Dub Name Change/Japanese to English

Japanese to English Name Changes

 * Super Mario Bros.
 * Koopa Daimao- (sometimes "Kuppa") to Bowser, King of the Koopas.
 * And by extension, Koopa Jr. to Bowser Jr. and Dark Koopa to Dark Bowser.
 * Princess Peach to Princess Toadstool (in early games only, of course. She started going by her original name starting with Super Mario 64.)
 * Oddly enough, one episode of Super Mario Bros Super Show has her refer to herself as "Princess P".
 * Kinopio, Kinopiko and Kinojii to Toad, Toadette and Toadsworth, respectively.
 * Rosetta to Rosalina
 * Kuribo to Goomba
 * Noko Noko to Koopa Troopa
 * Pata Pata to Paratroopa
 * Teresa to Boo
 * Kuristine to Goombella
 * Kurio and Kuriko to Goombario and Goombaria
 * Heiho- to Shy Guy
 * Pakkun Flower to Piranha Plant. Also, Boss Pakkun to Petey Piranha.
 * Catherine to Birdo
 * Jugem to Lakitu
 * Mamu to Wart, though he goes by his Japanese name in his Link's Awakening cameo.
 * Gerakowitz to Fawful
 * Count Noir to Count Bleck
 * Killer to Bullet Bill
 * Gesso- to Blooper
 * Puku Puku to Cheep-Cheep
 * Wanwan to Chain Chomp
 * Yossy to Yoshi (later Japanese versions used the American spelling)


 * Macross to Robotech
 * Hikaru Ichijyo to Rick Hunter
 * Misa Hayase to Lisa Hayes
 * Hayao Kakizaki to Ben Dixon
 * Averted regarding Lin Minmei, most likely because she's shown returning to her home in Tokyo's Chinatown at one point in the series.
 * The spelling, however, is changed. Lin Minmei becomes Lynn Minmay (the anime uses both, in the same episode no less, but the latter is the official spelling). "Lin" to "Lynn" also applies to everyone in her family.


 * GoLion to Voltron
 * Akira to Keith
 * Isamu to Lance
 * Tsuyoshi to Hunk
 * Hiroshi to Pidge
 * Takashi to Sven
 * Fala to Allura
 * Daibazaal to Zarkon
 * Sincline to Lotor
 * Honerva to Hagar
 * Raible to Coran
 * Lady Hys to Nanny
 * Amue to Romelle
 * Alor to Bandor
 * Ryo- to Sven


 * Sailor Moon was quite extensive across the original English dub (all handled by Optimum under several different licensors). Many carried over into the original Tokyopop/Mixx Entertainment manga release as well. For the sake of not converting this to an exhaustive list, this simply covers the main characters and a tiny number of supporting cast members. The more recent updated re-release by Kodansha Comics uses a different translation than the original Mixx release and uses Japanese names only.
 * Usagi to Serena
 * Mamoru Chiba to Darien Shields (the surname only appeared in the Mixx manga)
 * Prince Endymion to Prince Darien (and later King Endymion to "King of the Earth"). This one caused a Dub Induced Plot Hole in the anime.
 * Ami Mizuno to Amy Anderson (though "Mizuno" also appeared during the Cloverway run)
 * Rei to Raye
 * Makoto to Lita
 * Minako to Mina
 * Chibiusa/Sailor Chibi Moon to Rini/Sailor Mini Moon
 * Plus her Brainwashed and Crazy alter ego Black Lady became Wicked Lady, likely due to Unfortunate Implications
 * Setsuna to Trista
 * Michiru to Michelle
 * Haruka to Amara
 * Some dolls put out by Irwin Toys in Canada called Haruka "Corrinn" and Michiru "Nerissa", but these were released despite no dub of S at the time to accompany them. It's not known whether Di C would have actually used these names had they continued their license of the franchise into S, and when Cloverway took over, the characters had different names.
 * A single issue of the original SMILE run of Sailor Moon called Haruka "Alex Haruka" and Hotaru "Jenny", though they admitted this was a mistake and all future reprints, including in the now out-of-print Pocket Mixx collections, reverted to their Japanese names.
 * Naru Osaka to Molly Baker
 * Gurio Umino to Melvin
 * Yu-ichiro- to Chad
 * Shingo to Sammy
 * And that's just the main cast. Pretty much everything changed.


 * Jungle Emperor Leo to Kimba the White Lion
 * Leo to Kimba
 * Raiya to Kitty
 * Panja to Ceaser
 * Eliza to Snowene
 * Coco to Polly Cracker
 * Tommy to Bucky
 * Mandy to Dan'l Baboon
 * Bongo to Speedy
 * Pagoola to Kelly Phunt
 * Bubu to Claw
 * Sylvester to Cassius
 * Dick and Bo to Tom and Tab
 * Ken-ichi to Roger Ranger
 * Dr. Mustache to Mr. Pompous
 * Ham Egg to Viper Snakely
 * Kutter to Tubby


 * Science Ninja Team Gatchaman to Battle of the Planets (to G-Force to Eagle Riders to the Gatchaman '94 OVA dub):
 * Ken "The Eagle" Washio to Mark to Ace Goodheart to Hunter Harris to... Ken.
 * Joe "The Condor" Asakura to Jason to Dirk Daring (No relation) to Joe Thax to... Joe.
 * Jun "The Swan" to Princess to Agatha June to Kelly Jennar to June.
 * Jinpei "The Swallow" to Keyop to Pee-Wee to Mickey Dugan to Jimmy "The Falcon".
 * Ryu "The Owl" Nakanishi to Tiny Harper to Hoot Owl to Ollie Keeawani to Rocky.
 * Berg Katse to Zoltar to Galactor to Lukan to Solaris.
 * Dr. Kozaburo Nambu to Chief William Anderson to Dr. Brighthead to Thaddeus Keane to...Dr. Nambu.
 * Leader X to "The Great Spirit" to Computor to Cybercon to Lord Zortek.
 * Red Impulse to Colonel Cronus to Red Impulse again to Harley Harris to Red Spectre.
 * Director Anderson was referred to as President Kane in Battle of the Planets, while the G-Force dub writers couldn't decide if he was "Director Anderson" or "Commander Todd". "Anderson" was definitely retained in Saban's Eagle Riders and the OVA dub though.
 * The Galactor syndicate to Planet Spectra back to Galactor to Vorak and then Galactor again.
 * Eagle Riders provided its own slew of name changes to characters exclusive to Gatchaman II and Fighter, the most notable examples being:
 * Gel Sadra to Mallanox (along with a confusing gender change). Her true name was also changed.
 * Dr.Sylvie Pandora to Dr.Francine Aikens
 * Dr.Rafael to Professor Andro
 * Count Erun Egobossler was given the name Happy Boy. Because he "likes to laugh so much". Apparently the only alternative dub name would have been "Merry Man".


