Character Name Trivia

Here I'd like to share some remarks and speculation on the characters' names! Puns and layered meanings in names are super common in Japanese media. I'll also go over their Twitter handles and Paradox Tribe ID numbers, since I have been asked to explain these from time to time and I think it'd be good to have all of this in one place.

Note that a lot of things in this page are SPECULATION, not hard canon.

Character Names, Group Names, and Related Remarks

BAE

Group Name:
Explained in-universe as being derived from "Before Anyone Else". This is often stated to be the etymology of the slang term "bae", but the term came first and the acronym was applied retroactively.

MC Names:

SUZAKU: Refers to the Vermillion Bird, the Chinese constellation; often depicted as a phoenix; see remarks on his character name below. Probably meant to evoke the idea of being reborn in fire.
48: 4/8 (April 8th) is Hajun's birthday (4/8), but also playing on the similarities between 4-8 (yon-hachi) and "Yeon Hajun". (The reason it's pronounced yonpachi, with the handakuten, is a long conversation about linguistics.)
AnZ: AnZ (since it's pronounced 'a-n-ji') is presumably a play on Anne's former name, Anjin. It's probably meant to be reclamatory, and possibly(?) playing on an A-to-Z sort of thing, like, encompassing a broad range.

Character Names:
All three members of BAE have bird-related names:

The 朱雀 in Allen's family name, Sugasano, is commonly read suzaku, which is the Japanese pronunciation of Zhuque, the Vermillion Bird, one of the Four Symbols in Chinese astrology.
Yeon (燕) directly translates to swallow, a variety of bird (and the symbol of the Yeon family).
Faulkner is probably meant to evoke the word falcon.

Because of the bird theme and Allen being extremely overt, I think they may indicate a Chinese constellation theme throughout the initial four groups plus Buraikan.

The Cat's Whiskers

Group Name:
Likely meant to evoke the phrase "the cat's meow", a phrase that means something very good, associated with jazz hipsters and by extension the classic East Coast hiphop that The Cat's Whiskers draw inspiration from.

MC Names:

Kotonoha: 'Kotonoha', literally written 言の葉 ("leaf of speech"), is a really archaic way to say 'word' and to refer to a type of poem.
God Summer: Unclear to me. I think part of it probably has to do with his association with rain and summer being the rainy season. "Summer"'s sounding like "-sama" is also a possibility, because Yohei is DEEPLY EMBARRASSING LIKE THAT. (Possibly relevant is the 神, or god/kami, kanji in Yohei's family name.
Compla Daimaou: "Great Demon King Compla". Based on what his phantometal is called ("Compliance Tongue Piercing"), it's probable that "Compla" is short for "Compliance".
Nanashi: Literally means "nameless", reflecting on Shiki's low self-esteem. Also possibly a play on how the numbers 7-4 can be read "nana" and "shi", since he owes so much to Saimon and Bar 4/7 (which, remember, bc of how JP fractions are read, is read "seven-four").

Character Names:
I have yet to find any references or similar in any of the TCW members' names. I'd love to hear it if you have any! (In particular, I'd love to find a concrete connection between TCW and Xuanwu/Genbu, the black tortoise of the north.)

cozmez

Group Name:
Unclear. Might be meant to evoke Gozu and Mezu, the ox- and horse-headed guards of the gates of hell. Might also be meant to evoke the word 'cosmic', which seems more possible now with them leaning into the alien aesthetic, but note that the aliens were not introduced to their aesthetic until Exhibition Show.

MC Names:

KANATA: Self-explanatory.
NAYUTA: Self-explanatory.

Character Names:
Their family name, 'Yatonokami', is homophonous with one reading of 夜刀神, yatonokami or yatsunokami, malevolent snake deities attested in the fudoki (regional historical record) in the former province of Hitachi, which is probably meant to tie into their snake motif.
Though unconfirmed, the fact that BAE, Akan Yatsura, and Buraikan so neatly align with the Chinese constellations could indicate that cozmez are meant to represent the Azure Dragon, Quinlong/Seiryu, with snakes somewhat resembling eastern dragons.

Akan Yatsura

Group Name:
Explained in-universe as being an appelation by Suiseki Shingo for Iori and his immediate circle of Zen, Reo, Hokusai, and Satsuki. It's a very Kansai-ben way of saying, roughly, "rowdy bastards".

