Genshin Impact Voice Actor Slams the Game’s Natlan Characters for Cultural Misrepresentation

Genshin Impact publisher HoYoverse recently revealed a slew of new characters coming to the game alongside a new region, Natlan, in a forthcoming update. But not everyone’s excited about the new content, as one of the game’s very own voice actors, Valeria Rodríguez (English voice of Sucrose), takes to Twitter (aka X) to air their ire.

Many of Genshin Impact‘s Natlan characters appear to be based on real cultural deities, with the new content especially borrowing liberally from Latin American and African cultures. As Rodríguez points out, the character Ororon seems to reference the supreme Yoruba deity Ọlọrun, though you’d never be able to tell with Ororon’s light skin and attire. Similarly, the Pyro Archon Mavuika correlates to the  Māori fire deity Mahuika, and Kinich is likely based on Kinich Ahau, the Yucatec name of the Maya sun god.

In total, 11 characters have been shown as part of the Natlan content, all of which have some sort of tie to real Indigenous cultures, and all of which have two things in common: a severe lack of melanin and seemingly little to do with their associated representations. Rodríguez, along with many Genshin Impact fans, are calling the depictions disrespectful and want developer MiHoYo to do their due diligence and show better appreciation when pulling from real-world influences.

Or, at the very least, darken the skin tone for some proper BIPOC representation. Fans elsewhere have taken to TikTok to share videos of themselves coloring over the new Natlan characters to add a touch of melanin. And over on the Genshin Impact subreddit, more than a few folks seem tired and resigned to the fact that MiHoYo seems to be reluctant to include “non-white” characters in the game, with one user (ValiantNaberius) saying, “I mean, I’ve seen the whitest valley girls come back from vacation with more of a tan than even our desert cast.”

Frankly, fans have every right to be upset here. Genshin Impact boasts a staggering 88 unlockable characters, and as far as I can tell, you can count on one hand how many have even slightly darker skin than their pale-washed compatriots. If MiHoYo is going to borrow from real cultures, they should at least acknowledge as such with the proper contexts and the respect they deserve.

We still don’t know much about Genshin Impact‘s Natlan content or how its characters will play into its story and world. But as Rodríguez says, “It’s 2024. We can all do better.”