Axel Almer

Infobox animanga character
color = lightsteelblue
name = Axel Almer
series = Super Robot Wars


caption =
first =
last =
creator =
voiced by = Nobutoshi Kanna (Japanese)
portrayed by =
nickname =
alias =
age =
gender = Male
species = Human
born =
death =
nationality = American
class =
occupation =
title =
relatives =
divider = Military History
aux1 name = Affiliations
aux1 = Shadow-Mirror (Advance, OG 2/OGs),
Mazinger Team (Advance),
Londo Bell (Advance),
Earth Federation Army (OGs/OG Gaiden)
aux2 name = Rank
aux2 = Captain
aux3 name = Units Piloted
aux3 = Soulgain (Advance, OG 2/OGs/OG Gaiden),
Vaisaga (Advance),
Ash Saver (Advance, OGs),
Laz Angriff (Advance, OG 2/OGs)

Axel Almer (アクセル・アルマー) is a fictional character from the Super Robot Wars series. In canon, he pilots the Ash Saver before switching into his default mecha, the Soulgain, in the Original Generation universe. He can pilot the same mechs, in addition to the Laz Angriff and the Vysaga in Super Robot Wars Advance.

Axel's surname, "Almer", is probably derived from ArmaLite, the maker of the M4 and M16 assault rifles.

Appearances

Axel appears in the following games:

*Super Robot Wars Advance/Super Robot Wars Advance Portable - Selectable protagonist with own unique storyline
* - Non-playable enemy character
*Super Robot Wars Original Generations - Playble character → Non-playable enemy character
*Super Robot Wars Original Generation Gaiden - Playable character

Axel also makes a voiceover in the drama CD of .

Theme Music

*"Dark Knight" (Retitled "The Dark Knight" in the North American localization of Original Generation 2) - Default theme in all appearances

Personality and Traits

Upwards to the release of Original Generations, Axel has four unique types of personalities, depending on the continuity:

*If chosen as the protagonist in Advance, Axel is an amnesiac man who quests for his memory, fighting alongside the Londo Bell yet fearful of the truths that will be revealed once it has been restored. He is easy-going and gets along with the Londo Bell crew rather well, trading jokes with the men and flirting with but usually getting turned down by the women. A bit of an idiot, Axel earned himself the monniker "Ahoseru" (アホセル) from fans of the game, particularly on 2channel's robot game board. Import gamers who have played Advance usually refer to him as "Silly Axel".
**If the player does not choose him as the protagonist, Axel becomes the rival character to the other Advance protagonist. His personality changes considerably, becoming a cold-hearted soldier who puts his missions before anything else.

*In Original Generation 2, Axel becomes more sadistic and too headstrong. He is driven with only one goal: the defeat of Beowulf, who soundly beat him in combat. This intense rivalry is quickly transferred to Beowulf's alternate-dimensional counterpart, Kyosuke Nanbu, driven to the most extreme levels (ironically, the voice actors for Kyosuke (Toshiyuki Morikawa) and Axel (Nobutoshi Kanna) also play rivals/arch-enemies in Berserk). Caring very little for other things that do not concern his objective, he is shown extremely disgusted towards human-like artificial lifeforms, especially the W-Series of bioroids Lemon Browning created.

*In Original Generations, Axel's personality is changed again to be closer with his antagonistic self in Advance. He is more clear-headed, understanding the horrors of war, and dedicated to his mission. Although he tends to mock the W-Series, after Lamia Loveless's defection, he actually becomes impressed that someone artificial like her could match his skills, and in the end, he ends up somewhat respecting the W-Series. The reason why Axel hates Beowulf is due to the fact he believes Beowulf must be stopped before he brings ruin to the world.
**By Original Generation Gaiden, Axel has matured. He has let go of his past rivalry with Kyosuke by not addressing him as "Beowulf", even recognizing Lamia by name, rather than her original call sign (although this also has connections with how Lamia impresses him), and he acknowledges her as a human being.

