Helena Douglas

Helena Douglas is an opera singer and piguaquan martial artist from the Dead or Alive series, making her first debut in Dead or Alive 2. She is the current leader of DOATEC, and the illegitimate daughter of the late Fame Douglas, the former head of the DOATEC, and Maria. She is also the half-sister of Kokoro.

Helena enters the Dead or Alive Tournament to find the assassin who killed her mother. Although she was being manipulated by Victor Donovan, she ends up inheriting control of DOATEC after her father’s death.

Helena is the main protagonist of Dead or Alive 4. She was the winner of the fourth Dead or Alive Tournament, but gave the title to Zack.

Early life
Helena is the illegitimate daughter of Fame Douglas and his former mistress Maria, a world class soprano opera singer. Seemingly distant from her father and his work, when he was murdered Helena was devastated, but hardly affected. On the other hand, she loved her mother dearly and followed in her footsteps, becoming a famous opera singer in her own right.

While performing at the Great Opera House, she was targeted by Christie using a sniper rifle. Maria, who was present with her, spotted the rifle at the last second and dove in front of her daughter. Maria was killed instantly. The assassin fled, leaving Helena alone in great shock and covered in her mother's blood. Helena set out for vengeance for Maria's death.

The Second Tournament
While searching for the assassin, she discovered that the murders of her parents, and attempt on her own life are somehow related to the Dead or Alive World Combat Championship. Helena entered the tournament to discover the truth.

Although never explained in the series, Helena somehow learned information pertaining to DOATEC, most notably the ill-fated Project Epsilon when she encountered Hayate suffering from amnesia. She confused the amnesiac Hayate (or "Ein" as he was known as at the time) by talking to him about the Epsilon Project, but he didn't remember anything about it. In the end they fight and Helena was defeated by him. She then goes on to face Gen Fu. Gen Fu wondered why Helena joined the tournament, but Helena wouldn't answer and decided to fight him instead. Helena was the victor of the fight.

During the tournament, she also encountered Ayane. In this encounter, she accused Ayane of being her mother's murderer. Ayane neither confirmed nor denied having killed Maria and teased her, after which a fight broke out between the two. Helena lost to Ayane and was knocked out of the tournament. Helena was not brought down by the defeat and still wanted to avenge her mother's death.



The Third Tournament
For some time, Helena tried to find out the truth about Project Alpha and its real purpose, but Victor Donovan ordered Lisa Hamilton and Christie to keep her from finding out.

After the second tournament, Helena was captured by Donovan and imprisoned. Although Helena, the reluctant heiress of DOATEC, stated that she didn't have any connection with the organization, Donovan told her that the only way to obtain her freedom and know the truth behind DOATEC is to win the third tournament. In the meantime, Donovan assigned Christie to keep an eye on Helena by acting as a servant to her and, should the need arise, kill her if she discovers too much.

During her time in the tournament, Helena hired the assassin Bayman to be her bodyguard as well as to kill Donovan.

During the rounds of the tournament, Helena encountered Hayate once again, who had fully regained his memories. Hayate demanded her to tell him why Genra joined DOATEC, but she claimed she didn't know, that Genra and even herself were just puppets that DOATEC could control. After defeating Helena in battle, he told her that he would defeat Genra, and she should leave DOATEC for her own safety.

As the tournament went on, Helena soon confronted Christie, where the latter admitted that she is an assassin sent to kill her. Bayman managed to capture Christie, but when Kasumi α heard that Helena wanted her creator dead, she attacked, though Helena managed to defeat her.

Helena did not win the tournament, as the title of the winner went to Ayane.

Zack Island
She was later given an invitation for a supposed Dead or Alive tournament that was going to be held at Zack Island. However, she discovered alongside the rest of the prior participants that it was a hoax, but decided to make the best of their situation for the two weeks on the island.

The Fourth Tournament and the Fall of DOATEC
Helena, as the daughter of former chairman Fame Douglas, took control of DOATEC and joined the fourth tournament with the other fighters.

