Axl is the guy who was given a bad hand again and again. After working to make his street a better place and getting a nice girlfriend he lost it due to time shenanigans. He continued to hop from timeline to timeline, suffering for it and having nobody to ask for answers towards. He has every single reason to be bitter, resentful and angry at an uncaring universe... and willingly chooses not to. Even when he got his godlike powers in control he could've told the universe "fuck you" for separating him from his girlfriend and giving him a hard life... and chose to be kind instead. Basically the biggest crime of his is being bri'ish.
i like your take here a lot. the concept of axl growing resentful or angry never really occurred to me. it's another great way to look at it. thank you!
One really fun thing about Axls story is that in Xrd he says that his favorite thing about Megumi is her smile and in Strive he can identify I-No when she smiles in the end.
If I had a nickle for every video I’ve watched of someone explaining why a guilty gear character is their favorite, and in the later half of the video going into how this character helped with their mental health somehow, I would have 2 Nickels, which isn’t a lot but I’m really glad it’s already happened twice
deadass Testament’s character arc kind of helped with my mental health as well. the fact that their whole point of their OST is the idea of “it’s okay to exist” and their line “I used to carry myself like some sort of demon too, even though i was surrounded by accepting people” really struck home for me Guilty Gear has the best fighting game characters hands down imo
Very good video, Axl Low is based and epic. While I think he's morally a good guy, if I was given the option, I would steal the white house. Keep up the making of videos and pondering of hunks.
Chaos isnt pure evil Him helping i-no become herself again was an entirely benevolent goal He wants a story and will play whatever role he needs to fill to make it happen, which has usually been the villian because humanity needs something to unite against to progress
Chaos is a very frustrated playwright because it’s very hard to play as a protagonist if you have near-omniscience, so he’s usually the antagonist. Having no attachments also means he can disassociate from anything and everyone except Baiken.
@jamescampbell2353 Baikens fighting style basically has Pokémon type advantage against chaos. After dropping her vengeance, her fighting philosophy changed. She is now a mirror that forces self reflection on her opponents, and nothing scares Chaos more. As she forces Chaos to stop disassociating and understand who he is, what he is, and what he has done
If someone doesn’t understand the big words happy chaos knows everything so he gets so bored and so he just starts causing shit to learn new stuff and he will go along with pretty much any idea if it funy.
I have a headcanon that he knows the world leaders would disarm the nukes, and Axl would save those people. He's just pushing them to become the heroes he knows they are. I still don't like him but I think he knows how to draw out potentials.
one thing I want to clarify for viewers, the original mentioned as the one who gave a message for Axl to deliver to That Man was Happy Chaos, they are one in the same
This is a wonderful video. Video essays made by ppl describing their favorite Guilty Gear character makes me so happy. You can make British jokes about Axl all day but it's impossible to deny how amazing of a character he is, and the resolution of his and I-Nos story in Strive still makes me cry. Hes a legendary character among legendary characters
I'm in my 30s, Axl has been my main in every iteration of my favorite fighting game series for over half my life. I've cosplayed multiple outfits of his. He's one of my top 5 favorite characters in media. He's effected how I grew up and who I've grown to be. This video brought a tear to my eye at the end. I'm glad a character so important to me has helped you. Thank you for this video.
man i absolutely love this genre of videos, more close and personal analyses of guilty gear characters (or other characters) are my SHIT. The quality of this video is actually unbelievable compared to the view count and your subscriber count. i’m excited to see more out of this channel, keep it going!!
You probably know, but, the reason for the Union jack flags in his design and the jorts, is because of Axl Rose. Thats where the jorts and bandana stuff comes from
There's a reason why my strive tag is "#1RemiCelesteFan" My Axl loyalty will never die, he's my favourite fighting game character ever for so many reasons you pointed out
Axl just seems to embody the phrase "the two things that define someone are their attitude when they have everything and their patience when they have nothing"
I think there's a couple points you should have included: how for most of Rev until the end he's depressed to the point of inaction until he's inspired to help by Sol's never giving up, and how his role in Arcade mode (both his own and Giovanna's) is trying to track down Nagoriyuki to just have a conversation with him, which to be fair about half the cast's arcades are them trying to reach out to Nagoriyuki in some way but still. I'd also like to mention Happy Chaos does stir shit up cause he believes humanity surviving bad things makes it stronger, and he both tipped Axl off about the apartment attack and could seemingly move in Axl's time stop but did nothing to stop Axl from saving civilians, so he's not exactly just killing people and causing destruction for the hell of it.
You did a great job pulling me into the world of Axl enlightenment, great editing and good laughs along with the absolute feels from Axl's story, 11/10
I don't really think Chaos did what he did because reasons. He sure loved to say he did, but his real motivation was revealed in his little brawl with Asuka: he and I-no just shared a shitty fate and he wanted to help her which is pretty endearing
i mean chaos' whole deal is he loves to see people prevail through hardship. he stirs shit up in the hopes that the people he puts through the blender will come out on top because that's the most beautiful thing to him. it's in his theme pretty explicitly in the latter half during the disney princess section.
I absolutely loved this video ❤ You really did the best job of explaining what makes Axl so appealing as a character in a game full of over-the-top characters. His unnatural optimism, his himbo-like kindness, his responsible yet goofy use of being a LITERAL TIME GOD NOW! That's why I adore his Strive intro. He moves around his frozen time, but is always aware of butterfly effects... Simply just letting time and life be as it is because it's already complicated enough. Pretty sure he doesn't even actually touch the butterfly when unfreezing time, he's just getting into a cheeky pose because Axl is the embodiment of a "Silly Little Guy" and I love him
This might seem like a strange thing to say after watching a video about a fightning game character, but I'm going to say it: This video is important. People should watch it. It zooms in on one of the most important aspects of fiction, which is that it can show us answers to questions that we didn't think to ask. Whatever They Grey is doing right now, I hope that happiness is issued plenty, and that it will soon come out alright.
