Leo Kliesen(Japanese:レオ・クリーゼン,Hepburn:Reo Kurīzen)is a character from theTekkenfighting gamefranchise byBandai Namco Entertainment.First appearing inTekken 6,they fight usingBajiquan,and have since appeared in every subsequent title in the series as well as the related manga,Tekken Comic.A young German child of aspelunkerfather and a corporate executive mother, they seek to solve their mother's murder. Created by series producerKatsuhiro Harada,Leo's gender is officially unknown, and the character was intended to appeal to both male and female audiences. Harada has said that Leo is notnon-binary,stating that the character "would not want to be categorized as such." Originally voiced byVeronica Taylor,in later installments they were voiced in German by Philipp Zieschang.
| Leo Kliesen | |
|---|---|
| Tekkencharacter | |
 Leo Kliesen inTekken 8(2024) | |
| First game | Tekken 6(2007) |
| Created by | Katsuhiro Harada[1] |
| Voiced by | Veronica Taylor(Tekken 6)[2] Philipp Zieschang (Tekken 7– present)[3] |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Unknown[1] |
| Fighting style | Bajiquan |
| Origin | Germany |
| Nationality | German |
Scholarly works have observed how players have reacted to the character due to their undisclosed gender status, and what this entailed in light of gender signifiers in fighting games amongst playable characters. While Leo is neither non-binary nor transgender, some have discussed how the character can be read as such. Leo has also been cited as a positive example of how to approachLGBTQcharacters, seen as a subversion of both common tropes in games involving such characters as well as gender performance as a whole.
Conception and design
editLeo was created by series producerKatsuhiro HaradaforTekken 6,who asked the development team to create a female German playable character. However, when he saw the submitted designs, he felt the character could be popular with both men and women, and focused on making a "cool" character that could be loved regardless of gender. According to game director Yuichi Yonemori, this caused some difficulties, particularly for the voice actors for Leo as they had to try and appeal to male and female players.[1]In an interview with4Gamer,Harada stated that the character's name was a shortened version of their real name, though refused to state what it was. He further noted that whileTekkenwas a popular series, their characters were seldom featured in fan works. However, after the release ofTekken 6,he noticed that alongside the character's high usage rate amongst players, Leo featured significantly in fan art anddoujins,something he felt made them "really valuable" to theTekkenfranchise.[4]
Despite the stated ambiguity regarding Leo's gender, the artbook included the character's concept art under the "male" section.[5]Things were further confused when a video surfaced of a 2011 Namco Bandai event, where it appeared the character was stated to be female and that their first name was "Eleonore".[6]In the4Gamerinterview, Harada explained that the statement was meant to be for the crowd's ears only and was surprised at how far it spread.[4]Harada later clarified in a 2012 interview at theOsakaTekken Museum that the video was only a part of a longer statement: Eleonore was only the first draft of the character, and Leo's gender was officially "unknown", a statement Yonemori echoed. Harada in turn noted that localizations of the games sometimes made expressing this difficult, as details would sometimes get lost in translation between regions.[1]Harada reiterated many of these statements on social media platformTwitterwhen asked about the character.[7]When a user inquired if Leo wasnon-binary,Harada said no, stating "Leo would not want to be categorized as such. In any case, it doesn't matter, right? Leo is Leo".[8]
Leo is a slender person with short blonde hair, and anahogesticking up in the center. Their default outfit consists of a black shirt with several straps, and a red, white, and black jacket atop it. Red and black gloves cover their hands and wrists, while a red tied scarf covers their neck. A pair of jeans covers Leo's legs, with brown shinguard boots. A brown pouch hangs from the right side of their belt, while a holster is strapped to that thigh.[6]This outfit persisted untilTekken 8,where their attire was changed to a white strapped shirt, a red coat with many trailing straps, a harness around their hips and pelvis, and the removal of the scarf in place of a black cloth tied around their right arm.[9]Leo has had several alternate outfits throughout the series, including a Chinese-themed martial arts outfit. During development ofTekken 6,several other designs were considered for the character, including a painter outfit with overalls, and a similar one that would have had lion themed accessories including a tail, with stylized text of their name on their belt and left sleeve.[5]
Appearances
edit
