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Dub Name Change/Japanese to English: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
== A ==
* ''Akumajou Dracula'' to ''[[Castlevania]]''
** The Belmondo clan to the Belmont clan <ref>Although ''Dracula II'', the Japanese version of ''Castlevania II'' actually uses "Belmont" as well, while ''Akumajou Densetsu'', the Japanese ''Castlevania III'', uses "Belmond". The American version of ''Castlevania'' also uses "Belmondo". It was only in later years that "Belmondo" was established as the official romanized spelling in Japan, while "Belmont" is used overseas.</ref>
** Ralph C. Belmondo to Trevor Belmont
** Johnny Morris to John Morris
** Soma Kurusu to Soma Cruz <ref>His nationality was also changed as well from a native-born Japanese to an exchange student.</ref>
== B ==
* ''[[Beyblade]]''
**
**
** Hiromi to Hilary
* [[Breath of Fire I|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 [[Woolseyism|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 ([[Spell My Name with an "S"|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 ([[Spell My Name with an "S"|Babaruku in his boss fight]])
** Alzheimer to Aruhamel [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Aruhameru in his boss fight]])
* ''[[Breath of Fire III]]'' has a few, mostly to [[Woolseyism|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 [[No Koreans in Japan|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 [[Spell My Name with an "S"|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
== C ==
* ''[[Cannon Dancer]]'' to ''Osman''
**
**
* ''[[Captain Commando]]'':
**
**
**
**
** Blood to Boots (SNES port only)
* ''[[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).
**
**
** Takashi to Zachary
** Chiharu to Chelsea
** Tomoyo to Madison
** Yukito Tsukishiro to Julian Starr
** Eriol Hiiragizawa to Eli Moon
* ''[[Choudenshi Bioman|Bioman]]'' (Non-North American English)
** Go- Shiro- to Kenny
**
**
**
** Hikaru Katsuragi to Kimberly
** Jun Yabuki to June
** Dr. Hideo Kageyama to Dr. Michael O'Hara
**
* ''[[Chrono Cross]]'' (most due to space issues):
** DragChild to Draggy
** Farga to Fargo
**
**
**
**
** Tsukoyomi (Harlequin) to Harle
** Lutianna to Luccia
** Mamacha to Macha
**
**
**
** Slash to Nikki (so as not to confuse people with the Slash from ''Chrono Trigger'' mentioned above)
**
**
**
**
**
** Snakebone Master Jyakotu to Lord Viper (just "Viper" in the profile screens)
**
**
** Van Cliff to Van
**
** One of the bosses, the Lunar Dragon, got mistranslated to Time Devourer (despite the Time Devourer actually being the ''next'' boss)
* ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'':
** Chrono to Crono (due to space issues)
** Maoh to Magus
** Gash, Hash and Bosh to [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|Melchior, Gaspar and Belthasar]]
** Vinegar, Soysau and Mayonee to [[Shout-Out Theme Naming|Ozzie, Slash and Flea]]
** Marl to Marle
** Marldia to Nadia
** Granleon to Masamune
* ''[[Contra]]''<ref>For the American localization of the NES and Game Boy games, Bill's and Lance's full names and ranks were changed and they were given nicknames that they didn't have in the Japanese version. Because of timeline differences between the Japanese and American continuity, Bill and Lance were renamed again in ''Contra III'' and were passed as the descendants of the previous games' heroes. With ''Contra: Shattered Soldier'', the localization team decided to stick with the Japanese continuity.</ref>
** Private First Class Bill Rizer to [[Sgt Bilko|Sergeant Bill "Mad Dog" Ko]] to Jimbo and back to Bill Rizer
** Private First Class Lance Bean to [[Punny Name|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)<ref>Notable that they used an illustration of a mook when the rest of the manual (and the localization of the other games) implied that "Red Falcon" is the main villain (namely "Emperor Devil Gava", the boss of Stage 6).</ref>
**** "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) <ref> "Beast Kimkoh" was a different enemy in the Japanese version, specifically the alien with the woman's face from ''Super C''.</ref>
*** "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) <ref> They gave the same sub-boss two different names in the U.S. version. Presumably a misprint.</ref>
*** "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'') <ref>His American name is a mistranslation of "Slave Beast Taka", which was probably switched due to this mistake.</ref>
* ''[[Corpse Party]]''
** Tenjin Elementary School to "Heavenly Host Elementary"
== D ==
* 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.
