Trivia Browser

Tagsarrow_right
Filter:
Platformsarrow_right
Filter:
Yearsarrow_right
Filter:
Genresarrow_right
Filter:
Collectionsarrow_right
Filter:
Franchisesarrow_right
Filter:
Companiesarrow_right
Filter:
Company: Too Kyo Games
▲
1
▼
Following the completion of the anime series "Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School" and the video game Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, Danganronpa series writer Kazutaka Kodaka started thinking about how he wanted to create his own development company where he can do new things. He discussed the idea with composer Masafumi Takada and character designer Rui Komatsuzaki, who were also interested in the idea: Takada would be the one to found Too Kyo Games, due to having been involved in the launch of other companies.

Kodaka also invited other people to join the company, including Kotaro Uchikoshi (director and scenario writer of the Zero Escape series), Shimadoriru (Danganronpa illustrator), Takumi Nakazawa (director and co-writer of the Infinity series), and Yoichirou Koizumi (Danganronpa novelist). Kodaka, Takada, Komatsuzaki and Uchikoshi each serve as the core members of the company, with Kodaka serving as both its representative and CEO.

Additionally, the company's name is a wordplay on "Tokyo", where the company is based, and "kyo", the Japanese word for crazy: hence, the company's name literally means "Too Crazy Games".
sell
Corporate Affairs, Etymology, General, Real Life
person chocolatejr9 calendar_month November 12, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Star Fox Command
Star Fox Command (2006)
▲
1
▼
Attachment One of the Anglar Army's commanders in Star Fox Command is a hammerhead shark looking character named "Zako", who's also a subordinate of Octoman.

His Japanese name, however, is シャーマン (Shāman), which can either translate to just "Shaman" or even "Sherman". Looking at the English text provided in the official Japanese Star Fox Command guidebook, it seems the intended name is "Sharman". It's fairly obvious that his name is combination of "Shark" and "Man", and that it's also meant to complement and mirror Octoman's name.
sell
Etymology, General, Manual, Regional Difference
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 15, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Company: THQ
▲
1
▼
THQ stands for "Toy Head-Quarters", as THQ worked in the toy business from its founding in 1990 up until 1994.
sell
Etymology, General
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month November 17, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 (1997)
▲
1
▼
Attachment The combat robots known as the Shogun Troopers in Star Fox 64's Sector Y stage are called サルジャー (Sarujā) in the Japanese version of the game. This can be translated as "Sarger".

It appears this name is meant to be a pun and mashup of サル (Saru) and ソルジャー (Sorujā), the Japanese words for Monkey and Soldier respectively.
sell
Etymology, General, Real Life, Regional Difference
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 18, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
User's English translation of official Japanese Star Fox 64 guidebook:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/y8cwc9/finally_got_around_to_doing_translations/

Atwiki page on the Sarger enemies:
https://w.atwiki.jp/nitendo/pages/9680.html

bab.la dictionary entry for Sorujā:
https://en.bab.la/dictionary/english-japanese/soldier
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 (1997)
subdirectory_arrow_right Star Fox (Franchise)
▲
2
▼
Attachment In Japan, Pigma Dengar's name is ピグマ・デンガー (Piguma Dengā).

His surname seems to come from the Kansai expression, デンガナマンガナー (Denganamanganā). In the Japanese version of Star Fox games, Pigma tends to speak in Kansai dialect like people from Osaka. In Japan, people from this region are characterized as rude, bad-mannered, and even criminal lowlifes, very befitting of Pigma.

It is worth pointing out, however, that this is considered an offensive stereotype of Kansai people, and they do not enjoy being characterized this way in Japanese media.
sell
Backstory/Lore, Etymology, Real Life, Regional Difference
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 17, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Star Fox character name origins Reddit thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/11pogfk/the_untold_origins_of_star_fox_names_oikonny_kew/

Japanese video on Pigma Dengar origins:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLtDilxoXaY

Kansai dialect discrimination article:
https://anond.hatelabo.jp/20201228141845
Star Fox: Assault
Star Fox: Assault (2005)
▲
1
▼
Attachment Star Fox Assault's official Japanese guidebook reveals the name of General Pepper's Aparoid infected flagship, which is the boss of the Corneria mission, to be エアフォース・バウ (Eafōsu bau), which translates to "Air Force Bow" in English.

The name is actually a reference to Air Force One, the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States, similar to how General Pepper is the leader of Corneria. "Bow" is a reference to the onomatopoeia for a dog's bark, "bow wow".
sell
Backstory/Lore, Etymology, Real Life, Reference, Regional Difference
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 17, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Star Fox Command
Star Fox Command (2006)
▲
2
▼
Attachment One of Star Fox Command's new characters is Dash Bowman, the grandson of Andross who, ironically enough, is a pilot in the Cornerian Defense Force and also an admirer of the Star Fox team.

