Elena (Street Fighter)
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character in the Street Fighter series. She first appeared in the arcade game
Street Fighter III: New Generation, and appeared in several revisions of it, including Street Fighter III
, Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
, and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
. She is a member of a small tribe from the Africa
n Savannah
and is an expert in the fighting style of capoeira
which entails only the use of one's legs to fight. She aspires to study abroad. While she was rumoured to appear in Super Street Fighter IV
, it turned out to be false; it was later confirmed that she "barely missed the cut" for inclusion.
Her appearance in Street Fighter III was met with generally positive reception, and was also a popular choice for inclusion in Super Street Fighter IV from sources such as GamesRadar
and Gamasutra
.
n Savannah
. Her father, the patriarch of the tribe, has a doctorate from a French university. Elena was raised in the vast nature of Africa and she aspires to study abroad like her father did before her. Her fighting style is capoeira
and she fights using only her legs. In her ending, Elena ends up being transferred to a high school in Japan as an exchange student, where she has befriended a young Japanese girl named and writes home to her parents about her experiences. Her story does not change much in 2nd Impact, although Elena has an additional role as one of Hugo's potential partners in one of his multiple endings as "Elena the Wilderness Warrior", becoming the tag team of "Beauty and the Beast". In 3rd Strike, a year has passed since Elena has left Japan to study abroad in France during the new year. Before beginning her studies again, Elena decides to street fight once again to seek new friends. In her ending, Elena writes back to her Japanese friend Narumi after returning to France from spending her summer vacation in Japan again. She invites Narumi to visit her in Africa during her winter vacation. She was considered for inclusion in Super Street Fighter IV
, but "barely missed the cut"; Capcom employee Christian Svensson wrote that she was the "next tier down".
and its subsequent expansions, Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
. Her fighting style is capoeira
. She is noted for her unique gameplay style; she only uses kicks in her fighting style and is the only character who can heal, which she uses her Super Arts to do. She was rumoured to be included in Super Street Fighter IV
.
She also appears in a cameo in the beach stage in Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix
and also in the London stage in Capcom vs SNK 2. She is also one of the playable Capcom character cards appearing in the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
series.
cited Elena as a character who has a stereotypical design, though fellow game designer Seth Smith noted that black players tended to gravitate to such characters. Gamasutra
's Brandon Sheffield expressed a desire to see her in Super Street Fighter IV, calling her his favourite character. Reparaz chose Elena as one of the 12 most-wanted Street Fighter characters for Super Street Fighter IV due to "wearing almost nothing and acrobatically showing off her crotch at every opportunity" and fluid animation in Street Fighter III. He added that she was "much more than just a bikini-clad tease with impossibly fluid and graceful movements" and called her a "lot of fun to play [...] the exact polar opposite of Balrog
". UGO Networks included her on their "Top 50 Street Fighter Characters" list, ranking her at #25 and noting her uniqueness of not only having the ability to heal in-game, but also only using kick-based attacks. PlanetXbox360 shared the sentiment, listing her as one of the characters they most wanted to see in Street Fighter IV while further adding that "...Elena would bring a lot of depth to character roster that truly needs more women representation [..] if guys drool over Cammy’s legs, then Elena should make them blush in the company of other women."
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
Street Fighter III: New Generation, and appeared in several revisions of it, including Street Fighter III
Street Fighter III
is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping...
, Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
is a competitive fighting game produced by Capcom that was released as a coin-operated arcade game in . It is an update of Street Fighter III: New Generation. Like its predecessor, it runs on the CP System III hardware. 2nd Impact introduced new play mechanics, new characters, and new special moves...
, and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
is a 2D competitive fighting game produced by Capcom originally released for the arcade in . It is the second follow-up to Street Fighter III, following Street Fighter III 2nd Impact. Like its predecessors, it runs on the CP System III hardware. 3rd Strike increased the character roster by adding...
. She is a member of a small tribe from the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n Savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
and is an expert in the fighting style of capoeira
Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...
which entails only the use of one's legs to fight. She aspires to study abroad. While she was rumoured to appear in Super Street Fighter IV
Super Street Fighter IV
is a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of Street Fighter IV and has been said to mark the definitive end of the Street Fighter IV series. Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a standalone title, but given a lower price...
, it turned out to be false; it was later confirmed that she "barely missed the cut" for inclusion.
Her appearance in Street Fighter III was met with generally positive reception, and was also a popular choice for inclusion in Super Street Fighter IV from sources such as GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
and Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
.
