Ling Xiaoyu

Ling Xiaoyu
Tekken character

Ling Xiaoyu in Tekken 6
First game Tekken 3 (1997)
Voiced by (English) Carrie Keranen (Tekken: Blood Vengeance)
Carrie Savage (Street Fighter X Tekken)
Voiced by (Japanese) Yumi Tōma (Tekken 3 – Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Advance, Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Street Fighter X Tekken)
Maaya Sakamoto (Tekken 7, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tekken Revolution, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, Project X Zone, Project X Zone 2)
Motion capture Maya Asaba (Tekken: Blood Vengeance)
Yuka Hino (Tekken: Blood Vengeance) (stunts)
Portrayed by Claudia Alan (Tekken Tag Tournament 2 "Girl Power" trailer)
Xuan Thanh Nguyen (Tekken Tag Tournament 2 live-action short film)
Fictional profile
Birthplace China
Nationality Chinese
Fighting style Hakke Sho (Baguazhang) and Hika Ken (Piguaquan)
Occupation Student
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ling (凌).

Ling Xiaoyu (Chinese: 凌 曉雨 Pinyin: Líng Xiǎoyǔ, Japanese: リン・シャオユウ Rin Shaoyū) is a fictional character from the Tekken video game series by Namco Bandai Games. She made her debut in Tekken 3 in 1997 and has since appeared in every subsequent game in the series. She is a cheerful Chinese teenager who was a high school friend and potential love interest[1] of the series's main character, Jin Kazama, and serves as a supporting character in the story, mainly trying to interfere with the affairs of the increasingly corrupt Mishima family.

Xiaoyu is among the fastest characters in the Tekken series and practices Baguazhang, as well as other Chinese martial arts. She made her debut in Tekken 3 at the age of 16, making her the youngest human character at the time, until the introduction of Lili in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, who was also 16 at the time of that game. Xiaoyu has placed in multiple "hottest character" lists and has been said to represent strong female characters in video games.

Appearances

In video games

A sixteen-year-old Chinese martial artist, Ling Xiaoyu was tutored by her elderly relative, Wang Jinrei (whom she referred to as grandfather), from a young age. He believed that she could achieve true greatness yet he became frustrated by her careless attitude. While vacationing in Hong Kong with her family, she noticed a yacht named "Mishima Zaibatsu." Knowing that the Mishima Zaibatsu was rich and powerful, she decided to seek out Heihachi Mishima and make her dream of owning an amusement park a reality. Abandoning her family, Xiaoyu stowed away on the ship but was found by security, who informed Heihachi of her presence, but by the time Heihachi arrived, all of the Tekken Force, Heihachi’s personal security force, had been beaten and were strewn about the deck. During the chaos, Heihachi found Xiaoyu and threatened to beat him up if he did not accept her challenge. Amused by her juvenile antics, Heihachi promised to build her theme park if she won his tournament. She moved into the Mishima Zaibatsu's Japan complex and enrolled at the Mishima Polytechnic School, where she met both Heihachi's grandson, Jin Kazama, and Miharu Hirano. Bringing along her old school's trained panda (aptly named "Panda"), Heihachi taught her (Panda) to fight, much like he had taught Kuma, so that Xiaoyu would have a bodyguard. This encouraged Xiaoyu to see Heihachi as something of a grandfather toward her.

After the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3, Xiaoyu continued to live, study, and train as a ward of the Mishima Zaibatsu, but her life became boring and mundane, lacking any particular goals. Two years later, Xiaoyu was delivered an anonymous e-mail admonishing her not to trust Heihachi. The anonymous individual warned her that Heihachi posed an immediate danger to her life. At this time, Xiaoyu was a junior at the Mishima Polytechnic School and had become sick of her daily routines, but receiving this mysterious e-mail rejuvenated Xiaoyu’s passionate spirit. Xiaoyu replied to the e-mail several times, and although she was not contacted by the sender again, Xiaoyu became convinced that Jin, who had been missing since the previous tournament, had sent it to her. Around this same time, Heihachi announced the King of the Iron Fist Tournament 4. Hoping to reconnect with Jin and unmask the Mishima Zaibatsu’s evil deeds, Xiaoyu decided to enter the tournament.

