Editing Azazel

{{Character
|title = Azazel
|image = <tabber>
Genesis = [[File:Azazel.png|300px]] |-|
Virgin Soul = [[File:AzazelVS.png|300px]] |-|
</tabber>
|-|-||jname = アザゼル
|rname = Azazeru
|aka = The Rag Demon
|status = Alive
|age = 
|gender = Male
|race = [[Demons/Fallen Angels|Demon]] <br> [[Gods/Angels|Angel]] (formerly)
|affiliations = [[Lucifer]]<br>[[El／Mugaro]]
|relatives = 
|occupation = Funeral director (formerly)
|anime debut = [[Episode 2]]<br>[[Virgin Soul Episode 1]]
|manga debut = [[TWIN HEADS Chapter 9]]
|seiyuu = Morita Masakazu
|voice actor = Kent Williams}}
'''Azazel''' (アザゼル, ''Azazeru'') is a fallen angel and is second in command of the chief, [[Lucifer]]. He was tasked with locating [[Amira]] and the [[God Key]].

In [[Shingeki no Bahamut Virgin Soul|Virgin Soul]], he lives in the Royal Capital Anatae and works for the demon funeral home. He is also the '''Rag Demon''', responsible for plotting against the [[Charioce XVII|king]] and killing humans who treated demons inhumanely.

==Appearance==
Azazel is a tall man with pale skin, purple eyes, purple lips and white hair. He generally wears tight black leather clothing. He possesses two sets of black wings: one small pair and one large pair. His right arm is completely black and demonic while his left hand is normal. Two small horns crown his head while a pair of curving horns extend from just above his ears to guard his cheeks and neck. Just under his left eye is a pair of small tattoos resembling tear stains.

He loses both of his curving horns after being attacked with Jeanne d'Arc's [[Maltet]]. Although one the horns is only partially destroyed by the explosion, the rest of it is gone by the beginning of ''Virgin Soul''. He also lacks the chain collar around his neck. His general attire consists of a hat and dark coat.

As the Rag Demon, he hides his identity by wrapping his body in bandage-like cloth and donning a tattered black cloak. His height is 187 cm.

==Personality==
Azazel seems to view himself as a story writer or narrator as over the eons of his existence, he caused numerous events among humanity. It was he who orchestrated the caravan assault that killed [[Barossa Leone|Favaro's father]] and ruined Kaisar's family. He was utterly amused to discover how history was coming back to bite him when the two bounty hunters confronted him in the royal palace, forsaking his mission to capture Amira to play with them some more and see if the story would satiate his twisted appetite.

Ultimately, however, Azazel views humans as nothing more than insects. This disdain is shown to extend to nearly all of his fellow demons as he constantly ridiculed [[Cerberus]] and did not even blink when he discovered [[Pazuzu]] was dead, simply calling his henchman a useless good-for-nothing. The only person he seemed to show any respect for was his boss, [[Lucifer]], and he was utterly outraged to discover [[Belzebuth]] was scheming against him.

In ''Virgin Soul'', his personality has changed drastically. While he still disdains [[humans]], he only targets those who harm demons, as his current goal is to protect and help his people. Later on in episode 7, he changes his stance from targeting slave traders to killing numerous innocent humans (men, women, children alike) in his plan to defeat King Charioce XVII. He is willing to throw himself into deadly situations for the sake of his comrades, and is deeply saddened when faced with their deaths. He accidently saves [[Nina Drango|Nina]] (he mistakingly thought Nina to be Mugaro)  when she is attacked by the knights, despite her failed attempt to capture him just moments before. He also cares greatly for Mugaro, whom he rescued from slavery two years ago.  

