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Julia Chang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the fictional character. For the Chinese American diplomat, see Julia Chang Bloch.

Julia Chang
Tekken character
Julia in Tekken 5 (2004)
First gameTekken 3 (1997)
Voiced by
Motion captureKatsuhiro Harada (?—TK5)[5]
In-universe information
AliasJaycee
NationalityAmerican[6]

Julia Chang (Japanese: ジュリア・チャン, Hepburn: Juria Chan) is a character in the Tekken media franchise created by Japanese company Namco. She made her debut as a playable character in the 1997 arcade game Tekken 3. She is the adoptive daughter of fellow Tekken character Michelle Chang and was meant to be her replacement. The main focus of Julia's journey is to reforest the land for a better life, and she also works as an archaeologist. In the 2011 fighting game Tekken Tag Tournament 2, she adopts a different identity known as Jaycee (Japanese: ジェイシー, Hepburn: Jeishī), whose personality is focused on lucha libre.

Julia uses Chinese martial arts techniques to fight off her opponents and has been featured in several Tekken games, as well as in comics, anime, and merchandise. She has been voiced by multiple actors over the years. Critics have acknowledged her portrayal as a representative of Native American heritage, and she has also been present in the competitive Tekken community.

Development

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Introduced in Tekken 3 (1997) as a 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall young American woman,[7] Julia's original design includes Native American traits.[8] Julia was made to replace an existing Native American character, Michelle Chang. To distinguish Julia from other characters, she was portrayed with glasses,[9] which can be first observed in Tekken 4 (2001).[10] To overcome lack of feedback, Julia received an alter ego, Jaycee.[11] In Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011), it is revealed that Jaycee is a friend of Julia. After Jaycee gets injured, Julia adopts her identity and becomes a lucha libre wrestler.[12] In Tekken 7, Julia changes her profession to a live streamer.[13]

Julia's design changed significantly in Tekken 4 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2, where she transitioned from a denim-clad look to a lucha libre style

Julia's gameplay and fighting style are characterized by her use of multiple Chinese martial arts,[14] including Xingyiquan and Bajiquan.[15] Her techniques include numerous wrestling-style throws and quick attacks that can transition into combo sequences.[16] Julia's attack variety includes several types of moves that can be strategically employed to keep opponents guessing.[7] Her quickness is a key element of her playstyle, allowing her to execute juggle combos effectively and inflict substantial damage. This agility also benefits her by enhancing her offensive capabilities and by helping her maintain pressure on opponents throughout a match.[10]

Storyline

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Julia was adopted by Michelle Chang, a Native American woman who taught her martial arts. Julia studied archaeology and, at age 18, entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 (Tekken 3) to rescue Michelle from a person named Heihachi Mishima.[17][6] Julia managed to save Michelle, and they both returned to their homeland.[18] Later, Julia became an archaeologist and focused on ecosystem restoration to address environmental issues in her homeland with G Corporation, whose computers stored her research data. However, her data was stolen by the Mishima Zaibatsu organization, prompting her to enter the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 and 5 (Tekken 4 and 5) to recover it.[10][19]

After reclaiming her stolen data and completing her research, Julia returned to her homeland for reforestation. Along the way, Julia met with an old woman who proved helpful for the reforestation project and warned Julia about an impending battle between two people, Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, which could revive a dangerous creature. To prevent this, Julia entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 (Tekken 6).[20] In Tekken 7, Julia focused on global reforestation but needed additional funding. She aimed to defeat Kazuya Mishima to gain global attention and secure funding for her project.[15]

Portrayal

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In Tekken 3, Julia was voiced in English by Cara Jones and in Japanese by Hiromi Tsuru.[1][4] Kimberly Forsythe took over as her English voice actress in Tekken 4 and Tekken 5 (2004). Julia was voiced by two other actresses, including Annie Wood and Joni Davidson in Tekken 5.[2][3] Annie continued her portrayal until Street Fighter X Tekken (2012).[4] Seiko Yoshida provided Julia's Japanese voice in Street Fighter X Tekken and Tekken: Bloodline (2022), while Jeannie Tirado provided her English voice in Tekken: Bloodline.[4] Japanese game director Katsuhiro Harada motion captured for several Tekken characters, including Julia until Tekken 5.[5]

