Japanese vs English names

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by Desassina » Wed Nov 24, 2021 4:31 am

I like some English names which are kept in spirit with what the originals mean and how they fit into their theme. For example, Pui Pui gives me nothing, but Pocus does, because there's Dabra, Bibbidi, Bobbidi and Boo, with the exception of Yakon. There's not many like this one though, and while the same manga called Goku and Vegeta's fusion Vegerot to make sense, it's not that appealing in sound. I also wish that some names for DBS characters had become more popular, such as Geran (from cooking range) for Jiren, Top (table top or pot) for Toppo, Kafla instead of Kefla and Beers (although there's something egyptian God-like in Beerus akin to Horus).

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by BootyCheeksJohnson » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:43 am

At this point I only watch the Japanese version and call almost everything by their original Japanese names. Even when I'm with friends and family more familiar with the English version.
(Unless I forget the name of an attack completely then I'll call it by the dub name.)
The only exception for me being Krillin because that's just easier to say in English, and I don't think it's inaccurate either if I remember correctly.
We need a Steve Simmons retranslation of the manga.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by Aim » Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:00 am

I think same names can easily be changed slightly to be accurate.

I usually like to think about how the Japanese would view words and if they actually understand the meanings behind them, like Genki for example I don’t think is well known in Japan without people having to look it up, correct me if I’m wrong though.

Spirit Bomb ideally should be Genki Dama or Genki Sphere.

Destructo Disk ideally is Spirit Cut, Ki Cut/Ki Slice.

Solar Flare would be Taiyo-ken, not sure how ideally one would have it, possibly just leave it as Taiyo-ken or have it be Taiyo-fist or “Treme Sun Fist” (as in extreme, but it wouldn’t match the mouth flaps.).

It’s a tough one for attack names, do the Japanese people generally know that Kamehameha literally means “giant turtle wave”?

As for characters, Goku should be Son Goku, Tien is Tenshinhan, and Vegito is Vegetto or Vegerot.

Oh, and Cooler is Coola and Frieza is Freeza. Going over these threads is so depressing knowing that the series just isn’t respected enough to be done properly.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by Aim » Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:04 am

BootyCheeksJohnson wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:43 am At this point I only watch the Japanese version and call almost everything by their original Japanese names. Even when I'm with friends and family more familiar with the English version.
(Unless I forget the name of an attack completely then I'll call it by the dub name.)
The only exception for me being Krillin because that's just easier to say in English, and I don't think it's inaccurate either if I remember correctly.
I never bring up that I’ve seen Dragon Ball to people, because most of the time the series they know is just so vastly different it ends up awkward when we talk about it because then I’ve forgotten what a lot of the dub lines were.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by TheGreatness25 » Mon Nov 29, 2021 12:09 pm

Aim wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:04 am
BootyCheeksJohnson wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:43 am At this point I only watch the Japanese version and call almost everything by their original Japanese names. Even when I'm with friends and family more familiar with the English version.
(Unless I forget the name of an attack completely then I'll call it by the dub name.)
The only exception for me being Krillin because that's just easier to say in English, and I don't think it's inaccurate either if I remember correctly.
I never bring up that I’ve seen Dragon Ball to people, because most of the time the series they know is just so vastly different it ends up awkward when we talk about it because then I’ve forgotten what a lot of the dub lines were.
Seconded. Whenever I come across someone in real life who claims to be a DB fan, it's never what I expect. Someone will tell me, "I'm a huge fan! I've seen it all!" and it'll seem like they're a huge fan like I am. But then at some point, something will slip out that will signal to me that they're not as big of a fan of the series as I thought. They'll use dub names, which is fine. But then they'll ask something like, "Wait, Goku is voiced by a woman?" and that signals to me that I can't really discuss DB with them. And then it comes out that they "watched the whole thing" on Toonami or Nicktoons and didn't see Dragon Ball or something.

And don't get me wrong. It's not that I feel superior or anything--it's that I know that I'm into the series way more than they are and I'll get all excited talking about it while boring them to death. This happened recently and I could tell that the guy was just not interested at all. So, I avoid it altogether.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by Saiya6Cit » Mon Nov 29, 2021 2:01 pm

I had not even watched dragon ball in english, until almost two years ago.

