Tala (Darkwatch)

Tala
Darkwatch character
Tala concept art for Darkwatch by Steve Jung
First game	Darkwatch (2005)
Designed by	Steve Jung[1] Sean Letts (animation)[2]
Voiced by	Rose McGowan[3] Abby Craden (additional voice)[4]
In-universe information
Nationality	American

Tala is a character introduced in the 2003 first person shooter game Darkwatch developed by High Moon Studios and published by Capcom. A Native American Shaman, Tala works with the group Darkwatch as a Regulator, helping to fend off the forces of the undead in the Wild West. She initially works with another Regulator, Cassidy, to help a cowboy outlaw named Jericho who was infected with vampirism. She later turns on the group after seducing Jericho and becoming a vampire herself, and in the game's conclusion is killed by him either as the final obstacle to Jericho's cure or a victim of his bloodlust. In-game, she is voiced by Rose McGowan, with additional voice work provided by Abby Craden.

The character received praise for her sexualized appearance and role as a Native American woman in video games. However, she was also criticized for reinforcing stereotypes against Native American culture and women in general along those same lines. The story of Darkwatch has also been analyzed in literary sources through the scope of her character, both in the context of how her design juxtaposes against that of Cassidy but also Jericho in the context of their race as white characters in contrast to Tala, but also the story's depiction of the trio through the scope of Wild West Manifest Destiny.