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Arms and Armor Theme Naming

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"The goat's level 1 super is Cannonball, continuing the endearing trend of naming her attacks after weapons she doesn't have."
Oleander on Shanty, Them's Fightin' Herds

Authors like to use themes to create a sense of unity or cohesiveness within their work. Some extend themes to the names of the characters, often beyond the similarities that would be expected for characters from the same culture or who all speak the same language. One variation is to name a set of characters or groups after weapons or armor. This almost invariably has martial meanings. Characters with such names are likely to be fighters of some sort. If the named characters are antagonists, expect Names to Run Away from Really Fast.

Has nothing to do with the Theme Naming of actual weapons.


Examples

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    Anime & Manga 
  • Almost everyone in Scrapped Princess is named after a type or brand of firearm or ammunition.
  • All of the military characters in Fullmetal Alchemist are named after actual planes, tanks, weapons, and other technology from World War I onward.
  • In Naruto we have the early trio of shinobi composed by Kabuto (Helmet), Tsurugi (Sword) and Yoroi (Armor). It's later revealed that Kabuto didn't have a name and he was picked up by an orphan house. His "brother" put a helm on his head and named him after that.
  • Alita's Opponents in the "Moto Ball" arc of Battle Angel Alita are named for weapons. Chakram, Glaive, Scramasax, Arbalast etc.. Most likely taken from the Tunnels & Trolls rulebook.
  • Shinigami Brigade girls from Kurohime are named Axe, Mace, Hammer, Dagger, Lance and Sword.
  • One Piece: Most of Luffy's attacks are named after firearms and different weapons, like Gum-Gum Axe, Pistol, Rifle, Gatling, Bazooka, Cannon... After the timeskip, he also extends this to more specific weapons (Culverin, Schneider, Red Hawk...), and sometimes peppers them with animal names. This seems to have sprouted from his claim as a kid that his punch was "as strong as a pistol".
  • Gangsta. has the Destroyers whose members are all named after firearms or firearm companies such as Beretta, Sig, Colt and Spas.

    Comic Books 
  • The Marvel Universe has the covert organizations S.H.I.E.L.D., A.R.M.O.R., S.W.O.R.D. and H.A.M.M.E.R.
  • ElfQuest:
    • A family with theme naming. Strongbow's son is named Dart, and Dart's son is Bowki (combining his father's name with his erstwhile friend Geoki). The line can be extended to four generations if you use "archery" rather than "weapons" as theme: Strongbow's mother was named Trueflight.
    • The Wolfriders also have Cutter (partly named for his swordsmanelfship), Redlance (who's good with a spear) and Pike (likewise). On the other hand, Wolfrider women tend to have pastoral names.

    Fan Works 
  • From Bajor to the Black has a pair of Starfleet Excalibur-class cruisers named the Ulfberht and the Szczerbiec.
  • In Pokémon Reset Bloodlines, the males in the Blackthorn Dragon Clan have names related to spear weapons: there's Lance, his father Halberd, his grandfather Javelin, his uncles Sibat note  and Trishula note  and his granduncle Yari note .

    Films — Live-Action 
  • Webley the farmer in Hot Fuzz has a tremendous stash of unlicensed weapons in his barn.
  • Loaded Weapon 1 has the two main characters named after gun manufacturers, Luger and Colt.
  • In The Matrix trilogy, the crew aboard the Mjolnir all have names that have to do with guns: Roland, Maggie, AK, Colt, and Mauser. Mjolnir itself, of course, is named after the weapon of Thor from Norse Mythology.
  • Darth Maul in Star Wars, starting with The Phantom Menace. He's The Brute, so it's hardly surprising he named himself after a bludgeoning melee weapon. Ironically though, he wields a double-bladed lightsaber that's very complex to wield.

    Literature 
  • Don Quijote. In Spanish, quijote means cuisse, the thigh plate.
  • When they’re not re-using the names of the Journey ships, the Rihannsu tend to use these types of names for their warships. Examples include Cuirass and Gorget (although the latter was also a Journey ship). Subverted by Rhea's Helm, named after the most infamous creation of a rather nasty Jackass Genie that was worse than useless as armor (Rhea was a mage that got captured by an enemy who wanted to become invulnerable. Rhea made that helm... And bound to it a demon that bit off the captor's head, making him invulnerable because dead men cannot be wounded).

