FE Fates Localization: Character Title Comparisons (ALL)

This is another post in my ongoing Fire Emblem Fates localization comparison posts! I discuss anything from major to minor changes here.

Today, I look at every character title between the two versions. By “Character Title,” I mean the brief descriptive lines they have in their Epilogue.

Please note that this post is purely informative and may share some opinion, but this does not mean the change is necessarily good or bad. A change is just a change that is being looked into, and you can be the judge of whether you like it or not!

It is all just for fun and curiosity for me. : )

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First, some general things to keep in mind:

• The localization has very little space to work with in these titles. You can get a good idea of the limitations based on the amount of Japanese characters versus the English ones. It can be hard to convey some bigger ideas as a result.
• My own translation I provide takes a literal approach to give you the meaning. I am aware sometimes they go too verbose. This is not a post about what the title should be. Simply a post regarding what it was, and what it was made into.
• In order to save space, I only use the officially localized names on the table.

The Comparison:

Name	日本語	Translation	Official
Corrin A	未来を選びし者	Chooser of the Future	Crux of Fate
Corrin B	新たなる透魔王	Ruler of Valla	King/Queen of Valla
Ryoma	白夜の侍	Hoshido’s Samurai	Peerless Samurai
Takumi	神弓の使い手	Wielder of the Divine Bow	Wild Card
Saizo	爆炎使い	Wielder of Explosive Flames	Angry Ninja
Kaden	妖狐の長	Youko Chief	Kitsune Braggart
Hinata	破天荒な侍	Unknown Samurai*	Wild Samurai
Azama	飄々とした僧	Aloof Priest	Calm Philosopher
Subaki	完璧主義	Perfection Incarnate	Mr. Perfect
Hayato	少年呪い師	Youthful Spellcaster	The Kid
Jakob	忠実なる執事	Loyal Butler	Devoted Servant
Silas	友情の騎士	Friendly Knight	Loyal Knight
Kaze	涼風の忍	Refreshing Ninja	Easygoing Ninja
Xander	暗夜の騎士	Nohr’s Knight	Paragon Knight
Leo	闇の王子	Prince of Darkness	Sorcerous Prince
Benny	強面の重騎士	Strong-Faced Knight	Gentle Giant
Keaton	人狼の長	Garou Chief	Lupine Collector
Arthur	不運なヒーロー	Luckless Hero	Hapless Hero
Odin	力を封印せし者	Possessor of Hidden Power	Aching Blood
Laslow	花咲く笑顔	Blooming Smile	Dancing Duelist
Niles	加虐性癖	Sadistic	Cruel to Be Kind
Hinoka	紅の戦姫	Red Warrior Princess	Warrior Princess
Sakura	慈しみの巫女	Loving Priestess	Loving Priestess
Rinkah	炎の娘	Daughter of Flames	Scion of Flame
Orochi	大人の呪い師	Virtuous Spellcaster	Secret Keeper
Kagero	古風な忍	Old-fashioned Ninja	Traditional Ninja
Hana	お転婆侍	Tomboy Samurai	Focused Samurai
Setsuna	ぼんやり	Absentminded	Absent Archer
Oboro	魔王顔の	The Demon-Faced	Fierce Fighter
Felicia	ドジメイド	Clumsy Maid	Maid Mayhem
Azura	泉の歌姫	Songstress of Water	Lady of the Lake
Mozu	田舎娘	Country Girl	Rural Power
Camilla	妖艶な花	Bewitching Flower	Bewitching Beauty
Elise	可憐な花	Sweet Flower	Budding Flower
Charlotte	女の本性	Deceitful Woman	Wily Warrior
Effie	怪力の重騎士	Super Knight	Army of One
Peri	殺戮本能	Killer Instinct	Childish Killer
Beruka	殺し屋	Professional Killer	Quiet Assassin
Selena	秘めた憧憬	Secret Aspirations	Cutting Wit
Nyx	幼き身体	Child-bodied	Cursed by Youth
Shiro	未完の大器	Unpolished Talent	Raw Talent
Kiragi	前向きな弓使い	Optimistic Archer	Upbeat Archer
Asugi	甘党の忍	Sweet-Toothed Ninja	Sweet-Toothed Ninja
Selkie	じゃれつき妖狐	Playful Youko	Free Spirit
Hisame	冷静沈着の侍	Calm Samurai	Pickle Pro
Mitama	歌詠みの巫女	Poetic Priestess	Starry-Eyed Poet
Caeldori	完璧を追う翼	Perfection Seeking Wing	Perfect Angel
Rhajat	執念の呪い師	Tenacious Spellcaster	Black Magician
Kana	竜の御子	Dragon Child	Dragon Spawn
Shigure	歌う天馬武者	Singing Pegasus Warrior	Airborne Singer
Dwyer	無気力な杖使い	Apathetic Staff User	Sleepy Butler
Sophie	おっちょこちょい	Scatterbrain	Clumsy Knight
Midori	しっかり者の	Capable Girl	Reliable Chemist
Siegbert	未来の暗夜王	Future King of Nohr	Future King
Forrest	可愛らしい王子	Sweet Prince	Fashion Forward
Ignatius	臆病な重騎士	Timid Knight	Frightened Knight
Velouria	狼の娘	Daughter of Wolves	Wolf Cub
Percy	幸運なヒーロー	Fortunate Hero	Luck’s Sidekick
Ophelia	乙女心の躍動	Lively Maiden	Dramatic Heroine
Soleil	女の子好きの	Girl-lover	Adorable Adorer
Nina	邪な空想	Wicked Fantasizer	Eye Spy
Yukimura	白夜の軍師	Hoshido’s Strategist	Puppet Master
Izana	イズモ公王	Ruler of Izumo	Lord of Leisure
Shura	名を捨てた賊	Thief With a Lost Name	Righteous Rebel
Fuga	風の長	Wind Chief	Big Breeze
Gunter	老騎士	Veteran Knight	Inveterate Soldier
Reina	戦狂いの	War-Crazed	Morbid Fixation
Scarlet	豪快な女竜騎士	Heroic Wyvern Knight	Rebellious Streak
Flora	氷のメイド	Maid of Ice	Cold as Ice

