Abel

"I'm sorry, but there are things I must do."

- Abel

Abel (アベル) is a French mixed martial artist who first appeared in Street Fighter IV. He is described as amnesiac, a "man with no past" looking to defeat surviving members of Shadaloo. Later in the game, it is revealed that he is the same as Seth which explains the changes in eye color Abel experiences when he does his Ultra Combo.

Appearance
Abel is a very well built individual. He towers over many of the other characters, being almost on par with Zangief in terms of bulk. He wears a blue Sambo Gi top with white spandex shorts, blue shin guards and thick grappling gloves. This gives him the distinct appearace of a Sambo practitioner. He has blue eyes and sports a Faux Hawk, and is covered in scars from head to toe; most likely from being experimented on or from being damaged in the wreckage he was found in.

Personality
Abel has a quiet nature that is often mistaken for aloofness and emotional detachment. In truth, however, Abel is a kind and compassionate man, though his amnesia has caused him to develop a tough outer persona. By the time of Super Street Fighter IV, though he remains somewhat aloof, Abel has become more sociable and friendly to his allies, thanking Chun-Li, and giving El Fuerte chocolate. He also shows a soft spot for puppies and seems to be a fan of Fei-Long.

Super Street Fighter IV
According to the official website, Abel is "actually nothing more than a genetically engineered replacement body created for use by M. Bison. He was to be disposed of with the other failed creations, but he alone managed to survive and escape".

Abel was found in an abandoned Shadaloo base suffering from amnesia and raised by a mysterious soldier. Abel claims that the man who found him died recently, and Abel feels that he has had no family. After finding a stray puppy and taking him in, he starts a journey of discovery to find who he really was and where he came from, after which he says he will be able to name the dog. He first goes to the detective, Chun-Li, who is investigating Shadaloo. Upon hearing his connection to Shadaloo, she recommends that he participate in the S.I.N. Tournament to learn more about his past.

During the course of the tournament, he comes across Guile, who is able to use the moves the soldier he was nursed back to health by had used. When Abel recognizes Guile's techniques, Guile realizes that Abel must have known Charlie, and immediately starts pressing him for answers. Abel refuses to reveal secrets to someone he's never met before and their fight escalates. Guile then learns that the man who saved Abel could use the Sonic Boom, and tells Abel that it must have been Charlie. Abel also encounters Fei Long at some point, and the movie star is impressed with the mercenary's ability. Abel eventually arrives at S.I.N. headquarters around the same time as Guile and Chun-Li. As Guile races to rescue Chun-Li from Vega's trap, Seth (or one of the 26 copies of Seth) stops Guile in his tracks. Abel tackles Seth, allowing Guile to reach Chun-Li before she dies. Abel is surprised to find that he and Seth look identical. Abel is called "imperfect" as Bison appears from behind and destroys "Seth". Bison allows Abel to leave unharmed for unknown reasons. Abel is later seen looking at the ruined S.I.N. base with Guile and an unconscious Chun-Li.

After the tournament, Abel informs Chun-Li that he's going to go on another journey to find more answers. He also goes to Fei Long, warning him of the dangers he may face from S.I.N. and offering to help.

Abel was the first person to be chosen by Bison to be converted into a doll (Seth - alike). Unlike other dolls which are marked by number, this successful one was named "Abel". Based on Udon's Street Fighter 4 comic, after Bison's doll No.15 lost his battle with Gouki, his head was kicked hard, resulting in the software installed by Bison being destroyed and No.15 becoming free. He named himself Seth. "The first incubator to have a name was my brother, Abel. A character in a book I read with that name had a younger brother, his name would be an appropriate one. From this moment I'm no longer 15, I am SETH".

Fighting style
Abel has a very aggressive fighting style. He's mainly a grappler, and many of his moves either chain into a throw or set a foe up for one. Since he moves rather slowly, one would assume he would have a difficult time getting close enough to throw an opponent; however, most of his techniques get him either behind an enemy or right in their face. Abel is also capable of grounding enemies that like spending time jumping around, getting very close in the process. Abel is a strong character who needs to get close to finish a fight, and he's very good at doing it.

Abel uses Combat Sambo (Russian wrestling with military elements), and various MMA styles mixed with Judo according to the Street Fighter IV Strategy Guide. It is also highly implicated that Fedor Emelianenko was the inspiration for the character; the fighting style reflects that inspiration.

Gameplay
Because he has great combo potential, and lacks a projectile Abel is generally played as a rushdown based character. He is also equipped with a good variety of crossups and overheads, an AA grab and a command grab, this makes Abel great for keeping your opponents guessing, and punishing their mistakes.

