The Wonderful 101 tells the story of a group of superheroes defending the Earth from GEATHJERK, a hostile alien force. The game is filled with homages to 特撮 (tokusatsu, TV and movies with copious special special effects) media like Kamen Rider, as well as to other works in developer’s catalog that add a nostalgic feel to the game’s over-the-top, stylish action. In my opinion, it’s easily Platinum’s best work, despite the steep learning curve.
It’s also strongly characterized by its excellent localization. Though TW101 director Hideki Kamiya will use a 200-man Unite Block on you for asking him questions in English, his grasp on the language is surprisingly good. It seems he worked closely with localizers Jean Pierre Kellams, Andrew Brasher, and Nick Des Barres to create an authentic tokusatsu experience for English- and Japanese-speaking players alike.
One of the ways this was accomplished was through the aliens’ naming conventions. Take the above picture for example. Most readers have probably seen a ガチャポン (gachapon) machine at some point in their lives. GEATHJERK’s Gatcha—which stores prisoners in see-through capsules to be used for psychological warfare as literal human shields—closely resembles one, down to the need to hand-crank it to release its contents.
Anything alien—be it an individual, race, planet, or technology—has a name that describes it in Japanese. However, they’re not all as easily-decipherable as Gatcha’s. Due to slight alterations and being rendered in katakana, the namesakes are not immediately obvious, even to Japanese players. English-speaking players must contend with not only Japanese-derived names, but also exaggerated transliterations of those names (Hah-Gonay in place of ハガーネ/Hagāne, for example).
Because of that, I decided to puzzle out the origin of each and every name for you, be it a character, their race, their home planet, or any technology they use.
While you can get the gist of many of the namesakes from a one-line explanation, some might benefit from further elaboration. In particular, seeing these aliens will probably be a big help! I didn’t want to bloat this article too much, so I’m going to be posting follow-up tweets with pictures and more details. If you see a 🔗, you can click it to see those tweets. Without further ado, enjoy! Everyone is listed by order of appearance.
| Name | Namesake |
|---|---|
| ゲスジャーク (Gesujāku) GEATHJERK 🔗 | 下種邪悪 (gesu jaaku, wicked low-lifes; no-good jerks) |
| ドグー (Dogū) Dough-Goo 🔗 | 土偶 (dogū, clay dolls from the Jōmon period) |
| コフン (Kofun) Cough-Foon | 古墳 (kofun, burial mounds from ~250 CE) |
| チュドグー (Chudogū) Chew Dough-Goo | 中土偶 (chū dogū, medium-sized dogū) |
| ガッチャ (Gaccha) Gatcha | ガチャポン (gachapon, capsule toy vending machine) |
| ホーダン (Hōdan) Hoedown 🔗 | 砲弾 (hōdan, cannonball) |
| ダイドグー (Daidogū) Diedough-Goo | 大土偶 (dai dogū, big dogū) |
| カクレーガ (Kakurēga) Kahkoo-regah | 隠れ家 (kakurega, hideout) |
| ダカーツ (Dakātsu) Dahkarts | 蛇蠍 (dakatsu, snakes and scorpions; used as a metaphor for something detestable) |
| レーダン (Rēdan) Raydown 🔗 | レイ (rei, ray) + 弾 (dan, bullet/projectile) |
