Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Adjectives: Difference between revisions

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Or they inspire mistrust because they sound "false", like "honest".
Or they inspire mistrust because they sound "false", like "honest".
{{examples|Examples}}
{{examples}}


=== Vicious ===
=== Vicious ===
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== [[Literature]] ==
== [[Literature]] ==
* [[Spell My Name With an S|Vishous]] from J.R. Ward's ''[[Black Dagger Brotherhood]]'' novels, mercifully shortened to 'V'. Most of her male characters have bizarrely spelled "badass" names, including Torhment, Phury, Zsadist, Rhage, Rehvenge, and Wrath (well, that last one is spelled correctly). John Matthew doesn't fare any better with his warrior name: {{spoiler|Tehrror; as does Butch when he's revealed to be a half-breed and gets saddled with a vampiric name of legend: The Dehstroyer.}}
* [[Spell My Name With an "S"|Vishous]] from J.R. Ward's ''[[Black Dagger Brotherhood]]'' novels, mercifully shortened to 'V'. Most of her male characters have bizarrely spelled "badass" names, including Torhment, Phury, Zsadist, Rhage, Rehvenge, and Wrath (well, that last one is spelled correctly). John Matthew doesn't fare any better with his warrior name: {{spoiler|Tehrror; as does Butch when he's revealed to be a half-breed and gets saddled with a vampiric name of legend: The Dehstroyer.}}


== [[Music]] ==
== [[Music]] ==
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== [[Web Original]] ==
== [[Web Original]] ==
* Dr. Horrible from ''[[Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog (Web Video)|Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]''' is a ... horrible example.
* Dr. Horrible from ''[[Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (Web Video)|Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]''' is a ... horrible example.




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== [[Web Comics]] ==
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Spades Slick, the heartless gangster from ''[[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]]''.
* Spades Slick, the heartless gangster from ''[[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]]''.
* Slick from ''[[Waterworks (Webcomic)|Waterworks]]'', though he's an [[Anti Villain]] at worst.
* Slick from ''[[Waterworks (Webcomic)|Waterworks]]'', though he's an [[Anti-Villain]] at worst.


=== Honest ===
=== Honest ===
* Honest John from ''[[Pinocchio]]''
* Honest John from ''[[Pinocchio]]''
* [[Honest Johns Dealership]]
* [[Honest John's Dealership]]
** ''Garfield'' had one manned by some "Honest Ed".
** ''Garfield'' had one manned by some "Honest Ed".
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGR-1_Honest_John MGR-1 Honest John] nuclear or nerve gas missiles.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGR-1_Honest_John MGR-1 Honest John] nuclear or nerve gas missiles.
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== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* Robbie Rotten from ''[[Lazy Town]]''.
* Robbie Rotten from ''[[Lazy Town]]''.
* Sgt Gross in the ''[[Blakes Seven (TV)|Blakes Seven]]'' episode "Moloch" is one of the lesser known villains of the show, but notably nasty.
* Sgt Gross in the ''[[Blake's Seven (TV)|Blakes Seven]]'' episode "Moloch" is one of the lesser known villains of the show, but notably nasty.
* ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' has Master Vile, Rita Repulsa, her brother Rito Revolto, Maligore (combination of Gore and Malevolent), General Havoc, Dark Specter, Darkonda, Ecliptor, Treacheron, Villamax, Deviot, Furio, Captain Mutiny, Hexuba, Diabolico, Jinxer, Onikage, Toxica/Necronomica, and Mesogog (from Magog, as in "Gog and Magog").
* ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' has Master Vile, Rita Repulsa, her brother Rito Revolto, Maligore (combination of Gore and Malevolent), General Havoc, Dark Specter, Darkonda, Ecliptor, Treacheron, Villamax, Deviot, Furio, Captain Mutiny, Hexuba, Diabolico, Jinxer, Onikage, Toxica/Necronomica, and Mesogog (from Magog, as in "Gog and Magog").
* ''[[Star Trek the Next Generation]]'': Does anyone really want a hernia exam from a doctor named ''Crusher???''
* ''[[Star Trek the Next Generation]]'': Does anyone really want a hernia exam from a doctor named ''Crusher???''
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* Johnny Rotten (real-life: John Lydon), band leader of the [[Sex Pistols (Music)|Sex Pistols]]. Given that 'Johnny' is British slang for 'condom', that verges on [[Squick]], too.
* Johnny Rotten (real-life: John Lydon), band leader of the [[Sex Pistols (Music)|Sex Pistols]]. Given that 'Johnny' is British slang for 'condom', that verges on [[Squick]], too.
* Adam Savage from ''[[Myth Busters (TV)|Myth Busters]]'': His job involves smashing, blowing up, or otherwise destroying various items in big and spectacular ways (and he is ''[[Keet|very]]'' enthusiastic about his work). Also, in episodes where the crew play out character roles, Adam often plays villainous characters with "Savage" somewhere in their name (i.e. [[James Bond|Baron von Savage]], [[Pirates|Captain Redbeard the Savage]]).
* Adam Savage from ''[[Myth Busters (TV)|Myth Busters]]'': His job involves smashing, blowing up, or otherwise destroying various items in big and spectacular ways (and he is ''[[Keet|very]]'' enthusiastic about his work). Also, in episodes where the crew play out character roles, Adam often plays villainous characters with "Savage" somewhere in their name (i.e. [[James Bond|Baron von Savage]], [[Pirates|Captain Redbeard the Savage]]).
* Colm Meaney an Irish actor who is actually by many accounts a pretty nice guy. Doesn't help that outside of Star Trek fandoms he's mostly known for playing villains or at the very least hard-assed [[Anti Hero]] types.
* Colm Meaney an Irish actor who is actually by many accounts a pretty nice guy. Doesn't help that outside of Star Trek fandoms he's mostly known for playing villains or at the very least hard-assed [[Anti-Hero]] types.
* Ivan the Terrible. He was a good ruler early on, defeating many enemies of the Russians, earning him the nickname which could also be translated as "formidable" or "fearsome". Later on, he became [[The Caligula]], making his name scary but appropriate on a whole different way.
* Ivan the Terrible. He was a good ruler early on, defeating many enemies of the Russians, earning him the nickname which could also be translated as "formidable" or "fearsome". Later on, he became [[The Caligula]], making his name scary but appropriate on a whole different way.
* There is is a Zimbabwean footballer (soccer player) called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_Fourpence Danger Fourpence].
* There is is a Zimbabwean footballer (soccer player) called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_Fourpence Danger Fourpence].

