| Julia Chang | |
| Image Upright: | 0.66 |
| Series: | Tekken |
| Firstgame: | Tekken 3 (1997) |
| Motion Actor: | Katsuhiro Harada (prayer victory stance)[1] |
| Alias: | Jaycee |
| Nationality: | American[2] |
is a character in the Tekken series by Japanese company Bandai Namco Entertainment. She made her debut as a playable character in Tekken 3 (1997) and is the adopted daughter of Michelle Chang, another character in the Tekken series. Julia's story often revolves around her efforts to save her tribe's forest. In Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011), she adopts a different identity known as .
Julia has been featured in several Tekken games, as well as in comic books, 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 received recognition among competitive Tekken players.
When working on Tekken 3 (1997), the development team decided to retire their existing Native American character, Michelle Chang. To replace Michelle, they created Julia Chang. Julia was designed to be intellectually gifted while retaining Michelle's overall appeal. Additionally, the developers wanted to emphasize a rebellious streak in Julia, contrasting her with other fighters who focused heavily on aesthetics. This led to the decision to portray Julia as attractive while wearing glasses.[3] The creation of Julia and Michelle was constrained by the technological limitations prevalent in the gaming industry of the 1990s. Despite these restrictions on time and polygonal complexity, the developers prioritized individual expression in character design. Seeking inspiration from indigenous cultures, the team referenced the traditional war bonnets of Plains Indigenous peoples. To respectfully acknowledge Native American heritage, "feather accents" were incorporated into the characters' designs.
According to Japanese game director Katsuhiro Harada, Julia's conception was challenging. Over time, the developers found it increasingly difficult to keep Julia popular among fans. Throughout the Tekken series, Julia would experience temporary surges in popularity, followed by periods of waning interest. In an attempt to boost her appeal, the developers gave Julia an alternative version, Jaycee, in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011). Harada explained that while Julia was statistically one of the best Tekken characters in terms of usage, she received far less player feedback compared to other female characters like Asuka Kazama and Lili De Rochefort. This lack of player engagement led to the creation of Jaycee, aimed at giving Julia a more unique personality and attracting more player attention.[4]
Debuting in Tekken 3 as a 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall young American woman, Julia's original design was inspired by Native American fashion, featuring a crop top, a short denim skirt, cowgirl boots, and a small feathered headdress.[5] However, this headdress is absent in Tekken 4, where her design undergoes drastic changes, including the addition of glasses. In Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Julia adopts the identity of Jaycee, embracing the lucha libre style and taking the place of her friend, who was the original Jaycee. Jaycee is a wordplay on Julia's name, and her moveset is more grappling-focused.[6] Additionally, Namco Bandai hired Japanese illustrator Mutsumi Inomata to work on Jaycee's alternative costume. This design collaboration brought a different visual approach to the character.[7] In Tekken 7, Julia changes her occupation to that of a live streamer, streaming her fights to gain attention and support. By broadcasting her battles online, she aims to reach a wider audience and engage with her fans, utilizing her platform to maintain her presence in the public.[8]
Julia's gameplay and fighting style are characterized by her use of various Chinese martial arts.[9] Her fighting techniques includes numerous wrestling-style throws and quick attacks that can transition into combos sequences.[10] Julia's attack variety encompasses several types of consistent moves that can be strategically employed to keep opponents guessing.[11] Her quickness is a key element of her playstyle, enabling her to execute juggle combos effectively and inflict substantial damage. This agility not only enhances her offensive capabilities but also helps her maintain pressure on opponents throughout a match.