==Plot==
===[[Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis]]===
When [[Amira]] steals the [[God Key]], Lucifer orders Azazel to find her and figure out who she is working for, with the assistance of Pazuzu and [[Cerberus]]. They track her down after she boards a ship to [[Helheim]] and Azazel abducts her and Kaisar, keeping them in his flying castle, [[Gregor]], as they head to the demon capital, [[Cocytus]]. Although his subordinates want to kill Kaisar, Azazel keeps him alive for the sake of putting on an "even better show."<ref>[[Episode 4]]</ref> He allows [[Pazuzu]] to torture Amira for answers regarding the God Key while Kaisar begs them to stop. 

When [[Rita]] and Favaro infiltrate Azazel's castle, he offers Kaisar a chance to avenge [[Laurus Lidfard|his father]] and sends him after Favaro. His castle is about to pass through the portal to Cocytus when it's attacked by the [[Orleans Knights]] led by [[Jeanne d'Arc]]. Azazel stops Favaro and the others from escaping and tries to grab Amira, but her protection enchantment activates, emitting a large wave of energy that knocks him away. Upon seeing the magic, Azazel realizes that [[Belzebuth]] is the one behind everything before teleporting to safety.

Now in [[Cocytus]], Azazel tries to meet with Lucifer to warn him about Belzebuth, but his access is denied by [[Martinet]] since he failed his mission. He decides to take the [[God Key]] back and attacks the [[Royal castle|royal castle]], sending Pazuzu and other demons to fight the [[Orleans Knights]] while he infiltrates the palace. There, he reveals to Kaisar and Favaro that he is responsible for killing both of their fathers as part of a game for his own amusement. He stops trying to capture Amira and decides to fight the two bounty hunters instead. Although he outmatches them, the battle ends when Azazel is nearly killed by Jeanne d'Arc.

Injured but still alive, Azazel tries to confront Belzebuth, but is quickly defeated. He is later run over by [[Bacchus's carriage]]. Rita treats his injuries and upon awakening, he is restrained and interrogated. After revealing what he knows, he decides to work with them, mostly out of self-preservation, since the revival of [[Bahamut]] would mean his death as well as everyone else's. After helping Kaisar reach Favaro and killing Belzebuth as pay back, Azazel is later seen using his magic to help hold Bahamut.<ref>[[Episode 12]]</ref>

It is revealed in Favaro and Kaisar's commentary that it is Azazel who rescues Favaro after Bahamut's explosion, though the fallen angel himself didn’t seem to understand why he did it. After that, he departs with [[Lucifer]].

===Interim===
Five years later, [[Cocytus]] falls under attack by [[Onyx Task Force|knights]] led by [[Charioce XVII]]. Three [[Demons/Fallen Angels|demon]] tribes are kidnapped while Cocytus itself is destroyed. 

Azazel chooses to follow the [[humans]] back to [[Anatae]] in hopes of rescuing the kidnapped demons. His departure leaves the remaining demons worried for his survival.

===[[Shingeki no Bahamut Virgin Soul]]===
In the Royal Capital of [[Anatae]], the transportation of a group of enslaved demon children is interrupted when the Rag Demon appears, assassinating the slaver traders and freeing the children. The next day, Azazel and [[El／Mugaro|Mugaro]], two workers from the demon funeral home, come out to the [[arena]] after a battle to take care of the mess. In [[Bacchus's carriage]], Nina looks at the bounty for the Rag Demon and, interested in meeting him, leaves in hopes of catching him.

That night, the Rag Demon rescues a group of female demons before battling the [[Orleans Knights]] again. He literally runs into Nina, who chases him for a while, to his annoyance. When he believes Mugaro to be in danger, he goes to rescue the child, only to realize that he caught a falling Nina. Their close proximity causes Nina to transform into a dragon, and he watches on in shock as she wreaks havoc on the city.

When [[Nina Drango|Nina]] awakens in [[Rita's clinic]], she learns that the Rag Demon, whose real name is Azazel, carried her there. Later that day, she encounters him again, and he shows her the terrible conditions that demons live in. He tells her about Mugaro's situation and of how [[Cocytus]] fell, before asking her to join him. However, his aggressiveness upsets Nina and drives [[Rita]] to punch him.

