Zelda: Does Ganondorf have a surname in the Japanese ALttP manual too? [JPN/ENG]

A reader sent me a question a few weeks ago that I had a chance to look into now.

Nintendo updated its Zelda website to include a profile of Ganon that refers to him as “Ganondorf Dragmire.” I heard this was also in A Link to the Past‘s game manual. Was there any mention of the name or some other surname in Japanese?

Zelda Legends thankfully had scanned copies of the manual for the game both in Japanese and English which I used in reference for this post. So let’s take a look:

The dialogue is highlighted in Japanese (left) and English (right).

In Japanese: He is simply ガノンドロフ　and ガノン (Ganondorf and Ganon respectively). He has the title of an Evil King/King of Thieves/etc, but no mention of a surname of any sort.

The English above is straightforward, mentioning both Dragmire and Mandrag as other names.

So, no, the Japanese manual did not make a mention of this surname at all, and it is likely a localization creation that the site decided to stick with!

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Comparisons are always fun! I hope this post can be used in reference for those who may not be aware of the lack of surname in Japanese.

Let me know if there’s anything you’d love to have looked into. Feel free to leave any comments below!

 

Making of Fire Emblem: Gaiden (from APE Guide) – Interview Translation

A user named Hardin on serenesforest.net passed a small interview found in an old guide for Fire Emblem: Gaiden to me to translate in celebration of the game’s 25th anniversary in March.

Specifically, it is from the Ape Encyclopedia Fire Emblem Gaiden, located on pages 131 and 132. It features an interview with Fire Emblem series creator Shouzou Kaga. This interview was conducted a long time ago, before the release of Mystery of the Emblem (FE3, which came out in 1994)

Since then, news of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia came to light, making this more relevant to readers who may be curious. This article was actually written January 19th, soon after the news of the game was released. (Posting was delayed because I wanted Hardin to post it first, as intended, in March).

Toru Narihiro – Interview on development changes during Genealogy of the Holy War – FE 25th Anniversary

The Making of Fire Emblem: 25 Years of Development History contains some fun trivia regarding the series. You can find all the information I translated thus far in one place here.

This post is the development of the fourth title in the series, Genealogy of the Holy War. This is part of a lengthy interview with series veteran Toru Narihiro (sometimes spelled Tohru Narihiro). I have been slowly working on translating the greater interview, so this is just an excerpt from it regarding this specific section. Though it is a little out of order, I hope to start going in order after this one.

VincentASM used excerpts from this interview for his wonderful analysis of FE4 on serenesforest here. Please give it a good read!

For those who have the book, these are excerpts from page 269 & 270.

As you can imagine, the process of doing all this took a lot of time, and I am unemployed…so if you like what I did, then…

Please donate! It helps fund future projects!
(use the button on the top right of the page)

Enjoy!

Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary Book on sale today!

Fire Emblem’s 25th Anniversary book went on sale today in Japan. I bought it with money I  received from donations (thanks to all who donated!) and it should arrive on December 1st or 2nd. You can buy the book yourself here. Amazon Japan offers relatively cheap international shipping, so check if it can be delivered to you if interested!

I hope to translate any parts I find interesting from the book itself. If you have requests I may take those up too!

Please feel free to donate for that coming project! It will really help me out!

For those who want to know what the amazon description says, see below where I provide the same translation I made on an older post on the matter.

UPDATE: More reviews are in, some not as positive as others, so I gave a few more to give a spectrum of opinions. Please remember these are just reviews to give you an idea of what it’s like. I may provide my own review later.

5/5 (4 of 24 found helpful)

“A Must-Have for Series’ Fans:

Full of design documents and interviews, the largest amount that have been published to date. The large amount of information on the production cycle and inside story behind the games makes this an essential part of any fan’s collection.”

2/5 (of which 5 of 5 found helpful):

“A book for those who like Awakening and Fates, but not so much for the full 25 years”

Summary: “The book seems to focus on the two more recent installments over the rest of the series, so was a bit of a let down”

3/5 (of which 15 of 18 found helpful):

“A little disappointed”

Summary: A worthwhile read, but one may be let down by what the cover advertises versus what they actually get. Some good things are interviews with the development staff (such as the director), and other interesting tidbits such as info on map design and music composition.

However, 70-80% is Awakening and Fates information, leaving long-time series’ fans a little iffy. Also it lacks in illustrations, and the unused assets mostly pertain to Awakening and Fates as expected.

Would have preferred to see more of the other series’ works and information regarding them.”

Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary Book on sale Nov. 28th. Info from amazon.jp translated!

Fire Emblem is getting a 25th Annivesary book which will go on sale on November 28th this year. I plan to import it on money I have received from donations (thanks to all who donated!) and hopefully translate any fun things that may come in there. The book itself can be pre-ordered here. Amazon Japan offers relatively cheap international shipping, so check if it can be delivered to you if interested!

Please feel free to donate for that coming project! It will really help me out!

For now, however, I translated Amazon.co.jp’s description on it, which can be seen in both text and image below!

The Making of Fire Emblem – 25th Anniversary Development Secrets, Awakening and Fates – Special Book

Release: November 28, 2015
Price: 3,888 Yen (~32 USD) [Import may add 10 USD on average]

Contents:

-Filled with developers discussing the path the series has taken and its evolution
-Approx. 300,000 characters of interviews
-100+ never before seen development materials from the beginning
-The ultimate book for understanding Awakening, Fates [if], and 25 years of series history

Summary:

Since the 1990 release of Dark Dragon and the Sword of Light, this year marks the monumental 25th anniversary of the Simulation RPG Fire Emblem.

This book mainly comprises of developer commentary from Nintendo and Intelligent Systems regarding development of the games, but has development documents and retrospectives on Awakening, Fates [if], and 25 years of Fire Emblem history as well in commemoration.