Revision as of 20:04, 9 January 2014


Names to Run Away From Really Fast which inspire fear because they are fearsome adjectives: Vicious, Grim, Sinister, Nefarious, Horrible, etc.

Or they inspire mistrust because they sound "false", like "honest".

Examples of Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Adjectives include:


Vicious

Anime and Manga

  • The villain from Cowboy Bebop.
  • The main antagonist of Pokémon 4 Ever is named Lord Vicious the Mask (Vicious-sama no Kamen). He's also rumored to have been named for Sid Vicious, but evidence is hazy.

Comic Books

Literature

  • Vishous from J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood novels, mercifully shortened to 'V'. Most of her male characters have bizarrely spelled "badass" names, including Torhment, Phury, Zsadist, Rhage, Rehvenge, and Wrath (well, that last one is spelled correctly). John Matthew doesn't fare any better with his warrior name: Tehrror; as does Butch when he's revealed to be a half-breed and gets saddled with a vampiric name of legend: The Dehstroyer.

Music

  • Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. Sid was actually not that violent, nor was he particularly good in a fight; the pose of being a "moral danger" was certainly deliberate.

Western Animation

Grim -- special thanks to The Grim Reaper.

Anime and Manga

Comic Books

  • Grimjack of Grimjack.
  • Mr Benjamin Grimm, otherwise known as The Thing of the Fantastic Four.
  • The Grim Hunter, who shares this with his father Kraven (see below).

Film

  • The hero of the Doom movie, John Grimm.

Literature

  • In the Harry Potter series, a black dog known as "the Grim" is an omen of death.
  • Grim Tuesday from the Keys of the Kingdom series.
  • Grimhild, the Evil Matriarch of the Gjukung clan in the Old Norse Volsunga Saga.

Toys

Video Games

Western Animation

Sinister:

Comic Books

Literature

  • Subverted with Professor Sinistra, Astronomy teacher at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series, who is actually a good soul, if an inveterate alarmist.
  • Sinistrad from The Death Gate Cycle.

Music

  • Synyster Gates from Avenged Sevenfold.

Video Games

  • And Sinistar. He hungers! Run! Run! Run! Run!
  • Slight variation: Sinistrals, from the Lufia games.

Western Animation


Nefarious:

Comic Books

Film - Animated

Live-Action TV

MMORPGs

Video Games


Shady:

Music

Newspaper Comics

  • Shady Shrew from Slylock Fox. This trope is usually extrapolated to other bit criminals like Reeky Rat or Slick Smitty -- it's surprising that name profiling hasn't been implemented yet.