Other media

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Julia, either as herself or Jaycee, has been featured in multiple Tekken spin-offs, including Tekken Tag Tournament (1999),[21] Tekken Card Challenge (1999),[22] Death by Degrees (2005),[23] Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011),[24] Tekken 3D: Prime Edition (2012),[25] Tekken Revolution (2013),[26] Tekken Pachislot 3rd (2014),[27] Galaga: Tekken 20th Anniversary Edition (2015),[28] and Pachislot Tekken 5 (2022).[29] In the 2012 crossover game Street Fighter X Tekken, Julia was featured in a stylized art style and received a swap costume based on Chun-Li's design from the Street Fighter series.[9] Additionally, a reference to Julia is present in the 2023 fighting game Street Fighter 6.[30]

Besides video games, Julia has been featured in various comics, including Tekken 3 (1996),[31] Tekken: Tatakai no Kanatani (2000),[32] Tekken Forever (2001),[33] and Tekken Comic (2009).[34] Julia also appears in the 2022 anime Tekken: Bloodline. In this anime, Julia competes in the King of Iron Fist tournament to recover a pendant stolen by the tournament's host, Heihachi Mishima. During the tournament, she confronts Heihachi, but another participant, Jin Kazama, intervenes to stop them. Jin promises to return the pendant to Julia after the tournament concludes.[35]

She has also been a part of Namco's promotional material.[36][37][38] A Tekken 3-based action figure of Julia was released by Kazya on August 20, 2000.[39] A Tekken 4-based Julia action figure was released by BROVO COMPANY during the Wonder Festival in 2003.[40] The 2005 card game Epic Battles featured Julia as a part of their card collection.[41] Diamond Select Toys produced a 1.95-inch Julia PVC action figure from Street Fighter X Tekken (2012), released on December 30, 2012.[42] A prepainted 1/7 scale PVC figure of Jaycee from Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011) was released in Japan by Kotobukiya on February 15, 2013.[43]

Reception

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In May 2003, PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia confirmed Julia to be one of the most popular characters among the professional players of Tekken 4 (2001).[44] In September 2012, Tekken player Rene Maistry described Julia as one of his most challenging characters in Tekken 5 (2004), reasoning that quick characters are difficult to face against.[45] Fergus, a professional Tekken player with extensive experience using Julia. In an interview on the Medium website he shared his journey with Julia. He started playing Julia competitively because of her playstyle and potential. He also liked her live streamer personality.[46]

During Tekken 6 (2007) and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011), Japanese game director Katsuhiro Harada received feedback about Julia's feathered headband from a Native American person. The person described it as stereotypical and showed examples of Native American clothing by referring to individuals from their point of view for comparison.[47][8] Before later being added in Tekken 7, Julia's absence from the game was met with widespread disappointment.[48] In December 2018, when Harada announced Julia for Tekken 7, Tekken player Seong-ho 'Chanel' Kang celebrated her inclusion with a stage hug for Harada.[49]

Julia has also been discussed as a representative of Native Americans in multiple publications.[50][51][52] In the 2018 study "Representation of Native Americans: From Literature to Video Games" by English professor Samuel Martínez Linares, he argued that the portrayal of Julia and her adoptive mother, Michelle Chang, falls short of representing Native American culture. Linares emphasizes the absence of specific tribal characteristics that lack cultural depth, which prevents players from connecting with their Native American heritage. Additionally, the characters' similar physical appearances and questionable attire further contribute to a stereotypical representation.[53]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tekken 3 - Details". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Tekken 4 - Details". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Tekken 5 - Details". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Julia Chang Voices (Tekken)". Behind The Voice Actors. Inyxception Enterprises, Inc. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2019. Voice actors with check marks are listed to be accurate, however, to maintain accuracy, actors without check marks should generally be ignored.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  5. ^ a b Katsuhiro Harada [@Harada_TEKKEN] (January 4, 2024). "By the way, I was also the voice actor for Marshall Law and Forest Law all the way up to TEKKEN6 (not me after TAG2).