 * Mazinger Z to Tranzor Z
 * Koji to Tommy
 * Sayaka to Jessica
 * Shiro to Toad
 * Dr.Yumi to Dr. Davis
 * Boss to Bobo
 * Dr. Hell to Dr. Demon
 * Baron Ashura to Devleen
 * Count Brocken to Count Decapito


 * Final Fantasy II
 * Frioniel to Firion
 * Guy to Gus in the Origins release (future releases reverted to Guy)
 * Leonhart to Leon
 * Firion and Leon both came about due to character limitations in the game


 * Final Fantasy IV
 * Gilbert to Edward


 * Final Fantasy VI
 * Tina to Terra (to keep it exotic)
 * Mash to Sabin
 * Cayenne to Cyan (space limitations)
 * Stragus to Strago (space limitations)
 * Realm to Relm (Significant in that her name is supposed to be pronounced like "real" with an "m" at the end.)
 * Gastra to Gestahl
 * Madeen/Madin to Maduin
 * Madeline to Madonna (then back to Madeline)
 * Biggs to Vicks (then back)
 * Orthros to Ultros
 * Typhon to Chupon (then back)
 * Magical Beast to Esper
 * Most monsters and espers.


 * Final Fantasy VII
 * Aerith to Aeris and then back again for every spin-off since (and let's NOT talk anymore about this)
 * Heidecker to Heideggar


 * Final Fantasy VIII
 * Witch to Sorceress
 * Summon Quetzalcoatl became Quezacotl due to character limitations
 * Ellione to Ellone
 * Dodonna to Martine (the former being another Star Wars joke)


 * Final Fantasy IX
 * Marilith to Maliris
 * Burimushi became Oglop


 * Final Fantasy XII
 * Balflear to Balthier


 * Final Fantasy XIII
 * Lightning's real name:


 * Initial D (Tokyopop's version)
 * Takumi to Tak
 * Itsuki to Iggy
 * Kyoichi to Kyle
 * Kouichiro to Cole


 * Yu-Gi-Oh!, and its various sequels: the manga release of the original series kept the Japanese names of everything except the cards (in order to make the connection to the real world cards clearer) and Pegasus due to a lack of coordination in the licensing. The GX manga release always used dub names for characters that appeared in the anime.
 * Yugi Mutou kept his name, but its pronunciation changed so his last name sounded like "Moto".
 * Katsuya Jonouchi to Joey Wheeler
 * Hiroto Honda to Tristan Taylor
 * Anzu Mazaki to Téa Gardner
 * Sugoroku Mutou to Solomon Moto
 * Mai Kujaku to Mai Valentine
 * Shizuka Kawai to Serenity Wheeler
 * Ryuji Otogi to Duke Devlin
 * Pegasus J. Crawford to Maximillion Pegasus, though really just referred to as "Pegasus" either way.


 * Digimon (note: in the case of the first season and the manga adaptation of the second season, the characters' original names were retained as their proper names, whilst their dub names were their nicknames.)
 * Taichi Yagami to "Tai" Kamiya
 * Yamato to "Matt"
 * Hikari to "Kari"
 * Takeru to "T.K."
 * Koushiro to "Izzy" (based on his surname, Izumi)
 * Tailmon to Gatomon
 * Altur Kabuterimon to MegaKabuterimon
 * Holy Angemon to MagnaAngemon
 * Vamdemon to Myotismon
 * Belial Vamdemon to MaloMayotismon
 * Mugendramon to Machinedramon
 * Pinnochiomon to Puppetmon
 * Iori to Cody
 * Miyako to Yolei
 * Daisuke to Davis
 * Osamu to Sam
 * Sam to Phil
 * Wallace to Willis
 * Fladramon to Flamedramon
 * Jenrya to Henry
 * Ruki Makino to Rika Nonaka
 * Juri to Jeri
 * Izumi to Zoe
 * Junpei to J.P.
 * Tomoki to Tommy
 * Fairymon to Kazemon
 * Masaru Daimon to Marcus Damon
 * Touma to Thomas
 * Ikuto Noguchi to Keenan Crier
 * Rentarou Satsuma to Richard Sampson
 * Hiroshi (Yushima) to Homer
 * Chika to Kristy
 * Sayuri to Sarah
 * Suguru to Spencer
 * Yatagaramon to Crowmon
 * And many, many, many more


 * Detective Conan to Case Closed (changed to avoid a lawsuit from DC Comics, who hold an ironclad trademark on the name "Conan" in all media forever—with a single exception—and aren't afraid to sue into oblivion anything else that shares the name)
 * Shinichi Kudo to Jimmy Kudo
 * Yukiko Kudo to Vivian Kudo
 * Yuusaku Kudo to Booker Kudo
 * Ran Mouri to Rachel Moore
 * Kogoro Mouri to Richard Moore
 * Eri Kisaki to Eva Kadan
 * Ai Haibara to Anita Hailey
 * Sonoko Suzuki to Serena Sebastian
 * Wataru Takagi to Inspector Wilder
 * Ninzaburou Shiratori to Inspector Santos
 * Heiji Hattori to Harley Hartwell
 * Heizou Hattori to Martin Hartwell
 * Kazuha Touyama to Kristen Thomas
 * Gin to Casper
 * Vodka to Melkior


 * Rockman to Mega Man
 * Dr. Right to Dr. Light
 * Clash Man to Crash Man
 * Blues to Proto Man
 * Forte to Bass
 * Gospel to Treble (outside of the Mega Man Battle Network series, at least)
 * Rightot to Auto
 * Eddie to Flip-Top, and later back to Eddie
 * Earth to Terra
 * Sungod to Sunstar


