# Julia Chang

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
### Design concept

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. Initially designed with traditional Native American features, including war bonnets. She intended to replace fellow Tekken character Michelle Chang with a superior design. Tekken 4 depicted Julia as a researcher with two distinct outfits: jeans with a jacket or shorts with a crop top. Tekken 5 utilized character customization. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 presented her alter ego, Jaycee, as a luchadora. Regarding crossover in Street Fighter X Tekken, Julia received Street Fighter's Chun-Li outfit. By Tekken 7, her character changed into a live streamer.

### Role in major Tekken games

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

### Gameplay features

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.

### Other appearances

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. Several companies have produced her figurines, including Kazya, Brovo Company, Heihachi Zazen, Diamond Select Toys, and Kotobukiya.

## Critical reception

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