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Michelle and Julia Chang

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Michelle Chang (Japanese: ミシェル・チャン) and Julia Chang (Japanese: ジュリア・チャン) are fictional characters in the Tekken series, developed by Bandai Namco. Both characters are depicted as having Native American heritage, a trait that has been subject to criticism for its portrayal in the series. Michelle first appeared in the original Tekken, while Julia was introduced in Tekken 3. In the series' storyline, Michelle and Julia share a relationship as an adoptive mother and daughter.

Michelle Chang

[edit]
Michelle Chang
Tekken character
Michelle in Tekken 2 (1995)
First appearanceTekken (1994)
Created byNamco
Voiced byVarious[a]

Overview

[edit]

Michelle was introduced in the original Tekken in 1994. A young woman of Chinese and Native American descent. She possesses a mysterious pendant believed to control evil spirits, which has caused numerous problems in her life, including the death of her father at the hands of Heihachi Mishima's men when he failed to retrieve the treasure, as well as her mother and even her own kidnappings in later years. She later becomes the adoptive mother of Julia Chang, who masters her mother's discipline. Michelle is dropped from the canonical games after Tekken 2, but continues to appear in the series' spin-offs and other media, including animated films and comics. During an early development of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, some of Michelle's motion capture was done by the series producer Katsuhiro Harada.[2]

Michelle utilizes a variation of Kenpo called "Chang Kenpo" mixed with Xingyiquan. Her style and moveset were later adopted by her adopted daughter and substitute in the series, Julia.[3] Michelle is a fast-paced character and supposed to be played as aggressively for the execution of combos, causing problems for the opponents to defense. She can also perform damaging counters and has a large number of moves that can start juggle combos. However, she can be a very difficult character to play.[4]

Critical reception

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According to Liz Faber's book Computer Game Graphics (1999), "Michelle Chan ... epitomizes the racially diverse characters that populate the modern [video] games".[5] The New York Times "Game Theory" columnist JC Herz claimed that Michelle, having an Asian name but ambiguous features, is "such a confused mixture of signs" that she "represents a perfect metaphor of video games themselves".[6] In her thesis, author Gabrielle Hughes maligned the depiction of Indigenous women in video games tending towards "generic and hyper-sexualized", singling Michelle out among others as examples.[7] In a discussion about representation in video games on BBC Radio 4, one person cited her experience with Tekken and Michelle, where she was disappointed by how stereotyped she was. She also commented on how such stereotyping can result in people having only a limited perspective on what Native Americans can be.[8]

While discussing ethnic representation in the Tekken series, English Professor Samuel Martínez Linares discussed both Michelle and Julia. He discussed how Tekken depicts Michelle's ties to her heritage and culture in stereotypical ways, specifically citing her magic pendant. He felt that the designers failed to represent Chang's heritage and culture with "depth and consistency". He was also critical of similarities between Michelle and Julia and how they were sexualized, citing the comparatively high rate of sexual assaults against Native American women, of which 86 percent were committed by non-Native men. He cited a video game analyst, Fabius, who argues that such sexualization of Native women is "both responsible for and indicative of continuing colonialist sentiments in Western society."[9]

Julia Chang

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

Overview

[edit]

Julia, an American citizen belonging to a Native American background, debuted in Tekken 3 as a Chinese martial arts disciple with an interest in archaeology.[13] Initially designed with traditional Native American features, including war bonnets.[14][15] She intended to replace fellow Tekken character Michelle Chang with a superior design.[16] Tekken 4 depicted Julia as a researcher with two distinct outfits: jeans with a jacket or shorts with a crop top.[17] Tekken 5 utilized character customization.[18] Tekken Tag Tournament 2 presented her alter ego, Jaycee, as a luchadora.[19] Regarding crossover in Street Fighter X Tekken, Julia received Street Fighter's Chun-Li outfit.[16] By Tekken 7, her character changed into a live streamer.[20]

Adopted by Michelle Chang from Native American land, Julia searches for her after she disappears in Tekken 3.[21] In conclusion, Julia found and rescued Michelle, discovering the kidnapper, Heihachi Mishima.[22] In Tekken 4, Julia works on reforesting her homeland, accumulating reforestation data in a research center. However, the data was stolen by an organization.[17] She tried to obtain the data in Tekken 5,[18] and recovered it in Tekken 6, returning home to resume reforesting.[23] In Tekken 7, she needed money to expand reforestation and aimed to defeat Kazuya Mishima.[24] 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.[25]

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.[17][18] 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.[26] Several companies have produced her figurines, including Kazya, Brovo Company, Heihachi Zazen, Diamond Select Toys, and Kotobukiya.[27]

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.[28][14][29] Her absence from Tekken 7 angered fans, leading to negativity towards Harada.[30][31] However, fans later celebrated Julia's return, with Tekken players like Seong-ho 'Chanel' Kang and Shimon 'Tissuemon' Kawai embracing Harada by hugging him.[32] 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.[9]

Notes

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  1. ^ (Cited source: [1])
  2. ^ Voice Actresses (Cited sources: [10][11])

    Motion Actor: Katsuhiro Harada (90s).[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Michelle Chang Voice". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Ryan King (July 9, 2012). "Tekken Tag 2: 'My Staff Say We Have Too Many Characters' - Harada Interview (News)". NowGamer. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013.
  3. ^ Tom Goulter (September 4, 2012). "Tekken Tag Tournament 2 roster - Meet all 55 fighters". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on November 7, 2013.
  4. ^ Lallée, Aymeric (December 2000). "Guide: Tekken Tag Tournament". PlayPower. HS 8: 50.
  5. ^ Liz Faber, Computer Game Graphics, page 15.
  6. ^ J.C. Herz, Joystick Nation: How Computer Games Ate Our Quarters, Won Our Hearts and Rewired Our Minds, page 161 (as cited in The Dragon and the Dazzle: Models, Strategies, and Identities of Japanese Imagination in a European Perspective).
  7. ^ Gabrielle Hughes (2020). "Tradigital Knowledge? Indigenous Video Games, Intellectual Property Law and the Protection of Traditional Knowledge". University of Oxford.
  8. ^ "BBC Radio 4 FM : September 12, 2020 06:00PM-09:00PM BST". BBC Radio 4. September 12, 2020.
  9. ^ a b 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.
  10. ^ "Julia Chang Voice". Behind The Voice Actors. Inyxception Enterprises, Inc. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020.
  11. ^ "Tekken 5: Details". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "Julia Chang: Wandering Fighter" (PDF). Computer and Video Games. No. 202. Future Publishing. September 1998. p. 52.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ a b Street Fighter X Tekken: Artworks. UDON Entertainment. September 2012. pp. 150–151.
  17. ^ 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)
  18. ^ 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)
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Simon Hill (October 1997). Tekken 3: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. p. 126.
  22. ^ Namco (1998). Tekken 3 (PlayStation). Level/area: Julia Chang: Homecoming.
  23. ^ 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)
  24. ^ "『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.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ Namco (1998). Tekken 3 - Symphony Orchestra Calendar.
    Tekken 3 - Julia Chang (Namco)
    Takuji Kawano (2004). Fan Service. Namco.
  27. ^ MyFigureCollection.net
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ 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.
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