DB Multiverse
Bonus - Translation of Names
You may wonder how I chose the names which are used in the comics, since some are not quite the same as the official translations.
I chose each character's name according to all the translations I knew, so as to get the same names in French and in English, and close to the Japanese pronounciation.
The rules I established were as follow:

- A spelling confirmed by Toriyama is immediately accepted (i.e.: seen in the manga). This concerns Bulma, Kulilin and Satan (ahaha none of them are present in DBM !)
- A name which means something must keep this meaning. Cell is Cell and not Seru.
- Spelling what is heard in Japanese, but taking into account the fact that guys in Japan pronounce really strangely. If I write "Vegeta", they'll read it "Bedgita" anyway, so there's no reason to write "Bejita".
- Never take into account romaji ;) Torankusu must die!
Japanese people don't say Carot, they do say Kakaroto. Do we lose the pun with "carrot"? Not really, since Tori often writes anagrams or backslang with the words he takes. Just look at the whole Ginyu Force.
Why would I translate Kakarot by Carot, but keep Saiyan instead of "Vegetable"? Or even Getableve or Gevebatle...
There's always the problem of adaptation/restitution: what's better, Master Roshi or Kame Sennin? I chose the second solution.
Here are some characters, in alphabetical order, and my choices for their names:
French Anime | Manga Trans. 1 | Manga Trans. 2 | Dragon Ball Dictionary | English Version | Choice for Multiverse | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bulma | Bulma | Bulma | BURUMA | Bulma | Bulma | Writen on her clothes in the first chapter of DB. |
Boubou | Boo | Majin Boo | MAJIN BUU | (Majin) Buu | Majin Buu | I prefer the "u". |
Broly | - | - | BURORÎ | Broly | Broly | Pun with Brocoli. |
Cachalot | Carot | Kakarotto | Kakarot | Kakarotto | It's clearly pronounced "Kakaroto". More details above. | |
Cell | Cell | Cell | SERU | Cell | Cell | Comes from the English word "cell". Cell defines himself as a clone, and it is known that we "use cells to clone". |
Cooler | - | - | KUULA | Cooler | Coola | Same reason than Freeza. |
Dabla | Dabra | Dabra | DÂBURA | Dabura | Dabra | Comes from "Abracadabra" |
Petit Coeur | Piccolo | PIKKORO | Piccolo | Piccolo | Instruments'n'stuff... | |
Freezer | Freezer | Freezer | FÛRIZA | Frieza | Freeza | Pun with coldness, since his father's name is Cold. Freezer could have worked too but I wanted the same name in English and in French. And as they say in the anime: Freeeeeezaa! |
? | Ginue | Ginyû | GINYÛ | Ginyu | Ginyû | The most used one wins. |
Neptune | Kaïo Shin (du Sud) | Kaiô Shin (du Sud) | (MINAMI NO) KAIÔSHIN | (South) Kaioshin? | (South) Kaiô Shin | |
? | Oob | ÛBU | ? | Uub | Buu backwards. | |
Super Guerriers | Saïyens | Saïyens | SAIYAJIN | ? | Saiyans | I've been told to use Saiyans. So I used it. |
Hercule | Satan | Satan | SATAN | Hercule | Mr. Satan | Say it with me! Satan! Satan! (plus it's writen on the boards carried by the fans in the manga) |
Sangoku | Sangoku | Son( )gokû | SONGOKÛ | Goku | Son Gokû | Seems clear to me. |
Végéta | Végéta | Végéta | BEJÎTA | Vegeta | Vegeta | Like I said. |
Végéku | Végéto | Végetto | BEJITTO | Vegito | Vegetto | I added a "t" so that it's slightly more different from Vegeta. |
Videl | Videl | Videl | BÎDERU | ? | Videl | "Devil" backwards, since Satan is her father. |
Latin adaptation of Names
by the Latin version translator: Unochepassava
As some of you may know, the Latin language divides names into declensions. A declension is the inflection of nouns, pronouns and adjectives to indicate their number (singular or plural), their gender (masculine, feminine or neuter) and their role (subject, object or complements).
While I was translating, I wondered how I could make characters' names (which don't have an actual translation) fit properly in every sentence. At the beginning I thought I would deal with them by using them as "inflexibles", which means that they would keep the same form whatever their role is.
But then I realized that some of them were so recurrent that many sentences would get quite twisted and difficult to understand without specifying any role of those names.
So I decided to add declensions to the characters' names in order to make sentences clearer and more understandable.
You need to know that Latin has five declension, and each of them has its own "thematic vowel" (a vowel that stands between the stem of a noun and the endings of a declension):
Knowing this, these below are the "rules" I followed to adapt those words:
I also had to slightly modify some names in order to adapt them to Latin language:
One last note about the adaptation of "Cell".
In DB, there are some names that would have an actual translation (Freezer, Cooler, Cold, Piccolo, etc.) but they are just names, so I left them as they were. The only one used for his real meaning is Cell (as explainde above). So I decided to adapt his name with the Latin word that stands for cell: Cellula!