Introduced inTekken 6,Leo Kliesen is a Bajiquan practitioner from Germany whose father was a world-famousspelunkerwho vanished when Leo was young, while their mother was an executive for G Corporation, a major company in theTekkenuniverse. After their mother is murdered and the police abruptly call off the investigation, Leo investigates on their own. The investigation leads to G Corporation's leaderKazuya Mishima,and Leo enters his tournament in order to face him and get answers.[10]InTekken 8,Leo discovers their mother was researching the "devil gene", and that Kazuya, who had the gene, had all researchers "taken care of". Leo despairs until their father returns, encouraging them to not give up.[11]Leo was originally voiced byVeronica Taylor.[2]As ofTekken 7the role was taken over by Philipp Zieschang, who voiced the character inGerman,though voice lines such as pain grunts were still performed by Taylor. WithTekken 8,Zieschang voiced the character solely.[3][12]In addition to the aforementioned games, Leo has appeared inTekken Tag Tournament 2,Tekken Mobile,andshmupmobile gameFull Bokko Heroes X.[4][13][14]
In terms of gameplay, the character was intended to be easy to use by both new and experienced players,[15]utilizing short-ranged attacks as well as various elbow and shoulder strikes. Some attacks allow for a variety of combos, such as the "Rising Bei Zhe Kao", while others allow him to change to stances such as the "Jin Ji Du Li".[9]Due to Leo's gender ambiguity, the character can be customized to use both male and female-specific clothing and weapons.[16]InTekken 8,Leo was given a "Rage Art" move, a new special attack that can be used once when the player is below a quarter health.[17]In it, they knock the opponent back before utilizing a grappling hook to swing into them with their shoulder.[9]
Outside of video games, Leo appears in the mangaTekken Comic,a retelling of the events leading up toTekken 6,written by Rui Takato and published online as part of a collaboration between Bandai Namco andUltra Jump.[18]In it, Leo acts asLili de Rochefort's bodyguard, though does so under the pretense of being named eventual heir to Lili's oil company. Along the way, they befriendAsuka Kazama.[19]After Lili's company is bought out byJin Kazama's corporation, Leo at first attempts to quit, but after aggressive coercion on Lili's part, helps the girls attack Jin directly to try and get it back.[20]
Critical reception
editThe paper "An Analysis of Gender and Sexuality Performance in Digital Games" in the journalDiGeStcited Leo as an example of how "non-binary gender performance in digital games can be subversive". Emphasizing the character's "genderqueer" appearance, the authors noted that their attacks had a "possesses the kind of grace typically associated with female characters in the series". They further praised the fact that Leo's presentation was never "problematic", something uncommon in Japanese media in their eyes, where they felt such characters were typically used mainly forcomic relief.[21]The bookQueerness in Playmeanwhile cited Leo as an example of representing a genderless "butch"archetype, though noted beyond that the character represented stereotypes associated with their country, and argued their role in a fighting game as a playable character afforded them a" privileged relational status "as any other character in the title, downplaying their ambiguity.[22]
Clemson Universitylecturer D. Leland Fecher shared similar observations in a paper forReconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture,examining the handling of gender in theTekkenfranchise. He cited that while Leo's speed and fighting style fit female characters in the franchise, the strength of the attacks was more typical of male characters, and coupled with Leo's average height added to the ambiguity regarding Leo's gender and how one could perceive it. However, Fecher noticed that this also caused uncertainty in players, leaving them uncomfortable rather than embracing it as a progressive move on the part of the developers. He cited players posting to blogs andmessage boardsthat when discussing the character acknowledged Leo's gender ambiguity as an aspect of the character, but then questioned if the character was male or female directly afterward. Fecher observed that some players also made derogatory comments towards the character if they considered Leo to be male. He stated his observations were not meant to paint players in a negative light, but instead observe how they reacted when an anomaly such as an ambiguous character was inserted in a game series that had to that point defined clear gender identifiers amongst the cast, and hoped developers could learn from such reactions when implementing such characters in future games.[6]
Ruchi Kher Jaggi, in a paper for theMass Communicator,wrote that Leo was rarely used in mature content and that there were complaints due to the perception that they may betransgender.[23]Tom Goulter ofGamesRadar+commented briefly on the character's use in such media, stating that after Harada's statements regarding the character, Leo saw increased appearances on "dodgy fan-art sites all over the Internet" due to the implied "newly-announced femaleness".[24]Stacey Henley, in an article forVG247,acknowledged that while the character's gender status was ambiguous, they could be read as male-presenting transgender by audiences, and helped emphasize in Henley's eyes how few well-handled female-presenting transgender characters there were in major gaming titles in comparison to their counterparts.[25]
References
edit- ^abcdKatsuhiro Harada & Yuichi Yonemori interview, Nipponbashi Tekken Museum (4/30/2012).April 30, 2012. Event occurs at 21:30.