A lot of people seem to be giving you compliments on how well put together this video was, and I agree! Cheers! On to a few comments about some individual points you made: - 2:54 I want to object to calling Anji the "true weirdo pick" since I consider him one of my mains, but at the same time he's probably the character I see least in tower... - 15:27 A lot of the songs have sad elements to them, but are ultimately uplifting or hopeful for a brighter future! Baiken, Faust, Potemkin, I-No, and Ky are pretty good examples! -and then there's May's theme- - 17:51 Bit of competitive history - at launch, Axl had... problems. He lacked common tools many of the roster had and couldn't convert stray hits into good combos very well, even with meter (all the recent patches made him MUCH better). Despite being low on tier lists, he was still a counterpick at tournaments because of character unfamiliarity and some polarizing matchups in his favor (like Nagoriyuki). It was a weird paradox of him being a weak character yet a strong tournament pick if you knew when and how to use him.
thank you for this comment, tonic! you pretty much caught all of my less-well-researched statements, lol. All i meant when I called anji the "weirdo pick" was that he is the character i see the least of. i mean it as a term of endearment! you are correct on your point about the character themes! and finally, thank you for informing me about his history competitively. i haven't been around long enough to know a lot of this! i based that comment off of the fact that the only axls i have seen in a tournament setting are pinhead and remi. probably just boils down to me not indulging that often in the competitive side of strive.
i like Axl because my friend who got me into guilty gear said that he was the only character who does good things because it's the right thing to do, to the point where he's the only person you'd trust with a world ending power.
If it makes the dysphoria any better I'm sure Jack-O would be best buds with you! She would probably adore the idea that you want to look something like her!
this video is so goood how does it have so little views. I could watch you talk about your favourite character for hours. It’s also kinda amazing how every character in Guilty Gear has such an interesting back story that everybody empathizes with a different character in a deep level. I find you talking about how meaningful that axl win animation is to you way more interesting and compelling than somebody just talking about the character’s story too
As a person who tends to think of the world through a pessimistic lense, its characters like this that really help me aswell (for me its been superman). When someone who has godlike abilities and comes from a completely different reality chooses to believe in the good of humanity for no other reason than they think its the right thing to do, I can say that it really helps me with my perception of the world. I think that more brooding characters that experience and feel the pain of living and interacting with malicious or insidious people are interesting, compelling and relatable; but I think that characters that believe in an intrinsic good in humanity are also amazing and should be more common. It says a lot when people say that an alien that can shoot lasers from its eyes and use planets as ping pong balls isn't relatable or properly written just because he believes in the good of humanity. Anyway, thanks for making this video, I really like it and will now be binging all of ur vids cuz they are cool :)
When I was getting into Guilty Gear lore.I thought Axl was kinda lame until I watched the Xrd story mode and watching him sacrifice his chance to go back to his original timeline to help Sol and I thought damn,Axl might be that guy and he is,he is that guy.
Ahhh yes, a fellow based Axl enjoyer. Good people are awesome and if given infinite power I also would like to think that I would grab a sweet burger and chill with my homies.
happy chaos isnt evil, his motive is to keep the ball rolling/keep the bar high. He knows that good times make weak people and hard times make strong people, and he wants everyone to be strong
Honest to god I fell in love with Axl just off of his beautiful charisma and funky accent but I always kept him in my pocket as a character I would usually never play, but after watching this I think I might give him another try. Thank you.
So I gotta say, as a fellow Axl enjoyer, this is an amazing video. Well written, funny, and just a blast to watch. Keep up the good work. Admittedly, I'm a bit surprised that you didn't mention that The Original is Happy Chaos, so in both Xrd and Strive, HC was talking to him.
thank you for your kind words. i did want to mention that HC and the original are one in the same. i guess i couldn't find a good spot to fit that in. I should have though!
I absolutely love video essays. You did a very great job and inspires me to return to editing. Axl is my favorite character as well and has been for a long time. Despite seeing people rank Axl's theme lower than other themes, its' catchy beat and cheerful lyrics help me pursue a better mindset, which automatically places it very high for me
I randomly clicked on this video because it showed up on my homepage and I love watching random videos like this. Then out of nowhere there’s just footage of me and Remi in grand finals lol. Loved the video.
Nice video, i agree with every point, Axl is my favorite character too and not only because of his story, design and music.. but because he's relatable to me, think about it, Axl has travelled from timeline to timeline never catching a break and suffering in one way or another.. and yet.. he's still standing, never giving up. I had a hard time too, i was bullied,left alone and abused by my parents for 7 years, until i met a friend just 3 years ago that then introduced me to other people who then became like brothers for me and then one of my friends made me try Guilty Gear Strive, the first fighting game i ever played, and the first character i choose.. was Axl and when my friends said why i said:"because he looks chill" and so it looked relatable to me because of his personality, but when i heard his theme and saw his story.. i was like:"so thats why i think its relatable" which is weird since i never saw anyone as "relatable". That day, that fucking day playing Guilty Gear i had a blast and from that fucking day my life in general has became much better, better than i could ever imagine.. a fucking video game character from a fighting game helped me find myself and made me the person im today.. and thats pretty cool.
