If I connect directly to the record object x, I do get straight lines as desired, but I want to connect to the field j.

I get the same behavior using a subgraph with rank=same instead of the constraint=false approach. I've tried qualifying with ports (w:e -> x:j:w), and it just twists the arches even more. Other attempts (like assigning weights) don't work either.

Suan
Input:

digraph G {
  x [
    shape = record
    label = "{ i | <j> j }"
  ]
  w -> x:j [ constraint = false ]
  x:j -> y [ constraint = false ]
}