Teyvat’s Governance: A Reflection of the Real-World

From Fantasy to Reality — Analyzing Political, Cultural, and Societal Parallels Between Teyvat and the Real World

Authors

  • Nikki Yip John Jay College

Abstract

A‬‭ nation‬‭ ruled‬‭ by‬‭ scholars‬‭ who‬‭ claim‬‭ to‬‭ seek‬‭ knowledge,‬‭ yet‬‭ suppress‬

‭ those‬‭ who‬‭ challenge‬‭ their‬‭ authority.‬‭ A‬‭ city‬‭ where‬‭ justice‬‭ is‬‭ dictated‬‭ by‬‭ divine‬

‭ decree,‬‭ leaving‬‭ no‬‭ room‬‭ for‬‭ doubt‬‭ or‬‭ appeal.‬‭ These‬‭ are‬‭ not‬‭ just‬‭ stories‬‭ from‬‭ a‬

‭ fantasy‬‭ world—they‬‭ are‬‭ echoes‬‭ of‬‭ our‬‭ own‬‭ political‬‭ and‬‭ social‬‭ struggles.‬‭ In‬

‭ September‬‭ of‬‭ 2020,‬‭ MiHoYo‬‭ Co.,‬‭ Ltd.‬‭ released‬‭ a‬‭ RPG‬‭ (short‬‭ for‬‭ role-playing‬

‭ game)‬‭ that‬‭ shot‬‭ to‬‭ worldwide‬‭ fame‬‭ during‬‭ its‬‭ release.‬‭ Known‬‭ for‬‭ its‬‭ stunning‬

‭ visual‬‭ and‬‭ extensive‬‭ open‬‭ world‬‭ feature,‬‭ it‬‭ quickly‬‭ solidified‬‭ its‬‭ place‬‭ within‬‭ the‬

‭ anime,‬‭ comic,‬‭ and‬‭ gaming‬‭ communities‬‭ worldwide.‬‭ The‬‭ game‬‭ follows‬‭ twin‬

‭ siblings‬‭ who‬‭ unfortunately‬‭ get‬‭ separated‬‭ at‬‭ the‬‭ beginning‬‭ of‬‭ the‬‭ game.‬‭ The‬

‭ player‬‭ takes‬‭ on‬‭ the‬‭ role‬‭ of‬‭ one‬‭ of‬‭ the‬‭ twins,‬‭ known‬‭ as‬‭ the‬‭ Traveler,‬‭ and‬‭ embarks‬

‭ on‬‭ a‬‭ journey‬‭ across‬‭ the‬‭ fantastical‬‭ land‬‭ of‬‭ Teyvat‬‭ to‬‭ reunite‬‭ with‬‭ their‬‭ lost‬

‭ sibling.‬‭ While‬‭ traveling‬‭ throughout‬‭ Teyvat,‬‭ the‬‭ players‬‭ are‬‭ faced‬‭ with‬‭ different‬

‭ unique‬‭ systems‬‭ of‬‭ governance‬‭ with‬‭ their‬‭ distinct‬‭ political,‬‭ cultural,‬‭ and‬

‭ societal-world‬‭ themes.‬‭ These‬‭ systems‬‭ reflect‬‭ broader‬‭ issues‬‭ like‬

‭ authoritarianism,‬‭ social‬‭ inequality,‬‭ and‬‭ the‬‭ ambiguous‬‭ morality‬‭ of‬‭ power,‬

‭ weaving‬‭ complex‬‭ narratives‬‭ that‬‭ critically‬‭ examine‬‭ crime,‬‭ law,‬‭ and‬‭ justice.‬‭ In‬

‭ this‬‭ paper,‬‭ I‬‭ will‬‭ be‬‭ analyzing‬‭ vigilantism‬‭ and‬‭ justice‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ game‬‭ through‬‭ the‬

‭ lens‬‭ of‬‭ social‬‭ theory.‬‭ Through‬‭ analyzing‬‭ these‬‭ fictional‬‭ narratives,‬‭ I‬‭ will‬‭ aim‬‭ to‬

‭ illustrate‬‭ how‬‭ they‬‭ mirror‬‭ and‬‭ critique‬‭ social‬‭ and‬‭ political‬‭ real-world‬‭ issues‬

‭ surrounding‬‭ crime,‬‭ law,‬‭ corruption,‬‭ vigilantism,‬‭ and‬‭ the‬‭ complex‬‭ dynamics‬

‭ surrounding power and governance.‬

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Published

2025-06-03