It is here that Helena met Kokoro, in which she learned that Kokoro is her biological half-sister and that maybe their blood brought them together. Afterwards, the Tritower comes under attack by the Mugen Tenshin clan. During the attack, Helena came across Lisa, who admitted that she tricked Hayate into stopping Donovan.

She was then confronted by Kasumi who told her to stop the fight between DOATEC and the Mugen Tenshin. Helena refused and tells her that her clone, Alpha-152, would soon be awaking causing havoc in the world. She attempted to kill Kasumi, only to be stopped by Ryu Hayabusa and was defeated by Kasumi. After her defeat, Helena was then confronted by Christie, who revealed that she killed her mother. Boiling with anger, Helena fought Christie. The result of the fight is unknown (although it's highly likely that Helena was the victor). While Christie escaped, Helena decided to go down together with DOATEC and subsequently activated the Tritower's self-destruct.

Plagued by flashbacks of her deceased mother, she moved up to the helipad between the three towers that make up the complex, willingly giving up her life and letting herself be consumed by the flames of the burning buildings, as Kasumi and Ayane helplessly look on. Suddenly, Zack came flying in with a chopper and saved her before the building fell to dust. Although Helena did win the fourth tournament, she gave up the title to Zack.

New Zack Island
Some time afterward, Zack invited Helena to New Zack Island, a resurrected version of the one that sunk due to a volcano erupting, under the pretense of discussing with him how to revive DOATEC. She apparently took him at his word about spreading peace to the galaxy by creating a space station HQ for DOATEC, with Lisa teasing her about it, as well as teasing her about implications of a marriage proposal from Zack.

The Fifth Tournament and the war against MIST
Over the next two years, Helena rebuilds DOATEC, making it stronger than ever, and announces the fifth tournament. She sends Zack, who is now under her employ, to travel around the world to gather the strongest fighters ever to compete in the new tournament.

On the Freedom Survivor, Helena is confronted by Bayman, who has survived an attack on him and his group of mercenaries in the Middle East and demands from her an explanation. Helena denies any involvement of DOATEC and herself regarding the attack, and Bayman furiously leaves to find his answers. Kasumi, who is later revealed to be a clone of the original, then appears out of hiding and asks Helena where Alpha-152 is. Helena assures the ninja that her clone will be found. When Helena has Hayate brought to the yacht by Zack, they both tell Kasumi that she should not handle the clone on her own, but she does not listen to them and hastily leaves the ship.

At the Taylor's Bar, Helena reunites with Bass and has a friendly conversation about his retirement from wrestling while he plays pool. But when Christie suddenly appears and budges in on Bass's game, Helena asks her what she's doing there. The assassin coldly replies that she's looking for a real man and the two of them fight. Then she meets up with Kokoro, who was just brought to the bar by Zack, and the two of them have a friendly conversation about Miyako and her work, and their father Fame Douglas. Wanting to see how stronger she has gotten, Helena asks Kokoro to fight her.

The next day, Helena spots Lisa and Miyako arriving at the oil rig and becomes very suspicious about them because they did not let her know that they were coming. When she demands an answer, Lisa fights her but is presumably defeated. Some time later, Helena meets with Hayate, Ayane and Hayabusa on the Freedom Survivor and tells them that Donovan's new organization, MIST, may have existed within DOATEC without them knowing and that he is already on Phase 4 of his Alpha plan: the creation of soldiers with the fighting capabilities of the ninja and the distribution of them to countries with powerful military. Knowing that she cannot confront Donovan and MIST directly due to her reputation, she allows the ninja to infiltrate the rig and stop Donovan's plans. Helena also tell the three ninja that she has sent Kasumi to the oil rig, where Donovan's laboratory is hidden, to find Alpha-152.

After the destruction of the oil rig and the MIST laboratory, Helena watches on her yacht as the real Kasumi gives her thanks to her ninja brethren and takes her leave. Both women make their own vows to defeat Donovan once and for all.

Back in the New Zack Island
Shortly after the fifth tournament, Helena accepts an invitation from Zack to go to New Zack Island. She at first wonders what he is planning this time around, though decides that it is none of her concern and wants to take a break. She also proposes her maid Marie Rose should take a vacation, too.

