<p>The identity of Shirou's biological family was never revealed in the game, the anime or the manga of Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night.
The only thing you know about them is that they died because of the end of the 4th Holy Grail War.</p>

<p>As for the reason why Shirou can perform magecraft, It is caused by the sheath of Excalibur : Avalon, which have been implanted in Shirou's body by Kiritsugu. Even though it is not clearly explained.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T15:58:54.883Z
"Shirou can perform magecraft, it is caused by the sheath of Excalibur: Avalon." Please elaborate on what brought you to this conclusion.
кяαzєя
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T14:42:13.077Z
2015-07-07T14:42:13.077Z
Erebos
<p>As revealed during Epic of Remnant within Fate/Grand Order (An alternate timeline), Pseudo-Servant Sengo Muramasa uses the body of Shirou Emiya as they are compatible. Muramasa later states that there is a possibility of Shirou being his descendant. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-08T06:37:25.927Z
2018-03-08T06:37:25.927Z
Alexander da Rosa
<p>To answer your first question, </p>

<h1> What do we know about Shirou's biological parents/grandparents/etc.? Do we even know anything at all? </h1>

<p>I would like to say that there has been no information released regarding it in the anime/manga/visual novel/games/wikia site. However, there is this piece of information on the <a href="http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Shirou_Emiya" rel="nofollow">wikia site</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Ten years before the start of Fate/stay night, Shirou was an ordinary boy living with his parents in Shinto. The great fire caused by the contents of the Holy Grail spilling out at the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War killed both his parents and left him mortally wounded within the blaze.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Therefore, we do know that his biological parents died during the Fourth Holy Grail War.</p>

<p>To answer your second question,</p>

<h1>Understanding why Shirou can perform magecraft despite presumably having had non-mage parents.</h1>

<p>Again, the <a href="http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Shirou_Emiya" rel="nofollow">wikia site</a> states that </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Shirou persistently asked Kiritsugu to teach him Magecraft. Kiritsugu eventually complied even though he disapproved of Shirou's desire to learn his craft.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>That is why Shirou Emiya can perform magecraft.</p>

<p>To answer your third question, </p>

<h1>He seems to never say anything about his parents.</h1>

<p>All I can say that there is no definitive answer to this question owing to the fact that there is no reference to this in any of the aforementioned media.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-27T18:43:10.587Z
2016-02-27T18:43:10.587Z
Pratyush Manocha
<p>Ok, really? One, Shirou doesn't remember anything before the fire. The fire literally distorted him, making his mind inhuman enough to house a Reality Marble, and because of his survivors guilt as that happened and his awe at the person that saved him like a hero, heroism was practically imbedded in his soul. Distortion is akin to becoming Eldritch to a small extent. It's not normal and he lost his memories in that blaze. 
Two, he can perform magecraft because he was born with Circuits. However, the reason Avalon is the reason he can use magecraft is because Kiritsugu half-assed his teaching and he did it wrong, turning his nerves into makeshift, temporary magic circuits everytime he used magecraft instead of using his actual circuits. This usually crippled people but avalon healed that damage and allowed him to practise the almost suicidal method of magecraft. Rin awakened his actual circuits during the war.</p>

<p>The reason why he had circuits, the background of his family, name or true age, no one really knows. And why would Shirou talk about something he doesn't remember and holds no attachment too because he doesn't? Besides his one-tracked mind towards self-sacrifice that stops him ever caring about himself that is.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-12T04:11:15.420Z
Reading this answer, it seems to rely mostly on opinion rather than facts. Try to include sources to support your claims and remove unnecessary sentences. Answers should be straight to the point and the additional explanations should be relevant.
W. Are
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-12T00:57:27.017Z
2019-03-12T00:57:27.017Z
Common Sense
<p>What do we know about Shirou's biological parents/grandparents/etc.? Do we even know anything at all? </p>

<p>This is relevant to e.g. understanding why Shirou can perform magecraft despite presumably having had non-mage parents. (Also, it's just kind of weird that he seems to never say anything about them. He was certainly old enough to remember them when they died in the fire at the end of the fourth grail war.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-01T23:46:59.413Z
i don't think there's anything out about them apart from the fact they died as a result of how the 4th war ended. we don't even know Shirou's original surname. given that Rin was surprised that Shirou was a Magus that would mean one of 2 things. 1) Shirou's original family weren't Magi or 2) they were Magi but never ran a workshop though they may have even been illegal if Magus Families are required to present themselves to the Second Owner regardless if they set up a workshop or not (with the exception to when participating in the Holy Grail War)
Memor-X
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-01T23:59:58.997Z
This always confused me; I assumed Shirou's parents weren't magi but he *was* able to learn some magic from Kiritsugu. Looking at [Waver Velvet's backstory](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Waver_Velvet) it seems like it's possible for non-magi to become magi, with the family's power increasing as it becomes older. Maybe Shirou is a case like Waver Velvet's grandmother, who was a non-magus but learned some basic magic and established a bloodline.
Torisuda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-02T00:14:43.037Z
@Torisuda that would make a lot of sense since the greater families like the Tohsaka would have to have started somewhere
Memor-X
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-05T05:40:43.093Z
In the Prisma Illya storyline we learn some things about his family, at least insofar as one of the characters is his sister (in an alternate reality).  I didn't delve into that manga far enough to know if there is anything beyond that; I don't know if it has been definitively stated if they're biologically related or not, in fact.  Plus, its factual relation to the FSN universe is questionable at best.
zibadawa timmy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-28T04:23:40.303Z
hmmm . . . maybe his family become victim when Kiritsugu bombing the hotel where Lancer`s Master live.
Tanya von Degurechaff
<fate-stay-night>
What do we know about Shirou's biological ancestors? (not Kiritsugu)
# What do we know about Shirou's biological ancestors? (not Kiritsugu)
Posted by: username_0 on 2015-04-01
What do we know about Shirou's biological parents/grandparents/etc.? Do we even know anything at all?

