ZNG Game Facts

Various ZNG members used to post various facts about different video game series on Miiverse. They were primarily about The Legend of Zelda, but also extended into Pokémon, Mario, and other Nintendo-related topics on occasion.
Recorded here is a collection of said fact posts.
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== Fun Facts ==
=== Elzonire ===
1. In English, we have as follows:
"Dawn/Night of the First Day"
"Dawn/Night of the Second Day"
"Dawn/Night of the Final Day"
"Dawn of a New Day"
In the Japanese version, it is:
最初の朝/夜 (Saisho no Asa/Yoru, Morning/Night of the Initial Day)
次の日の朝/夜 (Tsugi no Hi no Asa/Yoru, Morning/Night of the Next Day)
最後の朝/夜 (Saigo no Asa/Yoru, Morning/Night of the Day of Your Death)
新しい日の朝 (Atarashii Hi no Asa, Morning of a New Day)
Initial and Next got a laugh out of me! I definitely see why it was translated to 1st and 2nd! 	2. Fun Fact! You've all heard "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." from the original Legend of Zelda. In the Japanese version, the old man says ヒトリデハキケンジャコレヲ　サズケヨウ (Hitori dewa kiken ja kore wo sazukeyou) "It's dangerous to be alone! I grant you this."
Not too different from the American version, but it's the first thing spoken in the series!
3. Fun Fact! In the Japanese version of most Zeldas, the Great Spin Attack is called 大回転切り (Daikaitengiri) If you take the meanings of the individual Kanji: 大 (dai) is great, 回 (kai) is revolve, 転 (ten) is turning, and 切り (giri) is cut off. So, 大回転切り is Great Revolving, Turning Cut. Yeah... makes sense why it's just Great Spin Attack for us. But hey, it's fun to say. DAIKAITENGIRI! 	4. Fun Fact! You know how he's called the Deku Tree Sprout, and it's sort of implied that he's the Deku Tree's son? This confirms it! In the Japanese version of Ocarina of Time, he is called デクの樹のこども (Deku no Ki no Kodomo, Deku Tree's Child)! So, I wonder if this can be used to Link the Deku Tree Sprout and the Deku Tree in the Wind Waker...
5. Fun Fact! You know the Palace of Darkness from A Link to the Past, the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time, and the Dark Palace in A Link Between Worlds?In the Japanese version, they all have the same name! It's 闇の神殿 (Yami no Shinden, Temple of Darkness). But, they're not the same place. One is in Hyrule, one is in Lorule, and the last one is in the Dark World. Odd that Nintendo of America translated it that way. If you wanted to say "Palace of Darkness" or "Dark Palace", you'd say 闇の宮殿 (Yami no Kyuuden), and if you wanted to say "Shadow Temple", you'd say 影の神殿 (Kage no Shinden). Eh, no harm done. 	6. Fun Fact! Remember the Shabom? Of course you don't, it was an unremarkable enemy that was in only one dungeon in one game. Namely, the bubbles in Jabu Jabu's Belly. In the American version of Ocarina of Time, Navi's comment says to not slash it, it'll just repel your sword. This is inaccurate. In the Japanese version, she say 弾いちゃう (hajiichau), which means to repel, but also means to snap. The bubbles, when they pop, "snap" back and harm Link. This is an awkward translation no matter how you look at it.
7. Another Fun Fact! About the Biri and Bari enemies in Jabu Jabu's Belly...(The electric jellyfish) "Biribiri" is onomatopoeia for an electric shock, while "Baribari" is onomatopoeia for electric crackling sounds! (Japanese onomatopoeia, of course.) I'm finding so many bad puns in this game that simply don't exist in the American version. 	8. Fun Fact! In the Japanese version of Ocarina of Time, Deku Scrubs and Gorons have a(n annoying) speech pattern. Deku Scrubs say "Pi" at the end of sentences, while Gorons say "Goro" and "Koro" all the time. And while I'm at it, "Gorogoro" is the Japanese Onomatopoeia for rolling! Also, some Zoras say "Zora" at the end of their sentences.
9. Fun Fact! You know how you're warned that the water in Morpha's room isn't normal? Now, this may have been obvious to everyone else, but I always thought Navi said that to Link. But it's Ruto. How do I know for sure? Because in the Japanese version, Ruto says "Zora" at the end of her sentences. She says that when she warns Link! So there you go! 	10. Fun Fact! In Japanese versions of various Zelda games, Z Targeting is called Ｚ注目 (Z Chuumoku). It simply means Z Attention. Kinda weird... but it makes sense.
11. Fun Fact! In the Japanese version of A Link Between Worlds, Hilda and Zelda's names look VERY similar to each other. ヒルダ, ゼルダ (Hiruda, Zeruda). See the resemblance? I've heard that Hilda's name was picked out of Sabrina The Teenage Witch, which is possible, but I find the names looking similar was the driving reason. In any case, whatever the reason behind Hilda's name, it's still cool. 	12. Fun Fact! This is going to be the most fun and interesting difference between the Japanese and English version of a Zelda game I've ever mentioned! Are you hyped? Are you pumped? Here it is! In Majora's Mask, Zubora the blacksmith offers Link a coffee while he waits for his sword. In the Japanese version, he offers Link some tea! See? Wasn't that mind blowing info?
