Why are name changes in video games more accepted than name changes in anime?

[Dogasu]

So this has been bothering me for a while.

With anime fans, name changes in the English version of the show always get outcries. Whether it's a completely different name from the original (i.e. Ichijo Hikaru becoming Rick Hunter) or a slight spelling alteration (i.e. Zoro becoming Zolo), fans get upset. They won't use the English names (because they aren't the "real" names) and sometimes refuse to even support the English release because of the changes.

Yet these same people treat video games very differently. Koopa becomes King Bowser, Rockman becomes Mega Man, Vega becomes M. Bison - the list goes on. Yet no one seems to care. Sure, some of the changed names are later changed back (Princess Peach and Eggman come to mind), but even then people refuse to use the Japanese names and stick with the altered, English name.

So why the difference in attitude? If someone is of the mindset that name changes in an anime are bad, wouldn't it stand to reason that that same person would find name changes in video games to be just as damning? Why the seemingly hypocritical flip-flopping?

[CronoT]

The main reason for the name changes in the early translated animes was an attempted to translate everything from Japanese Kanji to American English. Besides, I think Rick Hunter works better than Ichijo Hikaru anyway. As for why some of the others get changed is due to copyright concerns. Since Zoro is far too close to Zorro, they had to change it. Also, since Mike "M" Bison is far too close to Mike Tyson intentionally, Capcom didn't want to get sued.

So, there's your answer.

[Eddy]

Because anime fantatics be crazy.

And for the record, Robotnik > Eggman.

[Zeonic Freak]

I like the name "Rick Hunter" IMO.

I do understand the anime perspective, like Initial D went through some heavy name changes for no reason (Bunta and Shingo stayed). Same with games also, but its mostly due to "that name sounds the same to someone who is well known".

Plus, theres the ones who mispronouce names too. Iroi is a good example, as his name is supposed to sound as "eh or i" than "I or i"...

[Dogasu]

The main reason for the name changes in the early translated animes was an attempted to translate everything from Japanese Kanji to American English.

That would be true if Rick Hunter was a translation of Ichijo Hikaru. But it isn't.

As for why some of the others get changed is due to copyright concerns. Since Zoro is far too close to Zorro, they had to change it. Also, since Mike "M" Bison is far too close to Mike Tyson intentionally, Capcom didn't want to get sued.

But those are the minority. It doesn't explain random name changes like Koopa, Rockman, or half the names in Final Fantasy VI.

And for the record, Robotnik > Eggman.

I use this argument for anime, but I think it applies to video games as well:

If the creators had wanted the character to be named "Robotnik," they would have done so in the first place.

[sdp]

Its definitely an interesting question, and yeah I think the answer is videogames are more mainstream so most people don't care about them and are happy about localization while anime fans are more of niche fanbase that wants things a specific way. Sure anime is now pretty mainstream but nowhere as much as a videogame is.

While I always roll my eyes at Pokemon forums when people refuse to name Pokemon by their american names like its some kind of dirty word when I see an anime I grew up with having all these changes (name/music/mood) it really makes me absolutely hate it and count it as an inferior version.

Maybe if the Japanese games were more available and maybe in the future this will be the case. You still see a few fan translated videogames though most of those are for games never released and not for a "correct" translation. Personally it seems I only get all angry about it when I watched the original version first, if not I don't mind at all (which is common for anime but not for games).


edit: another thing to note is in games usually stuff like names are not that important as the important thing is not the story or characters but the gameplay. And now that I think about it you do see people complaining especially early scripts of RPGs like FFII and even other changes that are done before American release. So yeah its not that rare anymore since information is more available, of course its still not as big of a deal for a simple name change as for anime.

If the creators had wanted the character to be named "Robotnik," they would have done so in the first place.

Robotnik did become official in Japan eventually at least.

[jph139]

Nostalgia.

People don't like Zoro-Zolo name changes because they saw ZORO first, and they think that's right. People saw Bowser before Koopa, and thus, that's right. People saw Robotnik before Eggman, yet refuse to call him Eggman in spite of the fact Eggman is his official name everywhere else in the world.

Same reason people think Ash Ketchum is fine, but Roronoa Zolo is a sin against nature.

[MattThomasM2B]

I imagine most people here were too young to not accept the americanized video game names at face value. Also, as a video game (especially in that era) the story wasn't a relevant part of the game.

I'd say that the problem has pretty much died out, with the exception of Capcom's legacy franchises like Street Fighter and Mega(Rock)man.