Introduced in Tekken 3 (1997), Julia's storyline begins with her being adopted by Michelle, 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 find Michelle, who disappeared while investigating her stolen pendant.[12] [2] Julia managed to rescue Michelle and discovered that the tournament host, Heihachi Mishima, was the reason behind Michelle's disappearance.[13] Later, Julia researched ecosystem restoration techniques to save her homeland from climatic change, collaborating with G Corporation. However, her data was stolen by the Mishima Zaibatsu organization, prompting her to enter the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 (Tekken 4) and King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 (Tekken 5) to recover it.[14] [15]
After reclaiming her stolen data and completing her research, Julia returned to Arizona (her homeland) to implement the reforestation plans. Along the way, Julia met with an old woman who proved helpful for the reforestation project and she gave Julia a warning about an impending battle between two people, Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, which could revive a dangerous creature. Determined to prevent this, Julia entered the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 (Tekken 6).[16] In Tekken 7, after retiring as a masked fighter, Jaycee. Julia focused on global reforestation. However, she needed money and aimed to defeat Kazuya Mishima, believing it would gain global attention and funding for her project.[17]
Since her introduction, Julia has been voiced by several actresses. Beginning with Tekken 3, where she was voiced in English by Cara Jones and in Japanese by Hiromi Tsuru, Hiromi continued to voice Julia in the Tekken Tag Tournament. Kimberly Forsythe took over as her English voice actress in Tekken 4 and Tekken 5, while Joni Davidson also voiced Julia in Tekken 5, specifically for in-game segments. Julia was voiced by American actress Annie Wood in English for Tekken 5, Tekken 6, and Street Fighter X Tekken. Seiko Yoshida provided Julia's Japanese voice in Street Fighter X Tekken and , while Jeannie Tirado provided her English voice in Tekken: Bloodline.
Stephanie Sheh serves as Julia's English voice actress in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, although the specific other titles in which she has provided her voice remain unclear. A social media post by Sheh suggests that she may have contributed to Julia's voice in earlier Tekken games. Regarding motion capture, Japanese game director Katsuhiro Harada shared in a social media post that he had participated in numerous motion capture performances for various characters in the Tekken series. He also acknowledged his involvement in the motion capture process for one of Julia's victory stances, where she is depicted praying. However, it was phased out starting with the release of Tekken 5 and was replaced with new animations in the following Tekken games.[1]
Julia is selectable in tag team-based games such as Tekken Tag Tournament (1999) and as Jaycee in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011).[18] [19] She is also a selectable character in the spin-offs, including Tekken Card Challenge (1999), (2012), and as Jaycee in Tekken Revolution (2013).[20] [21] [22] Jaycee is also present in Tekken Pachislot 3rd (2014), a slot-machine game, and in the 2015 fixed shooter mobile game Galaga: Tekken 20th Anniversary Edition.[23] Julia cameoed in the 2005 action-adventure game Death by Degrees.[24] The 2012 crossover game Street Fighter X Tekken featured Julia in a more stylized art style, and she additionally received a swap costume based on Chun-Li design from the Street Fighter series.[3] A reference to her is present in the 2023 fighting game, Street Fighter 6.[25]
Besides video games, Julia has been featured in comics and manga, including Tekken 3 (1996), Tekken: Tatakai no Kanatani (2000), Tekken Forever (2001), and Tekken Comic (2009).[26] Julia also appears in the 2022 six-episode anime . This anime is based on the events of Tekken 3. In the narrative, 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.[27] Jin promises Julia that he will give her the pendant back after the tournament.[28]
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.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31] 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.[32]
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).[33] In September 2012, professional Tekken player Rene Maistry, 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 disliked playing against quick characters.[34] Fergus, a professional Tekken player, with extensive experience using Julia. In an interview with Ryan "Saint Cola" Collins on the Medium website, he talked about his journey with Julia. He started playing Julia competitively in the early 2010s and found her interesting because of her distinct playstyle, the potential for having "best combos", and her personality as a live streamer.[35]
During the release of Tekken 6 (2007) and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011), Japanese game director Katsuhiro Harada received feedback about Julia's design, particularly her feathered headband. A Native American enthusiast criticized the headband for promoting stereotypes and not accurately representing Native American culture. Harada addressed this concern, acknowledging the feedback and noting the importance of sensitivity in cultural representation.[36] [5] Before later being added as DLC, Julia's absence from Tekken 7 (2015) was met with widespread disappointment.[37] In December 2018, when Harada announced Julia as a downloadable content (DLC) character for Tekken 7, professional Tekken player Seong-ho 'Chanel' Kang enthusiastically celebrated her inclusion with a stage hug for Harada.[38]
Julia has also been discussed as a representative of Native Americans in multiple publications.[39] [40] [41] In the study "Representation of Native Americans: From Literature to Video Games", conducted in February 2018 by English professor Samuel Martínez Linares, it is argued that the portrayal of Julia and her adoptive mother, Michelle Chang, falls short of authentically representing Native American culture. Linares emphasizes the absence of specific tribal characteristics, which hinders players' understanding of the significance of choosing a Native American background. The lack of cultural depth prevents players from fully connecting with and appreciating the richness of Native American heritage. Additionally, the characters' similar physical appearances and questionable attire further contribute to a stereotypical and inaccurate representation.[42]