 * Rockman X to Mega Man X
 * Vava to Vile


 * Rockman EXE to Mega Man Battle Network
 * Hikari Netto to Lan Hikari
 * Sakurai Meiru to Mayl Sakurai
 * Oyama Dekao to Dex Oyama
 * Ayano-koji Yaito to Yai Ayano-koji
 * Ijuuin Enzan to Eugene Chaud
 * Higure Yamitaro to Higsby
 * Ozono Mariko to Ms. Mari
 * Ozono Yuriko to Ms. Yuri
 * Saroma to Sal
 * Maysa to Masa
 * Hino Ken'ichi to Mr. Match
 * Hikawa Seiji to Dr. Froid
 * Hikawa Tohru to Tory Froid
 * Iroaya Madoi to Ms. Madd
 * Electric Count to Count Zap
 * Midorikawa Kero to Ribitta
 * Eguchi Meijin to Mr. Famous
 * Ms. Millionare to Ms. Millions
 * Hayami Daisuke to Speedy Dave
 * Gauss Magnets to Gauss Magnus
 * Tesla Magnets to Tesla Magnus
 * Obihiro Shun to Sean Obihiro
 * Aragoma Torakichi to Tora
 * Ivan Coolisky to Ivan Chillski
 * Narcy Hide to Viddy Narcy
 * Barrel to Baryl
 * Rokushakudama Nenji to Fyrefox
 * Paxy Faran to Pat Fahran
 * Kurogane Kunio to Al Ferry
 * Huten Roshi to Feng-Tian
 * Captain Kurohige to Blackbeard (admittedly, this is a literal translation)
 * Roppo Satoru to Prosecutor Ito
 * Nyu-do Tsuyuharu to Vic
 * Todoroki Kaita to Kai Todoroki
 * Towa Marie to Mary Towa
 * YamatoMan to JapanMan
 * FootMan to GridMan
 * SwallowMan to LarkMan
 * KillerMan to EraseMan
 * Dream Virus and Dream Aura to Life Virus and Life Aura
 * Proto to Alpha


 * Mega Man NT Warrior
 * Sakurai Meiru to Maylu Sakurai
 * Oyama Dekao to Dex Ogreon
 * Ayanoko-ji Yaito to Yai Ayano-
 * Ijuuin Enzan to Chaud Blaze
 * FireMan to TorchMan
 * ColorMan to WackoMan
 * ColdMan to FridgeMan
 * AquaMan to SpoutMan (coincidentally this was his name in Battle Network 6 due to inevitable legal issues with DC)
 * PlantMan to VineMan
 * BeastMan to SavageMan
 * NeedleMan to SpikeMan
 * StarMan to NovaMan


 * Dragon Ball (Harmony Gold dub)
 * Goku to Zero
 * Bulma to Lena
 * Oolong to Mao Mao
 * Yamcha to Zedaki
 * Puar to Sparkles
 * Krillin to Bongo
 * Launch to Marilynn
 * Tien to Shinto
 * Mercenary Tao to General Tao Pei
 * Korin to Whiskers the Wonder Cat
 * Master Shen to Lord Wu Zu
 * Shenron to Dragon God
 * More a case of Meaningful Name, as the Chinese "Shen-Long" actually means "Dragon God".
 * Penguin Village to Happy Valley


 * Dragon Ball (later dubs)
 * Tao Pai Pai to General Tao (DBZ)/Mercenary Tao (DB)
 * Mr. Satan to Hercule (though this was done as an edit, as American broadcast standards for kids' shows generally frown on religious references)
 * Genki Dama to Spirit Bomb


 * The Enoki Films release of Revolutionary Girl Utena:
 * Utena to Ursula
 * Anthy to Angie
 * Akio to Mike
 * Touga to Tommy
 * Juri to Julie
 * Kyouichi to Kevin
 * Miki tot Mickey
 * Nanami to Nanette
 * Wakaba to Wanda
 * Kozue to Chris
 * Shiori to Sally
 * Kanae to Kate
 * Keiko to Kelly
 * Mitsuru to Mitch
 * Souji to Sonny
 * Mamiya to Miles
 * After the original DVD's went out of print, all of the names were changed in the remastered re-release by The Right Stuf International.


 * The various dubs of the Slayers anime change the characters' names, but only phonetically. The oddest case is Amelia, whose name in the Japanese version frequently waivers between "Amelia" and "Ameria", and the kingdom of Saillune (in one of the openings, it can be seen rendered as "Sailoon") is renamed Seyruun. Also, Zelgadis and Xellos's names in Japanese were officially romanized with two s's (Zelgadiss and Xelloss). The former two names, and the "Saillune" spelling are used in the translations of the novels, but Amelia is always Amelia in all non-Japan media.


 * Gash Bell
 * Gash to Zatch (which subsquently changes the title of the series)
 * Kiyomaru to Kiyo
 * Suzume to Suzy
 * Tio to Tia
 * Shiori to Lori
 * Umagon to Ponygon (Admittedly, Umagon essentially means Horse Monster.)
 * Dufaux to Duford
 * Zeon to Zeno
 * Ropes to Hops
 * Patie to Penny
 * Kafka to Kafk
 * Papipurio to Purio
 * The Mamono race to the Mamodo race
 * And numerous instances of Spell My Name with an "S" (Koruru/Kolulu, Wonlei/Wonrei, and others)


 * One Piece (4Kids dub only)
 * Smoker to Chaser
 * Portgas D. Ace to Portgaz D. Trace.
 * Some of the Baroque Works operatives with holiday names.
 * Nefertari Cobra to Nefeltari Nebra
 * Gin to Ghin (possibly to avoid connections to alcohol, despite the different pronunciation).
 * Kung-Fu Dugongs became Kung-Fu Jugongs for some inexplicable reason.


 * Every name except Godot's was changed during the transition from Gyakuten Saiban (Turnabout Trials) to Ace Attorney. It even has it's own page. The (Japanese) Takarazuka musical used the American names and setting rather than the original.
 * Special attention goes to Rou Shiryuu/Shi-Long Lang. Since he's from the Chinese-esque Zheng Fa the translators simply took used the Chinese reading of the kanji for his Japanese name and used that for his English name.