* ''[[Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z|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 [[Powerpuff Girls|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 [[She's a Man In Japan|Ivy]] (which [[Dramatically Missing the Point|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.
* ''[[Detective Conan]]'' to ''Case Closed'' (changed to avoid a lawsuit from [[DC Comics]], [[Conan the Barbarian|who hold an ironclad trademark on the name "Conan"]] in all media forever—[[Conan O'Brien|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
* ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]'' (Non-North American English)
** Miyako to Kyo
* ''[[Digimon Tamers]]'' (Non-North American English)
** Takato to Tio (switched back after episode 1)
** Hirokazu to Kyle
** Juri to Jen
* ''[[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
Line 215 ⟶ 210:
** Yatagaramon to Crowmon
** And [[Loads and Loads of Characters|many, many, many more]]
* ''Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari'' to ''[[River City Ransom]]'' (or ''Street Gangs'' in Europe) <ref>Everyone is referred to by a [[Last-Name Basis]] in the Japanese version, except for Kunio, Riki, Mami, Ryu-ichi, Ryu-ji, Kuniko, and Go-da's sister Saori.</ref>
** Original cast
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
*** Noriyuki Yamamoto to Clyde
*** Tadashi Kinoshita to Blade
*** Shun Mochizuki to Turk
***
***
*** Tsuyoshi Go-da to Ivan Popov <ref>The GBA version gave him the surname "Popov", making him and his sister Abby the only characters with full names in the English localization.</ref>
***
***
*** Ryu-ichi and Ryu-ji Hattori to Randy and Andy
*** Taiki Yamada to Simon ({{spoiler|a.k.a. Slick}})
** ''EX'' additions
***
***
***
*** Kaoru Sonokawa to Conan<ref>He was originally named Harry in the NES version, while the [[Mook]] version of him in the GBA version is called Phil. He uses the name Conan when he joins the player's party.</ref>
***
*** Tooru Maeda to Rick
***
***
*** Sho- Himada to Rex
*** Mamoru To-do- to Tidus
* ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' (Harmony Gold dub)
** Goku to [[My Hero Zero|Zero]]
Line 319 ⟶ 255:
*** 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
* ''Dragon Slayer IV'' to ''[[Legacy of the Wizard]]''
** Dilgyos<ref>([[Spell My Name with an "S"|spelled]] Dilguios in the MSX version)</ref> to Keela
== E ==
* ''[[EarthBound]]''
** Porky to Pokey (and back again in ''[[Super Smash Bros.|Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'')
**
**
** PK Fighting Spirit to PSI Rockin (Ness's signature attack)
== F ==
* ''[[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 IX]]''
** Marilith to Maliris
** Burimushi became Oglop
* ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]''
** Tina to Terra [[Woolseyism|(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 [[Flame War|(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 XII]]''
** Balflear to Balthier
* ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]''
** Lightning's real name: {{spoiler|Eclair to Claire}}
* ''[[Final Fight]]''
** Damnd to Thrasher (only in the SNES and Sega CD ports)
** Sodom to Katana (ditto)
* ''[[Futari wa Pretty Cure|Pretty Cure]]''
** Nagisa Misumi to Nathalie [[Meaningful Name|Blackstone]]
** Honoka Yukishiro to Hannah [[Theme Naming|Whitehouse]]
* ''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.
