Forum:Inconsistencies Major Cleanup

There are two major inconsistencies within this entire Wikia that I must address and ask everyone to help resolve. There might have been other forums out there that went for these problems in the past, but I saw no change regardless, so I hope that this one will do the trick.

Using Macrons and Breves (ū and ō instead of ou and uu)
Now I know that we use uu and ou instead of the ū and ō, due to the difficulty in getting those in the first place. But, in the page names, some page use macrons, while others just uses an "u" to extend the vowel, while some just skip both the macron and the extension "u". Here's a (partial) list of such things: They should all follow the same flow, with either all macrons, all using u as extension, or ignore all such altogether (at least until the databooks come out and confirm).

Japanese vs. English Naming
Yes, we agreed to name the pages as the original Japanese, but some pages goes against that, they are in English despite having an original Japanese name. Here's a list of examples: Now I know, all Devil Fruits are in original Japanese, and Colors Trap is a direct English romanization, but for the rest, why not change everything one way to match up the consistency.

So Do Something
Please make some comments and eventually, we can vote. Yatanogarasu 23:19, January 9, 2011 (UTC)


 * I know with cat claws, there was no Japanese version ready to use, thus "Cat claws" the subbed name had to be used at the time. It also made for easier look up. Also, this is VERY early in the wikias history. Some things stayed just because no one raised the problem. I believe Peacock slashers was the same. We had to use SOMETHING, so english was the only way forward (at the time) and in many cases, translators just didn't supply us with the same odd Japanese notes they do now, or the raws didn't explain too much. Basically, since the wikia set up shop, the fandoms become a lot more nerdy and info ready then it used to be. Lol.


 * Its the same with the double uu or ou and so forth. Thats how things were done at the time, and I STILL prefer it because of the difficulty getting the special characters for the little "u"'s.


 * In cases like the fishmen, it was the intended translation we used because "Mermen" and "Fishmen" had this HUGE problem within the fandom, people once upon a time couldn't tell them apart. For the first 2 years of the wikias history we had to explain all sorts of problems like this. Then when "Fishmen Karate" was done it was made to match the name that we already had in use "Fishmen". We didn't really explain what we were doing, but some things were done for a reason. One-Winged Hawk 23:41, January 9, 2011 (UTC)


 * Also, we had to deal with the early wikia curse left over from the 4Kids days, when some things transferred from wikipedia got stuck in one or another. Its like as I explained with "Marine". Its not actually meant to be "Marine", its "Navy", but we were sick of being forced to use the 4Kids translations at the time. "Marine" is just another word for "Navy", as the page explains. But if you change the page to what its SUPPOSE to say, the stink the fandom kicked up about us using Navy was hiderous! "Oh their using the 4Kids translation how **** ios that!". Remember, when the wikia went over, 4Kids were STILL dubbing, it was only after we were here for a year or so they quit it. ¬_¬'


 * Basically, some of these things just haven't been changed for one reason or another, I could explain about this all day, but imagine what we were present with THEN and what we've got NOW. Basically, the fandom and information supplied has slowly changed and shifted from one thing to the other. Heck, when half our pages were set up and had to deal with the MS site, which no longer exist thankfully, it was full of bad translations and incorrect names ("Bagi" instead of "Buggy"). No fault of the site, but most of the early translations were LQ and done before most of the names for One Piece got revealed. One-Winged Hawk 23:48, January 9, 2011 (UTC)

Oh, wow ok. So the fact of the matter is I don't really care about the Macrons and Breves, so long as I can actually read the words. I'll just go with whatever the majority decides for that. On the naming topic, I agree consistency is the way to go here and we just change things to the Japanese titles, since as mentioned, it was already decided to do so a while back. -- YazzyDream  03:30, January 10, 2011 (UTC)

I don't really care about the names (except Shichibukai of course) the bigger thing is double uu's. I personally think everything should be done with the double uu's.

http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Forum:Names_with_long_vowels I know you remember that because you participated in it a lot. The majority wanted double uu's. SeaTerror 22:22, January 10, 2011 (UTC)


