Elena
Street Fighter character
Elena in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
First gameStreet Fighter III (1997)
Designed byAkira "Akiman" Yasuda[1]
"Mori" (animation)[2]
Voiced by
In-universe information
Fighting styleCapoeira
OriginKenya
NationalityKenyan

Elena (Japanese: エレナ) is a character in Capcom's Street Fighter fighting game series who made her first appearance in Street Fighter III: New Generation in 1997, originally voiced by Kaoru Fujino. A woman with close direct ties to nature, she is the daughter of a Kenyan tribal leader who travels the world to make friends while attending school abroad. Since her debut she has since appeared in various other media such as comics and manga, and was later included in Street Fighter IV's third upgrade, Ultra Street Fighter IV. Designed by Akira "Akiman" Yasuda with an emphasis on her beauty, Elena has been cited as one of the first black female fighting game characters and the first character in the Street Fighter series from Africa (and the only character with that distinction until the introduction of Menat), fighting solely with leg based attacks using Capoeira.

Elena was mostly well received, heavily praised for her beauty and the fluidity of her motion. She has additionally been called one of the series' strongest designs by sources such as Paste magazine. However, the simplicity of her in-game storylines has faced criticism, and her character design was called out as a cultural stereotype even in light of other series characters. Her light skin and straight hair, among other features, were noted as reflecting European standards of beauty rather than African ones.

Conception and design

Some of Elena's Street Fighter III animations were rotoscoped from material such as music videos.[4]

Designed by Akira "Akiman" Yasuda and animated by a Capcom employee he referred to as "Mori",[2] the concept started with the desire to include a character from Africa in Street Fighter III, and they chose a female character due to the team feeling a male character would be "stern" and they had enough stern characters as is. They felt Capoeira was a fitting fighting style for her due to the team associating it with female fighters and their belief African women had long arms and legs.[5] However, this created a problem, as the development team had no experience with the fighting style and had to resort to any material they could find, namely travel movies.[6] As the series progressed to the third title in the Street Fighter III series, 3rd Strike, they focused on letting more of her attacks link more fluidly into one another to enhance her gameplay and the visual effect of her fighting style.[7] An idea was considered to have her be able to attack with the spear shown in her earliest concept art but ultimately abandoned; regardless, this spear still appears in her 3rd Strike character portrait.[8]

Elena stands 183 cm tall (6 ft) and has measurements of 83-58-88 cm (33-23-35 in).[9] The team focused on her beauty when creating her, with a design note to give her "plump breasts" and a developer describing her as "Yuki in Africa", referring to Japanese actress Yuki Uchida.[10][11] Her outfit consists of a white foldover bikini bottom, and a strip of cloth crisscrossing over her breasts and to her neck, exposing her undercleavage. Red, gold and blue bands completely cover her neck, wrists and portions of her biceps and legs. When designing her outfit, they wanted to make her look "misplaced" alongside the other characters, and her attire was meant to contrast against the other Street Fighter III female character at the time, Ibuki.[12] While later appearances have given her a variety of secondary outfits such as Japanese schoolgirl attire, this has persisted as the character's primary outfit in every appearance.[13]

Appearances

Elena is a Kenyan tribal princess introduced in the 1997 video game Street Fighter III: New Generation, whose tribe is dedicated to fighting. She seeks to travel the world and make new friends, spending some time studying at a Japanese school and befriending a girl named Narumi,[14] who she later invites to visit her family while studying for her doctorate in France.[15][5] In Street Fighter IV, a precursor to Street Fighter III, her connection to nature alerts her that something is wrong, and her father informs her he has entered her into the Worldwide Fighting Tournament due to his belief the person responsible is associated with the event.[16] After the tournament she reflects on her travels, having made friends with other fighters such as the boxer Dudley and Japanese warrior Akuma, and decides to continue traveling to make more friends with her next destination being Japan.[17] Originally voiced by Kaoru Fujino, Mie Midori took over voice acting duties with the release of Third Strike. Her later appearances were voiced by Saki Fujita and Karen Dyer in Japanese and English respectively.[3]