== G ==
* ''Garou Densetsu'' to ''Fatal Fury''
** Marco Rodriguez to Khushnood Butt
** Griffon Mask to Tizoc
* ''[[Gash Bell]]''
** Gash to Zatch (which
** Kiyomaru to Kiyo
** Suzume to Suzy
Line 361 ⟶ 334:
** The Mamono race to the Mamodo race
** And numerous instances of [[Spell My Name with an "S"]] (Koruru/Kolulu, Wonlei/Wonrei, and others)
* ''[[Golden Sun]]''
** Robin to Isaac
** Gerald to Garet
** Mary to Mia
** Garcia to Felix
** Jasmine to Jenna
** Sclater to Kraden
* ''[[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<ref>Sven was actually both Takashi and Ryo- combined into one character since they looked identical anyway...letting the dubbers also conveniently pretend Sven [[Never Say "Die"|didn't actually die]] and Ryo- was simply Sven's return after he got better.</ref>
* ''[[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
* Every name except Godot's ({{spoiler|although his real name was changed}}) was changed during the transition from ''Gyakuten Saiban'' (Turnabout Trials) to ''[[Ace Attorney]]''. [[Ace Attorney/Name Change|It even has its 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.
== I ==
* ''[[IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix]]''
**
** Masa Ishikawa to Mark Ramsey
**
** Yuri Jinno to Yuri Jin
* ''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 <ref>Both are named after real-life individuals. Kawasaki is named after Eikichi Kawasaki, the President of SNK at the time, while Cook was named Leland Cook, co-founder of Tradewest (the company that released the ''Ikari Warriors'' arcade game in the U.S.). The NES port reverted back to Kawasaki for the English localization.</ref>
* Every casts in ''[[Inazuma Eleven]]''
* ''[[Initial D]]'' (Tokyopop's version)
** Takumi to Tak
** Itsuki to Iggy
** Kyoichi to Kyle
** Kouichiro to Cole
== J ==
* ''[[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
== K ==
* ''[[Kagaku Sentai Dynaman|Dynaman]]''
** 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
* ''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
* ''[[Katamari Damacy]]'':
** Ichigo-chan to Ichigo (notable because the [[Japanese Honorifics|-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
* ''[[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 (film)|Batman and Robin]]''" and Dasonu* Maso, who became the Dance* Master because the pun doesn't work at all in English.
* ''[[KiKi KaiKai]]'' ([[Sequel First]]) to ''Pocky & Rocky''
** Sayo to Pocky
** Manuke to Rocky
** Miki to Becky
** Takuan to Bomber Bob
** Shinobi to Little Ninja
* The [[Kirby]] anime: First the title: [[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!|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
== L ==
* ''[[The Legendary Starfy]]''
**
* ''Lost Worlds'' to ''[[Forgotten Worlds]]'':
** Sylphie to Mirabella (only in the [[Mega Drive]]'s manual)
* ''[[Lupin III]]: [[The Movie|The Secret of Mamo]]'' (first English dub only, Non-North American English)
** 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
== M ==
* ''[[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.
* ''[[Magical Doropie]]'' to ''The Krion Conquest''
** Akudama Empire to Krion Empire
** Doropie to Francesca
* ''Makaimura'' to ''[[Ghosts 'n Goblins|Ghosts N Goblins]]''
** Lucifer to Loki (only in the Genesis port)
*** He became [[Spell My Name with an "S"|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)
* ''[[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
* ''[[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
* ''[[Metal Gear]]''
** Big Boss to Commander South <ref>This was only in the case of the instruction manual for the first game's NES version. The manual itself was a [[Macekre]], anyway.</ref>
* ''Miracle Girls'' (in the case of the Tokyopop's "[[Macekre|translation]]" of the manga)
** Tomomi Matsunaga to Toni Morgan
** Mikage Matsunaga to Mika Morgan
** Hideaki Kurashige to Chris Kubrick
** Masaki Takamura to Mason Templar
* ''[[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.