    Live-Action TV 
  • The Winchesters from Supernatural are named after the rifle. When they get mindwiped and false identity-ed, they're Dean Smith and Sam Wesson.
  • In Kamen Rider Saber, a majority of the Kamen Riders are named after a type of sword (i.e; Saber, Buster, Durandal) or the word "sword" in another langauge (i.e; "Espada" is Spanish for sword, Sabela is derived from "szablya", the Hungarian word for sword).

    Tabletop Games 
  • BattleTech is absolutely full of units named after historic weapons or armor. After Animal Theme Naming it's probably the most common form of name for battlemechs. Notable examples include the Warhammer, Katana, Longbow, Excalibur, and ''Hatchetman'.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh!
    • Brionac, Gungnir and Trishula, the dragons of Ice Barrier archetype, are named after famous mythological spears used by Gods.
    • "Blowback Dragon", "Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast", "Twin-Barrel Dragon", "Barrel Dragon", and "Gatling Dragon" are a family of DARK/Machine monsters, who share a names that consist of firearm-related terms and the word "dragon".
    • The Heroic Champion monsters, like the Ice Barrier Dragons, are named after certain named weapons: Excalibur, Rhongomyniad, Kusanagi and Gandiva. Their Heroic Challengers are also named after more generic weapons but with another word that explains the monster's purpose.

    Toys 
  • The main characters in LEGO Nexo Knights all have punny names based on the weapons they use: Clay Moorington (claymore), Lance, Aaron (arrow), Axl (axe), and Macy (mace).
  • The standard Forge vehicles in Snap Ships are named after melee weapons: Scythe, Saber, Lance, Falx, Gladius and Trident. As each vehicle is assembled from modular components both in and out of universe, there are generally multiple ways to put them together; each vehicle constructed from the same set of parts has the same weapon name, but a different serial number and tactical role (e.g. the Trident kit makes the Trident T-14 rescue/recovery vehicle, the Trident ST-33 gunship, and the Trident AT-43 assault ship).

