Sol Badguy

Sol is a muscular man with a light brown complexion. He has brown eyes, which were sometimes depicted as golden or red with slit pupils (often glowing) to distinguish his true nature as a Gear. Sol wears a red headband carved with the words "Rock You," which concealed the glowing brand on his forehead that would expose him as a Gear. It also kept his Gear powers in check and aided in keeping his roughly waist-length dark brown hair tied back. Sol wears a sleeveless solid black undershirt with the top half covered by a red vest or jacket with black trim and golden buckles, as well as white jeans with two belts across either thigh. His large belt buckle has the word "FREE" scratched on it, with a drape of red cloth hanging from it. Sol also wears a pair of black fingerless gloves, red shoes, and a multitude of belts, including at least one on his exposed biceps. He wields the Outrage Mk.II which is also known as the Junkyard Dog MK.3 but he calls it Outrage Mk.II so deal with it. The first Junkyard Dog or the MK.1 is simply a monolithic sheet of steel rebar grid reinforced concrete, with the handle formed from punching out a frame and thinning down the rebar piece enough to grip, while gauze is wrapped for comfort. Formed "saber" style, the Junkyard Dog is a one sided blade, whose edge can be deduced to be tempered by Sol's expertise in fire magic, and whose large tip tapers into a sharp endpoint. Down the middle of the handle's loop is a severe crack, which large rusted chains are punched in diagonally like staples to ensure the Junkyard Dog's continued durability. In one piece of artwork, the Junkyard Dog's name is shown to be neatly engraved in the middle of its edge. The second Junkyard Dog or the MK.2 draws upon the MK.1's overall form and shape, but instead incorporates streamlined and mechanized features, being the combined form of the Fireseal and the Flashing Fang, both being two of the Eight Sacred Treasures weapons of the Outrage. Being more of a makeshift blunt weapon and to be used for its main purpose of firing the Saint Oratorio spell, the MK.2 consists of a large red bodied gun barrel like shaft, with the grip being ergonomically designed for comfort, an aesthetic crack similar to the MK.1's at the handle loop, and both ends bearing a barrel hole, the chamber at the handle being shaped akin to a strike on a zippo lighter and the other end being shaped to a more conventional lighter. Near the handle and to the tapered point of the MK.2 is a revolver bullet chamber, allowing for the loading and unloading of its "ammo". Its "cartridges" require "Ignition" by Sol, then loading onto the weapon. The Junkyard Dog MK.3 borrows a similar but leaner shape from the MK.1, while incorporating the blade shape from the Fireseal and the streamlined form of the MK.2. The MK.3 also consists of the Fireseal and the Flashing Fang, and can also fire the Saint Oratorio spell. This is also present in the Junkyard Dog MK.2. The MK.3 has the ability to open its casing, allowing for the loading and unloading of its "ammo".

In the past, as "Frederick", he seemed to be a simple-yet-aloof scientist, who was content with having only two friends, not bothering to compromise his own integrity to appeal to others around him;[16] however, upon becoming a "monster",[17] his prior unruly traits became much more pronounced.

Sullen and unrefined, Sol only speaks to others when absolutely necessary.[18] Consequently, he is not very good at expressing himself, and tends to compensate by bullying people into line or simply steamrolling them.[19] A lone wolf with a belligerent streak, Sol is actually an extremely intelligent individual who doesn't tolerate nonsense[16][20] and gets "grumpy" whenever he cannot explain something with logic.[21] He is also quite stubborn, never allowing the opinions of others to dissuade him once he has made up his mind. Sol is seen by most people as crude and self-centered, even those who might call him a friend.[19]

Conversely, Sol hates working any harder than he has to, rarely putting much effort into anything[19] that isn't related to his goals, and is often irritated by having to deal with opponents. This laziness is reflected in his fighting style—his moves are unrefined, but powerful so as to finish enemies with a single blow[22]—and extends to how he raised Sin, putting him through the most basic forms of education and rarely explaining concepts in detail.[23]

