Ling Xiaoyu

Lore & Background

Ling Xiaoyu is a student at the Mishima Academy, where her principal is Heihachi Mishima and fellow students include her friends Jin Kazama and Miharu Hirano. She first appears in Tekken 3, where she desires to have her own theme park. The tournament's host, Heihachi Mishima, agrees to build one for her if she wins the tournament. In Tekken 4, Xiaoyu receives a mysterious e-mail warning her of Heihachi's evil intentions, which she speculates was written by Jin, and enters the tournament in hopes of being reunited with Jin and uncovering the truth behind Heihachi's plans. With rumors of Heihachi dying in Tekken 5, Xiaoyu is saddened upon hearing about his supposed death and hopes to find a time machine to prevent the whole Mishima conflict. In Tekken 6, Xiaoyu enters the tournament to find Jin and put a stop to the war he has started. During her continued search for Jin in Tekken 7, Xiaoyu is confronted by exorcist Claudio Serafino, who initially refuses to allow her to proceed and later helps her out after being impressed by her devotion to Jin. In Tekken 8, Xiaoyu joins the side of Claudio and astrologist Zafina in order to assist Jin in his battle against his father, Kazuya Mishima. After Kazuya is defeated, Jin and Xiaoyu reunite and travel together.

In Their Own Story

At 16 years old, Ling Xiaoyu's age in her series debut was the result of the Tekken 3 development team wanting a younger girl in the game, as most of the game's female characters were 'more than 25 years old'. She was created alongside protagonist Jin Kazama by Namco artist Yoshinari Mizushima after he graduated from college, with the character's design being a great surprise to the Tekken staff. Her black hair is kept in pigtails throughout her series appearances, while her costumes have varied from a modified cheongsam in Tekken 6 to a kogal-style schoolgirl uniform in the 2011 computer-animated film Tekken: Blood Vengeance. Tekken: Blood Vengeance screenwriter Dai Satō said in 2011 that he had chosen her as one of the two lead characters because he felt she 'symbolize[d] the older Tekken games'. Katsuhiro Harada was surprised by the decision to use Xiaoyu, believing she was not that popular within the main demography. Satō had been a fan of the Tekken games and played the arcade version of the third installment as part of research. As he discussed the handling of these leads with Harada, Satō claims he wanted to use these characters since they come across as weak, something which he believes films require in order to undergo a character arc, common in coming-of-age stories. The relationship between Xiaoyu and Alisa was compared to the ones of a buddy film. Xiaoyu was written to be relatable to the audience and balance the more supernatural elements in the process. Xiaoyu's relationship with Alisa was made so that the latter develops a 'soul' as the film progresses as she is a robot.

Reader's Guide

Xiaoyu's fighting style is a mixture of Baguazhang and Piguaquan, and many of her attacks consist of pokes. Xiaoyu has the ability to use a stance called the Art of Phoenix, which she's had since her debut in Tekken 3. This allows her to duck under high attacks, and potentially counter with her own attacks. Her Phoenix stance (D+1+2) can also be used to backdash or tap back instead of the known Korean backdash or backdash cancel to create space away from the opponent. It can also be used in tandem with her Rain Dance (B+3+4) stance which would give her a unique backdashing mechanic which is even more evasive than standard backdashing techniques and allows her to move quickly and create space. This technique is shared by her classmate and palette swap Miharu Hirano, who debuted in Tekken 4. Outside the mainline games, Xiaoyu is featured in Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Street Fighter X Tekken, and Tekken Card Challenge, as well as the crossover games Project X Zone and Project X Zone 2. She was also featured in the now-defunct Tekken Revolution and Tekken Mobile. Outside the Tekken franchise, Xiaoyu appears as a guest character in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 as an unlockable playable character. Additionally, Xiaoyu appears in the film Tekken: Blood Vengeance, serving as the co-protagonist alongside humanoid robot Alisa Bosconovitch. She also appears in the anime television series Tekken: Bloodline.

Did You Know?

• Xiaoyu's age in her series debut was 16, chosen because the Tekken 3 development team wanted a younger girl since most female characters were 'more than 25 years old'.
• She was created alongside Jin Kazama by Namco artist Yoshinari Mizushima after he graduated from college, and her design was a great surprise to the Tekken staff.
• Tekken: Blood Vengeance screenwriter Dai Satō chose Xiaoyu as a lead because he felt she 'symbolize[d] the older Tekken games', though Katsuhiro Harada was surprised, believing she was not that popular within the main demography.
• Xiaoyu's fighting style is a mixture of Baguazhang and Piguaquan, and she has used the Art of Phoenix stance since Tekken 3.
• She is a distant relative of Wang Jinrei, from whom she has inherited some of his moves.