13. This is a wierd little fun fact! In the Japanese versions of Mario games, Boos are called Teresa and King Boo is called King Teresa. Why? Teresa is based off of the Japanese verb 照れる (tereru), which means "to be shy". No wonder. 	14. Fun Fact! The American names Ash and Gary come from the original characters names, Satoshi and Shigeru, who in turn are based off of the creator of Pokemon and the creator of Mario and Zelda, respectively. The OSH in Satoshi is Ash, and the GERU in Shigeru is Gary. If I recall, it's because Satoshi considered Miyamoto as a friendly rival.
15. Fun Fact! You know Fawful's crazy dialogue? Course you do. All the random food analogies, and what have you. In the Japanese version, his name is Gerakobittsu, and his weird speech thing is that he commonly says "rurururu" at the end of his sentences. 	16. Fun Fact! Olimar and Louie's names are based off of Mario and Luigi's! Olimar's Japanese name is オリマー (Orimaa) and Mario's is マリオ (Mario). If you look carefully at the Japanese names, Olimar is Mario backwards!Louie's Japanese name is ルーイ (Ruui) and Luigi's is ルイージ (Ruiiji)! In both languages they sound similar! And considering how Louie is portrayed as incompetent like Green 'Stache...
17. Fun Fact! Wario and Waluigi's names, as strange as they sound, are puns! Wario's Japanese name is ワリオ (Wario) and it's a mix of 悪い (Warui) which means bad, and マリオ (Mario). A bad Mario, or a Warui Mario is Wario! Waluigi's name is ワルイージ (Waruiiji) which also comes from 悪い (Warui) and ルイージ (Ruiiji, Luigi). A Bad Luigi, a Warui Luigi is Waluigi! It may also come from 意地悪 (Ijiwaru) which means unkind, mean. Yay, puns! 	18. Fun Fact! Look at a picture of the Book of Magic from Zelda 1. Notice how it's facing the opposite way a normal book is read? In Japan, they read starting from the "back" cover, reading up to down, moving to the left after every line. It makes sense why the Book of Magic is facing that way.
19. Fun Fact! I just realized exactly why Shigeru Miyamoto's name was transliterated as "Miyahon". His name is 宮本茂。Let's break this down. 宮 is pronounced "miya", 本 is pronounced "moto", and 茂 is pronounced "shigeru". However, 本 is also read much more commonly as "hon"! 宮本 can be read as both "Miyamoto" and "Miyahon"! Go figure! 	20. Fun Fact! I currently have PC Miiverse set to Japanese, and the name of this community is interesting. It's called ポケットモンスター赤・緑・青・ピカチュウコミュニティ (Poketto Monsutaa Aka, Midori, Ao, Pikachuu Comyuniti). Pocket Monsters Red, Green, Blue, Pikachu. Yellow version is just straight up called Pikachu Version. Cool.
21. Fun Fact! In the game Okami, you play as a goddess in the guise of a wolf! Now, the way Okami is REALLY supposed to be spelled is Ookami. 大神 is pronounced "ookami", and it means great god/goddess. 狼 is ALSO pronounced "ookami", and it means wolf! What a wonderful pun! So, what's the Japanese name of the game; 大神 or 狼？ Does it really matter? They're the same thing in this case! 	22. Not-So-Fun Fact... In one of the various language versions of Ocarina of Time (I think the German version), when you talk to Zelda with the Keaton Mask, she asks if that's one of those cute pocket monsters. I looked at what she said in Japanese which is あら？ネズミさん？え？ちがいますの？ (Ara? Nezumi-san? Eh? Chigaimasu no?) "Huh? A mouse? Eh? That's not it?" No Pikachu reference, sadly...
23. Fun Fact! The name Barba form Zelda II is a mistranslation of Volvagia! The Japanese name of them both is ヴァルバジア (Varubajia). However, generally speaking, Japanese people can't actually make a "v" sound, so they use "b". Because of that, it sounds more like Barbajia. All that the English translators did was remove the "jia" and it became "Barba". Then in OoT, they gave it the name "Volvagia". 	24. Fun Fact! You know how it says a Pokemon fainted? Have you ever wondered if the Pokemon actually die, just translated as faint? Well, keep wondering! In the Japanese version, it uses the verb 倒れる (taoreru), which means to collapse or fall senseless. HOWEVER, it ALSO means to die. So, it's even more ambiguous in the original games. Even in the more recent Pokemon games, it still just says "taoreru".
25. Fun Fact! Or horrifying; your choice. You know the move Night Slash? The Japanese name of it is Tsujigiri. What does Tsujigiri mean? Tsujigiri was the practice of testing out a brand new sword on a random passerby. This move is a Dark type, but in Japan, the Dark type is the Aku Taipu, which means Evil Type. Quite fitting, isn't it? 	26. Fun Fact! Bulbasaur's Japanese name is Fushigidane, which is a really bad pun. 不思議 (Fushigi) means "mysterious/strange", and 種 (tane) means "seed". When next to "fushigi", "tane" becomes "dane". So, he's a "mysterious/strange seed". That makes sense! It would be written as 不思議種 in this case.
But, there is another meaning. Again, "fushigi" means mysterious, だ (da) is a word for "is", and ね (ne) invites agreement. So, think of it as "isn't it?" Whenever something odd would happen in the anime, if he said his name, it would sound like he's saying, "Mysterious/strange, isn't it?", which made it seem like he could talk! Written as 不思議だね. What a wonderful pun!