He may cynically mock Ky's "justice",[24] but Sol is utterly dedicated to averting further tragedy,[25] even as he refuses to acknowledge it,[26][27] and is quite compassionate in contrast to his tough, anti-social persona. He spares the lives of Solaria,[28] Testament[29] and Dizzy,[30] raises Sin at the behest of Ky and Dizzy,[31] swears to save Elphelt,[32] comforts Ramlethal,[33] and even offers a prayer for Justice's soul as she dies.[1]

Pre-Overture, Sol roamed the world alone and kept everyone at a distance. Bearing the guilt of working on the Gear Project,[1] humanity's near extinction,[34] Aria's death,[35] the burden of That Man's betrayal[1] and being a "monster",[26] Sol dedicated himself to eliminating all Gears and to exact his revenge on That Man.[1] However, his clashes with other characters slowly begin to change his outlook, as does reluctantly taking Sin as his ward and hearing their motivations. In Revelator, Sol admits to Ariels that the world where he kept himself distant to others is worth saving, and finally acknowledges that despite what he is and his fear of the future, he is no longer alone in the world as his own actions and others' affect each other within the world; he compares it to a "huge firework he can't miss".[4] In Strive, Sol is shown to be more at ease and friendly with those around him.[9][12]

Despite his often composed demeanor, Sol expresses a nervous attitude whenever his connection to Dizzy is discussed.[26] He is shown feeling embarrassment and is eager to avoid the issue, rather than acknowledge the possibility that he may be Dizzy's father. Background

Sometime in the 20th century,[8] Sol was born as Frederick Bulsara (フレデリック＝バルサラ, Furederikku Barusara?) and was a scientist who specialized in Magic Physics.[13] In his college years, he met Aria Hale, with whom he got romantically involved. That Man was also one of his closest friends. Upon graduation, the three friends found work in the core team of the Gear Project[36] founded by their professor, Vince MacDonell,[37] in the hopes of improving humanity itself.[8] At some point, he proposed to Aria; aware of her own fate, she offered to leave him something to remember her by, and Frederick picked her hat. In 2015, the team managed to stabilize Gear cells infused with magic, and That Man handed over their research to the state.[20] In September 2016,[38] after ten years at each other's side,[39] Frederick learned about Aria's condition, and begged her to cryosleep until a cure was found; Aria refused as she'd rather spend her last moments with him.[38] At the same time, the military infiltrated the project.[40] Convincing Aria to cryosleep,[34] That Man restructured Frederick into a Gear by planting the Flame of Corruption within him, faking his death.[40] Frederick woke up some time later in the midst of an incident,[41] and confronted That Man, who denied ever being his friend and fled with Aria's capsule, seemingly working for the military.[17]

Vowing to get his revenge,[1] Frederick escaped the facility[17] and created his headband to hold his Gear cells at bay.[8] Around 2030 he became a bounty hunter,[25] and crushed many underground organizations in order to find That Man's whereabouts to take his revenge; before long, the underworld began referring to him as the "Badguy".[42] Post-2065,[43] after the government restarted the Gear Project, Frederick made it his personal mission to destroy all Gears.[1] As he was reported dead in 2016 but somehow had survived,[43] Slayer[42] tracked him down to satiate his thirst for knowledge. Frederick's passion that "shone like the sun" illuminated Slayer's path; he thus bestowed upon Frederick the name "Sol".[43] Since then, Frederick adopted both names as his own.[42]

In 2073, Sol caught news of Justice's completion and created the Outrage in response.[5][8] As its power was far too cumbersome to control, he separated it into eight components, the "Sacred Treasures";[44] for unknown reasons, they all ended up in possession of the United Nations and the Sacred Order of Holy Knights. After Justice's declaration of war in 2074 started the Crusades, Sol continued his private war against the Gears. In 2103,[note 1] Sol saved a young Kliff Undersn from a Gear attack. In 2172,[45] Kliff Undersn heard rumors of Sol and spared no means in finding and recruiting him.[6] Sol was then assigned to a battalion under Ky Kiske's command;[46] however, Sol's unruly personality[46] and Ky's refusal to go all-out in their first duel[10] led to a growing tension between the two.[6] This came to a head in 2173 when Ky caught Sol while he was stealing the Fireseal, but Sol defeated him once again[47] and deserted the Order.[6] Although Kliff entrusted Sol with the Sacred Treasure,[47] Ky was left with a score to settle.[6]