[Undrave]

Sometimes it so happen the names are puns or jokes that can't be kept funny without adaptation (see the Phoenix Wright serie for exemple).

Personally I could care less about name changes. It's the rest that bothers me. Name changes are the LAST thing I worry about when it comes to a dub.

[Yash]

A name change doesn't bother me unless it's ridiculously out there and goes against the point of changing it (like, how does "Robotnik" sound anymore normal than "Eggman?").

Some name changes have annoyed me slightly, like Satoshi and Shigeru in Pokemon being changed to Ash and Gary, but it's understandable. For native English speakers, it can be hard learning Japanese names for every game series.

And on the subject of Pokemon, complaining about the fact that the monsters' names are changed is ridiculous. They're animals. We have different names for dogs and cats - why should that be any different from Onix and Skitty? The in-game universe even acknowledges that Pokemon have different names in different languages (like a German Hiker in Diamond & Pearl with a Karpador, not a Magikarp).

[Gokou Ruri]

So why the difference in attitude? If someone is of the mindset that name changes in an anime are bad, wouldn't it stand to reason that that same person would find name changes in video games to be just as damning? Why the seemingly hypocritical flip-flopping?

Video game fans aren't as "purist" as Japanese animation fans. Most don't care where the game comes from as long as they like it or not. It doesn't even have to be a video game, there's non-Japanese foriegn shows that no one cares about name changes between versions (like Code Lyoko or W.I.T.C.H.) The only group of people I've seen continuously complain about name changes are Japanese animation fans, so it's safe to say it's only an isolated mentality. With video game fans you only have to worry about console fanboys.

[Jave]

Another factor to be considered is that most videogames are translated to english by the companies themselves. So in most cases, a Japanese name and an English name are equally official. This is unlike anime where nearly all of it is translated by outside companies which make their own changes without consent.

I don't mind name changes myself. If they fit and make sense, then they're fine. What really gets me is that some people are so stubborn that they use only one or the other, but they refuse to use both. I mean, if I go into a board composed of hardcore fans who only use the original names, then I use the original names. If I go into a forum of people who watch the dub, I'll use dub names. And if I don't know the names, I'll learn them.

Seriously, I find it incredibly annoying when there's a thread of 40 people saying "Squirtle", and then one person shows up and says "Zenigame". I barely have time remembering 493 pokemon names in English, don't make me learn the Japanese names.

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Seriously, I find it incredibly annoying when there's a thread of 40 people saying "Squirtle", and then one person shows up and says "Zenigame". I barely have time remembering 493 pokemon names in English, don't make me learn the Japanese names.

Converseley, I feel the opposite. I spend months learning the Pokemon names, only for people to start babbling nonsensical names I've never heard before. How am I supposed to know what the hell a Turtwig or a Sceptile are?

At least someone who uses the Japanese names has a valid reason. They're the creator's intended names, and they were out first.

Also, your attitude is rather obnoxious here. We're somehow in the wrong for using the names we use, when those are actually the original name.

You know, if you want to use the dub names, that's your own perrogative. But claiming that fans who want to actually respect the creator's and use the correct names are annoying is quite frankly, insulting.

I can't think of any other fandom where people who try to honor what the creator intended would actually be labeled as 'trouble makers' and told they're doing something wrong.

And using Japanese names isn't that confusing. You know, when people use dub names, I often have to look up on Wikipedia, or another Pokemon site, to figure out what the hell they're talking about. If I can take 5 seconds to find out the hell a "Chattot" or "aaohjgoaujoawjeogweawajg" is, then you can take 5 seconds to find out what the real name is.

[jph139]

At least someone who uses the Japanese names has a valid reason. They're the creator's intended names, and they were out first.

Well, I think the creator's main intent was to create a good pun. So as long as the spirit of the name is kept (for Squirtle/Zenigame, a water-themed turtle) I think the original creator would give it the thumbs up.

But I wouldn't really know, so...

[Roman Legion]

If the creators had wanted the character to be named "Robotnik," they would have done so in the first place.

Well, except for the fact that, y'know, that's exactly what they did.

--Romey

[Classic Speedy]

Outside of 4kids and some other isolated examples, anime companies are generally pretty good about keeping names the same (or very close to the same) when bringing series over to America. They know that it irritates many purist anime fans, so they try to keep things the same.

Even though there are also purist video game fans, there are also a ton of casual fans who don't know or don't care about name changes, especially true since video games became mainstream. So if game companies don't get a lot of complaints from gamers, there's not as big of an incentive to keep the names the same when bringing them over from Japan.

