Meaningful Rename / Anime & Manga

• After he joins the Black Lagoon company, Revy renames Rokuro Okajima to “Rock”, in order to reflect that he’s now a mercenary and no longer just a salaryman.
• Haou Airen:
  • After killing his asshole dad at the age of 14, a Triad hitman named Li Shen Wong renounced his old identity and started calling himself "Uo Hakuron".
  • Hakuron's Japanese mistress Kurumi Akino gets the Chinese name "Qiuye Laishi", which is the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation of the Japanese kanji for her "Akino Kurumi" name, and Fuuron renounces to his former name of Lu Zhaoming as he becomes The Dragon to Hakuron.
• The Laws of the Sun: After moving some of the most evolved Venusians to Earth to have them serve as guides for other alien races, El Miore changes his name to El Cantare, which in Happy Science lore, means "the beautiful land of light, Earth."
• In Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's, The Book of Darkness, previously known as the Tome of the Night Sky before it got corrupted, is renamed "Reinforce" by Hayate for being one who supports and protects others. Bonus points for her being a Unison Device, one specifically designed to boost the wielder's power by merging with her.
• Naruto:
  • Sasuke renames his team from "Snake" to "Hawk" when he changes his goal to destroying Konoha. This also ties in with Sasuke's earlier mention of the story of a snake that sought to fly by raising a baby bird, only to get eaten instead, as well as Tobi suggesting that Sasuke would one day stop being a snake and take flight as a hawk. Later, it's also shown that this reflects his change in summon: since Orochimaru was permanently sealed he couldn't use snakes anymore, so he switched to hawks.
  • Also Nagato tends to go by the name "Pain", which he took on to reflect his belief that the only way to prevent war is to teach the world suffering, but also uses it to refer to himself and his six bodies.
  • Guy calls himself the "Green Beast of Konoha", referring to his ability to open the Seventh Gate^note his body emits a glowing green sweat when the Seventh Gate is opened. During his battle with Madara he declares his green days are over and it is time to become the "Red Beast of Konoha", meaning he will open the Eighth Gate to battle Madara, dying as a result.
  • Tobi himself has a name that's a pseudonym; his real name is Obito Uchiha. According to the flashback chapters, Tobi is the real name of a Zetsu clone who tended to his needs. Said clone acquired the nickname "Guruguru" because it has a spiral-shaped head (guruguru is the Japanese onomatopoeia for spirals), and likely inspired the human Tobi to don a spiral-shaped mask.
• In Muhyo and Roji, Chiyo Sakura renames herself "Pansa" after the time she saw pansies when Roji gives her an extra application form. She takes on the name when she joins Ark in order to try to get closer to Roji after being rejected as a candidate for Muhyo's assistant.
• Scar of Fullmetal Alchemist once had a name, but he discarded it long ago, believing that he no longer deserved it. Used again at the end of the series when he decides to help the remaining Ishvalans rebuild their country. When General Armstrong asks him what his real name is, he smiles for the only time in the series and says that he doesn't need one anymore, and that General Armstrong is free to call him whatever she wishes.
• In Haibane Renmei, at the end Reki's name changes in meaning from 'one who was run over' to 'stone' to symbolize her ability to overcome her struggles. The context of the 'stone' being 'a stepping stone for those who need help' - she devoted her life to helping others, first trying to "buy" redemption for her perceived sins, but eventually simply because she liked doing it, thus getting the said redemption.
• Fujimiya Ran in Knight Hunters starts using the name of his comatose little sister Aya when he becomes an assassin to pay her hospital bills and get revenge on the man who injured her. Sources vary as to the exact circumstances involved; in the anime, he makes the decision almost immediately at her hospital bedside. In the An Assassin And White Shaman manga, however, it's more of an Appropriated Appellation - Yoji begins calling him "Aya" after hearing him say the name in his sleep since up until that point Ran has refused to give any name to his new teammates.
  • Tsukiyono Omi goes back to using his birth name Takatori Mamoru after Weiss breaks up and states that Omi is dead. Kisaragi Takeru (Izumi Sena) from Gluhen and Edward R. Krotznik (Chloe) from Side B also work under different names, but we're not told much about their decisions to do so, aside from the fact that Chloe took his name from a girl he went to school with.
• Rurouni Kenshin: In a flashback, it's revealed that Kenshin was originally named "Shinta", but his mentor changed it because he felt Shinta to be too wimpy a name for a swordsman.
• Parodied in Hayate the Combat Butler when Nagi vows to stop being a hikikomori and renames herself Nagi 360 Elite.
• Bleach:
  • Captain Kenpachi Zaraki originally had no name at all. He decided to give himself a name that meant something to him to combat the pain of being nameless. He came from the Zaraki district so used Zaraki as his surname and took the title for the strongest shinigami in a generation (the Kenpachi) for his first name, hence Kenpachi Zaraki. Eventually, he earned the title Kenpachi properly by killing the 11th division Kenpachi in a duel and replacing him.
