Abel (アベル, Aberu?) is the material (real) form of the higher-dimensional existence U-DO (which exists without the concept of an individual, and is defined exclusively in subjective terms by the observer), whose discarnate (imaginary) form is Abel's Ark. He was meant to appear in all three episodes of the series but only appears in two, Episode I and Episode III, he was cut out of Episode II for unexplained reasons despite an actor being cast and lines recorded for him. He first appears in the ending of Episode I, in his brief cameo he is shown playing with blocks while the Elsa is entering Second Miltia's atmosphere.
In Episode III he is revealed to be the pilot of the new Federation weapon Ω Res Novae. He is under the protection of the S.O.C.E. and Juli Mizrahi in particular. He is said to be an anti-social autistic with no real concept of the world around him. He doesn't speak and he does not recognize the speech of others. He pilots Ω Res Novae against KOS-MOS at the Federation's public weapons demonstration and almost goes berserk after defeating her.
When Shion and Allen meet with Dr. Mizrahi after the incident Abel appears before them unannounced, Dr. Mizrahi hands him a crayon and gets him to draw on the floor as a means of communicating. When he finishes he leaves as quickly as he arrived leaving a drawing of Nephilim behind, surprising Shion and Allen. When Shion and the party later break into the Project Zohar testing area to rescue KOS-MOS from being discarded Abel appears before them and leads them to her.
Abel acts in the capacity of the control device for Ω Res Novae, which uses the Zohar as its principal energy source. Yuriev used Abel, to wield the power of Ω Res Novae to use as a weapon against God.
U-DO first assumed Abel's form during the 20XX era of Lost Jerusalem, at the same time as Nephilim disappeared, suggesting some link between the two.
There is a conspicuous relationship between Abel of the Xenosaga universe and another Abel from a previous title developed by Square, Xenogears. Xenosaga's Abel shares Xenogears' Abel's name and likeness (and, by extension, Xenogears' protagonist, Fei Fong Wong), and some speculate that he shares the same role as Xenogears' Abel—the -Contact-. According to the book of Genesis, Abel is the name of one of the offspring of Adam and Eve, the first humans on Earth. In the Japanese version of Episode III, Abel is voiced by Maiko Ito. In the English versino of Episode III, Abel is voiced by Erin Fitzgerald .
Abel's Ark is a star system-sized object that appeared upon the crucifixion of the Messiah on Lost Jerusalem. The Galaxy Federation perceives it to be a giant Gnosis; however, it is actually one of the "eyes of U-DO"; U-DO's observational terminal in this dimension (along with Abel, U-DO's human form). According to the Episode III database, it has the power to change its perceived shape based on circumstances, and it only serves as an observer.
It is the form of Abel's consciousness manifested in real space (similar to the Testaments). The real space and the imaginary space are the two planes of existence interwoven with each other in the Xenosaga universe. Real space is the plane of existence consisting of physical being and flesh, while imaginary space consists of consciousness. As the Ark is from the Imaginary Domain, it does not exist physically. Abel's Ark is the form of Abel's consciousness while Abel is the form of U-Do's physical being. They are referred to as "U-Do's eyes" because U-Do exists outside of the universe (in what's referred to as the "Higher Domain"). Abel's Ark and Abel are the way those within our universe (The "Lower Domain") perceive U-DO's observation.
Originally, Wilhelm orchestrated the Miltian Conflict to force Shion to summon Abel's Ark; however, the power of Shion was not enough, so Wilhelm called on the power of the Albedo and his lust to join U-DO, which caused Abel's Ark to appear in normal space. The Ark then seized the Zohar to better observe the Lower Domain, since the Zohar serves as the doorway between the Domains. However, in order to keep Abel's Ark in this dimension, Wilhelm needed to call on the power of Shion once again; he reconstructed the Miltian Conflict in Shion's subconscious, causing the fear of both young and old Shion to summon the Ark permanently in this dimension; the old Miltian Conflict did not cause enough suffering and disturbance, so Wilhelm needed to amplify the effect. His reason for summoning Abel's Ark was so that he could seal it away with Abel; this would allow him to use Zarathustra without the interference of U-DO ("God") upon human consciousness (this is because U-DO's observation distresses human consciousness, causing it to go out of control.)
