Axel/Gameplay

Axel appears as a boss in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II. In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Axel battles Sora twice throughout Castle Oblivion. In Kingdom Hearts II, Axel fights Roxas twice in the Simulated Twilight Town.

First battle
In the first battle Axel is an easy opponent. You should be able to effortlessly defeat him as long as you don't lose focus. If you are having difficulties, go to Traverse Town; you should have found a Blizzard card which does a lot more damage to Axel. Additionally, if you find a Moogle Room card you should be able to obtain more Blizzard cards.

Second battle
In the second battle Axel is much more difficult to the point that he has been thought of being a harder boss than Marluxia at the very end of the game. It is strongly recommended that the player has the Oogie Boogie, Jafar, Vexen, Card Soldier, and Riku cards equipped. The Darkside card helps a lot because it will copy his Quick Recovery card which makes you completely immune to his sleights (be careful not to copy the Fire Boost card). Have plenty of Blizzard cards since Axel is weak to them.

The best way to go through Axel is to first equip the Jafar card preventing him from breaking attack cards you use. After the Jafar card runs out it would be wise to equip the Vexen card since odds are you might die before you can use either the Card Soldier or Riku card's full potential. Also, bear in mind that his fire attacks will be able to stun you. If Axel kills Sora, the Vexen card will revive you. Immediately activate the Oogie Boogie card to regenerate his low health.

After Oogie Boogie runs out, it is wise to unload on sleights. For maximum results use the Riku card so that some of the cards the player uses will not be lost. The Trinity Limit sleight (obtained with a Goofy, Donald, and attack card) could be fairly damaging, but it takes a long time to activate, and Axel could easily use a 0 card to break the sleight before you damage him. Also use Blizzara/Blizzaga by stocking two or three Blizzard cards, respectively. Donald cards are very risky; his Thunder does some damage, his Blizzard does high damage, but Fire will heal Axel, so refrain from using Donald at all.

If Axel is not defeated by the time the Riku card ends then equip the Card Soldier card and attack him repeatedly. Since the Card Soldier card speeds up attacks significantly if the player attacks Axel non-stop, this can stop him from using some sleights. When the Card Soldier runs out and if Axel is still alive, odds are his HP will be low enough for him to be finished off with one or two more sleights.

During the first battle Axel's attacks are few and weak. However during the second fight Axel has much more damaging attacks. While his regular attacks are the same from before, his sleights are much more powerful. When Axel yells, "Let the flames burn you!", be on your guard - that's his most dangerous attack where he lets out a wall of flame. To avoid this, let the wall come close and then dodge roll through or immediately use a 0 card. If you can't use a 0 card (in the event that you have used them up already and haven't reloaded), then be sure to cast Cure almost immediately afterwards. Axel's speed is increased to almost rival that of Larxene so winning this battle will likely take quite a bit of time.

First battle
Axel faces Roxas the first time during his Struggle match. Axel's main attack is a two-hit combo in which he moves forward slightly, which can easily be avoided. Axel will also suddenly dash behind Roxas, similar to the "Reversal" Reaction Command, and throw his flaming Chakram through the air at him, hitting him multiple times. He will also throw a single Chakram, which circles towards Roxas from the side.

As this fight is so early in the game, there is little the player can do in terms of preparing with equipment and items, but Axel is not too difficult an opponent. The player should have at least two Potions, and the Aerial Recovery ability equipped. If they have leveled up Roxas enough so he learns Guard, it can also help. It is advised to stick to aerial attacks to avoid Axel's strikes, and use Aerial Recovery to quickly regain their balance and counter-attack when struck. If Axel's attacks are blocked with Guard or the player's own attack, he will be temporarily stunned.

The most important thing to do to when this fight is to not rush in and attack him from the front or he will do a series of multi-hit Chakram throws. Instead make Roxas jump to the side then launch an attack on him.

Second battle
When Roxas battles Axel again in the Old Mansion, the strength of both Axel and Roxas have increased. Roxas is now dual-wielding the Oathkeeper and Oblivion, so he does more damage. However, Axel has much more health and several new forms of attack. Roxas should be equipped with the Elven Bandana from the mansion to boost his defense, and have several Potions.

When the battle begins, Axel will yell "burn baby," the floor of the arena is covered in magma, and Roxas will slowly lose health over time. If the player hits Axel with a finishing move, he will be knocked into the air and the player can use the "Overtaker" Reaction Command. This will cause Axel and Roxas to run across the flames dueling, and eventually the player can use "Clear Light", which slams Axel into the ground. This removes the magma from the ground and stuns Axel for a short time.

After this, Axel will throw his flaming Chakrams at Roxas, and also strike him with a multi-hit combo, ending with him summoning a jet of fire from the ground. This attack does heavy damage if Roxas is caught in it. Axel will also leap behind the flames surrounding the arena and jump out without warning, leaving plumes of flame behind him. The player can use the Reaction Command "Burst Edge" to leap out of the way and throw Oblivion at Axel, damaging him. Later in the fight, Axel also covers the floor in magma again. This can be countered the same as before.

Axel can be a difficult opponent, as he attacks rapidly and can catch the player off-guard. However, with proper usage of the Reaction Command and a few Potions, he should be defeated. Roxas's power is greatly increased, so the player can easily cause heavy damage to Axel using Roxas's powerful combos.

The "data replica" Axel that Sora fights is based on this second fight, with Sora fighting him alone in a ring of fire.

Sleights

 * Fire Wall : Axel focuses his power of Fire to create a wall that will close in on the perimeter of the battle field.
 * Firetooth : Axel throws two flaming chakrams at Sora, or creates four flaming chakrams that bounce around the area barbecuing Sora in the process. Only available in the second battle.