Abel

"Listen, recruit. I can't talk to you. Go get your superior officer. If he's not drunk, that is..."

- Abel rebuffs Marlowe

Abel (アーベル) was a ranking officer (上官) in the Survey Corps Fourth Squad under the command of Hange Zoë, who was noted for his ever-present glasses, or "goggles." He participated in the 57th Expedition Outside the Walls and often accompanied higher-ups, such as Hange and Levi Ackerman, on serious missions.

Appearance
Abel was a man of average height, with light skin, short, blond hair, and light stubble on his chin and cheekbones. He was noted for always wearing thick-rimmed glasses with bands around his head, to prevent them from falling off in combat. His clothing consisted of the typical uniform of the Survey Corps with the green cloak worn on expeditions.

Personality
Abel was a serious man and a devoted Survey Corps member, always acting bravely in battle and following his duties as a soldier. He seemed to be a loyal and reliable subordinate, since he was trusted to accompany high ranking members in critical situations, like the meeting in the hideout where Eren and Historia were being hidden from the government and the following operation to rescue them from the Military Police First Interior Squad. He was also shown to be rather cynical, at least towards the Military Police, as he told Marlowe Freudenberg and Hitch Dreyse to bring him their commanding officer 'If he was not drunk, of course' when they inquired about the Titan fight in Stohess District, as he refused to provide such information to low-ranking soldiers.

The Female Titan arc
Abel is first seen participating in the operation to capture the Female Titan inside the Titan Forest during the 57th Expedition Outside the Walls. When the Female Titan attracts several Titans with a loud screech, and Erwin Smith orders the supplies guard unit to intercept the Titans, with Abel and several other soldiers trying to distract them. However, they are ignored by the wave of Titans as they go to eat the Female Titan. Abel is exhausted after the attempt to kill the Titans surrounding the Female and retreats after Erwin gives the order.

After Annie Leonhart reveals herself to be the Female Titan and transforms inside of Stohess District, Abel and his squad pursue her, trying to stop her from escaping over Wall Sheena. However, he and his squad are forced to break off their pursuit when she begins destroying buildings, sending debris flying in their direction.

After Annie is defeated, Abel helps remove Annie from her nape. While his teammates secure Annie's crystallized form, Abel blocks anyone from going near, saying that he will only speak with officers from the Military Police Brigade.

Clash of the Titans arc
When Hange leads a squad of soldiers to rescue the 104th recruits trapped at Utgard Castle, Abel is among the soldiers who participate in the battle against the Titans when they arrive. Afterward, Abel returns with the rest of the Scouts to Wall Rose to recover. When Hannes' Garrison squad arrives to report that there is no breach in the Wall, Hange calls for the Scouts to fall back to Trost and Abel prepares to go with them, but they are stopped by the sudden appearance of the Colossus and Armored Titans.

Abel and the other soldiers jump off the Wall to avoid the Colossus Titan's attack and Hange orders her soldiers to swarm it. They use their vertical maneuvering equipment to swing around the Colossus Titan and as they dodge around its fist, Abel notes that though the Titan is big, that is all that it has going for it. However, before they can reach its nape, the Colossus Titan emits a scalding burst of steam that drives all of them back.

Hange leaves three of the four teams with her to watch Bertolt and takes the remaining team, including Abel, to face the Armored Titan, which is fighting Eren in his Titan form. During the battle, Mikasa and Armin land on the ground away from the Wall in an attempt to get Eren to escape and avoid being kidnapped. Abel comes down to call the two of them back, saying that it is dangerous.

As Eren gets the upper hand on the Armored Titan, it begins to roar in desperation, prompting Abel to survey the area for any Titans the roar may have summoned. He reports to Hange that there are no Titans, but is cut off by the Colossus Titan, which rolls off the top of Wall Rose and plummets down on top of the two clashing Titans, knocking back all of the soldiers in the process.

The Uprising arc
Abel is reunited with Squad Levi, Hange, Keiji, and Nifa, listening as they discuss Armin Arlert's plan to seal the hole in Wall Maria using Eren's Titan hardening abilities, and as Hange reveals Nick's murder at the hands of the Military Police First Interior Squad.

Soon after, Abel can be seen with Squad Levi while they speak with Dimo Reeves and Flegel Reeves, listening to the message from Erwin brought by Nifa. He watches as Levi interrogates Historia and forces her to accept her role as the queen. He also hears Nifa speak about Erwin's plan to have Eren and Historia handed from the Reeves Company to the Military Police and track them to the location of Historia's father, Rod Reiss, the true ruler of the Walls.

Later on, while a group of members of the Military Police carry two caskets from a funeral home to a carriage, presumably hiding the kidnapped Eren and Historia, Abel and Keiji monitor the scene from a concealed location, with Nifa and Levi monitoring from a roof. Shortly after, Kenny Ackerman and his subordinates make their appearance and several of them ambush the soldiers, killing Abel and the rest of them, except for Levi. The bodies of Abel and Keiji fall to the ground from the rooftop, much to Levi's horror.

Return to Shiganshina arc
Later in the Battle of Shiganshina, as Erwin Smith begins to lament the dwindling hopes of his dream, Abel stands among the many fallen Survey Corps comrades in Erwin's mind, wanting to know if their deaths had meaning.

Abilities
Despite never being seen in actual combat, it is implied that Abel was a fairly capable fighter, as he survived the 57th Expedition beyond the Walls, during which he directly engaged the Titan horde that was attempting to devour the Female Titan, and a fight against the Female Titan during the capture operation in the Stohess District. Furthermore, in the 57th expedition beyond the Walls, Abel was part of the cart guard team, entrusted with the safekeeping of the special target restraining weapon meant to capture the Female Titan. This implies that he was among the few Survey Corps members who knew about the true objective of the expedition, meaning that he had managed to stay alive for at least the past five years and that he was a trusted member of the Corps. Moreover, he participated in the fight at Utgard Castle and against the Colossus Titan, both of which he survived. All of these facts prove his exceptional skill and reliability as a soldier.

Trivia

 * While he is not specifically named in the manga nor the anime, he is credited as "Abel" in the credits of the compilation film Attack on Titan: Kakusei no Houkou. His nickname "Goggles" has appeared in several forms of media such as the Height Comparison Chart released in the Wings of Freedom DVD/BD Bonus Pamphlet and the Attack on Titan Character Encyclopedia.
 * Abel is referred to by the name "Moblit" in the Attack on Titan Guidebook, although this was likely a mistake resulting from his character being confused with Moblit Berner.

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