Terrible RPG/game Character Names

[Outrider]

Well, inspired by the recent reveal of a new Final Fantasy XIII character - Hope Estheim (http://kotaku.com/5316468/more-about-this-white+haired-boy-final-fantasy-xiii-character) - I thought we could all have a few laughs at the terrible names we've seen in RPGs.

I think generally, the best terrible names are the ones where they just shoehorn a regular word into what's supposed to sound like a real name, then put this ridiculous character into an entirely serious setting. Needless to say, I'll be picking on Final Fantasy quite a bit. I'll get this started with a few:

Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII) - Alright, so they named a character "Cloud", which is ridiculous in so many different ways, but then they went ahead and gave him the last name Strife? GEE, I WONDER IF THIS CHARACTER IS GOING TO BE DEALING WITH A LOT OF CONFLICT.
Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII) - Really, I think the fact that he came immediately after Cloud made the idea of using "Squall" as a name much more acceptable. Plus, at least squall isn't a word most people use in their day-to-day lives; at least for me, it doesn't stand out nearly as much. I'd complain about Leonhart, but really, characters have had silly names like that for a long time, so it would be silly to start whining now.
Hope Estheim (Final Fantasy XIII) - Yeah, I know Hope can be a real name, but it's the garbled psuedo-European last name that drives this thing over the edge. I imagine if I tried to make up a Japanese-sounding name, I'd come up with something equally terrible.
Lightning and Snow (Final Fantasy XIII) - This would be beating a dead horse. We all know why this is silly. Unless they're two members of a hair band in the 80s, they don't need these names. (Now, I can deal with a quirky side character having a ridiculous name like Lightning or whatever, but when it's supposed to be the darling popular-crowd protagonists, it doesn't work for me.)
Fayt Leingod (Star Ocean: Til The End of Time) - I think the best part about this name is that they think misspelling it somehow hides how stupid it is. Say that name out loud. FATE LINE-GOD. Who would never think that's something that makes sense?
Edge Maverick (Star Ocean: The Last Hope) - The thing about this name is that as far as terrible names go, this just seems like an uninspired entry. Edge Maverick? I think I came up with a superhero with that name when I was 12, and he probably had a gun that shot knives or something like that.
chaos (Xenosaga) - It's not that his name is chaos, it's that his official name has it spelled with all lowercase letters. So, his name isn't Chaos, it's chaos.

Honorable Mentions: I could mention characters like Crono (Chrono Trigger) or Sol Baguy (Guilty Gear - not actually an RPG, I know), but those games don't take themselves quite as seriously as the titles mentioned above. It's like how the talking dog from Pixar's Up is named "Dug." It's silly, but it fits.

So, anybody else?

[AC9breaker]

I think in general there is just so much illogical stuff happening in RPG's, JRPG's for the most part; that ridiculous names such as you've mentioned are the most nominal of logical affronts. With that being said, you might find this link to be of interest.

http://www.destructoid.com/irem-s-upcoming-psp-rpg-makes-me-hungry-140000.phtml

[Shattered_weasel]

No Butz?

[Outrider]

No Butz?

Sure, that's another example - though it's often romanized as Bartz, which isn't as terrible.

[Dangerous55]

Mome!

[SStrikerR]

Mome!

Don't even go there.
Don't ever, EVER go there.
:disapprove:

[Volcompat321]

lol amirite? (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/member.php?u=60349)

[joefro]

I really hated the name "Polka" in Eternal Sonata. I loved the game and the characters but I just didn't think "Polka" fit for her character.

[Zarode]

[b]Edge Maverick (Star Ocean: The Last Hope)

FRINGE ICONOCLAST is the goon equivalent here. They had him pointed out right when they rolled the character out. Probably the worst RPG I have ever played, and I tolerated quite a few of them...

[Dangerous55]

I really hated the name "Polka" in Eternal Sonata. I loved the game and the characters but I just didn't think "Polka" fit for her character.

Polka is great!

I wanted to purchase that game, but the fact they all had terminal diseases turned me off.

[Shattered_weasel]

Sure, that's another example - though it's often romanized as Bartz, which isn't as terrible.

They changed it because of how bad it is. That should tell you something.

