Abel

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

- Abel

Abel (アベル) is a mixed martial artist who first appeared in Street Fighter IV. He is described as a 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 Soulless Ultra Combo.

He believes himself to be a French mercenary, but does not know where he was born. It is established in Street Fighter IV that Abel once worked for a French mercenary group, but knew nothing 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.

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.

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, wearing his hair in pig tails, a top made of bandages, baggy blue pants, and sandals who could be mistaken for a girl.

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.

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 (Akuma), 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..."

Street Fighter X Tekken
Abel appears as a playable character in the non-canon Street Fighter X Tekken, where he searches for Pandora with Guile, hoping to learn more about himself in the process.

During the cutscene before the rival battle with Heihachi and Kuma, Abel notices the pair walking towards them, and immediately takes interest in Kuma. As he and Guile prepares to fight, Abel makes a "deal" with Heihachi, stating that they take Kuma if they win - a proposition neither Guile nor Kuma partucularly approve of. Heihachi agrees, doubting that Abel and Guile would win.

Abel's interest in Kuma stems from nothing more than a simple desire to pet a bear. Heihachi and Kuma mistakenly believe that he plans to eat the latter (which is somewhat of a running joke).

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 says that is some kind of trap. Suddenly Pandora opens, and the flying saucer appears above it, sending alien bears inside the box. Abel comments that aliens are so cute and watches them, and Guile leaves disappointed. Possably because pandora grants wishes and Abel waisted it on Alien bears.

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 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 has plenty of moves to achieve that end.

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 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. According to Guile, the only two men on Earth who can use the Sonic Boom and Flash Kick are himself and Charlie (Note that Seth throws the move with one arm like Charlie, so it is likely that Charlie was assimilated for the Seth program and instead, Abel saw a rouge Seth unit). Abel mentions that the person who saved him told him to stay away from Shadaloo.

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.
 * 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.")
 * In SF4: The Ties That Bind, Abel's gi top is black instead of blue.
 * Abel and Cammy share many similar character traits:
 * 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, whereas Abel remembers him as man from his past, linked with the dissapearance of his adopted father).

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