Anna Williams
From Tekkenpedia
| Anna Williams | |
  | |
| Origin | Ireland |
| Fighting Style | Bone Martial Arts and Aikido |
| Age | 18 (T1), 20 (T2 and T3), 22 (T5) |
| Blood Type | A |
| Height | 5'4" |
| Weight | 108 lbs |
| Occupation | Student (retired) |
| Hobby | Traveling (T2) / Planting false memories in Nina Williams (T3) |
| Likes | Espresso coffee, Jerry from "Tom & Jerry", and vin rouge |
| Dislikes | Nina Williams, because she is no longer interested in her |
Contents |
Introduction
Anna has appeared in Tekken 1, Tekken 2, Tekken 3, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 5, and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. She is trained in assassination martial arts and always appears in her trademark red silk dress and/or a blue version of it. In her early twenties, with a flirtatious demeanour and a seductive laugh, she is something of a femme fatale. Anna has a serious sibling rivalry with her sister, Nina Williams, that goes back many years. This rivalry seems to have intensified after the death of their father, Richard Williams, as each sister holds the other responsible. As Anna is the more approachable and compassionate of the sisters, she is torn between her devotion toward Nina and the fierce competitiveness fostered between the two during their childhood years. This can make it difficult to determine Anna's true intentions during each tournament.
Like Nina, Anna has had a number of different voice actresses. But the most noticeable is Lenne Hardt, who performs Anna's voice in Tekken 5. This is especially prominent during her line "You BITCH!" and when Anna laughs.
Story
Tekken 5
Sister and rival of Nina Williams, Anna had been leading a dull and boring life since the disappearance of her sister. That all changed one day when she received a phone call from Nina.
Several days later, the two met again after having been apart for two years. However, upon seeing her sister's face, Nina immediately opened fire. Anna returned fire and the ensuing gun battle lasted for days.
Both sides failed to land a decisive blow and it was decided they would settle things at The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5.
Anna vowed to eliminate her sister once and for all.
Tekken 3
Nineteen years ago Kazuya Mishima confided some alarming news to Anna. Her sister Nina Williams was planning to become a guinea pig of Dr. Boskonovitch's "Cold Sleep". As much as they quarreled, Anna would miss her sleeping sister. Worse yet, she would continue to age while her sister was frozen in time! She too went to Dr. Boskonovitch, subjected her to the Cold Sleep, and asked to be awakened along with Nina.
Sensing the God of Fight's evil presence, both Nina and Anna awoke 19 years later. Making an effort to continue their sibling rivalry, Anna was saddened to find that her sister had somehow lost all memeory of her. Now, rather than fighting, Anna felt the need to help Nina and prevent her from again becoming an assassin.
Ending Animation "Pool Side"
Tekken 2
Tekken 2 Anna Williams. In The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, Anna enters to prevent her sister, Nina, from becoming a deadly assassin.
Tekken 1
Anna is the younger sister of Nina Williams and learned her aikido techniques from her mother. Her father has neglected her all of these years and never taught her assassination techniques.
It seems as if she entered the first tournament to get back at her sister, but they ended up fighting at their home.
Gameplay
Tekken 1
In Tekken 1 Anna was equipped with all of the same moves as Nina, but with the addition of her own distinctive crouching moves as well as a Somersault Kick (FC u/f+4) similar to Marshall Law's. Her standing (tier-wise) in the first Tekken however, with the absence of complex frame advantages and disadvantages, high/low crushes, throw escapes, reversals, tech traps, and a limited move set, is unknown.
Tekken 2
The situation in Tekken 2 is similar, but with the addition of sidestep maneuvers (to a select few characters), reversals, new throws and general refinement of the overall system. Anna, along with a number of other ‘Sub boss’ characters received little in the way of character specific enhancements. Tier status once again remains a dull issue as far as this installment is concerned.
