/vt/ - Virtual Youtubers

We need more Francis Drake tubers

>>18594837
All the other replies are correct, there's depth to him that the anime is forced to skip over. But other reasons why he comes across so much worse there than in the VN are:
>The VN frequently slows down to describe in vivid detail how much agony he's going through getting killed/pushing his limits/putting up with all the spooky bullshit, which either makes you sympathize with him or laugh at him or both. Without that, anime Shirou gives off this general sense that he's getting away with everything too easily like a generic shonen protag
>In an effort to make his fight scenes as exciting as the ones in Zero, Ufotable takes a lot of creative liberties with what Shirou's capable of. He's supposed to come across less like Suisei, skating past problems with sheer inexplicable competence, and more like Mori, where the lucky breaks only come after a stubborn, scrappy grind which makes them feel earned.
>Shirou's personalty was built from the ground up to function as a narrator and a self-insert protagonist, with just enough aspects left generic or blank that he's easy to empathize with, while highlighting a twisted sense of ethics that makes him feel like a distinct character - especially when understanding that mindset is the key to avoiding all the bad ends and the gameplay essentially relies on you learning to get inside his head. Looking at him from the outside, all that utility is gone, and the sacrifices made to facilitate it stop being worthwhile.