Puns are almost universal humor for a fluent speaker of any language. They may seem cheesy, but puns can be important for learning languages or creating characters. Anime has its fair share of them. Japan seems to like its wordplay since Japanese media is full of puns. Anime characters of all sorts have punny names.
Some are obvious references, while others require a deep understanding of the Japanese language or Japanese culture. At any rate, puns are a great way for manga artists and anime directors to establish a character. Never underestimate the impact of a pun.
10 Sakura's Name Is An Allusion To Her Hair (Naruto)
The Naruto series is full of colorful characters, but some fans don't believe Sakura Haruno to be one of them. Sakura is one of the most hated characters in the Naruto series, and perhaps all of anime. Fans perceive that she does not contribute anything to the series whatsoever.
Whatever fans say, Sakura's name is quite punny. When put in Japanese order, her name is Haruno Sakura. "Haru no Sakura" translates to "cherry blossoms of spring." In Japan, the cherry blossom trees bloom and let out pink petals.
9 Speedwagon Is One In A Long Line Of References (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is an odd beast. Since the 1980s, fans have been treated to epic battles, posing contests, and a cornucopia of music references. The name "JoJo" is a reference to the Beatles song "Get Back."
In Phantom Blood, Jonathan is on his way to a rough part of town to find out what poison was used on his father. On the way, he's attacked by some thugs. Their leader is named Robert Edward O'Speedwagon, which is an obvious reference to the '70s rock band REO Speedwagon. This is one of many music-based puns in JoJo's.
8 Koro-sensei Is Truly Unbeatable (Assassination Classroom)
In Assassination Classroom, a group of students must kill their alien teacher or the world will be destroyed. The alien is a yellow octopus-like creature who can travel faster than a speeding locomotive and doesn't go down easily.
The students decide to name this creature Koro-sensei. The name is a play on the word "korosenai," which means unkillable. The alien liked that name and decided to run with it for the remainder of the series. Koro-sensei did seem unkillable for a large portion of the series.
7 Erza Is Another Hair Reference (Fairy Tail)
In Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet is one of the most respected and powerful wizards in the Fairy Tail guild. Her capabilities with weapons are unmatched. Her ability to "Requip" between various weapons and armor at the drop of a hat has made her a formidable wizard.
Erza's last name, Scarlet, is a reference to her red hair. It was actually given to her by Jellal during their time together since she did not have a surname. Erza had been through a lot in her childhood and remembers Jellal and her surname fondly.
6 Shoko Komi's Name Is On The Nose (Komi Can't Communicate)
Komi Can't Communicate is about a high school girl who struggles with speaking to people. Despite her communication issues, she tries to make many friends, with hilarious results.
When Komi's name is written in Japanese order (as Komi Shoko) it is a play on the Japanese word "komyushou" which means "communication disorder." Komi has a communication disorder, so it's a little on the nose. The male lead, Tadano Hitohito, also has a punny name. His name means "just a guy" in reference to how average he is.
5 Usagi Tsukino Is The Moon Rabbit (Sailor Moon)
Sailor Moon is the story of how one teenage girl turned out to be a moon princess and defended the Earth from evil while wearing a stylish sailor uniform. Usagi and her fellow Sailor Scouts fight evil by moonlight and win love by daylight, as the English opening song goes.
The "Tsuki" part of Usagi's last name means "moon." This is an obvious reference to her identity as Sailor Moon. Additionally, her first name means "rabbit," referring to the common Japanese folktale about rabbits living on the moon. The rest of Usagi's friends have punny names, too.
4 Ash Ketchum Is A Little Obvious (Pokémon)
Pokémon is a franchise about collecting all the cute little pocket monsters and always has been. The slogan has always been "Gotta catch 'em all!" That makes protagonist Satoshi's English name a little too on the nose.
Satoshi's English name is Ash Ketchum. This is one in a long line of puns in the franchise. From Pokémon names to episode titles, both 4Kids and the Pokémon Company use puns to great effect. As the series has been going for over 20 years with no end in sight, they'll likely never run out of puns.
3 Light Yagami's Name Is His Complex (Death Note)
Death Note is a series that explores the dark depths of human morality. The main character, Light Yagami, wanted to make the world a better place by using the Death Note, a notebook with the power to kill people. He wanted to be the "light" of the world.
That's not the only pun in his name, however. The characters that make up his surname translate to "night" and "god." Light quite obviously had a God complex and he worked with a shinigami, or god of death.
2 Naruto's Name Has A Few Meanings (Naruto)
Naruto Uzumaki of the Naruto series has a few meanings to his name. First, "Uzumaki" literally means "spiral." There's a spiral motif to his outfits and his signature Rasengan. "Naruto" is also the name of a famous whirlpool in Japan. The kanji for the whirlpool means "Roaring Gate," with "roaring" referring to the loud-mouthed hero.
Additionally, "Naruto" is a reference to a narutomaki, a small fish cake that can be found in ramen. Ramen is, of course, Naruto's favorite food. Fans wonder if Naruto ever made that connection while dining at Ichiraku.
1 Goku's Name Is As Punny As The Rest (Dragon Ball)
Dragon Ball is full of punny names, including Demon King Piccolo's instrument themed ensemble, to 17 and 18's names being Lapis and Lazuli, to Bibidi Babidi Buu. Punny names make characters easy for creators to remember, which is why Akira Toriyama leaned toward puns.
"Goku" is a reference to Sun Wukong from Journey to the West, which was a huge inspiration for early Dragon Ball. As far as Goku's birth name is concerned, "Kakarot" is a reference to carrots. The other remaining Sayains are also food references: "Vegeta" is for vegetable, "Nappa" is for Nappa Valley Lettuce, and "Raditz" is radish.