Who are these soldiers from Rider's Ionioi Hetairoi?


In Fate/Zero, there are some soldiers from Rider's Ionioi Hetairoi that look
somewhat important. All of them are heroes so they probably a named hero as
well. Who are they? Do they have any name?

[![soldier
1](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VklIY.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VklIY.jpg)[![soldier
2](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LmReT.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LmReT.jpg)[![soldier
3](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kNlTi.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kNlTi.jpg)




## The Seven Warriors

[Ionioi Hetairoi](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Ionioi_Hetairoi) means "The
[Companions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_cavalry) of Ionia", so I
would expect some, if not all, of these important-looking soldiers to be
Alexander's [bodyguards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatophylakes), which

> consisted of seven men, drawn from the Macedonian nobility, who also acted
> as high-ranking military officers, holding command positions such as general
> or chiliarch.

In fact, included in _[Fate/complete material
IV](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Fate/complete_material_IV)_ is this
illustration, debuted in _[Sound Drama Fate/Zero Vol.2 The Mad Feast of
Kings](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Sound_Drama_Fate/Zero#Volume_2)_ , of
Iskander and, around him, seven men with distinctive designs and complexions:

[![Ionioi Hetairoi, as depicted on page 291 of Fate/complete material
IV](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wYDLn.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wYDLn.jpg)

The left-most character appears to be
[Mithrenes](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Mithrenes), or someone who wears
the same gears as him, who is not a _somatophylax_ , so the _somatophylakes_
might just be an inspiration to, rather than a one-to-one correspondence of,
the seven distinguished servants of Alexander. Speaking of servants, doesn't
it look like they are of the Berserker, Assassin, Lancer, Saber, Archer, Rider
and Caster classes, respectively, from left to right?

## The Eighth Warrior?

A bulky baldy can be seen in both the first ED and episode 23 of _Fate/Zero_.
I include him here for completeness and also because the _somatophylakes_
later expanded to include an eighth individual.

[![Bulky baldy in the first ED of
Fate/Zero](https://i.stack.imgur.com/INE2rm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/INE2r.jpg)
[![Bulky baldy in episode 23 of
Fate/Zero](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnMyDm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnMyD.jpg)

## Designations by Fans

Immediately after the airing of episode 11 of _Fate/Zero_ , someone, possibly
from 2chan, posted this fan-annotated image that names these important-looking
people:

[![Fan-annotated image of notable people in Alexander's
army](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1rAY1.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1rAY1.jpg)

Top row: [Eumenes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eumenes),
[Parmenion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmenion)  
Middle row: [Hephaestion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestion),
[Ptolemy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_I_Soter)

It's actually quite an educated guess: Eumenes was known for his loyalty to
his master and his role as the private secretary of Alexander; Parmenion was
an experienced general who killed to ensure Alexander's succession to the
throne was a smooth one, and being Alexander's second in command and also
40-50 years older than him puts Parmenion as a likely candidate to the
identity of the old man in turban; Hephaestion's and Ptolemy's names are on
there probably just because they are more well-known.

## Traces in Canon Works

But "[Hephaestion](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Iskandar%27s_Shadow)" does
actually make an appearance in _Lord El-Melloi II Case Files_ , and she has
this to say about [Lord El-Melloi
II](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Waver_Velvet):

>
> 「ケチ。せせこましい。暗くて偏屈。寝起きが悪い。黴びた書物ばかり読んでる。卑屈なくせに傲慢。さも苦労人でございって顔をしてるくせに、終わってみれば一番事態を搔き回してる。どうだ、全部当たってるだろう」

> 「気に入らない。まったく気に入らない。そんな偏屈な顔はエウメネスで見飽きてるというのに、この時代でも見せられるのか」

I can't provide a faithful translation, but she's basically saying she hates
to see that perverse, arrogant and miserly face of Lord El-Melloi II even
though she has seen enough of them already from Eumenes.

Also, in _Fate/Grand Order_ , if you have both Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II)
and Iskander as your Servants, then talking to a Bond Lvl 5 Iskander in My
Room will trigger [Dialogue
4](https://fategrandorder.fandom.com/wiki/Sub:Iskandar/Dialogue):

> Hm? You have a strategist with a stern countenance. I’d like to see him
> compete with Eumenes- Ah, he’s still an immature youth on the inside. How
> amusing it would be if he met Hephaestion!

These details seem to corroborate the likeness of Eumenes to an adult Waver,
and we have [one such person in Ionioi
Hetairoi](https://anime.stackexchange.com/q/22832/8486)!

