In this article, I’ll take a look at some times where developers didn’t give the heroes dramatic or cool sounding names. Instead, they opted for something more mundane or pathetic sounding. What’s in a name? Would a hero by any other name still be able to slay a dragon? First up, it’s Butz.
1) Butz, Final Fantasy V.
Final Fantasy Vwas a decent entry to the series. It’s not quite as easy to recommend asFinal Fantasy VI(which featured a superior plot) but of the first fiveFinal Fantasygames, it’s my favourite.Final Fantasy Vfeatured a job system whereby you could freely switch between classes. The game’s main character was also one of the worst to feature in any RPG: Butz. He’s a simple wanderer, whose best friend is a chocobo named Boko. In the American version of the game, he was renamed Bartz…which was marginally better I guess but still pretty terrible. Disappointingly, despiteFinal Fantasy V’s epic length, it didn’t contain a single ass joke, which was a bum-deal.
2) Gary, Legendary Gary.
In the recently released PC gameLegendary Gary, by day you must help this hapless character to cope with normal life. By night, you dive into his favourite RPG, the Legend of the Spear. It’s a game where they were clearly aiming for normal with the character name. It doesn’t get much more normal than Gary.
3) Geoff, Natural Doctrine.
Natural Doctrineis a really tough tactical RPG by Kadokawa Corporation. So much so, that it has been referred to as “theDark Soulsof strategy RPGs”. Even tougher than dealing with the enemies is coping with having name as mundane as Geoff. With other characters named Anka, Vasily and Zekelinde, I wonder why they opted for Geoff for the main hero? Okay, Mel fromNatural Doctrinewas also a pretty dull name but the lead really drew the short straw. Did they just run out of ideas? Originally, Geoff was going to be called Jeff instead but that would have sounded silly, so they went with Geoff, which is much better.
4) The New Kid, Southpark: The Stick of Truth.
InSouth Park: The Stick of Truth, South Park: The Fractured But WholeandSouth Park: Phone Destroyer, the default name for the hero is The New Kid. You have the option to set a different name for him instead but it’s not really worthwhile doing so in The Stick of Truth. No matter what you set it to, Eric Cartman will just call you Douchebag anyway.
5) Cecil, Final Fantasy IV.
Not quite on a par with Butz but still a worthy entry to the list isFinal Fantasy IV’s Cecil, who is the game’s protagonist. He’s a bad ass Dark Knight at the start of the game. If you mock him for having an extremely wimpy sounding name, he may kill you for doing so! You’ve been warned!
What is the most mundane or pathetic name that you have come across in an RPG or adventure game? Do you prefer your characters to have heroic sounding names or does the name not really bother you either way? Please comment below and let us know.
So, I hope that you liked this article. If so, you may be interested in theLegendary Gary is Out Nowarticle. Alternatively, you could read theSouth Park: Fractured But Whole Previewarticle instead.
