Growing up withTekken taught me just how important diversity & represention can be. You got guys from all around the world, representing different cultures and speaking different languages as they pound the shit out of one another, and that's always cool to see. Sure, they've had a few hiccups in the past, like Steve Fox's weirdly upper class RP accent in T4 when he's meant to be a working class English boxer and Miguel's stereotypical bullfighter outfit in T6 because Spain, but recently the Tekken team have been putting more effort into making sure the cultures they choose to represent are done in a more tasteful manner.
It's been a long time coming according to series producer & director Katsuhiro Harada, but now it's finally Poland's turn to get an ambassador in the King of Iron Fist Tournament. But it's not just any old Pole, it's the fucking prime minister! No, not the real Polish prime minister. Can you imagine this dude in a fighting game?
Thankfully, the prime minister of Poland in the Tekken universe is much hotter, and deadlier. Meet Lidia Sobieska, who's joining the King of Iron Fist Tournament after the Mishima Zaibatsu sent its Tekken Force to occupy Poland. She wrote to Heihachi, requesting him to withdraw her soldiers, but in true Mishima manner, Heihachi turned her down and told her to fight if she's got a problem with it. As a black belt in Polish karate, Lidia accepted his offer and set off to free her country. If only real life politicans cared about their people that much.
Lidia releases March 23, as part of T7's Season 4 pass and is the season's second and final DLC character after Kunimitsu. She also comes with a new stage called Island Paradise, which features a beach area and a mansion area where you can see Lee/Violet vibing in the background à la the Poolside stage in T5.
At first I wasn't too crazy about her design because I thought she looked too similar to series regular Nina, but I have to say after that gameplay reveal trailer she's been growing on me. What do you guys think of Lidia? Which culture would you like to see represented in a futureTekken game? Let us know below!
