The true name concept follows the basic premise that everything possesses a name expressive of its very nature. How has that been applied in anime?
Highlights
- The true name concept, which gives total control over an object or being, is a prevalent trope in mythology, fantasy, and religion.
- Anime and manga often explore the true name concept, with characters using true names to unleash powers and abilities.
- Titles like BLEACH, The Case Study of Vanitas, Death Note, Natsume’s Book of Friends, and Noragami showcase different interpretations and expressions of the true name concept in anime.
GAMERANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
An age-old trope from mythology, fantasy and religion, the true name concept follows the basic premise that everything in existence possesses a name closely linked to its nature. Within this concept, knowing something’s true name gives one total control over it.
It goes without saying that several notable anime and manga titles have made use of the concept in some way, but how exactly has that looked over time?
Background
The true name concept is a prevalent trope in storytelling that may be an expression of the importance of names to cultures and religions across time. Nomenclature has been particularly important in culture, and religion for the simple purposes of identification; such as Carolus Linnaeus’s binomial taxonomy that now serves as the scientific system of naming the various life forms on the planet; however, names also bring about metaphysical questions. The idea is that a true name is the very expression of the nature of the object it is referencing, and there have been countless explorations into the concept in religious contexts. In Kabbalism, the true name of God in the Hebrew Bible is considered too powerful to utter, so much so that the name itself has been replaced with a-near abbreviation: YHWH, otherwise known as the Tetragrammaton.
In one version of Egyptian myth, the true name of the Sun God Ra was revealed to Isis, the mother of Horus through a trick. Having learned Ra’s true name, Isis gained the power to put her son on the throne. Mythology and religion are particularly rich when it comes to names, especially given the wealth of names that exist within a particular belief system for the same objects or entities. For example, Vishnu, the supreme deity in Hinduism, has several names and also descends to the Earth in times of great chaos in the form of an avatar – the material incarnation of a being of great power. Names as vessels of power or influence are a widespread phenomenon and subject of various forms of interest and study; however, the expression of the true name concept in anime may be related to the influence of various superstitions, myths, religious beliefs, urban legends and various developments of the concept have been seen in anime and manga.
Basic Rules
Within the realm of storytelling, the true name concept is oftentimes an exploration of magical or fantastical settings in which knowledge of the true name of a magical being is dominion over it, which is directly related to the expression of the concept in different mythological “sects”. The extent of control or subjugation will vary from story to story, and as mentioned before, the “more powerful” entities will almost invariably have several names, all of which either refer to particular “expressions” of said entity; or all bear the exact same weight in terms of invoking the very concept that is that entity. With beings that are ontologically complex in the context of the belief system, multiple names point towards the idea of divine infallibility and the impossibility of humanity to comprehend the sheer scale of existence that these beings are said to represent, especially in the case that each name emphasizes a different “immutable” quality.
The elusiveness of the name of the Hebrew deity is an attempt to seal away the power of the name, which is said to be of incomprehensible proportions. An interesting result in religion is the well-known Christian law that one not invoke the name of said deity “in vain“. The overall meaning and interpretations of that vary, but it remains a rather bare reinterpretation of the true name concept. At the very least, anime is heavily invested in the expression of the concept as it relates to story and characters, and names in anime are very usually very important in characterization and worldbuilding.
BLEACH
BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Episode 10 – Zanpakuto Origins
In the world of Tite Kubo’s BLEACH, nomenclature reigns supreme. The Shinigami (“gods of death”) in the series unleash their true might through developing a close relationship with their swords, or “Zanpakutō” (“Soul Slayer”), tabulae rasae called “Asauchi” that develop personalities as the Shinigami imprint the very essence of their souls onto the weapons, thereby creating their own unique weapons. The names of the Zanpakutō are hence discovered by their Shinigami, and then invoked in battle to unleash the weapon’s latent and unique properties. This is one of two possible states of the Zanpakutō: Shikai (Initial Release) and Bankai (Final Release), both of which not only require years of training and knowledge of the Zanpakutō’s name, but also usually have invocation phrases associated with them, like Byakuya Kuchiki’s iconic trigger phrase, “Scatter, Senbonzakura”.