History

uper Robot Wars Advance

If the player chooses to use a real robot for Axel, his story begins while waking up in the chosen unit with the remains of a battle around him. His machine is slightly damaged, has some of its ammunition and energy stores used up, and is alone amidst all the destruction. He wonders if there are any other survivors and why he can’t remember anything, save his name. As he surveys the area, he is swiftly caught up in a battle between three stolen Dragonar units and the Giganos team pursuing them. After being aided by the Londo Bell flagship, the Argama, Axel and the Dragonar pilots are drafted into the force.:If the player chooses to use a super robot, his story begins when Sayaka Yumi and Boss of Mazinger Z are out on patrol when they notice an object fall from the sky. Upon investigation, they discover it is a humanoid robot and the pilot has amnesia. As they interrogate the pilot, who can only remember his name as Axel Almer, the Great General of Darkness' forces arrive and decide to capture the unknown robot. This leads to a battle, with Kouji Kabuto in the Mazinger Z, Tetsuya Tsurugi in the Great Mazinger, and Jun Hono in the Venus A arriving to help. Axel wonders why he can pilot and fight effectively, and the Mazinger team suggests heading to the Photonic Labs to try and get some answers.

Axel is disconcerted after an encounter with a woman calling herself W17, who addresses him as a ranking officer. He still has no idea who he really is; all he knows is he is fighting for what he believes is the side of good. After encountering Vindel Mauser, it all returns to him: he is a high ranking officer of the Shadow-Mirror and volunteered to do a dimensional jump and scout this dimension’s defenders and rival factions as a precursor to the Shadow-Mirror invasion. His amnesia is due to a mishap during the jump – thus, he has been fighting alongside his "enemies" all along, for which Vindel praises his ability to function as a sleeper agent.

When Vindel calls upon Axel to reveal his identity, Axel does so, informing the Londo Bell of the Shadow-Mirror's plans in the process. However, he comes to realize their methods are wrong. He then self-detonates his unit, severely damaging Vindel's Zweizergain, and vanishes in the explosion. He is later revealed to have been retrieved by Lemon Browning, Vindel's second-in-command, who asks him who he is really fighting for and who is right in this war. Lemon then lets him free, saying the next time they meet it will be as enemies. Axel rejoins the Londo Bell, telling them they are welcome to shoot him in the back if they choose to, but he would rather fight alongside them again. After defeating Vindel’s forces, he activates the dimension transposition bomb by using the Zweizergain in an attempt to stop the Axis asteroid from falling onto the Earth.

Some time later, there is much ado over a space-time disturbance in a region of space – it seems to be an event that the various Londo Bell-affiliated laboratories and agencies have been waiting to occur. In deep space, Axel reappears, his unit badly damaged and with only a limited supply of oxygen, muses how he survived only to die from a lack of breathable air. Just as he resigns himself to joining Lemon, the members of the Londo Bell converge on his location. After being rebuked by his friends for not deciding to see the effects of his deeds, Axel decides to live and face what the future will bring.

uper Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2

Axel appears in the prologue, conversing with Lemon as to how the transposition is proceeding, with Lemon replying that everything is proceeding as best as possible under the circumstances. It appears the Shadow-Mirror are on the move, yet a last ditch effort by an Earth Federation Army elite Gespenst squad could throw things off. Axel orders all remaining soldiers, including Lemon, into the portal – not as an act of valor, but because he wants to have a deciding match with the squad leader, Beowulf, who pilots a blue Gespenst MK III. Lemon steps through the portal, and Axel launches his Soulgain at Beowulf’s machine and its squad of Gespenst MK IIs.

