Vaati's real name

[Mysterious F.]

Vaati's real, Japanese name in Gebuu.

The Minish (not Picori) were called Chirolia.

[Vaati]

Actually, Vaati's real name is Gufuu, I believe. Look, read the top right of the manga. http://www.zelda-infinite.com/files/manga/minish/view.php?chap=1&page=17

[Mysterious F.]

I read it wrong then.

[Commodore Axilon]

How on earth is that his "real" name? It's just his name in Japan.

[Mysterious F.]

The Japanese one is considered more canon than the English one.

[Eralk Fang]

If we began using the Japanese versions of the names, Link would be Rinku, Zelda Zeruda, and Twinrova Tsuinroba. And you'd be wrong to call Zelda Zeruda; Miyamoto has stated she was named after Zelda Fitzgerald. Zeruda is merely how Zelda transliterates into English from Japanese.

I think the English-speaking Zelda fandom has used the English canon names too long for us to begin considering the Japanese names the true canon names. It doesn't matter which set of names you use, because it's only a difference at face value. The characters and story don't change.

Vaati is rare in that his Japanese and English names are so different, but he's still the same character no matter what you call him.

[Hi no Seijin]

I vote Eralk Fang for the win.  She makes some good points.  Also, Link is named Link because he was the link between the player and the game.  Or something like that.

[Evilslayer]

If you believe Wikipedia, which I don't. :-* Unless I see someplace where Miyamoto CONFIRMS it, then I'll believe it.

How on earth is that his "real" name? It's just his name in Japan.

That's what makes it his real name. :-*

[Commodore Axilon]

Only if you consider the Japanese games higher canon than the English ones.

[Eralk Fang]

Evilslayer, here's the quote.

With Zelda we wanted a good name for the female character and we wanted something eternal, timeless. I was talking with a lot of writers and staff and the idea came from the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife who was named Zelda. She was a famous woman who was kind of strong, so we decided to go with her name.

-Shigeru Miyamoto, during an interview conducted on May 16, 2001 at E3

Source:
http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/theman/interviews/051601.shtml

I don't think we should consider the Japanese games higher canon than the English ones, because it is the exact same canon, with a language difference. When they translated it, they just gave Vaati a different English name. It's not his one true canon name, it's his English name. Since the English speaking fandom has used his English name since The Minish Cap came out, we should continue to use it.

EDIT: As not to double post...

I left out something.

When specific information (that relates to the story, character history, anything more important than such trivial things like names) varies, the Japanese version should be considered "the authority". The English translation for the manual of A Link to the Past was very poor, but fan translations have proved better.

[Evilslayer]

That was my point. Even TWW has mistranslations, from what I've heard. :-*

[Eralk Fang]

I'm saying the mistranslations in the newer games are a lot less huge than in A Link to the Past. Where there is a gap, you should go to the Japanese version. Something as trivial as a name isn't a gap.

[Evilslayer]

I used the name as a symbol. I know Vaati isn't less canon than Gufuu. :-*

[Eralk Fang]

If Vaati's name was just an example, then what are we discussing? I thought we were discussing the validity of Japanese canon versus English canon.

[Mysterious F.]

You know, they changed the names for Vaati, Minish, and Link. The otger two are just example of how Japanese can't fit into English as much as English into European/Meditteranean/Middle Eastern languages.