However, in Kingdom Hearts II, he loosened up from his malicious self: all he really wanted was getting his best friend, Roxas, back. He went so far as to betray Organization XIII and helping Sora to get that, even becoming an "honorary" party member in a fight within Betwixt and Between! Yet, we know his fate near the end of Kingdom Hearts II: Sora watched him fade into darkness after using a kamikaze attack, just like the Assassins he controls.

Axel was gone, but in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, he got to see his best friend one last time.

His Role in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days:
Being Roxas' best friend and also his "mentor" in Organization XIII, Axel is one of the major characters of Days. He has been shown in missions in Twilight Town, but also in many cutscenes: we know he's going to Destiny Islands with Roxas and Xion, and we know he's going to make many appearances in Twilight Town, from helping Roxas there on missions to just going there for no reason. There's also several cutscenes shown in the trailers of Axel trying to bring Xion back into Organization XIII, claiming that he'll bring her back; no matter what.

Lastly, we know that Axel changes from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories to Kingdom Hearts 2. You can see it in his actions in both games, you can see it in his expressions and looks, and you can hear it in his voice, both in Japanese and in English. What caused Axel to change between the side-story and the Kingdom Hearts sequel? In Days, we'll be able to find out!

What the Fans Think:
This red-headed, flamboyant Nobody is one of the most popular characters in the Kingdom Hearts series. However, though Axel may be incredibly popular, there's lots of love and hate for him, just like Demyx.

While Roxas and Xemnas get the glory of being the first Nobodies ever revealed, Axel gets the bragging rights of being the first Organization XIII member ever revealed where we actually saw what he looks like. Could this have to do with his popularity? It could be! The developers even brought him back in Kingdom Hearts II after Roxas' story, not wanting to just get rid of him after sort of taking part in the three hour prologue.

As for the fans, there's those who hate Axel, but there's many others who love him. His catchphrase, "Got it memorized?" ("Commit it to memory" in Japanese), is iconic for his character, and everyone knows who you're quoting when you say that. But, for some fans, that phrase is spoken rather sarcastically. Perhaps fans don't like him because he was cool in Chain of Memories, but loosened up too much in Kingdom Hearts II. For others, fans love him in both games: they love his friendship with Roxas, but they also love how attitude in Chain of Memories.

But, why do people like him so much? The Future, from the forums, knows exactly why Axel is one of his favourite characters!

Axel-Number VIII in the Organization. He's been one of my most favorite characters in the series since he was introduced in "Chain of Memories".

Axel is one of the most likable, if not THE most likable villain in the "Kingdom Hearts" series, in my opinion. In my eyes, Axel is one of the best characters in the series.

I am very excited to play as Axel in Mission Mode and have him as a party member in Story Mode. It should be very fun. I'm really lookin' forward to seeing his different Chakrams that he has availible to use in Mission Mode.

What I hope to see in "Days" from Axel is him showing his serious side since this is the time where Axel loses his best friend, Roxas. We saw this side a couple of times in KH2, but I hope to see a lot more of this. Yes, Axel is cool as a funny/cocky fellow and he is very likable but it's just, I want to see more seriousness come from him in this game.

Then Xion comes in between Roxas and Axel's friendship which I don't think Axel likes. From the looks of the trailers, Roxas starts paying a lot more attention to Xion than Axel. Though they do hang out with each other, Xion is always with them. This could mean some conflict between Axel and Xion as the story progresses.

But no matter what happens with Axel in this game, I believe he'll be the likable Organization member I have been a fan of ever since playing CoM.

In Conclusion:
Love him or hate him, Axel is returning in Days and is playing one of the major roles. What will he be like in Days? Will he act like he was in Chain of Memories, emotionless but backstabbing, or will he show emotion but care more about his friend than anything else like he did in Kingdom Hearts II? When the game is released on September 29th for North America and October 9th for Europe, we'll find out!

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