| “ | Looks like it's gonna be another good day! | „ |
| ~ Axl Low |
Axl Low is a character from the Guilty Gear franchise who has appeared in almost every Guilty Gear fighting game since the first Guilty Gear game.
Axl is a time traveller of British descent. He comes from the 20th century, over 150 years before most of the Guilty Gear storyline. His main goal is to return to his own time period, mainly because of his desire to return to his girlfriend, Megumi. For this reason, he seeks out various means, and is continually attempting to solve his time slipping mystery.
Character Design
Axl is always seen sporting a red bandana, a short blue vest, and black wrist guards. However, changes have been made to his design between the first Guilty Gear and the X series. In the first game, he is much more muscular. If one looks closely at his shoes, the pattern displayed on the British flag can be found. In the X series, he has a slimmer build. His shorts are replaced with jeans and the design of the British flag is transferred to his now-long sleeved shirt.
Personality
Despite his troubles, Axl retains an optimistic and amiable nature. While he enjoys flirting with other women (especially I-No), he still loves Megumi. He is a kind man by nature and thus hates the notion of death so much that he can never find it in his heart to kill anyone, no matter how evil they may actually be.
Story
Background
Axl originally lived in the 20th century. During this period, he fell in love with a girl named Megumi. He grew up in the slums and eventually found himself in the middle of a gang war. Thanks to his strength, he was able to put an end to the conflict in six months (with no casualties). It was sometime after this victory when Axl was forced to go through his first time slip into the 22nd century.
Guilty Gear
Axl enters the Sacred Knights Tournament in hopes of finding a way to get back to his own era. He was apparently led to believe that the winner of the tournament could have a wish granted to them.
Guilty Gear X
In the second game, Axl is wandering about, looking for Faust, in hopes of being cured by a doctor of such skill. He encounters various people on the way, and fights them, chalking it all up to bad luck. Then he meets up with Sol Badguy. After this, the path splits. In one ending, Axl fights Kliff Undersn and Justice, and then realizes that he's been thrown back in time once again. In the other (more likely) ending, he battles Faust, and then is diagnosed with involuntary timeslipping. Faust blames this on there being an alternate version of Axl in existence.
Guilty Gear XX
Axl meets up with I-No, among other people, while wandering about. As is the case with many other characters, I-No is the catalyst that causes the events that follow. In the first ending, he meets up with That Man and finds out from him that Raven is the cause of his timeslipping, and it is implied that Raven is the alternate version of Axl that was diagnosed by Faust. In another, Axl fights with Zappa, and afterward begins to wonder how Megumi is faring. In his third ending, he ends up fighting a future version of himself; he also asks "himself" that if he can return to Megumi, but receives no answer. This allegedly has something to do with actions performed by Axl later on. Perhaps more light will be shed on this in later games. Interestingly, since the three endings have nothing to do with each other, and don't contradict each other in any way, it is entirely possible that they all happened.
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus
Axl first battles I-No. Depending on the method of victory, Axl may continue travelling, or he will once again be forced through time, during the first Sacred War, forced to battle Kliff Undersn, Order-Sol and even another version of himself.
Eventually, Axl is confronted by Crow and a copy of Justice, Crow expressing intent to capture Axl. Here players can choose to have Axl flee the scene or stay and fight.
If Axl picks the second choice, he slips through time again into a veritable warzone, running for his life from an army (Path 2).
Picking the first option has Axl battle the Justice copy, only to slip through time again, this time to his own timeline. Jubilant, Axl sees Megumi and is about to greet her, only to be cruelly flung through time yet again. Axl then reacts with frustration as he tries to get Megumi's attention. (Path 1)
References and Allusions
- Axl owes his name to Guns'n'Roses leader, who's name is Axl Rose. Even more, it is said they have a similar outlook, and both of them are sort of playboys (Rose once said something like that: "It is a really bad thing to put your girlfriend or your wife into your music video, because when you break up - and you will - they will still be in your video").
- The second half of Axl's name may originate from the band Testament's album named "Low".
- Axl's Guilty Gear theme - "March of the Wicked King" - is named suspiciously similar to "March of the Black Queen" (by Queen), and sounds suspiciously similar to "You're Crazy" by Guns'n'Roses.
- Axl's GGX\GGXX theme - "Make Oneself" - could be an allusion to Incubus' album "Make Yourself".
- At Axl's GGX\GGXX background (London) there is a word "Napalm" written on the wall. It could be yet another allusion to the English band named Napalm Death.
- The english vocal version of "Make Oneself" sounds almost exactly like the song "Even Flow" by the band Pearl Jam in the way the lyrics are sung.
Trivia
- In the official relationship chart, it is stated that Axl knows I-No from the past, and that he has a gang.
- In his third ending in Guilty Gear XX, he will accidentally go back in time to fight with I-No and Sol Badguy again. If Axl cannot finish Sol Badguy using his Instant Kill, the match will be rewinded forever.
- Axl shares the same birthday as Dizzy.
- Axl, as a character, might be a reference to the British TV show Dr. Who, in which a seemingly normal Police Box is used to travel through time and space.
- When Axl performs his Overdrive, Hyakue Renshou, inside the circle his Kusari-gama creates, for a split-second the image of a woman playing a guitar can be seen. This image can also be seen when Axl performs his Benten Gari/Axl Bomber combinatision.
Theme Music
