Genshin Influence voice actors criticize design of recent character named after African deity: ‘If you are going to use real-world deities, respect them’

Genshin Influence’s upcoming 5.0 replace will introduce Natlan, a brand new area, in August later this yr. However after dropping a shock teaser out of nowhere, just a few of the sport’s voice actors have come out in opposition to a brand new character that shares the identify of an African deity, saying the design is disrespectful. 

Valeria Rodríguez, the voice actor for Sucrose in Genshin Influence, made a prolonged submit on X addressing the problem. “If you are going to use real-world deities, RESPECT them,” Rodríguez says. “Should you’re basing off of actual cultures RESPECT THAT. I am superb with issues being impressed by numerous cultures—that is superior. Illustration is dope. However naked minimal, perform a little research & present some cultural appreciation.” 

Rodríguez factors out that one of many new characters is called after Ọlọrun, the supreme deity of the Yoruba folks of West Africa, however clearly would not look the half. Different voice actors and gamers agree that the character would not in any approach signify or have a good time the deity he’s primarily based on, with some labeling the Genshin character as “pale Sasuke”. 

“If a sport attracts so closely from real-world cultures and bases a personality on the supreme deity of Yoruba faith, and that character finally ends up wanting like pale Sasuke Batman, persons are completely inside their rights to demand higher illustration,” Khoi Dao, Genshin’s Albedo voice actor tweeted. “Particularly when mentioned sport has a clearly acknowledged dedication to a worldwide viewers.” 

In 2022, miHoYo, the creators of Genshin Influence, introduced that it will be rebranding itself to HoYoVerse amid restructuring to make room for the “metaverse” and a shift to accommodating a extra world viewers. 

Nonetheless, some gamers are uncertain how nicely this pledge of being a “forward-thinking” world model has gone, as even among the sport’s oldest followers have been repeatedly asking for extra illustration. “If even your base viewers, the Chinese language followers, are asking for higher illustration/or characters with completely different shades of melanin, who’re you making these characters for?” Zeno Robinson, voice actor for Sethos in Genshin, says.

This is not the primary time that gamers have spoken out in opposition to the dearth of illustration in Genshin. Phrases like ‘Boycott Genshin Influence’ often grace X’s trending display. One of many mentioned cases occurred again in 2021 when a clip emerged of builders utilizing Indigenous Individuals as inspiration for an enemy class that was labeled unintelligent and uncultured.

There’s nonetheless time earlier than the brand new area releases, and plenty of are hoping that some adjustments will probably be enacted earlier than August. “I actually hope {that a} online game firm listens to its fanbase when legitimate criticism is made a number of years in a row concerning the execution of its analysis and inclusion of components/points of different cultures,” Anne Yatco, the voice of Raiden Shogun, says.