 * Street Fighter
 * In Street Fighter II, one of the three new bosses was an obvious Mike Tyson pastiche named M. Bison, which could have led to a likeness infringement suit had the name been kept in the American version. Since the name tags were made of solid graphics instead of text, it was easier to just rotate the names of the three bosses than make up a new one for just one character. Fan communities (particularly in tournaments between Japanese and overseas players) have adopted a set of nicknames for those characters to avoid confusion.
 * M. Bison to Balrog (Boxer)
 * Balrog to Vega (Claw)
 * Vega to M. Bison (Dictator)
 * Nash to Charlie
 * Gouki to Akuma
 * Julia to Jane (Guile's wife)
 * Chris to Amy (Guile's daughter)


 * Final Fight
 * Damnd to Thrasher (only in the SNES and Sega CD ports)
 * Sodom to Katana (ditto)


 * Muscle Bomber to Saturday Night Slam Masters
 * Aleksey Salazof to Biff Slamkovich "The Rocking Ruskie"
 * Lucky Colt to Gunloc
 * Mike "Macho" Haggar to Mike Haggar
 * Sheep the Royal to Alexander the Grater
 * "Missing IQ" Gomes to King Rasta Mon
 * Titan the Great to Titanic Tim
 * El Stinger to El Stingray
 * Mysterious Budo to The Great Oni
 * Kimala the Bouncer to Jumbo "Flap" Jack
 * The Astro to The Scorpion


 * Vampire to Darkstalkers
 * Gallon to Jon Talbain
 * Zabel Zarock to Lord Raptor
 * Aulbath to Rikuo
 * Lei-Lei to Hsien-Ko
 * Lin-Lin to Mei-Ling
 * Phobos to Huitzil
 * Bulleta to Baby Bonnie (B.B.) Hood
 * Anita to Amanda (only in Night Warriors, she kept her original name in later localizations)


 * Shaman King
 * Manta to Morty
 * Ryu to Rio
 * Chocolove to Joco
 * Hao to Zeke
 * Horokeu Usui nicknamed Horohoro to Horohoro nicknamed Trey Racer


 * Megami Ibunroku Persona: Be Your True Mind to Revelations: Persona
 * Ayase to Alana
 * Eriko to Ellen
 * Maki to Mary
 * Hidehiko to Brad
 * Masao to Mark
 * Kei Nanjo to Nate Trinity
 * Reiji to Chris
 * Tadashi to Tad
 * Tamaki to Tammy
 * Toro to Chunky
 * Akuma to Kain
 * Ms. Saeko to Ms. Smith
 * Principal Hannya to Dean Harding
 * Yamaoka to Alfred
 * Takahisa Kandora to GUIDO "THE ROCK" SARDENIA


 * Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
 * Kuma to Teddie


 * Saint Seiya to  Knights of the Zodiac
 * Deathmask to Mephisto
 * Saori to Princess Sienna


 * Okami
 * Most characters have had their names shortened somewhat.


 * Wild Arms XF
 * Labryna has changed to Labyrinthia.


 * Chrono Trigger:
 * Chrono to Crono (due to space issues)
 * Maoh to Magus
 * Gash, Hash and Bosh to Melchior, Gaspar and Belthasar
 * Vinegar, Soysau and Mayonee to Ozzie, Slash and Flea
 * Marl to Marle
 * Marldia to Nadia
 * Granleon to Masamune


 * Chrono Cross (most due to space issues):
 * DragChild to Draggy
 * Farga to Fargo
 * Kinoko (Mushroom) to Funguy
 * Jillbert to Greco
 * Gyadarun to Grobyc
 * Alf to Guile
 * Tsukoyomi (Harlequin) to Harle
 * Lutianna to Luccia
 * Mamacha to Macha
 * Marcella to Marcy
 * Mell to Mel
 * Lucky Dan to Mojo
 * Slash to Nikki (so as not to confuse people with the Slash from Chrono Trigger mentioned above)
 * Ishito to Norris
 * Ocha to Orcha
 * Tumalu to Pip
 * Lazzuly to Razzly
 * Skarl to Skelly
 * Snakebone Master Jyakotu to Lord Viper (just "Viper" in the profile screens)
 * Spriggan to Sprigg
 * StarChild to Starky
 * Van Cliff to Van
 * Yamaneko to Lynx
 * One of the bosses, the Lunar Dragon, got mistranslated to Time Devourer (despite the Time Devourer actually being the next boss)


 * Tales of Destiny
 * Stan to Stahn (to ease correct pronounciation)
 * Lion to Leon (same reason as above)
 * Mighty Kongman to Bruiser Khang
 * Johnny Shiden to Karyl Sheeden
 * Woodrow to Garr


 * Tales of Eternia to Tales of Destiny II
 * Fog to Max


 * Tales of Symphonia
 * Refill to Raine
 * Genius to Genis
 * Regal Bryan to Regal Bryant (likely the original intention anyway)
 * A couple of other names were not so much changed as re-Romanized, to ease pronunciation:
 * Collet to Colette
 * Shihna to Sheena


 * Tales of Hearts to its translation patch
 * Kohak to Amber. This also seeps in during the localized Tales of Graces f, where Kohak/Amber becomes a Bonus Boss, and her dubbed name is also Amber.
 * Hisui to Jadeite (the literal translation of Hisui would be 'Jade', but since there's another Jade...)


 * Yotsuba&! doesn't do this much, but:
 * One time, when Miura was wearing a robot costume made of cardboard, Yotsuba asked what the robot's name was. Miura improvised a name based on the material. The ADV Manga translation gave it as "Cardbo", while the Yen Press translation gave it back its original Japanese name of "Danbo" (from danboro, the Japanese for corrugated cardboard).


