Voice actors from “Genshin Impact” accuse the game of racism and cultural appropriation in connection with the design of the newly introduced Natlan characters

A number of Genshin Influence Voice actors have accused the game of racism regarding the newly introduced Natlan characters.

A screenshot from Genshin Impact (2021), MiHoYo

Genshin Impact introduced some of its Natlan characters in a teaser video earlier this month.

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Since the character’s reveal, a petition has been started on Change.org accusing Hoyoverse of cultural appropriation and whitewashing. The petition states: “We call on MiHoYo to stop cultural appropriation and whitewashing in their games and commit to respectful and accurate representation of all cultures.”

It continues: “MiHoYo, a leading game development company, has repeatedly drawn inspiration from indigenous cultures without adequately representing and respecting them. In particular, the many characters of Sumeru and Natlan in Genshin Impact and Penacony in Honkai Star Rail are all clearly white or at best only lightly tanned, with the exception of some hostile NPCs, which has raised concerns about racism among players and indigenous communities.”

Character art for Kachna from Genshin Impact (2024), Hoyoverse

It continues: “Cultural appropriation and whitewashing perpetuate harmful stereotypes and diminish the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous communities. These practices not only misrepresent cultures, but also contribute to ongoing marginalization and disrespect.”

A list of demands is then published: “MiHoYo should: Include Indigenous cultural consultants. Revise existing content to ensure accurate representation. Commit to creating diverse and inclusive characters.”

The petition currently has 60,168 signatures.

Character art for Mualani from Genshin Impact (2024), Hoyoverse

READ: ‘Genshin Impact’ developer MiHoYo reminds players that the game is fiction after apparent complaints about ‘racism and colorism’

Additionally, an X-Account HYV (Hoyoverse) boycott has been created, providing instructions to players on how to participate in the boycott.

HYV boycott of X

A number of Genshin Impact voice actors have also spoken out against the character designs, implicitly calling them racist. June Yoon, who voiced Yip Tak and Kujou Takayuki, sent an email requesting that the characters be redesigned.

He wrote: “First of all, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued dedication to working hard on Genshin Impact. As a fan, I appreciate everything your team does to bring us this amazing game. Thank you.”

Next, he admits that Teyvat is a fictional world: “I understand that the world of Teyvat is fictional and that the nations and characters are drawn from various real-world cultures blended to create a fictional setting. With so much research and attention put into characterizing each nation in their design, Natlan included, it’s disheartening to see those efforts drowned out by the released character designs that do not respectfully represent the people and deities of those cultures.”

Character art for Kinich from Genshin Impact (2024), Hoyoverse

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He then asked them to change the design: “Please consider redesigning the Natlan figures taking into account the cultures of origin, especially with regard to the skin colors of the figures and the names of the deities.”

He concluded, “Genshin Impact is loved by millions of people around the world. And I firmly believe that such an action will bring even more fans to the game and HoYoverse will gain even more respect from fans worldwide. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, the EN voice of Yip Tak, Kujou Takayuki and other NPCs: June Yoon.”

June Yoon on X

Yoon was not alone. Anne Yatco, who voices Raiden Shogun in the game, wrote: “I really hope that a video game company listens to its fans when there are legitimate criticisms several years in a row about how it conducts its research and includes elements/aspects of other cultures.”

Anne Yatco about X

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Albedo voice actor Khoi Dao also said on X: “When a game draws so heavily on real-world cultures and a character is based on the supreme deity of the Yoruba religion, and that character ends up looking like pale Batman Sasuke, people are absolutely within their rights to demand better representation, ESPECIALLY when the game is clearly targeting a *global* audience.”

He added: “I hope all of you continue to make your voices heard and I hope you are listened to.”

Khoi Dao on X

Zeno Robinson, who voices Sethos, posted: “If even your core audience, the Chinese fans, are asking for better representation and/or characters with different shades of melanin, then who are you making these characters for?”

Zeno Robinson on X

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One person who uses the name Valeria Rodriguez and goes by Sucrose posted, “I could stay silent on this and protect myself, but we people of color don’t always have to stay silent and allow others to bullshit us and disrespect us so we can continue to progress at half the speed of our white counterparts.”

“If you’re going to use real-world deities, RESPECT them. If you’re going to base things on real-world cultures, RESPECT THAT. I don’t have a problem with things being inspired by different cultures – that’s great. Representation is great. But you should at least do some research and show some cultural appreciation,” Rodriguez added.

The actor concluded, “Ọlọrun is the supreme deity of the Yoruba. You could even find that out with a quick Google search. That’s unforgivable. Look at what a great job SMITE did with their own interpretation!!! IT’S NOT HARD!!!”

A person who uses the name Valeria Rodriguez on X

Jenny Yokobori, who voices Yoimiya, wrote: “The desire to recognize oneself in the media one consumes should not be a radical one.”

Jenny Yokobiri about X

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Cyno voice actor Alejandro Saab responded to Rodriguez’s post, writing, “I didn’t know THAT was the person he was based on…AH that’s bad. You still have time to change it.”

Alejandro Saab on X

Allegra Clark, who voices Beidou in Genshin Impact and Acheron in Honkai: Star Rail, wrote, “It’s just disappointing when parts of the world that are so rarely seen in media are portrayed accurately. I know this is ‘inspired by’ and not a 1:1 representation, but when you’re going to draw on certain sources, it would be so nice to see it as it should be!”

Clark added: “There is so much beauty in the world – so many stories to be told or drawn from, and if that is not done to the fullest extent, it ends up feeling disrespectful, even if that is not the intention. I hope it is possible to make changes at this stage.”

Allegra Clark on X

What do you think about the accusations made by these voice actors against Genshin Impact and HoYoverse?

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