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Julia Chang

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Julia Chang
Tekken character
Julia in Tekken 7 as of 2019
First gameTekken 3 (1997)
Created byNamco
Portrayal byVarious[a]

Julia Chang (Japanese: ジュリア・チャン, Hepburn: Juria Chan), also known under the alias Jaycee (Japanese: ジェイシー, Hepburn: Jeishī), is a character in the Bandai Namco's Tekken franchise based on fighting games. Julia debuted as a player character and Native American representative in the 1997 fighting game Tekken 3. Her alias Jaycee is depicted as a luchadora and first appeared in the 2011 fighting game Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Julia is the adoptive daughter of fellow Tekken character Michelle Chang, whom she was intended to replace.

Plot-wise, Julia's initial goal in the Tekken series is to save Michelle. Afterward, she shifts her focus to reforesting her homeland. Throughout the Tekken series, she has been portrayed in a variety of professions, including archaeology, research, professional wrestling, and live-streaming. Julia is a practitioner of Chinese martial arts and has appeared in several video games and comics, in addition to an anime and various merchandise.

She has been voiced by multiple actresses, including Cara Jones, Hiromi Tsuru, Kimberly Forsythe, Joni Davidson, Annie Wood, Seiko Yoshida, and Stephanie Sheh. Additionally, Julia was motion-captured by Japanese game director Katsuhiro Harada. The character has been a subject of criticism, especially for being a representative of Native Americans.

Character overview

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Design concept

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Julia Chang, an American citizen belonging to a Native American background, debuted in Tekken 3 as a Chinese martial arts disciple with an interest in archaeology.[4] Initially designed with traditional Native American features, including war bonnets.[5][6] She intended to replace fellow Tekken character Michelle Chang with a superior design.[7] Tekken 4 depicted Julia as a researcher with two distinct outfits: jeans with a jacket or shorts with a crop top.[8] Tekken 5 utilized character customization.[9] Tekken Tag Tournament 2 presented her alter ego, Jaycee, as a luchadora.[10] Regarding crossover in Street Fighter X Tekken, Julia received Street Fighter's Chun-Li outfit.[7] By Tekken 7, her character changed into a live streamer.[11]

Role in major Tekken games

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Adopted by Michelle Chang from Native American land, Julia searches for her after she disappears in Tekken 3.[12] In conclusion, Julia found and rescued Michelle, discovering the kidnapper, Heihachi Mishima.[13] In Tekken 4, Julia works on reforesting her homeland, accumulating reforestation data in a research center. However, the data was stolen by an organization.[8] She tried to obtain the data in Tekken 5,[9] and recovered it in Tekken 6, returning home to resume reforesting.[14] In Tekken 7, she needed money to expand reforestation and aimed to defeat Kazuya Mishima.[15] Tekken 8 did not feature Julia in its main roster, despite a circulating internet leak that was later deemed false by game producer Michael Murray.[16]

Gameplay features[b]

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In the Tekken fighting games, Julia is an agility-oriented character, prioritizing speed over power. Her speed is also useful for executing combos. Examples of her practical moves include "Party Crasher", which is used for countering opponents; "Machine Gun Cannon", used for launching opponents into the air; and "Spinning Sweep Combo", utilized as a low-attack option. Defensively, she can block, spin, and sidestep.[8][9]

Other appearances

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She has appeared in multiple Tekken spin-offs such as Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Card Challenge, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken Revolution, and comics like Tekken 3, Tekken Forever, and Tekken Comic. She has also been featured in the anime Tekken: Bloodline and in Namco's marketing.[17] Several companies have produced her figurines, including Kazya, Brovo Company, Heihachi Zazen, Diamond Select Toys, and Kotobukiya.[18]

Critical reception

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During the period of Tekken 6 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2, game director Katsuhiro Harada was criticized by a Native American individual regarding Julia's stereotypical Native American attire.[19][5][20] Her absence from Tekken 7 angered fans, leading to negativity towards Harada.[21][22] However, fans later celebrated Julia's return, with Tekken players like Seong-ho 'Chanel' Kang and Shimon 'Tissuemon' Kawai embracing Harada by hugging him.[23] A professor from the National University of Distance Education, Samuel Martínez Linares, criticized Julia's Native American depiction, noting the lack of cultural depth and her excessively sexualized appearance.[24]

Notes

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  1. ^ Voice Actresses (Cited sources: [1][2])

    Motion Actor: Katsuhiro Harada (90s).[3]

  2. ^ This information is derived from Tekken 4 and Tekken 5, so it may differ from other games.

References

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  1. ^ "Julia Chang Voices (Tekken)". Behind The Voice Actors. Inyxception Enterprises, Inc. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "Tekken 5: Details". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Katsuhiro Harada [@Harada_TEKKEN] (January 4, 2024). "I was a motion capture actor myself in the 90s. I recorded Michelle and Julia's praying poses..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "Julia Chang: Wandering Fighter" (PDF). Computer and Video Games. No. 202. Future Publishing. September 1998. p. 52.
  5. ^ a b Liv Ngan (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.
  6. ^ Sara Borondo (January 11, 2024). "El director de Tekken quiere saber la opinión de los nativos americanos sobre Julia y Michelle". Vandal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 11, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Street Fighter X Tekken: Artworks. UDON Entertainment. September 2012. pp. 150–151.
  8. ^ a b c Jeff Barton; Michael Littlefield; Kevin Sakamoto (2002). Tekken 4: Prima's Official Strategy Guide (PDF). Prima Games. pp. 56–57.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b c Joey Cuellar; Adam Deats (2005). Tekken 5 Official Strategy Guide. BradyGames. pp. 106–109.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ タケヤマ カメラ (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". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas, Inc. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011.
  11. ^ Dominic Tarason (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.
  12. ^ Simon Hill (October 1997). Tekken 3: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. p. 126.
  13. ^ Namco (1998). Tekken 3 (PlayStation). Level/area: Julia Chang: Homecoming.
  14. ^ Adam Deats; Joe Epstein; Ian Rogers (October 2009). Tekken 6 Signature Series Strategy Guide. BradyGames. p. 146.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "『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". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. February 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019.
  16. ^ Connor Makar (January 9, 2024). "Update: Tekken 8 producer shoots down recent Julia leak as fake". VG247. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024.
  17. ^ Namco (1998). Tekken 3 - Symphony Orchestra Calendar.
    Tekken 3 - Julia Chang (Namco)
    Takuji Kawano (2004). Fan Service. Namco.
  18. ^ MyFigureCollection.net
  19. ^ Michael Harradence (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.
  20. ^ Tessa Kaur (January 12, 2024). "Tekken Director Proves We Can, In Fact, Expect Japanese Developers To Be Culturally Sensitive". TheGamer. Valnet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
  21. ^ Alex Borkowski (May 31, 2017). "'Tekken 7' Julia Chang: No Julia DLC? Fans are antsy for the character to return". Mic. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020.
  22. ^ Bruno Galvão (December 4, 2018). "Tekken 7 mostra Julia em novas imagens". Eurogamer.pt (in Portuguese). Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024.
  23. ^ Virginia Glaze (December 3, 2018). "Tekken pros rush stage to hug producer after major character reveals". Dexerto. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022.
  24. ^ Samuel Martínez Linares (February 2018). Representation of Native Americans: From Literature to Video Games (Thesis). Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED). pp. 53–54.
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