RPGs and their Character`s Names

[Tommy]

Am I like the only person in the entire world who names their characters differently than the creators do in RPGs? I`ll probably list every FF but I`ll give you an example to start up this thread.

Chrono Trigger:

Chrono- Tom
Marle- Sarah
Ayle- Maria
Lucca- Elma

The only reason I listed those characters only is because their the only characters in the whole world whose name I changed. I couldn`t change Robo and Frog because I mean you can`t get a better name than that.

The only problum I have with marle is she looks more like a civillian. Maybe not trying to look a princess really worked.

[Stephen]

I never change there names. The way I feel...they have names...its like getting a pet from someone and changing its name. It already has one, let it be. Just my 2 cents.

[CDLviking]

Sometimes yes, most of the time no. It's a lot easier just to keep the original name.

[Tommy]

Yeah, but there are video game characters not real people.

If I name the character tom it makes it feel like they`e talking to me which is pretty cool.

[uc pseudonym]

In general, I trust that the creators had a good reason to give each character the name they were given. I don't see a reason to change it. Furthermore, if I start referencing "Bob" of a certain rpg very few other people will know what I am talking about.

I suppose in FF6 I once changed the name "Lock" to "Locke" because I like that spelling more.

[Tommy]

I thought it was originally 'Locke'....? And plus, I don`t recall ever making a mistake like that and I only choose name`s that match them better with the exception of "Tom' lol.

[kazekami]

I usually don't. My friend made me rename Tidus though when I decided to start over on FFX since I hadn't played it in 10 months and didn't want to go straight to the final boss. I named him Baka. I'm a very bad egg. heh heh

[Tommy]

I kept Tidus name and I thought it was really stupid that you got to name him because Yuna loves this guy and she has no idea what the heck that guy`s name is.

Me and my cousin played through and called him "Frosty".

While I`m at it here`s all my main character`s names.

Fighter: Thomas
Firion: Thomas
Cecil: Left alone
Bartz: Thomas
Locke: Tom (even though he wasn`t the main character he is my favorite. Outside of battle he`s my favorite that is).
Cloud: Tom
Squall: Leon
Zidane: Tom

Creative, aren`t I?

FF1:
White Mage: Jessica Monk: Duncan Black Mage: Jack
FF2:
Maria: Left alone Guy: Jacob Leon: Left as
FF4:
I only have Cecil and that green haired summoner. VERY begining.
FF6:
I can`t even remember. There`s so many.
FF7:
Tifa: Sarah Barret: Tank Cid: Left as Aeris: Kristen Caith Sith: Fortune57
Red XIII: Loen (not a missprint, but mistake that I never noticed) Yuffie: Left as
Vincent: My friend told me to call him Jake Sephiroth: Bob (I wish!)
FF9:
Dagger:Sarah Steiner: Jonathan (didn`t fit that good) Vivi: Jack Freya: Abigail
Amarant: Leon (yeah I like to call the mysterious ones Leon) Eiko: Rikku (don`t ask!)

Yeah if you guys read all of those you definately have alot of time on your hands.

[Azier the Swordsman]

I don't like changing names. I like playing it completely as the original creators intended. Excpet for RPG's where the characters have no set names.

Example: In Final Fantasy, I may play with characters named:

Fighter: Azir

White Mage: Ash

Monk: Shwn

Red Mage: Shtr

Guess correctly the full names of the characters and win nothing.

[CDLviking]

I remember renaming Barret as Mr. T the second time through. You can't tell me none of you thought about it.

[blkmage]

I've never understood why we were ever allowed to change characters' names. I mean, it's fine for FF1 where your party was whoever you wanted. Now that characters have personalities and are critical to the story, it kind of takes away from the immersion that the designers have so carefully crafted. It's like playing Star Wars Galaxies and seeing a DarthVader23 (I know SOE probably doesn't allow that though).

[Nate]

I agree, I fail to see the point in changing a character's given name.

