Genshin Impact’s official X (formerly Twitter) account announced on March 12 that veteran voice actor Showtaro Morikubo, 51, has been removed from his role in the game due to unspecified circumstances.
【出演者降板のお知らせとお詫び】
この度、『原神』に出演を予定しておりました森久保祥太郎様ですが、諸般の事情により、やむを得ず降板することとなりました。
関係各所にご迷惑をおかけしました事お詫び申し上げます。…— 原神（Genshin）公式 (@Genshin_7) March 12, 2025
About Showtaro Morikubo
Morikubo is a well-established name in the Japanese voice acting industry, with a career spanning decades. He’s best known for voicing protagonist Goro Shigeno in the baseball anime Major, Shikamaru Nara in Naruto: Shippuden and Yusuke Makishima in Yowamushi Pedal. The actor was set to voice the character Ifa in Genshin Impact.
Implications and Reactions
The company offered no specific reason for Morikubo’s departure, simply citing “unavoidable circumstances” in their announcement. This lack of detail has led to speculation among the game’s community, with many suggesting that his participation in a live reading of a book about the Uyghur genocide possibly playing a part in his removal. Official channels, though, have remained silent regarding the exact nature of these circumstances.
This situation is not unprecedented in the voice acting industry, particularly for games with ongoing development that regularly add new characters and content. Voice actor replacements can occur for various reasons, including scheduling conflicts, health issues, or contractual disputes.
Genshin Impact has not yet announced who will replace Morikubo as the voice of Ifa, leaving fans curious about how the character will sound going forward. The game is known for its high-quality voice acting across multiple languages, making casting decisions particularly important to its global fanbase.