Commentary:

• Corrin B refers to when the Revelation path is chosen. I used Valla for Japanese, but it is actually read “Touma” (like how Hoshido = Byakuya and Nohr = Anya)
• Ryoma’s Japanese title (like other royals) emphasizes how they are the “Kingdom’s ____”. In English they chose to emphasize his sword skill, rather than his allegiance and importance to the Kingdom itself (which may be a given).
• Takumi’s Japanese referred to him in relation to his bow, where as in English likely to his role in the story.
• Saizo’s Japanese refers to both his fiery nature and attacks, but English went with simply “Angry” (likely space)
• Kaden: From Chief to Braggart. (Position to personality)
• Hinata: This is a fun one. So, the word used on his profile (破天荒 hatenkou) actually refers to up and coming (and so, unknown until they make a name for themselves) sort of person. But, upon researching the term, it is often misused to mean “wild/brash.” The Japanese wikia (in Japanese itself) mentioned how ~65% of the public gets this wrong, which is why “wild” does not appear as a definition for it in the dictionary. So the question is, did the original writers intend its original meaning? Or its mistaken meaning? Or both? Did the localizers then convey the meaning they thought it was (wild, as it fit him), or did they make a mistake, or even lose out on the pun? I assume the writers used it to mean wild, because localization is usually in touch with the staff. That, and because the definition that would pop up is “unprecedented” before “wild.” Perhaps they got it clarified. It’s a strange one for sure! I wrote Unknown just to show the point, but otherwise it would be a 1:1 translation if they are using the wrong meaning for it. The more you know!
• Azama: Aloof holds a different meaning than Calm when conveying his personality. From Priest to Philosopher.
• Subaki: This is more or less the same. Mr. Perfect is a good way to put it.
• Hayato: That’s pretty different, but still conveys the youthful part, though with less magic.
  Jakob: Same meaning, different words.
• Silas: From friendly to loyal. Though, the word in Japanese can mean “camaraderie.” However, that one sounds more to be on equal footing, where loyalty presents a sort of “servant and master” sort of feeling to it.
• Kaze: This was a hard one to convey. The title is actually “Shinobi of Refreshing Wind” since his name (kaze) also means wind. They decided to simplify it by writing “Easygoing” which has a sort of refreshing feeling to it, as the pun is harder to apply to English speaking audiences.
• Xander: Like Ryoma, kingdom reference is replaced with skill reference.
• Leo: I kind of liked the Japanese one better! The Prince of Darkness is an awesome title! But Sorcerer conveys a “darkness” connotation to it too. I wonder why they changed it.
• Benny: A focus on his personality rather than appearance and class alone.
• Keaton: The straightforward position changed to what he does.
• Arthur: The same, and well-put by the localization.
• Odin: A reference to his aching/boiling blood in English. In Japanese, they went for his “hidden power” approach.
• Laslow: This one was a bigger change. It goes with his theme of smiling with Japanese, but in English the focus is on the dancing and sword fighting.
• Niles: English gives him a bit more of a hopeful side!
• Hinoka: Perhaps the “Red” was removed to not get her confused with Scarlet?
• Sakura: Same!
• Rinkah: From Daughter to Scion.
• Orochi: That’s an interesting title change…
• Kagero: Same meaning!
• Hana: From Tomboy to Focused. Two very different meanings.
• Setsuna: Overall the same!
• Oboro: The “Demon face” referred to that expression she makes when dealing with Nohr. I was curious to see how they may go about it in English, but it seems they changed it up entirely to simply a “Fierce Fighter.”
• Felicia: I suppose they wanted to emphasize her blunders more than the game already does.
• Azura: That feels like a reference to something… I believe it was the woman who gave King Arthur Excalibur? That’s a pretty cool one! I like it! Though it does ignore her singing aspect.
• Mozu: I suppose they needed to give it more “oomph.” Though it makes her sound more aggressive than innocent, in a way.
• Camilla: From Flower to Beauty.
• Elise: From Sweet to Budding, but still a flower!
• Charlotte: The Japanese one would literally translate to “woman’s true nature.” I can see why NoA wanted to avoid any potential issues translating that one out of context…
• Effie: “Super” refers to “Super Strength.”
• Peri: Her “childishness” is up-played in the English one.
• Beruka: I suppose these two are technically the same, presented in two different ways.
• Selena: The Japanese title means aspires to be more while keeping it hidden, probably a reference to her nature. The English one opts for a pun.
• Nyx: I like their take on it more, but the Japanese refers to the body, and the English to the curse.
• Shiro: Raw is a much shorter way of saying it, yes.
• Kiragi: Optimism to Upbeat.
• Asugi: Same!
• Selkie: From playful to free!
• Hisame: Along with the rest of him, the nail in the coffin of his changes is right here. Calm (and collected) Samurai to…Pickle Pro…
• Mitama: Both are poetic, but one is a Priestess, the other is starry-eyed.
• Caeldori: Literally, it is “the wing that seeks perfection” in Japanese. A great title, but hard to convey in English. I like how they opted for Angels, which are usually associated with feathered wings anyway. Though, it makes her sound perfect already, as opposed to seeking perfection.
• Rhajat: Tenacious and Black have two different connotations to them.
• Kana: This applies to both genders. Child to Spawn! I feel it was to get the more “un-human” feel across.
• Shigure: I like their version. It fits better and manages to get the same meaning across.
• Dwyer: From Apathetic/Lethargic to simply Sleepy. Staff-User was the literal translation of what would be the Priest/Butler class anyway, which English used.
• Sophie: Usually the Japanese had the class/rank and English did not, but both Dwyer and Sophie have “Butler” and “Knight” respectively. One makes her clumsy, the other simply scatterbrained.
• Midori: Literally, it is a “person of firm character.” So I made it “Capable Girl.” They opted for what she does, though.
• Siegbert: I suppose they felt there was no need to mention of which Kingdom, as it is self explanatory.
• Forrest: From his sweet prince-ness to his fashion love.
  Ignatius: Pretty much the same!
• Velouria: +1 for making her more animal-like with “cub” rather than “daughter.”
• Percy: Rather than make him his own hero, he is still a sidekick.
• Ophelia: A reference to her Odin-ness, rather than her girl-ness.
• Soleil: This can be “A Girl Who Loves” or “Girl-lover.” I suppose a way to do both would be “Girl-love.” Regardless, it became Adorable Adorer, which has the sort of meaning that would be conveyed above.
• Nina: I suppose they did not want to be too harsh toward her personality quirk. Though, it literally says “wicked daydreamer.”
• Yukimura: The English makes him sound much shadier than he is.
• Izana: At this point there is no real point in keeping the Japanese for Izana, seeing how much he changed! They carried it all the way through. So at least they were consistent.
• Shura: Specifically, a “Lost name” is a name he “cast aside.”
• Fuga: I suppose the English was meant to be a fun stab at “Big Cheese”?
• Gunter: Its literally “old knight.” I wonder why he is just an Inveterate Soldier…
• Reina: Its literally “Goes crazy in/with war.” The English title is a good reference to what she delights in doing, however.
• Scarlet: I chose the word “Heroic” but it can also be “Lively” or “big-hearted.” Regardless, the English focus is on what she does.
• Flora: I’m amazed the fun & joke-loving Izana-making localization did not go for the Maid of Ice (made of ice) pun. Though, Cold as Ice still is a pun in its own way, though describes her less so.