At the end of the fourth tournament, Xiaoyu was rescued from the evil plans of Heihachi by Yoshimitsu, who then told her about the tragic history of the Mishima family. She was later saddened when hearing about Heihachi's apparent death at Hon-Maru. Xiaoyu started to believe that the root of all misfortune surrounding Jin and the Mishima family was Heihachi pitching Kazuya off the edge of a cliff when he was five years old. After hearing this, Xiaoyu believed it was her personal mission to save the tragic Mishima family. She wished that there were some way to turn back time and fix the past. Her wish was answered when she heard an unnamed scientist boast that if he had the money, he could build a time machine. To obtain the money to fund the invention, Xiaoyu entered the King of the Iron Fist Tournament 5 to win the prize money. During the tournament, Xiaoyu was relieved when she received the news that Heihachi had not truly died. However, as head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Jin aimed to take Heihachi’s life. Xiaoyu was going to try and stop Jin herself, but the Zaibatsu pushed towards militarization, making it difficult to approach Jin. The Mishima Zaibatsu’s declaration of war drew hostility from around the globe. When the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 is announced, Xiaoyu entered in an attempt to save Jin's soul from evil.

Xiaoyu appears in Tekken 7, being one of the 18 characters available in the first location tests of that game. Outside of the main series, Ling Xiaoyu has appeared in Tekken Card Challenge, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Advance, Tekken R, Tekken Resolute, Tekken Bowl, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tekken Pachinko Slot 2nd, Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken Card Tournament, Tekken Revolution, Tekken Arena, CR Tekken, Tekken Pachinko Slot 3rd and Galaga: TEKKEN Edition.

Outside of the Tekken series, she appears in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2, Project X Zone, Full Bokko Heroes X[2] and Project X Zone 2. Alisa and Xiaoyu are featured on the Su-34 "Alisa & Xiaoyu", a downloadable aircraft skin/variant in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon and Ace Combat: Infinity, designed by Shunya Yamashita.[3][4] A costume of Xiaoyu's is featured in the Catalogue 16 downloadable pack for The Idolmaster SP as well as the Tekken Costume Pack downloadable content for Soulcalibur V.[5][6]

Design and gameplay

Ling Xiaoyu is a Chinese teenager with black hair. Her signature hairstyle is two pigtails. She also wears a modified version of a cheongsam and shorts, as her primary outfit in most of her appearances. Another notable outfit she wears is a schoolgirl outfit, with a white blouse, black vest and a blue-green checkered skirt, in all of her appearances up to Tekken 5. In Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken 5, Xiaoyu has more selectable costumes than any other character.

Xiaoyu made her debut in Tekken 3 at the age of 16. The only human character to be younger than 18 in the game, Xiaoyu was created out of the result of the Tekken 3 team wanting a younger girl in the game.[7] Xiaoyu has been voiced by Japanese voice actress Yumi Tōma since Tekken 3, later replaced by Maaya Sakamoto in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (although Tōma still voiced her in Tekken 3D: Prime Edition and Street Fighter X Tekken). Her English voice actress in SFxTK is Carrie Savage.[8] Xiaoyu usually speaks Japanese due to staying in Japan to accomplish her school activities on Mishima Polytechnic School, even to Wang Jinrei, a fellow Chinese character, as shown in an interlude in Tekken 5.

Xiaoyu practices various Chinese martial arts, one of them being Baguazhang.[9][10] Xiaoyu's style is flowing and smooth; many of her attacks move in a windmill-like formation. Typical of a person of her size and build, Ling Xiaoyu is not strong in regards to the damage inflicted by her moves. Instead, Xiaoyu utilizes evasion moves and emphasizes speed, as her moves have a relatively higher priority.[11] The high priority of her attacks lead to lots of poking. In addition, she also has a quick roll and cartwheel that can be used evasively along with stances which keep an opponent confused.

Other appearances

Claudia Alan dressed as Ling Xiaoyu at E3 2012

Ling Xiaoyu appears in the opening of the anime film Tekken: The Motion Picture. Xiaoyu is the lead character in the 3D anime film Tekken: Blood Vengeance alongside Alisa Bosconovitch. She is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese and Carrie Keranen in English.[8] In the movie, Xiaoyu was recruited by Anna Williams from her school to act as a spy and gain more information on Shin Kamiya, a former student from Mishima Polytechnic now studying in Kyoto International School. She befriends Alisa in the process who assumes that Xiaoyu has feelings for Shin. The end of the film states that Jin Kazama wishes that someday she will be the one to defeat him.