In 2175, Sol faced Justice in battle for the second time after Kliff and Ky pushed her to retreat. Justice tried to control Sol after learning that he was a Gear, but he was unaffected and unleashed his flames, defeating her. Ky, who was on her trail, found Justice in a weakened state and ordered his men to seal her, ending the war.[48] Sol then slipped away and went back to his ways as a bounty hunter. In 2180, during a particularly lucrative bounty run, one of his marks begs to be spared, telling Sol about the Second Holy Order Selection Tournament before Sol ends his life.[6] Sensing an ulterior motive behind the tournament, Sol takes it upon himself to unravel the true intentions behind it and competes. Sol becomes its champion,[30] only to learn that Testament has used the blood shed during the matches to free Justice. During the battle, Sol manages to fatally wound Justice. When he reveals himself to be immune to her control due to being a prototype Gear, Justice finally remembers Sol as Frederick. In her dying words, she wishes that "the three of us" could talk one last time,[1] and Sol—unaware of her identity[49]—swears to kill That Man. Around October,[note 2] less than a year after the tournament,[25] Sol hears news of a still-functioning Gear with a high bounty and sets out to investigate.[25] Sol finds Dizzy and overcomes Testament, her guardian. Sol then defeats her, but for some reason chooses to let her live.[30]

In one path, Sol defeats Dizzy but, instead of killing her, says he has made a mistake in thinking she or any Gears had no will to live, and leaves.[29] In another path, he loses once against her which forces him to resort to activating Dragon Install (with infinite Tension and HP regen even) to match her power (both of them are in Gold mode). Losing here results in Sol being soundly defeated but impressed at her will to still live on.[50] In his third path, Sol upon approaching Dizzy has a flashback of one of his encounters with Justice, who fires a Gamma Ray at him in their intro that he's forced to block entirely. Sol realizing that the feeling is the same, snaps back to the present to then have to guard against Dizzy's own Gamma Ray. Upon defeating her and all his other foes with no continues/retries, the ending reveals Raven being ordered to keep an eye on Dizzy by That Man, who realizes that she is yet another reason to be killed by Sol (who on his own later on has put two-and-two together on Dizzy's actual identity). Weeks later, I-No starts wreaking havoc to get Sol's attention, laying a trap[52] to kill him before he gets in That Man's way.[53] Alerted by Axl Low, Sol tracks her down.[54] In one ending, defeating I-No leads to a direct confrontation with That Man; he casually deflects all of Sol's attacks, and warns of a conflict that will make the Crusades seem like a dim memory.[55] In another ending, Slayer informs him that the Post-War Administration Bureau has started to move.[56] In his third ending, Sol knocks Dizzy out of Necro's possession, brought about by I-No's actions. Sol leaves just before Dizzy wakes up; unaware that Sol helped her, Dizzy nevertheless feels "warm" (April thinks her nostalgic dream may be about her father[57]), and Sol silently bids Dizzy farewell from afar as she rejoins the Jellyfish Pirates.[58]

