Sorry, guys, I'm coming up short on game-specific trivia, but I do remember something that the character designer Iwamoto said in one of his old interviews way back, concerning his designs for Godot.
It was a conversation between him and Takumi regarding how they were supposed to work out his appearance, but there was some miscommunication between them, and several times some of Iwamoto's designs didn't really suit Takumi's original picture and were thus rejected. There wasn't any spite going on between them, but I think it was this or around this time that the running gag regarding Takumi and his whiskey drinking habits began. Takumi would often sometimes shut himself up in his office racking his head over his work and nonchalantly take a bottle of whiskey with him inside, and henceforth Iwamoto would always draw cartoon Takumi drunk with a bottle. It was no coincidence that at some point they considered Godot be a drunk too, but they ultimately decided it would be too inappropriate for their game rating. (Besides, the cardboard badge stunt was funnier to show how bad Japanifornian courts have become.)
Meanwhile, it's too bad some of his unused concept art went to waste. I sure hope eventually the other devs will pick up on some of them and reuse them. One of them sorta reminded me of a certain dude from Lupin III.
Case 3-1
> Doug Swallow - Nonda Kikuzou (呑田 菊三)
His name comes from a phrase that goes “nondara kiku zo”, or “If you take/drink it, it’ll work, you know!” It references his warning to Phoenix about the poison.
The kanji: 呑 = alternate kanji for ‘nomu’, “to drink, to take medicine”. The other kanji are pretty common in names.
His name comes from a phrase that goes “nondara kiku zo”, or “If you take/drink it, it’ll work, you know!” It references his warning to Phoenix about the poison.
The kanji: 呑 = alternate kanji for ‘nomu’, “to drink, to take medicine”. The other kanji are pretty common in names.
> Melissa Foster - Mukui Satoko (無久井 里子)
aka Dahlia Hawthorne - Miyanagi Chinami (美柳 ちなみ)
'mukui’ (written as 報い) means “retribution”. 'satogo’, written as above, means “foster child”.
The kanji: 無 = “not”, 久 = “long time”; 里 = “village”, 子 = “child”. It spells out a message!
'yanagi’ is the willow plant; pretty commonly used in names. It’s also a common symbol representing delicate states, whether physical or emotional. Chinami, from 'chinami ni’, means “by the way”, to mirror Naruhodou’s punny name.
aka Dahlia Hawthorne - Miyanagi Chinami (美柳 ちなみ)
'mukui’ (written as 報い) means “retribution”. 'satogo’, written as above, means “foster child”.
The kanji: 無 = “not”, 久 = “long time”; 里 = “village”, 子 = “child”. It spells out a message!
'yanagi’ is the willow plant; pretty commonly used in names. It’s also a common symbol representing delicate states, whether physical or emotional. Chinami, from 'chinami ni’, means “by the way”, to mirror Naruhodou’s punny name.
> And just for the record, “Feenie” is to “Ryu-chan” as “Dollie” is to “Chii-chan”. (Just take the first mora/syllable of each of their names, attach “chan”, and there you go.)
Case 3-2
> Godot (ゴドー)
From the famous play “Waiting for Godot”. This time, though, it’s Godot who’s doing the waiting around for a dream that would never be realized.
From the famous play “Waiting for Godot”. This time, though, it’s Godot who’s doing the waiting around for a dream that would never be realized.
> Ron Delite - Amasugi Yuusaku (天杉 優作)
aka Mask☆deMasque - “The Phantom” Kamen Mask (怪人☆仮面マスク)
'amasugi’, written differently, means “too sweet” or “too naive”. Yuusaku is a pretty common name and is often written as above, but not so coincidentally, the kanji in Yuusaku here can be literally translated as “skilled work”.
My sources suggest that Yuusaku is also a tribute to the pivotal actor Matsuda Yuusaku, most famous for his role in the TV drama series Tantei Monogatari (Detective Story; there’s also a movie of the same name that he stars in).
Incidentally, this nickname “The Phantom” has nothing to do with the guy with the similar name in Turnabout Return in DD. 怪人 (kaijin) literally means “mysterious person”. 仮面 (kamen) just means “mask”, so his name really comes to “Mystery Man - Mask Mask”. Sounds more enticing with the star.
aka Mask☆deMasque - “The Phantom” Kamen Mask (怪人☆仮面マスク)
'amasugi’, written differently, means “too sweet” or “too naive”. Yuusaku is a pretty common name and is often written as above, but not so coincidentally, the kanji in Yuusaku here can be literally translated as “skilled work”.
