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Julia Chang

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This redirect is about the fictional character. For the Chinese American diplomat, see Julia Chang Bloch.
Julia Chang
Tekken character
File:Julia-Chang.png
Julia Chang in Tekken 6 (2007)
First gameTekken 3 (1997)
Voiced by
In-universe information
Fighting styleChinese martial arts[3]
OriginUnited States
NationalityAmerican[3]

Julia Chang (Japanese: ジュリア・チャン, Hepburn: Juria Chan) is a character in the Tekken media franchise by Bandai Namco Entertainment; she was introduced in Tekken 3 (1997). She is the adopted daughter of part-Native American and part-Chinese fighter Michelle Chang, and her storyline typically involves saving her tribe's forest. An alternative version of the character is a luchadora known as Jaycee (Japanese: ジェイシー, Hepburn: Jeishī), who first appeared in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011). Julia has been cited as one of the notable examples of Native American representation in the video game industry.

Design and gameplay

File:Jaycee (TTT2).png
File:Jaycee Close-up (TTT2).jpg
In the 2011 fighting game Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Julia received her alter-ego, Jaycee, with a lucha libre persona.[4][5]

When working on Tekken 3 (1997), the development team decided it would take place nineteen years after the preceding game, and decided it would be best to retire their existing Native American character Michelle Chang. To this end, they created Julia Chang, who was intended to have the "extra charm" of Michelle, but also a large degree of intellect. While they wanted to emphasize a rebellious aspect with her, they pushed the intellectual part of her design to the forefront to contrast with how other fighters focused on aesthetics. To this end, they particularly want her to look attractive while wearing glasses.[6] Julia's conception was challenging, according to Japanese game director Katsuhiro Harada. The character's recognition among fans was becoming harder for the developers to maintain. Throughout the Tekken series, Julia temporarily gains popularity but then suddenly loses it. So the developers came up with the idea of putting more effort into Julia's development to boost her popularity.[7]

First appearing in Tekken 3 (1997) and standing 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall, Julia Chang is a young old American woman with brown hair that she usually ties into braids.[8] Julia uses various Chinese martial arts, with many techniques similar to those of her adoptive mother Michelle.[9] Julia normally wears a Native American-styled outfit with a crop top, a short denim skirt, cowgirl boots, and a small Native American feathered headdress inspired by a war bonnet.[10] However, this headdress is absent in Tekken 4 (2001), as Julia becomes a member of a reforestation group starting in Tekken 4, where she is wearing a researcher outfit and glasses.[11] In Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011), Julia appears as Jaycee, wearing lucha libre clothes and becoming a luchadora. Jaycee is, in fact, a wordplay on the name Julia Chang. Jaycee's moveset is noticeably different but contains some of Julia's moves as well.[5] In Tekken 7 (2015), Julia appears to be a live streamer to gain funds for the reforestation project.[12]

In terms of gameplay, Julia needs more skill and perseverance to achieve the best results.[9] In addition to her numerous wrestling-style throws, Julia also possesses some quick kicks that can engage into combos.[13] Her several variations of consistent attacks make her tricky to fight against because it takes some practice to predict her next move. Julia can mix up combinations of moves to confuse her opponents.[8] Other properties of her gameplay are that she lacks power, but due to her quickness, she can perform juggle combos easily. She must be played aggressively, as she is sensitive to counter-attacks.[11] Similarly, due to her limited power, she must continuously execute juggle combos on her opponents to inflict significant damage.[11]

Appearances

In Tekken (main series)

A woman from the tribe of Native Americans, Michelle Chang, adopted Julia as a child from Native American lands, raised her, and taught her martial arts so she could defend herself and her homeland too. Julia studied archaeology in tribal lands. When she turned 18 years old, sudden disappearances of martial artists started to happen. The people knew that it was caused by the "God of Fighting", Ogre, and feared that Michelle's pendant was the reason. Michelle went to Japan to ask an old man, Heihachi Mishima, about her pendant but did not return. Julia doubted Heihachi and entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 (Tekken 3) to know the truth.[14][3] In conclusion, Julia finds Michelle and learns about Heihachi's evil plan.[15]

After the events of Tekken 3 (1997), Julia discovered that the rapidly growing global ecosystem would threaten her native homeland and started researching ecosystem restoration techniques. She worked alongside G Corporation, whose high-tech computers were being used to store the research data. However, the research got interrupted when an organization, Mishima Zaibatsu, broke into G Corporation and stole all of their data. Knowing that she needed the data to save her homeland, Julia entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 (Tekken 4) when she saw a web page about it.[11] She failed to obtain the data and continued her research in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 (Tekken 5), hoping to find the data again.[16]