Having stopped I-No's rampage after she decides to encounter him in a long while, Sol decides to investigate and get rid of the P.W.A.B. and crosses paths with Ky, who wants to take care of them on behalf of his own duties. Sol either refuses to leave Ky to his devices and fights with him ("Don't tell me what to do, boy."), telling Ky that he's tired of his tantrums,[24] or acquiesces to continue searching for I-No instead ("Do whatever you want...").[59] After an eventual encounter with Crow and his Justice copy, I-No through usage of a time warp forces Sol to battle his past self, and then she slyly kills his Order-Sol.[24][59] In one ending, Sol is fading away from existence by I-No's trickery even as That Man implores him to live on while Sol as usual rages at him in anguish.[59] In the other, he is returned to the present, and Ky finds him to settle their score once and for all. Sol wins again, and Ky decides he will no longer pursue Sol but makes Sol promise they will meet again before going their separate ways. Years later,[note 3] close to New Year's Eve, Dizzy—accompanied by her son, Sin—asked Sol to help Ky out, who had reached a breaking point due to his appointment as puppet king of the newly-formed United Kingdoms of Illyria. Sol found a deteriorated Ky praying at the church and provoked him. The fight dragged on and Ky was losing as usual, but light returned to his eyes. They fought until a frightened Sin grabbed Sol's leg and demanded him to stop. Ky then asked Sol to take care of Sin, and Sol accepted.[31]

To restrain Sin's restless curiosity as they traveled the world, Sol kept him on a leash and told him not to use his considerable power without a reason. When Sin was one year old, on a visit to Zepp, Sol left Sin alone for a bit to go collect a bounty. He returned to find that Sin had lost control and wounded some bullies, so Sol disciplined him and the bullies. In 2186,[30] at the Village of Witches, Sol and Sin find a bounty poster of Sol, which is Ky's call for help, but they are soon attacked by the Vizuel, whom they are able to repel thanks to Izuna's guidance. He informs them that the Vizuel are destroying Gears, with their focus on the Illyrian capitol.[61] At the capital they meet Valentine, and Sol is shocked by her resemblance to Aria, but she soon leaves to find a "key" after measuring their abilities.[62]

Within the castle, the trio find the guards defeated and Ky caught in a seal, and Raven briefly appears to let Sol know that his master is involved.[63] After another encounter with Valentine, Sin remains behind to protect Ky,[64] while Sol and Izuna go retrieve Dr. Paradigm from Ganymede. Upon learning that Sol was once Frederick, Paradigm agrees to unseal Ky.[65] After retrieving his scores from Underworld Hill,[66] he dispels Ky's seal. Sol immediately asks about Dizzy, but Ky's lack of response makes Sin angry. After he storms out,[67] Ky shows them Dizzy's sealed state to them. Paradigm thus realizes that the "key" Valentine is searching for is Justice's Gear cells, which Sin also carries.[68]

Leaving Dizzy's protection to Ky and Paradigm,[68] Sol and Izuna fight a brainwashed Sin at Bel Canto Valley while Valentine leaves for the gate. After Sin comes to his senses, they follow after Valentine,[69] but the Vizuel stand in their way. Ky leads his men into battle against them so that Sol's group can reach her, and Sol punches Sin to stay with Ky.[70] Sol, Izuna and Paradigm find the gate to the Backyard closed, but it is opened by That Man, whom Sol almost immediately attacks with his Dragon Install. That Man—unharmed—enchants the three so that they can temporarily withstand the Backyard's pressure. The three enter the Backyard and catch up with Valentine. The Cube's key is already in motion, so Sol stops the process while Izuna, Paradigm and the late-arriving Sin hold back Valentine.[72] Once he breaks the key, Sol stays behind to fight Valentine's final form while the others escape and the gate closes. Sol manages to kill her, with the last thing she says being "Frederick".[73] As Sol resigns himself to remain trapped, That Man reappears. He warns Sol this isn't the end of the "merciless apocalypse" and urges him to live on. Sol inquires if Valentine was really Aria, but That Man says they already killed that girl. Weakened, Sol vows to kill That Man, who will wait for him, before he is reunited with the others. To prepare for the second coming of Valentine's forces, Sol decides to build the Junkyard Dog, which requires the Flashing Fang. Sol discovers that the Fang is held under tight security inside Harden Fort.[30] Around July 2187,[note 4] Sol and Sin fight their way into the facility, where they run into Baldias and learn that the governments of the world are actually under the control of the Conclave. After a tremendous battle, Sol is able to defeat Baldias and regain possession of the Fang. In October 22, 2187,[74] Sol and Sin are still in the process of chasing down the other Sacred Treasures[30] when they receive a message from Ky. He tells Sol that Ramlethal Valentine has declared war on the world, and Sol agrees to hunt her down for a W$ 1 million bounty in return. They meet up four days later in Neo New York and fly over to her location. On October 28, they defeat Ramlethal but she is only a distraction: the Cradle activates over Babylon, and she moves in to kill Sol by self-destructing.[74]

