Using a punny name will make an OC fit well into the Soul Eater universe because there are hardly any characters in Soul Eater who don’t have a punny name. A punny name does not mean it is limited to including puns or wordplay. The names of Soul Eater characters will often have a name that references to Greek mythology, weaponry, animals, monsters, music artists, or even famous criminals.
The following is a list of canon characters and their name origins.
Maka Albarn
“Maka” is a wordplay of the Japanese word, kama, which means scythe. It is popularly known that Albarn is a reference to Damon Albarn, the creators of Gorillaz, an English virtual band formed in 1998. This is the most popular guess due to the creator of Soul Eater, Atsushi Ohkubu, being well known to be a big fan of pop music.
Black Star
The name may be a reference to the color and shape of a shuriken, a throwing weapon popularly associated with ninjas. It may also be a reference to the Radiohead song, Black Star. The lyrics to the song also mention a “falling sky,” while Black Star makes the pun about a falling star in his debut episode.
Death the Kid
Other than the fact that is the “son” of Lord Death, a Grim Reaper, or death god, Death the Kid’s name references the famous outlaw, Billy the Kid(1859-1881). Billy the Kid was active in the American Old West. He killed eight people before being shot and killed when he was 21. Death the Kid’s name referring to an infamous figure of the Old West may also be connected with his double pistol slinging. Many Western films depicted cowboys or criminals wielding two guns for dramatic effect.
Liz and Patty Thompson
Thompson is a reference to the Thompson Submachine Gun M1921, or more popularly known as the “Tommy Gun.”
Franken Stein
The name is a reference to the 1818 novel written by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. The book depicts a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who discovers the secret of life and creates his own creature, or Frankenstein’s monster. On one hand, Stein’s occupation as a scientist and his ability to make Sid into a zombie is a reference to Frankenstein. On the other hand, Stein’s appearance with the screw in his head and stitches on his skin reference to Frankenstein’s monster.
Medusa Gorgon
In Greek mythology, Medusa is one of the three Gorgons, often described as winged women with snakes for hair. Out of the three Gorgon sisters in Soul Eater, Medusa is the most faithful to the Gorgon reference because of her snake theme. Arachne is a reference to the story in Greek mythology about a weaver who was turned into a hideous creature we now call spiders. Shaula is the Arabic name of the second brightest object in the constellation Scorpius.
Ox Ford
The name is a reference to Oxford University in England.
Harvar D. Éclair
The name comes from Harvard University in the United States. The last name, Éclair, comes from the French word for lightning.
Jacqueline O’Lantern Dupré
The name is a reference to Jack-O-Lanterns, as Jacqueline’s weapon form is a lantern with holes in the shape of a scary face. Jacqueline du Pré(1945-1987) was a British cellist.
As seen from the examples above, many Soul Eater characters have punny names with references to various popular figures and objects. Keeping these examples in mind will be useful when naming a Soul Eater OC!
If the name origins of some characters were not discussed in the post, please share them!
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