Tabletop Games

  • Sid Shady from the riddle game Mind Trap.


Greedy:

Anime and Manga

Film

Video Games

Western Animation


Dastardly:

Western Animation


Horrible -- Just silly enough that it's (as far as is recorded here) never used seriously.

Literature

  • Horribin the Clown from Tim Powers's The Anubis Gates. An adept of Ancient Egyptian sorcery, who runs a crew of beggars that he crippled himself.

Web Comics

Web Original


Evil

Anime and Manga

Film

Live-Action TV

  • Avery Schreiber played a villain named "Mr. Evil" on The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine.

Video Games

  • Berzerk has Evil Otto.
  • Pokémon Colosseum: It may be an unwritten rule that the leaders of Cipher (listed far below) have some part of Evil in their name. First was Evice, and second was Greevil. For added evil points, Greevil's Japanese name translates into 'Deathgold'.
  • Evil Marie in Carn Evil.
  • Evil Crash in the Crash Bandicoot series.

Western Animation


Craven

Comic Books

Film

Literature


Insidious

Film

  • Darth Sidious of Star Wars. Double points for rhyming with "hideous". There is a certain in-story justification, as Sith 'names' are not technically names, but titles given after they've purposely started down the road of evil.


Dark

Anime and Manga

  • Yu-Gi-Oh has several instances:
    • Yami (= Dark) Yugi, whose early punishments for people who attacked or threatened his friends included tricking people into yoyoing themselves through a roof to fall several stories, getting people stung by their own scorpions and subjecting people to illusory torture by Eldritch Abomination.
    • Yami Bakura, who loves trapping people in game-based objects (such as, in the manga, storing souls in a pair of dice so they always rolled high).
    • Yami Marik, who unlike the other two has no ancient Egyptian backstory, he just kills people.
  • D.N.Angel's phantom thief, Dark Mousy. Also of note is his evil counterpart, Krad.

Comic Books

Film

  • A common misconception surrounding Star Wars is that Darth is Dutch or German for dark, when neither of these statements are accurate. Dark would be donker and dunkel, respectively. Vader, on the other hand is Dutch for father, though it is pronounced differently in Dutch.

Literature

Video Games

Slick -- Both the meaning and the snakelike pronunciation have connotations of being sly, manipulative, scheming, smug.

Video Games

Web Comics

Honest

Other Adjectives

Anime and Manga

  • Subtly, several names translate to disabilities, though that's not always bad. On the good side, Cecile from Code Geass ("Blind"). On the bad side, Claudia from The Vampire Chronicles ("Lame"). "Cecile" comes from "caecus", which means "blind" in Latin. In olden times it implied powers of prophesy as well, since many famous seers (Tiresias for example) were blind.

Comic Books

Fan Works

Film

Literature

Live-Action TV

  • Robbie Rotten from Lazy Town.
  • Sgt Gross in the Blakes Seven episode "Moloch" is one of the lesser known villains of the show, but notably nasty.
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has Master Vile, Rita Repulsa, her brother Rito Revolto, Maligore (combination of Gore and Malevolent), General Havoc, Dark Specter, Darkonda, Ecliptor, Treacheron, Villamax, Deviot, Furio, Captain Mutiny, Hexuba, Diabolico, Jinxer, Onikage, Toxica/Necronomica, and Mesogog (from Magog, as in "Gog and Magog").
  • Star Trek the Next Generation: Does anyone really want a hernia exam from a doctor named Crusher???

Video Games

Web Comics

Web Original

Western Animation

Real Life

  • Johnny Rotten (real-life: John Lydon), band leader of the Sex Pistols. Given that 'Johnny' is British slang for 'condom', that verges on Squick, too.
  • Adam Savage from Myth Busters: His job involves smashing, blowing up, or otherwise destroying various items in big and spectacular ways (and he is very enthusiastic about his work). Also, in episodes where the crew play out character roles, Adam often plays villainous characters with "Savage" somewhere in their name (i.e. Baron von Savage, Captain Redbeard the Savage).
  • Colm Meaney an Irish actor who is actually by many accounts a pretty nice guy. Doesn't help that outside of Star Trek fandoms he's mostly known for playing villains or at the very least hard-assed Anti-Hero types.
  • Ivan the Terrible. He was a good ruler early on, defeating many enemies of the Russians, earning him the nickname which could also be translated as "formidable" or "fearsome". Later on, he became The Caligula, making his name scary but appropriate on a whole different way.
  • There is is a Zimbabwean footballer (soccer player) called Danger Fourpence.