Abel (Anime)

"It might be big, but that's it!"

- Abel's view on the Colossal Titan

Abel (アーベル) was a soldier in the Scout Regiment Fourth Squad under the command of Hange Zoë, who was noted for his trademark glasses, or "goggles." He participated in the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission and often accompanied higher-ups, such as Hange and Levi, 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 Scout Regiment with the green cloak worn on expeditions.

Personality
Abel was a serious man and a devoted Scout Regiment 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.

The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission arc
During the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Abel serves as part of the cart guard team, transporting the special target restraining weapon.

After the Female Titan is captured, it attracts several Titans with a loud screech. 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. The scouts try to slay all of the Titans to keep them from devouring the Female Titan, but they are eventually overwhelmed and ordered to retreat.

Assault on Stohess arc
Abel is among the soldiers who participate in the mission to capture Annie Leonhart in Stohess District. He attempts to follow her as she flees the district, but is forced to end his pursuit when she enters an open area where he cannot use his ODM gear.

Clash of the Titans arc
Abel helps cover the Titan inside of Wall Sina, after Eren and Annie's battle exposes it. He then watches with the rest of his squad as Hange Zoë threatens Nick for answers.

When Titans are reported to have invaded Wall Rose, Abel is among the Scout Regiment soldiers that Erwin Smith leads from Stohess District to the front lines. They stop in Ehrmich District where Hange goes over a report about Annie Leonhart's background with a number of Scouts, including Abel.

Abel is among the soldiers that accompany Hange Zoë to rescue the 104th cadets trapped at Utgard Castle. 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. However, they are stopped by the sudden appearance of the Colossal and Armored Titans.

Abel and the other Scouts jump off the Wall to avoid the Colossal Titan's attack and Hange orders their soldiers to swarm it. They use their omni-directional mobility gear to swing around the Colossal 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 Colossal Titan emits a scalding burst of steam that drives all of them back.

Hange leaves three of the four squads with them to watch Bertholdt and takes the remaining squad, including Abel, to face the Armored Titan, which is fighting Eren in his Titan form. During the battle Abel sees Mikasa and Armin attempt to help Eren and orders them to stay back, as getting close would be dangerous. They follow him back to the Wall, and so does Eren.

Reiner charges after him, and when they next engage, Eren gains the upper hand. The Armored Titan roars in desperation and Abel quickly searches the area to see if it has attracted more Titans, before reporting to Hange that there are none.

Royal Government arc
Abel is present when Hange delivers news to the squads that Pastor Nick has been murdered. After Levi receives news that a freeze has been instated on all Scout activity and warrants have been issued for Eren and Historia's arrest, Abel is placed under Levi's command to help his squad smuggle Eren and Historia into Trost for safe harbor with Commander Pyxis.

Entering Trost, Abel and Nifa keep watch over Keiji, Eren, and Historia as they proceed to the Garrison's headquarters. While en route, they are ambushed by Kenny Ackermann and his gang and Abel is shot in the head and killed. His body falls into the street, landing in front of a woman and her child.

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

War for Paradis arc
When Hange decides to oppose Eren's plan to destroy the world beyond the Walls, Abel is one of the soldiers remembered while Hange tries to convince Jean and Mikasa that their fallen comrades would not support destroying the world.

Abilities
Despite never being seen in actual combat, it is implied that Abel was a fairly capable fighter, as he survived the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, 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 Exterior Scouting Mission, 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 Scout Regiment 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 Scouts.

Trivia

 * Although Abel was portrayed with brown hair in the first season of the Attack on Titan anime, his hair color is changed to blond in the second anime recap movie to better fit his manga appearance. This change is retained in future seasons of the anime.

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Abel (Anime)