[beatrixkiddo]

Well, inspired by the recent reveal of a new Final Fantasy XIII character - Hope Estheim (http://kotaku.com/5316468/more-about-this-white+haired-boy-final-fantasy-xiii-character) - I thought we could all have a few laughs at the terrible names we've seen in RPGs.

I think generally, the best terrible names are the ones where they just shoehorn a regular word into what's supposed to sound like a real name, then put this ridiculous character into an entirely serious setting. Needless to say, I'll be picking on Final Fantasy quite a bit. I'll get this started with a few:

Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII) - Alright, so they named a character "Cloud", which is ridiculous in so many different ways, but then they went ahead and gave him the last name Strife? GEE, I WONDER IF THIS CHARACTER IS GOING TO BE DEALING WITH A LOT OF CONFLICT.
Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII) - Really, I think the fact that he came immediately after Cloud made the idea of using "Squall" as a name much more acceptable. Plus, at least squall isn't a word most people use in their day-to-day lives; at least for me, it doesn't stand out nearly as much. I'd complain about Leonhart, but really, characters have had silly names like that for a long time, so it would be silly to start whining now.
Hope Estheim (Final Fantasy XIII) - Yeah, I know Hope can be a real name, but it's the garbled psuedo-European last name that drives this thing over the edge. I imagine if I tried to make up a Japanese-sounding name, I'd come up with something equally terrible.
Lightning and Snow (Final Fantasy XIII) - This would be beating a dead horse. We all know why this is silly. Unless they're two members of a hair band in the 80s, they don't need these names. (Now, I can deal with a quirky side character having a ridiculous name like Lightning or whatever, but when it's supposed to be the darling popular-crowd protagonists, it doesn't work for me.)
Fayt Leingod (Star Ocean: Til The End of Time) - I think the best part about this name is that they think misspelling it somehow hides how stupid it is. Say that name out loud. FATE LINE-GOD. Who would never think that's something that makes sense?
Edge Maverick (Star Ocean: The Last Hope) - The thing about this name is that as far as terrible names go, this just seems like an uninspired entry. Edge Maverick? I think I came up with a superhero with that name when I was 12, and he probably had a gun that shot knives or something like that.
chaos (Xenosaga) - It's not that his name is chaos, it's that his official name has it spelled with all lowercase letters. So, his name isn't Chaos, it's chaos.

Honorable Mentions: I could mention characters like Crono (Chrono Trigger) or Sol Baguy (Guilty Gear - not actually an RPG, I know), but those games don't take themselves quite as seriously as the titles mentioned above. It's like how the talking dog from Pixar's Up is named "Dug." It's silly, but it fits.

So, anybody else?

I'd like to hear some names you consider to NOT be terrible, just for comparison's sake.

[Phaesphora]

Names I found pretty lacklustre:

Bear [.hack]
Ultros [FFVI]
Bal Dat [FFCC]
Glustar [PSO Ep III]

Names I found pretty cool:

Heathcliff Flowen [PSO Ep I&II]
Eusis [PSII]
Setzer [FFVI]
Sol Racht [FFCC]
+
(pretty much any NPC name from .hack//g.u. ... 'Magical Pokotan'? How awesome is that?!)

[Split]

They changed it because of how bad it is. That should tell you something.They changed it because it was localized incorrectly...

[Volcompat321]

Oh shi- another one, amirite? (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/member.php?u=57396)

[Xaeris]

Oo, oo, I want to play.

Hiro (Lunar 2: Eternal Blue) - In of itself, it's a fine name. Heck, it's a real name. But, you can't name the protagonist of an RPG freaking "Hiro." That's about as subtle as a tazer to the crotch.

Karol (Tales of Vesperia) - You know, I would argue that changing the C to a K makes it even more of a girl's name. Now, it's not inherently horrible to give a boy a girl's name. Vagrant Story had Ashley, and he was a heaping spoonful of manliness. But Karol is a wimp, and does not need a handicap of a name.

(Atelier Iris 2) - I'm not even sure where the hell to start.

Oh, and this isn't an RPG, but it's still worth a mention.

Knives (Trigun) - Yeah Rem, name a kid "Knives." Nothing could possibly go wrong here.

[Shattered_weasel]

They changed it because it was localized incorrectly...

In the Japanese game guides it was Butz.

[joefro]

Oh shi- another one, amirite? (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/member.php?u=57396)
d00d thats the BESt psu player!!1!!1

Such an original name.