Sol survives thanks to Ky releasing Elphelt Valentine, who renders her sister powerless. Sol is about to kill Ramlethal, but Ky suggests that they take her into custody instead.[16][23] Sol is distrustful of Elphelt, telling her to drop the human act,[20] and admonishes Sin for his attempts at befriending the Valentines but Sin rejects Sol's lonely worldview, and Sol second-guesses himself.[38] On November 1,[26] en route to Zepp per Leo Whitefang's suggestion,[21] Ky privately asks Sol if he doesn't care about the world and what will happen once he has taken his revenge. Sol doesn't know, but Ky insists that Sol face the truth—tomorrow always comes—, adding that he, Dizzy and Sin will wait for Sol to "come home".[26] The duo meets with Gabriel and Zato-ONE, who reveals the Conclave wants to resurrect Justice. As per Paradigm's plan, they attempt an ambush on the Cradle, but That Man is imprisoned by Bedman and Sol has to be saved by Elphelt.[76] They learn then from Ramlethal that the Conclave intends to harness St. Elmo's Fire to activate Justice on November 4.[77] During the operation, Sol removes Chronus from inside of Justice.[78] In the aftermath of the Conclave's defeat, an apparently-emotionless Elphelt reveals that she accomplished her true mission—Justice's awakening—and attacks. However, Sol forces Elphelt's true emotions to surface, and she and Justice are abducted. Tired of losing people, Sol swears to save Elphelt.[32]

On November 9, after finding no leads on Elphelt's whereabouts, Raven asks Sol's help—accompanied by Sin and Ramlethal—in catching Jack-O' Valentine. On November 17, they catch her, and Sol finally learns that Aria was Justice all along, but Raven and Jack-O' leave.[49] As a last hunch, Sol asks Axl to find clues of Elphelt's location in the past,[79] but Axl refuses, fearing the effect his power could have on their timeline. On the way back to the capitol, Sol is almost killed by a massive Gear.[80] Upon his return, Sol and Ky reflect upon their past rivalry, as Sol when thinking about sharing his past is rather bewildered at Ky not even being interested in instigating a fight with him like how he often used to. Ky however, states that while he he is indeed interested in the past of "Fredrick", he claims the future of "Sol Badguy" has higher priority as he pours him a drink, acknowledging Sol as a friend who should be put at ease like everyone else under Ky's rule should be. Later, and somewhat drunk, Sol lectures Ramlethal about "what true happiness should be to oneself" and needing to sometimes seize it through overcoming various "walls" by force, then takes her and Sin to Danny Missile.[33]

After a group meeting regarding the Information Flares,[81] Leo orders Sol—treating him as a human, not a god, out of concern—to save the world. Sol again claims he doesn't care about the world, but vows to save Elphelt, and Leo is satisfied at taking his own resolve into account.[27] After Ramlethal is seemingly killed at Scandiva,[82] Sol, Ky, Paradigm and Leo meet with That Man and Jack-O', who explain about Universal Will being Ariels, the Absolute World, and his reasons for converting Sol and Aria. Sol lays bare his guilt over mankind's state and killing Aria, only to be shocked by the revelation that Jack-O' merging with Justice will reconstitute Aria. Ky removes the frustrated Sol from the meeting so the latter can calm himself,[34] and Sol sets aside his grudge to aid in stopping Ariels.[83] Once they locate her thanks to Zappa and Randy, Sol's group leaves Illyria's defense to Dizzy and their allies. During the journey, Sin brings up if Dizzy may somehow be related to Sol, who tries to avoid the subject but Ky pieces it together to both their mutual horror.[11] Upon arrival, Sol, Ky, and Sin hold Ariels at bay while Jack-O' is to receive the Saint Oratorio to fuse with Justice and free Elphelt. Thanks to Raven and Ramlethal's arrival, Sol defeats Ariels after a bit of dialogue exchange on Sol's overall opinion of the world, the people around him and his own place within it having changed throughout, and Jack-O' receives the energy. However, Justice resists the fusion. Daryl then arrives to destroy Justice (and Sol and Jack-O' with her, after transporting everyone else to safety), and Jack-O' remarks that Sol kept his promise as they face death. Fortunately, Axl compresses time to delay Daryl's onslaught, giving Sol and Jack-O' time to complete the merge, and protected by Ariels, who asks Sol look after her daughters before passing out.[4]