27. Fun Fact! Some of you may think R.O.B.'s name is goofy, given that he's a robot. But his Japanese name is ロボット (Robotto). Yes, his name is outright the word for robot. Because... why not? 	28. Fun Fact! Have you ever wondered about the odd thing Link's uncle says? Well, in the original Japanese, it's the same! ...Sort of. In the American version, it says "Link, you can do it! Save the Princess! Zelda is your..." In Japanese it says:「ゼルダ姫をお救いするのだ。お、お前は、姫の・・・」("Zeruda-Hime o osukuisuru no da. O-omae wa, Hime no..."). This means "Save Zelda! Y-you're the Princess's..." Now, I have zero idea what he wanted to say in either version. But the English one clearly is reversed and is nonsense. "Zelda is your" and "You're the Princess's" are conflicting.
29. Fun Fact! I've just finished playing through the Japanese version of Ocarina of Time again, and I have some new facts that I didn't notice from last time! When Link gives King Zora Ruto's letter, he says 「そんなバカなゾラ！？」(Sonna baka na Zora!?) which could mean two things. The first is "That foolish Zora!" and the other is "That kind of foolish...!", neither of which did he say in the American version. 	30. Fun Fact! Wallmasters have two names in the Japanese version (of Ocarina of Time, at least). They are called フォールマスター  (Forumasutaa) Fallmasters and ウォールマスター (Woorumasutaa) Wallmasters. Unsurprisingly, Floormasters are only called フロアマスター (Furoamasutaa) Floormasters.
31. Fun Fact! When you talk to Guru-Guru as an adult, he says something that wasn't in the American version: 「あの日、悪魔のようなこうぞがここでヘンな歌を演奏して、風車にイタズラしやがったんだ！」("Ano hi, akuma no you na kouzo ga koko de henna uta o ensou shite, fuusha ni itazura shiyagattanda!") "On that day, a kid like a demon performed a weird song in here and caused mischief in the windmill!" Yes, he outright calls Link a demon. 	32. Fun Fact! In the Japanese version of Ocarina of Time, The Gorons in the Fire Temple don't say The Goron "Special Crop", they say ゴロン名物の「アレ」(Goron Meibutsu no "Are") The Goron Specialty: "THAT". Quite a cryptic name. If it were translated like that, I never would have thought they were talking about bombs.
33. Fun Fact! Navi's Shell Blade description is "It's internal muscle is it's weak point!", but in the Japanese version, it's「貝柱が弱点よ！」(Kaibashira ga jakuten yo!), meaning "The adductor muscle is it's weak point!" 貝柱 (Kaibashira) means "adductor muscle", but adductor is certainly not a common word. I've never heard of it. A little random for Navi to have it in her vocabulary, but cool! New word! 	34. Fun Fact! In Ocarina of Time, there is sign detailing the Haunted Wasteland. In the Japanese version, it says「幻影の砂漠　幻を追う者に死を！真実の道は一つ！」("Genei no Sabaku. Maboroshi o ou mono ni shi o! Shinjitsu no michi wa hitotsu!") The meaning is "Desert of Illusion. Death to those that chase phantoms! There is only one true path!" That's a bit more direct and sounds more dangerous. Minor differences, yay!
35. Fun Fact! You know the area called the Desert Colossus? In the Japanese version, that place is called 巨大邪神像 (Kyodai Jashinzou), which means "Colossal Statue of an Evil Goddess". Looks like Navi's suspicion about the statue in the Spirit Temple was correct. 	36. Fun Fact! In only one place in the game, namely when Link and Zelda are talking after defeating Ganon, Zelda says exactly where Ganon was sealed. 闇の世界 (Yami no Sekai), The Dark World. Yes, the very same place from A Link to the Past. Why was this never mentioned in the American version?
37. Fun Fact! At the end of Twilight Princess, Midna says "Link... I... See you later." And people have always been wondering what she was going to say when she said "I...".
However, in the original Japanese version, she simply says リンク...ま...またな。(Rinku... Ma... Mata na.) This simply means " Link... Se... See you later." No "I...", she only stuttered in an emotional goodbye. 	38. Fun Fact! In the Japanese version of Ocarina of Time (and presumably Majora's Mask), Stalchilds are called スタルベビー (Sutarubebii), Stalbaby. If they were actually shaped and proportioned like babies, that would be incredibly creepy.
39. Fun Fact! In the Japanese version of Pokemon games, the Elite Four are known as the 四天王 (Shitennou) which literally means "Four Heavenly Kings". Why are they called that? ...I have no idea. 	40. Two Fun Facts! Since the Sinnoh Region is based off of Japan's northern island, Hokkaido, that means Victory Road and the Pokemon League are on Kunashir Island, Russia. So, the Pokemon League isn't even in the same country as the region it represents...
The island where the Battle Tower is on is a part of Russia, and Snowpoint City's real life counterpart is a substantial port to and from there.
41. Fun Fact! In Japanese Pokémon games, when a Pokémon "faints", that status condition is described as 瀕死 (Hinshi), which means "on the verge of death".
So wild Pokémon do not die, but they're very close to it. 	42. Fun Fact! This is a Luigi community, so it's appropriate.
The Poltergust, while being an awesome English pun, has a really funny Japanese name.お化け (Obake) is ghost, and バキューム (Bakyuumu) is vacuum. The name of the Poltergust is the オバキューム (Obakyuumu), which is a clever combination of the two words!