[Randomness]

Karol (Tales of Vesperia) - You know, I would argue that changing the C to a K makes it even more of a girl's name. Now, it's not inherently horrible to give a boy a girl's name. Vagrant Story had Ashley, and he was a heaping spoonful of manliness. But Karol is a wimp, and does not need a handicap of a name.

Oh, and this isn't an RPG, but it's still worth a mention.

Knives (Trigun) - Yeah Rem, name a kid "Knives." Nothing could possibly go wrong here.

To the first:At least theres an appropriate title

To the second:No kidding.

[Outrider]

I'd like to hear some names you consider to NOT be terrible, just for comparison's sake.

Good? Or just not terrible.

I mean, John Shepard from Mass Effect isn't terrible... it's just, entirely ordinary? Which I guess they were going for.

Isaac, Garet, & crew all have reasonable to good names in Golden Sun, but great? I don't know.

I've always loved the look of the names from Final Fantasy Tactics - Ramza Beoulve, Delita Hyral, etc. - though I don't think I could possibly pronounce some of them (Ramza Bey-ulve? Boolve? I just don't know what's going on there.)

I think generally, a good name shouldn't stand out so much - unless it's something absolutely amazing, like Phoenix Wright. Because that name is awesome.

[beatrixkiddo]

Pretty sure it's supposed to be Beowulf, but got mucked up when Square translated it into Japanese and then back. Or perhap it's just supposed to SOUND like Beowulf.

[Xaeris]

That'd be odd, considering there's a character actually named Beowulf with his name written properly.

[beatrixkiddo]

That'd be odd, considering there's a character actually named Beowulf with his name written properly.

I never got that far :wacko: Way to spoil it

[Outrider]

I never got that far :wacko: Way to spoil it

Well, he's a sidequest character (although, he is part of the biggest sidequest plot), so there's nothing too crazy getting spoiled there.

[Xaeris]

I never got that far :wacko: Way to spoil it

Spoilers have a statute of limitations. If I could be bothered to dig through the archive, I'd link that Penny Arcade comic.

[Kent]

I've always found the naming conventions in/of games to be a rather interesting (http://kidicarus222.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-secret-to-everybody.html) subject (http://www.gamerevolution.com/feature/worst_names).

...Also, chaos' name is spelled the way it is for a reason; honestly, I'm surprised at how many people missed that - perhaps I shouldn't be, being that the games are boring as hell due to having a higher cutscene-to-gameplay ratio than MGS4. chaos is opposite of KOS-MOS in many ways, including typographically. Odd/even number of letters, all lowercase/capital letters, non/hyphenated, etc. Opposites attracting and such. Also, the whole Jesus/Mary Magdelene thing.

I didn't really think it was a terrible name.

[Outrider]

...Also, chaos' name is spelled the way it is for a reason; honestly, I'm surprised at how many people missed that - perhaps I shouldn't be, being that the games are boring as hell due to having a higher cutscene-to-gameplay ratio than MGS4. chaos is opposite of KOS-MOS in many ways, including typographically. Odd/even number of letters, all lowercase/capital letters, non/hyphenated, etc. Opposites attracting and such. Also, the whole Jesus/Mary Magdelene thing.

I didn't really think it was a terrible name.

KOS-MOS isn't a great name either, though I suppose it's not terrible due to it falling under the jurisdiction of being a "Serial Number" name.

But let's not bring up all the biblical fan fiction that Xenosaga uses - Though it's just as hilarious and terrible as one would think, I just don't have the energy to deal with that today.

Basically, I feel that there's a very fine line between what's acceptable and what's not when you're playing with capitalization. Judging by the general feel of the Xenosaga series as a whole, chaos gives off a "this is cool like alternating caps is cool" kind of vibe more than anything else.

All I'm saying is that I would probably be appalled if I were reading a science fiction novel and I came across a character with such utter disregard for language conventions.

[astuarlen]

Karol (Tales of Vesperia) - You know, I would argue that changing the C to a K makes it even more of a girl's name. Now, it's not inherently horrible to give a boy a girl's name. Vagrant Story had Ashley, and he was a heaping spoonful of manliness. But Karol is a wimp, and does not need a handicap of a name.