 * Pokémon anime
 * Satoshi to Ash
 * Kasumi to Misty
 * Takeshi to Brock
 * Shigeru to Gary
 * Musashi to Jessie
 * Kojiro to James
 * Yamato to Cassidy
 * Kosaburo to Butch
 * Kenji to Tracey
 * Haruka to May
 * Hikari to Dawn
 * Ai to Amber
 * Mii (or Me) to Molly
 * Kotone to Lyra
 * Dent to Cilan
 * Shooty to Trip
 * Bel/Belle/Bell/Beru to Bianca
 * Kenyan to Stephan
 * As for the franchise in general itself, most Pokémon names, too many to list here. Perhaps the best-known example of this trope.
 * The games now have their own page.


 * Cardcaptor Sakura to Cardcaptors
 * Sakura Kinomoto to Sakura Avalon. They were originally going to rename Sakura "Nikki", but kept it as Sakura in response to protests. The dub still mispronounces her name by emphasizing the second syllable (sa-KU-ra) rather than the way the Japanese would say it (SA-kura).
 * Touya Kinomoto to Tori Avalon
 * Fujitaka to Aiden
 * Takashi to Zachary
 * Chiharu to Chelsea
 * Tomoyo to Madison
 * Yukito Tsukishiro to Julian Starr
 * Eriol Hiiragizawa to Eli Moon


 * Keroro Gunsou to Sgt Frog (FUNimation test dub only)
 * All of the frogs lost one syllable off their names (eg. Keroro to Kero)
 * Natsumi to Nathalie
 * Neko/Kitty/Cat to Mr. Furbottom (this is the only one they kept, except they corrected it by making it Ms. Furbottom)
 * Keron to Frogalon
 * Pekopon to Wuss
 * Pekoponian to Wussian
 * In the official dub, the only other characters whose names have been changed thus far are George Nakata, who became "the guy who was George Clooney's butt double in Michael Clayton and Batman and Robin" and Dasonu* Maso, who became the Dance* Master because the pun doesn't work at all in English.


 * Beyblade
 * Takao Kinomiya to Tyson Granger
 * Max Mizuhara to Max Tate
 * Hiromi to Hilary


 * Tokyo Mew Mew to Mew Mew Power
 * Ichigo Momomiya to Zoey Hanson
 * Lettuce Midorikawa to Bridgette Verdant
 * Mint Aizawa to Corina Bucksworth
 * Zakuro Fujiwara to Renee Roberts
 * Bu-Ling (Pudding) Fong to Kiki Benjamin
 * Masaya to Mark
 * Kish to Dren
 * Pai to Sardon
 * Tart to Tarb


 * Pretty Cure
 * Nagisa Misumi to Nathalie Blackstone
 * Honoka Yukishiro to Hannah Whitehouse


 * Ojamajo Doremi to Magical DoReMi
 * Doremi Harukaze to Dorie Goodwyn
 * Hazuki Fujiwara to Reanne Griffith
 * Aiko Senoo to Mirabelle Haywood
 * Pop to Caitlyn
 * Onpu Segawa to Ellie Craft
 * Majorika to Patina
 * Majoruka to Petunia


 * Powerpuff Girls Z
 * Instead of having civilian names and hero names, the girls were referred to as "Blossom", "Bubbles" and "Buttercup" morphed and unmorphed, supposedly to better align it with the original series.
 * Although this makes little sense because the whole point of them having hero codenames was so that they could keep their superheroine identities secret (and not run the risk of being attacked at home or having their families attacked to get to them...)
 * Peach to Poochie
 * Snake to Ivy (which doesn't align with the original series at all)
 * PPGZ was set in Tokyo (a few actual landmarks, plus the general scenery and the use of Japanese signs everywhere). In the dub, it was switched to "New Townsville".
 * Villainess Princess Morbucks was stripped of her civilian identity too (in the Japanese, her civilian name was Himeko Shirogane).
 * Just about all other Japanese names were switched for English ones too. The boy who bullied Ken in the episode where her returns to school to make friends is given the name "Joey", and Blossom's sister is renamed from Kuriko to Kasey, among others.


 * Dynaman
 * Dan to Wooshi (Wushi?)
 * Ryuu to Huba
 * Yosuke to Franky the Human Outboard Motor
 * Kosaku to Cowboy
 * Rei to Slojin
 * Emperor Atom to Bernie Tanaka
 * General Kar to Mel Fujitsu
 * Prince Megiddo to Nigel


 * Parasyte had the Tokyo Pop translation do this:
 * Tamura Reiko to Tamara Rockford
 * Saitomi to Sara
 * The protagonist's Evil Hand is nicknamed Migi ("Righty"), but because the image was flipped, he became "Lefty" in the translation


 * Averted in Death Note. Contrary to what appears to be popular belief, in the English version Raito was not changed to Light. "Raito" is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "Light", and "Light" is also the official romanization in Japan.
 * Played straight for a minor American character, Rally Connors, whose name was changed to Larry Connors.


 * Almost all the names in the Phantasy Star series had to be changed because of space allowance; in Japanese, it allowed four characters, but in English, that meant it only allowed four letters. Several jokes get around the fandom about how the people of Algo can't comprehend names longer than four letters long. However, some changes were not only unnecessary, they were confusing.
 * Alisa/Alyssa to Alis
 * Tylon/Tyrone to Odin
 * Lutz to Noah, which became an inconsistency in the fandom and has spawned decades-old arguments and theories over who the first Esper was.
 * Pike to Gryz
 * Lyla to Alys (Alis was the heroine of the first game, and many fans wondered about the connection; there isn't one.)
 * Rudy to Chaz
 * Fal to Rika
 * Thray to Rune
 * Cess to Kyra
 * Anna to Amy
 * Amia to Anna
 * Kane to Rhys
 * Lann to Thea
 * Lynn to Sari
 * Lane to Nial
 * Noin to Cris
 * Fuin to Adan
 * Ruin to Aron
 * Luna to Kara (a stunningly inappropriate name change, since the character is the princess of the moon)
 * Laia to Gwen (a more appropriate change, as there were three Laia's in the game; the first was a historic figure (Laya), the second was her sister (also Laya), and the third was the sister's daughter (Gwen).)