Tekken 3
Come Tekken 3 (console version only), Anna's standing was roughly mid-tier. Her juggles weren't as damaging as most characters (eg. Nina and Hwoarang), though other enhancements such as a parry property on her Scarlet Windmill (FC f+2) attack, a launching property on her Scarlet Sweep (FC d/f+2) and the addition of a version of her Flip Kick (U/F+4) which could be performed from a standing position enhanced her abilities. Anna was given two ‘string’ attacks dubbed by Tekken players as ‘Jail Strings’ ((d/f+1,2_f+2),1,4,2). These forced the opponent to block continuously until the string terminated, at which point Anna could use ‘frame traps’ and ‘mix-ups’. Executioner (f,f+2) was also a useful technique that could prevent opponents from sidestepping, avoid high attacks, provide ‘frame advantage’ on block and also create ‘setups’ on hit. This was the first instalment in the series to feature specialized ground hitting attacks, such as Anna's new Twisted Mind (d+3+4) attack, which was useful okizeme technique. This version of Anna relied on fast pokes to chip away at the opponent and strong ‘mix-ups’ to confuse.
Tekken Tag Tournament
In Tekken Tag, Anna ranked easily as an upper-mid tier character. She possessed powerful new moves such as her infamous Assassin’s Dagger (qcf+1) elbow attack that could lead to powerful juggles. Wine Opener (d/f+4) was a fast low poke that provided 'frame advantage' on hit. Her new Offensive Push (d/f+1+2) was not only an ‘unblockable’ attack which provided a lot of ‘frame advantage’, but also worked well as a ‘tech-trap’. Her Fatal Attack (u/f+1<3) was a strong ‘poking’ technique that granted high rewards on ‘counter hit’ with a free Blonde Bomb (f+1+2) afterwards. Her Chaos Judgement (b+4) stance even gained the ability to reverse throws, a technique that is still exclusive to Anna. Added to this, her moves from Tekken 3 remained largely intact, resulting in a character with great 'pressure' and 'mix-up' capabilities as well as having a high damage output and safety.
Tekken 5
Tekken 5.0 however saw Anna drop down to a middle tier position. Almost all of the effective techniques that she had acquired during Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag were either removed or toned down, in some cases to the point of being completely ineffective. Her Scarlet Windmill (FC f+2) attack had its parry window greatly shortened making it less useful for applying 'pressure'. Fatal Attack (u/f+1<3) no longer granted a free Blonde Bomb (f+1+2) after successful hits, reducing Anna's 'counter hit' offensive options. The Assassin's Dagger (qcf+1) elbow technique became less feared as the newly introduced 'crush' system dictated that it could no longer interrupt crouching moves. Anna's ‘Jail Strings’ (d/f+1,2_f+2),1,4,2) were removed completely, leaving her with less 'mix-up' and 'pressure' opportunities. She became completely overshadowed by her sister, who not only avoided any tone downs but was also given some of the best ‘okizeme’ tools in the game. Many of the new attacks which Anna received failed to compensate for her deficits as they suffered from slow execution times, lack of safety, impractical hit levels or extreme linearity. However, there were a few attacks that were of benefit to Anna in this instalment: Hail Storm (u/f+1,3,3+4) when used in 'juggles' allowed her to carry opponents to walls (for more damage) over long distances. Treading Water to Judgment Kick (f,f+3,4, b+3,CJM 3) was one of the most damaging wall combo techniques in the game (possibly the most damaging) and Treading Water to Hunting Swan (f,f+3,4,3,b+3:1+2) served as a powerful 'tech-trap' and did even more damage against walls. Treading Water (f,f+3,4,3) acted as Anna's staple 'juggle ender’. Radiant Arch (d/f+1<2,3) was a launching kick tacked onto the end of her staple ‘poke’ attack, giving good opportunities for mind games and also acting as a useful 'launcher' against back turned opponents. Rising Palm (WS+2) although much slower than previous versions, was a safe, mid hitting attack with good range and a launch property. When combined with the restored launching property (this was removed in Tekken Tag) of her Scarlet Sweep (FC d/f+2), it became a powerful ‘mix-up’. Due to tone downs and her now limited move set, this version of Anna had to be played in a way that focused on ‘poking’ using Rouge Palms (d/f+1<2), and utilizing her damaging wall combos after launching opponents. In infinite stages (without walls) she could rely on the first hit of Treading Water (f,f+3) then Landslip (d/b+3) as a relaunching ‘tech-trap’ against opponents ‘tech-rolling’ left and right after juggles; or even an okizeme game with her Scarlet Rain (d/b+1), and the first 5 hits of her String Hit Arts (1, 2, 1, 2, 4).