Bro, I'm so glad there's other people out there other than me who has Axl as their favorite character in Guilty Gear. Axl has all the reasons in the world to be hateful, vindictive, and overall be a villainous person. Instead, however, my man sees the silver linings, cares deeply for everything, and makes do with what he has. He's an optimist through and through, which inspires me to try to do the same. It's impossible to live up to standards set up by a fictional character who is written to shrug off heart-breaking situations with a sad smile; but he represents is still something that people can use as a goal to move towards each day. Just to try to be a little bit more good to everything, a bit more appreciative of where you are, and to enjoy the moment. What an amazing character.
I'm surprised that you didn't bring some parts of Axl's story on his section,like: -Axl meets That Man in one his endings in GGXX and when he asks him about if he's a time traveler he negates that possibility, but introduces Raven, as he's revealed as A FUTURER AXL, and the reason Raven is inmortal and Axl timeslips is because this Axl shouldn't be in this time and space. Axl asks how he ended up like Raven whom replies with an angry tone, but That Man explains Axl doesn't know yet, but in the future he will screw up badly and it'll all be his fault. -Or that after getting timeslip between timelines meeting I-No and Sol again and again until he meets an alternative Axl (which shouldn't happen by the Xrd rules of time travel that say there is only one Axl and I-No) that tells his past self he will meet Megumi again if he doesn't give up. -Or that in his Path 1 on GGXX Accent Core + (probably the last game the franchise could have received and that ended everyone's characters arcs awith what they deeply wished for),if he doesn't give up and actually stands up in all battles, Axl actually COMES BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL TIME , finally getting to see Megumi one last time, but before she can notice him he timeslips again, ending his story with him sheding a tear as he gets absorved by the poral. Or- Why does everyone ignores GGXX and ACC+ beyond surface level? I mean,that's exactly what Daisuke did with a soft reboot,but c'mon.
is it weird that the ending emotional segment almost made me cry? you were so genuine and I could understand and relate to what you were saying just by you describing your own experiences, this deserves so much more attention
This is seriously one of the best videos I’ve watched in a while. This is exactly what I love to hear from people, how much they love the scrimblos of the universe, the little characters that on paper sound crazy and weird but mean so much to us. Beautiful work!
I love seeing videos like this because it shows just how great the entire cast is. Most other fighting games have a few main characters who are very important and then some side character who might be cool, but don't have much relevance. Guilty Gear makes sure to give every character at least a little time in the spotlight. Even the least important playable characters are given fully fleshed out backstories, personalites, and arcs. They went the extra mile to make these guys feel special and it really pays off. Also, never feel like it's "cringe" to relate to a fictional character regardless where they are from. A writer's job is to make something that can resonate with people on an emotional level. Being able to resonate with a character so strongly just means that the writer did their job well!
This was such a fun video. Especially when you brought it full circle with your real life experience. Can’t wait for more of your content. Keep uploading!
Fantastic video and really resonated with the ending. Even though i dont play Axl he’s def one of my favorite characters in the series, and his friendship with Sol as two people feeling disconnected from their previous lives supporting each other through isolation is so sweet. This game’s story can be so wacky n contrived but the characters are incredible.
Really good video man! I think that Axl is highly underrated not only as a character but his gameplay too, I find the time stop mechanic to be an amazing addition to his kit and made him so fun to use. I love watching Axl gameplay because all of his players are so innovative with his kit and utilize it to its fullest even without time stop.
Nice video! The love of fighting games creeped up on me too during the covid lockdown lol. I became a guilty gear fan after catching the tail end of Xrd, and am a Millia main. I also took the time to learn about the GG lore lol. I clicked on this video by pure chance at 4am, and when you started talking about your personal demeanor some alarms went off in my brain. I’ve been delving into the realization that Im probably autistic in the past year, and started seeing a therapist recently. She recommended a book called “unmasking autism” and while I was listening earlier yesterday, there were some excerpts the author touched on that sound very similar to how you describe your experience with other people in everyday life. I’ve also had my share of socialization issues growing up that have had a negative impact on my self-perception, and while I may have processed my experiences differently than you, the path has still been a rocky one at times. I think you may find ASD to be an interesting topic to explore, as I have been. Best of luck!
The condition you described sounds similar to BPD; I was diagnosed a few yrs ago. While I still have trouble w the disassociative aspect of it, learning more about the condition helped me become more mindful of it. Best wishes.
Dude just gonna say respect from one axl main to another lol. Im terribke at strive and i do occasionally do the potempkin or faust funnies. But whenever i wanna play ranked or really wanna have some fun against a friend i whip out axl as all his interactions with characters are amazing and yeah ur right the lore of him is awesome too :P
Haven't really player Guilty Gear ever, but I'd say this video was really fun to watch. Intro really pulled me in, the story got me invested and the editing was great as well. Keep it up, these types of videos are great Grey 👍
this has less than 2k views ? man, the heart you put into this video alone (with great editing, great pacing, great explanations, and great analysis) is insane. this video completely changed how i look at axl and his story . this is such a great video all throughout. wish you the best, and keep it up !
I cried at the end of Xrd with Axl's story. He is truly just the best guy and I love him. I hadn't understood the Strive ending with the swap, thank you so much for explaining it! Awesome video!