Its primary shape resembles a crystalline tree or chandelier. The database claims that the ringed object in the center of its structure is not a planet, but an energy field. In Episode III, once Dimitri Yuriev travels to it, it reshapes into a flattened sword or cross. This secondary form resembles the Eldridge from Xenogears.
The Abyss was a binary pair of massive black holes located near the space that Old Miltia once occupied. In reality, Old Miltia was sucked into the black holes immediately after the Miltian Conflict, due to Joachim Mizrahi's activation of the Original Zohar. In order to reach Old Miltia, the Y-Data was needed to find the path through the Abyss. In Episode II, the U.M.N. gate to Old Miltia is unlocked by Albedo after he retrieves the codes from MOMO's Y-Data. After Old Miltia emerges from the Abyss, the two black holes vanish and do not reappear again.
Episode I's U.M.N. Database makes mention of the fact that the term "Abyss" can also be used to refer to Hell.
A.G.W.S. (Anti-Gnosis Weapon System, pronounced "eggs" or "aggs" for short) mechs are a type of mobile weapon related to A.M.W.S. that are normally stationed onboard starships. Although due to a lack of explanation in Episode II and the disappearance of the model, it seemed that the A.G.W.S. were only the smaller models and that they had fallen into disuse, which is refuted in Episode III. The true distinction between an A.G.W.S. and an A.M.W.S. is that A.G.W.S. are equipped with special equipment to combat Gnosis, while A.M.W.S. are general purpose units which are designed to carry out a number of tasks, although they do appear to be generally much larger in size than A.G.W.S. units. A.G.W.S. were designed to respond quickly to Gnosis attacks, which tend to occur with very little warning. A.G.W.S. are powered by a Transmit Generator which draws energy from the powerplant of the starship the A.G.W.S. is stationed on. The mech uses no physical fuel, nor does it produce its own energy. It is constantly being fed energy by its mothership or home base. Therefore, as long as the A.G.W.S. does not stray from the Transmit Generator's area of influence it can remain operational indefinitely so long as the starship or base is still operating as well.
A.G.W.S come in various forms, which are dictated by their functions. The Federation military's standard issue A.G.W.S. are all fitted with standardized chassis which can be interchanged and customized with armaments and equipment depending the uniqueness of the situation. Military A.G.W.S. are normally built by the enigmatic Hyams Group. Vector Industries' A.G.W.S. are not mass produced and are only available to select buyers. Only certain government Special Ops. units, certain divisions of the military, and wealthy companies or organizations like the Kukai Foundation have access to these models. People like 1st Lieutenant Virgil, Mary and Shelley, and Jr. are seen piloting A.G.W.S. several times over the course of the game. Main character Shion Uzuki and others also have A.G.W.S. available to them in battle but are not seen piloting them in the actual storyline sections of Episode I with the exception of Junior who is shown piloting his first A.G.W.S. unit during his first appearance. A.G.W.S. are not used by the player in Episode II.
In Episode III, some A.G.W.S. have been shown in trailers battling Gnosis in orbit around a planet and guarding space cruisers.
Although A.G.W.S. units are similar to the Gears from Xenogears, they are used in a fashion more similar to summoning Aeons from Final Fantasy X. Certain characters may summon customizable personal A.G.W.S. units which are teleported to their current location which may then be piloted and used as significantly more powerful incarnations of the characters at any point in the game.
Jin Uzuki's A.M.W.S.
A.M.W.S. (Assault Maneuver Weapon System, pronounced "aims") mechs are larger than A.G.W.S. but not as powerful as E.S. units. The major difference between an A.M.W.S. and an E.S. is that the E.S. are equipped with Anima Relics. Two popular A.M.W.S. are the Scutum and Pilum, piloted by Ormus/U-TIC officers Herman and Richard respectively. Another popular A.M.W.S. was a machine piloted by Jin Uzuki during the Miltian Conflict. The green, agile mech closely resembled the gear Heimdal which was piloted by suspiciously familiar Citan Uzuki of Xenogears. Jin's A.M.W.S. was capable of slicing other mechs literally in two with its signature weapon, a massive sword. The unit is abandoned after sustaining heavy damage during a battle with multiple rogue Federation A.M.W.S.s and is not seen again. Some other A.M.W.S. use melee weapons, but many units are equipped with projectile or energy weapons.