Tekken 5.1
Tekken 5.1 pushed Anna even further down the lower ranks as she received several negative modifications with few improvements to compensate. The worst of her negative modifications included the change to her main ‘poking’ tool, Rouge Palms (d/f+1,2), which no longer gave ‘frame advantage’ in any situation(necessary for Anna to maintain momentum). Other pokes that suffered from a worse recovery include her Scarlet Palm Rush (1,2,1), Rising Kick Combo (d+1,N+4), Toe Kick Combo (d/b+2,N+4), and Hail Storm(u/f+1,3). The 5.1 system also changed the damage scaling of a 'ground hit' during wall combos from 100%(in 5.0) to 70%, making her Treading Water to Judgment Kick (f,f+3,4, b+3,CJM 3) wall combo do less damage as the final hit is a ground hit. One of her few 'tech crouch' moves, her Executioner (f,f+2) lost its 'tech crouch' property, leaving Anna with a limited number of viable options to counter high attacks. The few positive changes Anna received from this version had questionable value; nearly worthless moves received improvements in block recovery or a small increase in damage, and the 'tracking' of some of her moves was possibly improved.
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
In Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (the difference between versions A and B is almost negligible), several improvements to Anna's existing moves have greatly increased her potential. The recovery of her Rouge Palms (d/f+1,2), though decreased significantly in 5.1, is now almost as quick as it had been in 5.0, allowing it to again serve as a viable 'poking' tool. Her Step-in Upper (d/f+2) has gained the ability to launch crouching opponents, increasing its value as a ‘whiff punisher’ and also providing Anna with a guaranteed launch option after low parries. The first hit of Treading Water (f,f+3) now has better block recovery, making it a more viable long range launcher. Hail Storm (u/f+1<3,3+4) is now a ‘counter hit combo’ as well being a ‘launcher’ able to carry opponents to walls easily. The improved recovery of her Shin Kick to Spin Punch (d+4,1) allows greater versatility in Anna's juggles while the improved damages and range of Rouge Rush (d/f+3,1,4) provides her with an easy and reliable 'juggle ender'. Her new Pin Heel Stich (u/f+3+4) and Scarlet Rain (d/b+1) attacks can be used as 'anti-tech-roll juggle enders', and the latter combined with her now ground hitting Scarlet Windmill (FC f+2) and Scarlet Sweep (FC d/f+2) attacks, provides improved 'okizeme' opportunities. Bloody Scissors (d+1+2), with its new tracking properties, can also be used as an almost instant death ‘unblockable’, ‘tech-trap’ against unwary opponents.
Although one of her greatest assets in 5.0 and 5.1, the damages of her Treading Water to Judgment Kick (f,f+3,4,b+3,CJM 3) wall combo was further reduced, enough improvements have been made to Anna in DR to solidify her overall standing. With these modifications Anna can be played similarly to her Tekken 5.0 incarnation but with greater variety, less reliance on wall damage, better okizeme, and more reliable juggles. Generally, the risks she must take in proportion to the rewards she receives have been balanced out, and this also applies to the majority of other characters in Dark Resurrection.
Her tentative rank is upper-mid tier, but a group of Japanese players claim she and King 2nd are top tier characters, just below the three strongest characters: Devil Jin, Heihachi Mishima, and Kazuya Mishima. This claim has been widely criticized and debated among other American and European players, as many believe such a ranking overrates Anna and King 2nd. Further challenges to the Japanese players' claim come from a Korean player, Holeman, renowned for his excellent playing ability and thorough knowledge of all characters. He ranks Anna in the 'A tier', along with thirteen other characters. Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, Nina Williams, Steve Fox, Bryan Fury, Craig Marduk, Lei Wulong, Marshall Law, Feng Wei, Lee Chaolan, Lili, Raven, and Paul Phoenix are the other thirteen characters. She and all of the other 'A tier' characters are just below Devil Jin, the only 'A+ tier' character. The rest of the characters, including King 2nd, are included in the 'B tier'.
Character Relationships
- Sister to Nina Williams
- Daughter of Richard Williams
- Aunt of Steve Fox
- Friends with Lee Chaolan
Categories: Playable characters | Tekken 1 | Tekken 2 | Tekken 3 | Tekken Tag | Tekken 5 | Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
