"Half the Natlan cast is whiter than Lois Griffin from Family Guy (a white woman)" - Genshin Impact fans slams HYV for 'whitewashing' characters

The reveal of Natlan, the upcoming region in Genshin Impact, brought a ton of excitement from the playerbase. It also brought along its fair share of controversy. Players across social media are up in arms about the alleged “whitewashing” of characters in Natlan and have been expressing their dissatisfaction using rather creative methods.

To that extent, X user Timely Aeons (@AeonsTimely) posted a meme that compares the skin color of every Natlan character revealed thus far to that of Lois Griffin from the hit TV series, Family Guy. The post goes on to state:

"Half the natlan cast is whiter than lois griffin from family guy (a white woman)."

The post seems to be made (mostly) in jest, with multiple users chiming in. User @BurnMadokaFans (Ayesha) remarked:

"Not Lois Griffin ending the entire Natlan cast."

@Kelly pointed out a rather unusual similarity in skin tones with none other than Dante from the first ever Devil May Cry game - of all things. @Shun also comments on the situation, opting to call Genshin Impact the “50 shades of white.”

Other users seemed to have not taken kindly to the meme and called out the poster for the exaggerated reaction. @Keiryl remarked that while she is from Mexico herself, she does not see too many people being “offended” about the change in skin tones.

The Genshin Impact community reacts (Image via X)

User @ganuwoahh did make a good point though, saying that Genshin is just a game, in the end, and the creators can adjust things as they please. Interestingly. user @faisal didn't seem to care either way.

The Genshin Impact fan's reaction (Image via X)

On the other hand, many have taken to making the best out of a peculiar situation. @Nevermind, in particular, requested OP to make a similar meme comparing Peter Griffin next.

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Is the Genshin Impact “whitewashing” outrage justified?

Genshin Impact's Natlan teaser brought with it some controversy (Image via HoYoverse)

Note: This part of the article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinions.

The answer is not as simple as it may appear. While it can be argued that the game is a work of fiction and thus not applicable to such allegations, the fans do make quite an important point. After all, the game should respect the very cultures and mythologies it has taken inspiration from - in its entirety.

While this should not be focused on skin color alone, a greater representation of existing cultures, without modification, is something the industry should take forward in general.

Regardless, this bitter tussle in Genshin Impact is unlikely to end anytime soon.