Abel

"You've got good skills, but you have some growing to do before going pro."

- Abel

"Well, then. Let's begin. (さあ 始めようか)"

- Abel (Street Fighter IV series)

Abel (アベル) is a mixed martial artist in the Street Fighter series who first appeared in Street Fighter IV. He is described as an amnesiac, a "man with no past" looking to defeat surviving members of Shadaloo.

It is established in Street Fighter IV that Abel once worked for a French mercenary group, but knew nothing else of his past. Abel is a fan of Fei Long because of his movies, and also recognises Zangief, most likely from watching wrestling.

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 gloves, alluding to his MMA appearance. 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.

In SFIV: The Ties That Bind, Abel's gi top is black instead of blue.

Concept
Interestingly, Abel's design had gone through a complete overhaul before the game's release. Abel was originally meant to be a small boy and judo fighter who could be mistaken for a girl, wearing his hair in pig tails, a top made of bandages, baggy blue pants, and sandals.

It is highly implied that Russian mixed martial arts expert Fedor Emelianenko was the inspiration for the character; the fighting style reflects that inspiration, and in fact his main blue outfit is an exact replica of the gi and gloves Fedor used to wear; the only exception is that his Russian flag on his gi is inverted and misordered in color to look exactly like the French flag.

Also of note is that his hairstyle and fighting style resembles traditional wrestling and more contemporary MMA techniques, particularly MMA fighter Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko.

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 bears as seen in Street Fighter X Tekken), and is a big fan of Fei Long.

Street Fighter IV series
According to the official UK 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 ". His status as a spare body is hinted at by several elements in the games, including his Soulless Ultra Combo.

Abel was the first person to be chosen by Bison to be converted into a doll. Unlike other dolls which are marked by number, this successful one was named "Abel", and would later influence the naming of another of the spare bodies. Based on UDON's Street Fighter IV comic, after Bison's doll No. 15 lost his battle with Akuma, his head was kicked hard, resulting in the software installed by Bison being destroyed and No. 15 becoming free; he then named himself Seth.

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.

UDON comics
Abel appeared in UDON's Street Fighter IV comic which focus on the game's newcomers (himself included).

Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind
Abel makes a brief appearance during the conclusion of the animated movie, where he wears a black top instead of his usual blue gi. As Chun-Li, Guile, and Cammy discuss previous events, Chun-Li spots Abel and nearly mistakes him for the recently defeated Seth.

Street Fighter X Tekken
Abel appeared as a playable character in Street Fighter X Tekken, where he searches for Pandora, hoping to learn more about himself in the process. He joins up with Guile, who is under orders to secure Pandora as well. Guile allows Abel to come with him as long as he does not jeopardize the misson - something Abel almost does on multiple occasions.

During the cutscene before the rival battle with Heihachi and Kuma, Abel notices the pair walking towards them, and immediately takes interest in the bear. As he and Guile prepares to fight, Abel makes a "deal" with Heihachi, stating that they will take Kuma if they win - a proposition neither Guile nor Kuma particularly approve of. Heihachi agrees, doubting that Abel and Guile would win; both he and Kuma believed Abel intended to eat the latter (which is a running joke throughout the game), when in reality Abel simply wanted to pet him.

In their ending, Guile and Abel finally find Pandora and believe that they have hit another dead end. Abel is amused by the light from the box and tries to open it, but Guile stops him, believing it to be some kind of trap. Suddenly, Pandora opens, and a flying saucer appears above it, from which several alien bears appear and teleport inside the box. As Abel watches the aliens, Guile simply leaves in disappointment, planning to return to the U.S.

After the credits, Abel plans to embark on another journey, and seeks to enlist the help of the now-world famous Guile - who, ironically, has sworn off working with partners as a result of Abel's actions.

Gameplay/Fighting style
Abel has a very aggressive fighting style, and uses Combat Sambo (Russian wrestling with military elements) and various MMA styles mixed with Judo, according to the Street Fighter IV Strategy Guide. Abel is mainly a grappler, and many of his moves either chain into a throw or set a foe up for one; several moves also take advantage of the foe's direction. 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 airborne foes, getting very close in the process. Abel is a strong character who needs to get close to finish a fight, and has plenty of moves to achieve that end.

Because he has great combo potential, several grabs and lacks a projectile, Abel is generally played as a mixup-based character. He is also equipped with a good variety of crossups and overheads, an anti-air grab and a command grab; this makes Abel great for keeping opponents guessing, and punishing their mistakes.

Quotes
See Abel/Quotes.

Trivia

 * It is implied in the Street Fighter IV games that the soldier who saved Abel was Charlie himself. He is only seen in shadow (possibly a call back to his identity of Shadow in Marvel vs. Capcom). According to Guile, the only two men on Earth who can use the Sonic Boom and Flash Kick are himself and Charlie (though it must be noted that Seth throws the move with one arm like Charlie). Abel mentions that the person who saved him told him to stay away from Shadaloo. An official Capcom character relations chart confirms that Charlie was the one who rescued Abel from Shadaloo, providing hard evidence of his survival. Abel's biography page in the Street Fighter: World Warrior Encyclopedia (hardcover version) backs up this evidence as well.


 * 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 and face resemble that of actor Jean-Claude Van Damme who has also been known to wear a wrestling singlet in his films. Van Damme himself did portray Colonel William F. Guile in the 1994 Street Fighter film.


 * Abel shares his name with a character from the early 3D fighting game series Battle Arena Toshinden. Coincidentally, both characters have evil counterparts that serve as major villains; the Abel of Street Fighter is connected with his progenitor, Seth, while the Abel of Toshinden faces a villain by the name of Veil.


 * His first Ultra Combo bears a resemblance to Marvel Comics character Captain America's Final Justice Hyper Combo.


 * 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 IV pronounces Abel's name correctly using the long "a" sound.


 * Abel and Cammy share many similar character traits:
 * Their past is linked with Shadaloo (as "replacement bodies" for M. 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 M. Bison: Cammy hates him because he brainwashed her and turned her to be an assassin; Abel, on the other hand, remembers him as the man from his past, linked with the disappearance of his adoptive father.
 * They both are blond-haired European born/representative fighters: Abel is possibly from France, while Cammy hails from England.


 * Although Abel is one of the characters to be mistaken for Ken Masters by Rufus, he is the only person to reply in his win quote. ("I'm not Ken Masters. Until today, I've never been told I even look like him.")


 * Dudley borrows Abel's intro quote in Super Street Fighter IV.

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