Hilarious attempts by Japanese developers to give their characters "cool" Western names

PlanetSmasher · Dec 15, 2020

JuniperAndSage said:

Amusingly, NOT actually a name created by a Japanese company. Herlock Sholmes first (?) appeared in an Arsene Lupin (inspiration for Lupin III, no less) short story in 1908 because Maurice Leblanc didn't have the Doyle estate's permission to write the real Sherlock into his story.

psionotic · Dec 15, 2020

Hope this isn't a derail, but just finished re-reading one of my favorite novels, a 1970's Russian existentialist sci-fi story called Roadside Picnic. It seems to take place in the Great Lakes area of the industrial midwest, in a fictional town called 'Harmont'. The protagonist's name is Redrick Schuhart. One character is named Aloysius McNaught. A police chief is Captain Quarterblad.

They're all insane and I love them.

RestEerie · Dec 15, 2020

Solaire of Astora said:
character names in Kojima games t

Sixfortyfive · Dec 15, 2020

TransEuropaExpress said:
I always thought the fact his name is simply...Skate...and he has...skates...was somehow really funny. Also Blaze is so fucking generic 80's cliche it's great.

This doesn't really count because the Japanese version uses Sammy for his name. "Skate" was a localization choice.

TransEuropaExpress · Dec 15, 2020

psionotic said:
Hope this isn't a derail, but just finished re-reading one of my favorite novels, a 1970's Russian existentialist sci-fi story called Roadside Picnic. It seems to take place in the Great Lakes area of the industrial midwest, in a fictional town called 'Harmont'. The protagonist's name is Redrick Schuhart. One character is named Aloysius McNaught. A police chief is Captain Quarterblad.

They're all insane and I love them.

This phenomenon is what my cousin calls "Ameri-harding". Especially in the 70's and 80's, when bands especially had to come up with ridiculous 'American' names in hopes to make it big there.

Sixfortyfive said:
This doesn't really count because the Japanese version uses Sammy for his name. "Skate" was a localization choice.

The fuck?? You just ruined my childhood...

JuniperAndSage · Dec 15, 2020

PlanetSmasher said:
Amusingly, NOT actually a name created by a Japanese company. Herlock Sholmes first (?) appeared in an Arsene Lupin (inspiration for Lupin III, no less) short story in 1908 because Maurice Leblanc didn't have the Doyle estate's permission to write the real Sherlock into his story.

Yeah. Still cracked me up the first time I saw it. And then I noticed the accent mark the second time, and it just killed me.

Abi · Dec 15, 2020

Video Kojima said:
Unlike most Japanese devs, Kojima's character names (not code names) in MGS are real names and sound cool as fuck.

Counter point: Skull Face and Fat Man

MysticGon · Dec 15, 2020

I think his name might be intentionally ridiculous.

Mesoian · Dec 15, 2020

PlanetSmasher said:
COUNT. JET. JENKINS.

COUNT. JET. JENKINS.

COUNT. JET. JENKINS.

And you can't forget...

MysticGon said:
I think his name might be intentionally ridiculous.

It is. It's not his real name.

DeadMoonKing · Dec 15, 2020

Trails rides the line between totally normal: Lloyd Bannings, Emma Millstein, to slightly off: Agate Crosner, Cassius Bright, to pure wtf: Scherazard Harvey (what does she have 1,001 tales for me?) or my personal favorite Wazy Hemisphere.

lvl 99 Pixel · Dec 15, 2020

Mans name is Stick

Freezasaurus · Dec 15, 2020

George said:
Jad the Taff ready to gun you down with his oh-so-tasty Dessert Eagle.

It's two scoops of PAIN

Jakenbakin · Dec 15, 2020

Mesoian said:
And you can't forget...

It is. It's not his real name.

I'm sorry-

Megamelons?

With a name like that she deserves the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 treatment.

Strings · Dec 15, 2020

psionotic said:
Hope this isn't a derail, but just finished re-reading one of my favorite novels, a 1970's Russian existentialist sci-fi story called Roadside Picnic. It seems to take place in the Great Lakes area of the industrial midwest, in a fictional town called 'Harmont'. The protagonist's name is Redrick Schuhart. One character is named Aloysius McNaught. A police chief is Captain Quarterblad.

