The Story Of Elena In Street Fighter 6

When Season 2 of Street Fighter 6 was announced, four characters were introduced, there was Bison, then Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui from Fatal Fury and Elena from Street Fighter III. 

The choice of Elena is interesting, considering she is the first character from Street Fighter 3 to feature in the game. Seeing as Street Fighter 3 is canonically the game that comes before Street Fighter 6, her addition must mean something. 

Elena’s Origins

Elena was birthed as a character when the guys at Capcom first and foremost decided that they wanted an African character. They decided against a man since it was likely he’d only be the stereotypically stern and silent African. With a woman, there was a lot more to be done, and basing their design on Yuki Uchida, an idol and actress, Elena was born. 

She is an African princess from Kenya who has a love for fighting and traveling. Elena is typically seen as a cheerful and friendly person who tries to make friends with everyone she meets. She is the only person on record in the entire game to have some sort of cordial relationship with Akuma. 

In Street Fighter IV (which comes before SFIII in the timeline), she is sent by her father, Jafari, to investigate a terrible omen which could cause destruction for everyone. This led her to enter the Street Fighter tournament organized by S.I.N. 

At the end, it seemed she hadn’t gathered much intel, but she had gotten to experience so much and make many new friends. She then announces to her father that she wants to travel the world and first off, travel to Japan. 

In Street Fighter III she is an exchange student in Japan with a friend called Narumi and she travels, enjoying all the world has to offer. She eventually moves to France where she is again set on being a student of life. 

Elena And Street Fighter 6

Elena is a character that doesn’t seem to affect the Street Fighter story too much, but there are a couple of things that make her interesting. Firstly, she looks a little different now as someone who has traveled the world and has seen a lot of things. Also, there is the fact that in an interaction with Lily in World Tour Mode, we learn that the two of them fought each other in Africa.

This doesn’t tell us too much, but considering that Lily might be a Satsui no Hado vessel, and Akuma and Elena get along, perhaps there is a connection there. 

There’s also the question of the rest of the Street Fighter III cast who Elena is well acquainted with. She is shown to be friendly to Makoto, and has had tea with Dudley. Could she be the entry point for these characters? 

From a gameplay perspective, there is a lot that could be done with the character. We know that her healing mechanic from Street Fighter IV should not return, but she might play similarly to her other versions; great normals, good range and deceptive movement. 

It’s a shame we have to wait till next year to see her, but we look forward to it regardless.