My sources suggest that Yuusaku is also a tribute to the pivotal actor Matsuda Yuusaku, most famous for his role in the TV drama series Tantei Monogatari (Detective Story; there’s also a movie of the same name that he stars in).
Incidentally, this nickname “The Phantom” has nothing to do with the guy with the similar name in Turnabout Return in DD. 怪人 (kaijin) literally means “mysterious person”. 仮面 (kamen) just means “mask”, so his name really comes to “Mystery Man - Mask Mask”. Sounds more enticing with the star.
> Luke Atmey - Hoshiidake Aiga (星威岳 哀牙)
Read first name, last and written differently, his name becomes “ai ga hoshii dake”, or “All I want is Love”, as per his theme name.
The kanji: 星 = “star”, 威 = “might, dignity”, 岳 = “peak”; 哀 = “sorrow”. The last one means “fang”, but it’s probably chosen for the sound. With that, I picture a rather lonely man who reaches for the highest.
Read first name, last and written differently, his name becomes “ai ga hoshii dake”, or “All I want is Love”, as per his theme name.
The kanji: 星 = “star”, 威 = “might, dignity”, 岳 = “peak”; 哀 = “sorrow”. The last one means “fang”, but it’s probably chosen for the sound. With that, I picture a rather lonely man who reaches for the highest.
> Desirée Delite - Amasugi Mareka (天杉 希華)
Thinking about it, she’s super sweet and naive like her husband… The kanji in her name come to “rare beauty”, and it rings true in more ways than one.
Apparently, Mareka is also the name of one of Takumi’s childhood friends.
Thinking about it, she’s super sweet and naive like her husband… The kanji in her name come to “rare beauty”, and it rings true in more ways than one.
Apparently, Mareka is also the name of one of Takumi’s childhood friends.
> Kane Bullard - Busujima Kurobee (毒島 黒兵衛)
'busui’ means “boorish, inelegant”. The rest of the meaning behind his name comes from the kanji themselves.
The kanji: 毒 = “poison, malice”, 島 = “island”; 黒 = “black”, 兵衛 -> 衛兵 = “sentinel”. All in all, this guy seems to have been a very shady and distrusting person, so that little blackmail activity was probably the norm for him.
His initials KB came from the term 警備 (keibi), “security”. Hence, the localized name also has the same initials.
'busui’ means “boorish, inelegant”. The rest of the meaning behind his name comes from the kanji themselves.
The kanji: 毒 = “poison, malice”, 島 = “island”; 黒 = “black”, 兵衛 -> 衛兵 = “sentinel”. All in all, this guy seems to have been a very shady and distrusting person, so that little blackmail activity was probably the norm for him.
His initials KB came from the term 警備 (keibi), “security”. Hence, the localized name also has the same initials.
Case 3-3
> The Tiger - Zenitora (ゼニトラ)
aka Furio Tigre - Shibakuzou Toranosuke (芝九蔵 虎之助)
'zeni’ is one pronunciation of the kanji for money: 銭. “Zenitora” literally becomes “Money Tiger”.
'shibaku’ is Kansai dialect for “to beat up”; adding the 'zo’ ending gives it some fearsome quality. Yet, the name “Toranosuke” actually sounds cute in comparison. The “-nosuke” in his first name is a pretty common name ending for boys, with a touch of youthfulness to it. (Now that I've seen some other Toranosuke's from other sources, it seems to be one of those names that's become stereotypical of Yakuza, or at least a Yakuza-like fellow.)
aka Furio Tigre - Shibakuzou Toranosuke (芝九蔵 虎之助)
'zeni’ is one pronunciation of the kanji for money: 銭. “Zenitora” literally becomes “Money Tiger”.
'shibaku’ is Kansai dialect for “to beat up”; adding the 'zo’ ending gives it some fearsome quality. Yet, the name “Toranosuke” actually sounds cute in comparison. The “-nosuke” in his first name is a pretty common name ending for boys, with a touch of youthfulness to it. (Now that I've seen some other Toranosuke's from other sources, it seems to be one of those names that's become stereotypical of Yakuza, or at least a Yakuza-like fellow.)
> Viola Cadaverini - Shikabane Urami (鹿羽 うらみ)
'shikabane’ means “corpse”; 'urami’ means “grudge”. It's just the right kind of name to scare your enemies with when they see their impending doom just by hearing it... literally. The kanji for 'shika’ and 'bane’ are written to be less intimidating, of course: “deer” and “feather”, respectively.
