What if the Turtles had Japanese names instead of Italian names? Would it be popular?
 

Let's say that Peter Laird/Kevin Eastman decided to give the Turtles Japanese names instead of giving them Italian names. Given Yoshi/Splinter are from Japan it would make sense to see them given Japanese names. Would this have caught on with kids?

Remember this is back in the mid-80's when anime was practically unknown in the U.S. Sure we had Speed Racer and Voltron but barely anyone knew it was anime.

Would Leonardo being named, "Satoshi" and Raphael named, "Akira" actually caught on with kids back in the 80's and 90's?

If Kevin and Peter actually knew any legitimate Japanese names, instead of just bursting Japanese sounding names like Hamato or Oroku (I can't find any people actually named that), then I'm sure they would picked Japanese names.

As for wheter or not it would have been popular? I think Peter once said in an interview that the names Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello are not common names in the first place. Granted the names are often shortened to the more common names Leo, Raph, Mike and Donnie but the FW cartoon (arguably the most well known and popular version) slavishly refered to the characters by their full names.

I would have loved to see a more Japanese take on the Turtles given their ancestry, but I feel like Renaissance artists would be a lot more universally well-known than Japanese artists. So maybe that makes them a little more relatable? I dunno.

Although who has EVER heard of the guy Donnie is named for? :tlol:

A quick Wikipedia check is bound to fix that:

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

"Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (c. 1386 – December 13, 1466), better known as Donatello, was an early Renaissance sculptor from Florence. He is, in part, known for his work in bas-relief, a form of shallow relief sculpture that, in Donatello's case, incorporated significant 15th-century developments in perspectival illusionism."

Well, yes, that's what Wikipedia is for. But I never learned about Donato during my art history course. Raphael, yeah. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci? Obviously. Donato, though... not only is he typically people's least favorite Turtle, he's the least well-known artist. At least in my experience. Poor purple-bandanna-wearing Turtle can't catch a break. Oh, and he gets the least appealing weapon.

No love for my man Donatello. :tcry:

To me the Italian names are what put it over the Wha? wall, and make it memorable. I don't know that Wolf would have picked up the cartoon with an all Japanese sounding cast.

I don't think with Japanese, or in Eastman and Laird's case; Japanese/Oriental sounding names would have made TMNT as out stading as it is.

I had about him in school, but then again I went to art school. So we had several artists that wouldn't be usual.

And the Bo is a formidable weapon, people that make fun of it is just ignornt and lack all form of understading about martial arts. it is after all a weapon that can pulverize knee caps, split skulls and break swords, there's a reason why in a Bo vs. Katana kata, the Katana user is on the defense and primarily keeps their distance.

Absolutely agree; but for little kids playing with the action figures, Donny is usually last to be picked. :tsad: The wielder is what is most dangerous, not the weapon.

I suppose it wouldn't matter since we wouldn't know any different. Not like we'd have sat back and randomly thought that it would have been better had they been named after Renaissance artists. lol

Although I would hope they'd have still had names that still seemed to fit them, phonetically speaking.

But they got the best nicknames out of the names they were given. ;)


Edit: Besides, in cases of formerly human Splinter, if the boys were ever accepted by society, got them signed up with documents and junk like everyone else, if nothing else they'd surely officially have the Hamato name on there, so there's that.

Donatello was an sculptor of the early Renaissance. If you want to know about him just look at Wikipedia. I hope that helps. :tcool:

i remember Kevin Eastmen said that Donnie was almost named after another artist but they decided they needed another "O" ending name. can't remember the artist now but i think it started with a "G". been a while since that panel

Think Bernini was the one.

We'd totally be calling him Bernie right now. :tlol:

:teek:

The mind boggles.

People would take Donatello even LESS seriously. :tlol::tcry:

I still find it funny all the Turtles names end in, "o" except Raphael. Like its something I never thought about, even when saying their names all out loud, "DonatellO" or "LeonardO" or "MichelangelO."

Funny how you think it would feel weird or something.

Well, the artists actual name is Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, and some places do call Raph Raffaello instead of Raphael.

The absurdity of their names is somewhat of a selling point, as it fits with their all around oddness in general. But I think the turtles had enough appeal in concept & design to make a boom back in the day regardless of their names. Had one been Musashi, Paul, or Scales, the kids would still eat it up.

Well, you know what Mikey said... all the good Turtles end in "o." :twink:

"Guy Jin"
"Sayo Nara"
"Ari Gato"
"Konni Chiwa"

:tlol:

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were teenagers well before the anime craze hit the U.S. They had no idea about Japanese names or anime stuff.

Eastman was heavily influenced by Bruce Lee, and his martial arts movies were their inspiration. I'm pretty happy TMNT pre-dated the "anime craze."