If nothing else, it makes it difficult when you're reading FAQs or playing sequels. I can imagine someone renaming Lucca in Chrono Trigger and then playing Cross and asking, "Who's Lucca and Marle?"

Same thing with FAQs. If you rename Tifa and Barret as Suzie and Frank, when it says "Use a party of Tifa and Barret" you're gonna be sitting there going, "Crap, which ones were Tifa and Barret before I renamed them?"

I actually did that with FFVII...I renamed Cloud as Gourry my first playthrough. Then when I was talking with someone about the game, I said, "Oh yeah, in the Gold Saucer I just used Gourry with his ultimate weapon." The guy looked at me like I was a friggin' idiot.

That bugged me about FFX too. With the fact that you got to name Tidus, it meant that they couldn't put his name in the spoken dialogue. I got tired of hearing Kid, Boy, Buddy, Rookie, Newbie, and whatever stupid nicknames they gave Tidus to avoid his name. Yuna's letter/sphere was the most amusing.

"To the newest guardian...star player of the Zanarkand Abes."

I can see Yuna now. "His name! I never DID get his name!" XD

[Azier the Swordsman]

I agree, I fail to see the point in changing a character's given name.

If nothing else, it makes it difficult when you're reading FAQs or playing sequels. I can imagine someone renaming Lucca in Chrono Trigger and then playing Cross and asking, "Who's Lucca and Marle?"

Same thing with FAQs. If you rename Tifa and Barret as Suzie and Frank, when it says "Use a party of Tifa and Barret" you're gonna be sitting there going, "Crap, which ones were Tifa and Barret before I renamed them?"

I actually did that with FFVII...I renamed Cloud as Gourry my first playthrough. Then when I was talking with someone about the game, I said, "Oh yeah, in the Gold Saucer I just used Gourry with his ultimate weapon." The guy looked at me like I was a friggin' idiot.

That bugged me about FFX too. With the fact that you got to name Tidus, it meant that they couldn't put his name in the spoken dialogue. I got tired of hearing Kid, Boy, Buddy, Rookie, Newbie, and whatever stupid nicknames they gave Tidus to avoid his name. Yuna's letter/sphere was the most amusing.

"To the newest guardian...star player of the Zanarkand Abes."

I can see Yuna now. "His name! I never DID get his name!" XD

For some reason, I never actually caught that till halfway through the game. o_O

It was a bad idea for sure, though.

[Nate]

For some reason, I never actually caught that till halfway through the game. o_O

It was a bad idea for sure, though.

*nods*

They don't say his name in FFX-2 either, by the way. In fact, if you look at the character info on the Gullwing, when you look at Tidus, it says "?????" for his name. How the heck does Yuna expect to find him when she doesn't know his freakin' name?

I also think it was a bad idea to not have a spoken name for him because it's led to gross mispronunciations of his name.

Most people say: TIE-dus

It's supposed to be: TEE-dus

[Tommy]

I have never forgotten the name of a character when I rename them. Maybe you just have a probum or something. I never talk about it with other kids because where I`m from, RPGers are shuned.

[Tommy]

TIEdus sounds cooler.

[Rocketshipper]

They did say Tidus' name once in one of the english FF 10 trailers. I think it was the one that was on the Spirits Within soundtrack CD.

I used to rename the characters in RPGs the first time I played through, and then leave them along the second. I always named the main character after myself and the main female character "brittany" after my cousin, because she always insisted on being the main female character in whatever game we played ^^. Nowdays I never change the names because I think it goes against the writers' original intention. But it probably won't be an issue anymore. Now that more and more RPGs have spoken dialogue it;s impossible to rename any characters iunless the writers jump through hoops to make sure none of the characters have their names mentioned outloud (which was VERYannoying in FF 10 >_<)

[termyt]

It's supposed to be: TEE-dus

I understand that's the most accepted way of saying it and it's common to pronounce "i" as "ee" when reading romanized Japanese, but Tidus is not a Japanese name. It's probably derived from the Latin name Titus. Even if it isn't, TIE-dus ought to be perfectly acceptable, if not technically more correct.