By the way, Takumi mentioned in an interview that he had also considered the name Shikagane (鹿金) -> 鏖 (minagoroshi), but it would have been "a bit too terrifying". You see, those two kanji in “Shikagane” make up the third one, which means “massacre”.
'shikabane’ means “corpse”; 'urami’ means “grudge”. It's just the right kind of name to scare your enemies with when they see their impending doom just by hearing it... literally. The kanji for 'shika’ and 'bane’ are written to be less intimidating, of course: “deer” and “feather”, respectively.
By the way, Takumi mentioned in an interview that he had also considered the name Shikagane (鹿金) -> 鏖 (minagoroshi), but it would have been "a bit too terrifying". You see, those two kanji in “Shikagane” make up the third one, which means “massacre”.
> Victor Kudo - Igarashi Shouhei (五十嵐 将兵)
“Igarashi” is a common name and can be written as above. The kanji in it actually can be translated as “fifty tempests”. The term 'shouhei’, also written as above, means “officers and soldiers”. Imagine how this guy was like in his prime! I wonder if he was a genuine soldier at one time. And yet, I can't help but think this dude is by himself a social commentary on the elderly war vets of Japan.
“Igarashi” is a common name and can be written as above. The kanji in it actually can be translated as “fifty tempests”. The term 'shouhei’, also written as above, means “officers and soldiers”. Imagine how this guy was like in his prime! I wonder if he was a genuine soldier at one time. And yet, I can't help but think this dude is by himself a social commentary on the elderly war vets of Japan.
> Jean Armstrong - Hondobou Kaoru (本土坊 薫)
Incidentally, this “Kaoru” is a completely different “Kaoru” from that one old bag. (Given that this case was originally meant to be the 5th case for GS2, it makes Isao’s “to dear Kaoru-chan” autograph that much funnier…) And yes, Kaoru is usually a female name.
'hondobou’ is the Japanese romanization of the French term “fond de veau”, meaning “rich veal stock”. 'kaoru’, with the kanji above, comes from 'kaori’, meaning “aroma”. Ironically, the kanji in his last name come about to “mainland person”. He’s supposed to be genuinely Japanese, but is most certainly inspired by French cuisine. If only he knew how to cook…
Incidentally, this “Kaoru” is a completely different “Kaoru” from that one old bag. (Given that this case was originally meant to be the 5th case for GS2, it makes Isao’s “to dear Kaoru-chan” autograph that much funnier…) And yes, Kaoru is usually a female name.
'hondobou’ is the Japanese romanization of the French term “fond de veau”, meaning “rich veal stock”. 'kaoru’, with the kanji above, comes from 'kaori’, meaning “aroma”. Ironically, the kanji in his last name come about to “mainland person”. He’s supposed to be genuinely Japanese, but is most certainly inspired by French cuisine. If only he knew how to cook…
> Glen Elg - Oka Takao (岡 高夫)
Yay, palidromes. It’s meant to be read as “o ka ta ka o”. I don’t find anything particular about the kanji in his name, though.
Yay, palidromes. It’s meant to be read as “o ka ta ka o”. I don’t find anything particular about the kanji in his name, though.
> Bruto Cadaverini - Shikabane Gonta (鹿羽 権太)
“Gonta” is made up of two different words: 権 for “authority” and 太 for “grand”. He’s the big boss, after all.
“Gonta” is made up of two different words: 権 for “authority” and 太 for “grand”. He’s the big boss, after all.
> Lisa Basil - Koike Keiko (小池 ケイコ)
Again, yay, palindromes. This one is read “ko i ke ke i ko”. As with Mr. Oka above, the kanji aren’t particularly important here.
Again, yay, palindromes. This one is read “ko i ke ke i ko”. As with Mr. Oka above, the kanji aren’t particularly important here.
Case 3-4
> Diego Armando - Kaminogi Souryuu (神乃木 荘龍)
From what I can uncover, I think his name was simply made to sound transcendent in some form or another. 神木 (pronounced as 'shinboku’) refers to those trees grown on Shinto temple grounds to represent the dwelling of certain deities. “Souryuu”, written as 蒼竜, is the Azure Dragon - the leader and most powerful of the mythical cardinal creatures. Souryuu was probably chosen to match with “Ryuuichi”. But of course to avoid calling him the Azure Dragon right out, they opted for 荘, in this case meaning “dignified”.
That reminds me: in the game, they didn't mention explicitly how Godot managed to "tame" Tigre to come to court as a witness, but judging by how coolly he acted around the son of a fearful Yakuza patriarch from one of the audio dramas, he seems to deal with their types a lot. This man is truly like a dragon...