In the aftermath, That Man entrusts Aria to Sol while issuing a challenge to settle things between them. Seeing his resolve, Sol accepts while calling him by his real name, Asuka.[4] Sometime later, Sol shows up at Ky and Dizzy's estate to pick a "serious" fight with the former on the notion that Ky always held back in their past battles due to seeing Ky slay multiple Gears with relative ease back then. Yet when it came time for their first duel, Sol was at first truly scared that he was to be destroyed by Ky the same way, yet all they did was cross swords continuously which left Sol aggravated for years to come. Ky insisted that back then, he never saw Sol as a monster to slay and merely as an opponent to overcome in a fair duel as he refuses to follow through with Sol's words. Sol however then provokes him by reminding him of his past as a Gear slayer and calling Dizzy a "monster". Ky, angered enough to use his "dirty" battlefield tactics, utterly defeats Sol. After the match, Sol admits that he wanted to learn how humans can face monsters in preparation for his final showdown with Asuka, with Ky accepting to help him with his cause. Three weeks later,[39] Sol and Jack-O'—from inside whom Aria's consciousness has yet to manifest[84]—are working together as bounty hunters, when Ky summons Sol back to the castle.[39] Upon obtaining from Ky the permit he requested,[9] Ky tells Sol about the U.S. request that he be at the G4 Summit and tries to hire him to catch I-No, but Sol decides to go on vacation with Jack-O' to Iseo first, despite Ariels' warnings. Their journey is cut short when they get a warning from Axl about an incident in L'oro Di Illyria and later, when I-No lets herself be captured by Illyrian soldiers. Suspecting I-No to be working with someone else, they have a highway encounter with Happy Chaos involving Nagoriyuki, Chipp Zanuff and Anji Mito.[85] Sol (rattled by Chaos' ability to harm him) and Jack-O' immediately return to the castle, and Sol and Ky interrogate I-No.[86]

Though the interrogation proves fruitless, Jack-O' privately tells Sol and Ky about I-No's origins and being incomplete. Thinking I-No may be after Asuka's Tome of Origin, Sol decides to take up the G4 offer and travels to the White House. After a short exchange with Asuka via screen,[86] the summit starts, but before Chaos brainwashes the entire security staff and takes everyone hostage. Sol rescues Vernon—the only one with access to Asuka's room—, however,[87] and they contact Gabriel, who connects them to the Pentagon and Illyria War Room. Sol and Vernon then try to escape, but Chaos activates the White House's Tír na nÓg aircraft mode. Alerted by Asuka that Chaos is The Original,[88] Sol and Vernon avoid the guards and Nagoriyuki, who is onboard as well.[89]