 * To be accurate, that discussion didn't resolve anything. Many of the regular editors were missing and not even an official voting process happened. The thing is we haven't done everything yet to solve this problem. MasterDeva 10:00, January 11, 2011 (UTC)

Double uu is always the best way to do things though. Even if ū, ō is more correct it looks uglier than the double uu way. SeaTerror 16:06, January 11, 2011 (UTC)


 * I'll have to completely disagree with this and I'll explain the reason why. Using macrons is the professional way to present articles with double vowels and it's the way professional encyclopedias work. That is how Japanese texts are translated for the English language and that applies for various subjects found in Japanese language, fictional (such as the One Piece manga) or not.


 * Furthermore saying that "it looks uglier" is a weak claim to support your decision. Since we are a wikia that strives for professionalism when we are editing articles and we want to display that with our work! It would only be natural to use macrons on the present names with double vowels. If we were just another fun site I wouldn't have mentioned this and I would support the use of the double vowels, alas that is no the situation we have in our hands. MasterDeva 17:43, January 11, 2011 (UTC)

This is not Wikipedia nor should it be like Wikipedia. It doesn't matter what encyclopedias use. This is still a fan site more than it will ever be a "professional" site. Double vowels look better. This site also has fansub sections and uses fansub/scanlation titles for everything. I have never seen any fansub/scanlation use macrons. If this site was supposed to be a professional site then only the English releases would be used for anything. SeaTerror 19:03, January 11, 2011 (UTC)


 * Don't try to twist my words SeaTerror! I never mentioned Wikipedia nor I had it in mind when I was talking about encyclopedias, there are books too you know. You've also dodged what I mentioned about the English translations of Japanese texts too. I'm well aware that we use don't use "official" English translations from Viz or Funimation but that's besides the point also. Scanlations and fansubs make also grammar and syntax mistakes but we try to avoid them when we use translations from them and not copy them word for word.


 * What I said is that we try to do give a form in this wiki that is as close to professional as possible being a fan site but an encyclopedia as well. To your knowledge that's not just an opinion but it is something that has been expressed by One-Winged Hawk (aka Angel Emfrbl) AND Mugiwara Franky who are both senior members and contributors to this wikia from the early days. You should consider it from that point of view too. MasterDeva 19:41, January 11, 2011 (UTC)

"Professionals" either use macrons or cut it completely out. For instance, using Ryuma instead of Ryuuma. In fact, I have never seen an official release use macrons for their subtitles.

You missed the point completely. If this was supposed to as close to as professional as possible then this Wikia would ONLY use official English spellings. Instead most everything is either left untranslated or use fansub/scanlation spellings. Such as Pappagu instead of Pappug. Double vowels are always better. If this site was going to use macrons then it would have used them years ago. SeaTerror 20:27, January 11, 2011 (UTC)


 * How many times do I have to say think first before you act in order for you to consider it SeaTerror? In addition, you should rethink the use of quotations on professionals in your writing because you're making a blunder! Real translators use either macrons or double vowels, using Ryuma instead of Ryuuma as noted in your example is a MISTRANSLATION. Period. This wikia's purpose of using fansubs/scanlations came from the days when 4Kids was still running and Wikipedia allowed info from the dub (or anime in general) to be added to their One Piece articles as cannon.


 * Article accuracy was something that the "official" translations didn't provide and was one of the reasons this wiki was expanded upon (along with some negative feeling for 4Kids). Scanlations were ahead of the volume releases so they became a source for content, the other one being fansubs for episodes. This continues to be the case because Funimation's translations "tend to slip" here and then in their subtitles and other sources tend to be more literal though not without their own mistakes. Although it has become more of a users trend to use those particular sources that does not change anything I've said about the intention on a professional look for this site.