Concept and characteristics
Elena is the young daughter of a small tribe from the AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n Savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
. Her father, the patriarch of the tribe, has a doctorate from a French university. Elena was raised in the vast nature of Africa and she aspires to study abroad like her father did before her. Her fighting style is capoeira
Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...
and she fights using only her legs. In her ending, Elena ends up being transferred to a high school in Japan as an exchange student, where she has befriended a young Japanese girl named and writes home to her parents about her experiences. Her story does not change much in 2nd Impact, although Elena has an additional role as one of Hugo's potential partners in one of his multiple endings as "Elena the Wilderness Warrior", becoming the tag team of "Beauty and the Beast". In 3rd Strike, a year has passed since Elena has left Japan to study abroad in France during the new year. Before beginning her studies again, Elena decides to street fight once again to seek new friends. In her ending, Elena writes back to her Japanese friend Narumi after returning to France from spending her summer vacation in Japan again. She invites Narumi to visit her in Africa during her winter vacation. She was considered for inclusion in Super Street Fighter IV
Super Street Fighter IV
is a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of Street Fighter IV and has been said to mark the definitive end of the Street Fighter IV series. Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a standalone title, but given a lower price...
, but "barely missed the cut"; Capcom employee Christian Svensson wrote that she was the "next tier down".
Appearances
To date, Elena has only appeared in Street Fighter IIIStreet Fighter III
is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping...
and its subsequent expansions, Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
is a competitive fighting game produced by Capcom that was released as a coin-operated arcade game in . It is an update of Street Fighter III: New Generation. Like its predecessor, it runs on the CP System III hardware. 2nd Impact introduced new play mechanics, new characters, and new special moves...
and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
is a 2D competitive fighting game produced by Capcom originally released for the arcade in . It is the second follow-up to Street Fighter III, following Street Fighter III 2nd Impact. Like its predecessors, it runs on the CP System III hardware. 3rd Strike increased the character roster by adding...
. Her fighting style is capoeira
Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...
. She is noted for her unique gameplay style; she only uses kicks in her fighting style and is the only character who can heal, which she uses her Super Arts to do. She was rumoured to be included in Super Street Fighter IV
Super Street Fighter IV
is a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of Street Fighter IV and has been said to mark the definitive end of the Street Fighter IV series. Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a standalone title, but given a lower price...
.
She also appears in a cameo in the beach stage in Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix
Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix
Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, released in Japan as , is a fighting game released by Capcom in September 1997 for the CPS II arcade system. It was ported to the PlayStation , Sega Saturn, and WonderSwan, as well as PlayStation 2 as part of the Street Fighter Alpha Anthology.The game uses the same...
and also in the London stage in Capcom vs SNK 2. She is also one of the playable Capcom character cards appearing in the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash is a series of SNK Playmore games between 1999 and 2006 for hand-held consoles.This game has a CCG theme, spun off from the popular series of fighting games by SNK and Capcom, and also including references to many other kinds of games from both companies. The...
series.
Promotion and reception
In her article on black characters in video games, game designer Brenda BrathwaiteBrenda Brathwaite
Brenda Brathwaite is an American game designer and developer in the video game industry.-Life and career:Born in Ogdensburg, New York, and a graduate of Clarkson University, Brathwaite is best known for her work on the Wizardry series of video role-playing games and, more recently, the non-digital...
cited Elena as a character who has a stereotypical design, though fellow game designer Seth Smith noted that black players tended to gravitate to such characters. Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
's Brandon Sheffield expressed a desire to see her in Super Street Fighter IV, calling her his favourite character. Reparaz chose Elena as one of the 12 most-wanted Street Fighter characters for Super Street Fighter IV due to "wearing almost nothing and acrobatically showing off her crotch at every opportunity" and fluid animation in Street Fighter III. He added that she was "much more than just a bikini-clad tease with impossibly fluid and graceful movements" and called her a "lot of fun to play [...] the exact polar opposite of Balrog
Balrog (Street Fighter)
Balrog is a character from the Street Fighter fighting game series.Balrog is depicted as an African American boxer wearing blue trunks with white trim and a torn white shirt under a blue tank top. He wears red boxing gloves and boxing shoes...
". UGO Networks included her on their "Top 50 Street Fighter Characters" list, ranking her at #25 and noting her uniqueness of not only having the ability to heal in-game, but also only using kick-based attacks. PlanetXbox360 shared the sentiment, listing her as one of the characters they most wanted to see in Street Fighter IV while further adding that "...Elena would bring a lot of depth to character roster that truly needs more women representation [..] if guys drool over Cammy’s legs, then Elena should make them blush in the company of other women."