    Also, I was a motion capture actor myself in the 90s. I recorded Michelle and Julia's praying poses, Lei Wulong's victory performance, Kuma's dance, etc…etc…many others (However, they have all been replaced with new data from Tekken 5 to 7)"     (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ a b "13. Julia Chang "Wandering Fighter"". Computer and Video Games (188). July 1997. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Julia Chang - Wandering Fighter". Computer and Video Games (202): 52. September 1998.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b Street Fighter X Tekken: Artworks. UDON Entertainment. September 2012. pp. 150–151. ISBN 978-1926778518.
  10. ^ a b c Barton, Jeff; Littlefield, Michael; Sakamoto, Kevin (2002). "Julia Chang". Tekken 4: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games: 56.
  11. ^ タケヤマ カメラ [Takeyama] (September 14, 2011). "鉄拳が目指すアクションゲームの究極とは――本日稼働開始の「鉄拳TAG TOURNAMENT2」。新宿平八こと原田Pが語る格闘ゲーム，その哲学" [What is the ultimate action game that Tekken aims for? Tekken TAG TOURNAMENT2 starts today. Shinjuku Heihachi, also known as Harada P, talks about his philosophy on fighting games]. 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Fanelli, Jason (June 19, 2011). "Get Ready For The Next Interview! Katsuhiro Harada Of Tekken". GamerNode. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Julia Chang: chico nueovos el barrio". PlayStation Power Especial Trucos: Tekken 3.
  15. ^ a b "『鉄拳7』有料DLC第8弾"ジュリア"、第9弾"ニーガン" の配信日が2月28日に決定。キャラクターPVも公開" ["Tekken 7" Paid DLC 8th "Julia" and 9th "Negan" will be released on February 28th. Character PV also released]. ファミ通.com [Famitsu.com] (in Japanese). February 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  16. ^ "Ten of The Best". Computer and Video Games (198). May 1998. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  17. ^ Hill, Simon (1998). "Julia Chang". Tekken 3: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games: 126.
  18. ^ Namco (1998). Tekken 3 (PlayStation). Level/area: Theater Mode: Julia Chang - Homecoming.
  19. ^ "Characters". Tekken 5 NTSC-U/C Manual: 38.
  20. ^ Tekken 6 Official Strategy Guide, Brady Games (2009). p. 146.
  21. ^ Namco (July 1999). Tekken Tag Tournament.
  22. ^ "Tekken Card Challenge for WonderSwan". IGN. July 15, 2000. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  23. ^ Audrey, Sean (September 1, 2005). "Death By Degrees Walkthrough". PSX Extreme. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  24. ^ "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.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ Bandai Namco Entertainment (September 2014). Tekken Pachislot 3rd.
  28. ^ Bandai Namco Entertainment (April 30, 2015). Galaga: Tekken 20th Anniversary Edition.
  29. ^ Bandai Namco Entertainment (July 20, 2022). Pachislot Tekken 5.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ Li Zhonghao (w), Kuang Shijie (a). Tekken 3 (1996). Namco.
  32. ^ Keiichi Suzuki (a). Tekken: Tatakai no Kanatani (2000—2001). Shogakukan.
  33. ^ Dave Chi (w), Paco Diaz (a). Tekken Forever (2001). Image Comics.
  34. ^ Rui Takato (a). Tekken Comics (2009—2010). Shueisha.
  35. ^ Tekken: Bloodline. Episode 5. Bandai Namco Entertainment. 2022.
  36. ^ Namco (1998). Tekken 3 - Symphony Orchestra Calendar.
  37. ^ Takuji Kawano (2004). Fan Service. Namco.
  38. ^ "Tekken 3 - Julia Chang (Namco)". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  39. ^ "Tekken 3 - Julia Chang - 1/7 (Kazya)". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  40. ^ "Tekken 4 - Julia Chang - 1/8 (BROVO COMPANY, Heihachi Zazen)". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  41. ^ Score Entertainment (2005). Epic Battles.
  42. ^ "Street Fighter x Tekken - Julia Chang - Minimates (Diamond Select Toys)". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  43. ^ "Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - Jaycee - Julia Chang - Bishoujo Statue - Tekken". MyFigureCollection.net. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  44. ^ "Tekken on the World". PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia. 14: 15. May 2003.
  45. ^ "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.
  46. ^ 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 July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  47. ^ 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.
  48. ^ Borkowski, Alex (May 31, 2017). "'Tekken' fans are antsy for the return of Julia Chang". Mic. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  49. ^ 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.
  50. ^ Wisniewski, Nicholas (2018). Playing with Culture: The Representation of Native Americans in Video Games (Thesis). Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  51. ^ 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.
  52. ^ Sanna-Kaisa Lamminpää (December 2019). "How The Source Material Affects Visual Design For Video Game Characters". Designing Video Game Characters Based On An Unfamiliar Culture: Case Skábma (PDF) (Thesis). Tampere University of Applied Sciences. p. 31.
  53. ^ Martínez Linares, Samuel (February 2018). Representation of Native Americans: From Literature to Video Games (Thesis). p. 53—54.
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