 * Lastly what you've said in the end about macrons, "it would have used them years ago" is just a moot point and not well though one at that. The same argument you used can be said about the Japanese vs. English naming that has gone on here since the beginning of this project. The reason for both of them staying as they are is quite simple. Editors were busy dealing with other things and a decision wasn't made about either until this day. Maybe one of these days that will change too. That's pretty much it. MasterDeva 21:39, January 11, 2011 (UTC)

You're 100% wrong. Using double vowels/macrons/one vowel are ALL ways of translating. So calling it a mistranslation is incredibly ignorant. Also you're wrong about real translators. Go watch a release on Crunchyroll they would never use double vowels. Also it just isn't this Wikia. Most Wikias use fansub/original terms. Double vowels are still better for this wikia. SeaTerror 21:58, January 11, 2011 (UTC)


 * Being headstrong won't help you solve any argument especially if you avoid them completely, I'm beginning to sound like a broken record...! Crunchyroll has received its fair of criticism over their translations, which is another reason why people have followed through the releases from fansubbing groups. It wasn't always like that for Crunchyroll but that's another story. You have stated your opinion clearly, "macrons look ugly", you've made your point SeaTerror. MasterDeva 22:08, January 11, 2011 (UTC)

Well, may I say: first, let's ignore everything about 4Kids, their edits are worth squat. I mean, "Marshall D. Teech", "Ward Newgate", WTF?! Their dubbing has practically ruined the series' good image. And then, about macrons, other wikias, such as Narutopedia, uses ū, ō and etc. So shouldn't we follow suit, and not make ourselves look bad by using these instead of extending everything with an "u"? Now, I know, this wikia is this wikia, and others are others, but we should take others for examples and improve from thereon. We could just create a template with these letters and put it in MediaWiki:Edittools, so we have easier access to them. And how are we gonna deal with the Japanese/English inconsistencies? Yatanogarasu 00:49, January 12, 2011 (UTC)


 * Besides, if we do NOT use macrons, then we really should convert Santōryū, Kāshī, and such back to the double u and whatnot. Yatanogarasu 00:51, January 12, 2011 (UTC)


 * You make an excellent point that has been mentioned some time ago by Tipota when we were dealing with those same problems. The truth is that I've though of adding macrons to MediaWiki:Edittools but I didn't mention it at that time, a big mistake from my side that I am ashamed to admit. Maybe things would have been different if I had... I was ready, to mention Narutopedia as an example if someone asked about this change actually working or not too. Mentioning that we are our own wikia complete with our rules that separates us from the others was good; because you've given me an opportunity to talk about something.


 * In the past when stub templates were placed in articles, they were usually put before the navigational template because that was the way they were placed in "most wikias" at the time. The way discussion headed came to include as well the usage of the Navigation heading in articles that weren't as big as Luffy's (as an example). Short articles didn't actually need the heading because the navigational template was visible. To make a long story short, things ended up with a 'navigation section' following each template used as such and stub template being placed in the bottom of the page which has become a routine for us now. Furthermore navigational headings were create to separate the arc templates from the navigational ones.


 * In other words, the point is that we shouldn't copy what others do just because they're doing it nor be scared of innovation when we try something new. Using macrons will be a good thing for the One Peice wikia and will help us solve part of the naming problems we face in our site. I'll discuss about the Japanese/English inconsistencies some time later because I feel a little bit tired. MasterDeva 02:29, January 12, 2011 (UTC)


 * Alright, I read all of the above, and while there are still things unclear to me... I will give my opinion where I can.


 * First, the English vs Japanese topic. I prefer the Japanese versions, like shichibukai instead of warlords of the sea, or shigan instead of finger gun. It just feels closer to the original.


 * Second, the ū vs uu thing. I'm honest, I have no idea which way is closer to the original and MasterDeva/Seaterror sound both very convincing. I agree that we should not just pick one form because others do so (by that logic we can change the whole wikia). But whatever is chosen, it should be consistent.Jinbe 16:57, January 12, 2011 (UTC)


 * To make my example a little more understandable, we [as a wikia] shouldn't copy what others [other wikias] do just for the sake of it BUT not scared to innovate using an idea that's out of the box [doesn't follow what came to be perceived as stereotypical].