I'm kind of a naming enthusiast (or NE, as we dorkos call 'em), so I have to point out that Carol/Karol and Ashley are both originally male names.
Carol/Karol is a cognate of Charles/Karel/Carlos/etc, originally from the Latin Carolus. Carol was actually the 348th most popular name for boys in the US in the 1930s, though it fell out of the top 1000 by the '60s.

In the US, Ashley (boys only) peaked in the 1980s at 357th most popular. Of course female Ashley has handily outpaced the male version at this point, but I've read it remains somewhat more male in the UK.


-------------------

I'm going to throw out the characters of Evolution: The World of Sacred Device (with a clunker of a title like that, it's no wonder the characters' names were a little off) for your consideration:
Mag Launcher
Linear Cannon
Pepper Box (ok, I'll admit I think Pepper is a rather endearing name on its own)
Chain Gun
Gre Nade (this one takes the cake--the most contrived of the contrived, the king of contrivity)

Not sure if this one counts, given that his name wouldn't be writen thus in-game, but...
Rody Roughnight (http://www.jp.playstation.com/scej/title/code_f/chara02.html) of Wild Arms, changed to Rudy Roughknight for the English release. I prefer the innuendolicious "night" spelling, but the latter remains sufficiently ridiculous.

[Syndrome]

Ethan Waber. Oh... you said terrible names, not terrible characters...

Even though it's not an rpg by definition, I'd have to say Pyramid Head from Silent Hill is pretty dumb. Also, I love Mario games just as much as the next person (he was in a couple of rpg's so it counts) but his name is Mario Mario...Come on Nintendo...Really?

[Zarode]

I mean, John Shepard from Mass Effect isn't terrible... it's just, entirely ordinary? Which I guess they were going for.

That's the default male name for Shepard. Jane for female. (Jane Doe, John Doe. Get it?)

They were hoping people would get a little more creative with their characters, and name them their selves and choose the facial models.

That kind of stuff.

[Outrider]

That's the default male name for Shepard. Jane for female. (Jane Doe, John Doe. Get it?)

They were hoping people would get a little more creative with their characters, and name them their selves and choose the facial models.

That kind of stuff.

Hence the "that's what they were going for" comment.

[Waki Miko Syamemaru!]

Squall Leonhart. Terrible name. As a matter of fact most Final Fantasy names to me are corny as hell. That and every goddamn name in the D&D world. Makes me wanna punch someone.

[Nitro Vordex]

Note: This example does in fact count.

I wouldn't say they're bad, but they're definitely punny. Most of the stuff from Megaman Battle Network. Through the series really.



Lan - Obvious
Hub - Obvious again
Dex - I know there's a pun here but I can't think of it.
Yai - Same as above.
Mayl - Really Capcom? Seriously?
Roll - Goes with the Mega/Rockman tradition, Rock and Roll.

Can't think of any others at this moment.

[Weeaboolits]

Madou Monogatari was pretty great about having such creative names as a witch named "Witch", a minotaur named "Minotaur", an incubus named "Incubus" and a tea-obsessed skeleton named "Skeleton T" all of whom are major characters and not generics.

[BlaizeYES]

ZACK MORRIS, AC SLATER, SCREECH

and any other name that goes for "cool" or "generic cool". i hope they've all learned their lesson

[Outrider]

Madou Monogatari was pretty great about having such creative names as a witch named "Witch", a minotaur named "Minotaur", an incubus named "Incubus" and a tea-obsessed skeleton named "Skeleton T" all of whom are major characters and not generics.

I don't know why but that's amazing.

[Matic]

Aloser. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactics_Ogre#Party_Members)

[Puppet_Papaya]

Even though it's not an rpg by definition, I'd have to say Pyramid Head from Silent Hill is pretty dumb.
You know "Pyramid Head" is never actually named in the game. He is only refered to as "the red pyramid thing" by James. So really, "Red Pyramid Thing" would be his name. I think it actually states this officially in the Book of Lost Memories.
And I like the name Pyramid Head. Except when I first played SH2 I called him "Buckethead".

[Firocket1690]

Note: This example does in fact count.

I wouldn't say they're bad, but they're definitely punny. Most of the stuff from Megaman Battle Network. Through the series really.