* ''Muscle Bomber'' to ''[[Saturday Night Slam Masters]]''
** Aleksey Salazof to Biff Slamkovich "The Rocking Ruskie"
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** Kimala the Bouncer to Jumbo "Flap" Jack
** The Astro to The Scorpion
* ''Musha [[Aleste]]'' to ''M.U.S.H.A.''
** Ellinor to Terri
== N ==
* ''Nekketsu Ko-ha [[Kunio-Kun|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)
**
**
**
**
** 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.
== O ==
* ''[[Ojamajo Doremi]]'' to ''Magical DoReMi''
** Doremi Harukaze to Dorie Goodwyn
** Hazuki Fujiwara to Reanne Griffith
**
** Pop to Caitlyn
** Onpu Segawa to Ellie Craft
** Majorika to Patina
** Majoruka to Petunia
* ''[[Okami]]''
** Most characters have had their names shortened somewhat.
* ''[[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.
== P ==
* ''[[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)
* ''[[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.
* ''[[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
* ''[[Persona (video game)|Megami Ibunroku Persona: Be Your True Mind]]'' to ''Revelations: Persona''
** Ayase to Alana
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** Yamaoka to Alfred
** Takahisa Kandora to GUIDO "THE ROCK" SARDENIA
* ''[[Persona 4|Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4]]''
** Kuma to Teddie
* 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 [[Spell My Name with an "S"|confusing.]]
** Alisa/Alyssa to Alis
**
** Lutz to Noah, which became an [[Inconsistent Dub|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
**
** Lynn to Sari
** Lane to Nial
**
**
**
** 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).)
* ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' anime
** Satoshi to Ash
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** The games [[Pokémon/Name Change|now have their own page.]]
== R ==
* The Enoki Films release of ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'':
**
**
**
**
**
** Kyouichi to Kevin
** Miki tot Mickey
** Nanami to Nanette
** Wakaba to Wanda
** Kozue to Chris
**
** Kanae to Kate
**
**
**
** Mamiya to Miles
** After the [[Central Park Media|original DVD's]] went out of print, all of the names were changed in the remastered re-release by The Right Stuf International.
* ''Rockman'' to ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]''
** Dr. Right to [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Dr. Light]]<ref>Except for the English version of ''Mega Man 3'', which used "Dr. Right".</ref>
**
**
** Forte to Bass
** Gospel to Treble (outside of the ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]'' series, at least)
**
** Eddie to Flip-Top, and later back to Eddie
** Earth to Terra
** Sungod to Sunstar
* ''Rockman EXE'' to ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]''
**
**
**
** 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
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
** Ms. Millionare to Ms. Millions
** Hayami Daisuke to Speedy Dave
** Gauss Magnets to Gauss Magnus
** Tesla Magnets to Tesla Magnus
**
** 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
**
**
** Captain Kurohige to Blackbeard (admittedly, this is a literal translation)
**
**
**
**
**
** FootMan to GridMan
** SwallowMan to LarkMan
**
** Dream Virus and Dream Aura to Life Virus and Life Aura
** Proto to Alpha
* ''Rockman X'' to ''[[Mega Man X]]''
** Vava to Vile
== S ==
* ''[[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 [[DiC]] 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''. [[Macekre|Pretty much everything changed]].
* ''[[Saint Seiya]]'' to '' Knights of the Zodiac''
** Deathmask to Mephisto
** Saori to Princess Sienna
* ''[[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 ([[Dragon's Lair|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 ({{spoiler|Kentaro Washio}}) 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 [[Dub-Induced Plot Hole|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 {{spoiler|from Sammie Pandora to Nancy Aikens}}.
*** 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".
* ''[[Shaman King]]''
** Manta to Morty
** Ryu to Rio
** Chocolove to Joco
** Hao to Zeke
** Horokeu Usui nicknamed Horohoro to Horohoro nicknamed Trey Racer
* ''[[Shining in the Darkness]]''
** Mephisto to Dark Sol
* 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.