On the last day on the island, she felt so well about the break that she forgot almost everything about work. She was also proud of the work done by the substitute that Zack had hired.

Appearance

 * See also: Helena's costumes

Overall, Helena has a refined, elegant, beautiful and even an upper-class appearance. She is of average height, and has a rosy-colored skin. Her face is heart-shaped, she has sharp facial features, and blue eyes. Her hair is blonde, and reaches down past her waist, styled with segmented bangs that frame her face, and is tied into a low ponytail with a decorative bow; the bow changes color to match her outfits. Her appearance takes the most after her mother Maria.

She tends to wear rich, royal colors, such as blues, reds, white, black, and gold. Her outfits normally consist of dresses and suits with lots of detail, knee-high boots, ruffles, bows, and cord ties. Her primary outfit is a black,blue, and white sleeveless catsuit with long leather semi heel boots. She also wears long gloves, and a brown, silver, and blue vest with yellow tied lace to hold it up. Her outfits are usually opera and French themed, like dresses, suits, trousers, and royal jackets.

In Dead or Alive 5, her appearance has been altered to give her a less cartoonish appearance; Her eyes are slightly smaller, her hair is a more natural blonde color, rather than the yellowish color it was in previous installments. Her hair is also noticeably shorter, no longer past the waist as before, only coming to exactly the waist. Her bow no longer changes color to match her outfits, with it instead being a black lacy bow in all her attires. Her hair can also be worn loose for the first time in the series.

Personality
Helena is outwardly, haughty and unconcerned with other people. Above all else, she is obsessed with seeking revenge on her mother's killer. She is very patient with her search, yet totally unrelenting. She appears to be willing to go through any means to achieve this end; however, this quest seems to drive her to an emotional brink. However, Helena is not intentionally cruel and has the ability to be kind and warm. This is shown by her friendships with Kasumi, Leifang and Gen Fu. It's also hinted in her fighter quotes that Helena is religious, or at least believes in a god and a hell.

When Helena returns during the events of the fifth tournament, she has gone through a few changes. No longer driven by revenge, she now seeks to reshape her father's company into something that could better benefit the world. On the side, however, she is focused on finding the whereabouts of the missing Donovan as well as Alpha-152. Helena now shows more of her caring side by seeking to ally herself with Kasumi and Hayate. She is also seems to be much friendlier to others, such as Bass Armstrong. However, she shows much more of her kindness when she once again meets with her half-sister, Kokoro.

Etymology
Helena's first name - pronounced "ell-EN-ah" , with the "H" being silent - is a latinate form of "Helen", a English form of the Greek ‘Ελενη (Helene), which in turn is probably from Greek ‘ελενη (helene) meaning "torch" or "corposant", or possibly related to σεληνη (selene) meaning "moon".

In Greek mythology, was the daughter of  and, whose kidnapping by  was the cause of the. This could link to Helena's life: her father Fame could be "Zeus", as both are powerful figures, and the kidnapping by Paris could relate to Donavan's mistreatment of Helena, which later on led to the war and the end of DOATEC.

Her surname "Douglas" is a anglicized form of the Scottish surname Dubhghlas, which meant "dark river", from the Gaelic dubh meaning "dark" and glais meaning "water, river". Douglas was originally a river name, which then became a Scottish clan name belonging to a powerful line of Scottish earls. This could mean that Helena is of English/Scottish descent on her father's side.

Victor Donovan
Because Helena was the legitimate heir to the leadership of DOATEC, Donovan sees her as a threat to his power. He sends Christie to pose as a servant and befriend Helena in order to keep an eye on her. Eventually, he decides to have Christie kill her. Though she tries to kill Helena in both the third and fourth tournaments, Christie failed due to Bayman's interference.

Miyako
Helena seems to know Miyako as she mentioned her to Kokoro, telling her to ask her mother about who she was. It was stated that Helena knows Miyako through ties of DOATEC, as well as Miyako having the position of high ranks in DOATEC's Japan center. It is unknown if Helena promoted her or not, and it is unknown if Miyako knows of Donovan's plans.