In the Japanese version of the game, his first name is アッシュ (Asshu), or Ash, which is more in line with the naming conventions of his relatives, Andross and Andrew Oikonny, whose names also start with "A". It's possible that his surname, Bowman, is a reference to the character of David Bowman, the protagonist of the film "2001: A Space Odyssey", though this is unconfirmed.
sell
Etymology, Reference, Regional Difference, Suggested, Theory
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 18, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Star Fox: Assault
Star Fox: Assault (2005)
▲
1
▼
Attachment Star Fox: Assault establishes the Sargasso region as the Star Wolf team's base of operations. Its name is virtually untouched from the Japanese version, サルガッソー (Sarugassō), but there exists an added pun in the latter, in that it begins with サル (Saru), the Japanese word for Monkey. This adds up, as Wolf's criminal empire here is shown to be made up of monkeys, presumably remnants from Andross' army.
sell
Backstory/Lore, Etymology, Regional Difference
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 18, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Star Fox Command
Star Fox Command (2006)
subdirectory_arrow_right Star Fox: Assault (Game)
▲
1
▼
Attachment During Star Fox: Assault's Fortuna mission, Andrew Oikonny, who is now leading a rebellion against Corneria using the remnants of Andross' army, pilots a flagship that transforms into a mode based on his deceased uncle (Falco even dismisses it as a "Andross wanna-be") complete with a floating head with disembodied hands. The official Japanese Star Fox: Assault guidebook reveals its name to be デスバブーン (Desubabūn), or Death Baboon.

Despite being seemingly destroyed by an Aparoid, Oikonny would reappear in Star Fox Command, working for the Anglar Army (who are revealed to be creations of his uncle), this time in another vessel shaped and named after an animal that's name also starts with "Death", the Death Crab.
sell
Backstory/Lore, Etymology
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 19, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
User's English translation of official Japanese Star Fox: Assault guidebook:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/10m82rq/for_all_you_star_fox_assault_fans_some_pictures/

Star Fox: Assault - Oikonny's Flagship boss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJM5TIhcTiY

Star Fox Command - Oikonny appearance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpnNgz2A2Bo
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 (1997)
subdirectory_arrow_right Family Computer Disk System (Platform), Family Computer (Platform)
▲
0
▼
Attachment The robot boss of Sector X, dubbed "Spyborg" in the English version of Star Fox 64, is known as HVC-09 in the Japanese version.

HVC (Home Video Computer) was the model number that was used for Famicom (the Japanese equivalent to the Nintendo Entertainment System) hardware and peripherals. For example, the model number for R.O.B. (who in Japan was called Family Computer Robot) was HVC-012. Likewise, the model number for the NES Zapper (known as the Famicom Light Gun in Japan) was HVC-005. The model number for the Famicom itself was HVC-001.

Funny enough, in real life, there never was any NES related hardware whose model number was HVC-09.
sell
Etymology, Real Life, Reference, Regional Difference
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 19, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
User's English translation of an official Japanese Star Fox 64 guidebook:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/y8cwc9/finally_got_around_to_doing_translations/

Famicom Robot model number promotional materials:
https://gigazine.net/gsc_news/en/20110524_famicom_robo/

Famicom model number catalog:
https://maru-chang.com/hard/hvc/english.htm
Popgoes Arcade
Popgoes Arcade (2022)
▲
1
▼
According to series creator Kane Carter in a pair of Game Jolt polls, not only is Popgoes the Weasel a reference to the nursery rhyme of the same name, Manora the Mouse's name is a reference to the phrase "are you a man or a mouse?".
sell
Etymology, General, Reference
person chocolatejr9 calendar_month November 21, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Franchise: Mario
subdirectory_arrow_right Nintendo (Company)
▲
1
▼
In the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct presentation, the new CEO of Nintendo of America, Doug Bowser, was introduced with a joke comparing his last name to the antagonist of the Mario series, Bowser. However, in Japanese, the character’s name is “Koopa”, so in the Japanese broadcast of the Nintendo Direct, they clarified the joke with subtitles explaining that his name is Bowser in English-language releases.
sell
Coincidence, Etymology, In-Joke, Regional Difference, Release Difference
person Kirby Inhales Jotaro calendar_month November 21, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Franchise: God of War
▲
1
▼
Kratos appears in actual Greek mythology as a Daimon or lesser god of strength. He is most notable for being the brother of Nike. Besides the coincidence of their name, this character bears no actual resemblance to the protagonist of the God of War series.
sell
Adaptation, Coincidence, Etymology, Inspiration, Real Life, Religion
person Kirby Inhales Jotaro calendar_month November 21, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 (1997)
subdirectory_arrow_right Star Fox (Franchise)
▲
1
▼
Attachment Barring the mistake with calling Fichina "Fortuna" in Star Fox 64, there is only one other main planet in all of the Star Fox series to have a slightly different English name from their original Japanese counterpart, that being Katina, which in Japan is called カタリナ, or Katarina.