Anyway, I generally don't change the names of the people I play with with one exception. I generally give on character the "Phrank Award." The character I liked the least, which is generally the most useless character of the game, I rename Phrank.

Past Phrank Award recipients:
FFVII: Cid
FFVIII: Irvine
FFVIX: Zidane, although I gave Garnet a nickname of "Garnet" because I though "Dagger" was just too silly and I renamed Vivi "Jawa Boy" as well.
FFX: Tough choice between Wakka and Kimari. Wakka won out in the end.

[Tommy]

well, i only rename the character`s names when the original names STINK.

Zidane, crap.

How would you know its supposed to be Teedus. The only time you ever here his name mentioned is by Wakka on Kingdom Hearts and Wakka has a really weird accent in that game.

The only other way you could figure it out is by doing internet research or asking a SE member which is only what nerds do. Jk

[Joshua Christopher]

FF7
Cloud: Augustus st. Beluci
Tifa: Frank
Barret: Los Luchadores
Cid: Sid

If I remember... correctly.

[Debitt]

I like the name Zidane. T^T I'm going to name my CHILD Zidane! (not really, but you get the idea)

I used to rename characters back in my earlier days. >_> My brother and I always did regret calling Link "Pikachu" on our OoT game...

But now I don't bother renaming. ^_^; I like the names the way they are most of the time, and I don't really see a point in changing it even if I didn't like something.

[blkmage]

I remember reading a preview of FFX in EGM and they noted that Tidus was pronounced TEE-DUS.

[Rocketshipper]

How would you know its supposed to be Teedus.

the narrator in the FF10 trailer that came with the spirits within CD pronounced his name that way.

[kazekami]

thats also how its pronounced in kingdom hearts: TEEDUS. Wakka says it.

[Tommy]

Kazekami, you apparenly didn`t read my last post.

[Tommy]

Kazekami, you apparenly didn`t read my last post.



Deja Vu.
Yeah, something happened and my post got duplicated.

[Myoti]

I never change the names. If there isn't a name already, then I call them "Hero". I use to always call them "Ben" for some reason, and I occasionally call them "Myoti", but that almost never fits. o.O

Has anyone played Baten Kaitos? The only character you name in it is yourself (yes, you're actually a character), so when someone talks about you, their voice over is something like:
"Oh, maybe we should ask ______ what to do."

[uc pseudonym]

I thought it was originally 'Locke'....? And plus, I don`t recall ever making a mistake like that and I only choose name`s that match them better with the exception of "Tom' lol.

I am not certain of the original, but the given name was "Lock." As for names "fitting" characters, that is entirely a subjective matter.

Kazekami, you apparenly didn`t read my last post.

One of the creators of the series specifically pronounced it in that fashion. I personally still use "TIEdus" primarily because I like it better. The fact that they never say his name in either game was humorous, but probably a bad choice. Naming him didn't really do you any good, and required quite a bit of work on their part.

[Nate]

Naming him didn't really do you any good, and required quite a bit of work on their part.

I think it ws so...well, I don't know. Maybe to tell save files apart? Beats me. But in Super Mario RPG, you could name your save file, and it didn't change Mario's name. In fact, the only bearing your save file's name had was that it was the password in Booster's Tower. Being that Tidus' name was never, EVER said, I really wish that they'd just given him a name and not had to jump through hoops on the dialogue.

Actually...in Star Ocean 3, you can rename your characters. However, they also state that changing the character's name will not change the spoken dialogue between characters. So if you rename Fayt as "George," they're still gonna say "Fayt" in the dialogue (even though the text will say George). Seems to me they could've done that with FFX. Oh well.

[CDLviking]

They probably learned their lesson from FFX.