After two combatants kill each other in a fight, Azazel and Mugaro clean up the mess while [[humans]] angrily throw trash into arena. That night, Azazel breaks into a noble's estate and begins slaughtering everyone. [[Kaisar Lidfard|Kaisar]] intervenes, and Azazel and the two clash over opposing ideals. After threatening Kaisar, Azazel leaves, only to be chased down by the [[Onyx Task Force]]. They manage to defeat him, though he is saved by Mugaro.<ref>[[Virgin Soul Episode 2]]</ref>

Azazel wakes up to find himself, to his own surprise, still alive and in Rita's clinic. He learns it was Mugaro who saved him. By nightfall, Azazel returns to his duty as the "Ragged Demon" and ends up confronting [[Charioce XVII]], the [[Orleans Knights]] and the Onyx Knights all in one go. His rags are torn off and he gets captured. Unbeknownst to him, Mugaro had come and used his power to rescue Azazel mere moments before a golem could crush him. Azazel is pulled violently through the sky towards Mugaro's location, and lands right next to [[Nina Drango|Nina]] who had come to assist Azazel.

When the King demand Azazel's return, Azazel is ordered to hug Nina. A flustered Azazel has no choice but to comply. This triggers Nina's transformation and she goes on a wild rampage as a dragon, defeating all of the knights and [[Golem|Golems]] present. Rita arrives in [[Bacchus's carriage]] to pick them both up and take them to her clinic. By morning, Azazel wakes up and finds Nina lying nearby. Nina tells him about her origins and what triggers her transformation. Realizing that lust is the cause, Azazel offers to make love to her in hopes it would help them gain control of her transformation but this causes Nina to run away in embarrassment.<ref>[[Virgin Soul Episode 4]]</ref>

[[Rita]] returns with Mugaro and accuses Azazel of being a pervert. To Rita's annoyance, Azazel decides to go somewhere and must leave Mugaro behind. Azazel orders Mugaro to stay with Rita. Azazel is then shown visiting a group of demons, reveals to them that he is the "Ragged Demon" and offers them a chance of reclaiming the pride of the demon race. Azazel's plan is to use the Red Dragon in an assault against [[Charioce XVII]] during a parade. He tells the [[Demons/Fallen Angels|demons]] to split into two groups and wait for a signal. 

Azazel then visits Nina to inform her that she must wait by a tower and transform for him without explaining his plan to her.  When the parade begins the next morning, Azazel notices Nina's absence and goes to confront her personally in the streets. He also spots [[El／Mugaro|Mugaro]] wearing in a dress, but he focuses his attention on trying to get Nina to transform. To his horror, Nina is no longer flustered by him, having recently fallen in love with another man.

With this discovery, Azazel realizes he must abort the mission and stop the demons from attacking. Unfortunately for Azazel, his planned assault was anticipated by Charioce and the demons awaiting for Azazel's signal are discovered. Although the demons are aware they stand no chance against the [[Green Stone|power]] wielded by the knights, they are left with no choice but to fight back. By the time Azazel arrives, [[Dante]] and [[Belphegor]] are the only survivors.

The three are surrounded and Azazel opts to act as bait while Dante and Belphegor make a run for it. The [[Onyx Task Force|Onyx Knights]] fire projectiles at Dante anyway, killing the demon and shocking Belphegor, who becomes too petrified to move and gets killed by a [[golem]]. Azazel is horrified by their deaths. Suddenly, Mugaro shows up and activates his power which renders the Onyx Knights unable to move.

Thanks to Mugaro, Azazel is able to confront Charioce XVII head on but [[Kaisar Lidfard|Kaisar]] intervenes. During their fight, the [[Gods/Angels|gods]] show up and kidnap Mugaro. This frees the Onyx Knights of Mugaro's influence and they apprehend Azazel. With Nina nearby, Azazel tries to get her to transform and in doing so, he reveals to the King Nina's identity as the "Red Dragon". Nina tries her best to instigate a transformation but nothing happens, and the Onyx Knights proceed to capture her as well. Kaisar too, who is accused of sympathizing with the enemy, is arrested.

