FromMega MantoPersona, video games have been making the trek across the ocean for the better part of fifty years now. But it’d be alittlehard to understand them without the hard work being done by translators. But translating can pose a number of issues, and some things are going to have to be adjusted. What you may be shocked to find out is that a number of noteworthy characters in games have different names depending on what localization you are playing.
For this piece, I collected some of my favorite examples and then proceeded to fall down a series of few rabbit holes as I tried to track down explanations for the reasons I found online (spoilers: I was almost never able to find a reliable source), and have now assembled everything I found here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy the fruit of my fruitless labor.
7Mega Man
AKA “Rockman”
In Japan, Mega Man is known as Rockman (ロックマン). All of the Mega Man names in Japan arebased on music genres. Which is why Proto Man is named Blues (ブルース) in Japan. Oddly enough, we kept some of the music-affiliated names in the West. Roll has the same name across both regions, though it makes no sense without Mega Man being named Rock.
But things take a turn for the weird. Though Bass and Treblearemusic-associated names, they havedifferent music-associatednames than their Japanese counterparts. In Japan, Bass is Forte (フォルテ) and Treble is Gospel (ゴスペル). Okay, I may have changed that last one as well.
6Akuma
AKA Gouki
Street Fighter has famously had quite a bit of nonsense go down when it comes to names. However, the Akuma (悪魔) and Gouki (豪鬼) name swap is particularly curious as both are Japanese words that, more or less, mean the same thing. Akuma means “devil”, while Gouki means “great devil”. So, why the change?
Well, it reportedly has to do with the number of G names associated with Akuma. His master,whom he killed, is named Goutetsu (轟鉄). While his brother, whom hetriedto kill, is named Gouken (剛拳). You have to admit, Gouki, Goutetsu, and Gouken all being attached directly to each other would most certainly have caused some confusion. Honestly, it was probably a smart adjustment.
5Bartz
AKA Butz (😏)
Final Fantasy 5’s protagonistis named Butz (バッツ) in Japanese and Bartz in the West. But here’s the thing: the way it is written in Japanesecouldbe transliterated multiple different ways. Directly translated, his name is “Battsu”. The translator then has to decide what the most natural form of that would be in English. His full name is Bartholomew, so Bartzdoesmake sense as a translation, but the official English transliteration was, originally, Butz.
The version of Final Fantasy 5 in the PS1 anthology uses Butz.
So, why the change? Well… you know why. For the exact same reason why we all love it. Because, deep down inside, we are all snickering school children. As an aside, his name has also been translated to “Batz”. Which isanothervalid transliteration. Japanese can be confusing, eh?
AKA Maki, Kei, Yukino, Hidehiko (Brown), Yuka, Eriko, Reiji, and Masao
Revelations: Persona is the first game in the Persona franchise. I’m on the recordas calling it adeeplyunderrated game, and I stand by that. However, one thing Idon’tthink is underrated is the PS1 translation. Unfortunately, that is what Revelations: Persona is best known for. At the time, Atlus apparently thought that having a Japanese cast of characters wouldn’t resonate with the Western market. So, they made the brilliant decision to Westernize all the names. Well, except Yukino (ゆきの), she was allowed to keep her Japanese name. It just got shortened to Yuki.
Famously, the name change wasn’t the only alteration, with Mark - formerly Masao (正男) - being turned black. While this was likely an attempt to be inclusive and diversify the cast, once he started hip-hop dancing all over the place, it became clear that it was a very poorly handled attempt at being inclusive. Thankfully, the PSP re-release would reverse these alterations.
3Trevor Belmont
Ralph Christopher Belmondo
Oh boy, another internet rabbit hole. Let’s start with Belmont vs. Belmondo. If you look online, you’ll find many people claiming that this is directly referencing the French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. Well, I looked, and I looked. I found so many sites making the claim, but not a single one provided a link. So… maybe that is true? It is impossible to say, and I remain unconvinced of the Jean-Paul Belmondo connection until I see a quote to substantiate it.
The Ralph Christopher change is alittlemore believable, though still completely unconfirmed. By the time Castevania 3 was in development, Castlevania Adventure had already been released. It was headlined by Christopher Belmont. Naturally, both protagonists having the name Christopher would be confusing for players.
According to an unnamed scriptwriter who claimed to have been a member of the Castlevania development team, both Dracula’s Curse and Adventure were originally supposed to feature the same Belmont, but that was changed later in development. However, since this information was taken from 2-Chan AMA, it is completely anonymous, and we have no idea ifanyof it is real.
I’m sure you’re wondering why they wouldn’t just cut out the Christopher part then, right? Well… we don’t know! No one has said a damn thing about why the name Ralph was changed. Maybe it is because when people hear the name Ralph they think of a very round little boy with thinning hair. Your guess is as good as mine here, folks.
2Phoenix Wright
AKA Ryuichi Naruhodo
We’ve seen an example or two of a bungled name translation on this list. Why don’t we take a look at an example where the localization team absolutely nailed it? In the Japanese version of the Ace Attorney games, Phoenix goes by the name Ryuichi Naruhodo. The problem is that name is laced with not-so-subtle symbolism that would be completely lost on Western audiences.
Ryuichi (龍一) his first name contains Ryu(龍), which translates to dragon in Japanese. The dragon symbolizes wisdom and strength in Japan. Meanwhile, his last name, Naruhodo (成歩堂), is a common phrase which means “I see” or “I understand”. So, for the English translation, they swapped the dragon for another mythological creature: the phoenix, and swapped his last name to be “Wright”. I’d say they landed on a name that does a great job of capturing the original’s spirit!
Given where Phoenix Wright’s story eventually takes him, I have to say, his English name seems to fit himperfectly.
1Khushnood Butt
AKA Marco Rodriguez
What, you thought that we were done with butt-related names? You fool! Oh, how the turns have tide. Marcro Rodriguez may not be iconic outside the SNK fanbase, but within it he is a fan favorite. Sorry, did I say Marco Rodriguez? ImeantKhushnood Butt, because Marco Rodriguez is, in fact, his name in theJapaneseversion of Mark of the Wolves. That’s right, Khushnood Butt was the name chosen for the Western version. Why was it chosen? Well, after hours of scouring online, there doesn’t appear to be a single credible quote from the SNK team explaining the reason for the name change.
A number of people online suggest that itmaybe because the name Marco Rodriguez is close to the name Ricco Rodriguez, who is a mixed martial arts fighter. Yet, given that the two looknothing alike, and Rodriguez is an absurdly popular surname, I don’t think that explanation holds any weight. Naturally, no source is ever given when people make this claim. I read somewhere else that he was named after an individual who worked on the localization team, like Fatal Fury’s own version of theMario name origin story, but, once again, I couldn’t find any credible sources to back that up. So we just don’t know. We mayneverknow.
Tragically, the reign of Khushnood Butt has officially ended, as Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has reverted his name to Marco Rodriguez. Pour one out for Khushnood Butt, folks. He’ll be missed.
