User:NeoChaosX/Naruto names

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Here at Wikipedia, articles pertaining to Naruto are often under fire because of the naming used for the series' characters. Anonymous fans of the series, who aren't exactly aware of Wikipedia's various rules and guidelines, try to "correct" these issues or get testy on why the "popular" or "official" way of doing things isn't used here. This simple FAQ explains just why things are done the "unpopular" way here.

[edit] Might Guy or Maito Gai, which is it?

• Why is it spelled Might Guy? All the fansubs spell it Maito Gai, translated from the native Japanese! That means that's the official spelling!

No, it doesn't. From the second sentence in Guy's article:

Fansubs have often dubbed his name as Maito Gai, a direct and unaltered transliteration of the character's name, but the second official Naruto data book (Hiden: Tō no Sho) states his name as Might Guy.

Note the bolded and italicized part. The official Naruto data book, which is the indisputable canonical guide to the Naruto universe, spells his name as "Might Guy". That means the official romanized spelling - from Japanese, as dictated by Masashi Kishimoto himself - is "Might Guy". It is not a creation of the English translation nor it is not a mistaken translation, it is the official translation of his name.

[edit] First or last name first?

• Naruto Uzumaki? It's supposed to be Uzumaki Naruto! That's how they order it in Japan! Change it back!

This argument usually stems from one of three issues: a common misunderstanding of the way Japanese names work, an argument based on Viz's version of the manga, or a simple hatred for the dubbed version of the series in all its forms. All three situations are covered below. In every situation, Wikipedia's general naming conventions dictate that we use English. This includes naming order. There was also a survey by Wikipedia users on whether to use Western order or Japanese order for Naruto characters. By a consensus and because of the guidelines and policies cited in the following points, it was agreed to have Naruto character names in Western order.

1. First, Japanese names are ordered last name first. For example, Homura Ando is the last name and first name, respectively, of a random Japanese man. In English, his name is Ando Homura.
   • That means Naruto's first name is Naruto, not Uzumaki. Thus, Naruto is used as his first name so as not to confuse English readers.
2. Second, the Viz translation of the Naruto manga uses the Japanese name order, so it is often argued that Wikipedia follow Viz's conventions if it must follow an English version of the series.
   • This is flawed because the manga is not what readers are going to recognize. Because most of Naruto's current popularity can be traced to the anime, it will be the most recognized version of the series. Therefore, Wikipedia's guidelines say to use to use common terms, which in this case are the Western-ordered names.
3. Third, it is often argued that the original work, which was written in Japanese, should be preserved in everything done here. Some even go so far as to argue that Western name order is non-canon. Such beliefs, while not necessarily foolish, show a lack of experience when working here.
   • To argue something as non-canon, one must have a reliable source to support the claim. No such sources exist. Additionally, making any claim on canon is a point of view, which is strictly against Wikipedia policy.
   • The Anime and Manga Wikiproject, which is a group of users focused on improving anime and manga articles, also recommends that editors use Western order when writing character names. This is to avoid confusion.
   • Furthermore, Wikipedia's naming guidelines for Japanese topics dictate that Western name order should be used for any person (real or fictional) born (or created) after 1868. There are some exceptions, such as if a series were set before 1868, but that is not the case here. Since the Naruto manga came out in 1999 and the anime in 2002, and the time period it is set in is clearly much later than 1868, Western name order must be used.
   • Finally, Western name order is used in the English dub of the anime, which is the most recognizable form of the series as mentioned in point 2. While many readers may well be aware of the the many fan-subtitled episodes available online and the equal number of fan-translated manga volumes, as are most of the editors here, this cannot be assumed to be true for all readers.

Additionally, even the Japanese are inconsistent about how they order character names as well. Notice this preview for Naruto: Shippuden; all the characters names are in Western order, despite this flyer originating from Japan.

[edit] What to do with ō and ū?

• The letters ō and ū are supposed to be written as ou and uu! Fix it!

Incorrect. The ō and ū are meant as a pronounciation guide. They are meant to symbolize long o and long u sounds in English. When they are typed out on Wikipedia, the regular o's and u's are used in their place. Additionally, we do not simply use the characters themselves because some internet browsers have trouble displaying them, which policy suggests we avoid if possible. – Someguy0830 (T | C) 05:01, 3 December 2006 (UTC)