Axel (Kingdom Hearts)

Axel is a character from the Kingdom Hearts series.
== Charactah Account ==
Org XIII's 8th member and the only one to survive Chain of Memories. Days reveals his other's name to have been Lea, and then Birth by Sleep reveals that he was best friends with Isa, Saïx's Other. He appears regularly in Kingdom Hearts II, striving to bring Roxas out of the fake Twilight Town, and later pulling a heel–face turn and helping Sora on his quest. However, he ends up pulling a heroic sacrifice to save Sora at the end of the game. In Dream Drop Distance, Axel is revived as Lea, his original self and helps Riku and Sora throughout the story. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that Lea has gained the ability to wield his own Keyblade.
When he is first introduced at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Axel has a mysterious, stoic, and calm demeanor on par with that of Marluxia. A very good liar, he makes a point of keeping himself difficult to read, coming off as fooling around when really his mind is at work manipulating the other members around him. Axel often makes witty conversation with Larxene while Marluxia is away, though is almost completely unfazed by her flirtatious behavior towards him. He also has friendly bets with Zexion as to which member will be defeated next, seeming amused at their deaths.
Eventually, Axel betrays both with no remorse. Vexen's cries for mercy only receive a cruel "Aren't you happy to die?" and a cocky "Goodbye" before Axel incinerates him without any hesitation. This cruel nature persists even when Marluxia uses Naminé as a human shield against him: Axel confidently declares he would eliminate Naminé to get to Marluxia. He is a person who does what is necessary to keep his actions, like those in Castle Oblivion, unnoticed by the rest of the Organization, so that he and his allies' goals are attained smoothly.
== Appearance ==
=== Manga ===
* Kingdom Hearts II
* Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
* Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
=== Light Novels ===
* Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
=== Video Games ===
* Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
* Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX
* Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 Remix
* Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 Remix
* Kingdom Hearts II
* Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
* Kingdom Hearts Union X
* Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
* Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
* Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
* Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
== Trivia ==
* In the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts II, there were flames consuming Axel's body at his death. The flames were removed from the English version. In Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, despite keeping many changes made to the English version, Axel's death scene uses the flames.
* Axel is the first character to technically curse, as he says the word "hell" in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories when he exclaims, "It's about time you give me one hell of a show!" In Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Axel uses "Try and make it enjoyable, Sora. It's the least you can do for me, you know." instead.
* Axel's catchphrase was originally translated as "Commit it to memory" in the English version of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, though it was later retconned into the more accurate translation of "Got it memorized?" as of Kingdom Hearts II.
* Axel has been resurrected twice throughout the series so far, as he is a favorite character among many fans and the creators themselves. He was supposed to die at the end of Chain of Memories, but was brought back because the developers liked working with him; he was also supposed to die at the end of Kingdom Hearts II, but, along with the other former residents of Radiant Garden, was revived as his somebody Lea in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
* On April 12, 2020, Keiji Fujiwara, the Japanese voice actor of Axel (Lea), passed away at the age of 55 due to cancer. He voiced his last role as Axel (Lea) in Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind.
== Gallery ==
File:Axel (Kingdom Hearts) Render 01.png
File:Axel (Kingdom Hearts) Render 02.png
File:Axel (Kingdom Hearts) Render 03.png
File:Axel (Kingdom Hearts) Render 04.png
File:Axel (Kingdom Hearts) Render 05.png
== External Links ==
* Axel at Kingdom Hearts Wiki
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:Kingdom Hearts