Thanks for sponsoring my newfound character obsession I dont even play Guilty Gear Also yeah, the video fucking slaps, hopefully you will soon be struck with RUclips algorithm blessing and get the views you deserve
Very nice video, I really like this type of stuff and it further reinforces my love of guilty gear by showing that almost literally every character in the series can resonate so personally with anyone. (I have a very similar thing with Faust) Axl is a character I dont think about too often and for quite some time in my journey playing the series I didnt fully understand his story or his connection to I-No, but him getting a happy ending in strive made me feel really happy for him, I liked it a lot. I also havent watched all of Xrd's story mode, only read about it, so learning about Axl helping Sol get the person he cares about more than anything back to him is so awesome, I love that. Such a selfless gesture that would only work best with Axl being the one to help. This vid helped me understand and like Axl a little bit more, great stuff!
thank you! pretty much then entire reason i wanted to make this was because i felt axl was a little underappreciated. it's nice to see that i've shown some people the light, as it were.
Amazing video!! I didn’t know too much about Axl up until this video and now I’m like ‘damn, he’s the goat’. And also good on you for being open about yourself even for a moment, and it’s good that Axl has provided like a shift of perspective for you. I think media, dramas, anime, games, whatever have like a power to be able to do which is dope. Power to you
I really love videos like these about people just gushing about these Guilty Gear characters that really connect with them and spoke to them on a special level
This was fun to watch, I also enjoyed playing him too. You've also helped me understand more about Axl's story plot and throughout Strive's story. So cheers my guy🍻
Wow this is an extremely high quality video, this DESERVES way more views, please continue making content I have subscribed and will patiently await your next mad scientist creation
Okay finished, good work. It’s nice that this helps you, as somebody who didn’t know Axl before this video i like him too now lol. But yeah i understand and think it’s important to take relief and hope or whatever you wanna call it where you can get it.
wonderful video, but in my opinion Happy Chaos doesn't just do things for the funny (although that's most definitely a part of it) he does a lot of it to keep humanity from getting stagnant, and stop growing, so he makes them Strive for something, whether it's saving the world or otherwise, although he is still batshit insane, but this video has most certainly changed my views on Axl, and I thank you for that.
Talking solely on the story as a fan of the pre-Xrd games, Xrd and Strive have a lot of choices which undermine or kill the intrigue, likeability/relatability or coolness of lots of characters (Sol, Zappa, Eddie being only a few of the first examples which come to mind), however, somebody who's story was handled super goddamn well from beginning to now, is absolutely Axl, who's overall gotta be the most well written character in Guilty Gear. Cool to see someone touched by his whole message and stuff so hard. Recall back when I first saw the Xrd story, had me getting tears with Axl's helpful sacrifice
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Axl Low is literally in this game
OUT OF THE BOXXX
jeezorgeez comment jumpscare
hes true ☝☝ dont let the doubters get an inch hes hard facting
Ong
and im pretty damn glad he is
The best part about axl getting that burger is the fact he most likely paid for it and gave a good tip
He was probably waiting for it to be finished, so he hopped out for a quick spar in the meantime.
Axl is the guy who was given a bad hand again and again. After working to make his street a better place and getting a nice girlfriend he lost it due to time shenanigans. He continued to hop from timeline to timeline, suffering for it and having nobody to ask for answers towards. He has every single reason to be bitter, resentful and angry at an uncaring universe... and willingly chooses not to. Even when he got his godlike powers in control he could've told the universe "fuck you" for separating him from his girlfriend and giving him a hard life... and chose to be kind instead.
Basically the biggest crime of his is being bri'ish.
i like your take here a lot. the concept of axl growing resentful or angry never really occurred to me. it's another great way to look at it. thank you!
I like how that's ur reason and mines like funny wacky British man who can time stop like a jojo character.
Tbf that’s a pretty big crime
I commit this crime every millisecond and I’m not guilty in the slightest
I feel so bad, he's bri' ish
"despite being british, is a really good person" good video lol
One really fun thing about Axls story is that in Xrd he says that his favorite thing about Megumi is her smile and in Strive he can identify I-No when she smiles in the end.
Which makes it even better cause I-No never truly smiles, she always has a sadistic fake smirk if she’s “smiling” at all.
Axl seems to be the type of guy to be the vocalist of a band known for its guitar solos and high pitched vocals
i love dance gavin dance.
If I had a nickle for every video I’ve watched of someone explaining why a guilty gear character is their favorite, and in the later half of the video going into how this character helped with their mental health somehow, I would have 2 Nickels, which isn’t a lot but I’m really glad it’s already happened twice
deadass Testament’s character arc kind of helped with my mental health as well. the fact that their whole point of their OST is the idea of “it’s okay to exist” and their line “I used to carry myself like some sort of demon too, even though i was surrounded by accepting people” really struck home for me
Guilty Gear has the best fighting game characters hands down imo
Im sure you could find thousands of ppl cause brisket is my saviour
toxic pyro is one of the best video essayists ive ever seen
i would have 3 nickles
I would have 3
Very good video, Axl Low is based and epic. While I think he's morally a good guy, if I was given the option, I would steal the white house.
Keep up the making of videos and pondering of hunks.
well i'll be! is that THE rad chad? thank you for the support, man! your video on happy chaos was a large inspiration for this!
Rad Chad? Mad lad? Sometimes my dad?!
Sup radchad aka sometimes my dad
YOOOOO ITS THE CHAD THAT IS ALSO RAD?
oh hey its my dad, sometimes
Chaos isnt pure evil
Him helping i-no become herself again was an entirely benevolent goal
He wants a story and will play whatever role he needs to fill to make it happen, which has usually been the villian because humanity needs something to unite against to progress
Happy Chaos is just another addition to Guilty gears goated cast of characters
Chaos is a very frustrated playwright because it’s very hard to play as a protagonist if you have near-omniscience, so he’s usually the antagonist.