Chiaki Kuriyama was rumored to portray Xiaoyu in the live-action film adaptation of Tekken until the actress discomfirmed the rumors in an interview with Brian Ashcraft from Kotaku.[12] Ling Xiaoyu appears in the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 live-action short film portrayed by Xuan Thanh Nguyen.[13] A live-action Xiaoyu, this time portrayed by Claudia Alan, also appears in the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Girl Power Trailer, shown at Comic-Con in 2012.[14] She appeared in the "Tekken Maxim Photoshoot", portrayed by a model named Krystle.[15]

Her comic book appearances includes Tekken Forever, Tekken: Tatakai no Kanatani, and Tekken Comic. In 1998, Epoch Co. released a Ling Xiaoyu action figure, based on her appearance from Tekken 3. The action figure is 5.50 inches tall and Xiaoyu's pet, Panda, is also packaged with it.[16] In January 2006, a Xiaoyu action figure based on her appearance from Tekken 5 was released.[17] As part of the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 toyline, a Xiaoyu figure by Kotobukiya was released in 2013. Xiaoyu's appearance resembles her primary outfit from TTT2, with a few changes, including her shorts being replaced with white panties and features her wearing long white gloves on her hands. The figure is 1/7 scale and 8.3 inches tall.[18]

Reception

The character was well received. According to GameDaily, "it's impossible to dislike Ling Xiaoyu", citing her as both an attractive and a strong character.[19] In another article, they named her one of their favorite female Asian video game characters, calling her "a joy to behold".[20] GameDaily also listed her among the "chicks that will kick your ass" and adding that "if you mistake Ling Xiaoyu for an innocent schoolgirl, prepare to get your nose schooled."[21] Dave Cook from NowGamer listed a fight between Sakura Kasugano and Ling Xiaoyu as one of the fights he wished to see in Street Fighter X Tekken as while the two shared unsuitable outfits, the two are entertaining in terms of gameplay.[22] Neidel Crison from 1UP.com listed Xiaoyu as one of the characters he was hoping to see in Street Fighter X Tekken, as "she would be able to use her Art of Phoenix to avoid projectiles and, just like in Tekken, have numerous attack follow ups from the stance."[23] Writing for ImpulseGamer, model Tara Babcock listed Xiaoyu as the 19th "hottest video game babe", stating that her flexible moves and kind mannerism got her attention and that she is her favorite Tekken character.[24] MSN included her among the 20 "hottest women in video game history", commenting, "Xiaoyu made the cheongsam fashionable again, and reminded the world that girls in tight clothing can still pull off some amazing fighting moves".[25] Interia.pl included Xiaoyu among the "sexiest game heroines" of 2012.[26] Complex ranked Xiaoyu as the 11th best Tekken character, commenting: "With her plaid-skirted school uniform, barely legal hairstyle, and butt slapping shenanigans, Ling is somehow both kawaii and creepy."[10] IGN praised Xiaoyu, opining that "everyone loves a schoolgirl that can kick some booty," and calling her one of the better characters in the game and a fun character to use.[27]

Her guest appearance with Cassandra Alexandra, Heihachi Mishima, and Raphael Sorel in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 was ranked #42 in GamesRadar's list of "awesome character cameos".[28] Screenwriter Dai Satō stated that he chose Xiaoyu as one of the two lead characters in Tekken: Blood Vengeance because in his opinion she symbolizes the older Tekken games.[29] Tyler Nagata from GamesRadar called both Heihachi and Xiaoyu their favorite characters in Tekken 5 and 6 who they can't wait to use in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.[30] GamesRadar's Shane Patterson also praised Xiaoyu in Tekken 6 calling her "a hell of a playable character", but also stated "her CG ending movie won’t make a lick of sense no matter how cute it will be."[31] Her ending was ranked sixth in their "games that were all a dream" article, with Luke McKinney commeting that it "makes Paul's hairstyle look professional."[32] She was also listed in their potential roster in a crossover game between Namco and Dark Horse Comics in their "comic/fighting-game mashups that need to happen" article.[33] FHM listed Xiaoyu and Chun-Li as one of the "10 awesome fantasy fights" in Street Fighter X Tekken, questioning if Xiaoyu could ever top Chun-Li.[34] In GamesRadar article for Street Fighter X Tekken, they stated "A 16-year-old high school student that wanted to fight in the Tekken 3 tournament to earn enough money to build her own amusement park, Xiaoyu somehow kept her innocence around the oppressive world the Mishima’s built around her."[35] Anthony Taormina from Game Rant called Xiaoyu "not just a representative of the strong female fighters in Tekken, but in video games in general".[36]

Ling Xiaoyu was one of five characters nominated in G4's 2005 Video Game Vixens awards show under the category of "Baddest Good Girl",[37] but lost to Final Fantasy X's Rikku.[38] In 2006, the Polish edition of GameStar had her voted at eighth place in the poll for the title of "Miss of the Video Game World".[39] In 2012, Digital Spy readers voted Xiaoyu as the fourth favorite Tekken character, with 7.4% of the votes.[40] In the official poll by Namco Bandai Games, Xiaoyu ranked as the sixth most requested Tekken side character to be added to the roster of Tekken X Street Fighter, ranking up 12.23% of the votes, and also becoming the fourth most requested female character.[41]