Lan - Obvious
Hub - Obvious again
Dex - I know there's a pun here but I can't think of it.
Yai - Same as above.
Mayl - Really Capcom? Seriously?
Roll - Goes with the Mega/Rockman tradition, Rock and Roll.

Can't think of any others at this moment.
Index

I hopped in this thread to nominate Geo Stelar.

[Vanzazikon]

You know "Pyramid Head" is never actually named in the game. He is only refered to as "the red pyramid thing" by James. So really, "Red Pyramid Thing" would be his name. I think it actually states this officially in the Book of Lost Memories.
And I like the name Pyramid Head. Except when I first played SH2 I called him "Buckethead".It certainly sounds better than Triangle head.

[Volcompat321]

Enzylon-2
J5B-10
Sieno
Rossiya

All horrible PSU names. :o
Does that count?

[Nitro Vordex]

Enzylon-2
J5B-10
Sieno
Rossiya

All horrible PSU names. :o
Does that count?
No, because you only mentioned a fifth of the population. :wacko:

[Puppet_Papaya]

It certainly sounds better than Triangle head.

Triangleman, Triangleman. Triangleman hates Personman. When they have a fight, Triangle wins. Triangleman, Triangleman.

[CupOfCoffee]

I never finished Xenosaga because I didn't really like it, but I feel that the lameness of chaos and KOS-MOS' names are canceled out by the extreme awesomeness of Ziggy's. It rocks so much that I don't even care if they weren't trying to reference David Bowie.

Pretty bad but didn't bother me much after the initial cringe:
Squall Leonheart, FF8 (Corny, a noun, and tries to speak too much to his persona. How did his parents know he'd be all conflicted and shit 17 years later? And another thing, I hate how this guy is only 17.)
Paine, FFX-2 (They really didn't need to beat us over the head with Paine's dominatrix sensibility beyond her already-over-the-top style of gothic dress, not to mention the red 28 Days Later eyes.)
Zidane Tribal, FF9 (Zidane is one of my least favorite Final Fantasy characters of all time before I even factor in the stupid name. I always feel like I'm mentally pronouncing everyone's name wrong in these games, but this guy really takes the cake. Plus, every time I see "Zidane," I can't not think of the football/soccer headbutting incident a few years back.)

Really bad and continued to bother me well after the initial cringe:
Cloud Strife, FF7 (Really, really bad. Uninspired. Corny. A noun. Like Squall, except worse in every dimension. I seriously would've preferred for the main character to be named, like, Frank or something. Maybe even Ted.)
Lizardman, Soul Calibur (Not an RPG character, but there is some type of loosely threaded story that goes with the Soul Calibur universe. Although Lizardman is totally not a significant part of it in any respect, and I like to believe that's due to his ridiculously literal, eyeroll-worthy name.)
Dagger, FF9 (Topping the Terrible Names in FF9 Chart, Dagger is a truly craptastic name for one of your main characters. Especially because there's no way you can fool yourself into thinking that maybe the game designers just translated something wrong or there's a bigger picture you haven't quite locked onto yet; she literally picks up a dagger, asks Zidane what it's called, and then states that she wants to be called that too. This was actually the first time in any FF game that I decided to take the plunge and pay Mr. Namingway a visit.)
Nemesis, Resident Evil 3 (Might as well just call him Bad Guy or Enemy.)

Names I liked:
Edea, FF8 (I thought the sorceress Edea was one of the cooler Final Fantasy bad guys. She was another one of those bland "I'm evil just because" types, but the fact that she was an actual woman instead of a man that looked like a woman won me over from the get-go. Plus, her name has a good ring to it that doesn't sound overly sinister, unnecessarily Japanese, or literal and nounish.)
Wilhelm, Xenosaga (This guy looked like a doofus but his name struck a chord with me for some reason. I guess I tend to like when they don't try to perfectly sum up a character's personality with the name, or go with some stupid combination of existing words that tries to sound as badass as possible [Ultima Weapon, hello]. Wilhelm was creepy, too, in an okay way.)
Bulbasaur, Pokemon Red/Blue (Of all the Pokemon names, this is the only one I feel is socially acceptable to bring up in conversation unrelated to video games or geek culture in general. He's mainstream, but not mainstream enough to be widely known as a geek icon like Pikachu.)
Johnny Cage, Mortal Kombat (Although "Johnny Cage" goes directly against what I just said about corny names and trying to sound badass, Mortal Kombat is ridiculous and tongue-in-cheek enough for this crotch-punching, sunglasses-wearing, head-uppercutting-off idiot to be completely hilarious and worthy of his cheesy name, which sounds like it could've been pulled straight out of Big Trouble In Little China or something similar.)