 * From what I am aware of, most wikias based on manga or anime series (maybe both) do not use macrons, which automatically makes what Narutopedia has done as an innovation. They tried it and they have made it work, with things running along smoothly by the time I'm writing this. That alone is proof that they succeeded in converting ALL THEIR ARTICLES into the new format, not to mention that they have a greater number or articles in comparison with us! They also have disabled by default the user blogs (the word Narutards explains it all) meaning that their article count is closer to real articles than us!!


 * I haven't made a full decision about the Japanese/English inconsistencies so I'll wait to hear the opinions of the other editors. I'm weighing more on using mostly the Japanese names. Maybe we'll keep the English names too if they were provided from the manga, the databooks or some other usable source(?), of course terms that were English romanizations such as Colors Trap are acceptable. That's just an early draft of how I'm thinking a possible solution would be like.


 * Μany editors, past and present, have made clear that consistency is the way to go so this is something that I believe all of us have in common. Naturally, articles that contain their own peculiarities will always exist too so a global decision might not be a solution to those issues. Dealing with them individually (according to their own separate case) shouldn't be too difficult though. MasterDeva 18:11, January 12, 2011 (UTC)

So basically, we should convert everything to the same trend, for consistency sakes. Also, is it true that this site is going down the dumps, with Mugiwara Franky leaving and so many other people not helping anymore? Yatanogarasu 07:46, January 13, 2011 (UTC)

The only major wikia that has used macrons from the start was the Bleach Wikia. Narutopedia use to have names the way English companies have them. I support 100% converting everything to double vowels if you want consistency. SeaTerror 17:03, January 13, 2011 (UTC)


 * Mugiwara Franky's focus, for now, is the new site for reasons stated before that doesn't mean he won't contribute here any more! This site will continue to stay because according to Wikia's guidelines we can't remove it ourselves. As for Narutopedia not using macrons from the beginning is pretty much clear from someone who's read the messages so far, stating the obvious is pointless... We have two wikis (that concern us because of similarities with us) who use macrons.


 * The first one (Bleach wikia) chose to use them from the get go while the second one (Narutopedia) converted to some time later after their creation. What interests us more is the second one since, we are in the middle of a transition and Narutopedia is a good example of that, being in the same situation as we are, the choice they've made ended up in success. What they used to have in the past is irrelevant. We desire consistency for the articles within this wiki, what English companies use is of no direct concern to us! Being consistent means to use the same form, or characteristics among related aspects to achieve a sense of harmony, unity and compatibility.


 * Switching to only one format and sticking to it will bring all that and solve our problem with name inconsistencies. Examples that display the successful use of macrons have been given and portrayed. There is no reason to favor more the usage of the double vowels than that of the macrons. MasterDeva 19:38, January 13, 2011 (UTC)

"Will still provide admin services here if needed however may completely leave altogether." His userpage says otherwise. You also can't use what other wikias have changed to for various reasons. Not every wikia's format can be agreed upon. The Narutopedia always uses official English spellings. Also your words are easily reversible. There is no reason to favor more the usage of the macrons than that of the double vowels. SeaTerror 21:05, January 13, 2011 (UTC)


 * And yet again you didn't bother to check the facts. I said "Mugiwara Franky's focus, for now, is the new site for reasons stated before that doesn't mean he won't contribute here any more", that means that he may occasionally come here to contribute, his list of contributions clearly shows that he has made edits after he wrote that message in his user page! His main focus is the other site but he hasn't given up on this one yet.


 * We are here to agree upon a format for us to use which is exactly that. The fact that Narutopedia uses "official" English spellings has nothing to do with this conversation. Furthermore, my last sentence is in response to your "I support 100% converting everything to double vowels if you want consistency" and I intentionally wrote it that way. You seemed to "imply" that the only way for consistency is to use double vowels which I refuted. MasterDeva 22:30, January 13, 2011 (UTC)

And you're the one who wants macrons 100%. Nice try with that bullshit. SeaTerror 23:01, January 13, 2011 (UTC)


 * Oh no you won't. Apologise immediately and properly for your behavior SeaTerror! Unlike you I used argumentation, examples and facts to support something without trying to use 'personal opinion' because "macrons are ugly" and "bullshit" like you did!! If you can't behave properly then leave and come back when you've learnt some manners, NOT before!! MasterDeva 23:43, January 13, 2011 (UTC)

