| “ | It seems different than a battlefield. I like it. | „ |
| ~ Abel |
Abel(アベル, Aberu), aka "a man with no past", is a supporting character in Street Fighter series who initially debuted in Street Fighter IV. He is a French amnesiac mixed martial artist as well as a failed replacement body for M. Bison.
He is voiced by Kenji Takahashi in Japanese and by E. Jason Liebrecht in English.
History[]
Background[]
Born in an unknown place, Abel is a genetically engineered replacement body for 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 M. 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.
Street Fighter Alpha 3[]
In 1989, Abel was found in an abandoned Shadaloo base suffering from amnesia and raised and trained by a mysterious soldier who is implied to be Charlie Nash. Abel claims that the man who found him died recently, and Abel feels that he has had no family.
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 kurtka. As Chun-Li, Guile, and Cammy discuss previous events, Chun-Li spots Abel and nearly mistakes him for the recently defeated Seth.
Story[]
Taking place from Alpha 3 five years later after Abel finds 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 Nash, 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.
Street Fighter V[]
In Rashid's character story, the aforementioned fighter is seen messaging multiple individuals through social media; one of these individuals is Abel, who states that he found former Shadoloo king Sagat deep in the mountains.
He makes an appearance in Guile's character story. He is confronted and nearly killed by F.A.N.G but is saved by Guile. F.A.N.G is responsible for injuring Abel, which stops him from being able to fight for most of the prologue. He later teams up with Guile to investigate the abandoned S.I.N laboratory where they meet Juri who taunts them before escaping. He and Guile discover Shadaloo's next plan, Operation C.H.A.I.N.S., before the lab crumbles. Back in China, Abel expresses gratitude for Guile rescuing him. Suddenly Vega ambushes them. Guile manages to fend off Vega, who warns them about the stage of death before he escapes. Guile explains to Abel the battlefield and the will to survive being the reasons that they will win against Shadaloo in the end.
A Shadow Falls[]
In the main story, Abel is taking undercover as one of the Shadaloo's foot soldiers as he aids Chun-Li and Karin during the first infiltration of the Shadaloo base. Therefore, when F.A.N.G. successfully made a back up for their plans as well as the activation of its Psycho Powers, including the Dolls, Abel is also losing control of himself, due to his body being influenced from Bison's Psycho Powers. He turns on both Chun-Li and Karin, chasing them in a rage. Upon escaping, Abel is soon knocked down by Zangief, who unleashes his signature Spinning Pile Driver to take him to safety.
As the fighters regroup in the Kanzuki Estate, Abel awakens while losing control, due to the influence of Psycho Power, while both Guile and Charlie tried to hold him off. Charlie manages to absorb the Psycho Powers controlling Abel with his new abilities. Finally drained of his berserk state, he thanks Charlie for freeing him and stays at the Kanzuki Estate to recover, not being seen again for the remainder of the story.
Appearance[]
Abel is a very well built individual who bears a strong look-alike resemblance with Seth. This is due to the fact that the two were originally meant to be one of M. Bison's many spare bodies. What makes him different to Seth is that due to his success, Abel was either made to look human or because he was a "mold" for all male dolls, where as Seth has grey skin and black/glowing eyes.
He towers over many of the other characters, having similar bulk to Alex. He wears a blue kurtka (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 Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind, Abel's kurtka is black instead of blue.
In Street Fighter V, during Guile's character story, Abel wore a blue Shadaloo uniform under disguise. After getting injured by F.A.N.G, and the events of A Shadow Falls, he wears a casual outfit; a blue short sleeved collared shirt, white trousers and blue slippers. He has bandages on his left arm, face, and forehead.
Fighting Style[]
Abel has a very aggressive fighting style, and uses Combat Sambo (Russian Judo with military elements) and various MMA styles mixed with Judo, according to the Street Fighter IV Strategy Guide. This means that most of his punches consist of open palm strikes, a rising elbow strike (down-forward heavy punch) and uses a fair few kicks.
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, something he proudly shares to cat lover Yang, a fascination to bears, as seen in Street Fighter X Tekken, and is a big fan of Fei Long.
Trivia[]
- It is implied in the Street Fighter IV games that the soldier who saved Abel was Charlie himself, he is only seen by his silhouette (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 indeed 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.
- 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.
- Although Abel is one of the characters to be mistaken for Ken Masters by Rufus, he is the only person to specifically reply to Rufus in his win quote ("I'm not Ken Masters. Until today, I've never been told I even look like him.").
- Dudley shares Abel's intro quote in Super Street Fighter IV.
- Abel's design had gone through a complete overhaul before SFIV's release. As explained by SFIV battle planner Taisaku Okada, Abel was originally meant to be a small young boy and judo fighter who wore his hair in pig tails, a top made of bandages, baggy blue pants and sandals, because of this original design Abel looked like he "could be mistaken for a girl".
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