They're all insane and I love them.

The Strugatsky brothers had a thing for fabulous names (and I mean, they themselves had fab names, being Boris and Arkady). Dead Mountaineer's Inn (an Among Us rip-off from 50 years ago) had:

Peter Glebsky
Alek Snevar
Olaf Andvarafor
Hinkus
Simon Simone
Mr du Barkstoker
Brun
Mr Moses
Mrs Moses
Luarvik L. Luarvik

That said, Roadside Picnic is Russian first and set in a fictitious country, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

DerbyCityDerek · Dec 15, 2020

Mesoian said:
And you can't forget...

No. No, I actually think I have to call bullshit here. There's no way in chicken fried hell that this isn't a work.

MysticGon · Dec 15, 2020

Mesoian said:
And you can't forget...

It is. It's not his real name.

I refuse to believe this is real. lmao

Ah, I see. Thanks for that.

Kalentan · Dec 15, 2020

Mesoian said:
It is. It's not his real name.

Yeah, his real name is just Frederick. Don't think they ever gave a last name.

Then from there is Aria Hale which is fairly normal I think.

Mesoian · Dec 15, 2020

DerbyCityDerek said:
No. No, I actually think I have to call bullshit here. There's no way in chicken fried hell that this isn't a work.

Way of the Samurai 4 is one hell of a game.

Kalentan said:
Yeah, his real name is just Frederick. Don't think they ever gave a last name.

Then from there is Aria Hale which is fairly normal I think.

Frederick Bursara.

TransEuropaExpress · Dec 15, 2020

Don't ask me how I just remembered this but there's a boss in Burning Fight (SNK) named Mad Dilly...probably instead of Mad Billy.

Cow Mengde · Dec 15, 2020

Mesoian said:
And you can't forget...

Is this the next Dead or Alive game?

TheMadTitan · Dec 15, 2020

Strings said:
Why is this OP not EDGE MAVERICK

ARUMAT P. THANATOS

CROWE F. ALMEDIO

STEPHEN D. KENNY

Or literally any other name from Star Ocean 4, which I'm contractually obligated to post every time we get this question.

Arumat was the best character in Star Ocean 4, I won't have to besmirch his name!

jwhit28 · Dec 15, 2020

Abi said:

I know Buster Douglas and Larry Holmes but who is the 80's boxer the Gary came from?

Manu · Dec 15, 2020

Strings said:
The Strugatsky brothers had a thing for fabulous names (and I mean, they themselves had fab names, being Boris and Arkady). Dead Mountaineer's Inn (an Among Us rip-off from 50 years ago) had:

Peter Glebsky
Alek Snevar
Olaf Andvarafor
Hinkus
Simon Simone
Mr du Barkstoker
Brun
Mr Moses
Mrs Moses
Luarvik L. Luarvik

This one's not that far off from reality.

Strings · Dec 15, 2020

Abi said:
Counter point: Skull Face and Fat Man

Fat Man is a bomb expert, and Fat Man is a famous bomb. He's even designed to resemble it:

It's great :P

RestEerie · Dec 15, 2020

Mesoian said:
And you can't forget...

does a person makes a name or does a name makes a person?

kambaybolongo · Dec 15, 2020

Francis York Morgan

Jaded Alyx · Dec 15, 2020

Stopdoor said:
I'm sure it was more than a bit intentional but "Travis Touchdown" is definitely the epitome of this, I'm pretty sure.

And his brother, Henry Cooldown

Abi · Dec 15, 2020

jwhit28 said:
I know Buster Douglas and Larry Holmes but who is the 80's boxer the Gary came from?

Yakuza

Strings said:
Fat Man is a bomb expert, and Fat Man is a famous bomb. It's fine :P

Sure, but also he's a fat man called Fat Man.

Skull Face, however, is inexcusable.

squall23 · Dec 15, 2020

Meet Ratsel Feinshmecker

It translates to "Mysterious Gourmet" in German.

TacoSupreme · Dec 15, 2020

I present to you, war hero and savior of Earth, Tarmicle Roving III. Metal Slug delivering the good shit.

halcali · Dec 15, 2020

Clive Rosefield

Dinjoralo · Dec 15, 2020

STICK. BREITLING.