Axel manages to jump dimensions but arrives at a different time, earlier than his comrades who went first. Images of his Soulgain fighting against Aerogater forces right before Operation SRW are found in the Earth Federation Army data banks, under the codename "White Wraith". Upon rejoining his Shadow-Mirror comrades with a battered Soulgain, he explains his delay as having to recover from various injuries sustained. Later, the ATX Team encounters the Soulgain and Axel recognizes its team commander, Kyosuke Nanbu’s Alt Eisen, a Gespenst MK III; only in this dimension, it is painted red. Seeing it renews Axel’s resolution to defeat his nemesis, which he had not been able to do in his home dimension. On the other hand, Kyosuke has no idea who this new enemy is, something which Axel refuses to believe.

Axel carries on his vendetta against Beowulf, this time in the form of Kyosuke, and this serves as a catalyst for the story's events. During a crucial mission, Axel severely damages the Alt Eisen, ripping its limbs off. He is about to destroy the torso, but is foiled by the arrival of the Einst, led by Einst Alchemie. Axel makes a last stand inside the Balmar White Star, ultimately falling under the combined might of Earth's defenders. In his final moments, Lamia points out that by the way Axel acted, it was like he "was" Vindel's puppet - an ironic statement because he usually considers Lamia the puppet. However, Axel counters it is by his own free will that he chose to be Vindel's puppet. Before he collapses, he asks Lamia about her choice of free will, to which she answers she would like to feel human, an answer that he does not hear, as the Soulgain explodes before he could hear it.

uper Robot Wars Original Generations

Although his general story is unchanged in Original Generations, Axel's origins are fleshed out greatly and given greater depth in this enhanced remake. He used to be a member of the Earth Federation Army, working alongside Beowulf, until they had a difference in ideals and Beowulf was behaving abnormally (speculated to be an influence in the form of the Einst). Axel's discontent with Beowulf caused him to join the Shadow-Mirror, which he believed possessed the power to defeat him.

Before the Shadow-Mirror's attempt to jump to the Original Generation universe, Axel ambushes Raul Gureden and Fiona Gureden and the members of the Excellence Team, while taking one of the newest robots created by the Tesla Leicht Institute, the Soulgain, for a test run. Axel damages Fiona's Excellence unit heavily and demands Raul's surrender of his Excellence. However, the appearance of Duminuss causes him to pull back, watching both Raul and Fiona being sucked into a dimensional portal.

When the time came for the Shadow-Mirror to make their jump, Axel confronts Beowulf and his advancing squad with a question about his purpose. When he hears Beowulf's disjointed speech about him destroying and rebuilding the world, Axel is furious beyond reason and attacks him. Unfortunately, Beowulf's machine mysteriously regenerates and quickly defeats Axel, who is forced to retreat to the Original Generation universe.

His story remains the same as in Original Generation 2, until Lamia Loveless betrays the Shadow-Mirror by attempting a self-destruct sequence in front of Vindel Mauser. Axel, who dislikes the W-Series and tends to mock them for only following orders, begins to feel impressed towards Lamia, who dared to disobey her orders and actually put up a good fight against him. When Lamia breaks free from her detainment, instead of mocking and insulting her as a broken doll, Axel tells her to return to her cell, in exchange that he would forget she betrayed the Shadow-Mirror, an offer she refuses.

During Operation Plantagenet, Axel attacks the Kyosuke Nanbu of the Original Generation universe, damaging his Alt Eisen. Remembering his parallel self in the Shadow-Mirror universe, Axel tears the Alt Eisen's arm to see if this Kyosuke is the same one he fought in his home universe (in Original Generation 2, he tore the Alt Eisen's parts for sadistic fun and to keep a trophy as proof that he defeated Kyosuke). To his shock, the Alt Eisen does not regenerate. After he retreats due to an attack by the Einst, Axel concludes this Kyosuke is not the same person he hated thoroughly, although he still intends to stop Kyosuke before he becomes like the Beowulf knows.

