Abel

"Fighting will help me to remember."

- 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 Judo gi top with white spandex shorts, and blue shin guards and thick grappling gloves. 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 is a strange individual. He usually talks about the "battle field". He fights to try and recover his memory, so most of the cut scenes you see him asking someone a question. If not, usually someone asks him a question, threatening him as well. Of course, having no memory, he gets agitated and simply gets ready for the fight. He is a man of little words simply trying to find himself. His quiet nature is often mistaken for aloofness and emotional detachment, but in truth, 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
Abel was found in an abandoned Shadaloo base 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 and no memories. 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 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).
 * 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 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.


 * Abel does not look old enough to be Remy's father, but one possibility is that Abel looks younger due to the experimentation performed on him by S.I.N.. However, Street Fighter III: Third Strike takes place several years (approximately 5-10 years) after Street Fighter II and IV and could explain their young adult appearances respectively.


 * Abel and Cammy share strikingly similar character traits:

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

They both suffered from amnesia.

They both hate Bison (Cammy hates him because he brainwashed her and turned her to be an assassin, and Abel remembers him as man from his past, linked with 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).
 * 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 girl, wearing her hair in pig tails, a top made of bandages, baggy blue pants, and sandals.

Stage Theme
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