| Elena | |
|---|---|
| Street Fighter character | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Elena_Street_Fighter.png) Elena in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike | |
| First game | Street Fighter III (1997) |
| Designed by | Akira "Akiman" Yasuda[1] "Mori" (animation)[2] |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Fighting style | Capoeira |
| Origin | Kenya |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
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. 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. She was later included in Street Fighter IV's third upgrade, Ultra Street Fighter IV, and as part of the "Year 2" downloadable content lineup for 2024's Street Fighter 6. She has been voiced by Karen Dyer in English, and Kaoru Fujino, Mie Midori, and Saki Fujita in Japanese.
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, fighting solely with leg-based attacks using Capoeira. Elena has been 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.
- ^ Street Fighter Eternal Challenge (in Japanese). Example Product Manufacturer. January 2003. p. 126. ISBN 9784575163858.
- ^ Yasuda, Akira [@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.
- ^ a b c d "Elena". BehindTheVoiceActors.Com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.