I don't mind how they spell it or pronounce it as long as I understand who they are reffering to.
No it does not hurt my eyes to see it spelled differently, i simply don't care.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by Aim » Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:20 pm

TheGreatness25 wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 12:09 pm
Aim wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:04 am
BootyCheeksJohnson wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:43 am At this point I only watch the Japanese version and call almost everything by their original Japanese names. Even when I'm with friends and family more familiar with the English version.
(Unless I forget the name of an attack completely then I'll call it by the dub name.)
The only exception for me being Krillin because that's just easier to say in English, and I don't think it's inaccurate either if I remember correctly.
I never bring up that I’ve seen Dragon Ball to people, because most of the time the series they know is just so vastly different it ends up awkward when we talk about it because then I’ve forgotten what a lot of the dub lines were.
Seconded. Whenever I come across someone in real life who claims to be a DB fan, it's never what I expect. Someone will tell me, "I'm a huge fan! I've seen it all!" and it'll seem like they're a huge fan like I am. But then at some point, something will slip out that will signal to me that they're not as big of a fan of the series as I thought. They'll use dub names, which is fine. But then they'll ask something like, "Wait, Goku is voiced by a woman?" and that signals to me that I can't really discuss DB with them. And then it comes out that they "watched the whole thing" on Toonami or Nicktoons and didn't see Dragon Ball or something.

And don't get me wrong. It's not that I feel superior or anything--it's that I know that I'm into the series way more than they are and I'll get all excited talking about it while boring them to death. This happened recently and I could tell that the guy was just not interested at all. So, I avoid it altogether.
I’m the same. In general Dragon Ball fans are a bit brain dead anyway. You can see it even on kanzenshuu. A lot of it has to do with the way Funimation has marketed the series. Just America doing what they do best really.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by ZeroIsOurHero » Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:43 pm

Aim wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:20 pm I’m the same. In general Dragon Ball fans are a bit brain dead anyway. You can see it even on kanzenshuu. A lot of it has to do with the way Funimation has marketed the series. Just America doing what they do best really.
Can you please stop with this weird self-superior attitude? Just because someone watches the show differently from you doesn't mean they're brain dead or a fake fan. Not being a hardcore fan isn't some sort of crime.

And why do you feel the need to blame America for this? It's not like the president is the head of Funimation or something like that. Sorry if I'm making assumptions, but I've noticed that anime fans constantly raging at America while worshipping Japan tends to be a red flag.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by FPSSJ4_Goku » Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:36 pm

ZeroIsOurHero wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:43 pm
Aim wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:20 pm I’m the same. In general Dragon Ball fans are a bit brain dead anyway. You can see it even on kanzenshuu. A lot of it has to do with the way Funimation has marketed the series. Just America doing what they do best really.
Can you please stop with this weird self-superior attitude? Just because someone watches the show differently from you doesn't mean they're brain dead or a fake fan.
Geekdom101 would disagree. One time he said that people who like the FUNimation dub of Dragonball Z aren't real Dragon Ball fans, which I find very elitist.
So, you decided to read my signature, eh?

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by BeaBumby » Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:13 pm

There's one name that I think is equally as good in both languages

Piccolo Daimao and Demon King Piccolo

They both sound cool as hell to me
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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:19 pm

BeaBumby wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:13 pm There's one name that I think is equally as good in both languages

Piccolo Daimao and Demon King Piccolo

They both sound cool as hell to me
I alternate between these titles without even noticing.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by MasenkoHA » Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:19 pm

FPSSJ4_Goku wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:36 pm
ZeroIsOurHero wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:43 pm
Aim wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:20 pm I’m the same. In general Dragon Ball fans are a bit brain dead anyway. You can see it even on kanzenshuu. A lot of it has to do with the way Funimation has marketed the series. Just America doing what they do best really.
Can you please stop with this weird self-superior attitude? Just because someone watches the show differently from you doesn't mean they're brain dead or a fake fan.
Geekdom101 would disagree. One time he said that people who like the FUNimation dub of Dragonball Z aren't real Dragon Ball fans, which I find very elitist.
Considering how often he interviews members of the Funimation cast I find that hard to believe.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by BeaBumby » Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:19 pm