After finally finding her stolen data, Julia completed her research and went back to Arizona to meet the group that would help her with her reforestation plans. She also met with an old woman who claimed that she could hear the spirits. She helped Julia with the reforestation plans, but just before she left, she gave a warning that two people, Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, should not fight because it would revive an ancient demon. To stop this from happening, Julia decided to enter the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 (Tekken 6).[17] In Tekken 7 (2015), after retiring as a masked fighter, Jaycee. Julia focused on spreading reforestation around the world. However, she needed money, forcing her to return to fighting. She aimed to defeat Kazuya Mishima, believing it would gain global attention and funding for her project.[18]

Other appearances

Julia is featured as a playable character in non-canonical Tekken series' tag team-based games such as Tekken Tag Tournament (1999) and in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011), where she is known as Jaycee.[19][20] She can be chosen as a playable character in the spin-off games of the Tekken series, such as Tekken Card Challenge (1999), Tekken 3D: Prime Edition (2012), and Tekken Revolution (2013) (under the alias Jaycee).[21][22][23] She can be seen on a poster in the 2005 Death by Degrees action-adventure game.[24] Julia also appears as a playable character in the crossover game Street Fighter X Tekken (2012).[25] The 2023 fighting game Street Fighter 6 references Julia by featuring a character with the same name who resembles her.[26] Video games aside Julia has been featured in some comics related to the Tekken series, including Tekken: Tatakai no Kanatani (2000), Tekken Forever (2001), and Tekken Comic (2009).[27][28][29]

Julia also appears in the 2022 six-episode anime Tekken: Bloodline, where she is voiced in Japanese by Seiko Yoshida, while in English she is voiced by Jeannie Tirado.[1] Tekken: Bloodline is based on the events of the 1997 fighting game Tekken 3. Julia appears to be among the participants who received invitations to the King of Iron Fist tournament. She enters the tournament to find her mother's stolen pendant from the tournament's host, Heihachi Mishima. During the tournament, she confronts Heihachi for the pendant. Another participant, Jin Kazama, intervenes to protect Julia from Heihachi.[30] Jin promises Julia that he will give her the pendant back after the tournament.[31]

Promotion and reception

Action figure company Kazya released a 1/7-dimensional garage kit action figure made of resin material, which was based on Julia's Tekken 3 (1997) appearance. This figure was released on August 20, 2000.[32] A resin garage kit figure of Julia from her Tekken 4 (2001) iteration was manufactured by BROVO COMPANY, circled by Heihachi Zazen, and sculpted by Honda Heihachi. It was released during Wonder Festival 2003 in the winter season.[33] Diamond Select Toys produced a 1.95-inch Julia PVC action figure based on her Street Fighter X Tekken (2012) design. It was released on December 30, 2012.[34] A prepainted 1/7 scale PVC figure of Julia as Jaycee from Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011) was sculpted by Busujima Takamaki, illustrated by the graphic artist Yamashita Shunya, and manufactured by Kotobukiya. It was released on February 15, 2013 in Japan.[35] Japanese illustrator Mutsumi Inomata designed one of Jaycee's alternative costumes for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011).[36]

There has been some negative criticism regarding Julia's debut in Tekken 3 (1997). Specifically, the video game magazine Next Generation criticized her, alongside fellow Tekken character Ling Xiaoyu, on how they both comply with different yet equally depressing "cute schoolgirl" stereotypes.[37] Julia has been one of the most popular characters among the professional players of Tekken 4 (2001).[38] In September 2012, professional Tekken player Rene "KOR" during an interview with Prima Games said that Julia was one of the most challenging characters for him to compete against in Tekken 5 (2004), reasoning that he does not like fighting against quick characters.[39] Before later being added as DLC, Julia's absence from Tekken 7 (2015) was met with widespread disappointment.[40] In December 2018, when Japanese video game director Katsuhiro Harada revealed Julia as a downloadable content (DLC) character for the second season of Tekken 7 (2015), a professional Tekken player, Seong-ho ‘Chanel’ Kang, got excited and rushed to hug Harada on stage for Julia's inclusion in the game.[41] Fergus, a professional Tekken player, is skilled in playing Julia at an advanced level. In an interview with Ryan "Saint Cola" Collins on the Medium website, he talked about his journey with Julia. Fergus has been playing as Julia since the launch of the fighting games Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011) and Street Fighter X Tekken (2012). Fergus found Julia appealing because of her distinct playstyle, potential for having "best combos", and her personality as a live streamer.[42]

