From the Forest

In Master Mosukeaton, also by Akahori, the name of the main character calls up images of bloodsuckers and mosquitoes (a.k.a., Mosquiton). But his partner’s name is Inaho, which is a very Japanese-seeming name, the meaning of which translates to “husk of rice.” This has little to do with the establishment and unfolding of drama.

Come to think of it, the name Pikachu from Pocket Monsters comes from “Pika,” a flash of light, and the onomatopoeia for an (electric) mouse’s squeak in Japanese–“chu.” Thus, the character named Pikachu.

Examining the above evidence, it may seem that there is no real thought behind naming conventions in anime, but there is one crucial factor. However unusual such names may seem to Westerners, they should have meaning to a Japanese viewership, particularly children.

To a creator’s mind, when your setting is some other world, and you must name your character, a Japanese name would simply not fit an alien feel. Some creators may give characters English names, but in truth, English names are not very familiar to the Japanese. Children especially do not encounter people with English names in their daily life, and such words are difficult to remember. More importantly, if children don’t like the names, they won’t necessarily enjoy the drama. Therefore, if you cannot use Japanese names, but you need names that are familiar, the names of beverages, fruits, cars, or other such conventions may be the most suitable. That way you can be sure to capture the hearts of your viewers.

Dragon Ball‘s Goku¹ may not follow this example, but other names in the story, such as Piccolo², Saiyan³, Bulma (Bloomer)⁴, Trunks⁵, and so on, certainly do. By choosing such names for his characters, Akira Toriyama quickly won the sympathy of his readers–the children. Of course, with a genius the caliber of Akira Toriyama’s, he may have simply felt the names would be more interesting to the Japanese mind.⁶