The recent discovery of Genshin Impact’s other major region, Natlan, and nine of his (apparently playable) characters. has reignited criticism of developer HoYoverse’s penchant for researching and borrowing from real-world places, from Sumeru’s take on the Middle East to Natlan’s riff on what seem strongly to be African and Latin American elements, but filling his performances almost exclusively with white or white people. . Over a dozen English Genshin Impact actors have now joined countless fans calling for Natlan to feature skin tones that match the people of the countries the region is based on.
like Eurogamer it is reported that Valeria Rodríguez, the English voice of Sucrose, was among the first Genshin voice actors to criticize Natlan’s treatment of real people and their culture.
“If you’re going to use real-world deities, respect them,” she said in one I tweet. “If you’re based on real cultures, respect that. I’m fine with things that are inspired by different cultures – that’s great. Representation is dope. But at least do some research and show some cultural appreciation.”
Addressing responses from people saying they would avoid Genshin’s English voice in protest of such comments, Rodríguez Later claimed “I’m not even deleting my tweets. Seeing the overwhelming response, both hateful and positive, means I’ve struck a chord. I’m done being silent. It’s 2024. We can all do more good.”
Rodríguez pointed out the Yoruba deity Oồngọ, who was apparently the inspiration for Natlan’s wolf son Ororon, and how the god was accurately portrayed as dark-skinned in the mythology of the MOBA Smite, while Ororon is another pale male. “This is inexcusable,” she said. “Look what a sick job Smite did with their interpretation!!! It’s not hard!!!” At the time of writing, this post alone has over 2.7 million impressions according to Twitter analytics.
ồọn is the supreme Yoruba deity. You can even find it with a quick Google search. This is unforgivable. Look what a sick job SMITE did with their performance!!! It’s not hard!!! pic.twitter.com/LbP3nuT3MKJuly 13, 2024
This example was taken by Alejandro Saab, the voice of Cyno – one of the few dark-skinned characters of Genshin’s Sumeru region, famous for its deserts and rainforests. “I didn’t know who it’s based on… Ah that’s bad,” Saab said of Ororo. “You still have time to fix it.”
Anne Yatco, the voice of Electro Archon Raiden, express it this way: “I really hope a video game company listens to their fan base when valid criticisms are made over the years about their research execution and inclusion of elements/aspects of other cultures.”
Khoi Dao, the voice of Albedo, posted a screenshot of a comment that wouldn’t fit in a tweet, again linking to Ororo specifically: “If a game draws so much from real world cultures and bases a character on the supreme deity of religion Yoruba, and that character ends up looking like a pale Sasuke Batman, people are absolutely within their rights to demand better representation, especially when this game has a clear commitment to a global audience, I hope you continue to make your voices heard and I hope they listen.”
Sethos voice actor Zeno Robinson surprised“If your core audience, Chinese fans, are also looking for representation/or characters with different shades of melanin, who are you making these characters for?”
“I hope they take the criticism in stride,” said Xinyan and Barbara voice actress Laura Stahl. “There is no ignorance to feign. The source material is rich and the public is starving,” she added. In a follow-up post, Stahl told fans to “stop bashing the new cast members” as “there was almost no way any of them knew what this was” and “the conversation we need to have is not with them.”
“It’s just disappointing when parts of the world that are so rarely covered in the media can be accurately portrayed.” said Beidou voice actress Allegra Clark. “I know this is ‘inspired by’ as opposed to a 1:1 description, but if you’re relying on specific sources, it would be really nice to see it done the way it should be!”
Several voice actors spoke at length, but seemingly with deliberate timing — all of these posts came after Natlan’s list was revealed — and with clear purpose. “It doesn’t have to be a radical desire to want to see yourself reflected in the media you consume.” said Yoimiya voice actress Jenny Yokobori. “Dark skin is beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” said Bill Butts, who voiced a minor character in Genshin but is better known as Owlbert in one of HoYo’s other games, Honkai Star Rail .
“We want to be seen and treated equally,” Butts said in a later post. “Look at our beautiful and diverse ancestry. Tell the wonderful stories of our people. They are extraordinary! Look at us as you look at others and smile at our beauty too.”
Christina Costello, the voice of Sumeru’s Collei, EXPRESS praise for improved media representation and advised fans and creators to “keep creating your stories. Keep sharing your stories. Keep asking for your stories to be shared, to be seen, to be heard. We all deserve it.”
Gorou voice actor Cory Yee common a similar topic on “how representation can make a big difference in someone’s life and why it matters.” In closing, Yee writes, “Change is hard, and I don’t know what the future holds. And I’m grateful that there have been improvements in representation; they are essential. But this conversation is and will continue to be important. Stay alert, and stay empathetic.”
Kaveh’s missing celebrity voice, Ben Balmaceda, coincidentally has written: “One [of] the things i like [Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail] shows how history is a celebration of a wide variety of interestingly developed cultures and how their differences each contribute something unique to create a beautifully diverse and colorful society. Just think that’s pretty neat.”
Dani Chambers, the voice of Sumeru’s Nilou, shared live and praised one of the many pieces of Natlan fan art going on, with this example (below) giving lion girl Xilonen significantly darker skin. “Look how nice this looks!” The rooms said. “I really hope they all listen and what’s being said!” One of the biggest Genshin streamers on Twitch, Dish, as well arguing that “fan redesigns are carrying the Natlan lineup, I’m afraid” in a thread collecting similar character mods.
Many of these sentiments have been shared – literally, with the share button – by other Genshin voice actors who have not (as far as I know) posted their comments. This includes Kayli Mills, the voice of Keqing; Mara Junot, the voice of Lisa; Risa Mei, the voice of Kokomi; Kieran Regan, voice of Heizou; Kimberley Anne Campbell, voice of Nahida; Amber May, the voice of Dehja; and Anairis Quinones, the voice of Lynette.
hyv is fast but i’m faster… she’s so good #GenshinImpact #natlan pic.twitter.com/KAZ6zwCOD3July 12, 2024
It certainly didn’t help that, of the few slightly darker-skinned playable characters in Genshin, almost all of them rank among the worst units in the entire game in terms of combat performance. Dehya, Candace, and Xinyan are downright awful, Cyno was one of the five weakest stars in Sumeru, and Sethos is at best a worse version of existing characters. The strongest dark-skinned character is probably Kaeya, who was released in the 2020 Genshin launch.
Of the nine Natlan characters revealed so far, the one with the darkest skin, a little girl named Iansan, was also revealed for the first time in 2020, as Saab observed. This pattern has led to debates around the HoYoverse that have starved the beast, so to speak: if the developer really thinks that dark-skinned characters aren’t popular or welcome, maybe it’s because he’s repeatedly given them poor and clumsy skills for nearly four. years, making these characters less attractive for a game where buying and building a new unit is a significant investment.
Genshin has seen rep shots before, but nothing at this level. I’ve reached out to HoYoverse for comment on this spate of criticism and will update our reporting if I hear back.
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