Julia has also been discussed as a representative of Native Americans.[43][44] She faced criticism for wearing a feather headband during the period of Tekken 6 (2007) and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011) releases from a Native American enthusiast who complained that it promoted stereotypes and not how Native Americans represent themselves.[45][10] In the study "Representation of Native Americans: From Literature to Video Games", English professor Samuel Martínez Linares, when explaining Julia and Michelle, argues that the portrayal of these Native American characters in video games lacks authenticity. Linares discusses the absence of accurate representation of tribal characteristics that would help players understand the significance of choosing a Native American cultural background for their characters. This lack of fidelity to Native American culture lessens the player's ability to truly connect with and appreciate the richness of their heritage. Linares also mentions how both characters share a resemblance in their physical appearance, which could lead to confusion, and criticizes their inappropriate attire for their Native American background.[46]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Julia Chang Voices (Tekken)". Behind The Voice Actors. Inyxception Enterprises, Inc. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ Sheh, Stephanie [@stephaniesheh] (2020-02-23). "Thanks for the support but actors really don't have any control over what gets dubbed" (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-03-05 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b c "13. Julia Chang "Wandering Fighter"". Computer and Video Games Issue 188. Computer and Video Games. July 1997. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  4. ^ "Don't be fooled. That drop-kicking Luchadore lady is actually returning Tekken veteran Julia Chang in disguise". Gamer Issue 22: 75. September 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Bridle, Mark (June 9, 2011). "Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Exclusive Details & Series Preview". God is a Geek. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Street Fighter X Tekken: Artworks. UDON Entertainment. September 2012. pp. 150–151. ISBN 978-1926778518.
  7. ^ "Kenny Omega interviewing Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray". ESPN Sports. February 25, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ a b "Julia Chang - Wandering Fighter". Computer and Video Games Issue 202. Computer and Video Games: 52. September 1998.
  9. ^ a b "Julia Chang: chico nueovos el barrio". PlayStation Power Especial Trucos: Tekken 3.
  10. ^ a b Ngan, Liv (January 10, 2024). "Tekken director seeks feedback from Native American community on Michelle and Julia designs". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Barton, Jeff; Littlefield, Michael; Sakamoto, Kevin (2002). "Julia Chang". Tekken 4: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games: 56 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ^ Tarason, Dominic (February 18, 2019). "Julia and The Walking Dead's Negan hit Tekken 7 next week". Rock Paper Shotgun. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Ten of The Best". Computer and Video Games Issue 198. Computer and Video Games. May 1998. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  14. ^ Hill, Simon (1998). "Julia Chang". Tekken 3: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games: 126 – via Internet Archive.
  15. ^ Namco (1998). Tekken 3 (PlayStation). Level/area: Julia Chang - Homecoming. Julia: Michelle! Mother! / Michelle: You have conquered Ogre. Now the key to control Ogre is this pendant. It was all Heihachi's evil plot. / Julia: I'll never let Heihachi get away with this. / Michelle: No Julia. Wait. Julia, hatred is not the answer. Do you remember why I taught you the prowess to fight? It was to protect mother Earth, not to destroy. Now let's go home, back to Arizona. Where the land awaits us.
  16. ^ "Characters - Julia Chang". Tekken 5 NTSC-U/C Manual: 38 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ Tekken 6 Official Strategy Guide, Brady Games (2009). p. 146. After recovering her stolen data, Julia completed her reforestation research. She was headed back to Arizona to meet with a party who had agreed to assist in the realization of her reforestation plans. Waiting for her there was a prominent Arizona land owner, an old woman who claimed to have the ability to hear the voice of spirits. With the help of the old woman, the reforestation plans were on track to be realized. However, when Julia got up to leave, the old woman made an ominous prediction. "Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima must not be allowed to clash. If they confront each other, a source of great evil will be resurrected and unleashed on the Earth." Julia was skeptical of the old lady's prediction. However, after hearing news that the Mishima Zaibatsu has sponsored The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 on the flight home, the danger seemed much more imminent. Julia decided that she would enter the tournament.
  18. ^ "Negan and Julia coming to TEKKEN 7 on February 28th". Bandai Namco Europe. Bandai Namco Europe S.A.S. February 18, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  19. ^ Namco (1999). Tekken Tag Tournament.
