The voice actors of Genshin Impact are criticizing HoYoverse for their claims that the game’s Natlan region’s character designs incorrectly reflect their influences.
The official teaser for Natlan, a new area in HoYoverse, which unveiled the characters who would be included in the Version 5.0 update, was released on July 12, 2024.
HoYoverse, however, faced criticism from fans after its release due to several character designs that were based on real-world mythology—something Genshin has frequently done—and which in the game are represented as white despite typically having darker skin tones.
Many of the voice actors in the game have echoed the demands of Genshin players for appropriate representation, joining the chorus of supporters calling for greater diversity in-game.
Many gamers noted that different characters were influenced by different cultures all around the world. For example, Mavuika was influenced by the Māori fire deity Mahuika, while Ororon was influenced by the Yoruban deity Ọlọrun, who is typically depicted as having a darker complexion.
Regarding the matter, Sucrouse’s voice actress Valeria Rodriguez stated, “If you’re going to use real-world deities, RESPECT them.” Respect it if you’re basing your work on actual cultures. Next, they contrasted Smite’s depiction of the Yoruban god with Genshin’s rendition of Olorun.
“It shouldn’t be a radical desire to see yourself reflected in the media you consume,” stated Jenny Yokobori, a voice actor for Yoimiya.
Albedo’s voice actor, Khoi Dao, addressed the matter by saying, “People are absolutely within their rights to demand better representation if a game draws so heavily from real-world cultures and bases a character on the supreme deity of [Yoruban] religion, and that character ends up looking like pale Sasuke Batman.”
Zeno Robinson, who does the voice of Sethos, questioned why HoYoverse, catering to a diverse audience, wouldn’t want better representation of characters with varying shades of pigment.
Chinese and Japanese Genshin players also voiced their displeasure, querying why Caucasian-presenting characters were used to depict characters based on African and Latin American cultures.
HoYoverse has not yet responded to the criticism as of this writing.
