Axel Almer

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Axel Almer
Super Robot Wars character
Voiced by Nobutoshi Kanna (Japanese)
Profile
Gender Male
Species Human
Nationality American
Military History
Affiliations Shadow-Mirror (Advance, OG 2/OGs),
Mazinger Team (Advance),
Londo Bell (Advance),
Earth Federation Army (OGs/OG Gaiden)
Rank Captain
Units Piloted 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.

Contents

[edit] Appearances

Axel has appeared in the following games:

[edit] Theme Music

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

[edit] 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 main character 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. Also a bit of an idiot, Axel earned himself the nickname "Ahoseru" (アホセル) from fans of the game, particularly on 2channel's robot game board. Import gamers who have played Advance would usually refer to him as Silly Axel.
  • If the player didn't choose him as the main character, 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 to be extremely disgusted towards human-like artificial lifeforms, especially the W-Series of bioroids that Lemon Browning created.
  • In Original Generations, Axel's personality is changed again to be closer with his antagonistic self in Advance. He is shown to be 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 even 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 because of the fact that he believes Beowulf had to be stopped before he brings ruin to the world (as he is shown to possess an Einst-like influence in Original Generations).
    • By Original Generation Gaiden, Axel has matured much more. He has let go of his past rivalry with Kyosuke by not addressing him as "Beowulf", even recognizing Lamia Loveless by name rather than her original call sign, although this also have connections with how Lamia impressed him once more, and he acknowledges her as a full human being. As the world has been thrown into chaos without his push, Axel now wonders about his purpose in the new world, occasionally helping the EFA whenever necessary.

[edit] History

[edit] Super Robot Wars Advance

If the player chooses to use a real robot for Axel to use, his story begins while waking up in the chosen unit with the remains of a robot 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 the 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 for Axel to use, 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 that it is a humanoid robot and that the pilot has amnesia. As they interrogate the pilot, who can only remember his name as Axel Almer, the Ankoku Daishogun's forces arrive and decide to capture the unknown robot. This leads into a battle, with Kouji Kabuto in the Mazinger Z, Tetsuya Tsurugi in the Great Mazinger, and Jun Hono in 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. Now an adopted member of the Mazinger team, Axel goes with them when their might is needed to protect Earth.

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 that he is fighting for what he believes is the side of good. After encountering Vindel Mauser and his Zweizergain, 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 was 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.

Later on, 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 that the methods of the Shadow-Mirror are wrong. He then self-detonates his unit, severely damaging the 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 as there is no turning back. Axel rejoins the Londo Bell, telling them that they’re welcome to shoot him in the back if they choose to, but that 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 limited oxygen, musing how he survived only to die from lack of breathable air. Just as he resigns himself to joining Lemon, the members of 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.

[edit] Super 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 have been found in the Earth Federation Army data banks under the codename White Wraith , and 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. 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 (severely damaging the Alt Eisen, causing Kyosuke to have it revamped into the Alt Eisen Riese) but is foiled by the arrival of the Einst, led by Alfimi. 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 the puppet of Vindel, an ironic statement because he usually considered Lamia the puppet. However, Axel counters with the statement that it was 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, which she answers that she would like to feel like a human, an answer that he doesn't hear as Soulgain exploded before he could hear it. This death exactly mirrors his death in Advance in the case that Lamia was picked as the protagonist.

[edit] Super Robot Wars Original Generations

Although his general story is unchanged in Original Generations, Axel's origins were 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 to possess the power to defeat Beowulf.

Before the Shadow-Mirror's attempt to jump to the Original Generation universe, Axel ambushed 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 damaged Fiona's Excellence unit heavily and demanded Raul's surrender of his Excellence unit. However, the appearance of Duminuss caused 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 confronted Beowulf and his advancing squad with a question about his purpose. When he heard Beowulf's disjointed speech about him destroying and rebuilding the world, Axel was furious beyond reason and attacked him in his Gespenst MK III. Axel's attack failed as Beowulf's machine mysteriously regenerated and quickly defeated Axel, who was forced to retreat to the Original Generation universe. However, as revealed in the Drama CD of Mugen no Frontier, Axel completed his purpose, stalling Beowulf so his allies could transfer to the OG Universe safely, thus in a sense, though he lost the battle, he won the overall war.

His story remained the same as in Original Generation 2 until Lamia Loveless betrayed the Shadow-Mirror by attempting a self-destruct sequence in front of Vindel Mauser. At that point, Axel, who somehow disliked the W-Series and tended to mock them for only following orders, began to feel impressed towards Lamia, who dared to disobey her orders and actually put up a good fight against him. When Lamia broke free from her detainment, instead of mocking and insulting her as a broken doll as in Original Generation 2, Axel told Lamia to return to her detainment, in exchange that he would forget that she betrayed the Shadow-Mirror, an offer that she refused.

