Abel

Overview

This young amnesiac desperately seeks the remnants of Shadaloo. His fighting style is based upon mixed martial arts, and is well-suited to his mercenary background. The style is mostly based on the Russian art of combat sambo, of which Abel wears a similar outfit. He also incorporates a lot of throws from pro wrestling.Thought he may appear to be a bit of a misanthrope at first glance, this is merely a side effect of his earnestness. He has no memories of his past. 
 

History

Abel is a mysterious man who was found in what he presumes to be a destroyed Shadaloo base. He was found by a band of mercenaries, and their leader (possibly Charlie) was kind enough to take Abel on his travels. The man was supposedly going to help Abel regain his memories, but he died before he could provide much help. Abel was then forced to search for the truth on his own, and decided to begin by investigating the S.I.N. organization, something the mercenary leader had told him to avoid at all costs. Obviously, he does everything he can to get to S.I.N.
 
On his journey, he encounters Guile, and sees him doing a Sonic Boom. The mercenary leader who aided Abel was able to do the same move, and Abel inquires as to where Guile learned it. Guile, filled with emotion, fires questions at Abel in a hostile manner. The two then do battle. Because of Guile's response and Abel's story about the mercenary leader, it is highly likely the man was Charlie, Guile's old war buddy. There is some speculation on his relation to Remy from 3rd Strike. The two have much in common and possible links. Both Abel and Remy are from France. Remy's father is said to be a Street Fighter who had disappeared, and Abel has amnesia which could possibly make him Remy's father. Remy also has a Guile mirrored moveset; Abel has many connections with both Charlie and Guile that could possibly link him with Remy.

Playstyle

Abel is a grappler character like Zangief, with his signature command grab; the Tornado Throw, being his easiest way to output damage. Unlike Ryu or Ken, he has no projectile attacks and so must use his Marceaux Roll to close the distance between him and the opponent. The Wheel Kick also helps, as it covers distance, and hits as an overhead. He is said to play like a mix of Fei Long and Zangief, with some Alex and Makoto from 3rd Strike. Abel's unique balance of command throws and potent EX attacks, makes him difficult to fight against. 

To play Abel at a higher level, mindgames with the opponent are vital, as Abel must deceive players though mixups involving his throws, rolls, and crossups. Abel can fool his opponent into making mistakes and punishing them, or making them block incorrectly resulting in more punishment. This however can be a weakness, as people who know Abel's tactics are hard to beat and require innovation and a lot of effort for little reward. He also lacks a good anti-air like a  Shoryuken, and must either use his crouching fierce punch, dodge, or even a well timed super.

Some of Abel's unique tactics include his ultra (Soulless) that goes through projectiles, EX Tornado Throw is hit invulnerable while the normal Tornado Throw is throw invulnerable. You can also Tornado throw after a roll. His medium kick is good for crossups, and crouching light kick is a good poke.  
 
Here is a good combo video showing the basics:  

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sWHPmcv7eU  

This video shows some more advanced tactics:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLgzOeZxA3o 

  
  
 

Special Moves

   (Distance/Recovery Time Depends on Strength of Attack)

Change of Direction: Quarter-Circle Forward Punch ____ ____. 
A rekka attack, the first hit is always the same, but the last two either hit high (punch) or hit low (kick) depending which attack you choose. Can be cancelled into super, FADC into Cr. FP.

Wheel Kick: Quarter-Circle Back Kick.
An overhead kick similar to Sean’s from SF:III 3s, is good for applying pressure and surprising your opponent. 

Marseilles Roll: Quarter-Circle Forward Kick.
A teleport move, not invulnerable to throws, good for advancing under fireballs and then ending with a Tornado Throw.

Falling Sky: Forward, Down, Down-Forward Punch
A low priority anti-air, mainly used as a combo ender after Cr. FP. 
 
Dashing under people who neutral jump (jumping straight up) next to you to land an overhead like Ryu or Ken and then executing this will usually land this move, but, characters like Chun li or Fei Long, who's jump kicks land on both sides make this move useful on a character by character basis.

Tornado Throw: Half-Circle Back Punch.
Abel’s main way to output damage, is invulnerable to throws, and has a very fast start-up time. Fierce does the most damage but least range, jab has the most range, least damage. Long recovery time.

Forward Kick: Forward, Medium Kick.
Useful if you can get the 1-frame link into S. FP down, which can be canceled into Fierce COD.

EX Moves

Change of Direction: Quarter-Circle Forward Punch x2.
1 piece of EX armor. 

Marseille Roll: Quarter-Circle Forward Kick x2.
More range, more hit invulnerability on start-up.

Falling Sky: Forward, Down, Down-Forward, Punch x2.
More range, faster start-up and less recovery. Less damage than fierce.

Tornado Throw: Half-Circle Back Punch x2. 
Hit invulnerable, less damage than fierce.  Can be used to surprise opponents who try to do low sweeps next to Abel as the sweep is negated and Abel grabs them upon standing back up from the sweep.
 
 Wheel Kick: Quarter-Circle Back Kick x2.
Hits Twice if done up close, goes through fireballs.
 

SUPER Combo

 
Heartless: Quarter-Circle Forward, Quarter-Circle Forward Punch.
Abel dashes towards his opponent and pushes them right to the edge of the screen, hits them with a forray of punches and then slams them to the ground. Easy to escape from unless used in a combo. Probably worth saving the Super Bar for EX Attacks instead. 
 
 If the command is ended with a Jab, it grants hit immunity, thus being capable of becoming a anti-air move on characters who want to try to jump kick in on Abel's weak AA and surprising them in turn. Ending it with a Strong Punch makes it throw immune, while ending it with a Fierce Punch makes it pass through projectiles, good on characters like Ryu, Ken, Akuma who try to fire off up close for example.

ULTRA Combos

 
Ultra 1 - Soulless: Quarter-Circle Forward, Quarter-Circle Forward Punch x3.
He lunges forward, punching the enemy in the stomach (armor breaking), lays the opponent out with multiple hits then proceeds to spin his opponent and slam them hard on the floor. This Ultra does big damage and if timed right will go around fireballs. It can also be used in combos, either after a Focus Attack or after an Elbow Launcher (Crouching Hard Punch).

Ultra 2 - Breathless: Quarter-Circle Forward, Quarter-Circle Forward Kick x3.
In this Ultra Abel pounces forward and grabs the opponent (can't be blocked, only countered or jumped away from), spinning them around and then throwing them at the ground. The start of this ultra can be delayed by holding down the 3 kicks and letting go when desired to bait the opponent to move too early, it can even be canceled entirely if you decide to abort the Ultra. It also has 1 hit of Super Armor which means it has the same properties as a focus attack. This move does slightly less damage then Ultra 1.
 

Alternate Costumes

Abel's alternate costume from Street Fighter 4:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Abel's alternate costume from Super Street Fighter 4: