On Naming Characters...

[Androxine Vortex]

I write fantasy novels as a hobby and I like to use names based on Nordic and Swedish names. But I was thinking, since this game uses anime-looking characters if anyone uses made up Japanese names. I think I might do this but I don't want it to look dumb, or I would hate it if I made a character named Shinjoku but in Japanese it means something like toilet paper.

How do you go about naming your characters? (And I have to make a point that I never use already-existing names like John, Max, New York, Russia etc. I love creating my own names)

 

[Warpmind]

http://www.behindthename.com/ is your friend for checking the etymologies.

Google Translate can be equally helpful to avoid... unfortunate toilet papers and the like, as well.

 

[KanaX]

I'd like to point out that half of the anime characters that come out of Japan don't have Japanese names

I always name the protagonist, with a short name that I think that it sounds good. I want a common name, nothing too flashy. After that, almost all the other characters have rare beautiful names (except when there's a reason for them to have a specific name). I am not close enough with the Japanese culture, to want to use the respective names. Also I don't think I write Japanese characters. I want a more international feeling to my games.

EDIT: I also look up, meanings and varieties of names, like Warpmind.

 

[Housekeeping]

I like names a lot.  I think that names say something about characters, so you should utilize that space well.  Sometimes I'll look up baby names and their meanings.  For Born Under the Rain, I needed to come up with Egyptian names, and since that's a culture I'm only passingly familiar with, that was a good chance for me to look up Egyptian baby names.  My first goal when finding names was to find phonetically pleasing names of the right gender.  Then I would look at name meanings and tie them to the characters in some way, if possible.  Masika was a good example of this.  I don't always need this, but it's a nice way to add a bit of depth to your character names.

What I tend to do even more than that is think about names as extensions of the parents.  While names become a part of your identity, a name really represents your parents' expectations of you.  A Christian family would probably give you a biblical name, for example.  Or, if your parents are ordinary folks that just want you to be a normal contributing member of society, you're going to have an ordinary name.  If your parents are hippies, they're going to give you a colorful name.  In A Very Long Rope, Mint and Ivy are both names of plants, and this is tied to the mother, who is an avid gardener.  Both of their names are also a bit indicative of their characters: Mint having a refreshing personality and Ivy generally feeling like an outsider (the plant she's named after is technically a weed), but it's also tough and resilient.  Giving the two main characters similar names also provides them with an inherent connection that begs for comparing/contrasting.

Basically, the more meaning you can layer into any one moment of your game is a sign of good writing in my books.  Names are one more tool in your belt.

 

[Simon D. Aelsi]

Whatever you do, don't just throw a name on them or stitch together a weeaboo name like "Kasa Kuso" just because it "Sounds Cool".

The others have given very sound advice, so I needn't repeat it.

(If you are from Japan, I apologize...)

 

[Makio-Kuta]

a lot of times in anime the names tend to be clever puns. (Said like a regular name, but spelt with kanji that have alternate pronounciations to make something funny or relevant to the character) you could have the same name mean drastically different things based on which kanji it uses.

Just something to keep in mind when your researching. It might be good to have someone who is fluent in the language (written and spoken) assist to come up with some fun double meanings behind the names if you choose to go that route.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

Lots of great responses! When it comes to my fantasy writing I think of characteristics about that person/place and think of sounds that go with it. Like in my one work, there is an evil God of disease and agony who relishes in tormenting the mortal races. So naming him something Chebini doesn't sound right because it sounds almost happy (to me) So I named him Thurgoth, it sounds harsh and unpleasant. 

 

[ArcaneEli]

I usually define the Characters class/amibitions/background before naming them.

Then I start with a random Letter like R.

And start thinking of names that would fit their description with that first letter, and their last name usually has to deal with their occupation/social standings.

I find that softer sounding letters make the character sound nicer. I mean Ryken or Riley? Which sounds like a nice guy?

ex: R, Goodguy, Very friendly: Randall, Richie, Riley, Remy.

R, Evil, misunderstood: Ryken, Rikard the III, Ricardo, Roneberg.

    Last Names Occupations:

Soldier: Ironhammer, Crestfallen

Villager: Appletree, Willowleaf

Royal: Ra, Olympus

 

[Dragnfly]

Some of my characters are so old I literally don't remember where the name came from. But for the ones I do I considered the fictional culture they're from, whatever language rules it might have and what might have influenced their name at birth. I was never fond of the party tank having a name like Ironpillar Evershield because that means his parents likely decided to call him that before he was born. And he had to carry that name his whole life. I know it's silly of me but it just bugs me.

Anyway, after considering the rules that will define the name I pick a starting sound and expand on that. "Thu" for example. Then I run some scenes through my mind and speak the dialogue aloud using different names to see what sounds best.

"Thumer is the most badass merc in the unit."
"Thumu is the most badass merc in the unit."

"Thunderdrake is the most badass merc in the unit."

"Thundaxx is the most badass merc in the unit."

Though looking at my current project's roster there is a LOT of nicknames here. LOL.