Having no attachments also means he can disassociate from anything and everyone except Baiken.
@jamescampbell2353 Baikens fighting style basically has Pokémon type advantage against chaos. After dropping her vengeance, her fighting philosophy changed. She is now a mirror that forces self reflection on her opponents, and nothing scares Chaos more. As she forces Chaos to stop disassociating and understand who he is, what he is, and what he has done
If someone doesn’t understand the big words happy chaos knows everything so he gets so bored and so he just starts causing shit to learn new stuff and he will go along with pretty much any idea if it funy.
I have a headcanon that he knows the world leaders would disarm the nukes, and Axl would save those people. He's just pushing them to become the heroes he knows they are.
I still don't like him but I think he knows how to draw out potentials.
lmfao someone just linked me to this, thanks for the shoutout and glad I was able to help you with the Axl bombers!
remi you are the GOAT
one thing I want to clarify for viewers, the original mentioned as the one who gave a message for Axl to deliver to That Man was Happy Chaos, they are one in the same
Happy Chaos is also That Man but not that That Man
@robtheone2689 He's the other "That Man" that just likes committing identity fraud
Happy Chaos is the original
This is a wonderful video. Video essays made by ppl describing their favorite Guilty Gear character makes me so happy. You can make British jokes about Axl all day but it's impossible to deny how amazing of a character he is, and the resolution of his and I-Nos story in Strive still makes me cry. Hes a legendary character among legendary characters
I'm in my 30s, Axl has been my main in every iteration of my favorite fighting game series for over half my life. I've cosplayed multiple outfits of his. He's one of my top 5 favorite characters in media. He's effected how I grew up and who I've grown to be. This video brought a tear to my eye at the end. I'm glad a character so important to me has helped you. Thank you for this video.
dawg how does this have only 100 views this is so fun
Not anymore
@@giraton1it still has a criminally "Low" view count
@@stotab8700 Please never watch RUclips again
3:50 "Despite being British is a really good person."
man i absolutely love this genre of videos, more close and personal analyses of guilty gear characters (or other characters) are my SHIT. The quality of this video is actually unbelievable compared to the view count and your subscriber count. i’m excited to see more out of this channel, keep it going!!
You probably know, but, the reason for the Union jack flags in his design and the jorts, is because of Axl Rose. Thats where the jorts and bandana stuff comes from
you know, i knew his name was an allusion to Axl Rose, but i didn't know the part about the outfits. thanks for informing me!
There's a reason why my strive tag is "#1RemiCelesteFan"
My Axl loyalty will never die, he's my favourite fighting game character ever for so many reasons you pointed out
Axl just seems to embody the phrase "the two things that define someone are their attitude when they have everything and their patience when they have nothing"
I think there's a couple points you should have included: how for most of Rev until the end he's depressed to the point of inaction until he's inspired to help by Sol's never giving up, and how his role in Arcade mode (both his own and Giovanna's) is trying to track down Nagoriyuki to just have a conversation with him, which to be fair about half the cast's arcades are them trying to reach out to Nagoriyuki in some way but still.
I'd also like to mention Happy Chaos does stir shit up cause he believes humanity surviving bad things makes it stronger, and he both tipped Axl off about the apartment attack and could seemingly move in Axl's time stop but did nothing to stop Axl from saving civilians, so he's not exactly just killing people and causing destruction for the hell of it.
Lore wise, Axl was summoned as the counter force to Megumi so he's secretly the anti-god...ish.
Its a shame that Liam didn't voice Axl again, but hes back now as Johnny and i think thats cool.
Axl is a pretty chill dude, honestly. He feels like that one guy you would become fast buddies with. I can see why Sol likes him as a friend.
Anji isnt the weirdo. Hes the underdog chad character.
You did a great job pulling me into the world of Axl enlightenment, great editing and good laughs along with the absolute feels from Axl's story, 11/10
I don't really think Chaos did what he did because reasons. He sure loved to say he did, but his real motivation was revealed in his little brawl with Asuka: he and I-no just shared a shitty fate and he wanted to help her which is pretty endearing
Well, yeah, but I don't think blowing up an entire hotel was necessary to get Nago
@@coomcharger6105 Like hell it wasn't. Axl's a real gigachad tho
i mean chaos' whole deal is he loves to see people prevail through hardship. he stirs shit up in the hopes that the people he puts through the blender will come out on top because that's the most beautiful thing to him. it's in his theme pretty explicitly in the latter half during the disney princess section.
I absolutely loved this video ❤ You really did the best job of explaining what makes Axl so appealing as a character in a game full of over-the-top characters. His unnatural optimism, his himbo-like kindness, his responsible yet goofy use of being a LITERAL TIME GOD NOW! That's why I adore his Strive intro. He moves around his frozen time, but is always aware of butterfly effects... Simply just letting time and life be as it is because it's already complicated enough. Pretty sure he doesn't even actually touch the butterfly when unfreezing time, he's just getting into a cheeky pose because Axl is the embodiment of a "Silly Little Guy" and I love him
This might seem like a strange thing to say after watching a video about a fightning game character, but I'm going to say it: This video is important. People should watch it. It zooms in on one of the most important aspects of fiction, which is that it can show us answers to questions that we didn't think to ask. Whatever They Grey is doing right now, I hope that happiness is issued plenty, and that it will soon come out alright.
A lot of people seem to be giving you compliments on how well put together this video was, and I agree! Cheers! On to a few comments about some individual points you made:
- 2:54 I want to object to calling Anji the "true weirdo pick" since I consider him one of my mains, but at the same time he's probably the character I see least in tower...
