One Piece Wiki:Japanese vs. English Names

The most common arguments regarding One Piece and anime as a general is whether the Japanese or English names should be used. The common disputes are over character or group names. Here is a explanation as to why these such name conflicts happen.

How do names change between languages?

 * Basically, different languages don't always share the same pronunciations. To make things easier, some dubbing companies outside Japan change names to make it easier for the people watching the show to pronounce them. The Japanese language is very different to the English language and many other languages around the world. A common example is regarding the letter 'L' which the Japanese often pronounce as a 'R', so the 'Lu' in Luffy's name comes out as 'Ru'.


 * Other times, it is simply how the name transfers into the countries written language when the script for the episodes are handed over to the dubbers. Usopp when translated into one written language comes out as 'Liar Bo', therefore that translation uses that name.


 * In the case of 'Zolo', 4Kids changed 'Zoro's' name to 'Zolo' to avoid copyright problems with the other well known fictional swordsman 'Zorro'.


 * Sometimes it is done to avoid words such as 'death' or weapons such as 'pistol'. Sometimes this is done because the TV station showing the series has rules against these words or references (Jettix for example). Other times it's the companies own regulations that are the reason behind the change


 * Religious related terms such as 'Miss Merry Christmas' are often removed to avoid offending non-Christians.


 * Other times it will be done to sound more exotic or fashionable. Others will simply get more uncommon romanizations. For example, changing 'Edward' to 'Ward'.


 * Lastly, there is the case where the dubbers simply choose to change the name to one that sounds more familiar to the audience. One example in One Piece is 'Miss Goldenweek' (a reference to a Japanese holiday) being changed to 'Miss April Fools day'.

For details on name changes in the English dub of One Piece, see our 4kids Edits.

Why choose Japanese names over English dub names?
For several reasons:
 * It is the original language, therefore all other dubs are based around it.
 * Most characters names were known by the English speaking fans even before Viz and 4Kids came into the scene.
 * Translations, such as fan-subbers, use the Japanese names and words. Since most fans on the Internet will have seen these subs or use their naming system, it makes it easier for everyone to tell who is who.
 * They are usually the more popular name for one reason or another.
 * The English dubs and translations in particular are several years behind in production.

Initially, both the English and Japanese names are referenced on a page to show what everything is known as in both versions. Redirect links are also used to transfer readers from the Dub name to Japanese name also.

But the 4Kids dub is the official English version!
This is no longer true and there are a TON of problems created by the 4Kids dub. Most One Piece fans respond to the 4Kids dub by dismissing every change they make to the series, names are included in their dismissal. Many names are changed to something too dramatically different to their Japanese counterparts.

The 4Kids version also has many mistranslations as well. Such as naming Arlong and his crew 'Mermen' when they are not.

Another example of a bigger problem:


 * 1) 'Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling' would be written as 'Gum-Gum no Jet Gatling' according to the English dub version.
 * 2) 'Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling' is a upgrade of a move known as 'Gomu Gomu no Gatling' in Japanese... And 'Gum-Gum Rapid Fire' in the 4Kids version.
 * 3) 'Gum Gum no Jet Gatling' therefore would be the incorrect name to use anyway and it most likely would be 'Gum-Gum no Jet Rapid Fire'.
 * 4) 'no Jet' is also incorrect as this wouldn't be the words used by the 4Kids version as it reference how a Japanese speaker would use it. Most likely it would end up as 'Gum-Gum Jet Rapid Fire'.
 * 5) Since the 4Kids version never reached point we do not know how this would have turned out and everything is purely speculation, something we try and avoid.

Basically, it creates A LOT of problems. Most fans who support the 4Kids English dub version still dismiss the problems that happen and demand the names be used, regardless of incorrectness. However, not all name 4Kids chose were incorrect. 4Kids chose "Navy" over "Marines", a often heavily criticized action; mostly because commonly fans believe "Marine" is correct and navy is "incorrect". However, the Japanese on the sails reads "Navy" and "Marine" itself means "Navy" in several European countries.

FUNimation dub
Now the official version, FUNimation dub uses many of the previous 4Kids dub names. Mostly due to the previous 4Kids version having already aired. To avoid confusions between names of characters previously dubbed, FUNimation choose to continue using the 4Kids names, only using the original in the uncut DVDs. Outside of this, any new names that crop up are being translated mostly according to with what Viz Media's Manga translation has set the names to be under the instructions of Toei. This is an apparent reverse of how things between Viz and 4Kids were reacting to each other previously, where Viz decided to match some names with the 4Kids version.

Only a few names have been matched back to their Japanese version, mostly due to FUNimation's efforts to keep fans of the anime happy. FUNimation are treated the same as the 4Kids version because of the complications between TV, uncut and VIZ copied names.

Are there other English dubs?
Yes. There is also the Singapore version which few people even on the Internet know about. It is a much closer translation, having no ties to any manga version, resulting in the most direct Japanese to English version (E.g. the Gomu Gomu no Mi is called "Rubber Rubber Fruit"). However, as far as status goes, it's exactly on the same level as with the 4Kids version here.

What about the Viz manga translation?
Viz slowly began using more and more of the 4Kids versions names. For example, 'Zoro' started out with this as his name in the Viz version, it became 'Zolo' soon after the release of the 4Kids dub. Viz stands on the same line as 4Kids on the One Piece Encyclopedia also in regards to names.

As previously stated, for the most part many of the names for the TV version are now being matched to their Viz translated counterparts. However, FUNimation has still demanded some changes to names which have resulted in two names for the same character in both anime and manga version.

What if I disagree with using the Japanese names?
Sadly there is little you can do to change this. The greater community prefers the use of the Japanese names as a rule. It's the names they use and the fans of the series know. If you want to debate over a name, you can on the character or organisations discussion pages, but please don't leak the debates onto other pages. Meaning debates such as 'Zoro Vs Zolo' should only be on the page for that character. To date, the only exception to the rule is One Piece: Grand Adventure, wherein no actaul Japanese counterpart exists to begin with.

But mostly, to avoid arguments, please use the Japanese names.