| The Nintendo Name Game |
| Ever been playing a video game when suddenly the thought pops into your head, "Where did they get a name like THAT?" Here's what I've discovered concerning names: Color Code: Anything written in white is a fact that I got from a different web site, or read in a magazine. If they're wrong, it's not my fault! Your guess is as good as mine! Anything written in this turquoise color is a logical, well thought out guess by yours truly! |
| The Pokemon Name Game: Let's do the most important (and possibly, the most confusing) names in video games first. Ketchum: Ash's last name is, quite simply, "catch 'em" with a slur Misty: This Gym Leader uses water Pokemon. Mist is a form of water. Brock: Oh, gee, this is a tough one. Brock, the Rock using Gym Leader, is "rock" with a "b." Pikachu: "Pika," in Japanese, means "Flash of Light." "Chuu" is how Japanese people describe the sound a mouse makes. So you have: Pika+Chuu=Pikachu. Hoot-Hoot: This was really hard to figure out. "Hoot hoot" is the sound an owl makes. Arbok: Is "cobra" spelt backward. The "c" was repaced with a "k" for clarification on how the name was to be pronounced. Ekans: Is "snake" spelt backward. Lt. Surge: Is the Gym Leader of Viridian City, who uses Electric Types. A "surge" is a large amount of electrical energy. Lt. (Lieutenant) is an army prefix. Kangaskhan: A cross between "kangaroo" and "Genghis Khan" (who was a Mongolian who invaded China. What THAT has to do with Pokemon, we'll never know.) Hitmonlee: Is named after Japanese martial arts expert, Bruce Lee. Hitmonchan: Is also named after a martial arts expert (gee, I wonder who), Jackie Chan. Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard: To "char" means to burn something to a crisp. The endings come from SalaMANDER, CheMELEON, and "LiZARD. Squirtle: To "squirt" is to shoot a small amount of water. The "tle" comes from the word "turtle." Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur: The "saur" comes from the word "dinoSAUR." A bulb is a baby plant, ivy is a plant that climbs up walls, "venu" either comes from "vines" or "venus fly-trap." Gastly: Is ghastly. To be ghastly is to be scary and gruesome. (I don't think Gastly is scary OR gruesome, but whatever. . .) Haunter: Oooh, a toughie. Let's see, "haunt" with an "er" added to the end. Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot: (Pidgit is also an enemy in Super Mario 2) comes from the word "pidgeon." A pidgeon is one of those birds that hang out in parks and eats breadcrumbs. Moltres: When something is "molten" it's means that it's melted to a liquid. (For example, molten rock is lava.) Also, when a bird sheds it's feathers, it's called molting. Zapdos: To "zap" means to shock something with electricity. Articuno: Probably comes from the word "arctic," which is where there is lots of snow and ice. Mew: Is the sound we use to describe the sound an kitten makes. We often relate this sound to innocence and playfulness, which describes Mew. Jigglypuff: This Pokemon's name suits it perfectly. It's jiggly, it's puffy; it's Jigglypuff. It's Japanese name is "Purin." You decide which one suits it better. Porygon: Comes from the word "polygon," which is a mathematical term for a figure with more than three sides. Brawly: To "brawl" is to fight roughly. So, the Fighting type using Gym Leader is named, "Brawl" with a "y." Next |
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