Jakenbakin said:
I'm sorry-

Megamelons?

With a name like that she deserves the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 treatment.

DerbyCityDerek said:
No. No, I actually think I have to call bullshit here. There's no way in chicken fried hell that this isn't a work.

MysticGon said:
I refuse to believe this is real. lmao

Ah, I see. Thanks for that.

Apparently this is actually a kind of language joke. She's an English woman with the last name "DeCameron" which is close to how you'd say "large melons" in Japanese. So all the Japanese people in the game who've never seen foreigners in their life thinks that's her name.

Rats · Dec 15, 2020

lvl 99 Pixel said:
Mans name is Stick

Holy shit, this one is perfect.

Stick Breitling. It has all the aesthetics of a cool western name but it's just so wrong.

Bishop89 · Dec 15, 2020

Oldmario said:
they're probably talking about deepthroat

I was lol

Gibson · Dec 15, 2020

Dinjoralo said:
STICK. BREITLING.

Apparently this is actually a kind of language joke. She's an English woman with the last name "DeCameron" which is close to how you'd say "large melons" in Japanese. So all the Japanese people in the game who've never seen foreigners in their life thinks that's her name.

デカメロン
Yep, it checks out 😂 That is amazing

Sparks · Dec 15, 2020

Kart Bradfield works at GiantBomb I think.

JT60564 · Dec 15, 2020

Can't forget the classics

Cow Mengde · Dec 15, 2020

FormatCompatible said:
The man with probably my favorite name for a character ever:

Dogs Bower.

Doug Bowser

Edge_Maverick · Dec 15, 2020

Hah...

Laser Ramon · Dec 15, 2020

Erigu · Dec 15, 2020

I love you, Ace Combat series, but...

Abyssal Dision

Abyssal Dision is a major character in the Japanese version of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere. He was an ace pilot in the General Resource Defense Force (GRDF), flying several successful sorties for the group in the past. Dision was killed in an attempt to cover-up Yoko Martha Inoue's sublimation...

acecombat.fandom.com

Mesoian said:
And you can't forget...

She's actually "Melinda Decameron" in Japan though.
(... and yeah, "deka meron" could be translated as "huge melons"...)

Mesoian said:
Frederick Bursara.

Pretty sure it's supposed to be "Bulsara". As in "Farrokh Bulsara", Freddie Mercury's birth name.

NeonZ · Dec 15, 2020

You can blame France for that one. Herlock Sholmes originated as a replacement for Sherlock Holmes' name in the Lupin novels.

Edit: and I was really late.

Lkr · Dec 15, 2020

JT60564 said:
Can't forget the classics

bimmy's not even a real name!
one of the first avgn I ever saw and it still makes me smile

Paulogy · Dec 15, 2020

chairhome said:
This is peak for me.

From the thread title alone I knew this was a golden opportunity for more people to appreciate the glory that is Sleve McDichael

FuzzyAssassin · Dec 15, 2020

Shadows of the Damned's "Garcia Hotspur" is ridiculous, but it fits with the tone of the game.

Travis Touchdown is another great name from a Suda51 game.

Jaded Alyx · Dec 15, 2020

Mesoian said:
Frederick Bursara.

So Freddie Mercury

Charred Knight · Dec 16, 2020

There's Quattro Vagina (a reference to Octopussy) from one of the Gundam Vs games

I am pretty sure that this is also the only game that actually spells his name correctly

Deleted member 33533 · Dec 16, 2020

Came in expecting Edge Maverick. Good to see him. There's also Fayt Leingod from Star Ocean 3.

LordGorchnik · Dec 16, 2020

Grimmjow said:
I dunno if localization counts but the first game in the Senkogu Basara series got it bad.

Sengoku Basara -> DEVIL KINGS!
Date Masamune -> AZURE DRAGON
Yukimura Sanada -> SCORPIO

I think that one bad localization killed the series in the west.

God this right here. I loved this series and a big F-U to Capcom for that god awful localization job.

Morrigan · Dec 16, 2020

Schtolteheim Reinbach III

It's a deliberate joke though, I know

Hilarious attempts by Japanese developers to give their characters "cool" Western names

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