Surnames in DB

[Herms]

If it's a play on briefs (the underwear) it wouldn't make sense to call him Dr. Brief.

But it's a play on "briefs", not the word itself. I mean, it's spelt the same in kana and all, but it's still intended as a guy's name and not the actual underwear. I don't think there's anything wrong with calling him "Briefs", but I think "Brief" is valid too.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

If it's a play on briefs (the underwear) it wouldn't make sense to call him Dr. Brief.

But it's a play on "briefs", not the word itself. I mean, it's spelt the same in kana and all, but it's still intended as a guy's name and not the actual underwear.

Oh, fair enough.


But his name would be most likely Dr. Briefs, because that's the Japanese translation.

[Hujio]

But his name would be most likely Dr. Briefs, because that's the Japanese translation.

That isn't necessarily the Japanese translation, but I suppose you could take it to be if you wanted to. For example, if you go to Jim Breen's Japanese Dictionary and type in "ブリーフ", it simply translates it as "Brief", but if you use Google's Translator, you'll get "Briefs" and "Brief". My whole qualm with using "Briefs" is that his name isn't pronounced that way, so I don't think it makes sense to call him "Dr. Briefs". If you sit down and watch an episode in Japanese, they don't call him "Briefs", they call him "Brief". If you tack an "s" on his name, you're changing his name. If Toriyama wanted to call him "Briefs", I think he would have tacked on the "s" himself.

I understand that people mean well by saying it is the pun, but I think that logic is a little misguided. Here are some examples that follow that same logic. Cell should be called "Cells" instead because he's made of multiple cells, not just one. Bulma/Blooma/Bloomer should be called "Bloomers", since you don't say "I'm wearing bloomer", you say "I'm wearing bloomers". Do you see what I'm saying?

And I don't think the whole, "Japanese doesn't pluralize"-thing, really applies here. I mean, in one case the name "Trunks" is clearly pluralized in Japanese, but in the other "Brief" isn't. And since they're both written in katakana, I think it makes their pluralization blatantly obvious.

So I stand by my statement that his name is "Dr. Brief".

[Herms]

For the record, "Dr. Brief" is the alphabet spelling used on Japanese merchandise.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Thanks so much for clearing that up, Hujio.


The Japanese katakana pluralization thing is really inconsistent. On one hand you have Buruma and Buriifu which aren't pluralized and on the other you have Torankusu which is.


And we don't say Bulmas or Bloomas so why should we say Briefs? That is essentially, as you said, adding an extra letter.

[Hujio]

For the record, "Dr. Brief" is the alphabet spelling used on Japanese merchandise.

Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. I had meant to mention that in my post...

The Japanese katakana pluralization thing is really inconsistent. On one hand you have Buruma and Buriifu which aren't pluralized and on the other you have Torankusu which is.

Actually, that's what you'd call consistent. He wanted one of the names to have an "s", so he added it.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Well to be fair, Japanese merchendise hasn't always been that correct with characters' names.

[Hujio]

Well to be fair, Japanese merchendise hasn't always been that correct with characters' names.

Well, if you can find any Japanese materials that call him "Briefs", by all means let me know, but I've never seen it. In the manga he's called "Brief", in the anime he's called "Brief", and on all the merchandise he's called "Brief" within Japan. From an English perspective, only Viz's manga refers to him as "Briefs", and even FUNimation calls him "Brief". It seems Japan is pretty dead set on calling him "Brief"... you know, 'cause that's his name.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Well to be fair, Japanese merchendise hasn't always been that correct with characters' names.

Well, if you can find any Japanese materials that call him "Briefs", by all means let me know, but I've never seen it. In the manga he's called "Brief", in the anime he's called "Brief", and on all the merchandise he's called "Brief" within Japan. From an English perspective, only Viz's manga refers to him as "Briefs", and even FUNimation calls him "Brief". It seems Japan is pretty dead set on calling him "Brief"... you know, 'cause that's his name.

Yeah, I know.


If you read my other post, you'll find out that you've convinced me that his name is Dr. Brief.


EDIT: Heck, even DB Wikia calls him Dr. Brief and it turns out that Brief is actually a real world last name.