Before the White House is shot down for crossing international borders, thanks to Giovanna, Potemkin, Asuka, Leo, Daryl and even Nagoriyuki, Sol and Vernon reach Asuka's room—which serves as an escape pod—to evacuate, and Asuka tricks Chaos into being ejected inside it. The crisis seemingly averted, Asuka says he will use Tír na nÓg to travel to the moon to keep the Tome safe, but will settle his score with Sol beforehand. He then gives Sol a choice: to let him correct his mistake (planting the Flame of Corruption in him), or kill him. Sol chooses to let Asuka remove the seed, restoring his 'humanity'.[90] Yet, unbeknownst to them, a disguised Chaos is still onboard. He gets a hold of the Tome, fused to Asuka, and restores I-No to godhood at his own expense. Despite Asuka's warnings, Sol attacks her with the Outrage anyway, but is knocked unconscious, and she proceeds to grant humanity the powers she has, likely destroying the current world. Ky leaves to stop her, followed by Jack-O', who takes one last look at Sol. After waking up, Sol asks Vernon to bring his zeal stash, and then stops Jack-O' from sacrificing herself to save the world; Sol tells Jack-O' it doesn't matter if Aria doesn't return, but that he won't let Jack-O' go, even if it means the end of the world, for Jack-O' is Aria's "hat". Instead, while Ky and Axl distract I-No, Sol hits her weak point—thanks to Nagoriyuki—with his zeal pod-powered Outrage, seemingly killing her. Although the Outrage takes its toll on his body, Sol survives. Despite his general lazy approach to life, Sol is often noted to be one of the most powerful characters in the series. Given his past as a researcher,[8][13] he is also an advanced practitioner of Magic outside of his Fire spells,[81] being able to grasp the mechanics behind spells extremely quickly.[61][64] An excellent scientist,[42] his intellectual feats regarding magic and engineering include his involvement with the Saint Oratorio spell, and the creation of the Gear Cell Suppressor, the Outrage, and the Firewheel Mk.2. As the Prototype Gear,[1] Sol has been described as a "hybrid of Gear and human cells",[16] and is immune to the control Justice has over other Gears.[1] Like with all Gears, he possesses increased strength and resilience,[92] fast regenerative capabilities,[39][93] and has not aged since his conversion in 2016.[42] As the Flame of Corruption, Sol's Gear cells are pure (i.e. non-replicated),[94] and much stronger than those of an average Gear.[95] He maintains his human form thanks to his suppressor headband, but can use his latent Gear powers via Dragon Install to give himself a massive boost. Dragon Install is a technique in which an individual unleashes their powers as a Gear, and allows for a substantial boost in strength, speed, regeneration, and magic power. To activate the state, Sol removes his Gear Cell Suppressor, unleashing his original power as a Gear, and is likely named after "installing a power of a dragon into himself" (especially since dragons are a high-level Gear and in ode to Sol's fire-based nature). He gains massive power, but loses control of his emotions, so Sol dislikes reckless use of it.[1] Whenever he does so, his body flashes a silhouette, as if to contain an inner beast. In truth, this may be him holding back his transformation. In his Order days, the silhouette had wings and a long tail, which suggests that he learned to repress it almost entirely. However, each time he uses it, the "seed"[1] of the Absolute World[2] inside of Sol accelerates in growth, causing notable changes to his appearance and abilities,[1] and acquiring the Backyard's abilities.[3] By 2186,[4] the Dragon Install started to "encroach",[3] making the transformation much more physical, with Sol's Gear form being dragon-like, with red and brown armored skin, wings and a tail, and being able to wrap his sword entirely in infernal flames.

Sol's weapon of choice is a blunt sword called Fireseal,[6] an instrument[96] which concentrates and amplifies Fire magic—that he often fashions into ground-bound projectiles—, and is able to use as it were an extension of his own body.[97] Along with the Flashing Fang, it is part of the Junkyard Dog, and later the Outrage MK II as of Sol finishing the prototype. Of note is that Sol is officially left-handed.

His fighting style is well-known for being self-taught, without much form and with a huge focus on all-out brawling while wielding his sword in reverse grip. His attacks are often crude in nature, such as headbutts, wide-swinging strikes, slams, fierce punches and kicks, prioritizing practical application of his strength above elegance. Compared to his past self, the present Sol despite overall refining his style and control, arguably has toned down some aspects of his attacks and has become less inclined to put in extra effort. Even then, he's still summed up to someone as one who "hits something until it dies" whenever he gets the chance.