[Reksanden]

Good? Or just not terrible.

I mean, John Shepard from Mass Effect isn't terrible... it's just, entirely ordinary? Which I guess they were going for.

Isaac, Garet, & crew all have reasonable to good names in Golden Sun, but great? I don't know.

I've always loved the look of the names from Final Fantasy Tactics - Ramza Beoulve, Delita Hyral, etc. - though I don't think I could possibly pronounce some of them (Ramza Bey-ulve? Boolve? I just don't know what's going on there.)

I think generally, a good name shouldn't stand out so much - unless it's something absolutely amazing, like Phoenix Wright. Because that name is awesome.

Ramza is an good name!
His last name I always pronounced bey-oulve("oulve" kinda like alve)

[Reksanden]

A name i hate is from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the new World. The main dude's name is Emil Castagnier. Emil is cool, but what kind of name is Castagnier? I can't even pronounce it! He's a ten-thousand year old freaking spirit!! They could have gave him a better name. (Real name: Ratatosk.)

[Reksanden]

I like the games where you name them yourself, like the earlier "of Mana" games(Secret of Mana, Legend of Mana), and most of the "Crystal Chronicles" games, excluding Ring of Fates and Crystal Bearers.

[Weeaboolits]

The edit button is a wonderful thing, my friend.

Also, not an RPG, but who the fuck names their kid "Light"?

[V is for Virus]

Pyramid Head from Silent Hill is pretty dumb.

I'm not entirely sure on this, but isn't Pyramid Head just the name some fans gave him since he didn't really have one? If they actually called him that in the game, I don't think I could take him very seriously. Even if he DOES rape the quadruped monsters.

Bad names:
Cloud
Squall Leonheart/Leon Squallheart
Lightning
Storm
Sudz (Yes, there is a fucking character named SUDZ in FFXIII. It's either Suds or Sudz)
Tidus (Especially the Japanese pronounciation. TEEDUS.)
Brother
Edge Maverick
Red Ring Rico (Rico isn't so bad, but her nickname is kind of odd to me)
Lou (doesn't seem very cute to me... I always think of some hairy guy)
Lu Bu (I get that it's Chinese... but it just sounds so pansy to me)
Seymour
Guado (that race from FFX. Guado sounds like Guano to me :| )
Bartz
Kid
Jack Russel (Radiata Stories. A Jack Russel is a DOG.)
Fayt Liengod
Cliff Fittir
Farleen
Tynave
Claude Kenny
Kireek
Helga
Lloyd
Genis
Emil

I could go on all day.

[astuarlen]

Lizardman

Dagger

Johnny Cage

Had they not gone with Lizardman, it would probably have been something that tries so hard to sound alien with lots of Xs and Ks and whatnot. Like Kleenex Xanax (nickname: K'nex). Personally, I'd like to see something like Roy or Alvin or Mimi, though that's just another brand of absurdity.

Dagger is indeed silly, but Dag would make a cute nick--until you remember that awful blight upon the Comics page, "Blondie".

Johnny Cage reminds me of Johnny Bravo (yes, I'm bypassing the perhaps-more-natural Johnny Cash connection). But I agree that ridiculous names suit Mortal Kombat well, though that K makes me cringe.

_____

Thinking about the Zelda series, I really like the choice of Zelda for its princess-with-an-edge feel. Ganon is fine, but Ganondorf just sounds irredeemably silly to me. Link is a noun name which I think is done well; it's a touch more subtle than something like Slash Blade or what have you, and it can feel both breezy and fresh or solid and crisp.

[Sayara]

The edit button is a wonderful thing, my friend.

Also, not an RPG, but who the fuck names their kid "Light"?

The Yagami family.

[Calsetes]

I think the worst possible names ever in an RPG were back in Final Fantasy 1 on the NES. Seriously, 4 fighters named "AAAA"? Who comes up with this stuff?