Theories

 * It is implied that the soldier who cared for Abel was either entrusted with him by Charlie or is Charlie himself. He is only seen in shadow (possibly a call back to his identity of Shadow in Marvel vs. Capcom). However, this soldier's hair is much shorter than Charlie's signature style (but of course, hair can be cut). The major clues are that this soldier is very familiar with Shadaloo and that he knows how to perform Guile's moves. According to Guile, the only two men on Earth who can use the Sonic Boom and Flash Kick are himself and Charlie (although Seth is able to use Sonic Boom as well, so Abel might have seen Seth performing it and not Charlie). Abel mentions that the person who saved him told him to stay away from Shadaloo.
 * It is likely that Abel is either a failed version of Seth, or Abel is the original human that Seth and the 25 other copies were based on.
 * In Remy's Third Strike ending, Remy mentions that he must "forget everything" to be happy, for it was the darkness of being a "warrior" that caused his father to disappear and abandon Remy and his sister. The theory is that Remy's father may be Abel. Both Abel and Remy are associated with France and Remy's one handed Sonic Booms are very similar to Charlie's (who is rumored to be the man who rescued Abel thus, possibly Abel's children as well). In Abel's rival encounter, Abel mentions that he recognizes Guile's Sonic Boom leading to speculation that he may have spent time with Charlie. During that time, Charlie may have taught Abel's then-young son, Remy, how to do Sonic Boom and Flash Kick. If Abel witnessed Remy's training before his amnesia then, it's possible that Seth, a possible a clone of Abel, has learned to use Sonic Boom from his memories; Seth performs the Sonic Boom in the same "chopping" manner as Remy.
 * The theory that Abel may be Remy's father may not be a plausible theory, considering Abel's main motivation in Street Fighter IV is because he "has no family." This may be due to Abel's amnesia but it may also prove to be a stated fact.
 * Judging by the appearances of young Street Fighter III characters in IV, Street Fighter IV takes place only a few years before III, and as they are both portrayed as young adults Abel does not look old enough to be Remy's father. One possibility is that Abel looks younger due to the experimentation performed on him by S.I.N.
 * Due to him talking about the battlefield, he might have a military background.
 * It is known Abel is a mercenary. This means Shadaloo could have hired him for experiments but in the process he lost his memory.
 * Abel and Cammy share strikingly similar character traits:

They both share a soft spot for stray house pets; Abel enjoys dogs while Cammy prefers cats.
 * Their past is linked with Shadaloo (as "replacement bodies" for Bison and Shadaloo experiment objects).


 * They both suffered from amnesia.


 * They both hate Bison (Cammy hates him because he brainwashed her and turned her to be an assassin, whereas Abel remembers him as man from his past, linked with the disappearing of his adopted father).

Trivia

 * Several comparisons have been drawn between Abel and professional wrestler Rob Van Dam, due in part to Abel's alternate attire (a wrestling singlet adorned with the French flag and wrestling boots), highly athletic wrestling style and wheel kicks. Abel's voice acting resembles that of actor Jean-Claude Van Damme who has also been known to wear a wrestling singlet in his films.
 * While performing his Ultra Combo (Soulless) Abel's eyes change to ones with white iris and black sclera, however that doesn't seem to happen with his second Ultra Combo (Breathless). Also, his first Ultra Combo bears an uncanny resemblance to Captain America's Final Justice. Both combos have the characters dashing at their opponents, landing a single hit that stuns them, followed by a flurry of punches and kicks, the opponent being thrown into the air, getting air grabbed and smashed into the ground. Even more so, both Combos have the exact same number of hits (10).
 * Abel is one of the 19 characters in Street Fighter IV to not have second rivals in Super Street Fighter IV, despite having a ultra combo video to include his second rival (Juri).
 * In the original Street Fighter IV, Abel's name is mispronounced by the announcer upon winning a versus match and an online match, using the short "a" sound instead of the long "a' sound. The announcer in Super Street Fighter 4 pronounces Abel's name correctly using the long "a" sound.
 * Although Abel is one of the characters to be mistaken for Ken by Rufus, he is the only person who claims he is not Ken Masters in his win quote. ("I'm not Ken Masters. Until today, I've never been told I even look like him.")
 * Interestingly, Abel's design had gone through a complete overhaul before the game's release. Abel was originally meant to be a small boy, wearing his hair in pig tails, a top made of bandages, baggy blue pants, and sandals who could be mistaken for a girl.
 * In SF4: The Ties That Bind, Abel's gi top is black instead of blue.
 * Abel is a mercenary. This is proven in two of his win quotes, "We mercenaries pick up lots of useful skills in training." and "You're strong! You'd make quite the mercenary."

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