Anime is an immersive world that has grown boundlessly in the past decade; it’s an industry that doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. With new manga titles popping up daily, and hundreds of stellar anime titles already existing, it’s safe to say that the industry is booming and is at its peak. Anime is also being adapted into many Hollywood titles, with a rabid fandom growing bigger by the passing day. But the thing is, when a plethora of creative titles is released from a single part of the world, linked to the same culture, certain things could come to a direct clash. And one prominent thing that strikes out glaringly is names.
With hundreds of unique name combinations to choose from, one might be wondering why it should be a problem, but at the same time, names signify power and character traits, especially when it comes to fiction, and can’t be compromised (Daenerys “Stormborn”, Jon “Snow”). So, it doesn’t come up as a surprise when some minor characters have similar names. And unlike heavily trademarked franchise names (think of Harry Potter or Bilbo Baggins), the regulations are pretty relaxed when it comes to naming secondary characters. Other than portraying their character traits, names can also be used as a gag, like Saul “Goodman” from the Breaking Bad franchise. Today, let’s look at 4 anime characters who share similar names but have totally different personalities.
Hinata Hyuuga and Shoyo Hinata
Hinata Hyuuga from Naruto is perhaps the most famous on the list. Though a shy girl with a crush on Naruto from the start, Hinata is proven to be a powerful character as the series progresses. Especially so after mastering the Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palm.
On the other side, we have Shoyo Hinata from the Haikyu franchise. He is an extrovert. Though he’s of short stature, that doesn’t hinder him from joining his school volleyball team. He’s quick to make friends and is also known to be a troublemaker.
Wakana Gojo and Satoru Gojo
Wakana Gojo from My Dress Up Darling is the grandson of a Hina doll maker. He is skilled in the exquisite art of sewing and can design clothes like a pro. When his classmate, Marin Kitagawa, learns of Gojo’s sewing prowess, she reaches out for his help, as she’s a cosplayer.
Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen could be considered the polar opposite of Wakana. Satoru, the strongest jujutsu sorcerer alive, is a teacher at the Tokyo Jujutsu Metropolitan Magic Technical College. He’s flamboyant and sassy, though he does have the skills to back up his sass.
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Erwin and Erwin Smith
Erwin from Girls und Panzer is the radio operator and tank commander of the German Sturmgeschütz III. She is confident and is an amateur historian. In the anime, she is a strong supporting character.
Erwin Smith was the commander of the Survey Corps before his untimely death. He was an extremely able commander, well respected by his men. Though he had a strong moral code and was honorable, he wasn’t afraid of sacrificing himself or his men for the collective greater good. During his tenure, he introduced the Long-Distance Enemy Scouting Formation.
Rem and Rem
Rem from Re: Zero is the secondary antagonist of the first half of the series. She is a maid, along with her sister, Ram. Rem is a superficially polite character who sometimes acts on a whim. She is one of Subaru’s most loyal followers.
Rem from Death Note is a Shinigami who sticks with Misa Amane. As she is shown to have contempt towards humans but still helps Misa actively. Rem grows fond of Misa over time and is shown as being willing to sacrifice herself for Misa’s sake. When she learns that Light Yagami is putting Misa at stake, she openly threatens of killing him.
The Same Name Conflict
Just like in real life, the names of popular characters sometimes cause online clashes between different fandoms. However, such similar names are usually confined to secondary characters and not the protagonists. So far, there haven’t been any heavily followed lawsuits regarding the character names. Since Japan is known to have draconian copyright laws, it’s a carefully trodden path cause the last thing you’d want to do in the land of the rising sun is break laws.
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