Gen (元, Gen?) is a character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games. One of the original 'street fighters', he returned for two games in the Street Fighter Alpha series. His restaurant is also one of the stages in Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix (Pocket Fighter in Japan).
Story
Gen was a master assassin and friend of Chun-Li's father; he briefly trained her in her youth. However, he was forced to kill another assassin in front of the young girl, and blamed himself for what he saw as the violent path her life had taken since then. He swore never to assassinate again, and instead settled down in Hong Kong, opening his Genhanten restaurant and continuing to perfect his fighting skills, using them on Shadaloo punks whenever possible. Gen's assassination style incorporated various Kung fu styles, such as Mantis, Crane, Bear, and Tiger. He has refined his strikes to target an adversary's vital parts to deliver quick, deadly blows. Gen entered the first World Warrior tournament alongside his friend Lee, hoping to find a worthy opponent. Dissatisfied, he returned to Hong Kong. Gen then took on the responsibility of raising Lee's nephews, Yang and Yun Lee, and trained them in martial arts.
Sometime during the tournament, Gen discovered he had developed leukemia and had to withdraw from the tournament. Not wanting to die on a death bed, he started to search for fighters to give him a "deathmatch". The only opponent Gen had ever considered to be truly worthy was Akuma. When the two fought, however, Gen withstood Akuma's most brutal technique, the Shun Goku Satsu, by emptying his own heart and mind. He then struck back with his Zan'ei shadow fist attack, but Akuma was also unaffected. After a grueling match, Akuma was in position to deliver a fatal blow, but left after discovering Gen had leukemia. Disappointed that he did not get his deathmatch, Gen went on a search to find Akuma. Once Gen tracked Akuma down they battled once more, the results of which are unclear, but either he died fighting Akuma or died after the fight, as he has not been in the continuity since.
Abilities
Gen is the only Street Fighter character that can change fighting styles in mid-fight. This gives him access to two different movesets, and knowing which is the best to use in the situation is the key to using him effectively. The Mantis Style focuses more on quick jabs and low-level, repeated damage, while his Crane style is slower but with more damaging, longer-ranged attacks. Overall, Gen excels at comboing moves together and executing 'air juggles' - moves that link together to keep the opponent off the ground.