 * Katamari Damacy:
 * Ichigo-chan to Ichigo (notable because the -chan is always included with her name to indicate her Kawaiiko status)
 * Jun to June
 * Horumon to Daisy
 * Bosu/Boss to Drooby
 * Y to Huey
 * Usohito to Slip
 * Nai Nai 043 to Nai-Nai
 * Bran to Dangle
 * Roger to Drive


 * Transformers: Car Robot was originally about a group of new Transformers. However, the English version, Transformers Robots in Disguise, changed it so they were named after characters from the original series.
 * Fire Convoy to Optimus Prime
 * God Magnus to Ultra Magnus
 * Mach Alert to Prowl
 * Ox to Ironhide
 * Build Hurricane to Grimlock
 * Counterarrow to Mirage
 * Wild Ride to X-Brawn
 * Indy Heat to Skid-Z
 * Brave Maximus to Fortress Maximus
 * Gigatron to Megatron
 * Devil Gigatron to Galvatron
 * Greejeeber to Rollbar
 * Black Convoy to Scourge


 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Dr. Eggman to Dr. Robotnik, and then back to Dr. Eggman (this still annoys a lot of old English-speaking Sonic fans who prefer the English name).
 * Yuji Naka explained in interviews that Dr. Ivo Robotnik is his real name and Dr. Eggman is a nickname, similarly to how Tails' real name is Miles Prower. This is pretty much confirmed by Sonic Adventure 2, which introduced Dr. Eggman's grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik, and cousin, Maria Robotnik.
 * Amy Rose to Princess Sally (only in the manual for Sonic the Hedgehog CD)


 * The Legendary Starfy
 * Kyorosuke to Moe


 * Akumajou Dracula to Castlevania
 * The Belmondo clan to the Belmont clan
 * Ralph C. Belmondo to Trevor Belmont
 * Johnny Morris to John Morris
 * Soma Kurusu to Soma Cruz


 * IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix
 * Takeshi Jinno to Takeshi Jin
 * Masa Ishikawa to Mark Ramsey
 * Aoi Himawari to Jesse Martin
 * Yuri Jinno to Yuri Jin


 * Golden Sun
 * Robin to Isaac
 * Gerald to Garet
 * Mary to Mia
 * Garcia to Felix
 * Jasmine to Jenna
 * Sclater to Kraden


 * The first Breath of Fire had the names of a great deal of the characters (as well as spells, towns, enemies, items...everything) changed due to both name length issues in Super NES games and Square producing the North American localisation.
 * Gilliam to Bo
 * Danc to Karn
 * Builder to Ox
 * Manillo to Gobi
 * Deis to Bleu (This has caused some minor continuity issues with later games)
 * Zorgon to Zog
 * Judas to Jade
 * Kyura to Cort
 * Sigmund to Mote
 * Carla to Cerl


 * Breath of Fire II also had a number of name changes, largely to preserve puns and due to technical issues with the name length again.
 * Bosch (Boche in the credits) to Bow.
 * Rinpoo to Katt
 * Tapeta to Jean
 * Aspara to Spar
 * Deis to Bleu
 * Argus to Augus
 * Nimpho to Nimufu
 * Barbaroi to Barubary
 * Habalq to Habaruku (Babaruku in his boss fight)
 * Alzheimer to Aruhamel Aruhameru in his boss fight)


 * Breath of Fire III has a few, mostly to preserve puns or due to space issues, yet again:
 * Pecoros to Peco
 * Garland to Garr
 * Babaderu to Bunyan (setting up for a Mythology Gag in IV; the original Japanese name in III is itself a Mythology Gag in reference to a Mini Boss in II)
 * Zurusuru to Loki
 * Xanth to Sunder
 * Great Wise Tree to Yggdrasil
 * Bono to Jono


 * Breath of Fire IV has literally every NPC dragon, monster, and/or place-name rendered originally in Japanese kanji rendered in Korean hanja readings (in an EXTRAORDINARILY RARE Japanese-to-Korean example done in most international versions of Breath of Fire IV not using CJK script--including at least one case of what appears to be a rename of a monster to gratuitous Korean).
 * Babaderu to Bunyan
 * Master to Ershin (a rare English-to-Chinese example to preserve a Bilingual Bonus for a Meaningful Name that is a major plot spoiler)


 * Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter limits it to groups rather than people, except for one mistake:
 * Dva to Dover (a misromanization of the russian word for 4, part of the game's Theme Naming)
 * Members to Regents
 * DBs to Genics


 * Earthbound
 * Porky to Pokey (and back again in Super Smash Bros. Brawl)
 * Gyiyg to Giygas
 * Runt to King (Ness's dog)
 * PK Fighting Spirit to PSI Rockin (Ness's signature attack)


 * The Kirby anime: First the title: Hoshi no Kirby (often translated as Kirby of the Stars) to Kirby Right Back At Ya. Then:
 * The main areas. Pupu Village became Cappytown and Pupupuland became Dreamland. The latter is done in the games as well, and so the change of Pupu Village to Cappytown isn't too far-fetched either, considering the whole town is populated mostly by cappies!
 * Fumu to Tiff
 * Bun to Tuff
 * Escargon to Escargoon
 * Holy Nightmare Corporation to Nightmare Enterprises
 * Nightmare to eNeMeE (though occasionally the show still called him Nightmare)
 * Lololo and Lalala to Fololo and Falala
 * Lola to Fofa
 * Parm and Memu to Sir Ebrum and Lady Like
 * Borun to Bookem
 * Sato to Buttercup
 * Oosaka to Shiitake
 * Dakonyo to Kit Cosmos
 * A special mention to this trio of kids: Honey keeps her name, But Iroo and Hohhe are changed - Iroo becomes Spikehead and Hohhe is called Iroo!
 * Chilidog to Wolfwrath
 * Boukyakku to Erasem
 * Noseman to Honker Stomper
 * A ghost called Urameshiya in the original who appears to have no name whatsoever in the dub.
 * And probably many more forgotten here.


 * Kirby (game):
 * Mark to Marx
 * Galactic Knight to Galacta Knight


 * Mon Colle Knights
 * Rokuna to Rockna
 * Namiko Gokumare to Naomi Loon
 * Count Collection to Prince Eccentro
 * Utahime to Kahimi
 * Guuko to Gluko
 * Leprechaun to Impy
 * Zaha to Gabriolis
 * Shiru to Spectra Angel
 * Ruth to Lucca
 * Many one-episode monsters also were changed, such as Electric Eel to Zap The Eel Monster and Orthros to Dopplefanger.