43. Fun Fact! Luigi's Mansion's Japanese name is nonsense! It's called ルイージマンション (Ruiiji Manshon, Luigi Mansion), except the English word "manshon" means apartment in Japanese! Yet in the game itself, everyone refers to the mansion as a 屋敷 (Yashiki), the actual native word for mansion! So why is the game not called ルイージの屋敷 (Ruiiji no Yashiki, Luigi's Mansion) instead? It would make more sense... 	44. Fun Fact! Team Galactic's Japanese name is 銀河団 (Ginga Dan, also written as ギンガ団), which means "Team Milky Way"! However, the Japanese word for Milky Way literally means "Silver River", an apt description. Therefore, Team Galactic 銀河団 is "Team Silver River". That's an awesome name altogether!
45. Fun Facts! Origins of the Pokémon region names and real life equivalent locations!
The Kanto Region: カントー地方 (Kantoo Chihou) In Kanji, it's written as 関東地方, which means "East of the barrier".
The barrier being the 箱根関所 (Hakone Checkpoint) of a city of the same name. Kanto is based off the real world 関東地方 (Kanto Region) of Japan, which is roughly from the eastern coast, west beyond Tokyo and Yokohama, and ending just before Mt. Fuji. It ends at the southern coast of Japan.
The Johto Region ジョウト地方 (Jouto Chihou) In Kanji, it's written as 城都地方, meaning " castle capital".
It is based off the real world 関西地方 (Kansai Region), meaning "West of the barrier"; again, the barrier being Hakone Town. Kansai, roughly speaking, is from the eastern Ibuki mountains and southern Ise Bay, past the western Kobe City to Himeji City. The Lake of Rage is based off Japan's largest lake, 琵琶湖 (Lake Biwa). Of course, the oceans above and below that part of Japan form the north and south borders. Kansai is also known as the 近畿地方 (Kinki Region), which is the area around Osaka and Kyoto. In the Pokémon games, Kanto and Johto are right next to each other, with the Pokémon League and Mt. Silver being the dividing line, but the Kanto and Kansai Regions of Japan have quite a bit of land in between them. Mt. Silver's real world counterpart is actually Mt. Fuji. The western island where Cianwood city and the Safari Zone are located is Japan's island of Shikoku. Shikoku isn't a part of Kansai, yet the island in-game is a part of Johto. An interesting thing to note is that Kanto is a very modern and developed place, and Kansai is more historic, which is reflected in the design of Kanto and Johto. For example, Kanto has no legends of ancient, powerful Pokémon (The three birds are simply rare, few have heard of Mew, and only recently had stories of a horrifyingly powerful Pokémon in Cerulean Cave come about), yet Johto has tons of legends as well as shrines and old style cities built around those legends. Or Kanto having the Silph Co. headquarters and so on.
The Hoenn Region: ホウエン地方 (Houen Chihou) As Kanji, it's written as 豊縁地方, which means "abundant relationships" or "abundant opportunities".
Hoenn is based off of Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu. One note is that Kyushu is oriented differently from Hoenn. When you go north in Hoenn, you're going east in Kyushu. When you go east to the Pokémon League in Hoenn, you're going south in Kyushu. Speaking of, the island where the Pokémon League is located is based off Okinawa.
The Orre Region: オーレ地方 (Oore Chihou) As far as I know, it has no Kanji name.
This region is awesome. Of all the places that they could have based it on, they specifically picked my home state of Arizona! Both places are deserts in the south with many forests and mountains in the north.
Phenac City is based off Phoenix, and Agate Village reminds me heavily of Sun City, though it might not be based directly off it.
As for name meaning, I've heard it said that it could be based off the English word "ore" as a reference to all the old mining towns in this state. But Orre's English and Japanese pronunciation differ greatly from the pronunciation of "ore". I think it might be based off a Japanese word for "I", 俺 (ore), a very tough guy way of saying "I".
Considering how both Orre and Arizona are in regard to terrain, this makes some sense, and the pronunciation is much closer to the region name. It could be either, both, or neither, I don't know for sure.
The Sinnoh Region: シンオウ地方 (Shin'ou Chihou)
As Kanji it's written as either 神奥地方 or 深奥地方. I'm not completely sure which it is (most likely 神奥), but in either case, it's an old word meaning "mystery", specifically a type of mystery only a select few people are aware of that even fewer understand.
Sinnoh is based off Japan's northern island, Hokkaido. For reference, Jubilife City is based off Sapporo, Mt. Coronet is based off the Ezo mountain chain, etc. There are three lakes in the game that each have an island in the middle, which each contain a legendary Pokémon. Those lake's real world counterparts all have islands in the middle of them. The fourth lake of Sinnoh is secluded and covered in fog, as is it's real world counterpart. The island where the Pokémon League is located is a Russian island called Kunashir. The island with the Battle Tower is another Russian island called Sakhalin, or Karafuto in Japanese. The area of Hokkaido to the west of Twinleaf Town curves down to the south towards the main island of Japan. Strangely, that section of Hokkaido is not a part of Sinnoh. However, if we assume Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia is canon, then the Almia Region is based off that western area of Hokkaido beyond Twinleaf Town. In which case, the other island in that region is based off the northern tip of Japan's main island, Honshu.
The Unova Region: イッシュ地方 (Isshu Chihou)
As Kanji, it's written as 一種地方, which means "species", "kind", or "variety" of something.
Unova could be based off the word "united", or it could be parts of the phrase "United States of America".
Unova is based off the New York City area; looking at the city overhead would be about the same shape. It's especially obvious with Castelia City.
The Kalos Region: カロス地方 (Karosu Chihou)
No Kanji form. Based on the Greek word κάλλος, meaning "beauty", something that this region focuses heavily on.
Based on the whole of France.
