When Capcom unveiled the Street Fighter 6 trailer for Elena, fans were horrified. Not by how Elena looks, because she’s beautiful in her classic and modern attires, but by her abilities.
In one of the scariest post-trailer scenes the FGC scene has ever seen, she does a move, the screen goes dark, and you hear “healing.”
This is proof that Elena is going to be one of the scariest characters in Street Fighter 6. Anyone maining her will be a threat and instantly hated, even if she’s just as fine as Mai Shiranui.
But it also proves that Capcom knows its FGC fans. They knew FGC members were going to mess their pants when she said “healing,” and we respect that audacity:
Admittedly, the company has gone out of their way to show their love for FGC fans before. When Street Fighter 5 churned out its final season, they added Akira from Rival Schools. In the second Capcom Fighting Collection they gave us both Power Stone and Capcom vs SNK games.
They’re also charging way too much for Battle Passes, but that’s just typical Capcom behavior.
Even under new leadership, it’s easy to see why fighting game fans question the Street Fighter 6 company. While Street Fighter 5 eventually got good, it took too long and fans fell off pretty hard. Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite didn’t help things either, limiting the characters who could appear and having a pretty terrible Story Mode.
The FGC will never forget what Capcom put them through, but they can appreciate the changes made.
With Street Fighter 6, we’ve seen Capcom go above and beyond to make this game a quality one. There are a ton of mechanics that make every character feel powerful, and each one is designed with plenty of love behind them. DLC characters have also been received well, with fans really enjoying SNK legends Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui.
Elena’s inclusion also means that the company is embracing its Street Fighter 3 fans. This game was often seen as a black sheep entry for its poor arcade numbers. But ever since Giant Attack and Third Strike, this series is now beloved and considered the most hardcore entry in this series.
It’s only a matter of time before Makoto and Dudley are added to the game (hopefully).
Let’s hope that Capcom’s pandering to the FGC continues, as the choices they’ve made have been amazing so far. From the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection to the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection 2, there’s so much to love here. We’d love it if Capcom made another new entry for something obscure like Darkstalkers, but that will take some time.
Fear Elena.