MC Names:

Kashira: Probably from the reading of 頭 that reads it as 'Kashira'; literally "head", it means the leader, the head of operations, the guy in charge.
Gazen: It's written with different kanji, but it's a play on Gaho Zen. Written the way it is in his MC name (俄然), it means "all of a sudden" or something that takes you by surprise.
Fuurai Boy: Explicitly something Hokusai adopted because it was what Suiseki Shingo called him. Probably a play on 風来坊, "fuuraibou", a drifter, vagabond, or transient, because of how he drifted in and out of the Suiseki house like a stray cat. ("Bou" also just literally means 'boy'.)
Gaia: Canonically, the origin is that Satsuki is very stupid. He chooses it because he thinks it sounds tough without realizing it's very feminine (this continues a theme established by his given name, Satsuki, already being very feminine-sounding).
REO-kun: Self-explanatory.

Character Names:
Every member of Akan Yatsura shares the name of a traditional Japanese artist who have done famous depictions of tigers:

Suiseki Iori shares a name with Ohashi Suiseki.
Gaho Zen shares a name with Gaho Hashimoto.
Masaki Hokusai shares a name with Katsushika Hokusai, better known by the mononym Hokusai. (He is also the artist behind The Great Wave off Kanagawa, which you are definitely familiar with.)
Ito Satsuki shares a name with Ito Jakuchuu.
Maruyama Reo shares a name with Maruyama Okyo.

Because of their overt association with tigers, I suspect they may represent the White Tiger, Baihu/Byakko.

Buraikan

Group Name:
Written overtly as "war" and "detonator", so presumably meant to evoke like a warhead or something of the sort, while also being homophonous with 無頼漢, also "buraikan", which means like a villain or someone you wouldn't want to cross.

MC Names:

Yasha: 'Yasha' is the Japanese pronunciation of 'yaksha', a kind of classification of guardian spirit in Buddhism sometimes depicted as a demon-like warrior.
Shura: 'Shura' is the Japanese pronunciation of 'asura', a kind of demigod in some Buddhist beliefs that fights against the devas (gods).

Character Names:

The 'ryu' in Chisei's last name (Kuzuryu), written 竜, is one way of writing 'dragon', specifically a Chinese dragon. (His family name is literally written "nine-headed dragon", though Kuzuryu in folklore contexts tends to be written with a different kanji for dragon.)
The 'shin' in Haruomi's last name (Shingu), written 辰, refers to the dragon, often specifically in the context of the Chinese zodiac sign. (So his family name is literally written "dragon shrine".)

Note that because of their association with dragons, the color gold, being the origin/center of the Phantom Live movement, and the above mentioned similarities between other groups to the Chinese constellations, it's possible that they are meant to evoke Huanglong, the golden dragon who represents the Golden Emperor at the center of the universe.

VISTY

Group Name:
I have no idea; probably just meant to sound very 'idol-y'. Might be meant to evoke 'vista', as in a beautiful view?

MC Names:

SHOGO: Self-explanatory.
TOMA: Self-explanatory.
KANTARO: Self-explanatory.
AOI: Self-explanatory.

Character Names:
I've got nothing. VISTY are completely black boxes to me, haha. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them! Possible leads are stars and the fact that in certain merchandise/circumstances, they are associated with bears (Shogo's gummy bears and Kantaro's teddy bears).

AMPRULE

Group Name:
Probably meant to sound like 'emperor'; might also be something about combining 'amplify' and 'rule'.

MC Names:

Lil Empera: Fairly self-explanatory. Little emperor.
Battler: Playing on the sound-alike quality of "Battler", as in one who battles (especially on someone else's behalf) and "butler".

Character Names:
It's possible, though perhaps a bit of a reach, that the "Chu" in Chungsung's name is supposed to evoke one of the readings for 蜘, "spider", since Dongha is locked into being a swallow thanks to the Yeon name.

1Nm8

Group Name:
Fairly self-explanatory; "inmate", presumably to evoke the parallelism of prisoners and hospital inpatients.

MC Names:

7: Meant to go along with the following two MC names, and also probably playing on 7's connotations of being a divine number.
5: "Itsu" (as in Itsuki) is one reading of the number 5.
6: "Roku" (as in Rokuta) is one reading of the number 6.