Elena also appears as a downloadable character for Street Fighter X Tekken, in which she convinces Dudley to travel with her and investigate the anomaly at the South Pole known as Pandora.[18] Outside of fighting games, she is an available character Capcom's mobile game Street Fighter Battle Combination as well as in TOPJOY's mobile roleplaying game Street Fighter: Duel, the latter of which features alternate "Student" and "Summer" versions exclusive to the Chinese version.[19][20] The game SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash features her as an available card as does its Nintendo DS counterpart,[21][22] as does GungHo Online Entertainment's mobile game TEPPEN.[23] In physical trading card game media she appears on cards for Versus TCG, a game based on Card Fighters Clash, and Jasco Games' Universal Fighting System.[24][25]

All of Elena's attacks in her fighting game appearances are leg based, with no punches on even her throws and basic attacks.[5] Due to her longer than average limbs, she has higher range than most fighters, while her stance puts her lower to the ground than most taller characters.[26] In addition she is one of the only characters with the ability to heal via a Super Attack, aptly named Healing, which if uninterrupted will restore a good amount of her health. While in Street Fighter III using this move was a tactical choice as she could only select one super attack for the entirety of the fight,[5] in Ultra Street Fighter IV, it was now available alongside more traditional super attacks, giving her both offensive and defensive options.[27] As a result, she has been described as one of the best character for beginners to use.[28]

In other media

Elena plays a minor role in the first volume of the Street Fighter III: Ryu Final manga by Masahiko Nakahira. In it, she observes the fight between protagonist Ryu and Dudley through her connection to nature and helps him overcome the boxer, much to Dudley's delight.[29] In the book Street Fighter: The Novel written by Takashi Yanodrawn, she appears in the second chapter and encounters interpol agent Chun-Li, who seeks information to help her take down criminal organization Shadaloo. Elena offers to fight her for the information, and after losing agrees to help her against the organization.[30] She also briefly appears in issue 74.5 of the manga series Kengan Ashura, as one of the fighters representing the "Capcom Association" present to watch Ryu fight the protagonist Ohma Tokita.[31] The event is later suggested to be a dream that Ohma had.[32]

She also appears throughout UDON Entertainment's Street Fighter comic series. Introduced in Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki's second issue as a new student to a school, she meets the tomboy Makoto and teen ninja Ibuki, helping the latter train and fight off a rival ninja clan during the course of the series.[33][34][35] In Street Fighter Unlimited, the girls are invited to self-proclaimed god Gill's fighting tournament, where she incites an impromptu dance party prior to said tournament and encounters the troubled mutant Necro, convincing him and his girlfriend to join their party to ease his mind.[36] After Gill reveals himself to be a villain, she fights alongside the other participants to take him down.[37] In the followup crossover series Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers, she fights alongside Darkstalkers series character Victor and the other heroes against an impending apocalypse, and helps heal his comatose sister.[38][39] In later comics, she appears in Street Fighter: Hyper Looting, a promotional comic for company Loot Crate,[40] and in the Street Fighter: Back to School Special, in which after wrestling with Makoto they ponder what college to attend.[41]

Promotion and reception

To promote the character and games, Capcom released a wide variety of stationary figures and garage kits of the character in a variety of poses. These come from manufactures including G-Dome, Mad Hands, Yujin, and Kotabukiya, and while most were based on her primary appearance, several were released with alternate versions based on character select color options in Street Fighter III.[42] In addition, her current English voice actress Karen Dyer has cosplayed as the character multiple times to promote herself.[43]

Elena has been mostly well received by video game critics and writers. GamesRadar+ described her "wearing almost nothing and acrobatically showing off her crotch at every opportunity" and the smoothness of her animation in Street Fighter III, adding that she was more than just "a bikini-clad tease with impossibly fluid and graceful movements".[44] Planet Xbox 360 shared the sentiment, stating that her presence brings "a lot of depth to character roster that truly needs more women representation", and further praising her beauty by noting "if guys drool over Cammy’s legs, then Elena should make them blush in the company of other women."[45] Paste praised Elena as "a great character from a design standpoint", though were critical of how her gameplay transitioned from Street Fighter III to IV. Regardless they described her fighting style as elegant, and added that "Elena is still one of the series' strongest ideas."[46]