While Nina and Kaisar are taken to the [[labor camp]], Azazel is tortured in a cell in hopes of extracting names of allies he may be working with. [[Charioce XVII]] briefly interrupts the torture session to question Azazel if he ever knew [[Hybrid|what]] Mugaro was. While Charioce is annoyed that Azazel's adoption of Mugaro had prevented him from capturing the boy before the gods did, he now intends to simply kill Mugaro along with the gods. Charioce mentions that by doing so, the former saint [[Jeanne d'Arc]] will cease her praying.<ref>[[Virgin Soul Episode 8]]</ref>

At [[Charioce XVII]]'s behest, Azazel enters the [[arena]] while being announced as the "Ragged Demon". The spectators order for his death while Azazel, with no other choice, is forced to fight other [[Demons/Fallen Angels|demons]] and kill them to survive.<ref>[[Virgin Soul Episode 15]]</ref> At this point, Azazel has lost all purpose in life. Later on, he fights [[Kaisar Lidfard|Kaisar]] and with no reason to live, he offers Kaisar a chance to kill him. Kaisar doesn't and the two are soon rescued by [[Favaro Leone|Favaro]].

Azazel joins Kaisar and Favaro back in the capital city. The trio are reunited with [[Rita]], as well as [[Bacchus]], [[Hamsa]] and Nina. Nina apologizes for being unable to help Azazel back then, before pointing out that [[El／Mugaro|"Mugaro"]] is back but slightly different. Azazel spots him, stares and silently walks right past him.

To Azazel's frustration, [[Nina Drango|Nina]] reveals she can now transform at will because she was taught what it felt like to be loved. An enraged Azazel storms out of the hideout and El decides to follow him into the streets. Azazel returns to the site of [[Dante]] and [[Belphegor]]'s deaths and realizes that his greatest mistake was counting on the red dragon too much. When El apologizes to him for being unable to help Azazel as well, Azazel tells him there is no need and clearly accepts El back, much to El's joy.<ref>[[Virgin Soul Episode 18]]</ref>

Azazel rejoins his allies as they reveal their plot to steal [[Charioce XVII's bracelet]], as it is used to operate [[Dromos]]. When El asks to partake, [[Rita]] assigns him the task of guarding the escape route in case the Onyx Knights show up. Rita assigns Azazel the task of watching over El. Azazel waits with El while Nina participants in a ball at the [[Royal castle|royal castle]] with [[Alessand Visponti]] as her escort. Nina's decision to ruin the plot by dancing with the King himself and refusing to hurt him forces the gang to retreat.

Azazel discovers Alessand running away on his own and offers to take him back to the hideout. On their way there, the trio are intercepted by [[Sofiel]] and [[Jeanne d'Arc|Jeanne]].<ref>[[Virgin Soul Episode 19]]</ref> Sofiel urges El to step away from "the demon" while Jeanne thanks Azazel for taking care of El all this time. When Sofiel informs El that he must return to the [[Vanaheimr]] for his own safety, Azazel sides with Sofiel. When El senses Nina is in danger he flies off, forcing Azazel and Sofiel to chase after him. He and Sofiel discover Nina under attack by the [[Onyx Task Force|Onyx Knights]] and [[Dragon Assassin|a dragon]]. El immobilizes the former while Azazel tries to assist Sofiel in dealing with the latter.

With Favaro and Kaisar alongside them, the group return to their base and discuss discuss [[Dromos]] and its origins. When Sofiel again tells El to come with her back to Heaven, Azazel nods in encouragement and this convinces El that he should indeed go. El opts to have some time to say goodbye to everyone and approaches Azazel last. Azazel is standing alone by a cliff and El embraces him from behind in thanks and tears. Azazel tells El never to forget the name "Mugaro".

