As the tyrannical ruler of Dragon Ball’s Planet Trade Organization, Lord Frieza is a name that strikes fear into hearts across the galaxy. Which is a funny conceit, given he’s named after a kitchen appliance -- as is his brother, Cooler. The Frieza Force’s many soldiers, in turn, are named after items found in such appliances; “Ginyu” is named after the Japanese word for milk, Jeice, Burter and Guldo are corruptions of cheese, butter and yogurt, and Recoome is a phonetic anagram of cream.
This extends to the Saiyans as well. Raditz is named for radishes, Cabba for cabbages, Kakarot for carrots and Vegeta, prince of them all, is simply “vegetable” without the “ble”. From the very beginning, Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has had a fondness for food-related name puns. Grandpa Gohan, the namesake of Goku’s son, was named after a rice dish, as was the saga’s main villain Pilaf. Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar are all tea puns, and Shu and Mai are named for dumplings.
Dragon Ball isn’t the only anime fond of naming characters after food. There’s One Piece’s Charlotte family (including Pudding, Nutmeg and Cornstarch), Boruto’s Sarada (i.e. salad) Uchiha, and Hunter x Hunter’s Biscuit Krueger. Krueger isn’t even the only anime character with that first name -- there’s also Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans’ Griffon siblings -- Biscuit, Cookie and Cracker.
Gundam’s bizarre naming conventions could very easily earn the franchise a list all to itself. Series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's infamous penchant for giving his characters baffling names has provided the world with such gems as Icelina Eschonbach, Mashymre Cello, Lila Milla Rira, Seabook Arno and Arbeo Pippiniden. Zeta Gundam especially is home to two of the most lewd names in anime history with Quattro Bajeena and Jamitov Hymen. Arguably the crown jewel of Tomino names, however, comes in the form of Space Runaway Ideon's Kitty Kitten.
Even after Tomino stepped away from Gundam, his successors made sure to honor his most important tradition. Later Gundam series would gift anime fans with the likes of Chibodee Crocket, Kuzzey Buskirk and Chad Chaden. Gundam Unicorn, meanwhile, decided to try and match Zeta's lewdness with its big bad, Full Frontal.
However, none of these efforts could match up to the reigning champion of Gundam names, Mobile Suit Gundam 00. The 2007 series is a treasure trove, boasting all-time best anime name contenders such as Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism, Regene Regetta, Anew Returner, Ribbons Almark, Revive Revival and Bring Stabity.
Meanwhile, Bleach's Hollows -- human souls who linger too long in the mortal realm -- kickstart the plot of the legendary shonen series. They also all have absolutely ridiculous names; from Hexapodus to Acidwire, Bulbous G to Numb Chandelier, Fishbone D to Bawabawa and Runuganga, series creator Tite Kubo was obviously having a field day when naming his extensive cast.
Arrancars are Hollows with Shinigami-like abilities -- and even weirder names. There's Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck and Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne, Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerbuck, and the most popular of all Arrancars: Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. The funniest name in all of Kubo's series, however, comes from one of the Hollow-hunting Quincy: NaNaNa Najahkoop.
Of course, there's another classic Shonen Jump series that could fill an entire article all by itself: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Mangaka Hirohiko Araki is known for his fondness for Western music, and has named many, many characters -- as well as their Stands -- after various bands and songs. For starters, there's Burning Down the House, Sex Pistols, Ball Breaker, Oh! Lonesome Me, Bohemian Rhapsody, Goo Goo Dolls and Notorious B.I.G.
JoJo's highlight comes in the form of Part 7's main villain, Funny Valentine. Named for the popular jazz song ''My Funny Valentine'', Steel Ball Run's villain's name is wonderfully outlandish by itself, complemented by the absurdity of his Stand: the dimension-hopping Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, after the AC/DC track.
The cherry on top, however, comes in the form of the English localization's name. JoJo's localization tends to alter most Stand names to avoid any trademark dispute: Limp Bizkit becomes Flaccid Pancake, Sticky Fingers becomes Zipper Man, and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap becomes the pinnacle of weird anime names, the showstopper, the article ender: Filthy Acts at a Reasonable Price. Whoever decided to localize it to that deserves a lifetime of happiness and prosperity, for that is what the name ''Filthy Acts at a Reasonable Price'' brings to all those who hear it. Simply beautiful.