| ガグージン (Gagūjin) Gah-Goojin | 瓦偶人 (gagūjin, another name for haniwa dolls) |
| タイクー (Taikū) Tiekuu | 対空 (taikū, anti-aircraft) |
| ユーホ (Yūho) You-hough | ユーフォー (yūfō, UFO/unidentified flying object) |
| ランボー (Ranbō) Laambo | 乱暴 (ranbō, violence/rude) as well as a reference to Rambo |
| ドクーズ (Dokūzu) Doquuzu | ド (do, super-) + 屑 (kuzu, scum; piece of trash) |
| ゴロッキー (Gorokkī) Golokey | 顎 (ago, jaw) + ロック (rokku, lock) |
| ダイタイクー (Daitaikū) Die-Tiekuu | 大対空 (daitaikū, big taikū) |
| 再生ダイクー・オロチ (Saisei Daikū Orochi), Diekuu Ohrowchee Revived | 再生 (saisei, rebirth) + 大空 (daikū, big sky) + Yamata no Orochi, a multi-headed serpent of Japanese myth |
| ジュラー (Jurā) Joolar | Possibly ジュラシック (Jurasshiku, Jurassic) |
| デクノ・ボウ (Dekuno Bō) Dechno-Bo | 木偶の坊 (deku no bō, wooden puppet; used as a metaphor for someone stupid and useless) |
| ハマキー (Hamakī) Hah-Markee | 葉巻 (hamaki, cigar) |
| メイザー号 (Meizā Gō) The Meizerr | Anagram of サメ (same, shark) + 号 (gō, suffix used for ship names) |
| Chi-Q | 地球 (chikyuu, Earth) |
| ヴォークン・オウジ (Vōkun Ōji) Vorkken Ohgee | 暴君 (bōkun, tyrant) + 皇子 (ōji, imperial prince) |
| ヴァンゼン (Vanzen) Vanzen | 万全 (banzen, flawlessness) |
| ガイゾック (Gaizokku) Guyzoch | 海賊 (kaizoku, pirate) + a reference to Zambot 3 |
| ルロー (Rurō) Rhullo | 流浪 (rurō, nomadism) |
| チューギ (Chūgi) Chewgi | 忠義 (chūgi, loyalty) |
| ブシドー (Bushidō) Boosheedoh | 武士道 (Bushidō, warrior code of ethics) |
| 旋風鬼 (Senpūki) Senpookey | 旋風 (senpū, whirlwind) + 鬼 (ki, oni; metaphorically used to describe something incredibly strong, unyielding, etc.); shares a reading with 扇風機 (senpūki, electric fan) |
| ゲダイドグー (Gedaidogū) Gedie Dough-Goo | 棘 (toge, thorn) + big dogū |
| ニャーク (Nyāku) Nyerk | 蒟蒻 (kon’nyaku, devil’s tongue jelly) |
| ノートリヤ (Nōtoriya) Notoriyeah | 乗っ取り (nottori, hijack, esp. in the context of planes or computers) + 屋 (ya, -er) |
| エンヴァン (Envan) Envan | 円盤 (enban, flying saucer; discus) |
| メガン (Megan) Megang | Portmanteau of anagram of 亀 (kame, turtle) + 丸 (gan, round) |
| ドークン (Dōkun) Dough-kun | Portmanteau of 毒 (doku, poison) + 燻 (kun, smoke, esp. to smoke out) |
| ワーナ (Wāna) Wanna | 罠 (wana, trap) |
| ダイジャ (Daija) Diejeah | 大蛇 (daija, big serpent) |
| ダッカー (Dakkā) Dakkar | 鷹 (taka, hawk); its spelling is likely a reference to the Ducker enemy from the Gradius series |
| オーゴン (Ōgon) Orgon | 黄金 (ōgon, gold) |
| ハガーネ (Hagāne) Hah-Gonay 🔗 | 玉鋼 (tamahagane, high-quality steel used for swords smelted from iron sand in a tatara) |
| タタラ (Tatara) Tahtahla 🔗 | 鑪 (tatara, a type of furnace used in Japan since at least the 1600s) |
| ビジョーヌ (Bijōnu) Vijounne | 美女 (bijo, beautiful woman) + French feminine name ending |
| ウーミ (Ūmi) Ewwmee | 海 (umi, ocean) |
| アンコウ (Ankō) Ankho | アンコウ (ankō, anglerfish) |
| シンカイ (Shinkai) Shingki | 深海 (shinkai, ocean depths) |
| イモータ (Imōta) Immorta | イモータル (imōtaru, immortal) + 妹 (imōto, younger sister) |
| サクラン・ボウガン (Sakuran Bōgan) Sakuran Bowgun | 錯乱 (sakuran, confusion) + ボウガン (bōgan, bowgun) |
| ダイリクセン (Dairikusen) Die-Rixen | 大 (dai, big) + 陸戦 (rikusen, ground warfare) |
| オダーコ (Odāko) Ohdarko | 大だこ (ōdako, giant octopus); possible reference to the King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) octopus kaiju |