In comparison, Katina directly translated into Japanese would be カティナ.
sell
Etymology, Regional Difference
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 23, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Star Fox 64 - Katina (JP):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYcJGG7dX4Q?t=3561

Just linking to this show that Katina's Japanese name directly translated into English is indeed officially "Katarina": https://youtu.be/C1xDq1ymFv4?list=PL79797D1A47372A35&t=99
Franchise: Frogger
▲
1
▼
Frogger inspired the name of a transposon family in the fruit fly. Transposons are said to "jump" between and within genomes, which is likely why one of these genes was named after the game.
sell
Etymology, Inspiration, Real Life
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month November 24, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Company: Rare
▲
4
▼
Attachment Contrary to popular belief, Rare's name was never "Rareware", even before the Microsoft buyout in 2002. On an old Rare Scribes post dated June 19, 2000, it was confirmed that the name "Rareware" refers to the company's products, not the company itself. It's essentially a portmanteau of "Rare" and "Software". The company itself was always internally named Rare Limited.
sell
Etymology, General, Real Life
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 24, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
Rare Scribes - June 19, 2020:
https://rarewhere.neocities.org/1998_2000/june1900

Example of official Nintendo website referring to them as Rare Ltd. (Banjo-Tooie game page):
https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040759/http://www.nintendo.com/games/gamepage/gamepage_main.jsp?gameId=53
Star Fox Command
Star Fox Command (2006)
subdirectory_arrow_right Star Fox: Assault (Game)
▲
1
▼
Attachment Star Fox: Assault introduces a new team member for Star Wolf, Panther Caroso, who fills in the space left behind by the departures of Andrew Oikonny and Pigma Dengar. He reappears in its sequel, Star Fox Command, but with a slightly different name: Panther Caruso.

Both of these are actually mistranslations of his intended surname in Japan, which is カルロッソ (Karurosso), or Caluroso. "Caluroso" is the Spanish word for warm, hot, energetic, enthusiastic, etc., which is in line with his womanizer, Latin, and Giacomo Casanova-esque personality and archetype.
sell
Character Design, Etymology, Mistranslation, Regional Difference
person Dinoman96 calendar_month November 24, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
User's English translation of official Japanese Star Fox: Assault guidebook:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/10m82rq/for_all_you_star_fox_assault_fans_some_pictures/

User's English translation of official Japanese Star Fox Command guidebook:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/ysr1ip/behold_translations_of_characters_stages_bosses/
Glover
Glover (1998)
subdirectory_arrow_right Blitz Games Studios (Company)
▲
1
▼
The Garib collectibles in Glover originated as an in-joke, according to designer Rich Albon:

"The studio was doing a port for a Japanese company at around the time of Glover and they got a faxed bug report (yes, a faxed bug report!) which had one item that read, There is a problem with the Garib.' No one knew what a Garib was - there was no reference to it in the in game or in the code. So it kind of became an office meme: anything without a name became a Garib."
sell
Development, Etymology, In-Joke, Reference
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month November 24, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
"The Making of Glover" article from Retro Gamer (UK) No. 234, June 2022. Can be found on multiple legitimate subscription sites, such as Everand:
https://www.everand.com/article/577759444/The-Making-Of-Glover
Collection: Bubsy
▲
2
▼
The name "Bubsy" originated from series creator Michael Berlyn's brother-in-law, who would refer to "rounded, bouncy, happy things" such as Volkswagen Beetles with the nonsense adjective "bubsy".
sell
Etymology, General
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month November 28, 2023
comment Comment (0) | link Source
Franchise: PaRappa the Rapper
▲
1
▼
It has been claimed in interviews that the name "PaRappa" is a pun on "parappa", a supposed Japanese word meaning "flat" or "paper-thin", and the English word "rapper". This appears to be a slight mistranslation, as the word "parappa" does not exist within Japanese, but the word "パラパラ" (para para) seems to be a more likely origin, a Japanese term for flipping through a book, which would have flat pages. The term is also used for a Japanese form of disco dancing, which could also be seen as part of a pun, given that the series takes influence from a lot of different genres as opposed to just rap, with PaRappa the Rapper 2 having a noticeable disco influence.
sell
Etymology, General, Misconception, Regional Difference, Theory
person Rocko & Heffer calendar_month November 29, 2023
comment Comment (0) | Source
arrow_right
keyboard_double_arrow_leftFirst keyboard_arrow_leftPrev Page 2 of 3 Nextkeyboard_arrow_right Lastkeyboard_double_arrow_right