The Alola Region: あローラ地方 (Aroora Chihou)
The name is based off the Hawaiian greeting Aloha, so of course it's quite obvious the region is based off Hawaii!	45. Fun Facts! Origins of the Pokémon region names and real life equivalent locations!
The Kanto Region: カントー地方 (Kantoo Chihou) In Kanji, it's written as 関東地方, which means "East of the barrier".
The barrier being the 箱根関所 (Hakone Checkpoint) of a city of the same name. Kanto is based off the real world 関東地方 (Kanto Region) of Japan, which is roughly from the eastern coast, west beyond Tokyo and Yokohama, and ending just before Mt. Fuji. It ends at the southern coast of Japan.
The Johto Region ジョウト地方 (Jouto Chihou) In Kanji, it's written as 城都地方, meaning " castle capital".
It is based off the real world 関西地方 (Kansai Region), meaning "West of the barrier"; again, the barrier being Hakone Town. Kansai, roughly speaking, is from the eastern Ibuki mountains and southern Ise Bay, past the western Kobe City to Himeji City. The Lake of Rage is based off Japan's largest lake, 琵琶湖 (Lake Biwa). Of course, the oceans above and below that part of Japan form the north and south borders. Kansai is also known as the 近畿地方 (Kinki Region), which is the area around Osaka and Kyoto. In the Pokémon games, Kanto and Johto are right next to each other, with the Pokémon League and Mt. Silver being the dividing line, but the Kanto and Kansai Regions of Japan have quite a bit of land in between them. Mt. Silver's real world counterpart is actually Mt. Fuji. The western island where Cianwood city and the Safari Zone are located is Japan's island of Shikoku. Shikoku isn't a part of Kansai, yet the island in-game is a part of Johto. An interesting thing to note is that Kanto is a very modern and developed place, and Kansai is more historic, which is reflected in the design of Kanto and Johto. For example, Kanto has no legends of ancient, powerful Pokémon (The three birds are simply rare, few have heard of Mew, and only recently had stories of a horrifyingly powerful Pokémon in Cerulean Cave come about), yet Johto has tons of legends as well as shrines and old style cities built around those legends. Or Kanto having the Silph Co. headquarters and so on.
The Hoenn Region: ホウエン地方 (Houen Chihou) As Kanji, it's written as 豊縁地方, which means "abundant relationships" or "abundant opportunities".
Hoenn is based off of Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu. One note is that Kyushu is oriented differently from Hoenn. When you go north in Hoenn, you're going east in Kyushu. When you go east to the Pokémon League in Hoenn, you're going south in Kyushu. Speaking of, the island where the Pokémon League is located is based off Okinawa.
The Orre Region: オーレ地方 (Oore Chihou) As far as I know, it has no Kanji name.
This region is awesome. Of all the places that they could have based it on, they specifically picked my home state of Arizona! Both places are deserts in the south with many forests and mountains in the north.
Phenac City is based off Phoenix, and Agate Village reminds me heavily of Sun City, though it might not be based directly off it.
As for name meaning, I've heard it said that it could be based off the English word "ore" as a reference to all the old mining towns in this state. But Orre's English and Japanese pronunciation differ greatly from the pronunciation of "ore". I think it might be based off a Japanese word for "I", 俺 (ore), a very tough guy way of saying "I".
Considering how both Orre and Arizona are in regard to terrain, this makes some sense, and the pronunciation is much closer to the region name. It could be either, both, or neither, I don't know for sure.
The Sinnoh Region: シンオウ地方 (Shin'ou Chihou)
As Kanji it's written as either 神奥地方 or 深奥地方. I'm not completely sure which it is (most likely 神奥), but in either case, it's an old word meaning "mystery", specifically a type of mystery only a select few people are aware of that even fewer understand.
Sinnoh is based off Japan's northern island, Hokkaido. For reference, Jubilife City is based off Sapporo, Mt. Coronet is based off the Ezo mountain chain, etc. There are three lakes in the game that each have an island in the middle, which each contain a legendary Pokémon. Those lake's real world counterparts all have islands in the middle of them. The fourth lake of Sinnoh is secluded and covered in fog, as is it's real world counterpart. The island where the Pokémon League is located is a Russian island called Kunashir. The island with the Battle Tower is another Russian island called Sakhalin, or Karafuto in Japanese. The area of Hokkaido to the west of Twinleaf Town curves down to the south towards the main island of Japan. Strangely, that section of Hokkaido is not a part of Sinnoh. However, if we assume Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia is canon, then the Almia Region is based off that western area of Hokkaido beyond Twinleaf Town. In which case, the other island in that region is based off the northern tip of Japan's main island, Honshu.
The Unova Region: イッシュ地方 (Isshu Chihou)
As Kanji, it's written as 一種地方, which means "species", "kind", or "variety" of something.
Unova could be based off the word "united", or it could be parts of the phrase "United States of America".
Unova is based off the New York City area; looking at the city overhead would be about the same shape. It's especially obvious with Castelia City.
The Kalos Region: カロス地方 (Karosu Chihou)
No Kanji form. Based on the Greek word κάλλος, meaning "beauty", something that this region focuses heavily on.
Based on the whole of France.
The Alola Region: あローラ地方 (Aroora Chihou)
The name is based off the Hawaiian greeting Aloha, so of course it's quite obvious the region is based off Hawaii!
46. Two Fun Facts! Breath of the Wild's Steppe Talus Japanese name is イワロック (Iwarokku). "Iwa" is Japanese for "rock", and "Rokku" is the Japanese borrowing of the English word... "rock". "Rockrock". Likewise, Pokemon's Darkrai's Japanese name is ダークライ (Daakurai). "Daaku" is the Japanese borrowing of the English word "dark", and "Kurai" is Japanese for... "dark". "Darkdark".
