Earlier this year, Hoyoverse announced that the English voice actor for Tighnari would be replaced after inappropriate conduct allegations. Now, four months later, it looks like that change will finally be happening.
Hoyoverse officially dropped the information that Zachary Gordon will be Tighnari’s new voice in the 3.6 Patch Notes for Genshin Impact. Gordon is best known for his role as Greg in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, but he’s also voiced characters in Kingdom Hearts 3. Data miners have found his voice lines for Tighnari, and it seems like Hoyoverse is going in a new direction with the character.
As a character, Tighnari is a bit cocky, and rightfully so as he’s smart and strong in the storyline. He’s thought to be around the same age as Albedo or other adults like Cyno; his past voice mimicked that.
Unfortunately, Hoyoverse seems to have pivoted and decided to go for a different voice type altogether. The voice lines from data miners make him sound less confident and much younger, which doesn’t fit his character very much.
Ultimately, it doesn’t seem to suit Tighnari’s character as he currently is. While Hoyoverse was in the right for changing his voice actor, it feels like Tighnari’s entire character is being changed at the same time. Prior to this, everyone thought the new voice actor would simply be mimicking the previous VAs lines to sound as similar as possible.
However, this wouldn’t be fair to the new voice actor. It doesn’t give Gordon much freedom to showcase his own unique voice and bring his personality to Tighnari, which Hoyoverse is asking him to do.
Whether you like Tighnari’s new sound or not, this was the best decision Hoyoverse had. It may take time for players to get used to, but eventually, this will be the Tighnari we all come to know and love.
