Genshin Impact's own voice actors join backlash at lack of representation in new region Natlan's character designs

Genshin Impact has once again been accused of cultural appropriation from fans and voice actors in response to the reveal of its new cast of Natlan characters.

Every region in Genshin Impact draws heavy inspiration from real world countries and cultures, basing each region's general design, mythology, and music on these various real-world areas. Inazuma is representative of Japan, Fontaine of France, Mondstadt of Germany and the Netherlands, and so on.

Based on its character and region names, established mythology, and glimpses of what the area looks like in trailers, the upcoming Natlan region looks set to take great inspiration from countries and cultures in both Africa and the Ring of Fire area surrounding the Pacific Ocean, which includes Latin America and Aboriginal Australian cultures. But fans say that this isn't reflected in Natlan's character designs, and now the game's voice actors have joined in the criticism via social media.

"I really hope that a video game company listens to its fanbase when valid criticism is made multiple years in a row about the execution of its research and inclusion of elements/aspects of other cultures," said Anne Yatco, who voices Raiden Shogun in the game.

Valeria Rodríguez, who voices Sucrose, shared a similar sentiment: "If you're going to use real-world deities, RESPECT them. If you're basing off of real cultures, RESPECT THAT. I'm fine with things being inspired by various cultures - that's awesome. Representation is dope. But bare minimum do some research and show some cultural appreciation."

Rodríguez also compared Genshin Impact's representation of Ọlọrun, the supreme Yoruba deity, with that seen in popular MOBA Smite, showing the stark contrast of skin colour between the two. "This is unforgivable. Look at what a sick job Smite did with their own interpretation!!! IT'S NOT HARD!!!"

Alejandro Saab, who voices Cyno in Genshin Impact and Jing Yuan in Honkai: Star Rail, retweeted Rodríguez's Smite comparison, adding "You still got time to fix it", presumably addressing Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse.

Eurogamer has contacted HoYoverse for comment.

Genshin Impact's Albedo voice actor, Khoi Dao, also addressed Ọlọrun's representation: "If a game draws so heavily from real-world cultures, and bases a character on the supreme deity of Yoruba religion, and that character ends up looking like pale sasuke Batman, people are absolutely within their rights to demand better representation, ESPECIALLY when said game has a clearly-stated commitment to a *global* audience. I hope y'all keep making your voices heard, and I hope they listen."

This isn't the first time Genshin Impact has been called out by fans for its overwhelmingly light-skinned cast of characters, as the same criticisms have been continually made against Sumeru, a nation with heavy South Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African influences. However, this is the first time so many prominent HoYoverse voice actors have spoken up, which seems to have brought more attention to the issue.

The hashtag 'BoycottHYV' has been steadily gaining momentum on X since the Natlan character reveal, which fans are using to share their frustrations, petitions, and character redesigns. HoYoverse has yet to respond, and has continued to post Natlan character teases on their social media. The company isn't known for addressing controversies, but with Chinese players and its own voice actors criticising Natlan's characters, fans believe the company may be more likely to respond than usual.

Zeno Robinson, who voices Sethos in Genshin Impact, sums up the worldwide dissatisfaction with Natlan's characters well: "If even your base audience, the Chinese fans, are asking for better representation/or character[s] with different shades of melanin, who are you making these characters for?"