Forum: gaming.stackexchange.com
Tags: <sonic-the-hedgehog-series>
Title: What is the difference between Dr. Robotnik and Eggman?
Question: Are they the same, or alter egos? Does  "Eggman"  refer to a specific persona with unique characteristics compared to "Dr. Robotnik"? Does the name change based on between the 3D/2D game perspective, or the game's region (Japan vs. US)? Does he ever assert a name preference, and does he accept or reject the Eggman nickname? They look the same—is there a reason why the Sonic series uses both names simultaneously?

Answers:
sents: text: They are different names for the same character.
text: The Wikipedia article you linked has the explanation, sourced from the former head of Sonic Team, Yuji Naka : "Robotnik" is the character's real name while "Eggman" is a "common name taken after his shape."
text: In various iterations of the franchise, they've chosen different names for him, with Robotnik being more of the English name, and Eggman the Japanese.
text: However, since Sonic Adventure (1999) he tends to go by Doctor Eggman in both English and Japanese translations of his video game appearances.
text: As far as whether or not this is a preference, a teasing nickname, or just a localization hiccup, the character rarely remarks about his different names or his own preferences.
text: However, as Jupotter points out , in Sonic Generations, Classic Tails refers to him as Dr. Robotnik, and he comments that nobody calls him that anymore.
text: This would seem to indicate that he's at least aware of his different names.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/13845/agent86
score: 33
sents: text: At the risk of showing my age, geekiness, and awesome memory... Just before, or just as Sonic
text: The Hedgehog was being released on the Megadrive, a publication called Mean Machines (UK) had a pull out comic (Sonic The Comic didn't appear for a couple of years after that).
text: In this pull out comic, Sonic starts out as being brown, and cobalt in a treadmill explosion turns him blue.
text: Why there's cobalt involved in a treadmill, I have no idea.
text: In the same explosion Doctor Kintobor turns evil for some unexplained reason.
text: It was a really flaky story.
text: So, becoming his polar opposite in a flaky story, Kintobor became Robotnik (much like the Kaleds became Daleks, for all of you Whovians out there).
text: After typing "Kintobor" into a search engine, I have found this image:
text: So, based on that: his name is Robotnik.
text: Although, I suspect his original name was Eggman.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/47557/Nick Tester
score: 4
sents: text: Same Person different name.
text: This name is Ivo Robotnik, he's called "Eggman" because of his shape.
text: Really a nickname that's been with him since Sonic adventures.
text: I don't remember him having a preference or not liking the name "Eggman".
text: He like some of the characters, does have alternate universe version of themselves.
text: Like "Dr. Eggman Nega".
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/24806/Ryiz
score: 3
sents: text: Ivo Robotnik and Eggman are actually one and the same.
text: Check this link for references.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/24290/Fritz
score: 1
sents: text: They're actually different guys... who are the same guy:
text: Dr. Ivo Robotnik is a nemesis of Sonic's.
text: Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the alternate history version of the first Dr. Robotnik, who eventually crossed over to the main timeline to become a nemesis of Sonic's after the first one was finally defeated.
text: So, two different guys, but kind of also the same guy.
text: But not.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/53429/user53429
score: 1
sents: text: Doctor Eggman seems to be a nickname that both he and the characters around him have accepted and use frequently.
text: However, Robotnik is his given surname.
text: In both the Japanese and American version of Sonic Adventure 2, Robotnik has a grandfather by the name of Gerald Robotnik .
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/55285/Zibbobz
score: 0
sents: text: It's the same idea as Princess Toadstool, vs. Princess Peach.
text: In the west, Peach was essentially the name she was deemed with, after the first few Mario games.
text: Wheras in the West after some Sonic Games, people often called Robotnik, "Eggman" based on his shape.
text: I think it's an east vs.
text: West thing.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/142269/Janet Alex.
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
They are different names for the same character.
It seems that both names are defining the same character.