Genshin Impact Drama Sparks Voice Actor Reactions
- Genshin Impact faces backlash for whitewashing characters.
- Fans call for Hoyoverse to update characters with darker skin.
- Voice actors join the campaign for accurate representation.
- Petition and #BoycottHYV hashtag gain traction.
- Fan artists create mockups of darker-skinned characters.
Streamers Visuals
Gaming Reviews News Tips and More
Home
Latest
News
Tips & Guides
Entertainment
Reviews
Games
Editions
Español
Deutsch
Français
Discover
Home
Latest
News
Tips & Guides
Entertainment
Reviews
Games
Editions
Español
Deutsch
Français
More
Log In
Sign Up
Send us a Tip
Shop
Subscribe
Extra
About Streamers Visuals
Store
Advertising
Privacy
Jobs
Terms of Use
Explore our other sites
jalopnik
Streamers Visuals
quartz
theroot
theinventory
2024 GO Media
We may earn a commission from links on this page
News
GENSHIN IMPACT'S LATEST CONTROVERSY HAS GOTTEN SO BIG ITS VOICE ACTORS ARE WEIGHING IN
FANS ARE CALLING FOR HOYOVERSE TO UPDATE WHITEWASHED VERSIONS OF AFRICAN AND LATIN AMERICAN-INSPIRED CHARACTERS
By Kenneth Shepard
Published Monday 2:25 PM
We may earn a commission from links on this page
Genshin Impact has been under fire for whitewashing people of color before.
The backlash over such accusations has never before reached the level it has now as the release of the new Natlan nation grows ever more imminent.
The nation is based primarily on Latin America but also includes characters based on African deities.
Despite this, the characters have all been portrayed as white, leading to some fans calling for a boycott unless developer Hoyoverse changes course.
The campaign has grown to the point where voice actors who work on Genshin Impact and Hoyoverse's other games are starting to speak out, asking for the studio to update the characters with darker skin as per their real-world inspirations.
Suggested Reading
- Twisters In 4DX Is A Religious Experience
- Online Shooter Mashup Of Halo And Portal Is Getting An Even Bigger Sequel
- Jeanne d'Arc's First Hour Won Me Over With Its Absurd Premise, Sick Cutscenes, And Great Tactical Combat
- The Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck June 2023 Edition
The promotional trailer Hoyoverse has put out for Genshin Impact's Natlan update includes characters such as Ororon, seemingly based on lrun, a deity in the African Yoruba religion.
Mavuika, likely based on Maori fire deity Mahuika, and Kinich, which is the same name as the Maya sun god Kinich Ahau.
Each of these characters and others introduced in Natlan are depicted as white or with light skin in Genshin Impact.
While fans were excited to see the RPG representing these cultures, portraying them with light-skinned characters was met with immediate pushback.
Advertisement
Related Content
- Genshin Impact's First Full Year: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
- What You Should Know About Genshin Impact's Huge Winter Update
Fans have put together a petition asking Hoyoverse to stop whitewashing its characters and engaging in cultural appropriation.
They started a #BoycottHYV hashtag on social media and are encouraging players to make their grievances heard through customer service channels.
Several fan artists have started making mockups of characters with darker skin tones in case Hoyoverse needs a reference.
While fans have been speaking out, Genshin Impact voice actors have also started weighing in, including Sucrose actor Valeria Rodríguez, Yoimiya actor Jenny Yokobori, Cyno actor Alejandro Saab, and Sethos actor Zeno Robinson among several others.
We've reached out to Hoyoverse for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
With Natlan's release being so imminent, it's unlikely the studio will make any changes before launch, but we'll see if the outcry results in edits in a future update.
This isn't the first time Genshin Impact has dealt with this kind of controversy.
Fans are still upset about how the game portrayed characters in the nation of Sumeru, which is based on South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures but also had characters fans accused of being whitewashed.