 * Space-Time Detective Genshi-Kun to Flint the Time Detective
 * Genshi to Flint Hammerhead
 * Dad-Tan to Rocky Hammerhead
 * Sora Yamato to Sara Goodman
 * Tokio Yamato to Tony Goodman
 * Kyoichiro Narugami to Merlock Holmes
 * Time Pilfer (T.P.) Lady to Petra Fina
 * Many Time shifters


 * G Gundam aired on Cartoon Network starting in August 2002; however, many of the Gundams' actual names were changed for different reasons. Three of them were changed for religious references, one for an alcohol reference, and the rest for unknown reasons
 * God Gundam/Burning Gundam
 * Devil Gundam/Dark Gundam
 * Death Army/Dark Army
 * Scud Gundam/Desert Gundam
 * Tequila Gundam/Spike Gundam
 * Lumber Gundam/Grizzly Gundam
 * John Bull Gundam/Royal Gundam
 * Pharaoh Gundam IV/Mummy Gundam IV
 * Minaret Gundam/Scimitar Gundam
 * Kowloon Gundam/Haow Gundam
 * Gundam Spiegel/Shadow Gundam
 * Nether Gundam/Hurricane Gundam
 * Matador Gundam/Toro Gundam
 * Nobel Gundam/Noble Gundam
 * Gundam Heaven's Sword/Raven Gundam


 * Many names were changed in the localizations of Ys Book I and II and Ys III for the Turbo Grafx 16 CD:
 * Dogi to Colin {I and II only}
 * Rea to Lair
 * Raba to Rasta
 * Banoa to Berniece
 * Roo to Quay (the gremlin-type creatures)
 * Gort to Dekka
 * Zava to Yetai
 * Felghana to Kenai
 * Galbalan to Demonicus
 * Ilvern to Alcaino
 * And many more


 * Star Fox:
 * Katarina to Katina
 * NUS 64 to ROB 64
 * Panther Caluroso to Panther Caroso
 * Andorf to Andross
 * Aparoid Mother to Aparoid Queen
 * Aparoid Factory to Aparoid Hatcher
 * Ash Bowman to Dash Bowman


 * Every casts in Inazuma Eleven


 * Yoroiden-Samurai Troopers to Ronin Warriors:
 * Seiji to Sage
 * Shin to Cye
 * Xiu Lei Huang to Kento Rei Fang
 * Touma to Rowen
 * Arago to Talpa
 * Shutendoji to Anubis
 * Anubis to Cale
 * Rajura to Dais
 * Naaza to Sekhmet
 * Kaos to The Ancient
 * Nasuti Yagyu to Mia Koji
 * Jun to Yulie


 * Paladin's Quest:
 * Richter to Mouth. This results in considerable confusion for English-speaking players of the sequel, Lennus II, which features a character named Rich Jr. who is clearly meant to be Richter's son, but who never mentions him by name.


 * Captain Commando:
 * Sho to Ginzu the Ninja
 * Jennety to Mack the Knife
 * Hoover to Baby Head
 * Genocide to Scumocide
 * Blood to Boots (SNES port only)


 * Lost Worlds to Forgotten Worlds:
 * Sylphie to Mirabella (only in the Mega Drive's manual)


 * Cannon Dancer to Osman
 * Kirin to Osman
 * Slaver to Abdullah the Slaver


 * Spartan X to Kung Fu Master (unless stated otherwise, all changes are found in the manuals for the home computer ports)
 * Sylvia to Princess Victoria
 * Strongman to The Giant Kicker or just The Giant (NES)
 * Black Magician to Lightning Magician


 * Makaimura to Ghosts N Goblins
 * Lucifer to Loki (only in the Genesis port)
 * He became Rushifell in Gargoyle's Quest
 * Samael to Sardius
 * Princess Prin Prin to Princess Guinevere (only in the manual of the SNES installment; she still kept her original name in-game)
 * The Genesis and Master System versions renamed her into Princess Tamara in the manual, but she was still called Princess Prin Prin in-game as well.
 * Red Arremer to Firebrand (only in the Gargoyle's Quest series and some manuals of the console versions)


 * Nekketsu Ko-ha Kunio-kun to Renegade (the westernized characters were left nameless in the arcade game, but the NES port gave the player and the four bosses proper names)
 * Kunio to Mr. K
 * Riki to Jack
 * Shinji to Joel
 * Misuzu to Kim
 * Sabu remained the same in the NES version, but in the Sega Master System version he was replaced by a new final boss named Lucas.


 * Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari to River City Ransom (or Street Gangs in Europe)
 * Original cast
 * Kunio to Alex
 * Riki Samejima to Ryan
 * Mami Shimada to Cyndi
 * Kazumi Hasebe to Roxy
 * Yasuo Sawaguchi to Rocko
 * Naritaka Nishimura to Moose
 * Tsuneo Kamijo- to Benny
 * Noriyuki Yamamoto to Clyde
 * Tadashi Kinoshita to Blade
 * Shun Mochizuki to Turk
 * Kiyofumi Taira to Mojo
 * Masao Kobayashi to Thor
 * Tsuyoshi Go-da to Ivan Popov
 * Takashi Onizuka to Otis
 * Susumu Godai to Tex
 * Ryu-ichi and Ryu-ji Hattori to Randy and Andy
 * Taiki Yamada to Simon
 * EX additions
 * Kuniko Ashino to Shel
 * Saori Go-da to Abby Popov
 * Sho-ko to Jinny
 * Kaoru Sonokawa to Conan
 * Sanju-ro Sugata to Gary
 * Tooru Maeda to Rick
 * Ryo-ma Hayasaka to Jesse
 * Ju-zo- Kumada to Ted
 * Sho- Himada to Rex
 * Mamoru To-do- to Tidus


 * Ikari to Ikari Warriors. The main characters had their names changed for the overseas versions. When they reappeared in KOF, they returned to their original Japanese names.
 * Ralf Jones to Paul
 * Clark Still to Vince
 * General Kawasaki to Colonel Cook


 * Garou Densetsu to Fatal Fury
 * Marco Rodriguez to Khushnood Butt
 * Griffon Mask to Tizoc


 * Fu--un Mokushiroku to Savage Reign
 * Shishioh to King Lion and Real Shishioh to King Leo. King Lion is supposed to be a disguised stand-in for King Leo, but this nuance is lost due to the fact they have different names in the English version. This is also why the fake Shishioh is called "Shadow Shishioh" in later appearances.