This is relevant to e.g. understanding why Shirou can perform magecraft despite presumably having had non-mage parents. (Also, it's just kind of weird that he seems to never say anything about them. He was certainly old enough to remember them when they died in the fire at the end of the fourth grail war.)
**Tags:** fate-stay-night
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: i don't think there's anything out about them apart from the fact they died as a result of how the 4th war ended. we don't even know Shirou's original surname. given that Rin was surprised that Shirou was a Magus that would mean one of 2 things. 1) Shirou's original family weren't Magi or 2) they were Magi but never ran a workshop though they may have even been illegal if Magus Families are required to present themselves to the Second Owner regardless if they set up a workshop or not (with the exception to when participating in the Holy Grail War)  
> **username_2**: This always confused me; I assumed Shirou's parents weren't magi but he *was* able to learn some magic from Kiritsugu. Looking at [Waver Velvet's backstory](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Waver_Velvet) it seems like it's possible for non-magi to become magi, with the family's power increasing as it becomes older. Maybe Shirou is a case like Waver Velvet's grandmother, who was a non-magus but learned some basic magic and established a bloodline.  
> **username_1**: @Torisuda that would make a lot of sense since the greater families like the Tohsaka would have to have started somewhere  
> **username_3**: In the Prisma Illya storyline we learn some things about his family, at least insofar as one of the characters is his sister (in an alternate reality).  I didn't delve into that manga far enough to know if there is anything beyond that; I don't know if it has been definitively stated if they're biologically related or not, in fact.  Plus, its factual relation to the FSN universe is questionable at best.  
> **username_4**: hmmm . . . maybe his family become victim when Kiritsugu bombing the hotel where Lancer`s Master live.  
---
## 4 answers
### Answer by username_5 on 2015-07-07. Score: 2
The identity of Shirou's biological family was never revealed in the game, the anime or the manga of Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night.
The only thing you know about them is that they died because of the end of the 4th Holy Grail War.

As for the reason why Shirou can perform magecraft, It is caused by the sheath of Excalibur : Avalon, which have been implanted in Shirou's body by Kiritsugu. Even though it is not clearly explained.
> **Comments:**
> **username_6** (2015-07-07): "Shirou can perform magecraft, it is caused by the sheath of Excalibur: Avalon." Please elaborate on what brought you to this conclusion.  
---
### Answer by username_7 on 2018-03-08. Score: 1
As revealed during Epic of Remnant within Fate/Grand Order (An alternate timeline), Pseudo-Servant Sengo Muramasa uses the body of Shirou Emiya as they are compatible. Muramasa later states that there is a possibility of Shirou being his descendant.
---
### Answer by username_8 on 2016-02-27. Score: 1
To answer your first question,

# What do we know about Shirou's biological parents/grandparents/etc.? Do we even know anything at all?

I would like to say that there has been no information released regarding it in the anime/manga/visual novel/games/wikia site. However, there is this piece of information on the [wikia site](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Shirou_Emiya).

> Ten years before the start of Fate/stay night, Shirou was an ordinary boy living with his parents in Shinto. The great fire caused by the contents of the Holy Grail spilling out at the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War killed both his parents and left him mortally wounded within the blaze.

Therefore, we do know that his biological parents died during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

To answer your second question,

# Understanding why Shirou can perform magecraft despite presumably having had non-mage parents.

Again, the [wikia site](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Shirou_Emiya) states that

> Shirou persistently asked Kiritsugu to teach him Magecraft. Kiritsugu eventually complied even though he disapproved of Shirou's desire to learn his craft.

That is why Shirou Emiya can perform magecraft.

To answer your third question,

# He seems to never say anything about his parents.

All I can say that there is no definitive answer to this question owing to the fact that there is no reference to this in any of the aforementioned media.
---
### Answer by username_9 on 2019-03-12. Score: 0
Ok, really? One, Shirou doesn't remember anything before the fire. The fire literally distorted him, making his mind inhuman enough to house a Reality Marble, and because of his survivors guilt as that happened and his awe at the person that saved him like a hero, heroism was practically imbedded in his soul. Distortion is akin to becoming Eldritch to a small extent. It's not normal and he lost his memories in that blaze.
Two, he can perform magecraft because he was born with Circuits. However, the reason Avalon is the reason he can use magecraft is because Kiritsugu half-assed his teaching and he did it wrong, turning his nerves into makeshift, temporary magic circuits everytime he used magecraft instead of using his actual circuits. This usually crippled people but avalon healed that damage and allowed him to practise the almost suicidal method of magecraft. Rin awakened his actual circuits during the war.

The reason why he had circuits, the background of his family, name or true age, no one really knows. And why would Shirou talk about something he doesn't remember and holds no attachment too because he doesn't? Besides his one-tracked mind towards self-sacrifice that stops him ever caring about himself that is.
> **Comments:**
> **username_10** (2019-03-12): Reading this answer, it seems to rely mostly on opinion rather than facts. Try to include sources to support your claims and remove unnecessary sentences. Answers should be straight to the point and the additional explanations should be relevant.  
---