Nah, but on a serious note, I personally wasn't a fan of the name "Barret" in FF7, I kept renaming him "Barrel." Same thing with Cait Sith or however you spell it - he was known as "Gay Cat Love."

One of the games with better names to me was Shining Force 2. Some of the names were a bit outlandish, but overall you had some names like Bowie, Chester, Zack, Slade, ones that weren't super-uber-extreme stretches of the imagination. Then again, you also had Kazin and Jaha...

I think some of the older Enix games had some pretty good names, but since Square bought them out, they have dropped off a bit (like mentioned, Fayt and Edge).

[Kent]

I like the games where you name them yourself, like the earlier "of Mana" games(Secret of Mana, Legend of Mana), and most of the "Crystal Chronicles" games, excluding Ring of Fates and Crystal Bearers.

I thought it was funny that, despite never being mentioned as such within the game or related materials at the time, the player characters of Secret of Mana actually do have official names: The boy, sprite, and girl are named Randi, Popoi, and Purimu respectively.

[Reksanden]

Some cool/weird names are:(from Super Mario RPG and others)
Geno(pronounced "jee-no".)
Smithy(cause thats exactly what he is, a weaponsmith.)
Mack(plain name for a giant knife.)
Culex(btw, a culex is a group of mosquitos)
Spanner(he's a default CPU from some of the Worms games. I just like his name.)
Fingers(same as Spanner, but greatest team difficulty level)
Rauga(my own semi-made up name. I took Raiga from Naruto, and swapped I for U. It sounds better although some of my friends can't pronounce it.)

[beatrixkiddo]

Mack(plain name for a giant knife.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mack_the_Knife

[Reksanden]

umm, i'm talking about super mario rpg......

[beatrixkiddo]

umm, i'm talking about super mario rpg......

And I'm talking about why they named a giant knife in that game Mack.

[Reksanden]

Anyway.... Culex is a weird name for a hard as hell boss. I mean, he's a dude with purple skin, tiny demon wings, and a frozen crotch(literally). And I don't think he has legs, either.

[Kirukia]

I'm not entirely sure on this, but isn't Pyramid Head just the name some fans gave him since he didn't really have one? If they actually called him that in the game, I don't think I could take him very seriously. Even if he DOES rape the quadruped monsters.

Bad names:
Cloud
Squall Leonheart/Leon Squallheart
Lightning
Storm
Sudz (Yes, there is a fucking character named SUDZ in FFXIII. It's either Suds or Sudz)
Tidus (Especially the Japanese pronounciation. TEEDUS.)
Brother
Edge Maverick
Red Ring Rico (Rico isn't so bad, but her nickname is kind of odd to me)
Lou (doesn't seem very cute to me... I always think of some hairy guy)
Lu Bu (I get that it's Chinese... but it just sounds so pansy to me)
Seymour
Guado (that race from FFX. Guado sounds like Guano to me :| )
Bartz
Kid
Jack Russel (Radiata Stories. A Jack Russel is a DOG.)
Fayt Liengod
Cliff Fittir
Farleen
Tynave
Claude Kenny
Kireek
Helga
Lloyd
Genis
Emil

I could go on all day.

I actually like Lloyd, Tynave, and Farleen. I think Tynave and Farleen goes well together, and at least they are unique. Farleen is a bit odd to say but I still think it fits. Cliff Fittir really is a horrible name. And hearing him say it is even worse....He's such a tool. And Genis reminds me of...well you know.

Also at the person above me. Culex is supposed to be a FF easter egg. You probably already know that, but I like telling people xD The background music is the boss music from FF4.

[Outrider]

Holy crap, what is with the thread bumps today?

[Volcompat321]

I was thinking the same.
We had a (almost) 7 year old thread bumped earlier.

[Zeek123]

RED and BLUE from Pokemon Red/Blue...

Actually, any default name in the Pokemon series is pretty awful.

The Phonenix Wright names (aside from Mr. Wright himeself... which rocks ass) are purposefully awful, so that game gets a pass.

And let's not forget these names

Zeek
Ezek
Kez'e
Keez

As a side note: I wish these dumbass kids would wake up and figure out it's not cool to default your characters to Sephiroth. Please... STOP!

And some of the best names were the Toadstools in Paper Mario.

[Mysterious-G]

Every name that is a normal word in your mother tongue (most times even spelled wrong) is an awful name.

