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INTEREST: My Hero Academia Character Gets Name Change Following Controversy


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Engineering Nerd



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 897
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:32 pm Reply with quote
Correct me if I am wrong, but when Horikoshi names his characters in the manga, usually either their last name or first name would reference or hint their respective quirks, right? (Obviously Midoriya is an exceptions due to being quirkless) There is no way he named that doctor that way (the said doctor himself conducted numerous unethical and inhuman experiments in the manga) without knowing at least some background information.

Hell, even in the manga volumes, Horikoshi jokes about his naming sense being too casual
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Replica_Rabbit



Joined: 23 Aug 2015
Posts: 354
Location: Portland
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:35 pm Reply with quote
I did not know that, good on Kohei Horikoshi for changing the name. I hope people would understand why the change needed to happen and move on and don't make it a big deal.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4352
Location: New York
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:39 pm Reply with quote
Replica_Rabbit wrote:
I did not know that, good on Kohei Horikoshi for changing the name. I hope people would understand why the change needed to happen and move on and don't make it a big deal.


Too late on that front. People are demanding apologies, others want them to change the name back because they feel they’re dealing with an outrage mob.
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Fluwm



Joined: 28 Jul 2009
Posts: 881
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:43 pm Reply with quote
On the one hand, the original name seems to be in very poor taste. On the other hand, it draws attention to war crimes that are seldom acknowledged and frequently denied.
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Replica_Rabbit



Joined: 23 Aug 2015
Posts: 354
Location: Portland
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:48 pm Reply with quote
Beatdigga wrote:
Replica_Rabbit wrote:
I did not know that, good on Kohei Horikoshi for changing the name. I hope people would understand why the change needed to happen and move on and don't make it a big deal.


Too late on that front. People are demanding apologies, others want them to change the name back because they feel they’re dealing with an outrage mob.

Sigh, so glad this type of social media wasn't around when Oda changes Whitebeard's flag. I guess I stay away from MHA social media for a while.
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Spastic Minnow
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Joined: 02 May 2006
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Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:48 pm Reply with quote
He hasn't revealed the new name yet, has he? He could find a more tasteful name to reference the same issue.
Instead of referencing the torture victims, reference a reviled torturer.
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El Hermano



Joined: 24 Feb 2019
Posts: 450
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:49 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I did not intend for that name to be associated as such.


I mean, he obviously did. The maruta = nomu connection is quite clear. It would be like naming him after Dr. Mengele too.

I don't really see the issue since it's not a character that's being portrayed as a hero or right, but a similar evil scientist, but I guess it would be a sensitive issue for some people given the Japanese/Chinese history.
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Somer-_-



Joined: 14 May 2014
Posts: 984
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:51 pm Reply with quote
Has it ever been confirmed that the doctor who said Izuku was quirkless is the same dude? Cause if it hasn't they shouldn't be using this picture. I'm not sure since I don't read the manga..
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TichoSlicer



Joined: 26 Feb 2017
Posts: 175
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:56 pm Reply with quote
Censorship Always wins... What a sh** world that we live in... WTF man, its just a WORD! The next step now will be force Hollywood to not use the world 'Nazi' too... ¬¬
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Krunky



Joined: 08 Jul 2019
Posts: 59
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:59 pm Reply with quote
El Hermano wrote:
Quote:
I did not intend for that name to be associated as such.


I mean, he obviously did. The maruta = nomu connection is quite clear. It would be like naming him after Dr. Mengele too.


No he didn't. Nomu just means artificial human while maruta means log in Japanese and also it isn't how Horikoshi does his naming conventions.

Quote:
Quirkless characters have "tree"'s meaning related names. Deku 木偶Toshinori Yagi 八木 as well as Maruta (log). And they're related directly to Shiragaki 死柄木.
Moreover, Maru 丸 means circle = O. It refers to the truth that Dr.Ujiko is quirkless.


Quote:

Shiga = intention + celebration
If you spell the kana in Maruta backwards (his real first name), you get taruma -> Daruma ( = his pseudonymous first name).


That's the whole thing with the Japanese language is that words can convey many different meanings so to just say "this was obviously his intention" is missing the point entirely. Hell just right now a twitter user just connected the name with Ujiga Waita in which Shiga Maruta can be read as. Its really only Chinese and Korean fans who are upset with him since they connected the word Maruta with WWII when that was NEVER his intention and they have responded as such as spamming his twitter account and every MHA related accounted with spam asking him to apologize (which he already did) and sending him death threats all over a stupid word Rolling Eyes

And people wonder why most artist do not interact with their fans on social media.


Last edited by Krunky on Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:00 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Engineering Nerd



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 897
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 4:59 pm Reply with quote
El Hermano wrote:
Quote:
I did not intend for that name to be associated as such.


I mean, he obviously did. The maruta = nomu connection is quite clear. It would be like naming him after Dr. Mengele too.

I don't really see the issue since it's not a character that's being portrayed as a hero or right, but a similar evil scientist, but I guess it would be a sensitive issue for some people given the Japanese/Chinese history.



Actually when you think about it, I would say there is a problem when you give a name that associates with discriminated victims, to a villain who is doing illegal human experiments himself. After all, chapters later in the current arc, this cartoonishly-exaggerated Villian will be defeated by the “heroes of justice” (or least I hope so), so it feels weird such treatment would be given to a character that carries a discriminated code name.

MHA is a manga that portrays heroes and social justice, so Horikoshi and Weekly Jump fully realized any sort of controversy that betrays that theme must be handled in a delicate manner
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lossthief
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 14 Dec 2012
Posts: 1380
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:01 pm Reply with quote
TichoSlicer wrote:
Censorship Always wins... What a sh** world that we live in... WTF man, its just a WORD! The next step now will be force Hollywood to not use the world 'Nazi' too... ¬¬


A creator or publisher choosing to change something based on reader feedback isn't censorship.


Last edited by lossthief on Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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mooseV01



Joined: 21 Apr 2017
Posts: 176
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:01 pm Reply with quote
TichoSlicer wrote:
Censorship Always wins... What a sh** world that we live in... WTF man, its just a WORD! The next step now will be force Hollywood to not use the world 'Nazi' too... ¬¬


I swear anime fans have no tact sometimes.

It's called being respectful to a past tragedy. MHA is for kids. It has no business casually referencing such a obscene moment from Japanese history.

Maybe if MHA was a mature series that tackled that subject matter maturely, it would be fine - as our media does with Nazi (kids shows cannot use that word)... but as it is, it has no business using it.
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gamegodtre



Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 98
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:02 pm Reply with quote
Replica_Rabbit wrote:
I did not know that, good on Kohei Horikoshi for changing the name. I hope people would understand why the change needed to happen and move on and don't make it a big deal.


I dont if you made a character naned athur hitler or vinny musolini i wouldnt give 2 shits. Hell mel brooks decades ago was doing shit like this in his works with the producers.
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Krunky



Joined: 08 Jul 2019
Posts: 59
PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:03 pm Reply with quote
Spastic Minnow wrote:
He hasn't revealed the new name yet, has he? He could find a more tasteful name to reference the same issue.
Instead of referencing the torture victims, reference a reviled torturer.

Except the reference was never to those tortured victims as he said himself that was never his intention it got spun out of control by Korean readers who read illegal scans then wanted to confront Hori on the matter by spamming his twitter for three days before the chapter was officially released.
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