During Operation Plantagenet, Axel attacked the Kyosuke of the Original Generation universe, damaging his Alt Eisen greatly. Remembering his parallel self in the Shadow-Mirror universe, Axel tore the Alt Eisen's arm to see if this Kyosuke was 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 did not regenerate. After he retreated due to an attack by the Einst, Axel concluded that this Kyosuke was not the same person he hated thoroughly, although he still intended to stop Kyosuke before he became like Beowulf himself.

During the defense in the White Star, when Echidna Iisaki sacrificed herself to protect Axel from imminent death, he was angry that they had to lose a soldier like her, only spreading despair among the remaining Shadow-Mirror forces (in Original Generation 2, he was thoroughly disgusted when he found out that a doll saved his life). When he was defeated inside the White Star, Axel expressed that the W-Series were actually more than just dolls, as he pointed out that Lamia and Wodan Ymir both gained free will. In his last moments, he uttered Lemon's name, showing that he did genuinely possess some feelings for her (in Original Generation 2, he only treated his relation with Lemon as mere business). Ironically, in Super Robot Wars Advance, if Axel was picked as the main protagonist, the first word he remembered was Lemon's name, and in Original Generations, Lemon's name was the last thing he uttered.

[edit] Original Generation Gaiden

Shortly after his defeat, the Cry Wolves squadron, led by Albero Esto, went to excavate the remains of the Shadow-Mirror inside the White Star, and they just happened to pick up the Soulgain's remains. While escaping the White Star before it was absorbed by the Einsts, the Cry Wolves dropped the cockpit block containing a still breathing Axel. While floating in space, he encountered the re-emerged soul of Alfimi, who mysteriously reappeared in the Original Generation universe; however, she had no memories of any of her prior encounters. Both Axel and Alfimi realized that they were about to be erased from existence; thus, they pulled to each other and the result was Axel becoming a vessel for Alfimi's soul. The Cry Wolves picked him up, ensuring their survival.

Taken under the care of Mitarl Zapad, Axel was nursed back to health by Professor Eric Wang, who also gathered enough funds to repair his Soulgain, for 6 months and dubbed as Sleeping Prince by the residents of the lab. When the contained Jetzt Regisseur ran amok in the lab and the Cry Wolves and the Wendigo couldn't hold it fully, Axel deployed in his machine to help out. It was then that Alfimi physically materialized and explained to Axel about his past relationship with Kyosuke and Excellen. He then proceeded to help out the Cry Wolves from being assaulted by one of Duminuss's homunculi, Tiz. With the Jetzt Regisseur destroyed, Axel left along with Alfimi to pursue the rest of the Jetzt.

He later appeared in front of Kouta Azuma, Raul Gureden, and Lune Zoldark, who had just recovered the missing Fiona Gureden. When Kyosuke and his allies arrived, they were shocked to see the Soulgain again, knowing that Axel was the only person who could operate the machine. Axel soon fought against Lamia, who was under the control of Duminuss. Axel attempted to save her after learning that her condition causes Kyosuke a great anguish and if left alone, it would lead him to become Beowulf, Axel's worst fears. After defeating her, Lamia attempted to self-destruct with Code ATA until Axel stopped and chastised her, reminding her of the people in her past like Lemon. Although at first he decided that it was a lost cause and he was preparing to finish Lamia for good, her sudden return to her past self made him change his mind and instead cancelled the detonation sequence using the Code DTD, which overrode Code ATA and rebooted her memories to the point before Duminuss reprogrammed her and pulled Lamia out of her Valsion Custom, releasing her from Duminuss's control. After returning her to Kyosuke, Axel left on a good note with the Earth Federation Army, resuming his chase of the Jetzt, with a grateful Kyosuke promising that he would one day repay Axel's efforts for saving his comrade.

Axel returned and reappeared in front of the Cry Wolves squadron just as they were on the brink of destruction against the Jetzt army. Axel's interruption enabled Albero and Hugo Medio to escape. He would later join up with the Earth Federation Army for a little longer and then leave again. Along with Shu Shirakawa, Axel reappeared in the Swordian Fortress, and this time he joined the EFA to assist them in battle against Duminuss, the Shura, the Dark Brain, and surprisngly, Shu himself in his Neo Granzon. After the long battle concluded, Axel left to wander the universe with Alfimi, trying to find their own 'heaven', with Excellen commenting that they looked like the new Adam and Eve.

[edit] External links