Dragon ball pronunciation preferences.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Tao Pai Pai or Mercenary Tao?

King Piccolo or Piccolo Daimao?

Muten Roshi or Master Roshi?

Turles or Tullece?

Androids or Artificial Humans?

Saiyan or Saiyajin?

Kay-o-ken or Kai-o-ken?

Spirit bomb or Genkidama?

Solar Flare or Taiyo-Ken

Destructo Disk or Kienzen?

Lunch or Launch?

Makankosappo or Special Beam Cannon?

Kinto'un or the Flying Nimbus?

I put these individually against each other because I know some use both the English name changes for some names and the original Japanese name for others? I know I do at times. Though, I usually use the original Japanese.

What say you?

[Thaal Sinestro]

Special Beam Cannon always.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Couple of translations of some of the Japanese names:

"Makankosappo:"Demon Piercing Light of Death"

Kaioken: "Fist of the gods"

Genkidama: "Energy ball"

Taiyo-Ken:"Sun Fist"

[Lupin the Third]

Goku or Son Goku?

Gohan or Son Gohan?

Kakarot or Kakarotto?

Krillin or Kuririn?

Tien or Tenshinhan?

Mr. Satan or Hercule?

Ginyu Force or Ginyu Tokusentai?

8000 or 9000?

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Dec 21, 2012 22:18:27 GMT -5 Lupin the Third said:

Goku or Son Goku?

Gohan or Son Gohan?

Kakarot or Kakarotto?

Krillin or Kuririn?

Tien or Tenshinhan?

Mr. Satan or Hercule?

Ginyu Force or Ginyu Tokusentai?

8000 or 9000?

Son Goku

Son Gohan

Kakarotto

Krillin

Tenshinhan( I know, it's weird. I refer to Krillin by his english name but Tenshinhan by his Japanese name.)

Mr Satan

Ginyu Tokusentai(I feel like it really puts their characters more into perspective with that name)

8000("9000" is a mistranslation but it really doesn't make that much of a difference I feel.)

[kidglov3s]

I usually go with the Japanese term or the English translation of it. Something about most of the dub specific terms seem wrong to me. Maybe because I'm most familiar with the Japanese version and defer to it as being the original.

To go down the list I would say:
Tao Pai Pai
Piccolo Daimao
Kamesennin
Tullece
Jinzoningen
Saiyan or Saiya-jin
Kaioken
Genki dama
Taiyoken
Kienzan
Lunch
Makankousappo
Kinto'un

Others:
Kuririn
Nyoi bo
Instantaneous movement
Tenka-ichi Budokai
Kaiou
Son Goku/Goten/Gohan
Mr Satan
Kaioushin

I used to think I was weird until I listened to the Daizenshuu Ex podcast and was like yay I'm not alone.

[Lupin the Third]

Now I'm gonna throw you for a loop:

Lupin the Third or Rupan Sansei? ;D

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Ah, I forgot about Nyoi Bo and Instantaneous movement.

[Lupin the Third]

Cha-la Head-cha-la or Rock the Dragon?

[kidglov3s]

Dec 21, 2012 22:18:27 GMT -5 Lupin the Third said:

Goku or Son Goku?

Gohan or Son Gohan?

Kakarot or Kakarotto?

Krillin or Kuririn?

Tien or Tenshinhan?

Mr. Satan or Hercule?

Ginyu Force or Ginyu Tokusentai?

8000 or 9000?

Son Goku
Son Gohan
Kakarotto
Kuririn
Tenshinhan
Mr. Satan
Ginyu Tokusentai
9000 (I'm more familiar with that through the meme than the show/manga)

Of course Cha-La-Head-Cha-La

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Dec 21, 2012 22:29:25 GMT -5 Lupin the Third said:

Cha-la Head-cha-la or Rock the Dragon?

Cha-la Head-Cha-la however, my favorite is "Dragon Soul".

[kidglov3s]

How about Dragon Box R2 or Dragon Box R1 or Season Set?

Yes I do just want to talk about how I have all seven R1 Dragon Boxes. I won't lie, they're my most prized possessions.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

I saw a season set at a friend of mine's house and hated the quality of it. I mean, you can't even see Goku's hair fully.


I'm hoping to get a Dragonbox or two for Christmas. The quality of that looks great.

[Yami Daimao]

Guess I'm not "different" and "cool" since I use most of the English dub translations.

I grew up with the dub versions, and since most people know what they are anyway, why even bother pronouncing them in their original Japanese names after so many years? It'll just look pretentious on my part.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean a lot of the Japanese names don't sound awesome, or even better. Mr. Satan, for example, sounds way cooler than Hercule. Other of these include Piccolo Daimao, Kienzen, Genkidama, and Dodonpa. As a matter of fact, I've gotten used to spelling Frieza's name as "Freeza" in the manga. Hell, in Dragonball Z Kai, I literally got chills when Goku called himself "Son Goku" in his Super Saiyan speech to Freeza, because 1. I never thought I'd hear any English dub refer him to that, and 2. it just sounded more epic.

