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Help[Facts] Anime/manga names vs. real-life Japanese names
This is something that I've been noticing for years now that I want to address. I've noticed that in the submitted names section, a good number of the names in the Japanese name section are names from anime and manga. I specifically mean names that were created for anime and manga but not actually used on real Japanese people. Just because a character from Japanese pop culture has a name doesn't mean it's a Japanese name. For example, there are anime characters with names like Light (Light Yagami) and Death (Death the Kid), but real Japanese people do not give these names to their children. It's basically the equivalent of an American naming their kid Spider-Man.
I think names originating from anime and manga belong under Popular Culture, not Japanese. Obviously, if it's used in real life, it can also be listed under Japanese, but if it exists only in anime or manga, it should Popular Culture. Listing them as Japanese could give uninformed people the idea that they're real Japanese names.
Anyone else notice this under the Japanese submitted names section?
I think names originating from anime and manga belong under Popular Culture, not Japanese. Obviously, if it's used in real life, it can also be listed under Japanese, but if it exists only in anime or manga, it should Popular Culture. Listing them as Japanese could give uninformed people the idea that they're real Japanese names.
Anyone else notice this under the Japanese submitted names section?
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Replies
I understand and even agree with your point, but I am not sure there is any way to know whether a name exists "in real life" or not. I have read numerous articles in the past ten years or so about the very peculiar, "kira-kira" (sparkly) names modern Japanese parents are giving babies. People complain in particular that it's impossible to even guess from the kanji used, what the actual pronunciation is.
Is a name Japanese because it derives from the Japanese language, or because it is borne by a Japanese person in Japan? Light, for example, would be Raito in Japanese, and that would blend in invisibly with long-existing names. A similar name is Taiga (tiger), a word which can be written impeccably by using Japanese characters with other meanings, but it was extremely popular in the last Year of the Tiger (and not in preceding or subsequent years), so parents were obviously thinking of the animal.
Is a name Japanese because it derives from the Japanese language, or because it is borne by a Japanese person in Japan? Light, for example, would be Raito in Japanese, and that would blend in invisibly with long-existing names. A similar name is Taiga (tiger), a word which can be written impeccably by using Japanese characters with other meanings, but it was extremely popular in the last Year of the Tiger (and not in preceding or subsequent years), so parents were obviously thinking of the animal.
This message was edited 5/2/2025, 10:28 AM
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I feel like if the only source listed for the name is that it came from an anime, it's probably best to go with popular culture. If there is evidence that it's used in real life as well, then you can add Japanese to the usage.
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