Waifu Wednesday: Ling Xiaoyu (Tekken)

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Lilia Hellal
June 14, 2023
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Once again I am covering Waifu Wednesday with a somewhat out of leftfield pick. Since I have quite the limited amount of knowledge when it comes to fighting games, Soul Calibur and Tekken are the only two fighting IPs I ever gave a go when I was younger. While the genre did not exactly gel with me, that’s not to say that its characters didn’t.

In fact, Tekken 3’s Ling Xiaoyu will always hold a special place in my heart for being one of the very first genki girls I ever had the pleasure to meet and play as. Here’s why I love her so much for today’s Waifu Wednesday!

Who is Ling Xiaoyu?

Martial artist and school student Ling Xiaoyu first appeared in the Tekken in its third installment, and remained a fixture all the way to its upcoming eighth mainline entry, as well as in various other spin-off media. Initially standing out from the roster for her overall design and vibe – she’s a cutie you should not underestimate after all – that’s only one parallel I will make to another favourite best girl from a different fighting game.

Since Ling is so petite and bubbly her very nature and character design adds a certain playfulness to the playable roster of Tekken with her introduction. Watching her succeed in toppling the biggest of her possible opponents in any given match is a sight to behold in itself, but the major significance of her place in this long-running series is even more than that.

Why we love her

As yet another representation of a character who unabashedly shows off how women can still act and be themselves regardless of how childish their interests or personalities might be, Ling always gave me just as much hope as the world she inhabits and its characters within it feel from being in her presence. Ling’s positivity and optimism shines through across the series and beyond the screen, and that’s despite the many tumbles she takes when she is trying her best but her naivety and immaturity gets the better of her.

Regardless of how exactly her storylines conclude in these cases, Ling’s endearing motivations only ever elevate the goodness of her very nature. Her first time entering a tournament in the series was to get her own theme park after all. She ends up being quite the relatable lass in this way as she always has her eyes on the prize – especially when it’s for the sake of a hunk. Assume that the reason behind any one of her motivations is to have Jin notice her. And when it’s played up for laughs – think her trying to help in somehow improving Jin’s family issues – it’s a lot more than being just a character defining trait of hers.

Why you will love her

It probably goes without saying but Ling is a delight to both play as and simply bear witness to. She’s a tiny badass whose caring and determined nature has made her an icon of this long-running series for representing something different and light-hearted for its storyline and world. As one of the only characters to have always been hopeful considering the events and overall darkness of the series, it’s more than refreshing and makes quite the impression for any number of its players.

The comedic value of her inclusion at the time was just as significant. Just see her relationship with her pet panda or the anime cutscene that plays out by the end of her story in Tekken 3. It’s all such good fun and it continues to be really interesting to see how her character is evolving and growing over time, especially outside the mainline game installments.

Ling and her pure, innocent self was well and truly a highlight for my younger self when getting my head around Tekken 3 back in the day. And that alone is why I stuck out with it for hours on end despite how bad I was at the game. Hours spent playing her and her alone was time very well spent.

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