Abel

"Yes, sire. Princess Elice bade us protect you."

- Abel to Marth in Shadow Dragon.

Abel (アベル Aberu) is a playable character from the Archanea Series of Fire Emblem and a boss character in the spin-off, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE. Alongside his boon companion Cain, Abel is a cavalier of Altea who is also known under the alias "Panther" (黒豹 Kurohyō, lit. Black Panther in the Japanese version).

War of Shadows
Chronologically, Abel makes his first appearance in Prologue II of Shadow Dragon, where, under the orders of Elice, he and Frey assists Marth in escaping through the gates of Altea Castle. Thereafter joining up with Jagen and later Cain, Gordin and Norne, the small squadron of retainers manage to succeed in assisting Marth in fleeing Altea and taking up refuge in Talys. Should Abel be selected to act as the decoy of Marth in Prologue IV, he will thus not be available to assist his liege in bringing the War of Shadows to an end. Canonically, Abel is not selected to be the sacrifice, and after the War of Darkness concludes, he retires from his knighthood and, after marrying Est of the Macedonian Pegasus Sisters, sets up a shop with her.

War of Heroes
During the events of Book 2 of Mystery of the Emblem and its remake, Abel returns in Chapter 15, where it is revealed that the Archanean Empire has taken Est hostage, forcing him to take up arms against Marth's army against his will. Should Marth or Est be directed to speak to him, he will defect to Marth's army and thereafter aid his liege in bringing the War of Heroes to an end. After the war concludes, Abel leaves to search for Est, who makes the decision to leave him in her ending.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
Abel, Cain's rival and close friend, appears as an antagonistic Mirage in the third and final of Touma Akagi's side stories as a member of the Dark Knight class.. He kidnaps Riku Suzumoto and drains his Performa, luring Cain to him. Having been cursed, he holds fierce jealousy toward Cain.

After Abel is defeated by the party and purified of his curse, he comes to his senses and apologizes for his actions. He is extended an offer to aid Cain and the others in their fight, but instead chooses to protect Riku and becomes Riku's Mirage.

He is voiced by Takuya Satou.

Personality
Like a majority of the cast appearing in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi and Mystery of the Emblem, Abel's character is not very well developed. Nevertheless, it is possible to deduce several points about his personality based on the few interactions that he has. Similar to many other knight characters in the aforementioned games, Abel is devoutly loyal to the liege that he serves, willing to sacrifice himself in the line of duty. This does not, however, deter him from attaining emotional fulfilment, as he opts to wed Est after the War of Darkness instead of continuing to serve Marth as a knight.

Abel's love for Est is evidently very strong, to the point where he is willing to betray his country in order to preserve her life, a fact that is proven through his actions in Mystery of the Emblem and its remake. This is further expounded on through his base conversations with Est in Shin Monshō no Nazo, where he constantly expresses concern over her well-being, desiring nothing more than to be able to share in any burdens that she shoulders. Adding on to this is the fact that Abel has tried to befriend Est's pegasus steed under the belief that it is a necessary prerequisite to marry her, although all his attempts have ended in failure.

Recruitment

 * }

Growth Rates

 * 70%
 * 40%
 * 50%
 * 50%
 * 40%
 * 70%
 * 20%
 * 0%
 * }

Recruitment

 * -|Book 1=


 * }
 * -|Book 2=


 * }

Base Stats

 * -|Book 1=


 * -|Book 2=

Promotion Gains
Note: Relevant to Book 1 only.

Growth Rates

 * 70%
 * 40%
 * 50%
 * 50%
 * 40%
 * 70%
 * 20%
 * 3%
 * }

Support Relationships

 * }


 * }

Recruitment

 * -|Normal Mode=


 * }
 * -|Hard Mode=


 * }

Class Sets

 * }

Growth Rates

 * Default


 * 65%
 * 40%
 * 0%
 * 50%
 * 50%
 * 25%
 * 20%
 * 0%
 * }


 * Reclassing Options
 * -|Dracoknight=


 * 55%
 * 35%
 * 0%
 * 45%
 * 65%
 * 25%
 * 15%
 * 5%
 * }
 * -|Archer/Sniper=


 * 65%
 * 35%
 * 0%
 * 45%
 * 70%
 * 25%
 * 15%
 * 0%
 * }
 * -|Myrmidon/Swordmaster=