Gen Fu
They were partners in Dead or Alive 2 and worked together. Gen Fu asked Helena why she joined the second tournament and instead of replying to the question, Helena said it was none of his business. However, Helena seems to like Gen Fu; even offering to pay for his granddaughter, Mei Lin's operation. They have a full tag alliance and share two tag team-ups together.

Leifang
Leifang and Helena were both born in wealthy families. Leifang was jealous when Helena announced she had entered the second tournament, saying that the tournament doesn't need another "spoiled little princess". However, she seems to be friendly with Helena. During the Dead or Alive 2 tournament, they share a cut scene before their battle where Leifang is shown looking with curiosity and seemingly enviously towards Helena as she goes up in a glass elevator.

After their battle in either Dead or Alive 2 or 3 tournaments, if Leifang wins, she will friendly hold out her hand in an elegant way and say, "Let's meet again for the next dance." If Helena wins, she will showcase her elegant Kung Fu and remark, "This is perfect harmony." In Tag Battle, Leifang and Helena have some of the most graceful tag team-up moves seen due to their fluid Kung Fu styles. In winning a Tag Battle, they will both hold out their hands in an elegant way.

Hayate
Prior to the 5th tournament, Helena and Hayate were on bad terms with each other. During the 5th tournament, Helena and Hayate entered a more professional relationship.

Christie
Helena and Christie are enemies. However, this does not mean she can't work with her. In fact, it's shown that Christie is one of Helena's tag partners, both having unique and quite damaging tag throws.

Christie was hired by Donovan on a couple of occasions to keep an eye on and attempt to kill Helena. Christie was also the one responsible for the death of Maria, Helena’s mother. Keeping this fact a secret from the other woman, Christie acted as a servant to Helena during the course of the third tournament, during which they had a stable, professional relationship. However, soon after Christie revealed herself as an assassin sent to kill Helena, resulting in the disintegration of the pair’s positive relations.

During the fourth tournament, she has observed Helena more. Christie seems to have developed a morbid fascination with her target, that even she finds difficult to understand. She nonetheless plans to carry out her orders, but is indignant of anyone else raising a hand to Helena, as that privilege is to be left to her alone. Christie revealed her responsibility for Maria’s death to her, making Helena hate her even more.

In Dead or Alive 5, it is revealed they are slightly more into friendlier terms, most likely to keep a professional reputation due to DOATEC's new rising, but Helena still watches Christie with her being Donovan's "Pet Assassin".

Bayman
At first, Bayman and Helena did not go well with each other; however, by the time of Dead or Alive 5, he and Helena became closer, like a bodyguard and client relationship. Helena and Bayman show no hostility toward each other and share a strong bond of loyalty. Both Helena and Bayman are enemies of Donovan, and because of this, Helena hired Bayman to track down Donovan and bring him to justice. They managed to maintain a close but professional relationship between themselves. However, it's unknown if Helena is aware that Bayman is the one who killed her father.

Kokoro
The daughter of Fame Douglas and Miyako, Kokoro is Helena’s biological half-sister. Miyako had left for Japan and raised Kokoro there, whereas Helena was raised in France.

While the two of them are half-sisters, Kokoro doesn't know who Helena is. On the other hand, Helena seems to know about Kokoro and Miyako (as she was old enough to remember).

In Kokoro's story mode in the fourth Dead or Alive tournament, she eventually finds and feels weird upon coming into contact with her. Helena replies, "Our blood... Can that what brought us here together." While preparing for battle, Helena shouts, "you must learn my techniques!" (This symbolizes the union of bajiquan and piguaquan, the sister styles, and united into one art).

When Helena announces the Fifth Dead or Alive Tournament, Kokoro recognizes her. The two once again meet at Taylor's Bar after Zack drops Kokoro off. When Kokoro meets her, she asks Helena about her father, telling the woman that she did not remember hers. Helena assures her that her father was a good man, ''"as Kokoro's was." ''It is unknown if Kokoro knows that Fame was definitely her biological father, but both she and Helena do not deny or affirm it. Helena shows much of kindness and love towards Kokoro and spars with her as well to see how strong she has gotten since the fourth DOA tournament.

The sisters feature a full tag alliance in Dead or Alive 5.