References

  1. ↑ "Harada on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "TEKKEN OFFICIAL". TEKKEN OFFICIAL. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  3. ↑ "Ace Combat Assault Horizon - Su-34 Tekken - Alisa & Xiaoyu". bandainamcogames.eu. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  4. ↑ "Ace Combat Infinity - Su-34 - Alisa & Xiaoyu". bandainamcogames.eu. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  5. ↑ Anoop Gantayat (2010-05-21). "Idol Master Meets Tekken 6 in New Download Content". andriasang.com. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  6. ↑ "Soul Calibur V – Tekken, Modern, and Ancient Armor Costume Packages Now Available". Shoryuken. 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  7. ↑ "Tekken 3 team interview". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. 2009-06-28. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  8. 1 2 "Voice Of Ling Xiaoyu". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  9. ↑ "Tekken 6 : Ling Xiaoyu". Tekken6-official.eu. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  10. 1 2 "11. Ling Xiaoyu — The 20 Best Tekken Video Game Characters of All Time". Complex. 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  11. ↑ "Tekken 6 Guide & Walkthrough – Xbox 360 – IGN". Guides.ign.com. 2009-10-30. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  12. ↑ "Kill Bill’s Gogo Yubari Actress Not In Tekken Movie". Kotaku. 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  13. ↑ "TEKKEN Tag Tournament 2 – Live Action Short Film by Wild Stunts Europe". YouTube. 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  14. ↑ "Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - 'Behind the scenes of Girl Power 'trailer". YouTube. 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  15. ↑ "Hot Girls of Tekken". YouTube. 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  16. ↑ Captain Coder. "Action Figure Gallery". Figurerealm.com. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  17. ↑ Karlin, David. "Soul Calibur III, Tekken 5 Figures: News from". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  18. ↑ "Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - Ling Xiaoyu - ARTFX Statue - Bishoujo Statue - Tekken Bishoujo Statue - 1/7 (Kotobukiya) < Figures <". myfigurecollection.net. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  19. ↑ Babes of Tekken. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2008-12-26
  20. ↑ Workman, Robert (2009-02-06). Babe of the Week: Asian Beauties. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2009-02-09
  21. ↑ "Girl Power: These Chicks Will Kick Your Ass". GameDaily. 2009-04-30. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  22. ↑ Cook, Dave (2010-06-27). "Street Fighter X Tekken Character Wishlist". NowGamer. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
  23. ↑ Crisan, Neidel (2010-07-30). "Street Fighter X Tekken Preview for PS3, 360, Vita from". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
  24. ↑ Tara Babcock (2008-08-02). "Tara's G-Spot – Games that hit the spot, according to Tara Babcock – 20 HOTTEST VIDEO GAME BABES BY TARA BABCOCK". www.impulsegamer.com. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  25. ↑ tech & gadgets (2011-01-18). "Ling Xiaoyu – Tekken – The hottest women in video game history". Technology.xin.msn.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
  26. ↑ "Najseksowniejsze bohaterki gier 2012 roku". Gry.interia.pl. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  27. ↑ "Tekken 5 Guide & Walkthrough – PlayStation 2 (PS2) – IGN". Guides.ign.com. 2005-09-09. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  28. ↑ "55 awesome character cameos". gamesradar.com. 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  29. ↑ "The X Button at Comic Con: Saturday, July 23 – San Diego Comic-Con 2011 – Anime News Network". animenewsnetwork.com. 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  30. ↑ "Tekken Tag Tournament 2 images". gamesradar.com. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  31. ↑ "The warriors of Tekken 6". gamesradar.com. 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  32. ↑ "8 games that were all a dream". gamesradar.com. 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  33. ↑ "Comic/fighting-game mashups that need to happen". gamesradar.com. 2008-11-26. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  34. ↑ "10 Awesome Fantasy Fights in Street Fighter X Tekken | Read reviews of movies, CDs, games, gadgets, cars, and more!". FHM.com.ph. 2012-07-27. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  35. ↑ "Street Fighter X Tekken roster: Meet all 55 characters". GamesRadar. 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  36. ↑ "M. Bison and Ling Xiaoyu Joining 'Street Fighter X Tekken' Roster". gamerant.com. 2012-01-02. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  37. ↑ Video Game Vixens Baddest Good Girl category: Ling Xiaoyu. G4. Retrieved on 2008-12-13
  38. ↑ "Biggest Guns, Best Bounce and Viewers' Choice Baddest Good Girl". G4. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  39. ↑ "GameStar – Wybory Miss: Miss Ĺšwiata Gier 2006" (in Polish). Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  40. ↑ "'Tekken': Digital Spy readers voted Nina Williams favorite character". Digital Spy. 2012-09-16. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  41. ↑ "Tekken vs Street Fighter". Fb.namcobandaigames.com. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
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