Okay, we vented out our anger, now let's act like civilized editors. Anyway, if we convert, and not use macrons, can we do it like without using the "u" extension, because based on the fourth databook, Oda officially spelled out "Kaido", without the "u" (Kaidou). Therefore, we really should follow his example here, like: Sentomaru, Hyozo, Shusui, etc. Yatanogarasu 03:31, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * Some people wouldn't be able to act civilized even if their live depended on it... I've mentioned what you said in my posts above, Yatanogarasu, in regards to that. If we have a source directly from the manga, the databooks or something else legitimate we are given something directly in English. However I may have done a goof here because I didn't think of a small but very important detail, consistency, again.


 * If we are to be consistent with the name format we are going to follow, it means that we'll have to do it thoroughly. Either use double vowels (so Kaido becomes Kaidou again) or macrons (Kaido becomes Kaidō). This is a dilemma because up until now we followed blindly the English spellings provided so far by the manga/databooks! Oda, like most mangaka (or to be precise the employers working with him), uses the wāpuro rōmaji romanization which is close to what we have now.


 * However, name pronunciation is somewhat changed using this kind of romanization I mentioned above. That would mean that certain names will sound different from the anime version because that's not what they use. This gives rise to a new problem. If we use the macrons which is more common, professional and standardized we automatically become consistent with the anime too. That could be said to a lesser extent for the double vowels (used primarily by fan related work, unprofessional). Wāpuro rōmaji on the other hand seems fairly at a disadvantage in comparison!


 * As you can see, it's not an easy choice to make without doing first some thinking behind it. It is more about taking decisions. Technically speaking, anything we choose is "correct" but that's only technically speaking and without taking in account everything else. MasterDeva 05:09, January 14, 2011 (UTC)

Yes, but since "Kaido" is official, then we should use it as a base, and everything be converted to follow it, just like Klobis changing Hyouzou to Hyozo. Thanks to him, by the way. Yatanogarasu 05:19, January 14, 2011 (UTC)

That's just how one name was spelled. It would be better off adding a hidden note on Kaido's article explaining it and keeping the u's for the other names. Just because one name is like that doesn't mean all of the names would be like that. SeaTerror 05:56, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * Consistency, that's what we're talking about. If one is like that, then ALL should follow, UNTIL Oda gives prove otherwise. Yatanogarasu 06:08, January 14, 2011 (UTC)

Then you already know how I would vote. SeaTerror 06:09, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * SeaTerror makes a valid point. You still owe me an apology by the way, I won't let it slide that easily! Kaido is no more official than Kaidou or Kaidō, that will depend on our decision on which name format we'll use. That's just the way it is with romanization. Just because his name was written like that it doesn't mean it's the de facto way for all of them.


 * Another issue would be the databook's credibility. While all databooks contain information that was written there by the author, the material itself isn't a 100% work by the mangaka himself! We've encountered some name consistency problems, specifically Dorry (Dorey) & Brogy (Burogy), with the latest being Big Mam (Big Mom). It wouldn't be wise to assume so early what spelling is used for everything when we know so little to begin with. Next thing we know we'll use speculation as fact and create more problems than solving the existing ones. MasterDeva 06:22, January 14, 2011 (UTC)

So that's why I said "UNTIL Oda gives prove otherwise". After all, whether we use "Sentomaru" or "Sentoumaru" is completely up to us, as Oda has yet to give any prove. And I say, one less "u" makes typing easier. Yatanogarasu 06:35, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * Not to mention that macrons have the same effect AND are more standardized. :P Joking aside I think we've covered all our major concerns about the choices we make and how they'll affect us. Do you have any other idea you want to throw out for discussion? MasterDeva 06:43, January 14, 2011 (UTC)

