| Josie Rizal | |
|---|---|
| Tekken character | |
| File:Josie Rizal (T7).png Josie Rizal in Tekken 7 | |
| First appearance | Tekken 7 (2015) |
| Designed by | Mari Shimazaki |
| Voiced by | Ananda Jacobs |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Professional kickboxer |
| Fighting style | Kickboxing and eskrima |
| Origin | Philippines |
| Nationality | Philippines |
Josie Rizal (ジョシー・リサール, Joshī Risāru) is a fictional character from the Tekken fighting game franchise by Bandai Namco Entertainment, making her debut in Tekken 7. A professional kickboxer, Josie hopes to join the Tekken Force, an organization that has helped her country. Much like fellow Tekken 7 newcomer Lucky Chloe, Josie has received mixed reception.
Josie Rizal is a young woman from the Philippines. She wears a yellow top, a blue miniskirt, and a red rabbit ear-like hair accessory. Her fighting is a mix of kickboxing and eskrima.[1] Josie practices eskrima, the native martial art and the national sport of her home country, combined with kickboxing reminiscent of Yaw-Yan, an indigenous kickboxing martial art. She lacks the characteristic sticks used in eskrima, instead fighting completely unarmed. Josie's name is based on José Rizal, a national hero from the Philippines. Though, she bares little resemblance to him, besides the name and ethnicity.[2] Josie's moveset carries similarities to older Tekken character Bruce Irvine,[3] and some of her moves inspired by famous Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.[4] Appearance and personality-wise, she also bear similarities to Soulcalibur's Talim.[5]
Josie was designed by character designer Mari Shimazaki, known for her work in the Bayonetta series.[1] Before her official announcement, Josie was first revealed in a leaked arcade data discovered by players, who also found data relating to other characters yet to be added at the time.[6]
Josie was a big crybaby from a young age, unlike her parents who were fans of martial arts. They insisted she also train in martial arts, which she initially refuses, but eventually she reluctantly agrees to her parents' expectations. However, she is unable to get over her crybaby nature whilst she undergoes training in kickboxing.
After Josie grew more accustomed to her training, she became a professional kickboxer and a model to help get her household's finances on track, until a large typhoon struck their home. When the Mishima Zaibatsu sends the Tekken Force, to give relief aids to the typhoon victims in her ravaged country, Josie aspires to become the member of the Tekken Force. She eventually decides to join the Tekken Force by taking an employment examination.
Josie has recieved mixed reception, as noted by Kotaku.[7] Filipino poet Adonis Durado criticized Josie, stating "The problem with Josie Rizal’s character is too obvious: it doesn’t have any trace of Filipino-ness-neither in her physical attributes nor in her outfit." Durado also questioned the lack of arnis sticks in her attacks.[7] Similarly, IGN staff writer Kenn Leandre was critical of the character, questioning "Even if one is going to create a token character from The Philippines, the least you could do is create someone that looks like he or she came from the streets of Manila or Palawan. Is it too hard to do?" Leandre also lambasts her name for being similar to José Rizal.[8]
Scott Tailford at WhatCulture placed her as the 31st best character in Tekken 7, whom praises her moveset, but is more critical of her character designs, stating "The only downer comes from her look being played up as yet another Christie Monteiro-esque 'loose clothes and big boobs' aesthetic, which is fine, but just makes you wonder why Namco felt the need to swap Bruce in the first place."[3]
However, shortly after Josie was introduced to the public on March 29, 2015, she became a trending topic on Twitter with many Filipino fans expressing generally positive reactions.[9]
Just two days after Josie was officially announced, someone claiming to be an official from the Philippine National Center for Culture and the Arts told the Philippine media that they plan to "take steps to correct any wrong impression Josie Rizal may have given about Dr. Rizal and the Philippines."[10] However, three days later NCCA legal counsel Trixie Cruz-Angeles clarified that the agency had yet to issue any position on the matter in a post she made in her personal Facebook page stating "The NCCA has not asked for the deletion of Tekken character Josie Rizal. In fact, the NCCA has not taken cognizance of the issue nor issued an opinion. If you've been reading that website, unders. The name of our chairman is Prof. Felipe de Leon, Jr. Also, matters pertaining to national heroes are within the jurisdiction of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines."[11]
Josie has been cosplayed by actress Nadine Lustre. Director Katsuhiro Harada declared it as a "perfect" cosplay.[12]