- 15:27 A lot of the songs have sad elements to them, but are ultimately uplifting or hopeful for a brighter future! Baiken, Faust, Potemkin, I-No, and Ky are pretty good examples! -and then there's May's theme-
- 17:51 Bit of competitive history - at launch, Axl had... problems. He lacked common tools many of the roster had and couldn't convert stray hits into good combos very well, even with meter (all the recent patches made him MUCH better). Despite being low on tier lists, he was still a counterpick at tournaments because of character unfamiliarity and some polarizing matchups in his favor (like Nagoriyuki). It was a weird paradox of him being a weak character yet a strong tournament pick if you knew when and how to use him.
A lot of people say that Anji was nerfed in strive, mostly just sounds like an excuse but I can see the problem.
thank you for this comment, tonic! you pretty much caught all of my less-well-researched statements, lol.
All i meant when I called anji the "weirdo pick" was that he is the character i see the least of. i mean it as a term of endearment!
you are correct on your point about the character themes!
and finally, thank you for informing me about his history competitively. i haven't been around long enough to know a lot of this! i based that comment off of the fact that the only axls i have seen in a tournament setting are pinhead and remi. probably just boils down to me not indulging that often in the competitive side of strive.
i like Axl because my friend who got me into guilty gear said that he was the only character who does good things because it's the right thing to do, to the point where he's the only person you'd trust with a world ending power.
My introduction to Axl was strive and from his round win animation the way he walks and talks I got a really chill dude vibe. Also bark bow wow Cafe
I don't main Jack-O because shes hot, I play her because I set unhealthy expectations for myself with gender dysphoria 😎
At least you don't play baiken like I do. Makes repressing really hard.
If it makes the dysphoria any better I'm sure Jack-O would be best buds with you! She would probably adore the idea that you want to look something like her!
reallll
i will never be able to frame 1-30 counter attacks and it is KILLING ME
42%
this video is so goood how does it have so little views. I could watch you talk about your favourite character for hours. It’s also kinda amazing how every character in Guilty Gear has such an interesting back story that everybody empathizes with a different character in a deep level. I find you talking about how meaningful that axl win animation is to you way more interesting and compelling than somebody just talking about the character’s story too
thank you very much. this was the exact kind of response i had hoped to get while making this. glad you liked it.
As a person who tends to think of the world through a pessimistic lense, its characters like this that really help me aswell (for me its been superman). When someone who has godlike abilities and comes from a completely different reality chooses to believe in the good of humanity for no other reason than they think its the right thing to do, I can say that it really helps me with my perception of the world.
I think that more brooding characters that experience and feel the pain of living and interacting with malicious or insidious people are interesting, compelling and relatable; but I think that characters that believe in an intrinsic good in humanity are also amazing and should be more common. It says a lot when people say that an alien that can shoot lasers from its eyes and use planets as ping pong balls isn't relatable or properly written just because he believes in the good of humanity.
Anyway, thanks for making this video, I really like it and will now be binging all of ur vids cuz they are cool :)
British man gets jumped in an alley, becomes time traveller
When I was getting into Guilty Gear lore.I thought Axl was kinda lame until I watched the Xrd story mode and watching him sacrifice his chance to go back to his original timeline to help Sol and I thought damn,Axl might be that guy and he is,he is that guy.
Ahhh yes, a fellow based Axl enjoyer. Good people are awesome and if given infinite power I also would like to think that I would grab a sweet burger and chill with my homies.
Axl the kind of guy to time travel to lose the round on purpose
happy chaos isnt evil, his motive is to keep the ball rolling/keep the bar high. He knows that good times make weak people and hard times make strong people, and he wants everyone to be strong
Also, it seems you would like Doctor Who. Axl personality and story seems pretty similar, just with a kusarigama instead of a sonic screwdriver.
Honest to god I fell in love with Axl just off of his beautiful charisma and funky accent but I always kept him in my pocket as a character I would usually never play, but after watching this I think I might give him another try.
Thank you.
i’ve seen the ending twice and i still cried when you explained the last part goddamn
i have to say thank you for that emotional part, it really helped me out in my thought process.
you're welcome!
So I gotta say, as a fellow Axl enjoyer, this is an amazing video. Well written, funny, and just a blast to watch. Keep up the good work.
Admittedly, I'm a bit surprised that you didn't mention that The Original is Happy Chaos, so in both Xrd and Strive, HC was talking to him.
thank you for your kind words. i did want to mention that HC and the original are one in the same. i guess i couldn't find a good spot to fit that in. I should have though!
The ending made me cry bruh 🙏🙏🙏 really appreciate this video
I absolutely love video essays. You did a very great job and inspires me to return to editing. Axl is my favorite character as well and has been for a long time. Despite seeing people rank Axl's theme lower than other themes, its' catchy beat and cheerful lyrics help me pursue a better mindset, which automatically places it very high for me
The guy to gets recasted for Akihiko is actually a very funny dude, also known for his Cyno from Genshin Impact.
I randomly clicked on this video because it showed up on my homepage and I love watching random videos like this. Then out of nowhere there’s just footage of me and Remi in grand finals lol. Loved the video.
LOL whats up K7!
You successfully reminded me why I main Axl.
20:29 you can get a mod where it’s mug root beer making Axl even better
Nice video, i agree with every point, Axl is my favorite character too and not only because of his story, design and music.. but because he's relatable to me, think about it, Axl has travelled from timeline to timeline never catching a break and suffering in one way or another.. and yet.. he's still standing, never giving up.