 * 75%
 * 35%
 * 0%
 * 45%
 * 65%
 * 25%
 * 10%
 * 0%
 * }
 * -|Mage=


 * 45%
 * 15%
 * 35%
 * 45%
 * 55%
 * 25%
 * 0%
 * 15%
 * }
 * -|Curate=


 * 45%
 * 10%
 * 15%
 * 40%
 * 60%
 * 25%
 * 0%
 * 35%
 * }
 * -|Sage/Bishop=


 * 45%
 * 10%
 * 25%
 * 45%
 * 60%
 * 25%
 * 0%
 * 25%
 * }

Support Relationships

 * Supports


 * }

Supported by


 * }

Recruitment

 * }

Class Sets

 * }

Growth Rates

 * Default


 * 100%
 * 60%
 * 0%
 * 60%
 * 60%
 * 40%
 * 40%
 * 5%
 * }


 * Reclassing Options
 * -|Dracoknight=


 * 90%
 * 55%
 * 0%
 * 55%
 * 75%
 * 40%
 * 35%
 * 0%
 * }
 * -|Sniper=


 * 100%
 * 55%
 * 0%
 * 55%
 * 80%
 * 40%
 * 35%
 * 0%
 * }
 * -|Swordmaster=


 * 100%
 * 55%
 * 0%
 * 55%
 * 80%
 * 40%
 * 30%
 * 5%
 * }
 * -|Sage/Bishop=


 * 80%
 * 30%
 * 20%
 * 55%
 * 70%
 * 40%
 * 10%
 * 30%
 * }

Support Relationships

 * Supports


 * }

Supported by


 * }

Support Conversations

 * }

Overall
Whether or not the player decides to use Abel over Cain depends on both personal preference and the actual title that they appear in. Both are very useful and preferred in games that are generally considered to have a poor roster of characters. While their differences sometimes vary, certain common points hold true across all games; Abel excels in Strength, while Cain excels in Luck.

In Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, Abel has more balanced growths compared to Cain, sporting a higher strength growth, despite slightly lower growths in HP, Skill, and Speed. With the exception of Luck, Abel's base stats are all equal to, or higher than Cain's. He is preferred in this game by many players for his well-rounded stats and superior strength growth, which proves to to be more useful than the slight skill and speed growth lead that Cain possesses.

In Book 1 of Mystery of the Emblem, Abel and Cain's growths are nearly identical to before, aside from a significant decrease to Cain's HP growth (from 90% to 60%), one of the three superior growths defining Cain in the first game. Notably, both start out with bases that contradict their respective growths, setting the precedent for the Cain and Abel archetypes of future titles. Cain starts out with higher Strength but lower Skill and Speed, while Abel starts out with less Strength but more Skill and Speed. They end up very similarly in Book 1, largely because their growths balance out their bases, and despite their stats eventually going in different directions, they still perform very well regardless.

Yet in Book 2, the differences between the two are far more noticeable: Cain joins as a cavalier early into the game (Chapter 8), while Abel is recruited as a pre-promoted paladin much later (Chapter 15). This gives the player far more time to use Cain than Abel; when Cain is trained to the same level that Abel appears as (Level 1 Paladin), Cain will often have superior stats in every area. Cain regains his higher HP growth advantage, where it is increased to 90%. If fully trained, both Cain and Abel can easily cap Strength, Skill, Speed, and even Defense with a little help from the Starsphere (due to the rather low cap of 20 in Mystery of the Emblem). However, on average, Cain will cap 52 HP and 20 Luck, compared to Abel's usual maximum of 41 HP and 13 Luck.

In Shadow Dragon, Cain and Abel are similar to their appearance in Book 1 of Mystery of the Emblem. Both start out somewhat alike, with Cain slightly stronger but less swift and skilled, and Abel's bases the opposite. In this game, Cain and Abel actually have identical Speed and Skill growths, but instead have different Weapon Ranks - Cain can use Steel Swords from the start, while Abel can use Javelins from the start. Abel is commonly placed higher (if only slightly) on Shadow Dragon tier lists due to his higher strength growth, which is on par with hard hitters like Barst.

In Shin Monshō no Nazo, the differences separating the two are once more made distinct. For the first time, their Defence growths do not match, with Abel's 40% growth being slightly higher than Cain's 35% growth; oddly enough, Abel has a higher HP growth than Cain (100% to 90%), swapping the HP discrepancy of the two characters. Abel upholds his reputation of being more balanced, while Cain supersedes him in Skill and Speed (70% to Abel's 60%). This game being a remake of Book Two of Mystery of the Emblem, Abel once again joins later while Cain is recruited much earlier. In the end, Cain proves to be the more reliable character. Abel's growths, while arguably better, are nevertheless hindered by his later arrival and the high amount of cavaliers recruited by the player.

Overall, in all games that Abel and Cain appear in, they prove to be valuable members of the army, being shining jewels among the sea of mediocre or bad characters.

Book 1
Altea Knight

"He retired from the army to start a small shop. Recently there have been rumours of his upcoming wedding…"

Book 2
Altea Knight

"After the war, he left the country to find Est and afterwards he was not seen again."

(If Est died)

"Saddened by the loss of Est, he left Altea and afterwards he was not seen again."

