help deal with the side-effects caused by the sealing of the Ley Cards. Still, that shouldn’t be too hard, right? Wrong!
Not only are the ley lines failing, but to make matters worse, Illya somehow ends up with a magical clone… and that sinister clone has plans of her own! Worse yet, since the “dark” version of herself is drawing its power from the same source as our heroine, Illya’s own powers are being reduced proportionately.
These are definitely not the kind of problems that the average girl should have to deal with.
3. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei! Herz! (2015)
| Episodes | 10 |
| Aired | Summer 2015 |
The second part of Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei!.
Illyasviel von Einzbern’s life has become ridiculously complicated since the Kaleidostick Ruby convinced her to become a magical girl and join the quest for collecting the seven Class Cards.
Since then, almost every day has brought a new surprise, from gaining new friends and partners like Miyu Edelfelt, to encountering her own magical twin!
One would think Illya deserves a little time off, right? No such luck: a trip to the beach quickly turns into a magical quest, and Illya finds herself caught in a string of magical feuds, encounters with love potions, an excursion into the world of “boys love” comics (plus the women who read them), and half a dozen other delirious diversions.
However, that’s only the warm-up for what might be her final mission: recovering the long-lost Eighth Card!
4. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei!! (2016)
| Episodes | 12 |
| Aired | Summer 2016 |
The third season of Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya.
Illya and the gang have finished their battle against the heroic spirit residing in the eighth class card. They’re back in vacation mode again, looking to make the most of what they have left of summer break.
But their hopes get crushed in the blink of an eye. An all-too-unrealistic silhouette appears before them when they go to investigate the strange event at Mount Enzō.
After a short skirmish, the entire space ends up being warped. Illya wakes up in a wintry Fuyuki City… in a parallel world. This is the world where Miyu was born and raised.
5. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya: Vow in the Snow (2017)
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Summer 2017 |
Despite his adoptive father’s warnings that the girl found in the remnants of a destroyed city is too dangerous to be considered anything other than a tool or weapon, Shirou Emiya comes to treat Miyu as a younger sister.
But when Shirou relaxes his guard and Miyu starts normal school, the Ainsworth family and their agents swoop in, kidnapping the girl with the goal of sacrificing her!
Faced with the realization that Miyu’s ability to do good will always be equaled by her capacity for destruction, Shirou must attempt to both rescue his adopted sister, and decide how to confront the threat that her powers will always pose.
6. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya: Prisma☆Phantasm (2019)
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Spring 2019 |
If there’s one thing that the long-running Fate/stay night franchise has always been noted for, it’s the creative freedom that allows every new installment to develop its own unique take on the overall concept and base set of continuing characters.
However, no matter how diverse many of the previous installments have been, you’re almost certainly not going to be prepared for the non-stop surreal silliness and fever dream alternative concepts unleashed in this demented new OVA installment.
From a surreal talk show where a berserker hostess puts her hapless assassin brother co-host through an increasingly grueling wringer, to spicy ramen endurance tests, magical girls gone wild and wholesale gender-swapping for no apparent reason, you’ve never seen anything like this!
7. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya: Licht Nameless Girl (2021)
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Summer 2021 |
The world is dying, no longer able to support life.
The Ainsworth family can use the Holy Grail to save humanity, but the price of salvation is sacrifice of the magical girl Miyu — but Miyu’s brother, Shirou, won’t let them have her without a fight.
Now it’s up to Illya to step in and find a solution that will save not only Miyu, but the entire world for impending doom. But when the price for the world’s salvation is the life of a single, innocent girl, what will Illya choose?
And there you have it—Fate/kaleid Prisma Ilya in all its magical, action-packed glory!
Whether you’re a seasoned Fate fan or a newcomer wondering how magical girls ended up in a franchise known for heroic spirit battles, this series is your ticket to a fun and lighthearted spin on the Fate universe.
So grab your wands, ignore the critics, and dive into this magical adventure—you’ll be casting spells and laughing at the chaos before you know it.