I had a hard time too, i was bullied,left alone and abused by my parents for 7 years, until i met a friend just 3 years ago that then introduced me to other people who then became like brothers for me and then one of my friends made me try Guilty Gear Strive, the first fighting game i ever played, and the first character i choose.. was Axl and when my friends said why i said:"because he looks chill" and so it looked relatable to me because of his personality, but when i heard his theme and saw his story.. i was like:"so thats why i think its relatable" which is weird since i never saw anyone as "relatable". That day, that fucking day playing Guilty Gear i had a blast and from that fucking day my life in general has became much better, better than i could ever imagine.. a fucking video game character from a fighting game helped me find myself and made me the person im today.. and thats pretty cool.
Bro, I'm so glad there's other people out there other than me who has Axl as their favorite character in Guilty Gear. Axl has all the reasons in the world to be hateful, vindictive, and overall be a villainous person. Instead, however, my man sees the silver linings, cares deeply for everything, and makes do with what he has. He's an optimist through and through, which inspires me to try to do the same.
It's impossible to live up to standards set up by a fictional character who is written to shrug off heart-breaking situations with a sad smile; but he represents is still something that people can use as a goal to move towards each day. Just to try to be a little bit more good to everything, a bit more appreciative of where you are, and to enjoy the moment.
What an amazing character.
I'm surprised that you didn't bring some parts of Axl's story on his section,like:
-Axl meets That Man in one his endings in GGXX and when he asks him about if he's a time traveler he negates that possibility, but introduces Raven, as he's revealed as A FUTURER AXL, and the reason Raven is inmortal and Axl timeslips is because this Axl shouldn't be in this time and space. Axl asks how he ended up like Raven whom replies with an angry tone, but That Man explains Axl doesn't know yet, but in the future he will screw up badly and it'll all be his fault.
-Or that after getting timeslip between timelines meeting I-No and Sol again and again until he meets an alternative Axl (which shouldn't happen by the Xrd rules of time travel that say there is only one Axl and I-No) that tells his past self he will meet Megumi again if he doesn't give up.
-Or that in his Path 1 on GGXX Accent Core + (probably the last game the franchise could have received and that ended everyone's characters arcs awith what they deeply wished for),if he doesn't give up and actually stands up in all battles, Axl actually COMES BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL TIME , finally getting to see Megumi one last time, but before she can notice him he timeslips again, ending his story with him sheding a tear as he gets absorved by the poral.
Or-
Why does everyone ignores GGXX and ACC+ beyond surface level? I mean,that's exactly what Daisuke did with a soft reboot,but c'mon.
man has ability to become god
uses it to buy food
is it weird that the ending emotional segment almost made me cry? you were so genuine and I could understand and relate to what you were saying just by you describing your own experiences, this deserves so much more attention
This is seriously one of the best videos I’ve watched in a while. This is exactly what I love to hear from people, how much they love the scrimblos of the universe, the little characters that on paper sound crazy and weird but mean so much to us. Beautiful work!
I love axl now just because if thsu video. I never realized how amazing he was.
I relate so much about the bit where you talked about not being able to trust people or think they are judging you or being fake
I love seeing videos like this because it shows just how great the entire cast is. Most other fighting games have a few main characters who are very important and then some side character who might be cool, but don't have much relevance. Guilty Gear makes sure to give every character at least a little time in the spotlight. Even the least important playable characters are given fully fleshed out backstories, personalites, and arcs. They went the extra mile to make these guys feel special and it really pays off.
Also, never feel like it's "cringe" to relate to a fictional character regardless where they are from. A writer's job is to make something that can resonate with people on an emotional level. Being able to resonate with a character so strongly just means that the writer did their job well!
This was such a fun video. Especially when you brought it full circle with your real life experience. Can’t wait for more of your content. Keep uploading!
Fantastic video and really resonated with the ending. Even though i dont play Axl he’s def one of my favorite characters in the series, and his friendship with Sol as two people feeling disconnected from their previous lives supporting each other through isolation is so sweet. This game’s story can be so wacky n contrived but the characters are incredible.
Phenomenal video! I'm crying now ;__;
Really good video man! I think that Axl is highly underrated not only as a character but his gameplay too, I find the time stop mechanic to be an amazing addition to his kit and made him so fun to use. I love watching Axl gameplay because all of his players are so innovative with his kit and utilize it to its fullest even without time stop.
Use him more in your animations
Dude this video is genuinely so good! You did a amazing job and this is such a underatted video man. You did amazing!
Nice video! The love of fighting games creeped up on me too during the covid lockdown lol. I became a guilty gear fan after catching the tail end of Xrd, and am a Millia main. I also took the time to learn about the GG lore lol.
I clicked on this video by pure chance at 4am, and when you started talking about your personal demeanor some alarms went off in my brain. I’ve been delving into the realization that Im probably autistic in the past year, and started seeing a therapist recently. She recommended a book called “unmasking autism” and while I was listening earlier yesterday, there were some excerpts the author touched on that sound very similar to how you describe your experience with other people in everyday life. I’ve also had my share of socialization issues growing up that have had a negative impact on my self-perception, and while I may have processed my experiences differently than you, the path has still been a rocky one at times. I think you may find ASD to be an interesting topic to explore, as I have been. Best of luck!
Great video my friend. Love the editing and the pacing of the script. You did a wonderful job!
thank you, ronin! the pacing was something i was worried about while working on this. hearing someone complimenting it is really reassuring.
You got a new subscriber, man. Your vids are amazing!
