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I feel like there is some kind of joke with the characters' fake names that I am missing.

One of the characters I think asks if their names are outdated. Is that the joke, just that they are using archaic names? Or is there something else?

senshin
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auggie
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1 Answers1

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If you're asking what "the joke" is with names like "Maou Sadao" and "Yusa Emi", the joke is that their Japanese names sound suspiciously similar to their Ente Isla names/titles:

  • "Maou Sadao" is very close to "Maou Satan" / "Demon Lord Satan"
  • "Yusa Emi" is very close to "Yuusha Emi" / "Hero Emi"
  • "Ashiya (Shirou)" is sort of close to "Alciel" (Arushieru)
  • "Urushihara (Hanzou)" is sort of close to "Lucifer" (Rushiferu)

As a side effect of this, some of their Japanese names sound curious/archaic, since you kind of have to stretch to find Japanese names that sound similar to Christian angel/devil names.

Separately, some of the names are also "translation jokes", so to speak:

  • The "Suzu" (鈴) in "Kamazuki Suzuno" means "bell". Indeed, her Ente Isla name is "Crestia Bell".
senshin
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  • I got the feeling that Maou Sadao's name is also a reference to Madao (maru de dame na ossan i.e. a good for nothing) from Gintama. – 絢瀬絵里 Apr 28 '17 at 00:42
  • @Ayase Eri There's no relation whatsoever. Sadao is a legit Japanese name, whereas Madao is not. Also, their personalities bear no resemblance (I'd hardly call Maou a "good-for-nothing"), so I'm not sure why you saw this to be a reference, outside that it's a one-letter difference. – Jimmy Apr 28 '17 at 05:09
  • He is a good employee, but a good for nothing when it comes to being a Maou. – 絢瀬絵里 Apr 28 '17 at 06:25
  • @AyaseEri Not really. He is actually really good at being "overlord" as he drove humans into corner only to be defeated by Emilia. – Euphoric Apr 28 '17 at 07:11