Moments later, Azazel learns  that [[El／Mugaro|El]] has been fatally stabbed and witnesses the young boy's death along with everyone else. All but Rita, Jeanne and Sofiel leave [[Rita's clinic|the clinic]] to mourn. Azazel stares at [[El's ocarina]] and suddenly becomes aggressive, eager to know who killed the boy. [[Favaro Leone|Favaro]] says it was Alessand, much to Kaisar's joy. Kaisar's decision to defend his subordinate leads Azazel into a violent argument with him, but both calm down when they notice [[Nina Drango|Nina]] crying nearby.

An enraged [[Jeanne d'Arc|Jeanne]] silently agrees with Azazel that [[Murder of El／Mugaro|El's death]] is the final straw. Jeanne and [[Sofiel]] return to Vanaheimr while Azazel goes to meet [[Lucifer]] to demand the latter's participation in the coming war, soon to be announced by Jeanne herself.<ref>[[Virgin Soul Episode 21]]</ref>

Azazel and Lucifer arrive at [[Charioce XVII vs gods and demons|the battlefield]] with an army of demons. Azazel joins Jeanne in fighting against the [[Onyx Task Force|Onyx Knights]] until their [[Green Stone|green stones]] deplete them of their life force. Deprived of his elite knights, the recently-arrived [[Charioce XVII]] becomes the pair's next target. The two launch the killing blow, but efforts are hindered by [[Kaisar Lidfard|Kaisar]], who defends his King at the cost of his own life. Azazel and Jeanne become dejected over this.<ref>[[Virgin Soul Episode 23]]</ref>

Charioce promises to surrender himself to his enemies if they let him deal with [[Bahamut]], who has also returned. Jeanne and Azazel simply glare at the dragon and neither appear to take part in fighting against Bahamut. Their armies, however, fight to protect [[Anatae]] for reasons unknown.

After Charioce seemingly kills Bahamut with a blast from [[Dromos]], Azazel chooses not to kill the King as he had intended. He is last seen paying a visit to El's grave alongside Jeanne, upon which he places [[El's ocarina|the ocarina]] as a parting gift. [[Nina Drango]] says Azazel has gone somewhere but can't say where exactly.

==Power & Abilities==
Azazel is a formidable opponent with a variety of abilities of his own.
*'''Black Magic''' - He is an expert in black magic, as shown when he easily summoned several skeletons. His preferred method of fighting is to summon ghost-like black snakes to attack his foes. He has shown the ability to turn these snakes into solid weapons such as a black halberd and a black long sword and the ability to infuse the snakes with magical energy to turn them into powerful projectiles which explode on impact.
*'''Flight''' - Azazel possesses a pair of black wings that enable him to fly.
[[File:Azazel's_ability.gif|Azazel's agility|thumb]]
*'''High Endurance''' - Azazel survived being hit by the Maltet and being attacked by Belzebuth moments after. He also survived being run over by [[Bacchus's carriage]].
*'''High Speed''' - Azazel is extremely fast to the point that following his movements isn't easy, especially for normal [[humans]]. Due to his agility, he display the ability to add a "teleport" effect in his rush when he is running or flying.
*'''Super Strength''' - Azazel was able to defeat every demon he fought against at the [[arena]] and clash swords with Kaisar and Charioce XVII, two men renowned for their swordsmanship, even while injured.

==Weaknesses==
Like all beings, Azazel possesses a range of weaknesses.
*'''[[Green Stone]]''' - As with all gods and demons, Azazel cannot defeat those empowered by the green stones and is unable to use his powers while wearing a collar powered by a green stone.
*'''[[Gods/Angels|Archangels]]''' - Azazel was shown to be inferior in power to at least [[Michael|one archangel]] as the [[Maltet]] severely injured him and made it hard for him to walk.

==Equipment==
*'''Blades''' - As the Ragged Demon, Azazel used blades for throwing and slicing enemies.