[Weeaboolits]

RED and BLUE from Pokemon Red/Blue...I've met someone named Red before.

[Alnet]

All the villain names in the Kingdom Hearts series.

No, "X" doesn't make EVERYTHING cool, you bastards.

[16085k]

Bugsy from pokemon. It's almost like it isn't a name or something.

[KittyCatSlut]

Ash...from pokemon....i think they could of done a better boy name like....Kevin or Sora...but ash?....i think of left over burnt fire wood in a fire place....ash is messy....same with Cloud...or they need to do a poll for names....for bad guys/good guys....fable could be a great good guy while oroki...could be a great bad guys name...XD

[Randomness]

Holy crap, what is with the thread bumps today?

April 1st, maybe?

[Shadowpawn]

All the villain names in the Kingdom Hearts series.

No, "X" doesn't make EVERYTHING cool, you bastards.

But the x is only there so there real names wouldn't be as obvious (since they are all anagrams.)

[HAYABUSA-FMW-]

I've met someone named Red before.
Hope his last name wasn't Herring. :fish:

[Weeaboolits]

Bugsy from pokemon. It's almost like it isn't a name or something.Bugsy Siegel, Bugsy Malone, Bugsy McGraw to name a few, although naming a bug type user that could be called into question moreso than the name itself (though to be fair, in those cases it's a nickname, well, not sure with Bugsy Malone, but that was sort of a parody anyway).


Ash...from pokemon....i think they could of done a better boy name like....Kevin or Sora...but ash?....i think of left over burnt fire wood in a fire place....ash is messy....same with Cloud...or they need to do a poll for names....for bad guys/good guys....fable could be a great good guy while oroki...could be a great bad guys name...XDhttp://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w8/Ronin_Cooper/Evil_dead_photo_11.jpg


Hope his last name wasn't Herring. :fish:It was a she, actually.

[HAYABUSA-FMW-]

That works. Then I hope her last name wasn't Ring Rico or Bone.


Ash > Sora

even for this site, he was all over the promotional materials despite not being such a key NPC or anything, being that HUmar default you see in 2 or so missions mainly, & maybe after the right conversations, later in a PSO+/online only mission.

On network linking:
http://www.pso-world.com/downloads/wallpaper/thumbnail/wallpaper51_small.jpg

http://www.pso-world.com/downloads/wallpaper/thumbnail/wallpaper61_small.jpg

[Keilyn]

I find that the names players come up are the worse....

Like that one girl in RYL who named herself SaiyanGoku and played a healer....and then complained in forums asking why she kept getting sin'ed....her thread was "give a girl a chance, stop killing me~~~"

Not to mention the sheer amount of players who keep the default name "Player" in shooters or name themselves Owners or Pwners....

How about when a player names themselves something and people post that you are being an Ass in a forum because you refuse to call someone by their screenname even if that screenname is MyMamaTheB*tch or "RoyalHomo"? (They were nice people....but NO...I won't refer to someone as Questionable Screennames) ...I remember when someone named themselves AssLickerHarry.....talk about ridiculous.

Guild Wars is even worse when a player makes a monk and names it "I dont heal" and it has a Full Healing Bar ^_^ though at least its a funny name....

What saves singleplayer RPGs is that if you dont read the manuals before playing them you learn the first name...which sounds better than the full name. Cloud sounds a LOT better than Cloud Strife. Just like Terra sounds better than her Full Name in FF6...Seriously, learning those last names at the ending made me want to puke through most of them.

[KittyCatSlut]

in psu i used to have a cast named google XD....and a newman named Tinker Bell...its not like i went crazy with name tho....even tho i did have a human named Apple Martini or ChibiKawaii....in perfect world i named one of my chars PureLit....cuz Starlit was taken :/ i still say that Ash is a horrible name for someone....cuz its like left over wood....after a fire...oh well...i would have to agree with you on the whole last names being a pain nore than the 1st name

[SuKKrl]

Not to mention the sheer amount of players who keep the default name "Player" in shooters or name themselves Owners or Pwners....


Agreed. I'm tired of seeing unnamed and (1)unnamed - in other words, 2 unnamed on the same server - on fps games.

[UnderscoreX]

I've met someone named Red before.

Did she want to be the very best, like no one ever was ?