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Altea's Shield

"Abel left the army and opened a small shop. He was to be married; but in the end his fellow knights were his most steadfast companions."

Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~
Altea's Shield

"After the war, Abel left the kingdom to search for the missing Est. He was never seen again."

Archetype
Abel, along with Cain, began the trend of a duo of Cavaliers who automatically join the army at the start of any given title. They are often portrayed as close friends who are very loyal to the Lord character and subordinates of the Jagen character. Invariably, one of them will specialize in Strength, HP and Luck (usually the Green Cavalier), and the other in Skill and Speed (usually the Red Cavalier). The two often have distinct personalities as well - the Red Cavalier being serious and stern, and the Green Cavalier easy-going and passionate.

However, there are exceptions to this personality rule; between the Cavalier pair, Kent and Sain, Sain while have green hair is easy going and has better growths in strength and luck while Kent is serious and has better growths in speed and skill even though he has red hair and red armor.

List of Abels
Notable characters befitting Abel's half of the archetype include:
 * Roderick (FE3/12)
 * Noish (FE4)
 * Kain (FE5)
 * Lance (FE6)
 * Sain (FE7)
 * Kyle (FE8)
 * Oscar (FE9/10)
 * Stahl (FE13)
 * Kaze (FE14)

Anime
Abel plays a less significant role in the anime as compared to Cain, where he is portrayed as a calm, composed and formal character. He saves a child from falling to death after his captor, a pirate, throws him up into the air after being attacked by Cain, and Abel remarks, "I can't believe I'm still picking up your messes after all these years". Like Cain and Jagen, he is present when Marth makes the decision to travel to Devil Mountain and rescue sister Lena.

Abel is voiced by Okiayu Ryotaro (置鮎 龍太郎) in the Japanese version.

Manga
Abel has a more significant story in the manga than in the anime. Retaining his role as Cain's close friend, he is known to tease him at times, as exemplified from the scene in which Cain became drunk after the victory at the Aurelis Secondary Castle. Some time later, Abel sets off to prepare for the battle at Lefcandith when he spots a suspicious-looking girl tending to her pegasus in a forest. She reveals her name as Est, but promptly leaves before Abel could tell her his name. He realizes too late that she was a spy for Minerva, but meets her later under friendly terms after Minerva and her Whitewings join Altea. The two fall in love over the course of the war, and after it concludes, retire to live together as a married couple in Altea.

When the Archanean League arrive in Khadein for the first time, Abel is changed from a secondary character to a main character. When Marth finds himself pulled into a battle with a Fire Dragon, Abel goes off to rescue him, urging Cain to protect Marth with his life if he falls. After a long battle, Marth and Abel are defeated, but with Lena's Warp Staff, only one of them is rescued.

Soon after Marth is teleported to safety, the Falchion appears in front of Abel. Hearing Naga's voice, Abel's energy is restored, whereupon he wields the Falchion to slay the Fire Dragon. However, Gharnef had placed a spell on the Fire Dragon beforehand, one that would cause it to self-destruct when killed. This causes the building that Abel and the dragon fought in to explode, leading to the Archanean League believing that Abel had perished in the battle.

Later, when the Archanean League arrives in Macedonia, a person who looks suspiciously like Abel is discovered to be working with the enemy. When Cain catches wind of these rumours, he goes off by himself to seek the truth. When he finds Abel, Cain immediately demands he is working with the enemy, only to be knocked out in the process.

The next time Abel appears, he is observed to be working alongside Michalis, as a means of repaying the debt of having been rescued by him. When Abel announces that he will be defecting to Marth, Michalis threatens to kill him unless he leaves the Falchion behind. Abel then stabs the Falchion in a nearby wall and proclaims that he will do anything to be by Marth's side, even if it means giving up the precious blade.

Soon after Abel leaves Macedonia, he runs into the archsage Gotoh, who praises him for his honourable deed, but chastises him for his foolishness in leaving the Falchion behind. Abel's response to this is that Marth does not need the Falchion, and if he ever does need it, he will play its role.

The last time Abel appears is when he rescues Cain from battle and joins the Archanean League once again.

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Abel is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:

Etymology
The name "Abel" could either mean "A breath" in Hebrew or be a reference to the character of the same name in the Christian Bible. In the latter interpretation, Abel is the son of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis. A shepherd whose offering to God is favoured over that of his brother Cain's, Abel is murdered out of jealousy by Cain. In Mystery of the Emblem, this is slightly reversed: Abel falls out of Altea's favour for treason, although this does not involve Cain.

Trivia

 * Abel is mentioned along with Cain in the C support conversation shared between Stahl and Sully in Fire Emblem Awakening, where his title as the "Panther" is assumed by Stahl, a character that is modelled after his archetype.

Gallery
Abel