What genius. 	47. Fun Facts! Japanese names of the seven Chronicles of Narnia books! See the comments to see the whole list!
ナルニア国物語 (Narunia Koku Monogatari, The Tales of the Country of Narnia)
魔術師の甥 (Majutsushi no Oi, The Magician's Nephew)
ライオンと魔女 (Raion to Majo, The Lion and the Witch)
馬と少年 (Uma to Shounen, The Horse and the Boy)
カスピアン王子の角笛 (Kasupian Ouji no Tsunobue, The Horn of Prince Caspian)
朝開丸　東の海へ (Asabirakimaru: Higashi no Umi e, The Dawn Treader: To the Eastern Sea)
銀の椅子 (Gin no Isu, The Silver Chair)
最後の戦い (Saigo no Tatakai, The Last Battle)
48. 19 Fun Facts! Japanese names of every Zelda game!
The Hyrule Fantasy: ゼルダの伝説 (Zeruda no Densetsu, The Legend of Zelda)
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA 2: リンクの冒険 (Rinku no Bouken, The Adventure of Link)
From here on out, every title retains ゼルダの伝説. Skipping that, we have:
神々のトライフォース (Kamigami no Toraifoosu, Trifore of the Gods)
夢をみる島 (Yume o Miru Shima, The Island Where You See Dreams)
(You "see" dreams in Japanese, "have" them in English)
時のオカリナ (Toki no Okarina, Ocarina of Time)
ムジュラの仮面 (Mujura no Kamen, The Mask of Mujura)
ふしぎの木の実　大地の章 (Fushigi no Ki no Mi: Daichi no Shou, The Fruit of Mystery: Chapter of the Earth)
ふしぎの木の実　時空の章 (Fushigi no Ki no Mi: Jikuu no Shou, The Fruit of Mystery: Chapter of Space-Time)
風のタクト (Kaze no Takuto, The Baton of Wind)
４つの剣 (Yottsu no Tsurugi, Four Swords)
４つの剣＋ (Yottsu no Tsurugi Purasu, Four Swords+)
ふしぎの帽子 (Fushigi no Boushi, The Cap of Mystery)
トワイライトプリンセス (Towairaito Purinsesu, Twilight Princess)
夢幻の砂時計 (Mugen no Sunadokei, The Hourglass of Illusions)
大地の汽笛 (Daichi no Kiteki, Steam Whistle of the Earth)
スカイウォードソード (Sukaiwoodo Soodo, Skyward Sword)
神々のトライフォース２ (Kamigami no Toraifoosu Tsuu, Triforce of the Gods 2)
トライフォース三銃士 (Toraifoosu San Juushi, The Three Triforce Musketeers)
ブレスオブザワイルド (Buresu obu za Wairudo, Breath of the Wild)	49. Fun Fact! There is unused text in Twilight Princess which shows that the curse of Demise was canon several games early. Upon defeat, Ganondorf would have said:
"When the chosen ones appear... They are always born into this world in perfect balance. That is the destiny of the chosen. That is the fate decreed by your gods, the only path for those who bear their crests. When this world brings forth another marked as you are... Know too, that it shall also be visited by one of my blood. Do not think this ends here... The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!"
In the original Japanese:
「選ばれし力を持つ者が現れる時、必ず、その対極を成す者が生まれ出ん。それが、お前達が信じる神が与えた紋章を持つ者の運命だ。この世に紋章を持つ者が現れる限り、何度でも、流血の時代が訪れる。これで、全てが終わったと思うなよ。これが、光と闇の血塗られた歴史の始まりだと思え！」
(Erabareshi chikara o motsu mono ga arawareru toki, kanarazu, sono taikyoku o nasu mono ga umare den. Sore ga, omaetachi ga shinjiru kami ga ataeta monshou o motsu mono no unmei da. Kono yo ni monshou o motsu mono ga arawareru kagiri, nandodemo, ryuuketsu no jidai ga otozureru. Kore de, subete ga owatta to omou na yo. Kore ga, hikari to yami no chinurareta rekishi no hajimari da to omoe!)
A direct translation:
"When the holders of the chosen power appear, the one who will become their antithesis shall without fail be born. That is the fate of the holders of the crest that the gods you believe in bestowed. As long as the holders of the crest appear in this world, an age of bloodshed will visit. Do not think it ends with this. Consider this the beginning of a blood covered history of light and darkness!"
50. Fun Fact! Japanese Pokemon types, meanings, and literal translations! Continues in comments!
草 (Kusa), Grass
炎 (Honoo), Flame
水 (Mizu), Water
岩 (Iwa), Rock
地面 (Jimen), Ground
電気 (Denki), Electricity
虫 (Mushi), Insect
毒 (Doku), Poison
氷 (Koori), Ice
飛行 (Hikou), Aviation
鋼 (Hagane), Steel
格闘 (Kakutou), Hand-to-Hand Combat
悪 (Aku), Evil
エスパー (Esupaa), ESPer (One with Extrasensory Perception)
ゴースト (Goosuto), Ghost
ノーマル (Noomaru), Normal
フェアリー (Fearii), Fairy
ドラゴン (Doragon), Dragon
All 18 types! 	50. Fun Fact! Japanese Pokemon types, meanings, and literal translations! Continues in comments!