  • Yachiru Kusajishi was also nameless. When Kenpachi named himself, he also gave Yachiru her name. Her surname was taken from the Kusajishi district she originated from and her first name was the name of the only person Kenpachi ever admired. The identity of the mysterious "Yachiru" was eventually revealed to be the very first Kenpachi of the Gotei 13, Kenpachi Yachiru Unohana, currently known as the Fourth Division Captain, Retsu Unohana. In other words, Kenpachi named both himself and Yachiru after The Medic captain.
  • Captain Commander Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. He was originally known by the name Eijisai Shigekuni Yamamoto because of the shape of a scar on his forehead. After the scar was rescarred in battle against Choujirou Sasakibe he was renamed Juujisai Shigekuni Yamamoto. However, he renamed himself Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto because Sasakibe felt too awkward calling him Juujisai after having caused the scar, so Yamamoto gave himself a name Sasakibe would feel comfortable using.
• Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Any Magical Girl that becomes a witch gets a new name representing their despair, reflecting how they've stopped being a full human, and are only an embodiment of their despair.
• In Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Graham Aker's obsession with Setsuna eventually culminates in Aker renaming himself to "Mister Bushido" and adopting a samurai mindset focused on honorably defeating his enemy on equal grounds (on one occasion, he had Setsuna at his mercy but spared him because the latter's machine broke down during the fight; Setsuna later returned the favor).
• The Mobile Fighter G Gundam side-story prequel manga Fight 7th reveals that after failing to reach the 7th Gundam Fight Finals in time (due to being busy stopping a terrorist group from disrupting the Fight), Shuuji Kurosu, the Gundam Fighter for Neo-Japan, is dismissed by his country. He decides to take his talents to Neo-Hong Kong, and renames himself Master Asia, and through further training, also takes the name Tohofuhai (Undefeated of the East).
  • In the anime proper, Master Asia, upon appearing at the opening ceremonies of the Gundam Fight Finals, declares his intention to win and retain the title of Gundam of Gundams for Neo-Hong Kong, and once he accomplishes that, he will truly be Undefeated of the East, West, North, South, and Central, and will declare himself "Super Asia". The drama CD Gundam Fight: Round 3 parodies this, as the movie version of Master Asia declares that he already is Undefeated of the East, West, North, South, and Central, resulting in confusion from the other characters in the movie, and catcalls from the audience, particularly the real Chibodee, much to the real Master Asia's chagrin.
• Free from Soul Eater gave himself the name after escaping the Witches' prison (and thus becoming "Free"), with whatever name he may have held before that passing unmentioned.
  • Soul Eater Not! reveals that academy students can choose their own names - so Soul Eater and Black*Star were not born with those names, they chose them.
• Sorcerer Stabber Orphen: "From now on Krylancelo is dead! I will be known as Orphen!"
• In Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, Ponyo takes to her new name like a duck to water, even insisting that her father call her it.
• In Fairy Tail, Erza is an orphan and does not know what her last name is. When they first met, Jellal gave her the last name "Scarlet" after her red hair, so that it would be easy to remember.
• In the Ōoku: The Inner Chambers universe, women that take a position of power gain a 'manly' name. Initially this happened because they were trying to hide that Shogun Iemitsu was dead and the person that posed as him was a woman, but after Iemitsu the Younger reveals herself and women started openly becoming family heads, they took masculine names, to the point that a few generations later, only Shogun Yoshimune questions why this is so. Oftentimes the new name is derived from the reigning shogun's name (such as Yoshimune's name being derived from Shogun Tsunayoshi) with those that will indisputably become the next shogun, whether by birth or adoption taking a name that begins with the character 'Ie-' after the Tokugawa dynasty's founder Ieyasu.
  • Likewise, men in the Ooku adopt more 'feminine' names upon entering, particularly the concubines that father Tokugawa heirs. This started originally when Iemitsu the Younger renamed the men in order to insult them but as heirs started being born it became traditional.
• Kagerou Project:
  • Azami was given her name by Tsukihiko, the first human who treated her like a person. Before that, she'd only been referred to as 'Monster'.
  • Ene's name is derived from her former human name, Enomoto Takane. It began as her online name, and she adopted her Ene persona to avoid Shintaro recognising her, for fear he would sink further into despair if he knew she'd died.
  • Konoha used to be Kokonose Haruka. Like Ene, his name started as his online name but became his identity after dying.
  • Tsubomi (Kido), Shuuya (Kano) and Kousouke (Seto) switched to Last-Name Basis as a part of cementing their status as a gang, partly because it sounded cool, and partly because it meant leaving their childhood in the Tateyama household behind. However, Kano has a habit of still calling Kido "Tsubomi", much to her chagrin.
• Before coming to the mansion, Finny from Black Butler was called Number 12 all his life. From what we've seen of his backstory, it wasn't until Ciel gave him the new name of Finny that he began to overcome his past as an experimental Human Weapon.
• In Fushigi Yuugi: Byakko Ibun, one of the biggest seals of Nirusha and Reipin's Inter Generational Friendship is how he renames her "Neiran". It's also his case since Nirusha's actual name is Raseisen... and his Senshi name is Miboshi.
• In Ping Pong, Kong Wenge in the epilogue. After he made the Japanese Olympic team, he became a citizen of the nation and took the name Tsujido Wenge, after his high school ping pong team.
