Asbel

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Asbel is a character created by Hayao Miyazaki in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. In the the anime, he is one of the main characters, and it seems he will end up married to Nausicaa. In the manga he is less important, and more likely to end up with Ketcha instead of Nausicaa. Asbel was on the team that unearthed Ohma before the imperial attack. He was a survivor after Pedjhite was conquered. He is good with his hands and is an excellent mechanic. He repairs many broken ships for the main characters. In the beginning he and Nausicaa are friends but he mentions things that hint at deeper feelings.

"Nausicá is the string that binds us together, if she dies I'll be ####" Also "I'll never forget her face, I'm coming my beloved wind rider."

He develops a strong friendship with Ketcha and often holds and comforts her when she is scared. Whom he loves more is unclear. Support for Ketcha comes from the fact that Selm openly asks Nausicaa to live with him in the forest. Brave and handsome and strong as Asbel is, Selm with his deep spirituality and strong psychic powers is Nausicaa's real soul-mate. They are both young, but in a world with low human fertility and high infant mortality rates, marriage must be encouraged to be as early as possible.