So as you can see, I have a high appreciation and respect for the Japanese names, but since I'm so accustomed to the dubs, and most people know what I'm talking about anyways, I don't bother with them (bar from 1 or 2 exceptions).

And while I love "Rock the Dragon" and "Cha-La-Head-Cha-La" (due to the Abridged series), I think I love "Dragon Soul" more. It's catchy as all f***, and it helps that it's sung by Vic Mignogna Broly, and in the first part of the uncut versions, Sean Schemmel Goku. ;D

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Dec 22, 2012 0:36:54 GMT -5 Yami Daimao said:

Guess I'm not "different" and "cool" since I use most of the English dub translations.

I grew up with the dub versions, and since most people know what they are anyway, why even bother pronouncing them in their original Japanese names after so many years? It'll just look pretentious on my part.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean a lot of the Japanese names don't sound awesome, or even better. Mr. Satan, for example, sounds way cooler than Hercule. Other of these include Piccolo Daimao, Kienzen, Genkidama, and Dodonpa. As a matter of fact, I've gotten used to spelling Frieza's name as "Freeza" in the manga. Hell, in Dragonball Z Kai, I literally got chills when Goku called himself "Son Goku" in his Super Saiyan speech to Freeza, because 1. I never thought I'd hear any English dub refer him to that, and 2. it just sounded more epic.

So as you can see, I have a high appreciation and respect for the Japanese names, but since I'm so accustomed to the dubs, and most people know what I'm talking about anyways, I don't bother with them (bar from 1 or 2 exceptions).

And while I love "Rock the Dragon" and "Cha-La-Head-Cha-La" (due to the Abridged series), I think I love "Dragon Soul" more. It's catchy as all f***, and it helps that it's sung by Vic Mignogna Broly, and in the first part of the uncut versions, Sean Schemmel Goku. ;D

That's the biggest reason Funimation didn't change the names back to their original japanese names in their dub for Kai, because those in North American know Tenshinhan as "Tien", for example, and I didn't have a problem with that one bit. I mean, I think the Japanese would find it weird if they started calling Yamucha "Yamcha" and the same can be said for North America and any sort of sudden name change there. Though I liked that they changed the "Special Beam Cannon" to "Makankosappo." That was awesome.

The same goes for me but for the Japanese version. I'm very, very used to the Japanese names because I started with the Japanese version of the show and wasn't that big of a fan of the original English dubs but LOVED Funimation's dub of the Uncut version of Kai. As a matter of fact, I'm on record as saying that the English version of Kai is better than the Japanese because the English voice actors were on their A game while a few of the Japanese voice actors sounded really, really worn out. Norio Wakamoto when voicing Cell and Takeshi Aono when voicing Kami especially. Which sucks because they both put on amazing performances the first time around.

There are actually a few more versions of "Dragon Soul" besides the ones that Vic and Sean sang that you should maybe check out.

Brina Palencia(Puar, Chaoitzu)
Justin Cook(Raditz)
Greg Ayres(Guldo)
Sonny Strait(Krillin, Bardock,)

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

I tend to use the English pronounciations (I always thought Hercule was a better name for a well meaning coward character than Mr. Satan, which screams "trickster" to me), with the exception of calling the spirit bomb the Genkidama.

And yes, Dragon Soul >>> all.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

My biggest problem with the name "Hercule" is that Akira Toriyama admitted that his real first name is "Mark". Mr. Satan is his stage name. He is supposed to be portrayed like a professional wrestler and Mr. Satan is a much more appealing stage name than "Hercule" because he's pretty much calling himself the devil.

Considering those two things, I have no idea where "Hercule" came from.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

Not to mention it makes the scene where the kids from Gohan's high school are giving their energy to Goku, thinking it's Mr Satan, all the while chanting "SATAN! SATAN! SATAN! SATAN! SATAN! SATAN! SATAN! SATAN!" that much more awesome.


I've just always found that part amusing.

[Yami Daimao]

And if you were watching the movies at the time, in Broly's Second Coming, Videl motivates herself by saying something along the lines of "I can't go out like this, I'm the daughter of Mr. Satan!". So if you were following the Funimation dub of DBZ at the time, and she says that, your first thought is "...wait, what? Who's Mr. Satan?".

It's pretty funny considering the movies aren't canon, yet in this instance, the movie went with the manga name as opposed to the series.

[Mochi Lone Wolf]

By that time Funimation no longer had to worry about standards and practices and advocacy groups for TV. The movies were being released on DVD and they just went back to doing things more properly as a result.