| TA-CO1, 2, & 3 | タコ (tako, octopus) |
| ドーラ (Dōra) Doora | 虎 (tora, tiger) |
| コツミーキ (Kotsumīki) Koh-Tumeekey | 小 (ko, ‘small’ prefix) + 積み木 (tsumiki, toy building blocks) |
| シュリドーラ (Shuridōra) Surey Doora | 手裏剣 (shuriken) + 虎 (tora, tiger) |
| カイゾー・オロチ (Kaizō Orochi) Kaizor Ohrowchee | 改造 (kaizō, modified) + orochi |
| ツミーキ (Tsumīki) Tumeekey | 積み木 (tsumiki, toy building blocks) |
| ワルサー (Warusā) Walltha | Walther, a firearms manufacturer + 悪さ (warusa, badness) |
| ワルガグージン (Warugagūjin) Wallgah-Goojin | A portmanteau of Walltha and Gah-Goojin’s names |
| カズラー (Kazurā) Kuzzler | 靫蔓 (utsubokazura, pitcher plant) |
| デカーニ (Dekāni) Deah-Kani | Portmanteau of でかい (dekai, giant) + カニ (kani, |
| カイゾー・ダイジャ (Kaizō Daija) Kaizor Diejeah | 改造 (kaizō, modified) + 大蛇 (daija, big serpent) |
| ヒヨーガ (Hyōga) Heyourgah | 氷河 (hyōga, glacier) |
| ツラーラ (Tsurāra) Tworaala | 氷柱 (tsurara, icicle) |
| テイオー (Teiō) Teio | 帝王 (teiō, emperor) |
| グリドーラ (Guridōra) | グリグリ (guriguri, mimetic word for rotation) + 虎 (tora, tiger) |
| バイキ (Baiki) Vaaiki | ばい菌 (baikin, germ) |
| ギーミ (Gīmi) Gimme | Possibly 右 (migi, right), as Gimme is described as Jergingha’s 右腕 (migiude, right-hand man) |
| ギガ軍艦 (Gigagunkan) Giga-Goonkhan | Giga + 軍艦 (gunkan, warship) |
| ギガグージン (Gigagūjin) Giga-Goojin | A portmanteau of Gimme and Gah-Goojin’s names, creating the Giga- prefix |
| ガンチュー (Ganchū) Gunchew | Possibly 顔 (gan, face) + 宙 (chuu, space) |
| ゲス・ワクセー (Gesu Wakusē) Geath-Wahksay | 下種 (gesu, sleazebag) + 惑星 (wakusei, planet); 星 alone carries the meaning of ‘star’, so also a likely reference to the デス・スター (Desu Sutā, Death Star) |
| 機械惑星 ジャギンガ (Kikaiwakusei Jaginga) The Machine World Jerghinga | 機械 (kikai, machine) + 惑星 (wakusei, planet) + 邪 (ja, wickedness) + 銀河 (ginga, galaxy); wakusei is also used metaphorically in a way similar to ‘dark horse’ |
These are far from the only such transliterations/jokes in the game, but I think I’ll keep this page focused just to the aliens, for now. Maybe in the future there’ll be an opportunity to write about the rest of it!
If you know any The Wonderful 101 fans, send them this way! We gotta stick together; after all, we're basically an endangered species at this point. Also, tell them to unite up and follow my Twitter!
Thanks for reading this far! If you enjoyed the article above, why not check out this article about how various Japanese slang for bad animation like ‘dynamic’, ‘coconut crab’, and ‘cabbage’ developed? Or how about learning the true meaning behind Tifa’s ‘Dilly-dally, shilly-shally’?
The localization team didn’t have to go all-out with the names, but I’m glad they did
The Wonderful 101 is absolutely insane in terms of being waaaaaaaay too imaginative and intelligenst overall.
Best game I have ever played in my life.
Holy heck, THANK YOU for putting together a list of translations for the enemy names in this game, I’ve been trying to piece together all what these names mean for the longest time.
I’d definitely appreciate seeing another blog about more of the game’s naming jokes in the future!