    Video Games 
  • Mega Man Legends 2 has a pair of air-pirate Recurring Bosses named Bola and Klaymoor.
  • Super Robot Wars features several characters named for brands of guns, including Kyosuke Nanbu, Excellen Browning, Ingram Plisken and his clone Viletta (presumably supposed to be Beretta) Badim, and Lefina Enfield. Ingram's most famous Humongous Mecha, the Astranagant, is another example (Astra + Nagant).
  • Dragon Quest Swords has sword-themed names all over the place. The hero's father is named Claymore, the hero's two traveling companions are Fleurette and Anlace, the Big Bad is called Xiphos, and a few of the game's locations are mostly named for legendary weapons (Caliburn Cave and Arondight/Alondite Heights).
  • In the Evolution games for Dreamcast, each of the playable characters are named after a type of fire arm (Mag Launcher, Linear Cannon, Pepper Box, Gre Nade etc).
  • In the original Japanese version of Ghost Trick, Kamilla's name is Kanon, while her dog is named Missile. Ironic, since they're two of the sweetest and weakest people in the game until Missile dies and Takes a Level in Badass.
  • X: Terran fighter ships in the X3 expansion pack Terran Conflict have names of swords (specifically Rapier, Sabre, Scimitar, Cutlass, and Claymore). Their two freighter classes are named after things you put weapons in (Baldric and Scabbard).
  • Jak X: Combat Racing: All members of Mizo's gang are named after something sharp. A mizo is a type of Bowie knife, and then there are Edje (edgy), Razer (razor), Cutter, Shiv (a prison-made knife) and Kleiver (cleaver), even though he wasn't originally a member.
  • Fallout 3 features Flak, Shrapnel, Barrett, Machete, Timebomb, and Hammer, all spread out throughout the wasteland.
  • Battlestar Galactica Online has Colonial Escort ships named after weapons: Scythe, Maul, Glaive and Halberd.
  • Brawl Stars: Two members of the Wild West Trio are named after the firearms they use, being Colt after his revolvers, and Shelly after her shotgun shells.
  • Bora fighters in Tachyon: The Fringe are named for weapons: Cutlass, Battleaxe, Mace, etc.
  • Pokémon:
  • Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars has the Smithy Gang, which includes such members as Mack the Knife, Bowyer, Yaridovich (yari being Japanese for spear), and the Axem Rangers.
  • Baten Kaitos: The names of Savyna's finishing moves are themed weapons, such as Burning Arrow, Erupting Flail, Splash Spear and Freezing Axe.
  • In the Halo games, human exoatmospheric planes are named after blades (Sabre, Shortsword, Longsword, Broadsword, etc.) - in-planet aircraft follow the same Animal Theme Naming of ground vehicles.
  • In EVE Online Minmatar ships smaller than Battlecruisers are often named after weaponry (i.e. Scythe, Broadsword).
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has a few people who are named (or who named themselves) after weapons or armor, including Maul, Jordis the Sword-Maiden, Argis the Bulwark, and an entire family known as Clan Shatter-Shield. It's a Viking-inspired country where the people are fond of sobriquets, so it's pretty standard.
  • Shantae and the Seven Sirens: Family Theme Naming brothers Armor Baron and Ammo Baron.
  • Star Trek Online extends out the canonical Scimitar-class Romulan Warbird with variants named for other types of swords (so there's a Tulwar-class, a Falchion-class, a Kopesh-class...).
  • Every unit in Phantom of the Kill is named after a mythical weapon. Sword-fighting units have names like Laevateinn and Masamune, spear-wielding units have names like Longinus and Sky Piercer, etc.
  • Shanty from Them's Fightin' Herds has special attacks named after pirate-themed weapons such as "Cannonball" and "Harpoon", despite not using any weapons herself during her fights. Oleander Lampshades this in the tutorial mode.
    Oleander: The goat's [Shanty's] special attack is Cutlass. I looked into it and much to my disappointment, no actual swords are involved, despite the name.
  • In Wild ARMs, there was a knightly order in which every member had a title based on a piece of armor. Jack Van Burace was once Knight of the Vambrace. The re-release on PS2 screwed up the reference by making him Knight of the Gauntlet instead.
  • Kirby:
    • Meta Knight's airship, which appears throughout the series, is named the Halberd.
    • The three mage-generals of the Jambandra cult from Kirby Star Allies are named Francisca, Flamberge and Zan Partizanne.
  • In the Wing Commander series, many Terran fighters are named after pre-gunpowder weapons, though not all. So you can fly around in Rapier, Broadsword and Longbow class ships for example. One of the best ships is appropriately named Excalibur class.
  • The World Is Your Weapon: Some of the important people, such as the sisters, Weaco and Ponmi, their father, Dirk, the final boss, "Ameno Ohbari" (Ame no Ohabari, a mythological weapon), and Claymore the witch.

    Webcomics 
  • The protagonists of Loserz are named Benjamin Winchester, Jodie Beretta and Eric Remington.
  • Sleepless Domain: One trio of magical girls is named Team Spear, after its members' signature weapons. The individual members have the matching magical girl titles Sunlight Spear, Moonlight Spear, and Starlight Spear. The theme naming carries over to at least one of the girls' civilian names — Starlight Spear's real name is Mingxing Guan, and she uses a type of polearm called a guandao.
  • There are many characters in the Swords universe, and anyone who isn't only known by their title is most likely named after a sword or sword-related word, such as Xiphos, Sickle, Hilton, Stabbins...

    Western Animation 
  • The Insecticons in Transformers have bomb-related names: Bombshell, Shrapnel, and Kickback.
  • In Biker Mice from Mars the Martians are named either after weapons (Rimfire, Mace, Carbine Cannonblade) or motorcycle/engine terminology (Harley, Throttle, Stoker), the only exceptions being Vinnie (real name: Vincent) and Modo (name origin unknown).

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