He has only voiced a few characters in his career thus far (Image via HoYoverse, The Pokemon Company)

Genshin Impact and Pokemon VA Elliot Gindi admits to sexual harassment allegations and apologizes

Modified Jul 24, 2023 12:48 GMT

Elliot Gindi, best known as Tighnari's voice actor (VA) in the English version of Genshin Impact, has recently apologized for certain allegations brought against him, including sexual misconduct.

He revealed the following through a lengthy message on TwitLonger:

He apologized and realized he was wrong.
All screenshots of some relevant chat logs were accurate, including mentions of the voice actor threatening to commit suicide.
Claims of him doing things with minors and not respecting people's pronouns are allegedly not true.
He will devote himself to doing better in the future.

For gamers learning about this Genshin Impact controversy for the first time, some context might be necessary. An official tweet he made includes a link to the TwitLonger post of the voice actor's apology.

Elliot

@ElliotGindiVO

I owe an apology

Read: twitlonger.com/show/n_1ss84sl

Elliot Gindi has since blacked out his profile on Twitter and plans to go to therapy for his troubles. He also stated that he will not be reading any replies and is logging out for the time being. His most prominent VA role in the past was Genshin Impact's Tighnari. Apart from that, he has also done some minor voice acting in Pokemon.

It is speculated that Tighnari will receive a new voice actor in the wake of this news.

Genshin Impact community furious after Tighnari's VA (Elliot Gindi) admits to harassing fans sexually

(❁´◡`❁) Matty

@FretCore

#Tighnari's ENG VA Elliot Gindi is
- a p*do
- tr*nsphobe
- sexist
- groom*r
- able*st
- emotional abuser&blackmailer who threatens s**cide to get his way
- has sexual relations w/ teen fans
- continues to lie about it
#genshintwt
Read the doc here: tinyurl.com/256mpzhr

Some context regarding the situation might be necessary for some readers. The allegations mentioned in the tweet above come from one of Elliot Gindi's main Twitch and Discord moderators.

Many of these accusations are part of a series of posts found in the document titled "Elliot Gindi," whose link can be found in the tweet above. It includes sexual language and potential instances of grooming, even though the VA has denied the latter.

Here is a brief summary of the information that document offers:

The first post is from a then 17-year-old telling a Discord mod about Tighnari's VA discussing the individual's sexuality and how the actor apparently used people's traumas to get to them.
One individual was harassed from October 12 to December 6, 2022. This individual didn't like feminine pronouns, and Elliot kept feminizing that person.
The same person was also told that the voice actor "would kill himself" if this message got out.
The VA also allegedly told that same person to strip in video calls.
Elliot Gindi supposedly stated that he could change an individual on the ace spectrum.
He supposedly showed one of the victims (who was a minor) his genitalia.
There was supposedly a contract where one of the victims could only get with girls but not guys.
The VA allegedly made a comment about waiting for a person to turn 18.
Several Discord messages involving Elliot Gindi addressed certain topics related to the controversy.
One individual states that the voice actor fetishized lesbian relationships and made conversations very sexual.
Another person who loved Genshin Impact's Tighnari was told to send nudes.
Some sexually explicit text messages regarding the voice actor's lust.
The popular personality streamed in his underwear.

Readers are encouraged to read the entire document to see the exact evidence used for these claims.

Genshin Impact VAs react to the news

Zach Aguilar

@airzach

Disappointed and angry. I have removed the stream with Elliot and will no longer be associating with him. I refuse to give someone like this a platform in any way. To use your power this way over fans is disgusting and shameful. My heart goes out for the victims of this situation

Erika Harlacher-Stone

@ErikaHarlacher

Furious. Elliot Gindi has been removed from all group streams/activities I have any part in organizing moving forward. I’m… this is really triggering for me…

Anne Yatco

@annejyatco

It's hard to put my feelings to words. People with public visibility (actors) bear a responsibility to treat their fans w/ respect. To do the opposite or worse is absolutely inexcusable. If you're hurting, I'm sorry. If you spoke up, thank you. I had no clue. I’m sad and angry.

Unsurprisingly, many other voice actors for Genshin Impact have expressed their disappointment in his actions. The people behind the tweets shown above play the following characters in the game:

Male Traveler
Venti
Raiden Shogun

It's not just these three individuals, either. Yoimiya's voice actor has also bluntly tweeted her opinions below.

Jenny Yokobori

@JennyYokobori

Now that I have more spoons: Elliot Gindi is abhorrent. The abuse that he inflicted upon his victims is unforgivable. I am absolutely disgusted with him and anyone trying to defend him.

I wish nothing but peace for the victims.

I don’t give a shit about any “apology”, though

Elliot Gindi is the voice actor of Tighnari in Genshin Impact and Billy in Pokemon

As far as his finished roles go, Elliot Gindi has voiced a character of the day named Billy for the Pokemon Journeys anime in episode 98. He was also the VA for some random Team Yell background entities for the same series in episode 99. Neither role was as significant as voicing Tighnari in Genshin Impact, which is where the bulk of the controversy is centered.

Edited by
Soumyadyuti Ghosh