However, Edge magazine criticized her fighting style, stating that it "made her feel more like a Tekken character than one drawn from Capcom's asset library."[47] Amanda LaPergola of The Mary Sue stated mixed feelings on the character, praising her appearance in combat and describing her as a "unique fighter with a lot of flare and style". On the other hand, she cared little for personality, specifically noting "she fights in a bikini, and looks and acts like Storm’s annoying younger sister" while also calling out her "'but I just want to be a normal girl!' storyline" as a common trope she disliked amongst female Street Fighter characters. However, she acknowledged the character was making an effort, "so you can’t hate on her that much."[48] Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek added that "Elena’s design never caught on with me," further elaborating that her storyline purpose of wanting to make friends was "lame" in his view, though admitted that he changed his mind upon seeing her Street Fighter IV ending and the extent of which she was able to befriend other characters, namely the normally fierce Akuma.[49]

Funké Joseph of IGN praised her as the "first playable Black woman in the series, and, at the time, one of the only Black women in video games at all" in regards to her appearance in the first Street FIghter III, and gave further praise to her use of capoeira, adding it "offers a sense fluidity and finesse that other characters don’t possess."[50] However, some like Amanda LaPergola in the aforementioned Mary Sue article drew issue with her design, her specifically noting that while other characters in the series were exaggerated stereotypes, "it seems like the default mode for “character from Africa' is always 'a tribal princess who wears no clothes."[48] Author Nnedi Okorafor cited her "light skin, blue eyes and white hair" and "European features" as an example of how a character's ethnicity did not always match their appearance, and discussed her further in regards to the lack of actual dark-skinned and African women in gaming, asking "Could it be that game makers felt that beauty existed only in those of 'fair' skin, straight hair, and small noses?"[51]

