winstein's Blogs

After around six months ago, I was curious with the mindset of those who used Japanese names, since it's currently normal for them to use it regularly, compared to other fansites where Japanese names are discouraged. Due to the freedom this fansite has, it is thus OK for me to give out a few questions (four, to be exact) to those who have a habit of using Japanese names. After asking ten people, here are what they have to say about it:



When did you decide to use Japanese names regularly?

Originally Posted by Archaic

In 2004, when I was living in Japan. At that time, I was watching the anime in Japanese, and playing the games in Japanese.

Originally Posted by Dogasu

Sometime around late 1998 / 1999? I found out about the Japanese version of the franchise really early on and learned the Japanese names fairly quickly.

Originally Posted by Iteru

When I started hearing and reading them regularly, which was when I started to watch the Japanese airings of Pokémon.

Originally Posted by Hellion

When I started on the forums, I used the English names only, but starting to watch the raw exclusively made me switch, since BW started I use almost exclusively Japanese names because that's where I started to solely watch the raw.

Originally Posted by CommanderPigg

I don't really use them regularly, I usually use the names that I learned first more often (which is why I use Gen 5 Japanese names more)

Originally Posted by Aestivate

When I started watching the Japanese anime regularly.

Originally Posted by Reila

I am using the Japanese names since the release of Pokémon Black and White back in 2010, but only in my own annotations and stuff. Here and in other Pokémon forums, I kept using the English names because I thought there was some kind of rule against using the Japanese names, but since I saw some other members using, I started using too.

Originally Posted by MizuTaipu

I decided to use Japanese names regularly when I started to watch the Japanese version of the anime more than the dub, which was around 2005-is.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I can't recall exactly when I decided to use them regularly. Around the first quarter of this year I think.

Originally Posted by Gotpika

About a few years ago or so.

Why did you decided that the usage of Japanese names is for you?

Originally Posted by Archaic

There was no conscious decision. They were simply the names I was more familiar with, given I was paying attention to Japanese versions rather than English.

Originally Posted by Dogasu

The Japanese version is the original version, and the Japanese names are the original names. I know I've said this a million times before, but I'll repeat it here; if the producers of the TV series had wanted to name the main character "Ash," they would have done so.

Plus, the Japanese version is the one I'm the most familiar with. I've seen more episodes in Japanese than I have in English, all the manga I read is in Japanese, I haven't played an English language Pokemon game since Pearl, etc.

Originally Posted by Iteru

Kinda the same as the above answer really. Those are the names I am seeing and hearing almost on a daily basis and so they are going to be ingrained into my head more than the English names.

Originally Posted by Hellion (Same as above)

When I started on the forums, I used the English names only, but starting to watch the raw exclusively made me switch, since BW started I use almost exclusively Japanese names because that's where I started to solely watch the raw.

Originally Posted by CommanderPigg

I didn't XD But I learned about the Japanese names around Hoenn (Musashi and Kojirou being the first). I'll use English names for the majority of the characters.

Originally Posted by Aestivate (Same as above)

When I started watching the Japanese anime regularly.

Originally Posted by Reila

That is a interesting question and I had to give some thought to elaborate the answer.

Since Diamond & Pearl, I only watch the anime with the original audio, so after a certain amount of episodes, listening those names repetitively, I started to call some Pokémon by their original names (Doidatose/Torterra is a good example), even in my mind. Since I am very curious person, I went to Bulbapedia and started reading the trivia in the Pokémon pages, one by one and I felt in love with some of the original names. They are very amusing!

Not so long after, they released the first games of Fifth Generation, which was the first time I played the Japanese version before the English release, what made me get used to the original names of the Pokémon from Unova. It is much more comfortable to me to call them by the original names, for that reason. I would like to add that I like the Japanese language more than English; Plus, pronounce-wise, Japanese is closer to my native language. Since English isn't my mother language, there are some of the popular names that I have no idea how to pronounce.

I also started watching the first season of the anime with subs and I am enjoying thus far.
There are some really amusing names, like "Dogas" XD

Originally Posted by MizuTaipu

I just really prefer the Japanese anime more than the dub. They are the original names after all, so I think Satoshi and Musashi fit the characters more than the dub creations Ash and Jessie.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I thought that they would be great to use to let people know which dub of the show I'm referring to and watch.

Originally Posted by Gotpika

I don't use Japanese names exclusively since I don't mind using English or Japanese names and like the creativity that comes with both. For example, I like how Doryuuzu (Excadrill) and Moguryu (Drilbur) have "ryu" (Dragon) in them or how Houndour's Japanese name is "Delvil", a reference to the fact that the line is based off of hell hounds. I always enjoyed how English names have a certain unique pronunciation with them as well, like Axew or Crustle. The creativity that comes with English names and phrases is also something fun to looks into, like Homika's (Roxie's) title in the Japanese version being translated into English as, "Poison Life, Poison Live!"

