Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are reunited in a strange new world in an upcoming update to the immensely popular game Genshin Impact. More specifically, the voice actors who play Naruto and Sasuke are portraying brand-new Genshin Impact characters that bear some resemblance to their iconic roles.
The official Genshin Impact YouTube account recently shared a video showcasing the game’s new update, which is expected to arrive in late August. The trailer, which has already received nearly two million views in just a week, introduces Natlan, the latest addition to the Teyvat universe for players to explore. Kinich, voiced by Sasuke’s actor Noriaki Sugiyama, and a pixelated creature named K’uhul Ajaw, voiced by Naruto’s actor Junko Takeuchi, are two of the many new characters who inhabit the Pyro-based nation.
While little is known about Kinich and Ajaw, they appear to be close, as shown in the promotional video. The characters are reminiscent of Link and Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Naruto fans are excited not only about Sugiyama and Takeuchi’s reunion, but also about how their Genshin Impact characters look similar to their respective Naruto roles.
According to the promotional illustration, Kinich appears to be a young, brooding warrior with black hair, similar to Sasuke. Similarly, the self-proclaimed “Almighty Dragonlord” Ajaw is mostly orange, resembling Naruto’s distinctive ninja attire. The Naruto connection in Genshin Impact is limited to the Japanese voice cast; the English voice actors, Abby Espiritu (Ajaw) and John Patneaude (Kinich), have no prior experience with the Naruto anime franchise. Nevertheless, Naruto fans are overjoyed with the happy coincidence.
Although there is enthusiasm for the new Genshin Impact update, there is also legitimate concern and anger about the portrayal of the new nation, Natlan. Natlan draws inspiration from Latin America, and its new playable characters are based on African deities. However, these characters, such as Mualani, Mavuika, and Kinich, do not appear to be physically representative of their origins; in fact, there are no characters of color in the most recent trailer. Given Natlan’s real-life inspiration, many Genshin Impact players are outraged by the game’s apparent whitewash of Latin American and African cultures. Even the game’s English voice actors, including Valeria RodrÃguez (Sucrose) and Alejandro Saab (Cyno), have expressed their dissatisfaction.
MiHoYo, the developer, has previously faced similar criticism for introducing Sumeru in Genshin Impact and Carole Pepper in Honkai Impact 3rd. However, the most serious controversy Genshin Impact has ever faced was being accused of plagiarizing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild during early development. The criticism was so harsh that it brought some developers to tears. MiHoYo has yet to officially address the Natlan controversy since the release of the new trailer.
In conclusion, while the reunion of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha in Genshin Impact is exciting, it also raises important questions about cultural representation in gaming. Fans are eagerly awaiting both new content and MiHoYo’s response to the ongoing criticism.
Source – Inside Games