Lisa Hamiltion
Due to the experiments led by DOATEC Lisa, scientist for DOATEC at the time, was ordered to stop Helena from finding out what they were doing. When she came close she threatened to kill her if she ever found out. During the Mugen Tenshin attacks, Helena blames Lisa for the DOATEC destruction and they battle at the Tritower Heliport. During their vacation at New Zack Island, she tells Lisa that her plans with Zack are "none of her concern" after the latter teased her about Zack's proposition for the revival of DOATEC and "promises of romance in the deepest of space". As of Dead or Alive 5, Helena still keeps a watchful eye on Lisa, who is now under MIST. Lisa or Miyako may have also been the ones to inform Helena about MIST's business partnerships informing her that MIST plans to sell to military organizations worldwide.

Kasumi
Despite what DOATEC has done to Kasumi's life, she still shows friendly and caring feelings towards Helena and seems to understand the pain that Helena must be going through. However, these feelings are coldly dismissed by Helena when she tries to shoot Kasumi claiming that she has no use for her, only to quickly be stopped by Hayabusa; this is one of the few times that Kasumi has no mercy for Helena. Even after threatening to kill her, Kasumi attempts to stop Helena from committing suicide, which would have resulted in her death had Ayane not stopped her, showing that she still cares for Helena.

After the fourth tournament, she and Helena have been more friendly and have an understanding relationship with each other. In tag battle, they share a full alliance with two tag team-ups. They are two heroines determined to defeat Donovan.

Zack
Zack saved Helena from her self-attempted suicide on DOATEC. Since then, they became business partners and Helena came to New Zack Island for a possible resurrection of DOATEC. She also seemed to take him at his word about their using DOATEC to "bring peace to the galaxy", and was implied to be disappointed after she came to the island, also having to dissuade a teasing Lisa who overheard it. Zack appears to be under Helena's employment in Dead or Alive 5 and has been stated to have been helping her rebuild DOATEC for 2 years after DOA4. A photo of Helena with hearts on it is also present in the helicopter Zack, implying that he may have a romantic interest with her.

Zack is something of a go-for liaison for Helena, having done most of the work to arrange the fifth tournament for Helena including scouting new talent as well as locating older fighters.

Helena also holds a certain unspoken fondness for Zack, comparing him to her father in DOA5 and stealing peeps at him from time to time when it seems nobody is looking.

Marie Rose
Helena's loyal servant who respects her, referring to her formally as "my lady" when calling for her in Tag Battle Mode in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, as well as "Lady Helena" when winning a Tag Battle mode with her in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. The feeling seems to be mutual, as they both give a courtesy to their opponents as their tag intro for the latter game, and also implies that she and Marie often go out for coffee after winning a match.

Dead or Alive

 * See also: Helena's command lists

Helena's fighting style, piguaquan, is flowing and smooth; many of her attacks are graceful and move in a windmill-like formation. This is accompanied by the sheer speed of her attacks, and allocates dominance in a match when facing slower opponents, such as Bayman, Leon, Tina Armstrong, Bass Armstrong and La Mariposa. Her key stance is her Bokuho stance, from which she can execute a number of moves, and her mix-up game, execution time-frame, and air juggles are excellent due to her combo variety. Her varying attack ranges make up for her lack of brute power, for it can often prove difficult to counter against her at times because of this aspect.

However, she must be used in a combo-based fashion to execute sufficient damage, as her launchers and single strikes lack a high damage ratio. While her throws lack strength, they are some of the most quickly executed in the game, and can even be performed while in the aforementioned Bokuho stance.

Dead or Alive Xtreme
Helena is easy to befriend, but waiting a day or two to check her friendship-notes might be a good idea sometimes, and it is best not to talk to her first thing in the day, as she is not a morning person and will be grumpy. It's best to speak with her during sunset. Also, she will not want to befriend Christie easily, and vice versa. Despite the bad relations with Christie, Helena herself can recruit the other girls more easily. Ayane and Tina will take a bit of work as well.