Conclusion/Overall Impression:

Keeping in mind that localization had very tight space to work with, I’m fine with many of the titles and decisions they made. A few were a little iffy to me, personally, as they read out like (almost lame) things someone would shout out at a wrestling/boxing match when referring to someone’s title –but that may have been the point!

In general, one may notice the Japanese side often attempts to summarize a character as much as they can, though the translations can come off quite boring in English, where it is taken to be more like the title they would want yelled out in a sports arena (compared to one a history book would remember, which is usually the way FE does it). It seems to have gone a little sillier recently, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. One can take it as how the group referred to a member, rather than how the history books did (despite it being in the epilogue).

So in short. Japanese sounds more like “Here’s a character, here’s their title.” And English sounds like the introduction of a boxer to the ring

(Or, as a friend of mine wrote:”In thisssss corner! Weighing in at a random amount because I don’t know weights. The Maid Mayhemmmmm….. Feliciaaaaa! And in this cornerrrrrr! Weighing in at another random weight. The Pickleeeee Prooooo…. Hisameeeeee!”)

In the end, as usual, we will never truly know the reason behind some changes, as interested as I would be to find out!

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Phew! That’s that. Another macro-post done.

What do you think? Do you prefer the Japanese titles? Or the English ones? I like some of each over the other, so it’s not like you have to like all of one and none of the other, of course!