草 (Kusa), Grass
炎 (Honoo), Flame
水 (Mizu), Water
岩 (Iwa), Rock
地面 (Jimen), Ground
電気 (Denki), Electricity
虫 (Mushi), Insect
毒 (Doku), Poison
氷 (Koori), Ice
飛行 (Hikou), Aviation
鋼 (Hagane), Steel
格闘 (Kakutou), Hand-to-Hand Combat
悪 (Aku), Evil
エスパー (Esupaa), ESPer (One with Extrasensory Perception)
ゴースト (Goosuto), Ghost
ノーマル (Noomaru), Normal
フェアリー (Fearii), Fairy
ドラゴン (Doragon), Dragon
All 18 types!
51. Fun Fact! Yuga's name means something rather fitting in Japanese. It is written as ユガ in the game, but if you converted it to Kanji, it would look like 油画. To break up the Kanji pronunciationa and meanings, 油 (YU, oil), 画 (GA, picture/image/painting). His name means oil painting. 	52. Fun Fact! Have you ever wondered about why items in shops seem so expensive?
For example, a Potion being 200 Pokedollars? In the Japanese versions of Pokemon games, they actually use Yen; Pokedollars do not exist. Japanese Yen very roughly equal 1 cent, so a Potion is really just under $2, nowhere near $200.
53. Fun Fact! I now have more posts than Stagger-sama, bwahaha. Currently, he has 1162 posts, and I have 1163. Nintendoer, you're next in line! 	54. Fun Fact! The people who so very "kindly" invite us to take a two week vacation out of the blue are called 運営者 (Un'eisha)!
55. Unorthodox Fun Fact! The original title for Around the World in Eighty Days is "le tour de monde en quatre-vingts jours", literally "The Tour of the World in Eighty Days"! The Japanese title is quite different. It's 八十日間世界一周 (Hachijuunichikan Sekai Isshuu). In that word order, it means "Eighty Days World Around". Funny how the English and French are clauses, but the Japanese is just three (or is it four? With no spaces in Japanese, it's hard to tell) nouns just wedged together; no postpositions of any kind. 	56. Fun Fact! In the Japanese version of Skyward Sword, when Zelda asks Link what he thinks of her new clothes, one of the response options is 仮装大会？ (Kasou Taikai?), which means "A costume party?" Ooh, that's one brave answer!
57. Fun Fact! The Japanese name of A Link to the Past's Magic Hammer is ＭＣハンマー (MC Hanmaa, M.C. Hammer)! ...Why? 	58. Fun Fact! Demise from Skyward Sword's Japanese name is 終焉の者 (Shuuen no Mono, The Person of Demise/The Being of Demise). This is interesting. "Demise" just sounds like a name that just so happens to have another meaning, but "The Person of Demise/The Being of Demise" sounds like a thing with no name, but an attribute that displays his pure hatred as its title. It works well.
59. Longish Fun Fact! Continues in comments! The Imprisoned's Japanese name is 封印されしもの (Fuuin Sareshi Mono). There are two ways to translate this, due to clever writing. If it's written as 封印されし者, it means "The Sealed Person" or "The Sealed Being". If it's written as 封印されし物, it means "The Sealed Thing". However, it's written ambiguously as もの (as opposed to 者 and 物, where all three are pronounced as "mono"), so it could mean either. Either meaning works very well within the story. This ambiguity is likely the reason that it was simply translated as "The Imprisoned". Not only that, but to both show how ancient The Imprisoned is and how early Skyward Sword occurs, his title is written in a slightly archaic manner. In modern Japanese, you could say 封印されるもの (Fuuin Sareru Mono), but the game opts for the older 封印されしもの (Fuuin Sareshi Mono). 	60. Fun Fact! Tingle's Japanese name is チンクル (Chinkuru), which could be translated as Chinkle or Tinkle. Yes. TINKLE. I wonder what his brothers' names are.
Ankle: アンクル
David Jr.: デイビッド
Jr.Knuckle: ナックル
61. Fun Fact! Oshus' Japanese name is シーワン (Shiiwan), which may be a multilingual pun. The "Shii" in his name may be the English word "sea", and the "wan" might be from the Chinese word for king, 王 (wang)! Sea King! 	62. There's the Toad species, then there's the Toad character. Same word in English, separate words in Japanese.The Toad CHARACTER's name (キノピオ, Kinopio) is a pun! It's the words for "mushroom" (茸, kinoko) and "Pinocchio" (ピノキオ, Pinokio) mixed, meaning he is "a real mushroom boy".The Toad RACE are the キノコ族 (Kinoko-Zoku, Mushroom People). So random, generic red Toads aren't THE Toad.
63. Fun Facts! Japanese Zelda rock names! Spectacle Rock is 眼鏡岩 (Megane Iwa, Glasses Rock), Turtle Rock is 亀岩 (Kame Iwa, Turtle Rock)! 	64. Fun Fact! Link's Awakening's Color Dungeon's Japanese name is 服のダンジョン (Fuku no Danjon, Clothing Dungeon)!
65. Fun Fact! The Wind Fish's name, as odd as it is, is the same in Japan. 風の魚 (Kaze no Sakana, The Fish of Wind). 	66. Fun Fact! Link's Awakening's Face Shrine's Japanese name is 顔の神殿 (Kao no Shinden, Temple of Faces/Face Temple)!
