Guilty Gear Strive brings back fan-favorite A.B.A. as next Season 3 character

Guilty Gear Strive is bringing back an oft-requested character: A.B.A.! The fighting game's developers made the huge reveal before the Arc World Tour 2023 Finals kicked off in earnest. Powered by her Jealous Rage, this character has come back in a huge way and will no doubt be interesting to control. She will be playable soon as a part of the Season 3 Pass.

Though her axe, named Flament Nagel - which is her husband Paracelsus - is now in the shape of a Key, she’s just as violent, powerful, and jealous.

Here’s what we know about A.B.A., and when you can play as her in Guilty Gear Strive.

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A.B.A. to come back as the next Guilty Gear Strive character

Guilty Gear Strive, which will be featured on EVO 2024's main stage, has confirmed that the next character for Season 3 is A.B.A.! The fan favorite has not been playable since Guilty Gear XX Accent Core R. That means she hasn’t been playable since the 2010s. The last release of that game was May 26, 2016, for the Switch, though it launched back in 2012.

What makes A.B.A. special is her ability to enter Jealous Rage in Guilty Gear Strive. This will trigger when certain conditions have been met, but they have not been revealed yet. This will give her significantly improved movement and will also alter the properties of her normals, specials, and Overdrive moves.

Her husband, Paracelsus, is trapped in the form of a magical battle axe, which has now taken the shape of a key. However, Paracelsus appears to have had a change of heart from the bloodthirsty violence from the Crusade era. Her current goal appears to be to find a human body for her spouse. She also wishes to figure out why he changed from an axe to a key.

Season 3 So Far: Johnny, Elphelt, A.B.A. (Image via Arc System Works)

A.B.A. is available in Guilty Gear Strive’s Season 3 battle pass. Her release date is March 26, 2024.

The character will be available for $6.99 as an individual purchase. She can also automatically be unlocked for owners of the Season 3 pass ($24.99).

Several interesting, familiar characters have come back to the game, such as Asuka R# - also known as That Man. Now, A.B.A. joins the cast as well.

There’s also a new battle stage, Fallen Prayer, Engulfed Lives, which offers a gorgeous blue sea, and an eye-catching monument. While a coral reef overgrowth made this place a tourist destination, it has also become a place for people to live and reside.

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The Arc World Finals 2023 will take place at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, from March 21, 2024, to March 23, 2024. Interested parties can view it on the Arcsys Twitch channel.