Dan was the hidden parody character who made his first appearance in Street Fighter Alpha. Capcom created him as a humorous send-up of characters from SNK’s Art of Fighting series.
Dan’s appearance and fighting style deliberately echo Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia. His white gi, pink undershirt, short brown hair, exaggerated mannerisms, and weak-looking Gadoken projectile turn those similarities into a joke. In the original Alpha, Dan is a secret opponent rather than part of the immediately visible roster.
The character’s role changed as the series continued. Dan became a fully playable regular fighter in Street Fighter Alpha 2, where his boastful personality and intentionally limited moveset became central to his identity. His trademark “open-handed” attacks and deliberately unimpressive projectile emphasize that he is comic relief, not a conventional powerhouse.
The other choices belong to different parts of the franchise: Sean debuted in Street Fighter III, while Abel and Rufus first appeared much later in Street Fighter IV.