During the defense in the White Star, when Echidna Iisaki sacrifices herself to protect Axel from imminent death, he is angry they had to lose a soldier like her, only spreading despair among the remaining Shadow-Mirror forces (in Original Generation 2, he is thoroughly disgusted when he finds out that a doll saved his life). When he is defeated inside the White Star, Axel expresses the W-Series are more than just dolls, as he points out that Lamia and Wodan Ymir both gained free will. In his last moments, he utters Lemon's name, showing he does genuinely possess some feelings for her (in Original Generation 2, their relationship is more platonic - business-like, so to speak).

Original Generation Gaiden

Shortly after his defeat, the Cry Wolves squadron went to excavate the remains of the Shadow-Mirror inside the White Star, finding the Soulgain's remains. While escaping the facility before it is absorbed by the Einsts, the Cry Wolves accidentally drop the cockpit block containing a still-breathing, yet semi-conscious Axel. Floating in space, he encounters the re-emerged soul of Alchemie, who mysteriously reappears in the Original Generation universe; however, she has no memories of any of her prior encounters. The two realize they are about to be erased from existence, thus, they pull towards each other and the result is Axel becoming a vessel for Alchemie's soul. The Cry Wolves retrieve him, finding Axel stripped of his clothing, yet neatly folded next to him (it is speculated Alchemie is the one who did this).

Taken under the care of Mitarl Zapad, Axel is nursed back to health by Professor Eric Wong, who also gathered enough funds to repair the Soulgain. For 6 months, Axel remains comatose and is dubbed the "Sleeping Prince" by the lab residents. When the contained Jetzt Regisseur runs amok in the lab and the Cry Wolves and the Wendigo mobile weapon cannot hold it fully, Axel deploys in his machine to help out. It is then Alchemie physically materializes and explains to Axel about his past relationship with Kyosuke and Excellen Browning. He proceeds to help out the Cry Wolves from being assaulted by one of Duminuss' homunculi, Tiz. With the Jetzt Regisseur destroyed, Axel heads to pursue the remaining escaped Jetzt, to which Alchemie also follows.

He later appears in front of Kouta Azuma, Raul Gureden, and Lune Zoldark, who have just recovered the missing Fiona Gureden. When Kyosuke and his allies arrive, they are shocked to see the Soulgain again, knowing Axel is the only person who can operate the machine. Not wanting to create a ruckus between himself and the Earth Federation Army, Axel makes his exit. Soon, he fights against Lamia, under the control of Duminuss. Axel attempts to save her after learning her condition causes Kyosuke a great deal of anguish and if left alone, might lead him to become Beowulf, Axel's worst fear. After defeating her, Lamia attempts to self-destruct with Code ATA, until Axel stops and chastises her, reminding her of the people in her past like Lemon. Although it feels like a lost cause, Axel prepares to deal the finishing blow, but changes his mind and cancels the detonation sequence using Code DTD, overriding Code ATA and reboots her memories to the point before Duminuss reprogrammed her. Axel pulls Lamia out of the Valsion Custom Type-CF, releasing her from Duminuss's control. After returning her to Kyosuke, Axel leaves on a good note with the Earth Federation Army, resuming his chase of the Jetzt, with a grateful Kyosuke promising he will repay Axel's efforts for saving his comrade.

Not long later, Axel reappears in front of the Cry Wolves just as they were on the brink of destruction against the rampaging Jetzt. Axel's interruption enables Albero Esto and Hugo Medio to escape. He allies with the Earth Federation Army for a little longer, but summarily takes his leave again. Along with Shu Shirakawa, Axel reappears in the Swordian Fortress, assists the Earth Federation Army in battle against Duminuss, the Shura, the Dark Brain, and surprisngly, Shu himself in his Neo Granzon. The long battle concluded, Axel leaves to wander the universe with Alchemie, trying to find their own "heaven", to which Excellen comments they look like the new Adam and Eve. At the same time, Axel feels encouraged to investigate the origins behind Lemon's Operation Endless Frontier.

External links

* [http://srwog.velv.net/og_char/axel.html/ Axel's entry in The Gate of Magus]