 

[Fernyfer775]

As long as they're readable (as in not something like Gjlleiharinuzktezen), they could be Fluffykitty for all I care.

 

[literarygoth]

I typically stray away fro Japanese names, but that's mostly due to the stories I write.

For me, the name has to be pertinent to the character, or at least telling in some way and set them apart. It doesn't have to be an absurdly ridiculous name, imo some people go way too far when it comes to coming up with creative names. Sometimes the simplest name is the most effective. The cultural background of my characters really has a bearing on their names as well. Two of my main characters are Native, inspired by First Nations of North America. Their last name is Blackfoot (a 'nod' to the Blackfoot peoples living in and around my area, my city was developed on their lands), but their first names are more 'European' sounding. This was done for a reason, to point out the difference in the way their parents think, compared to the rest of their tribe. This is vital, because they adopted a young boy (the title character) whom they found lost/abandoned at a young age.

So for me, it comes down to the character, their family if there is any, their story, I'll also look up the meaning of names to try to find one that suits, but that isn't always the case.

 

[Dragnfly]

When playing Atelier Rorona the intro says "And the girl's name was Rorolina Frixell" I actually burst out laughing, even if it is a cool name.

 

[BlackLiquidSorrow]

I just take a noun that has something to do with my character and then put into google translate, changing languages until I get the one that sounds the coolest.

 

[arekpowalan]

For me, art style won't bother much if it's anime-ish. Anime has covered almost every major cartoonish nationality from Japanese, French, American to some minor ones like Egyptian, Indian and even Thailand and Laos. The style is rather universal, so any name should fit. The more important aspect toward naming is how you handle the names and relate them to the characters themselves, the audiences, and how the characters are depicted within the setting.

Characters with common and easy-to-remember names like John, Bennett, Smith, and Alice are subjected to be more relatable to the audiences and real life society. Nick Carraway, for example, is supposed to be a reader surrogate and an everyman, so the name is really fitting and memorable. Common names also make sense you in a setting relatable to real life and society. You won't see a lot of characters named Artemis or Orden in the present day sci-fi and horror movies, but rather Dr. Smith and Harry Mason, for instances.

On the other hand, using special names would help signify the characters being special and important to the plot in certain ways. Characters with strange names, but not too strange, tend to be memorable and iconic: There's only each one of the famous guys named Rinoa and Sephiroth in gaming, for example. Authors also like to like the name with the character's traits: Sonic the Hedgehog is named because of his speed. Mile 'Tails' Prowers is named because of his two tails and his tendency to fly around for a long time. Fuujin and Raijin are named with the words in sync, implying they will always appear together as a pair. In my case, I  name one of my characters 'Caius' because he's supposely the happiest kid in town.

Characters with 'minority' names and appearances in gaming tend to be something of an appealing factor. The names signify the uniqueness of the characters compared to the others. Japanese characters in European theme-JRPG are usually the result of the authors wanting to insert the iconic historical stereotypes into the games. It's a fanservice to the nationalists that way, and you know how nationalist Japanese people are. I myself plan to have an ancient Thai swordwoman in a Norse mythology-based futuristic world, and I won't even care how clashing it sounds.

*edit* About the Japanese names, be sure to check if the words have the alternative kanji writing. A lot of words in Japanese and Chinese have multiple meaning based on how they are written.

 

[captainproton]

Also, though the RTP is done in anime style, the characters are mostly wearing European clothes and mostly bear European features. A blue-eyed blonde named Kenji Takamatsu would seem kinda weird. (This is a pet peeve of mine where anime is concerned.) The map tiles are also feature mostly European architecture and object design.

Obviously, when you're building a fantasy world, you can create your own cultural rules. But the less work the reader/player has to do to suspend disbelief, the better.

 

[Mage Heart]

http://www.behindthename.com/ is your friend for checking the etymologies.

Google Translate can be equally helpful to avoid... unfortunate toilet papers and the like, as well.

Thank you. Now I will be forever trying to name a character. lol.

 

[Dragnfly]

There's always the option of naming people by what role they have. I find this especially cool if you're intentionally making your game to seem like a play (something I want to do too sometime). So your fighter being named Fighter or even just Boxer or Pugilist.

 

[captainproton]

That may work in a strategy game, where you build armies with different classes, but not so much in a typical RPG with actual characters. You can hint at their class with their name, though, like calling your mage Hokus, or calling your fighter Crash.

 

[Dragnfly]

I'm surprised I didn't think of this right from the getgo but the series Maoyu does this naming thing and it works well there. I find it adds a fairytale feel. I'd rather do this than naming characters after their traits. Having a big guy named Buff is fine, but if you're doing it with all your characters I think it'd get dumb fast.

I forgot to mention it but I was in a conversation about naming characters today and I expressed how I liked using the character's culture to decide their name. Out of nowhere one of the people mentioned that's how her father figured Gummi Bears named their kids. It's hard to figure Granny Gummi was called that from birth, so he figured that before she had the grandmother role she was called something else. I kind of like that.