Demon Prince Piccolo wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:19 pm
BeaBumby wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:13 pm There's one name that I think is equally as good in both languages

Piccolo Daimao and Demon King Piccolo

They both sound cool as hell to me
I alternate between these titles without even noticing.
ditto, heheh!
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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:40 pm

Regarding the conversation above, I think Geekdom101 just gets annoyed with fans of the dub who dismiss the sub. Believe it or not, the same self-superior attitude that was mentioned sometimes comes from dub fans who outright dismiss the sub. I can enjoy the early dubs while still recognizing that the script was butchered to hell for American audiences, and that the music change completely altered the show's identity.

That said, "brain dead" is probably a poor choice of words.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by Super Sonic » Tue Nov 30, 2021 11:50 pm

It kind of depends with how was introduced or how translated. For example I read much of the manga for DB before seeing the anime and thus use Sargent-Major Purple rather than "Ninja Murasaki". I also use Korin rather than "Karin" as I know who I'm speaking of and to avoid confusion. (To folks who don't watch much anime besides DB, Karin is a common name and there are lots of characters with that name).

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by MyVisionity » Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:07 am

BeaBumby wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:13 pm There's one name that I think is equally as good in both languages

Piccolo Daimao and Demon King Piccolo

They both sound cool as hell to me
If Funi had actually called him "Demon King Piccolo", I wouldn't have minded. But I loathe the name "King Piccolo". Even worse when it's shortened to "KP".

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by MasenkoHA » Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:19 am

MyVisionity wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:07 am

If Funi had actually called him "Demon King Piccolo", I wouldn't have minded. [ But I loathe the name "King Piccolo".
Demon King Piccolo was probably too much of a mouthful, but yeah I’m not a fan of King Piccolo. It loses the intent that he’s a very powerful demon and makes him sound like he’s supposed to be be royalty.

Even worse when it's shortened to "KP".
When had that ever been a thing? I know this fandom had weird fascinations with acronyms *cough* EOZ *cough* but I’ve never seen KP. Seems like fans are willing to spell out King Piccolo.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by MyVisionity » Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:25 am

Aim wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:00 am Spirit Bomb ideally should be Genki Dama or Genki Sphere.

Solar Flare would be Taiyo-ken, not sure how ideally one would have it, possibly just leave it as Taiyo-ken or have it be Taiyo-fist or “Treme Sun Fist” (as in extreme, but it wouldn’t match the mouth flaps.).
"Spirit Bomb" is an accurate translation of Genki Dama.

Taiyōken literally means Sun/Solar Fist or Attack.

MasenkoHA wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:19 am
Even worse when it's shortened to "KP".
When had that ever been a thing? I know this fandom had weird fascinations with acronyms *cough* EOZ *cough* but I’ve never seen KP. Seems like fans are willing to spell out King Piccolo.
I've seen K.P. on this forum before.

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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by OmegaRockman » Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:23 am

As a fan of the Japanese version moreso than anything else, you'd probably expect me to say I prefer the Japanese names as a matter of course, but the truth is more complicated than that. The fact of the matter is that a lot of the old dub terms and pronunciations are incredibly ingrained into me due to being my entry point, and while the Japanese version is my favorite I still love the modern era dubs and am very invested in them as well. The result is I end up using a sort of hodgepodge of both the Japanese and dub terms and pronunciations, I do tend towards the Japanese these days. Tenshinhan, Kikoho, Sokidan, Kienzan, and Makankosappo, are some examples. Heck, a lot of dub terms annoy the hell outta me' Tri-Beam, Special Beam Cannon, Destructo Disk, Launch, Hercule, Kayoken, the pronunciation of Kamehameha like the Hawaiian king. Evil Containment Wave even bothers me even though it's not the worst translation of Mafuba.