Character Names:
We know that Rokuta's real name was Minori but not how it was written, we only know Itsuki's subject name, and Kei doesn't fit in with their names at all, so I'm not entirely sure. Also, based on Rokuta's name originally being Minori, it's probable that Itsuki and Rokuta's number designations predated their names-- as in, their names are explicitly derived from their designation numbers.
Based on some official merchandise giving them the theme animal of mice, Kei's name might be a reference to the reading of one kanji that means 'mouse' (鼷, read "kei").

GokuLuck

Group Name:
GokuLuck, written 獄Luck, is homophonous with 極楽, "gokuraku", meaning paradise; this is probably meant to be ironic, because the "goku" used in their group name means 'jail' and is commonly seen in the word 地獄, "jigoku" (Hell). In addition to the obvious jail thing, it's probably meant to being shit out of luck, or being given a raw deal (by society).

MC Names:

Hancho: 'Hancho' (班長) means the leader of a team or squad. (An Anglicized misspelling of this word is where we get the word 'honcho' in English, as in 'head honcho'.)
Pitbull: Presumably because of the reputations that pitbulls have as being fighting dogs, to the point of being the focus of a lot of scaremongering and smear campaigns against the breed as being uniquely dangerous. Appropriately, though, they are not inherently vicious and can be very gentle dogs.
Smokin' Dog: Presumably self-explanatory; taps both Shion's chain smoking habit and GokuLuck's general dog theme.
Anonymous: Kenta is supposed to be an imageboard using shithead, imageboards being a place that is explicitly anonymous by default. (Also, there was -- for those of you who for whatever reason don't remember this -- a large decentralized hacktivist effort centralized around these imageboards in the mid-2000s who called themselves "Anonymous". Since Kenta deliberately taps a lot of mid-2000s channer culture I think this is probably deliberate?)

Character Names:
All four members of GokuLuck have dog-themed names, with the three inmates' names all referring to Japanese dog breeds:

Yuto's family name, Inukai (犬飼), literally just means dog-owner.
Ryoga's family name, Tosa (土佐) is written and pronounced the same as in the Tosa Ken. Interestingly, the Tosa is the only breed of dog that is allowed in legal dog fighting in Japan. Also, unlike the other two, it is not a recognized Nihon Ken breed.
The "kai" (甲斐) in Shion's family name, Kaida, is written and pronounced the same as in the Kai Ken.
The "shiba" (柴) in Kenta's family name, Mikoshiba, is written and pronounced the same as in the Shiba Ken. (The fact that his name is Mikoshiba Kenta is why other characters call him 'Shiba Ken'.) I am also not sure about this, but the fact that the shiba ken is extremely popular among terminally online weirdos and imageboard users may also be deliberate.

Twitter Handles

A quick overview of the origins behind every character's twitter username!

Character Username Origin

Allen @irepmyself Self-explanatory; repping, or representing, is just a thing in hiphop you'll have to take my word on it if you don't follow

Hajun @smileywangja 'Wangja' means prince in Korean, so this is Hajun's "smiling prince" moniker.

Anne @fxxkdaborder Just a line from BaNG!!!; chosen for Anne because. Well.

Saimon @kotonoha0918 His MC name + 09/18, his birthday

Yohei @godsummer0828 His MC name + 08/28, his birthday

Ryu @ryukunkawaii Self-explanatory

Shiki @nanashisaboten Nanashi is his MC name, and together this means "nameless cactus" (he takes care of the cactus at the bar)

Kanata @czmzknt Abbreviation of "cozmez Kanata".

Nayuta @czmznyt Abbreviation of "cozmez Nayuta".

Iori @AKgokigenYR Gokigen, roughly good- or high-spirited with a very kansai-ben flavor; a word Iori uses a lot, sandwiched between "AKYR".

Zen @AKbulkupYR Bulking up muscle, or working out, sandwiched between "AKYR".

Hokusai @AKyoshiyoshiYR Yoshiyoshi is what you say while petting an animal or someone on the head, sandwiched between "AKYR".

Satsuki @AKsatsukingYR "Satsuki" + "king", sandwiched between "AKYR".

Reo @AKreokunYR Just his MC name, REO-kun, sandwiched between "AKYR".

Buraikan @_BURAIKAN_ Self-explanatory.
Shogo @sho5gummylife 5 can be read "go", ergo "Shogo Gummy Life".

