Axel: Post-Days Character Thoughts and Analysis

Axel has been described by fans as an irredeemable asshole, a big woobie who's head-over-heels in love with Roxas, and everything in between. We've seen people split into groups and argue whether Chain of Memories Axel or Kingdom Hearts 2 Axel is the "real" Axel. Now that 358/2 Days has finally filled in the connecting storyline, it's worth taking another look at whether the two "different Axels" are really all that irreconcilable.