Update: no more detective guesswork, it has officially been presented in
_[Lord El-Melloi II Case Files
material](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Lord_El-
Melloi_II_Case_Files_material)_ that the Waver lookalike is Eumenes, and the
soldier wearing a flashy [Corinthian
helmet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinthian_helmet) is Ptolemy. Now it
makes sense why there is a sphinx in the design of the helmet, at least in the
_Fate/Zero_ anime, due to Ptolemy's connections to Egypt where his empire is
based. Bear in mind that there were a number of
[officers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Generals_of_Alexander_the_Great)
named Ptolemy who served Alexander the Great, but there is little doubt that
this is Ptolemy I Soter we're talking about, as linked earlier.

![Eumenes on page 86 of Lord El-Melloi II Case Files
material](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lXqukm.jpg) ![Ptolemy on page 87 of Lord
El-Melloi II Case Files material](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QKTjem.jpg)

The seven warriors made a cameo reappearance in the _Lord El-Melloi II's Case
Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note_ anime, though some of their designs have been
altered so greatly (is that you, EMIYA?) that I doubt if they are the same
people as the original seven in the Sound Drama illustration.

[![Lord El-Melloi II Case Files episode 1
generals](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gMUkJm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gMUkJ.jpg)
[![Lord El-Melloi II Case Files episode 1 generals
continued](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kxFo0m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kxFo0.jpg)

[![Lord El-Melloi II Case Files episode
10](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aUS9m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aUS9m.jpg)

## My Speculations

I offer my speculations regarding the identities of the 7+1 warriors and use
the 7+1 Servant classes as placeholders to indicate the one being named.

  * Saber: Hephaestion. He was rumored to be Alexander's lover, being taller, more handsome and more king-like than him, such that Darius III's mother mistook Hephaestion for the King of Conquerors. "This man too is Alexander." His weapon of choice is the same as Iskander; his flaunting the bare upper body is the same as the version of the King of Heroes in the _Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front - Babylonia_ anime; heck, he was even buried in Babylonia! After the death of Cleitus the Black, he became the sole commander of the Companion cavalry, a prominent leading position befitting of the screenshots above. He has a striking resemblance to the silhouette of [Hephaestion](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Hephaestion) as drawn in chapter 45 of the _Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files_ manga.
  * Lancer: [Coenus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coenus_\(general\)). He commanded the right-most battalion of infantry, which in the Macedonian battle tradition, was the best of the phalanx, indicating that he was one of the ablest generals of Alexander the Great. He was also the first among the commanders who had the boldness to urge his master to end the eastern conquest and return home, but would die of illness at the commencement of the return journey.
  * Archer: Eumenes. Confirmed by official sources (except for the Servant class).
  * Rider: Ptolemy. Confirmed by official sources (except for the Servant class).
  * Caster: [Porus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porus). [Yngvi](https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/49399/8486) made a good point that the old man in turban could be Poros, or Porus the Elder. Other than the obvious Indian appearance, Porus must have been a lot older than Alexander because he has had two sons that died in the Battle of the Hydaspes.
  * Assassin: [Cleitus the Black](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleitus_the_Black). The epithet 'the Black' was used to distinguish him from Cleitus the White, probably because he had a darker hair or skin color. He severed the arm of an enemy general who went after Alexander's life, thus saving him, and was later promoted to be one of the two commanders of the Companion cavalry, the other being Hephaestion. Cleitus was assassinated by Alexander under the effects of alcohol, three years before Alexander and his army would embark on a journey to cross the [Gedrosian desert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gedrosia).
  * Berserker: [Mithrenes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithrenes). He was a Persian commander who surrendered to Alexander after the battle of the Granicus. He fought for Alexander at Gaugamela against an army that included his father, Orontes II. After his appointment to Satrap of Armenia, he disappeared from the historical record and his ultimate fate unknown.
  * Avenger (the bulky baldy): [Lysimachus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysimachus). He once overcame a lion with his bare hands and earned Alexander's respect. For reasons unknown, he murdered his eldest son, which caused revolts in many of his cities and the desertion of his friends.

## Nicknames in _Sensha Otoko_

It's regrettable to say that we aren't able to identify most of the subjects
in question with confidence, but if nicknames satisfy you,
[these](https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Sensha_Otoko#Family) are what they're
called in _Sensha Otoko_ :

[![Iskander Family in Sensha
Otoko](https://i.stack.imgur.com/laRZ7.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/laRZ7.jpg)

