History PunnyName / AnimeAndManga

** Mr. Satan's name is obvious. His daughter Videl is an anagram of 'devil.' Again in later supplementary material Hercule Satan is meant to be a stage name. His real name is Mark, which is an rough anagram of the Japanese 'akuma', also meaning devil. It also gives him the distinction of one of the few characters to have a [[TeamNormal real name.]]

* Shirahime Kanata from the light novel series ''Manga/OtoXMaho'' has a weapon named [=OverThere=]. Guess what ''kanata'' translates to. Later, when [[WholesomeCrossdresser Kanata]] [[spoiler:really turns into a girl]], the [=OverThere=] becomes the [=Cross OverThere=].

** TheProtagonist Shin'ichi Kudou (工藤新一 ''Kudō Shin'ichi''), whose name contains '''''shin''''' ("new"), ''ichi'' ("'''one'''"), and his catchphrase 真実はいつもひとつ '''''shin'''jitsu wa itsumo hitotsu'' ("only '''one truth''' prevails").

* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'':
** The titular character's name is derived from the term "noraneko", which means stray cat. The "dora" part, however, is an obvious pun on his TrademarkFavoriteFood, dorayaki.
** [[ChildProdigy Dekisugi]]'s name is a pun on the verb "dekisugiru", which means "overachieving".

* Makoto Sain in ''Manga/{{Fullmapla}}'' communicates strictly by [[TalkingWithSigns holding up numbered signs]].
* ''Manga/{{GATE}}'' gives us the princess of TheEmpire, Princess '''Pina Co Lada''' (an obvious play on Pina Colada).

* ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'' gives us Meijin Kawaguchi III. Not exactly punny at first mention, but then his Gunpla have "Amazing" on their names. Now, note that "Amazing" when said with a Japanese accent sounds very similar to "Meijin". Lampshaded for laughs in one of the "tweets" regarding him before his match with the Renato bros.:
-->'''Random "tweet":''' Is the Kämpfer Amazing because he's a [[{{Pun}} Meijin?]]
* ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry'': The "Try" in Gundam Build Fighters Try sounds identical the prefix "Tri", referencing the new [[PowerTrio three-man team battles]] that become the focus of this season.

* ''Highschool! Kimengumi.'' Everyone! A few examples are:

* Several characters in the 60s dub of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion''.
** Pauly Cracker (a parrot).
** Bucky (a gazelle).
** Ali (an alligator).
* ''Manga/LuckyStar'': Konata Izumi's name can also mean "this person" or "here". In the same vein, her mother Kanata's name means "that person" or "there". The latter meaning of Kanata's name is heavily used in merchandise related to her, as [[PosthumousCharacter she's literally "on the other side"]].
* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' has a young boy named Shouta that is lusted after by an older woman, making her a "[[LoliconAndShotacon shoutacon]]".
* ''Manga/MobileSuitGundamSEEDAstray'': The protagonist Lowe Gere is a mechanic/mecha pilot.
* ''Manga/MonsterMusume'': One character is a nine-tailed kitsune named Ils Nineta, or "nine tails".

%%* Every character in ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei''.%%

* ''Sailor Moon'''s creator Creator/NaokoTakeuchi just seems to like this in general, since in her early manga ''Manga/TheCherryProject'' all of the characters have punny names, most noticeably the protagonist, whose name is Asuka Chieri.
* ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'', with its PunBasedTitle, likes using puns. Maybe not for the character names, although there are some pretty weird elements to the ThemeNaming, but the weapons and attacks, which usually [[GratuitousEnglish make use of English]]... and actually work better in the Japanese. Come on, ''Lettastanets''?

* ''Manga/YuGiOh'' author Kazuki Takahashi literally named the two main characters, Yuugi and Jounouchi, [[ThePowerOFFriendship after the word for "friendship"]], ''yuujou''. This pun is [[LampshadeHanging pointed out]] by Jounouchi himself when he realizes that he wants to be [[BestFriend best friends]] with the ingenuous kid he bullied, as "a treasure visible and invisible at the same time" (Geddit? Friendship is invisible, but Yuugi and Jounouchi are visible). The pun also made [[https://www.db.yugioh-card.com/yugiohdb/card_search.action?ope=2&cid=5754&request_locale=ja a card]] in [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh the card game]].
** Almost every duelist in the series has a PunnyName akin to wrestlers, a trend that was maintained in the FourKidsEntertainment dub. These include Insector Haga / Weevil Underwood, Mai Kujaku / Mai Valentine, and Chronos de Medici / Vellian Crowler.

* Robby and Ninjoy from the ''VideoGame/PapaLouieArcade'' series of video games are some of the more obvious examples. Others include sisters Nevada and Utah, Delivery Boy Roy, Julep, and others.
** The last one can also count as a ParentalBonus, since a mint julep is a type of alcoholic beverage consisting of primarily bourbon, water, crushed or shaved ice, and mint.

* Shirahime Kanata from the light novel series ''Oto x Maho'' has a weapon named [=OverThere=]. Guess what ''kanata'' translates to. Later, when [[WholesomeCrossdresser Kanata]] [[spoiler:really turns into a girl]], the [=OverThere=] becomes the [=Cross OverThere=].