In beach volleyball, Helena lacks in power, but makes up for it with her incredible speed and defense, making her a good defender on the court. Because of her good technique, the accuracy of her shots are high, and she is still able to knock an opponent down with a well-aimed, well-spiked ball. Overall, Helena is a good all-round character, like Christie and Lisa, and would make a good defense partner for either of them.

Unlocking Helena
To unlock Helena in Dead or Alive 4, the player must complete Story Mode with all the characters.

Dead or Alive series

 * Dead or Alive 2 (playable, 1999 - 2000)
 * DOA2: Hardcore (playable, 2000)
 * Dead or Alive 3 (playable, 2001 - 2002)
 * Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (playable, 2003)
 * Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (playable, 2004 - 2005)
 * Dead or Alive 4 (unlockable, 2005 - 2006)
 * Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (playable, 2006)
 * Dead or Alive Paradise (playable, 2010)
 * Dead or Alive Dimensions (playable, 2011)
 * Dead or Alive 5 (playable, 2012)
 * Dead or Alive 5+ (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (playable, 2015)
 * Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 (playable, 2016)

DOA: Dead or Alive
Helena makes an appearance in the movie DOA: Dead or Alive, played by Sarah Carter. However her personality and overall character seems to be a mix with that of Hitomi, as she is now a happy, bubbly twenty-one year old with Helena’s character history but with Hitomi’s personality traits.

Throughout the movie she is treated as a necessary annoyance by Donovan, who has gained control of DOATEC after the "death" of Fame Douglas, and is generally regarded as a rookie by the other fighters. Despite this she manages to hold her own against some of the more experienced fighters, forcing even Donovan to admit that he may have underestimated her.

Dead Fantasy
Also see: Helena on Dead Fantasy Wiki

Helena appears in the fan-made CG movie series Dead Fantasy. She made her debut at the end of the third episode, activating an army of Kasumi α clones that went out to kill Kasumi and Yuna of Final Fantasy X.

She has yet to take part physically in the fight, and her actions and connections with Hitomi and Hayate in the movies are highly suspicious. However, it was confirmed for the upcoming Dead Fantasy IX that Helena's main rival is Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII. An interesting note about Helena's appearance, she resembles Cloud's deceased friend, Aerith Gainsborough, due to her similar hairstyle in a ponytail adorned with a ribbon but due to her role as an antagonist, she would act as a female version of Cloud's nemesis, Sephiroth.

Since Oum's death, the series' future is left uncertain.

Fighting quotes

 * Dead or Alive 2/DOA2: Hardcore
 * Dead or Alive 3
 * Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate
 * Dead or Alive 4
 * Dead or Alive Dimensions
 * Dead or Alive 5
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate
 * Dead or Alive 5 Last Round

Music themes
The following are the music themes used for Helena throughout the series.

Gallery

 * See: Helena Douglas gallery

Trivia

 * Helena's trademark is her bow, in which she wears in all her costumes. The bow would also match the color of her costume as well, until Dead or Alive 5 in which she just wears a black laced bow (with the exception of the Christmas DLC in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, where she wears a large red package-ribbon bow in its place).
 * Helena is the first non-ninja character to win a tournament.
 * In all her english voice-overs (except DOA2: Hardcore), she speaks with a noticeable French accent.
 * Helena is the only character of the franchise whose voice actor makes a reappearance after being replaced. This is noted since Karen Strassman, Helena's current voice actor, first voiced her in Xtreme 2 but never reappeared in Dimensions, yet returned in the next installment, Dead or Alive 5.
 * As shown in the Dead or Alive 3 ending, Helena owns a black Labrador Retriever.
 * In Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, she can buy a dog collar for it.
 * In some of Helena's gravure scenes in the Xtreme sub-series, Helena can be seen reading a book called "Beach Side Lovers I," hinting that Helena's a fan of romance novels.
 * In Dead or Alive: Dimensions, Helena defeated Kasumi α during the time of the third tournament, making her the first non-ninja character to defeat a ninja (although it is a clone).
 * Of all the those on vacation on New Zack Island in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, only Helena mentions Zack by his name. Helena is also the first female ever confirmed to invite someone to the island.
 * IGN featured Helena in their "Videogame Babe of the Day" series in 2006.