  20. ^ "A New Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Challenger Enters The Ring". Siliconera. GAMURS Group. January 12, 2011. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  21. ^ "Tekken Card Challenge for WonderSwan". IGN. July 15, 2000. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  22. ^ Edwards, Matt (February 17, 2012). "Tekken 3D: Prime Edition Review". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  23. ^ "Jaycee Joins Tekken Revolution Just In Time For Valentine's Day". Siliconera. GAMURS Group. February 13, 2014. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  24. ^ Audrey, Sean (September 1, 2005). "Death By Degrees Walkthrough". PSX Extreme. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  25. ^ "Julia Chang Is Ready For Street Fighter X Tekken". Siliconera. GAMURS Group. May 26, 2011. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  26. ^ Wong, Kevin (August 2, 2023). "15 Character Revelations We Learned In Street Fighter 6". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Keiichi Suzuki (2000). Tekken: Tatakai no Kanatani. Shogakukan. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  28. ^ Paco Diaz (2001). Tekken Forever. Image Comics. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  29. ^ Rui Takato (2009). Tekken Comics. Shueisha. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  30. ^ Tekken: Bloodline. Bandai Namco Entertainment. 2022. Heihachi: Hmm? / Julia: I want to know what happened to my mother. And I want her pendant back now, Heihachi. / Heihachi: The pendant is from a time and people well before Michelle Chang. / Jin: What the hell? Grandfather, what are you doing? / Heihachi: Do not waste your Kazama empathy on this wannabe assassin. / Jin: Assassin? Are you kidding? / Heihachi: You, leave, now! / Jin: I'll make sure she leaves. / Heihachi: You have a tournament to win. / Jin: And you have a tournament to run. I'll take care of it. You won't see her again.
  31. ^ Tekken: Bloodline. Bandai Namco Entertainment. 2022. Julia: I don't need help from another Mishima. / Jin: What? / Julia: It all makes sense now. I heard you call him "grandfather." You... you're the son of Kazuya Mishima. / Jin: You should leave. / Julia: I'm not leaving until I recover my mother's pendant and find out what happened to her. / Jin: Pendant? / Julia: You've seen it, haven't you? My mother was determined to make sure the pendant was used for good, and Heihachi stole it from her. Heihachi got it from some lowlife who got it from the bottom of a lake. After my mother hid it there, trying to keep it away from him. Heihachi will only use its power for evil. / Jin: Heihachi's trying to help me rid the world of someone. Of something truly evil. / Julia: The Ogre? Who do you think unleashed it on all of us? / Jin: What? You're saying Heihachi released Ogre into the world? / Julia: That's what my mother believed. / Jin: Ogre killed my mother. / Julia: That should just make you more determined to prevent Heihachi from using the pendant. / Jin: You'll... get the pendant back. / Julia: What? / Jin: After the tournament. I'll see to it. After I fight that masked freak.
  32. ^ "Tekken 3 - Julia Chang - 1/7 (Kazya)". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  33. ^ "Tekken 4 - Julia Chang - 1/8 (BROVO COMPANY, Heihachi Zazen)". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  34. ^ "Street Fighter x Tekken - Julia Chang - Minimates (Diamond Select Toys)". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  35. ^ "Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - Jaycee - Julia Chang - Bishoujo Statue - Tekken". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  36. ^ "Tales And Tenjho Tenge Artists Create Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Costumes". Siliconera. GAMURS Group. August 28, 2012. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  37. ^ "NG Alphas: Tekken 3". Next Generation. No. 28. Imagine Media. April 1997. p. 73.
  38. ^ "Tekken on the World". PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia. 14: 15. May 2003.
  39. ^ "Meet The Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Team: KOR". Prima Games. September 12, 2012. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  40. ^ Borkowski, Alex (2017-05-31). "'Tekken' fans are antsy for the return of Julia Chang". Mic. Archived from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  41. ^ Glaze, Virginia (December 3, 2018). "Tekken pros rush stage to hug producer after major character reveals". Dexerto. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  42. ^ Collins, Ryan (March 10, 2019). "Stream Monster: Fergus Talks About His History With Julia Chang And Her Transition To Tekken 7". Medium. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  43. ^ Wisniewski, Nicholas (2018). Playing with Culture: The Representation of Native Americans in Video Games (Thesis). Archived from the original on 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  44. ^ Ząbecki, Krzysztof (2020). "Promoting and Preserving Indigenous Languages and Cultures in the Americas Through Video Games". Handbook of the Changing World Language Map. pp. 1785–1802. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-02438-3_114. ISBN 978-3-030-02437-6.
  45. ^ Harradence, Michael (January 10, 2024). "Tekken 8 Boss Wants Feedback From Native American Community On The Designs Of Michelle & Julia". PlayStation Universe. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  46. ^ Martínez Linares, Samuel (February 2018). Representation of Native Americans: From Literature to Video Games (Thesis). p. 53—54.
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