67. Fun Fact! Link's Awakening's Eagle's Tower's Japanese name is 大鷲の塔 (Oowashi no Tou, The Tower of the Great Eagle)! Ordinarily I wouldn't find this particularly special, but it reminded me of the Japanese name of The Last Guardian, 人喰いの大鷲トリコ (Hitokui no Oowashi, Toriko, The Great Man-Eating Eagle, Trico). 	68. A curiosity: I've oft wondered about the etymology of Kokiri. I may have found something to answer that question. Recently I learned the Japanese word for "lumberjack". 木樵 (Kikori). Yeah. Kokiri, kikori... so I thought about lumberjacks in the series, and sure enough, the two lumberjacks in A Link to the Past wear Kokiri-like clothing and are called... kikori. Are they inspiration for the tribe?
69. Fun Fact! Mr. Fuji's name is a pun! (RBY, cont. in comments)
In Japan, people call Mt. Fuji 富士山 (Fuji San). "San" as a suffix means "Mt.". However, "san" is also a suffix for people's names that can translate as "Mr."
Mr. Fuji and Mt. Fuji are both pronounced the same way, Fuji San, making for some great puns. It would have been funny if Mr. Fuji was in Mt. Silver instead of the Lavender Tower, because Mt. Silver is based off of... Mt. Fuji. 	70. Fun Fact! In the Japanese Zelda games, Ganondorf talks like a modern Japanese person for the most part. But in The Wind Waker, he talks in a very archaic way. I had a little bit of a tough time understanding what he said. But considering the story of the game, it makes perfect sense for him to sound like an old man.
71. It is a possibility that "Sheikah" is a mistranslation. The Japanese name of the tribe is シーカー (Shiikaa), which actually translates as "Seeker". Sheikah tribe? The Seekers? Which is it? If they're called Seekers, then the eye symbol makes a bit more sense. By the way, this means that Sheik's Japanese name, シーク (Shiiku), should just simply translate as "Seek". 	72. Fun Fact!
The Sheikah Slate is called the シーカーストーン (Shiikaa Sutoon, Sheikah Stone/Seeker Stone).  Yeah, seriously! A little perplexing, isn't it? Just like the Sheikah Stones in OoT3D, MM3D, and SS, exact same name. Yet the Sheikah Sto- I mean, Slate, is much, much more useful. Entirely different functions, so why do they share the same name?
73. Fun Fact! Continues in comments!
In the Japanese version of Zelda 2, there is no trophy. Instead, it's actually a 女神像 (Megami Zou, Goddess Statue)! And yes, it looks identical to the Goddess Statues in Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild! But of course, NoA's localization thought they knew better and decided to remove it entirely. If it wasn't for NoA's localization team, many references and consistencies within the timeline wouldn't be gone. 	74. Fun Fact! Continues in comments!
Breath of the Wild's Shrines of Trials are called 試練の祠 (Shiren no Hokora) in Japan. Why do I mention this? There are several words in Japanese that translate to shrine. Too many to mention in this small post, just google it. However, the word used here is 祠 (hokora), which specifically means a small time shrine found on secluded country roads. This describes the Shrines of Trials, the Dream Shrine from Link's Awakening (夢の祠, Yume no Hokora) and the Deku Shrine from Majora's Mask (デクナッツの祠, Deku Nattsu no Hokora, Deku Nuts' Shrine). All three use the same word and fit that specific description as opposed to all the other Japanese words for shrine.
75. Fun Fact! In Japanese, Koroks are called コログ (Korogu, Korog). Why the sound change? It didn't take me very long to start accidentally saying Korog in English... 	76. Fun Fact! ...Apparently Beedle's Japanese name is テリー (Terii, Terry). Ooookay then.
77. Fun Fact! The Master Sword, also known as The Blade of Evil's Bane.
Care to know the Japanese equivalents? The マスターソード (Masutaa Soodo, Master Sword) is known as the 退魔の剣 (Taima no Tsurugi, Sword of Evil-Repellence). 	78. Fun Fact! Japanese names of the three primary regions of Hyrule!
Eldin: オルディン (Orudin, Oldin)
Lanayru: ラネール (Raneeru, Laneru)
Faron: フィローネ (Firoone, Firohné).
Yes, the "E" is pronounced, hence the diacritics mark.
I really like Faron's name. It looks really pretty and mystical, both in Japanese and transcribed.
79. Fun Fact! The Geldmans in A Link to the Past are called ゲルドマン (Gerudo Man) in Japanese. Gerudo Man. That can't be coincidence. So this means that there are two ways you can translate both groups.
1. Gerudo, Gerudo Man
2. Geld, Geld Man
Interesting that the Gerudo could be called Gelds. 	80. Fun Fact!
Two characters' Japanese names!
Starlow's name is イエロースター (Ieroosutaa). Yellowstar. YELLOWSTAR. WHY.
Antasma's name is アクーム (Akuumu). This is literally one letter different from 悪夢 (akumu), nightmare. And yes, Akuumu and akumu sound almost identical.
Two cringy names.
81. Fun Fact!
In the Japanese versions of A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds, Hyrule's northern mountain is NOT called Death Mountain. The name is ヘブラ山 (Hebura San, Mt. Hebra). In the rest of the Japanese series, it's called デスマウンテン (Desu Maunten, Death Mountain). I wonder why. Are they separate mountains, or the same mountain with two names? Breath of the Wild's Hebra Mountain Chain and Death Mountain are separate places entirely yet not in A Link to the Past? 	82. My final Fun Fact for Miiverse is written here.
The Tabantha region in Breath of the Wild and the Castor Wilds in the Manish Cap both are called タバンタ (Tabanta) in the Japanese versions! They're the same place! So where did "Castor" come from? I have absolutely no clue!
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