30 years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #19

The greatest heroes in Street Fighter are only be as good as the villains allow them to be. If we're celebrating the most influential fighting game series of the past 30 years we have to celebrate the bad guys as well. Adon is a fantastic character and somebody that I just love to hate. In the story of Street Fighter Adon is a master of muay thai. He is the understudy of Sagat and possibly the best pure muay thai specialist in the universe. Adon has an arsenal of kicks, elbows and knee attacks known as the Jaguar strikes. His mentor Sagat named his most powerful moves after the tiger. When Ryu defeated Sagat to become the strongest fighter in the world it signaled to Adon that his time had come. The tiger had lost his teeth and the era of the jaguar was just beginning. 

Adon is lean and muscular. His moves are flashy and his personality absolutely shines in every animation. When he beats an opponent he drops to his knees in celebration of how awesome he is. Adon is a very arrogant character. He has a wide smile and a face that's just begging to be punched. I mean, just look at it! Of course just because he's arrogant doesn't mean he's not dangerous. Do not confuse Adon for a joke character like Dan Hibiki. Dan thinks he is a greater fighter than he actually is. This mentality usually means he gets beat up in the canon of the universe. Adon doesn't just boast about his ability in the game and various comics and manga, he backs it up with lethal precision. In all of Thailand he is second only to Sagat in the rankings. As far as muay thai and the Street Fighter universe is concerned he is the second most dangerous fighter in the world. Adon is way above any other muay thai fighter, or most fighters in general, he is at the elite level. His power and speed are so amazing that he can take on fighters two or three times bigger than he is.

Adon doesn't have the size or strength of his mentor but what he lacks in raw power he makes up for in precision. Adon is quick on his feet and can trade kicks faster than most people can punch. Also as the young master Adon has room to grow and become more dangerous with age and experience. The idea of the young surpassing the old has been an important part of the Street Fighter mythos. Adon reminds us of that lesson. He also serves to remind us that not every character in the universe is humble or good. Some people are happy causing pain and suffering to their opponents. Adon is this type of villain. In the next entry we will look at a character that actually played both sides of the fence. As always if you enjoyed this blog and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!