From what I can uncover, I think his name was simply made to sound transcendent in some form or another. 神木 (pronounced as 'shinboku’) refers to those trees grown on Shinto temple grounds to represent the dwelling of certain deities. “Souryuu”, written as 蒼竜, is the Azure Dragon - the leader and most powerful of the mythical cardinal creatures. Souryuu was probably chosen to match with “Ryuuichi”. But of course to avoid calling him the Azure Dragon right out, they opted for 荘, in this case meaning “dignified”.
That reminds me: in the game, they didn't mention explicitly how Godot managed to "tame" Tigre to come to court as a witness, but judging by how coolly he acted around the son of a fearful Yakuza patriarch from one of the audio dramas, he seems to deal with their types a lot. This man is truly like a dragon...
> Valerie Hawthorne - Miyanagi Yuuki (美柳 勇希)
(See above, Case 3-1 section, for her last name.)
'yuuki’, written as 勇気, means “courage”. 'yuuki’, written as 幽鬼, means “departed spirit”. And finally, 'yuuki’, written as 誘起, means “evocation”. It was inevitable; she was destined to be a murder victim, but at least she died with one last courageous stand that would evoke the coming of Mia Fey.
(See above, Case 3-1 section, for her last name.)
'yuuki’, written as 勇気, means “courage”. 'yuuki’, written as 幽鬼, means “departed spirit”. And finally, 'yuuki’, written as 誘起, means “evocation”. It was inevitable; she was destined to be a murder victim, but at least she died with one last courageous stand that would evoke the coming of Mia Fey.
> Terry Fawles - Onamida Michiru (尾並田 美散)
'namida’ is “tears”; 'michiru’ can be “to be full [of]”. The second kanji in his first name can mean “to fall, scatter”, and together with the rest of his name, it comes to “beautiful falling tears”. However, that kanji also can mean “to die a noble death”.
'namida’ is “tears”; 'michiru’ can be “to be full [of]”. The second kanji in his first name can mean “to fall, scatter”, and together with the rest of his name, it comes to “beautiful falling tears”. However, that kanji also can mean “to die a noble death”.
> The Judge’s Brother / The Other Judge
I don’t have a reason to put him here, but I just wanted to. And if you’re still wondering, everyone refers to him the same way as with his brother.
I don’t have a reason to put him here, but I just wanted to. And if you’re still wondering, everyone refers to him the same way as with his brother.
Case 3-5
> Iris - Ayame (あやめ)
There’s no mystery here: 'ayame’ = “iris” (flower), to pair with her sister.
There’s no mystery here: 'ayame’ = “iris” (flower), to pair with her sister.
> Elise Deauxnim - Tenryuusai Elise (天流斎 エリス)
Elise comes from the name of a major character in the short story The Dancing Girl, or in Japanese as Maihime, by the famed writer Mori Ougai, famous for leading modern literary criticism in Japan during the Meiji Period.
Incidentally, since her real name is “Maiko”, which is another way to say “dancing girl”, there’s a connection there too.
'tenryuu’, written as 転流, means “drift”. The 斎, pronounced as 'imi’, means “mourning, abstinence”. It can also refer to religious purification, or holiness in general. The name seems to suggest how long she’s been away from a certain village.
Elise comes from the name of a major character in the short story The Dancing Girl, or in Japanese as Maihime, by the famed writer Mori Ougai, famous for leading modern literary criticism in Japan during the Meiji Period.
Incidentally, since her real name is “Maiko”, which is another way to say “dancing girl”, there’s a connection there too.
'tenryuu’, written as 転流, means “drift”. The 斎, pronounced as 'imi’, means “mourning, abstinence”. It can also refer to religious purification, or holiness in general. The name seems to suggest how long she’s been away from a certain village.
> Bikini (毘忌尼)
These three kanji are indeed pronounced 'bi’, 'ki’, and 'ni’. The first two are common in names for Buddhist monastics. The third means “nun”, that is a female monastic, also known as bhikkhuni.
The 忌 is also usually substituted for 斎 and shares the same meanings.
And with that, I am done with the first trilogy of characters. Onto the next three.
These three kanji are indeed pronounced 'bi’, 'ki’, and 'ni’. The first two are common in names for Buddhist monastics. The third means “nun”, that is a female monastic, also known as bhikkhuni.
The 忌 is also usually substituted for 斎 and shares the same meanings.
And with that, I am done with the first trilogy of characters. Onto the next three.
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