* ''[[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).
*** [[Word of God|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 [[Sonic Sat AM|Princess Sally]] (only in the manual for ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]'')
* ''Space-Time Detective Genshi-Kun'' to ''[[Flint the Time Detective]]''
** Genshi to Flint Hammerhead
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** Time Pilfer (T.P.) Lady to Petra Fina
** Many Time shifters
* ''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
* ''[[Star Fox (series)|Star FOX]]'':
** Katarina to Katina
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** Aparoid Factory to Aparoid Hatcher
** Ash Bowman to Dash Bowman
* ''[[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 [[Fan Nickname|nicknames]] for those characters to avoid confusion.
*** M. Bison to Balrog (Boxer)
*** Balrog to Vega (Claw)
*** Vega to M. Bison (Dictator)
** Nash to Charlie <ref>The anime sequences of ''Street Fighter IV'' combined the two, revealing his full name to be "Charles Nash" on his dog tag. However, the dialogue still refers to him primarily as "[[First-Name Basis|Charlie]]" or "[[Last-Name Basis|Nash]]" depending on the language.</ref>
** Gouki to Akuma <ref>He was technically nameless in his debut game, ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo''. The names "Gouki" and "Akuma" were only used for [[All There in the Manual|promotional materials]] at first and then appeared in-game from ''[[Street Fighter Alpha]]'' and onward.</ref>
** Julia to Jane (Guile's wife)
** Chris to Amy (Guile's daughter)
* ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario Bros.]]''
** Koopa Daimao- ([[Spell My Name with an "S"|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 [[The Goomba|Goomba]]
** Noko Noko to Koopa Troopa
** Pata Pata to Paratroopa
** Teresa to Boo
** [[Punny Name|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 [[Links Awakening|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 (a faithful translation would be Barkbark or Woofwoof)
** Yossy to Yoshi (later Japanese versions used the American spelling)
== T ==
* ''[[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 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 [[Name's the Same|there's another]] [[Tales of the Abyss|Jade]]...)
* ''[[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
* ''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 [[Transformers Generation 1|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 [[Xtreme Kool Letterz|X-]]Brawn
** Indy Heat to Skid[[Xtreme Kool Letterz|-Z]]
** Brave Maximus to Fortress Maximus
** Gigatron to Megatron
** Devil Gigatron to Galvatron
** Greejeeber to Rollbar
** Black Convoy to Scourge
* ''[[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
== V ==
* ''[[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
* ''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)
== W ==
* ''[[Wild ARMs XF]]''
** Labryna has changed to Labyrinthia.
== Y ==
* ''Yoroiden-Samurai Troopers'' to ''[[Ronin Warriors]]'':
** Seiji to Sage
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** Nasuti Yagyu to Mia Koji
** Jun to Yulie
* ''[[Manga/Yotsubato|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 "[[Woolseyism|Cardbo]]", while the Yen Press translation gave it back its original Japanese name of "[[Blind Idiot Translation|Danbo]]" (from ''danboro'', the Japanese for corrugated cardboard).
* Many names were changed in the localizations of ''[[Ys]] Book I and II'' and ''[[Ys]] III'' for the [[TurboGrafx-16]] CD:
** Dogi to Colin {''I and II'' only}
** Rea to Lair
**
**
** Roo to Quay (the gremlin-type creatures)
**
**
** Felghana to Kenai
** Galbalan to Demonicus
** Ilvern to Alcaino
** And many more
* ''[[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 ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX|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
**
** Mai Kujaku to Mai Valentine
**
** Ryuji Otogi to Duke Devlin
** [[Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?|Pegasus]] J. Crawford to Maximillion Pegasus, though really just referred to as "Pegasus" either way.
* ''Yume Tairiku Adventure'' to ''[[Antarctic Adventure|Penguin Adventure]]'' (Non-North American English)
** Penko to Penguette
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