So what, just "Sentomaru"? No "uu" or macrons? And we still have the other inconsistency of Japanese vs. English naming to discuss about. But if we are through with the macron stuff, then can we put it to a vote? Yatanogarasu 06:51, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * I meant Sentōmaru actually. ^_^ I think we need to hear other people's thoughts before we go on a voting. It would be impolite to leave them out of the conversation. My thoughts on the Japanese vs. English naming issue are still the same so... If someone has anything better to propose I wouldn't mind hearing a second or third opinion, we need more ideas about this. MasterDeva 07:03, January 14, 2011 (UTC)

Well, Klobis did change Hyouzou to Hyozo, and he based it on "Kaido" being official (he said it himself). So that should amount to how much people support this idea thing. Yatanogarasu 07:09, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * Still that doesn't contradict anything I've said. Official or not any change to the name format applies accordingly to what we vote for, it's not written in stone. Technically everything is correct, it only falls down to what we decide ourselves here. We have the freedom (as a wiki) to choose what we want to use! MasterDeva 07:26, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * Okey-Dokie, so you said hearing other people's thoughts. I did invite several, and asked you guys to invite more, but it only seems that very few people participated in this talk. Yatanogarasu 07:38, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * You forgot to invite Klobis(!), Joekido, Juracuille, Meganoide and KnightoftheSea. XD They are all active users AND regular editors too! MasterDeva 07:48, January 14, 2011 (UTC)

For Macrons vs. Breves, it kinda boils down to professionalism vs. average joe user know how. The use of macrons indeed are professional but are harder to create on the keyboard for most people. As for the Kaido precedent as stated in the discussion, as far as I can tell is concerned it only shows a precedent for how that one particular character's name is written. Saying that because Oda writes this character's name this way then this other character's name must be written this way is a bit of stretch at least in my opinion. I don't know how to properly say or explain it though, but maybe this whole macron vs breves thing should probably stay with names that haven't been written in english by Oda. I mean if you throw in cases like Oars, which nobody fansub or otherwise figured out, it kinda makes things abit more difficult I guess.

For English vs. Japanese, it really depends on the situation I guess. Glomping them together is kinda hard considering certain factors. For cases like Santōryū, they're best left as Japanese due to fighting style or something like that. For cases like Fishman Karate however, they're best left translated due to the Fishman Merman thing as stated above.

As for SeaTerror's behavior here for which I was called from the other site for. Saying stuff like this is bullshit or I don't like it are really not very good arguments. They only aggravate people in a discussion that would otherwise be civil. Also your behavior here and in other discussions I really have found most distressing SeaTerror. I may not be around much due to the other site, however if I am told of it becoming a real problem for other editors and find evidence to support such claims, then the consequences will be dire. Mugiwara Franky 09:40, January 14, 2011 (UTC)

Well, here's a suggestion: does anyone here know how to create a template of macrons and breves for the MediaWiki:Edittools thing, and can they do it just for convenience for the romanization? Yatanogarasu 09:44, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * I back Mugiwara Franky about Kaido: Oda choosing to write Kaido does not imply he's decided to stick to one way of romanizing. He could write Kaido for Kaidou, but Hyowzoh for Hyouzou! As far as I know, the name looking "more Japanese" than most others doesn't mean Oda considers it must be standardly romanized. There's nothing more to deduce from the fact he wrote "Kaido" than if he had written it "Keido" (as if it were German) or "Caillideau" (as if it were French).


 * (As for Sentōmaru, it is written using kanji, so this is an exception. To romanize it the wiki should follow the convention chosen for "true" Japanese words.) sff9 (talk) 10:36, January 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * I'm pleased that more people have come to participate in this. I agree with certain things that Mugiwara Franky and Sff9 pointed out. There are special cases that should be dealt with according to their own peculiarities; as I've explained so above. Oars is a good example of that, Fishman Karate (魚人空手, Gyojin Karate) and Marines (海軍, Kaigun) are some others. That being said we are the ONLY wikia that doesn't have support for macrons, braves etc. due to the MediaWiki:Edittools being deleted for some reason... If Mugiware Franky unlocks the page I'll be able to add it back, so that solves the problem with editors having to remember keyboard shortcuts to write them! MasterDeva 14:58, January 14, 2011 (UTC)