I prefer Koil to Magnamite as a name, but like Pawniard more than Komatana. It's just a case of favoritism and how I feel about said names rather than preferring one type of name over the other. Japanese have their share of stupid names as well, like "Giaru", "Gigiaru", and "Gigigiaru". "Souryuu" sounds more fitting than Opelucid, mainly because of the Dragon part of its name. Then there are Japanese to English changes that didn't make much sense to me, like changing "Dento" to "Cilan". "Dento", "Pod" (Chili), and "Corn" (Cress) are already English and most likely were English from the get-go to drive home the fact that Isshu (Unova) is based on America. It's especially jarring when you realize they did this to others like "Arti" (Burgh), but left the English name in-tact for some like "Iris". Of course it's understandable that the translators might have wanted more "pun, reference, allusion"-type names for most of the characters. Professor Achroma's name being changed to "Colress" also, when Achroma is already English and Colress sounds rough. "Corless" (Colorless, (Core) Heartless) sounds much smoother and rolls off the tongue better and would have sat much better as a name change and translation for me than Colress. So, yeah it's mostly just my preference.

Do you use Japanese names in only the anime forums, or also everywhere? If it's the latter, why?

Originally Posted by Archaic

Everywhere, reason as per the question above.

Originally Posted by Dogasu

It usually depends on the audience. If I'm talking with real life friends who only know the English names, then I'll use the English names for simplicity's sake. But that's usually pretty rare since I live in Japan and all, so I usually stick with the Japanese names.

Originally Posted by Iteru

Depends heavily on the context. If it is BW2 news for example where we're getting info from a Japanese magazine I'd probably use the Japanese names.

Originally Posted by Hellion

I don't really post in other forums, but I would use English I think in other forums, like VG or World, because the games themselves I only play in English.

Originally Posted by CommanderPigg

No, I switch a lot depending on who I'm talking to (if they refer to a character by their Japanese name, there's a higher chance I'd use the JPN name as well).

Originally Posted by Aestivate

Everywhere, because I'm used to it.

Originally Posted by Reila

Almost everywhere. I think is kinda pointless to use Japanese names in some places and the English names in others.
Yet, there are some places where I don't use the original names, because some people asked me to do so. If there is a problem in using those names, I don't mind not using them.

Originally Posted by MizuTaipu

I only use the Japanese names in the anime forum (also in real life, but that's another matter), because that forum is where other people who use the Japanese names congregate more frequently.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I use the Yu-Gi-Oh! series' Japanese names in The Land Of The Rising Sun forum. The Japanese dub is better than the English dub in my opinion, so I rather use the names of the dub I'm watching.

Originally Posted by Gotpika

Sometimes I do, but when it comes to using JPN and ENG names, I usually use them in the right places. A thread for a newly released Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game that shows off the game in a Japanese trailer is where I'll use Japanese names. Just because it fells more natural and I'm comfy using them.

What would you tell people if they complained of your exclusive use of Japanese names?

Originally Posted by Archaic

I'd point out that their use of English only names is as inconvenient for me as my use of the Japanese names apparently is for them, and that it would take seconds for them to do a quick Bulbapedia search for the name if it was really that confusing.

Originally Posted by Dogasu

I'd remind them that sites like Bulbapedia and Google exist, and that finding out what so-and-so is called in another language is just a search away. I should know; I have to look up those strange-sounding English names all the time.

Originally Posted by Iteru

I would remind them that as a Japanese franchise they are bound to run into people using those names, and that if they don't know who I mean, to use Bulbapedia. There's a link to it at the top of the forums, after all.

Originally Posted by Hellion

I'd explain that to me, it's the names I'm used to hearing when watching the Animé. I've never heard Dent being called Cilan, so it's hard for me to call him that.

Originally Posted by CommanderPigg

They don't really, but I'd just tell them the English translations to the Japanese names I used, especially if I know both of them. People shouldn't get so uptight about all this stuff lol.

Originally Posted by Aestivate

Get over it.

Originally Posted by Reila

A couple users complained about my usage of Japanese names in other Pokémon forum. I just said what I was doing wasn't a big deal and they could feel free to ignore my posts, if my attitude was annoying them in some way. After all, the Japanese names are the originals. It is not like I am using the German names or anything.

Originally Posted by MizuTaipu

I would say to them that complaining about/force-feeding one's language preferences to another is disrespectful. Besides, I don't complain about people using the dub names (that I despise), so you should reciprocate that respect.

Originally Posted by HumanDawn

I wouldn't tell them anything. First of all, it's off-topic, and secondly, I honestly don't know what's so bothersome about me using Japanese names. Now I know that I'm on an English forum, but that still doesn't mean that I don't have the freedom of using them. If using the Japanese names were against the rules, then I'd agree on using the English names.

Originally Posted by Gotpika

To use the new Bulbagarden Bulbapedia linking system which names the English names of said Pokemon by simply hovering over the Pokemon's name, whether it be Japanese or English. Fact of the matter is Pokemon originated in Japan, it's only natural some would use Japanese names.

(Added comment by Reila)

Summarizing: I think it is natural to use the English names, since this is the "universal language"
But in my honest opinion, the original names, (not all of them, of course), sounds better than the English names.

So, there you have it. It would be hard to derive a conclusion based on the responses, but generally, those who used the Japanese names use them because they not only like it, but also because they are more involved with the episodes of the original version of the anime. Quite a few individuals are Japanese users from the start, which means that they used Japanese names because they got their start of their devotion to Pokémon from the Japanese side, and will continue to use them in said language. Ten people is surely not enough to gather a conclusion, but I believe this is enough for a blog, due to the size constraint.

I definitely have fun doing this, simply because hearing direct responses from others is the most intriguing part of this. If you want to answer the questions, feel free to post here, but you have to be a Japanese name-user first! I would love to handle another "ask-directly" session like this on another subject in which I would love to hear responses on. What is that subject? For now, it's a secret!

I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I have making this.

Thanks for reading.