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TamaHaku is the non-binary ship between Tamamo-no-Mae and Hakuno Kishinami from the Fate fandom.
Canon[]
Fate/Extra[]
In the original Fate/Extra game, Hakuno is an unwitting and amnesiac participant in the Holy Grail War within the Moon Cell supercomputer. Their gender and name can be changed by the player. Tamamo-no-Mae, former courtesan for the Emperor of Japan and incarnation of Amaterasu, is one of three potential servant partners for Hakuno. She represents the Caster class.
Tamamo dreams of marriage, and thus warms quickly to Hakuno, seeing their summoning as a sign the two are destined to be. Regardless of gender, Tamamo refers to Hakuno as "goshujin-sama", meaning "master", but traditionally used by wives to refer to their husbands. This is translated as "darling" or "husband" in English.
Eventually, Hakuno is discovered to not be a real person, but rather an AI copy. With their victory in the Grail War, Hakuno willingly deletes himself/herself in order to allow the original Hakuno to reawaken and begin life anew.
Fate/Extra CCC[]
Fate/Extra CCC is a side story that takes place after the 5th round of Fate/Extra. Unlike in the original Extra game, Hakuno's relationship with their servant is more central. Once again, Tamamo is one of the potential servant choices.
In Tamamo's ending to the game, Tamamo saves Hakuno from deletion. Tamamo and Hakuno then live together in the Moon Cell. Their happiness is disrupted when the other Tamamo Nine, alternate versions of Tamamo, begin to cause trouble. The pair venture out to defeat them, forming the basis of the spinoff manga, Fate/Extra CCC - Foxtail.
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star[]
According to series creator Kinko Nasu, Fate/Extella continues primarily off the Nero route of Extra and ending of CCC.[1] However, other aspects of the previous games were altered to create a storyline which saw Hakuno also later recruit Tamamo to their side, and win control over the Moon Cell.
In this timeline, Tamamo was the servant of a master who did not value her, but Hakuno treated her with kindness. Tamamo thus became infatuated and betrayed her master for Hakuno. She then became romantic rivals with Nero for Hakuno's affections. Eventually, the Moon Cell discovers that Tamamo is still alive despite her master's death, and attempts to delete her. Tamamo survives, but she is separated from Nero and Hakuno. Nero and Hakuno wed soon after, but Hakuno is split into three parts: Mind, Soul, and Body. Tamamo is able to capture Soul Hakuno, who suffers from amnesia.
In the first route of the game, Tamamo is the antagonist, and she fights with Nero for control over the Moon Cell. Nero plans to reunite Mind and Soul Hakuno, but has a change of heart when Soul Hakuno attempts to defend Tamamo. Nero lets Soul Hakuno and Tamamo escape, but it is soon revealed that Hakuno cannot survive split, and thus Mind Hakuno falls into a coma. The fate of Tamamo and Soul Hakuno is not revealed, but it is likely Soul Hakuno ultimately suffers a similar fate.
The second route of the game focuses on Tamamo and Soul Hakuno. Tamamo has led Soul Hakuno to believe that she was Hakuno's true servant all along. Tamamo declares her intention to conquer the rest of the rest of the Moon Cell, and to rule with Hakuno at her side. Tamamo is shown to be possessive of Hakuno, but as a spirit without much reason, Soul Hakuno largely accepts Tamamo's decisions. Much like Nero in the previous route, Tamamo plans to unite Soul and Mind Hakuno, but has a change of heart upon seeing Mind Hakuno attempt to defend Nero. The route ends with Tamamo and Hakuno ruling over the Moon Cell in peace. However, given that Hakuno is still separated, it is probable that some bad fate befell Hakuno shortly thereafter.
The third route of the game features Altera, who kills both Nero and Tamamo and their respective Hakunos before being killed herself. Body Hakuno is able send memories back of this route back in time to Mind Hakuno, which leads to the fourth and final route. Here, Tamamo and Nero form an alliance which sees Soul and Mind Hakuno safely reunite. Hakuno is happy to see Tamamo and Nero working alongside one another again, but Tamamo is largely sidelined for the remainder of the route, which focuses on Nero and Hakuno's efforts to save Altera. The game ends with Tamamo and Nero peacefully competing over which of the two is a better wife for Hakuno, with both trying to impress Hakuno with their cooking skills.
Fate/Extella Link[]
In Fate/Extella Link, the sequel to Fate/Extella, Tamamo is one of Hakuno's primary servants and supporters, though their relationship plays only a minor role. Tamamo remains insistent that Hakuno is her husband, much to the bemusement of the other characters. She asks if Hakuno recalls "pledging eternal love", which Hakuno denies, leading Tamamo to remark that it's "easy to forget". Despite this, Tamamo and Nero co-exist begrudgingly and work together to support Hakuno and Charlemagne.
Fate/Grand Order[]
Hakuno is not featured in Fate/Grand Order, but Tamamo appears as a summonable servant. Tamamo she still recalls and references Hakuno on a number of occasions. Tamamo is thus reluctant to show affections to the protagonist of Grand Order, but she slowly comes to accept them as her new master, promising to be a good wife and servant.
Fanon[]
In the early days after the release of Extra, TamaHaku was a widely accepted pairing. Praise focused on the endearing nature of Tamamo's dream to be a housewife, and her earnest affections for Hakuno.
However, the pairing became more controversial after the release of Extella, which combined the previously chosen routes into a single continuity. Tamamo was criticized for being possessive and controlling over Hakuno, exasperating her negative traits. Fans of the pairing were also disappointed by the decision to make Nero into Hakuno's true servant and spouse. The decision to make Tamamo fall for the Grand Order protagonist, despite her memories of Hakuno, was similarly controversial - in particular, that Nero by contrast was given an alternate timeline self with no memory of Hakuno to pair with the Grand Order protagonist. Supporters of the pairing consider such to be evidence of author bias against Tamamo and for Nero.
Some fans have tried to reconcile Extella's handling of Nero and Tamamo by claiming Hakuno is polyamourous with both. The lack of a clear resolution to their love triangle and the acceptance between Nero, Hakuno, and Tamamo of one another despite Tamamo's claims to Hakuno is considered evidence in support. However, Nasu has stated that Hakuno is married to Nero, and Hakuno shows no romantic interest in Tamamo during the True Route. Even in Extella Link, Tamamo's assertions over Hakuno are treated as comedic rather than a genuine bond between the two.
Nonetheless, the TamaHaku pairing remains relatively popular among fans of the Extra series, particularly among fans who have been around since the release of the original Extra.
Fandom[]
FAN FICTION
- Hakuno Kishinami/Tamamo tag on AO3
References[]
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| Fate Ships • Fate Characters | |||
| SHIPS | het | Cleosar • Diarturia • Gilturia • KirIri • OdyCirce • ShiRin • ShiSaber • ShiSaku | |
| slash | Patrochilles | ||
| femslash | AnneMary | ||
| non-binary | NeroHaku • TamaHaku | ||
| CHARACTERS | male | Arthur Pendragon • Henry Jekyll • Heracles • Merlin • Odysseus • Robin Hood | |