==Relationships==
*[[Belzebuth]]: Azazel and Belzebuth became bitter enemies when Azazel discovered Belzebuth was scheming behind Lucifer's back. Belzebuth attacked Azazel, rendering the already injured demon in a worse state while Belzebuth was free to approach Lucifer and request the task of retrieving [[Amira]] in Azazel's stead while openly deeming Azazel incompetent. Belzebuth had planned on using [[Bahamut]] for his own gain only to realize belatedly that he could not control the dragon as expected. Gravely injured, Belzebuth was left at the mercy of Azazel, who killed him as payback.
*[[Cerberus]]: Azazel regarded Cerberus as a smelly dog who he did not want around, though he at least trusted the intel she provided through her handpuppets. Their sour relationship often put them at odds with each other and in turn, they caused the other more irritation than not, as seen when Cerberus sided with [[Martinet]] in mocking Azazel. In truth, their close proximity is purely the result of [[Lucifer]] requesting Cerberus to keep an eye on Azazel, a fact Azazel may or may not know.
*[[El／Mugaro|El]]: Azazel rescued El from demon slavers. He subsequently adopted and named the mute child "Mugaro". Azazel came to deeply care for the boy and did his best to keep El safe. When he learned that El was in fact a half-angel and the son of Jeanne, a former enemy, Azazel's affections for El did not waver and he accepted no apologizes from El, embracing him as his companion once more. When El was murdered, Azazel shed tears in mourning and was determined to enact revenge on the man responsible. El's death drove him to lead a demon army into battle against Charioce XVII. Azazel eventually left [[El's ocarina]] on El's grave as a parting gift.
*[[Jeanne d'Arc]]: Jeanne was a knight who fought to defend the [[Royal castle|royal castle]] from Azazel when the demon launched an attack. Jeanne proved to be the only real threat and to Azazel's frustration, Jeanne was able to defeat both him and [[Pazuzu]]. Years later, Azazel adopted and rescued a young boy he named "Mugaro" from slavery and was surprised to learn that Mugaro was Jeanne's son. Jeanne thanked Azazel for protecting Mugaro when the two finally met. They were both devastated when Mugaro was killed and proceeded to gather armies from the angels, demons and humans in order to wage a war with the man responsible, [[Charioce XVII]]. By the war's conclusion, the two paid their tributes to El's grave, their former animosity clearly gone.
*[[Lucifer]]: Azazel is Lucifer's right-hand man. The two are quite different since Lucifer prefers making calm, calculative approaches while Azazel is rash and quick to lash out. Lucifer trusts Azazel enough to assign him the task of locating [[Amira]]. In turn, Azazel openly respects Lucifer and doesn't like the idea of anyone betraying him. Following Mugaro's death, Azazel becomes brave enough to demand Lucifer participate in the coming war, visibly lashing out when Lucifer refused. Azazel's respect for Lucifer continues however, and while Lucifer is still very inactive Azazel doesn't always complain.
*[[Nina Drango]]: Azazel met Nina when the latter tried to capture him for his bounty. Azazel's interest in Nina developed when he learned she could transform into a dragon, but his inability to instigate the transformation himself made her useless to him. As noted by [[Rita]], Azazel was not gentle with Nina though he did not despise the girl, as he did not mind [[El／Mugaro|El]] spending time with her. Azazel was deeply hurt when Nina learned how to control her transformation after he had escaped captivity, and he chose to ignore her from then on.

==Quotes==
{{Quote|I will bring down the humans and take back the pride the demons have lost.|[[Virgin Soul Episode 4]]}}

==Trivia==
* In the Bible, the name 'Azazel' was the name of an evil spirit of the wilderness that was sent a goat laden with the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement (hence the term 'scape-goat').
* Azazel is featured on the ninth cover of [[Shingeki no Bahamut TWIN HEADS]].
* Azazel was intended to die in [[Episode 8]] of Genesis, but was included in later scenes because the crew loved him.
*Azazel is the most popular character in the Shingeki no Bahamut anime series, given he was the only character to rank in the top ten most popular characters in anime magazines.

==References==
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