I'd also like to point out that Rin gets even more screentime as an actual character in all 3 routes

That is correct, and I am sure that someone who actively dislikes Rin would probably make a similar point regarding her. Not claiming any lack of bias, because I did post this in a controversial opinion thread after all. However, the reason why I did not mention Rin and referred strictly to Saber is because I do like Rin and I absolutely do NOT like Saber (wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only one on this entire sub who dislikes her, but it is what it is). Point is, I don't think it's too outlandish a claim that a handful of the characters in this franchise tend to take a lot more of the time of writers than others. Just looking at someone like Boudica, and comparing her to any version of Saber, it's laughable. They look like they aren't even from the same universe. Hell, I love Gil, and I wouldn't really be able to say with a straight face that he doesn't get special treatment (not always the good kind of special treatment, but it wouldn't be Gil otherwise).

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If I wanted to make a more general statement on this, so that I don't single out Arturia, I'd say that my biggest disappointment regarding this franchise is precisely that it could have been way much more. I still don't understand to this day why for as cool a concept as this was, they chose to go with waifus and all the rest of the weeb bullshit that, I feel like, held back the series from reaching the heights that it could have. I get the fact that it was probably a formula that worked at the time and due to it working perhaps they never felt like it needed to be changed, but at least from time to time they could try and reinvent the cast a little because 13 years later after the release of the VN, Arturia's "perfection" has definitely started to feel a bit stale, and it does kinda irk me off sometimes that people from the community tend to support the staleness just because "but muh cute anime waifu".

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Rant over. Must say, while I do feel like the two of us definitely enjoy and want to see different aspects of this franchise, I did enjoy this conversation. Usually people trying to criticize stuff about any of the heroines of Stay Night get downvoted to oblivion, and discussions around what people like and don't like about them don't really happen, because people become ultra defensive. Frankly, I think they should happen more often.