But then some of those dub terms are really hard to break the habit on. Like, some make sense: while I tend to spell out Kuririn in text, I often say Krillin when speaking due to it being easier for my spoiled American tongue to pronounce. I'm also so used to pronouncing Goku with the emphasis on the first syllable that I never bothered to train myself otherwise. Still, I think even most Japanese version fans aren't too picky on that one even if they made the switch themselves. I do very much enjoy hearing the correct pronunciation because it usually means the person probably knows their stuff when it comes to DB, or at least has seen the Japanese version.

In some cases I think the dub term is actually a really good localization choice, like Spirit Bomb for Genki Dama or Solar Flare for Taiyoken, so I tend to use them interchangeably with the Japanese. In other cases, the dub pronunciation is "good enough," like Coola/Cooler, so I go back and forth there too.

As for spellings for terms that are pronounced the same in both versions, I tend to use the more "correct" ones (Freeza, Vegetto, ect). Simmons's subs got me to forever commit to Boo even though Buu is just as valid a spelling. I'm pretty onboard with Broly instead of Broli these days, though. The Super film is probably the big reason for that, especially since that spelling never really bothered me like Frieza did.

My usage of other dub terms, though, are less easy to explain. I've had a hard time weaning myself off of Master Roshi, King Kai, and even most of the Ginyu Tokusentai for whatever reason. If I could go to Lunch and Tenshinhan, why can't I do the same for these characters? I guess I can explain the Ginyus due to how much I love the Kai dub for the Freeza stuff, which is the best-dubbed section of the show if you ask me and probably the part of the dub I've rewatched the most. Still, I've watched the Japanese version plenty too, so what gives? It's really strange what my brain latches onto.

The biggest self-contradiction in the pronunciation I use is probably the same for most of us: the word Saiyan. I'm at the point to where it's a 50-50 split between the Japanese-inspired and dub pronunciations, maybe 60-40 in the Japanese pronunciation's favor on a good day. Maybe I just can't be bothered to care about that pronunciation at this point. Maybe I see it as far too ingrained into the English-speaking fan culture. Maybe I like the modern dub too much, which fixed a lot of things but not Saiyan. That would be odd since stuff like reverting to the old dub attack names partway through Kai, NEVER fixing Kikoho, and not using Son Goku/Tienshinhan as much as I'd like DO bother me. (Though I guess I've grown to live with Tien moreso than the other examples I've cited above, but it definitely bugs me more than the dub pronunciation of Saiyan.) It's also odd that I can't help but give a smug smile whenever I hear Al Roker or Conan pronounce the word correctly when DB is brought up on national TV, only to feel whatever about it when Al Roker "corrects" it to the dub pronunciation. I use both, and neither bother me. It only bothers me when someone acts like a dick about how someone else says it. Or the "I'm just Saiyan" puns, which bother me only slightly less than "It's over 9000" jokes. I don't know why I can roll with this one thing when so many other dub pronunciations make me cringe. It's weird.

So yeah, I'm inconsistent to say the least, though I'm much more likely to favor of the Japanese pronunciations/terms in general. I guess that just comes with the territory when your exposure to a series is equally inconsistent as time moves on. Like, I started with the dub, then went to the Japanese track on games that still used dub terms in the text, then Kai fansubs that may or may not have used dub terms depending on the source with proper OG DB subs that I watched via bootleg MKVs (not a brag, just an honest part of my fandom journey; I eventually paid my dues when bought the Blue Bricks), then proper subs and also a proper dub when Kai came out here, then the Dragon Boxes, then back to the mix of good subs and better dubs as the new movies came out, then, after knowing the correct terms for so long, seeing dub terms in the official Super subs. Being one of those fans who is also deeply invested in both the Japanese and modern dubs certainly adds to the confusion, haha. What a journey it's been.
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Re: Japanese vs English names

Post by MyVisionity » Thu Dec 02, 2021 9:13 am

OmegaRockman wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:23 am I don't know why I can roll with this one thing when so many other dub pronunciations make me cringe. It's weird.
It's not weird, because "Saiyan" is an English term that belongs to the dubbed version. Trying to apply some kind of Japanese pronunciation to the word will only sound forced and awkward.

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