EDIT: And also, unlike anime, not all games come from Japan anyway, so in most of those cases, name changes are pretty much a non-issue.

[RomanMack]

Basically, only anime fans are uptight about character names. Which is largely why name changes in anime dubs are the only ones to get complained about.

Most other fandoms just don't care.

[Tash]

Converseley, I feel the opposite. I spend months learning the Pokemon names, only for people to start babbling nonsensical names I've never heard before. How am I supposed to know what the hell a Turtwig or a Sceptile are?

Because you speak English, and are therefore probably going to be talking to people who only care about the version they can read. (and is easier to remember) In the same sense, I don't expect Japanese or German people to know the English names.

[Jave]

Converseley, I feel the opposite. I spend months learning the Pokemon names, only for people to start babbling nonsensical names I've never heard before. How am I supposed to know what the hell a Turtwig or a Sceptile are?

Uh, by playing the games? Last time I checked, the english names are the only ones available through that method. (Haven't played 4th gen yet)

At least someone who uses the Japanese names has a valid reason. They're the creator's intended names, and they were out first.

What's so invalid about the english names? As I said, they're just as valid since they were done by the actual company. For all we know, the creator himself approved them.

Also, your attitude is rather obnoxious here. We're somehow in the wrong for using the names we use, when those are actually the original name.

I never said those people were wrong for using the names per se. I find it annoying that someone comes to a place where everyone is using one name and that person uses the other. If everyone was using the original name and someone came in and used the dub name, it'll be just as annoying.

You know, if you want to use the dub names, that's your own perrogative. But claiming that fans who want to actually respect the creator's and use the correct names are annoying is quite frankly, insulting.

Again, read the paragraph above. You're putting words in my mouth.

I can't think of any other fandom where people who try to honor what the creator intended would actually be labeled as 'trouble makers' and told they're doing something wrong.

Refer to the previous two paragraphs.

And using Japanese names isn't that confusing. You know, when people use dub names, I often have to look up on Wikipedia, or another Pokemon site, to figure out what the hell they're talking about. If I can take 5 seconds to find out the hell a "Chattot" or "aaohjgoaujoawjeogweawajg" is, then you can take 5 seconds to find out what the real name is.

Sorry, but no. If I want to play Pokemon in my GBA I'm not gonna go look at the Internet every time a wild pokemon shows up just to know the original name, specially if I consider the english/spanish name to be just as valid AND every community I frequent on the Internet uses the English names. Stuff like that just ruins the game for me.

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Uh, by playing the games? Last time I checked, the english names are the only ones available through that method. (Haven't played 4th gen yet)

I've only played Diamond in Japanese so far. I want to pick up either Diamond or Pearl in English, but I've yet to do so.

So my only exposure to 4th Gen Pokemon is playing the game in Japanese, watching the anime in Japanese, and watching the Palkia vs Dialga vs Darkrai movie in Japanese.

What's so invalid about the english names? As I said, they're just as valid since they were done by the actual company. For all we know, the creator himself approved them.

Pokemon USA are the same people who tried to give the anime a rap opening. I wouldn't exactly call them upholders of creative intent.

I never said those people were wrong for using the names per se. I find it annoying that someone comes to a place where everyone is using one name and that person uses the other. If everyone was using the original name and someone came in and used the dub name, it'll be just as annoying.

No. What's annoying is people who try to treat people as jerks for using the names they're used to.

I use the Japanese names. Period. End of subject. I'm not going to change the name I use just because other people are doing otherwise. I won't sell out my morals and values (and this falls under respecting artistic integrity) just to follow the crowd. I guess I should start watching Hannah Montana and Zoey 101 and listening to Linkin Park and Soulja Boy.

Sorry, but no. If I want to play Pokemon in my GBA I'm not gonna go look at the Internet every time a wild pokemon shows up just to know the original name, specially if I consider the english/spanish name to be just as valid AND every community I frequent on the Internet uses the English names. Stuff like that just ruins the game for me.

Where did I say that?

Now you're putting words in my mouth. You were complaining about people using the Japanese names. I said that you could easily look up what those names meant when they occur. If someone made a post talking about "Wakashamo", it'd take you no more than 10 seconds to find out what Wakashamo's hack name is, and you could carry on.

People like me who use the Japanese names are forced to do this on a regular basis. You could at least bite the bullet and do a little research if the situation calls for it.

I'm not saying to memorize the Japanese names, but if someone uses one, you can easily figure out who they mean.

I don't moan when you and people of your ilk say 'Squirtle', so don't whine when those of us who respect the creator's say 'Zenigame'.