A.M.W.S. units are similar to the "Gears" from Xenogears. In Xenogears, "Gears" received energy from the Zohar; however, in Xenosaga, only some A.M.W.S. units appear to use it as their source of power (i.e., chaos's statement in the opening of Episode II: "The U.R.T.Vs were sent in to sever the link between the U-TIC mobile weapons fleet and their source of power, the Zohar."). In Xenosaga Episode I, most of the mechs were merely of the A.G.W.S. variety. In Episode II, many antagonist factions used A.M.W.S. units to counter the E.S. robots piloted by the main characters.
In Episode III, both A.M.W.S. and A.G.W.S. are referred to by the term "mobile weapons"(which is reminiscent of anime such as Gundam). The units can be distinguished because A.M.W.S. are in fact units that are used for general purposes, but are not equipped to fight Gnosis, as they lack Gnosis combat equipment (such as D.S.S.S. sensors to "see" the Gnosis. Furthermore, A.M.W.S. units tend to be significantly larger than A.G.W.S., more on the scale of E.S. units.
Anima Relics, or Vessels of Anima, are mysterious artifacts, shaped like enormous human spines, that were uncovered along with the Zohar during the excavation at Lake Turkana in 20XX AD. They are introduced in Xenosaga Episode II as being primary components of the E.S. series of battle robots, where they heighten the response rate between the E.S. and the pilots. At the start menu of Episode II, E.S. Asher can be seen being assemble and in mid-game Zebulun, technicians assemble various components around the spine shaped Vessel of Anima in an anti-gravity chamber. Technically, a mech becomes an E.S. only when a Vessel of Anima is equipped. Despite their origin and true purpose not being explained, the Anima Relics feature as a prominent symbol throughout Episode II, appearing in the game's logo and in the title 'attract' screen, where one is seen being fused with the E.S. Asher. They are first mentioned in a conversation between U-TIC and Ormus officials Pellegri and Margulis, where we learn the bulk of the known information on the relics.
The actual function of the Vessel of Anima, at least as used within the game, is as a modified power source for mobile weapons of the A.M.W.S. type. While both A.M.W.S. and A.G.W.S. are generally powered by a Transmit Generator which draws power from a local power source, the E.S. units and their associated Anima Relics draw power from the Zohar. Because of this fact, the E.S. are capable of much greater power and speed than an average A.M.W.S. and have the enormous advantage of being able to operate basically anywhere in the known universe, rather than simply within the area of influence of a generator. In Episode III the player has the option to activate the Vessels to enter a stage of decreased energy usage and to employ special attacks. The Anima Relics also have other functions, similar to the Zohar, beyond as a simple power source, although the player does not have the ability to access any such functions.
A related set of Anima Relics also appear in Xenogears and greatly influenced the mechs/Gears, presenting extraordinary strength compared to the average Gear. While A.M.W.S mechs turn into E.S. upon installation, the gears in Xenogears morph into the infamous Omnigears when exposed to the power of Anima.
It is revealed in Episode III that chaos is actually the Anima. The Anima power was divided into twelve relics (the Vessels of Anima) by none other than Mary Magdalene on Lost Jerusalem in ancient times. The Vessels of Anima are referred to as the "body of God" by Pellegri and the "power of God" by the database.
A Vessel of Anima serves as the logo for Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse.
There are also only 12 known Anima Relics. One in each of the 12 E.S. models: E.S. Dinah, Reuben, Dan, Joseph, Judah, Naphtali, Asher, Gad, Issachar, Levi, Zebulun, and Simion
Auto-Techs are automatons used for a variety of tasks. They are considered to be intelligent tools and generally have a nonhuman appearance. Examples include a UTIC attack vessel that infiltrates the Elsa in Episode I and a humanoid combat model used by Mai Magus in Episode III.