Voice Actor Resigns After Abuse Scandal Surrounding Honkai Star Rail

Chris Niosi, the voice actor for Honkai Star Rail, has announced his resignation from the role of Moze due to player backlash regarding a previous abuse scandal.

The voice actor for Moze in Honkai Star Rail has announced their resignation from the role due to player backlash surrounding a scandal of abuse that occurred in 2019. The actor’s ex-girlfriend bravely came forward at the time and made several allegations against them, including manipulation and non-consensual groping.

The announcement that Niosi would be voicing Moze, a new character in Honkai Star Rail, was met with immediate and strong disapproval from players. Numerous players spoke out and requested that MiHoYo remove Niosi from the role, mirroring Nintendo’s decision to remove him from the Fire Emblem series five years ago.

Niosi has recently announced via social media that he will no longer be reprising his role as Moze in Honkai Star Rail. He expressed gratitude towards MiHoYo for the chance to portray the character, even if it was only for a brief period of time.

Monday morning, I asked my agent to let MiHoYo know that I have made the difficult decision to step down from the role of Moze in Honkai Star Rail. pic.twitter.com/7BvjMxX3kE

— Chris “Kirbopher” Niosi (@Kirbopher) July 25, 2024

“On Monday morning, I informed my agent to inform MiHoYo that I have made the challenging choice to resign from my role as Moze in Honkai Star Rail,”Niosi declared. “I am unable to continue playing a character that would cause distress to numerous individuals, especially those whom I have harmed in the past.”

The voice actor further stated that they would be temporarily stepping away from social media.

Niosi revealed that he had been subjected to harassment and death threats from individuals within the gaming community, and he has been actively seeking therapy and medical treatment to improve himself. He emphasized his dedication to continue working on himself and becoming a better person.

Despite receiving over two and a half thousand retweets and one and a half thousand likes, Niosi has disabled comments on his post.

The statement released by the Honkai Star Rail account confirms that Moze’s voice lines will be updated in a future version.