BLEACH takes the concept a little further with the Zanpakutō of Squad 11 Fourth Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa, who deliberately calls his Zanpakutō “Fuji Kujaku” (“Wisteria Peacock”) instead of Ruri’iro Kujaku (“Azure Peacock”); a name the Zanpakutō dislikes, in order to get a languid and unenthusiastic “half-release” of its Shikai. Arrancars and Fullbringers also have similar systems of accessing their innate powers through invocation phrases and names. Another expression of the concept lies with Ichibe Hyōsube, the Captain of the mysterious Squad Zero who is known by the moniker “Monk Who Calls the Real Name” due to his ability to identify, manipulate the true names of beings and objects. His Zanpakutō, “Ichimonji” (“The Written Character ‘One‘”), takes the form of a calligraphy brush capable of producing strokes that carry the power of their meaning. One of Ichibe’s most terrifying abilities is the ability to sever names: by cutting the very names of the objects he “slashes”, they cease to be what they are and thus, their effectiveness is severely reduced, or negated.
The Case Study of Vanitas
One of the more recent titles that explored the true name concept, The Case Study of Vanitas is set in a fictional version of 19th century Europe in which a self-proclaimed “Vampire Doctor” named Vanitas embarks on a quest to heal cursed vampires through the use of the notorious grimoire known as “The Book of Vanitas”. The curse that Vanitas is curing is known as the “malnomen”, a word which etymologically means something akin “ill name”, a curse that makes vampires act erratically caused by a corruption of their true name – something possibly caused by the mysterious but maligned entity known only as “Charlatan”. Vanitas restores the ailing vampires by accessing their true names which he can tamper with due to the immense power granted to him by the grimoire.
Death Note
Perhaps the most famous use of this trope within the world of anime and manga, the classic Death Note series expressed the true name concept through the titular notebooks themselves, as well as through the aptly named Shinigami Eyes, which enable one to see a person’s real name floating above their head; in exchange for half of the initial person’s lifespan.
Natsume’s Book of Friends
An older title, Natsume’s Book of Friends is a 2003 manga series by Yuki Midorikawa about Takashi Natsume, a boy who can see yōkai after he finds an old notebook that belonged to his maternal grandmother who was an exorcist. His grandmother used her powerful abilities to bind various yōkai to the notebook so that she could call upon them whenever she’d like. Takashi decides to return all the names within the notebook titled “Book of Friends”, with help from Madara, a yōkai that knew his grandmother when she was alive.
Noragami
The true name concept is central to Noragami, a Shinto-inspired narrative by Adachitoka following a forgotten god named Yato as he performs odd jobs for 5 yen a piece to save up for his own shrine. In Noragami, gods are more powerful the more they are worshipped, and in modern times, many gods have lost their lives due to lack of worship, spurring Yato to build his own shrine. Gods in Noragami exorcise phantoms (referred to as “ayakashi“) with help from their Shinki – “divine instrument”, souls of humans now renamed and brought into the deity’s consort. The naming of a Shinki is an intimate act that bind gods with their weapons; however, the titular character Nora (“Stray”) is a mysterious Shinki that bears several names due to being a subject of various gods simultaneously. If a Shinki’s human name is revealed, they will regain their memories, be traumatized all at once and in most cases, this corrupts them.
Anime
One of the most notable examples of the true name concept in anime, the Japanese title of Spirited Away is “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” – literally “Sen and Chihiro’s Spiriting Away”. The title refers to “Sen and Chihiro”; however, the former is what the main character is referred to after having her name taken away from her to work in a supernatural bathhouse. “Chihiro” is written 千尋, with the characters for “1000” and “fathoms” (a measurement of depth), but when she is “spirited away”, the second character is removed, and she is referred to merely as “Sen”, a literal reduction of “Chihiro” to a number. In the film, retention of the memory of one’s name enables them to cling to their agency. Names in anime communicate ideas of varying complexity similar to the aforementioned, due to the intricacy of written and spoken Japanese, words are written with characters pronounced in ways that are creative in their expression. Simply put, names are important.
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