References

  1. ↑ Street Fighter Eternal Challenge (in Japanese). Capcom. July 2003. p. 126. ISBN 4575163856.
  2. 1 2 あきまんウオッチ・ソルジャー76 [@akiman7] (February 8, 2013). "機械戦士（めかばとらー）ギルファーやメタルKを描いた巻来功士先生のアシスタントをやった事もあるという経歴でやってきた「森」という男がスト２のサガットを作りモリガンのドットを制作しスト３ではエレナを制作しました。彼の進化が初期から中期の格ゲーにかなりの影響を及ぼしています" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 19, 2023 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Elena". BehindTheVoiceActors.Com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  4. ↑ Holmes, Jonathan (September 3, 2018). "The (hopefully) first of many Street Fighter III and David Lee Roth connections". Destructoid. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Street Fighter Eternal Challenge (in Japanese). Capcom. July 2003. p. 226. ISBN 4575163856.
  6. ↑ "Round 4: Tomoshi Sadamoto Part 3". Capcom. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ Street Fighter III - Fight for the Future: Conclusion Step/Master the Secret (in Japanese). Vol. 194. Gamest. 1999. p. 26. ISBN 4881996274. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ Street Fighter III: Portal Step/Build up Arts (in Japanese). Vol. 185. Gamest. p. 125. ISBN 4898296661. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  9. ↑ "CAPCOM：ULTRA STREET FIGHTER IV 公式サイト" (in Japanese). Capcom. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Street Fighter III - New Generation". Capcom Secret File (in Japanese). No. 10. 1997. p. 4. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ Street Fighter III: New Generation (Soundtrack) (Liner notes) (in Japanese). Victor. 1997. p. 3.
  12. ↑ All About Street Fighter III New Generation: The Characters. Gamest. 1997. p. 118. ISBN 4885544734.
  13. ↑ Ultra Street Fighter IV Bible. BradyGames. August 2014. p. 237. ISBN 978-0744015492.
  14. ↑ Street Fighter Eternal Challenge (in Japanese). Capcom. July 2003. p. 248. ISBN 4575163856.
  15. ↑ Street Fighter Eternal Challenge (in Japanese). Capcom. July 2003. p. 250. ISBN 4575163856.
  16. ↑ Capcom (April 18, 2014). Ultra Street Fighter IV (Xbox). Scene: Elena Intro Cutscene.
  17. ↑ Capcom (April 18, 2014). Ultra Street Fighter IV (Xbox). Scene: Elena Ending Cutscene.
  18. ↑ "― 「STREET FIGHTER X 鉄拳」，追加12キャラの公式タッグプロローグを全3回で公開。第1回は「エレナ＆ダッドリー」と「ラース＆アリサ」" (in Japanese). 4gamer.net. July 19, 2012. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  19. ↑ "カプコン、『ストリートファイター バトルコンビネーション』で、さくら、いぶき、エレナの3人が可愛くて甘い「バレンタインアーツ」になって登場 | Social Game Info" (in Japanese). Gamebiz.jp. January 30, 2016. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  20. ↑ "《街霸：对决》手游预约站-腾讯游戏". Street Fighter: Duel (in Chinese). Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  21. ↑ SNK (November 21, 1999). SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash (NeoGeo Pocket Color). Scene: Card Gallery.
  22. ↑ Now Production (April 24, 2007). SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS (Nintendo DS). SNK Playmore. Scene: Card Gallery.
  23. ↑ "CORE Card Pack". TEPPEN. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  24. ↑ "VERSUS TCG SNK vs CAPCOM カードファイターズ マネージメント ac-043U" (in Japanese). Wanted Internet Group. Archived from the original on January 19, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  25. ↑ "UFS Set 30: Street Fighter vs Darkstalkers Booster Display". Jasco Games. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  26. ↑ Michael Martin. "What We Learned at Capcom Cup 2015". Redbull. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Ultra Street Fighter IV". Edge. No. 263. February 2014. p. 54.
  28. ↑ Lada, Jenni (March 17, 2014). "Look at all five new Ultra Street Fighter IV fighters - GamerTell". TechnologyTell. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  29. ↑ Nakahira, Masahiko (December 2007). Street Fighter III: Ryu Final. Vol. 1. Udon Entertainment. ISBN 978-1897376553.
  30. ↑ Yanodrawn, Takashi (December 2017). "Chapter 2". Street Fighter: The Novel. UDON Entertainment. ISBN 978-1772940442.
  31. ↑ Yabako, Sandrovich (August 18, 2014). Kengan Ashura Vol.9 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. p. 186. ISBN 9784091252340.
  32. ↑ Yabako, Sandrovich (October 17, 2014). Kengan Ashura Vol.10 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. p. 200. ISBN 9784091254788.
  33. ↑ Jim Zub (w), Omar Dogan (p). Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki, no. 2 (April 2010). UDON Entertainment.
  34. ↑ Jim Zub (w), Omar Dogan (p). Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki, no. 3 (June 2010). UDON Entertainment.
  35. ↑ Jim Zub (w), Omar Dogan (p). Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki, no. 4 (August 2010). UDON Entertainment.
  36. ↑ Ken Sui-Chong (w), Edwin Huang (p). Street Fighter Unlimited, no. 7 (June 2016). UDON Entertainment.
  37. ↑ Ken Sui-Chong (w), Joe Ng (p). Street Fighter Unlimited, no. 11 (October 2016). UDON Entertainment.
  38. ↑ Ken Sui-Chong (w), Edwin Huang (p). Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers, no. 3 (June 2017). UDON Entertainment.
  39. ↑ Ken Sui-Chong (w), Edwin Huang (p). Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers, no. 8 (January 2018). UDON Entertainment.
  40. ↑ Matt Moylan (w), Edwin Huang (p). Street Fighter: Hyper Looting, no. 1 (November 2015). UDON Entertainment.
  41. ↑ Matt Moylan (w), Genzoman (p). Street Fighter: Back to School Special, no. 1 (April 2021). UDON Entertainment.
  42. ↑ "Elena ‹ Characters ‹ Encyclopedia - MyFigureCollection.net (Tsuki-board.net)". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  43. ↑ @KarenShevaEva (September 12, 2021). "Happy #NationalVideoGamesDay 🎮❤️ #Elena #voiceactor #StreetFighter #cosplay #blackcosplay #gaming" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 26, 2023 – via Twitter.
  44. ↑ Mikel Reparaz (October 2, 2009). "12 fighters we'd like to see in Super Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter Alpha Anthology PS2 Features". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  45. ↑ "Ten Characters We Want in Street Fighter IV". Planetxbox360.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  46. ↑ Vazquez, Suriel; Van Allen, Eric (March 21, 2016). "Ranking Every Street Fighter Character Part 3". Paste. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Ultra Street Fighter IV". Edge. No. 258. October 2013. pp. 50, 51.
  48. 1 2 LaPergola, Amanda; Chambers, Becky (September 21, 2012). "Amanda and Becky Talk About Street Fighter, Part 3: Street Fighter III". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  49. ↑ Jasper, Gavin (February 22, 2019). "Street Fighter Characters Ranked". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  50. ↑ Joseph, Funké (February 28, 2020). "9 Awesome Black Video Game Characters". IGN. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  51. ↑ Okorafor, Nnedi. "Virtual Women: Replacing the Real". Michigan State University Digital Repository: 40, 88. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
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