- ^abPutri, Tiza (March 4, 2023)."Tekken 7: 7 Leo Kliesen Facts, The Cute Yet Dangerous Fighter".Dunia Games.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
- ^abNavarrete, Jarren (January 26, 2024)."Tekken 8 Voice Actors and Cast".Sirius Gaming.Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
- ^abcd"Thiết quyền が mục chỉ すアクションゲームの cứu cực とは―― bổn nhật giá động khai thủy の “Thiết quyền TAG TOURNAMENT2”. Tân túc bình bát こと nguyên điền Pが ngữ る cách đấu ゲーム, その triết học ".4Gamer(in Japanese). September 14, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on January 13, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
- ^abLimited Edition Tekken 6 Art Book.Namco Bandai Games.January 2009. p. 70.ASINB003LUB7S0.
- ^abcFecher, D. Leland (2012). "Gender Issues, Fighting Games, and Progress: Finding a Place for a Genderless Character in Tekken 6".Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture.12(2): 5.ISSN1547-4348.
- ^Harada, Katsuhiro [@Harada_TEKKEN](November 26, 2014)."それ, キャラ danh も quyết まってない khoảnh の khai phát đương sơ は nữ tính キャラ枠だった, が đồ trung でコンセプト toàn bộ tác り trực した, という thoại ですよ. Công thức に bất minh ですから. RT@negidera hà độ も hà độ も đồng じ chất vấn されてると tư いますがレオの tính biệt は bất minh ですよね? Hữu đạt が nữ だと ngôn ってきかないんです!!! Hồi đáp お nguyện いします!"(Tweet) (in Japanese) – viaTwitter.
- ^Harada, Katsuhiro [@Harada_TEKKEN](October 5, 2021)."I'm no longer aware of such things, and Leo would not want to be categorized as such. In any case, it doesn't matter, right? Leo is Leo, your game character"(Tweet). Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2021 – viaTwitter.
- ^abcMuyot, Ron (November 22, 2023)."Tekken 8 Leo gameplay trailer is a showcase of mix-up potential".One eSports.Archivedfrom the original on November 28, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
- ^"“Thiết quyền” シリーズ sử thượng tối cao のボリューム＆クオリティ! X360/PS3/PSP “Thiết quyền 6”, 2009 niên thu phát mại ".4gamer(in Japanese). June 30, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
- ^Sheehan, Gavin (November 22, 2023)."Tekken 8 Releases New Character Trailer For Leo Kliesen".Bleeding Cool.Archivedfrom the original on February 14, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
- ^"Eines der größten Prügelspiele für PS5 bekommt deutschen Kämpfer, begeistert Fans:" Darauf habe ich gewartet "".Mein MMO.November 24, 2023.Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
- ^"“フルボッコヒーローズX” に “Thiết quyền” とのコラボクエスト tối chung chương が đăng tràng ".4gamer(in Japanese). March 30, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on July 12, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 8,2024.
- ^Nguyen, Landon [@Arc9ine] (November 28, 2017)."Leo announced for Tekken on mobile! Here's an early look at one of his.. ermm... Leo's outfits! #tekken #tekkenmobile #leo @TEKKEN"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^"Tekken 6".GamesRadar+.March 28, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
- ^Singh, Ravjit (June 28, 2020)."Some queer characters from the world of video games".The Telegraph (India).Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2023.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
- ^Mukherjee, Rishov (January 22, 2024)."Tekken 8: Rage Art system explained".Dexerto.Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 31,2024.
- ^Jasper, Gavin (July 10, 2017)."The Strange History of Tekken Comics".Den of Geek.Archivedfrom the original on January 26, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
- ^Takato, Rui (March 2010).Tekken Comic(in Japanese). Vol. 1. Shueisha.ISBN9784088778266.
- ^Takato, Rui (March 2010).Tekken Comic(in Japanese). Vol. 2. Shueisha.ISBN9784088790190.
- ^Biscop, Kilian; Malliet, Steven; Dhoest, Alexander (2019)."Subversive Ludic Performance: An Analysis of Gender and Sexuality Performance in Digital Games".DiGeSt. Journal of Diversity and Gender Studies.6(2). Leuven University Press: 32.doi:10.11116/digest.6.2.2.
- ^Adams, Meghan Blythe; Taylor, Nicholas; Harper, Todd (October 2018).Queerness in Play.Springer International Publishing. pp.44–45, 48.ISBN9783319905426.
- ^Jaggi, Ruchi Kher (March 2014). "Gender construction in video games: A Discourse".Mass Communicator: International Journal of Communication Studies.8(1):14–19.doi:10.5958/j.0973-967X.8.1.002.
- ^Goulter, Tom (April 3, 2013)."Tekken Tag Tournament 2 roster – Meet all 55 fighters".GamesRadar+.p. 4.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2015.RetrievedMay 6,2015.
- ^Henley, Stacey (July 14, 2020)."Games like The Last of Us Part 2 are giving trans men a spotlight nobody else will".VG247.Archivedfrom the original on January 28, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 27,2024.