 * Metal Gear
 * Big Boss to Commander South


 * Contra
 * Private First Class Bill Rizer to Sergeant Bill "Mad Dog" Ko to Jimbo and back to Bill Rizer
 * Private First Class Lance Bean to Corporal Lance "Scorpion" to Sully and back to Lance Bean
 * Enemies from Super C (partial list, since not all the enemies had their names localized)
 * "Machine Gun Soldier" to "Alien in Sergeant Skin's Clothing" (human Mook)
 * "Violent Hextuble Mobile Cannon Spider" to "Babalu Destructoid Mechanism" (mecha spider sub-boss from Stage 3)
 * "Bone Fortified Anti-Gravity Ship Girararu" to "Krypto-Crustacean" (UFO boss from Stage 5)
 * "Large Three-Layered Mouth Bakonga" to "Lip-o-suction" (disembodied mouth mook from Stage 6)
 * "Shadow Beast Demon Statue Desgelbes" to "Temple of Terror" (skull temple boss from Stage 7)
 * "Mineralized Covered Beast Jameera" to "Jagger Froid's Spit Soldier" (spitting face statues from Stage 8)
 * "Ogre-Headed Beast Orlean" to "Red Falcon" (running alien mooks from Stage 8)
 * "Emperor/Uranian Devil Gava" is also sometimes called "Jagger Froid" (The Dragon according to the manual).
 * Enemies from Contra III (again, a partial list)
 * "Small-Fry Soldier" to "Corporals of Punishment" (blue and red enemy mooks)
 * "Man-faced dog" to "Man-faced mutt" (Exactly What It Says on the Tin)
 * "Sniper" to "Sniper" (the only enemy to keep the same exact name)
 * "Slave Beast Taka" to "Beast Kimkoh" (giant tortoise boss from Stage 1)
 * "Crawler Tank" to "Twylobyte" (centipede mook from Stage 2)
 * "Multi-Cannon Sweeping Machine Bosco Spider" to "Metallican" (robot spider boss from Stage 2)
 * "Tri-Transforming Mecha Wall Walker" to "Chrome-Dome"/Tri-Transforming Wall Walker" (transforming sub-boss from Stage 3)
 * "Birdman Race Garth" to "Mutant Megasquito" (winged mooks from Stage 3)
 * "Grand Prix Robot Big Fuzz" to "Robo-Corpse" (giant robot skeleton boss from Stage 3)
 * "Hell Riders" to "Psycho Cyclers" (flying biker mooks from Stage 4)
 * "Emperor Dragon King Ogre Jaba" to "Para-Slug" (final sub-boss from the first Contra)
 * "Metal Alien" to "Vicious Slave Hawk" (flying alien boss from Super Contra)


 * Miracle Girls (in the case of the Tokyopop's "translation" of the manga)
 * Tomomi Matsunaga to Toni Morgan
 * Mikage Matsunaga to Mika Morgan
 * Hideaki Kurashige to Chris Kubrick
 * Masaki Takamura to Mason Templar


 * Musha Aleste to M.U.S.H.A.
 * Ellinor to Terri


 * Dragon Slayer IV to Legacy of the Wizard
 * Dilgyos to Keela


 * Shining in the Darkness
 * Mephisto to Dark Sol


 * Corpse Party
 * Tenjin Elementary School to "Heavenly Host Elementary"


 * Pac-Man (names in parentheses are the more commonly used nicknames)
 * Oikake (Akabei) to Shadow (Blinky)
 * Machibuse (Pinky) to Speedy (Pinky)
 * Kimagure (Aosuke) to Bashful (Inky)
 * Otobuke (Guzuta) to Pokey (Clyde)


 * Magical Doropie to The Krion Conquest
 * Akudama Empire to Krion Empire
 * Doropie to Francesca


 * Valis series
 * Cham to Char (Turbo CD version of Valis III only)
 * Glames to Ramses (Turbo CD version of Valis III only)
 * Yuko to Syd (Syd of Valis, in game only)


 * Valkyria Chronicles, in both the English text and the English dub:
 * Flovsia Yorke to Freesia York
 * Remy Linton to Ramona Linton
 * Rein to Lynn


 * KiKi KaiKai (Sequel First) to Pocky & Rocky
 * Sayo to Pocky
 * Manuke to Rocky
 * Miki to Becky
 * Takuan to Bomber Bob
 * Shinobi to Little Ninja


 * Kaiketsu Yanchamaru to Kid Niki: Radical Ninja
 * Yanchamaru to Kid Niki
 * Otafuku Tarou to Death Breath
 * Jizou Kozou to Spike
 * Zoushouku Musume to Horned Witch
 * Otemo Mukade to Green Grub
 * Sekkyou Oshou to Mad Monk
 * Kabuto Bushi to Samurai Guard
 * Zouringen to Stone Wizard
 * Princess Kurumi to Princess Margo

Japanese to Non-North American English Name Changes

 * Digimon Adventure 02
 * Miyako to Kyo


 * Digimon Tamers
 * Takato to Tio (switched back after episode 1)
 * Hirokazu to Kyle
 * Juri to Jen


 * Bioman
 * Go- Shiro- to Kenny
 * Shingo Takasugi to Sammy
 * Ryu-ta Nambara to Franky
 * Mika Koizumi to Casey
 * Hikaru Katsuragi to Kimberly
 * Jun Yabuki to June
 * Dr. Hideo Kageyama to Dr. Michael O'Hara
 * Monster to Vargo


 * Lupin III: The Secret of Mamo (first English dub only)
 * Daisuke Jigen to Dan Dunn
 * Fujiko Mine to Margot
 * Goemon Ishikawa XIII to the Samurai
 * Inspector Ko-ichi Zenigata to Detective Ed Scott
 * Howard Lockwood to Foward Fughes


 * Yume Tairiku Adventure to Penguin Adventure
 * Penko to Penguette