Meet the newest character of Tekken 7: Josie Rizal
Compiled by PSR News Bureau
Filipino gamers have something to be happy about as Tekken 7 introduces a new character—a Filipino woman specializing in Eskrima and Kick Boxing named Josie Rizal. According to the official Twitter account of Bandai Namco Games’ director and chief producer Katsuhiro Harada, Josie Rizal joins the characters of this popular arcade fighting game such as Kazuya, Jin Kazama, Devil Jin, Feng, Lili, Lucky Chloe, and Katarina among many others. This is the ninth installment of the popular Tekken fighting series. Escrima or Eskrima is a Filipino martial art that incorporates weapons such as sticks and knives.
Josie Rizal is obviously named after Jose Rizal, the Philippines’ national hero. Netizens have mixed reactions with the use of the name, Josie Rizal. It even became a trending topic on Twitter last Sunday, March 29. As expected, some Philippine officials from the National Council for Culture and the Arts are not quite happy using the name “Josie Rizal” too. They said it’s not ‘proper’ to blotch the image of our national hero. The NCCA also noted that the said Tekken 7 character wears skimpy costumes bearing the colors of the Philippine flag. The NCCA fears that Josie Rizal’s character might give a wrong impression on our national hero.
How about you, what do you think of Josie Rizal? Will her character on Tekken 7 affect our impression of Dr. Jose Rizal where her name was derived? Let the Philippine Showbiz Republic (PSR) team know your thoughts, please comment below.