-->'''Random "tweet":''' Is the Kämpfer Amazing because he's a [[IncrediblyLamePun Meijin?]]

* ''Manga/OmujoOmutsuJoshi'' has a pun in every name, all of them linked to the series premise of characters in diapers or [[PottyFailure having accidents]].
** When shown in Japanese order of surname first the male lead's name, "Oone Shouta", becomes a play on "onesho", the Japanese term for bedwetting.
** Ichigo's last name, Otohime, translates to "Sound Princess". This is also a brand name for a device installed in Japanese toilets to make flushing noises and disguise what's actually going on. Such a device can be seen in the first page of chapter fourteen.
** "Morei" is a play on the Japanese word for "leak"
** Muni's pun is more roundabout. The "ni" in her name is written with the kanji for "two". In Japanese, the English word "two" is pronounced "tsu". This potentially turns Muni's name to "mutsu", as in "omutsu", or "diaper". Combine this with the fact that the "Nuno" in "Nunota" means "cloth" and Muni's full name means "cloth diaper", which is her stated preference.
** The name of the characters' high school, Hanatsumi, means "flower picking". "Flower picking" can be a rough equivalent of the English expression "powdering your nose", which itself is a euphemism for going to the bathroom.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Ichigo' name (一護) is written with the kanji for "one" and "protect", so it's meant to be interpreted as "one who protects", but it also sounds the same as the Japanese for "one five" (ichi = 1, go = 5). When the story starts, he is 15 years old and has a sign with the number 15 on his bedroom door. If [[AlternateCharacterReading written with different kanji]] (苺), it means "strawberry", a semi-common [[GenderBlenderName girls' name]], and can also be used to tease him about his unusual hair color, which does get singled out in-universe.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Even though Kurosaki Ichigo's name means "protector", it sounds the same as the Japanese for "one five" (ichi = 1, go = 5). He is 15 years old and has a sign with the number 15 on his bedroom door. With different kanji, it means "strawberry", a semi-common girls' name, and can also be used to tease him about his hair color, which does get singled out in-universe.

** Shuuichi Akai's [[LatexPerfection disguise]], Subaru Okiya (沖矢昴 ''O'''kiya Subaru''' ''), named for Casval (キャスバル '' '''Kyasubaru''' '') from ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}''.

* In the first episode of ''Literature/DirtyPairFlash'', it's stated that Yuri's home planet is called "Shack-G". It's named after the town of Shakujii, the real-life location of Studio Nue.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Almost every character in the series has a punny name, often relating to either music or major arcana Tarot cards. For example Robert Edward O. Speedwagon. We have also Vanilla Ice. His Stand is called Cream. Think about it. Cream was a band headed by Music/EricClapton in the '60s, making it ThemeNaming as well.

* ''Manga/SetonAcademyJoinThePack'': While many of the characters' names are just plays on their species, such as Kurumi ''Neko''mai the cat or Ranka ''Okami'' the wolf, Yukari the koala's name is actually a play on the Japanese pronunciation of "eucalyptus".

* Sai Akuto in ''LightNovel/DemonKingDaimao''. His name can also be read as "saiakuto", which means "the worst person". Fitting for his eventual future as the Demon King.
* In the first episode of ''Anime/DirtyPairFlash'', it's stated that Yuri's home planet is called "Shack-G". It's named after the town of Shakujii, the real-life location of Studio Nue.

* ''LightNovel/IHadThatSameDreamAgain'': The huge painting in Obaachan's house is signed "Love Me". It's revealed in the last chapter that the painting was done by Nanoka's friend Kiryu, who signed the painting that way to pun on his name sounding like "kill you" in English.

* ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'': The kanji in main heroine Taiga Aisaka's given name (大河) translate as "great river". However, it also sounds a lot like the English word "tiger", which is why she's [[AnimalMotif heavily associated with tigers]] both InUniverse and out.

* ''Manga/HitoribocchiNoMarumaruSeikatsu'': Everyone (except Hanako) has a Punny MeaningfulName based on a phrase or term that describes them.

* Every character in ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei''.

** Osana Najimi is an old childhood friend to everyone in the school; her name means "childhood friend".

** Nakanaka Omoharu is a [[Chuunibyou chuunibyou]]. Her family name can be read like "chu", and her given name means "puberty".

* ''Manga/KomiCantCommunicate'': Ashitano Jou is named for the Japanese title of ''Manga/TomorrowsJoe''. Her introductory scene has her copy the ending scene of the manga after burning out asking for Komi's contact information.

** Namek born Namekians have names taken from mollusks. Nali/Snail. Cargo/Escargo. Dende/den den-mushi and Moori/Katatsumuri (both Japanese for snail) and Lord Slug from the films.

* ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'': The female protagonist's name is Sun, and at one point her fiancé Nagasumi sees her face imprinted on the sun.

* ''Manga/MobileSuitGundamSEEDAstray'': The protagonist Lowe Gere is a a mechanic/mecha pilot.

** Light Yagami's name is a a dual-language pun. "Raito" as a name is more likely in Japanese than "Light" is in English, but it means the same in both languages and essentially pinpoints how the character sees himself. "Yagami" breaks into "night god", an analogous phrase for a death god.

** The title and titular object are a pun on shinigami, which literally breaks down to "death god". The god part, "kami", is a homonym of the Japanese word for "paper".