Chasca and Ororon have been announced on Genshin Impact's official accounts... and fans did not take it well.
Ever since the first trailer of Natlan was released, fans been questioning HoYoverse's design choices.
Many are furious, some are content, and some don't know where they should stand. It's a complicated topic, after all. But now even Genshin Impact's own voice actors have begun speaking up about the characters.
Should characters from Natlan be white?
Natlan is a region based on real places, people and cultures, namely Africa and Polynesia. Just look at characters like Ororon and Mavuika, who were clearly inspired by real deities — Ọlọrun from Yoruba culture, and Mahuika from Māori culture — and it's reinforced by the landscapes of Natlan as presented in the game.
But despite this clear inspiration, Chasca and Ororon, who come from Natlan, look incredibly white.
Many fans are outraged at the lack of respect being shown. Why should HoYoverse be allowed to borrow from a culture while replacing the people who created it?
Genshin's own voice actors' respond
A handful of voice actors from the game have spoken up about this issue on X (formerly Twitter), to share their thoughts and disappointment. Valeria Rodriguez, the voice of Sucrose, gave some specific insights on Ororon:
I could stay quiet about this & protect myself but us folks of color don't always need to stay quiet & let others fk us over and disrespect us so that we can continue to advance at half the pace of our white peers. 1/2
— Valeria Rodriguez is a Tsundere (@ElvisBadger) July 13, 2024
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 & show some cultural appreciation.
— Valeria Rodriguez is a Tsundere (@ElvisBadger) July 13, 2024
Olorun Is the supreme Yoruba deity. You could find that with a quick Google search, even. This is unforgivable. Look at what a sick job SMITE did with their own interpretation!!! IT'S NOT HARD!!! pic.twitter.com/LbP3nuT3MK
— Valeria Rodriguez is a Tsundere (@ElvisBadger) July 13, 2024
Alejandro Saab, more famously knows as CyYu, a VTuber and the voice of Cyno, replied to these tweets saying:
"Finding this out is… WOW this is bad. Like I knew they were missing color but WOW THIS IS BAD."
What are your thoughts on this controversy? Should characters from Natlan be white? Feel free to discuss in the comments! But please stay civil, and don't harass HoYoverse staff, their voice actors, or other members of the community.
