Capcom has announced that Elena, the final Year 2 character in Street Fighter 6, will join the roster on June 5. The fan favorite returns with her unique moveset that’s inspired by capoeira, a Brazilian martial art and dance form. The addition of Elena includes a new stage, Reniala Remains, showcasing the plains of Africa at night. Like the other character additions, Elena will be accessible in all three game modes: World Tour, Fighting Ground, and Battle Hub. She’ll arrive with two outfits: Outfit 1 themed around her latest look and Outfit 2 as a nod to her iconic style in Street Fighter III: New Generation and Ultra Street Fighter IV. To obtain Outfit 2, players must max out their bond with Elena in World Tour or acquire it with Fighter Coins.
Veterans of the Street Fighter 6 franchise know what to expect with Elena, who uses her long legs and unpredictable movements in battle. Here’s her official moveset:
- Rhino Horn: A series of quick, forward-moving kicks that send the opponent flying back
- Scratch Wheel: Known as Elena’s “dragon-punch,” this move is useful for anti-airs or for keeping opponents away
- Lynx Song: Where things get wild, Elena spins forward close to the ground while invincible to projectiles and can then use four different techniques out of it, such as Leopard Snap, Harvest Circle, Mallet Smash or Lynx Whirl.
- Leopard Snap: A long-reaching attack useful for closing distances
- Harvest Circle: A kick that launches opponents in the air and maintains invincibility to projectiles
- Mallet Smash: An overhead kick that can buffalow-profile
- Lynx Whirl: Elena performs an additional spin to extend Lynx Song. If the aforementioned Leopard Snap, Harvest Circle, or Mallet Smash are performed after Lynx Whirl, their properties are “boosted!”
- Spinning Scythe: As seen in previous iterations, perform a series of spinning kicks that can be canceled and followed up with Leopard Snap, Harvest Circle, Mallet Smash, and Lynx Whirl, to keep up the pressure on her opponents
- Moon Glider: An evasive technique where Elena steps back before performing a vertical spinning kick that sends the opponent in the air
- Meteor Volley: Elena’s Level 1 Super Art that operates as an effective anti-air move and also allows for a follow-up attack.
- Revival Dance: Elena’s Level 2 Super Art where she launches forward with a flurry of kicks and is invincible to all attacks on start-up. If you hold the down button, rather than dealing extra damage, Elena will do her trademark healing!
- Song of the Grasslands: Elena’s Level 3 Super Art brings the power of nature to the fight as she delivers kicks with the power of the skies and plains!
With the release of Elena, Street Fighter 6 is also getting a major balance patch that will introduce changes for all of the previous 25 characters, along with some broader system changes. Capcom promised that it will release detailed patch notes closer to Elena’s June launch.
Like other Year 2 characters, players will need to own or purchase the Year 2 Character Pass, Year 2 Ultimate Pass, or the new Street Fighter 6 Years 1-2 Fighters Edition, which also launches on June 5 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC. She will also be available with Fighter Coins. The other characters from Year 2 were M. Bison, Terry, and Mai.
We’re still loving Street Fighter 6 as we near its second anniversary. In our review, we said the latest entry is to the Street Fighter series what Monster Hunter World was to its own series: it significantly lowers the barrier to entry without compromising the core gameplay experience.
