Around the release of the current expansion Dawntrail for Final Fantasy XIV, there was heavy criticism directed at a voice actress. After Square Enix threatened legal action, the actress now reveals that the head of the MMORPG apologized to her.
Why was the actress targeted? The voice of the character Wuk Lamat in the English version of Final Fantasy XIV is Sena Bryer. The voice actress lives and works in Los Angeles, USA.
Criticism came from relevant sections of the MMORPG community because her character Wuk Lamat is off-putting to many. She is very present in the story, and whether people like her can greatly influence their opinions on Dawntrail as an expansion. Real bullying came, however, from those who take issue with the fact that Sena Bryer is a trans woman.
In a new interview, the actress now shares that Naoki Yoshida, the director and producer of the MMORPG, even apologized to her.
I would like to apologize on behalf of my team
What does the actress report now? In an interview with The Gamer, Sena Bryer spoke about her encounter with Naoki Yoshida at Anime Expo 2025. Here, Yoshida personally apologized to her:
I met Yoshi-P for the first time at Anime Expo. We arranged a meeting, and he said: ‘I would like to apologize on behalf of my team for what happened to you.’ He was very nice, and we had a nice little chat about it.
Sena Bryer in an interview with The Gamer, 18.11.2025
Despite the bullying on social media, Bryer does not regret taking on the role of Wuk Lamat. The negative things have absolutely been overshadowed by the positives.
However, she is concerned about the potential long-term effects: “I’ve heard people say things like, ‘I don’t know if I want to voice act because of the things that happened to Sena.’ That’s the last thing I want to hear from aspiring voice actors.”
Sena Bryer mentions Maddie Blaustein (via Anime News Network), the former English voice of Meowth from Pokémon, as another example of a similar incident. Blaustein was almost fired because she is transgender. Bryer does not want to perpetuate this cycle.
How has Square Enix responded to the issues? Bryer herself pointed out the bullying to Square Enix. She was concerned that the situation could harm Final Fantasy XIV. Square Enix subsequently assured her that they were addressing the case.
On January 10, 2025, Square Enix published a Group Customer Harassment Policy. In it, the company defines what constitutes harassment for them. It also indicates that the company reserves the right to discontinue certain services or take legal action to protect its employees.
Regarding Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix currently has several concerns. The MMORPG does not seem to be doing as well as it could, and Naoki Yoshida continues to assure that they are working on new and better content: Final Fantasy XIV could be doing better right now, but the head is now talking about a second A Realm Reborn