The condition you described sounds similar to BPD; I was diagnosed a few yrs ago. While I still have trouble w the disassociative aspect of it, learning more about the condition helped me become more mindful of it.
Best wishes.
Awesome video, I love hearing people talk about characters they like!
Dude just gonna say respect from one axl main to another lol. Im terribke at strive and i do occasionally do the potempkin or faust funnies. But whenever i wanna play ranked or really wanna have some fun against a friend i whip out axl as all his interactions with characters are amazing and yeah ur right the lore of him is awesome too :P
Haven't really player Guilty Gear ever, but I'd say this video was really fun to watch. Intro really pulled me in, the story got me invested and the editing was great as well. Keep it up, these types of videos are great Grey 👍
this has less than 2k views ? man, the heart you put into this video alone (with great editing, great pacing, great explanations, and great analysis) is insane. this video completely changed how i look at axl and his story . this is such a great video all throughout. wish you the best, and keep it up !
I cried at the end of Xrd with Axl's story. He is truly just the best guy and I love him. I hadn't understood the Strive ending with the swap, thank you so much for explaining it! Awesome video!
Thanks for sponsoring my newfound character obsession
I dont even play Guilty Gear
Also yeah, the video fucking slaps, hopefully you will soon be struck with RUclips algorithm blessing and get the views you deserve
Very nice video, I really like this type of stuff and it further reinforces my love of guilty gear by showing that almost literally every character in the series can resonate so personally with anyone. (I have a very similar thing with Faust)
Axl is a character I dont think about too often and for quite some time in my journey playing the series I didnt fully understand his story or his connection to I-No, but him getting a happy ending in strive made me feel really happy for him, I liked it a lot. I also havent watched all of Xrd's story mode, only read about it, so learning about Axl helping Sol get the person he cares about more than anything back to him is so awesome, I love that. Such a selfless gesture that would only work best with Axl being the one to help. This vid helped me understand and like Axl a little bit more, great stuff!
thank you! pretty much then entire reason i wanted to make this was because i felt axl was a little underappreciated. it's nice to see that i've shown some people the light, as it were.
Love this video so much. He is one of my favorites too along with Johnny. Golden Hair with golden hearts!
This is a lovely video and I’m glad I decided to watch it. All the best to you!
Love the vid.
U def inspired me to make a Johnny one coz hes just about to drop
oh PLEASE do! i'm beginning to be curious about johnny since i only got into guilty gear with strive, so i'd love a video like this on him!
Yippeeee, more strive content. Love to see it
I am not familiar with the gg story, but I gotta say this: I've never seen a fighting game franchise like gg where I like every character in it
Amazing video!! I didn’t know too much about Axl up until this video and now I’m like ‘damn, he’s the goat’. And also good on you for being open about yourself even for a moment, and it’s good that Axl has provided like a shift of perspective for you. I think media, dramas, anime, games, whatever have like a power to be able to do which is dope. Power to you
I really respect your opinion.
Just one small issue...
He's a zoner and british
Zoners are cool
British tho...thats unexcusable
Excelent video, captures all the reasons why i love Axl too
OMG thank you thank you thank you. This is exactly why I love Axl too
YOOOOOO SAME, Axl has been like my entire personality for over a year now among my friend group, I’m so happy to see a video like this in my feed
I really love videos like these about people just gushing about these Guilty Gear characters that really connect with them and spoke to them on a special level
This was fun to watch, I also enjoyed playing him too. You've also helped me understand more about Axl's story plot and throughout Strive's story. So cheers my guy🍻
Now i have more proof that the people who play Axl are legit the coolest strive players ;)
I don't usually leave comments, but DAMN THAT HITS HARD.
Great video, really. Can't wait for the next one.
Wow this is an extremely high quality video, this DESERVES way more views, please continue making content
I have subscribed and will patiently await your next mad scientist creation
Okay finished, good work. It’s nice that this helps you, as somebody who didn’t know Axl before this video i like him too now lol. But yeah i understand and think it’s important to take relief and hope or whatever you wanna call it where you can get it.
wonderful video, but in my opinion Happy Chaos doesn't just do things for the funny (although that's most definitely a part of it) he does a lot of it to keep humanity from getting stagnant, and stop growing, so he makes them Strive for something, whether it's saving the world or otherwise, although he is still batshit insane, but this video has most certainly changed my views on Axl, and I thank you for that.
i'm glad you liked it! regarding HC, you're probably correct. my understanding of him is very limited compared to axl.
incredible video! Axl is an absolute FAVORITE of mine when it comes to guilty gear fighters and british “people”
It's great to see someone who's also an Axl fan, he's so underrated
Great video by the way
The last thing i expected in this video was Spencer from fking *iCarly*
lmao
This was a really great video and thank you for giving Axl the spotlight, looking forward to your future videos!
Talking solely on the story as a fan of the pre-Xrd games, Xrd and Strive have a lot of choices which undermine or kill the intrigue, likeability/relatability or coolness of lots of characters (Sol, Zappa, Eddie being only a few of the first examples which come to mind), however, somebody who's story was handled super goddamn well from beginning to now, is absolutely Axl, who's overall gotta be the most well written character in Guilty Gear. Cool to see someone touched by his whole message and stuff so hard. Recall back when I first saw the Xrd story, had me getting tears with Axl's helpful sacrifice
Very well constructed video! as a huge fg nerd happy to see others falling for the cool characters in them
I'm happy there is someone who loves Axl as much as I do. What made me choose it was the story mode and how he walks. very good video!
how tf does this not have 300k+ views? you did an amazing job w/ the editing, and earned yourself another sub