• In Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Kyoji is renamed Yotaro by his master Yakumo. Yotaro in rakugo slang means "fool", but can mean Anti-Hero. He could be either, depending on how you perceive the character.
• In Brave10, in the interests of having a One Rokuro Limit, Mochizuki Rokuro volunteers for a rename upon joining up with the Braves and Yukimura chooses to bestow him with his childhood name, Benmaru. Funnily enough, the other Rokuro is against it because it's not proper for a lord to give his name to a delinquent orphan. This turns out to be foreshadowing for Benmaru's second meaningful rename as the historical "Sanada Daisuke" when Yukimura adopts him as his heir in the sequel.
• In Classi9, Taki Ren takes the name Taki Rentarou to study at Melite as suggested by the director when he realized she was the daughter of an old friend who had died of tuberculosis 15 years ago. Mr. Taki had told the director he would name his unborn child Ren if she was a girl and Rentarou if he was a boy because adding -tarou makes names more masculine in Japanese.
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
  • Phantom Blood: Black Knight Bruford briefly reverts to his original honorable self thanks to being hit by Jonathan's Ripple. Right before the Ripple destroys him for good, he passes on his sword "Luck" to Jonathan. He also renames the sword "Luck & Pluck" (adding the letter "P" in blood next to the engraved "Luck") to acknowledge Jonathan's courage.
  • Golden Wind: In the past, Giorno Giovanna was born Haruno Shiobana. When he was 4-years-old, his mother married an Italian man and they moved to Italy. There his name was changed to Giorno Giovanna to make him fit in with his new home.
  • Stone Ocean: Emporio defeating Enrico Pucci causes a Reset Button that erases Pucci and his created universe as a whole, creating a newly restored universe and permanently altering the lives of the main cast (who had previously died in the final battle). The Reset Button also changes Jolyne Cujoh's name to Irene, which symbolizes two things. The first is that despite Jolyne and her allies being brought back, they are still significantly different due to their life experiences being much different (in short, they're the same people in terms of biology and basic personality, but not experience). The second is that Irene no longer has the letters in her name that make her a JoJo (her original name being Jolyne Cujoh), symbolizing that there's no need for the Joestar bloodline to continue their fight with evil. With Pucci Ret-Gone, DIO's legacy has now ended with his death in 1989, several years before Jolyne/Irene's birth.
• Tohru and Kanna Kamui in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid both take Kobayashi's family name as their own after moving in with her. Tohru wouldn't mind taking it as her married name, but this also represents both dragons' divorce from their fantasy-medieval home reality and their Family of Choice dynamic with Kobayashi herself. Especially notable as Kanna goes by Kobayashi Kanna, not keeping the Kamui component.
• Lily Hoshikawa in Zombieland Saga. Originally a Stage Name, she officially adopted it sometime during her career in showbiz due to being a transgender girl.
• In The Rising of the Shield Hero, as punishment for their highly unjust actions against Naofumi, King Aultcray and Princess Malty are renamed by the Queen of Melromarc as Trash and Bitch respectively to match their true natures. The former eventually accepts the name, while the latter just grows worse from there.
• Cross Ange: Any of the Norma who are sent to the Penal Colony Arzenal have their names forcibly changed to one-word names, usually a shortened version of their name, to reflect that they lose everything of their old lives. For example, Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi became Ange and Alektra Maria von Loewenherz became Jill. They only regain their original names when they die, as they are honored by having their original names written on their tombstones.
• In Captain Tsubasa, Carlos Santana was taken in by the owner of the Bara FC and legally adopted, and during that time he was forced to wear the Bara surname. When he turned 17, he revealed during a press conference all the abuse his adoptive father submitted him to and announced he was going to retake his original surname, in the memory of the loving parents who raised him until their untimely deaths.
• In That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, after Satoru Mikami died and reincarnated as a slime, the first friend he made in that world was the Storm Dragon Veldora. To signify their friendship, Veldora proposes that they each give each other names. Veldora is given the surname Tempest, based on his epithet, and this surname is combined with Rimuru, a name that sounds as cute and non-human as Satoru now looks, to get Rimuru Tempest. The Tempest part also ends up appropriate due to how Rimuru's actions in the new world end up shaking up the natural order.
• Hinowa ga Crush!: When Hinowa was killed in battle, her daughter Hinata renamed herself Hinowa and took her place, wanting her mother's name to be known worldwide.
• In The Case Files of Jeweler Richard, Richard's assumed last name "Ranasinghe" was given to him by his mentor.
• In Moriarty the Patriot:
  • "William James Moriarty" assumes his name after murdering the original William James Moriarty and passing his body off as his own.
  • Irene Adler also gets a rename after faking her death and assuming the name James Bond, sharing the first name with James Moriarty and the last name taking from her relationships and connections to friends.
• One Piece: Subverted for laughs when Big Mom's Homie, Zeus, permanently fuses with Nami's Clima-Tact, he asks her to give him a new name to complete his change in allegiance. However, he hates Nami's new name, Cotton (or Fluff), so he decides to keep being called Zeus.