Toma @t0malikes2party Self-explanatory.

Aoi @IOAOI_VISTY If there's a particular reference here and it's not just him doing a palindrome with his name (aoi -> ioaoi) and then "VISTY", idk what it is.

Kantaro @imsweetiecutie Self-explanatory.

"Hanitaro" (Kantaro's alt) @pppieeeeeen "Pien" refers to the emotion conveyed by the pleading emoji, and it being drawn out like this implies whining or wheedling.
Dongha @lastjeoldaeja Jeoldaeja means like the absolute or a supreme being in Korean, and the 'last' thing probably refers to him being the current culmination of the Yeon bloodline.

Chungsung @battler4dongha Fairly self-explanatory; again remember that "battler" and "butler" are supposed to sound nearly the same.

Kei @1nm8_07 1nM8 + Kei's MC name

Itsuki @1Nm8_05 1Nm8 + Itsuki's MC name and number motif

Rokuta @1Nm8_06 1Nm8 + Rokuta's MC name and number motif

Yuto @mainichiheiwani Something like "spending every day peacefully", which is deliberately aspirational and kind of ironic

Ryoga @orega_ryouga Literally just "I am Ryoga".

Shion @smokinwhitedog His MC name (smokin' dog) with 'white' interjected, presumably as a reference to his appearance.

Kenta @endbringer_666_ Kenta is an edgy teenager.

Paradox Tribe Premium ID Numbers

Every character has a bespoke ID number on Paradox Tribe, and each one has significance, from character birthdays to number puns; the explanations for these are canonical, as they were explained by each character in December 2023.

Character Number Origin

Allen 00001001 10/01 is Allen's birthday

Hajun 00000048 4/8 is Hajun's birthday; 4-8 is both his MC name and a way of writing his given name

Anne 00000220 "220" has a niche slang usage meaning "second to none"

Saimon 00000918 9/18 is Saimon's birthday

Yohei 00000828 8/28 is Yohei's birthday

Ryu 00009999 Probably chosen for seeming enigmatic or being the number before rolling over to zero; the official explanation is that it's Ryu's "power level".

Shiki 00000047 Presumably a reference to Bar 4/7; may also be an inversion of his MC name, as 4-7 can be read "shi-nana"

Kanata 00000012 Half of cozmez's birthday, 12/24

Nayuta 00000024 Half of cozmez's birthday, 12/24

Iori 00000777 777 is a "lucky" number associated with gambling and luck

Zen 00000640 640 is the approximate number of muscles in the average adult male body

Hokusai 00000222 2-2-2 can be read "nya-nya-nya", as in cat noises (note: this is why 2/22 is often celebrated as "cat day"!)

Satsuki 00004649 4-6-4-9 can be read "yo-ro-shi-ku", which has somewhat memetic use among yankii gangsters

Reo 00000009 0-0-9 can be read "re-o-kun"

Buraikan 00000001 Obviously, Buraikan would be the absolute first possible number.
Shogo 00000093 9-3 can be read "gu-mi" (gummi)

Toma 00001126 11/26 is Toma's birthday

Aoi 00000419 4/19 is Aoi's birthday

Kantaro 00000214 2/14 is Kantaro's birthday

Dongha 00001207 12/07 is Dongha's birthday

Chungsung 00000424 4-2-4 can be read "shi-tsu-ji" (butler)

Kei 00000007 7 is Kei's MC name and general motif number

Itsuki 00000005 5 is Itsuki's MC name and general motif number

Rokuta 00000567 Combines his own motif number (6) with the other two members of 1Nm8's

Yuto 00000022 A play on 普通, read "fu-tsuu" (both readings of the number 2), meaning normalcy or mundanity. Also possibly a play on his double nature.

Ryoga 00000103 10-3 can be read "to-sa"

Shion 00001111 11/11 is Shion's birthday

Kenta 00001337 Reference to l33tspeak (also spelled 1337speak), a deliberately-obnoxious form of internet slang dating back to the 80s but most popular in the late 90s and early 2000s

Character	Username	Origin
Allen	@irepmyself	Self-explanatory; repping, or representing, is just a thing in hiphop you'll have to take my word on it if you don't follow
Hajun	@smileywangja	'Wangja' means prince in Korean, so this is Hajun's "smiling prince" moniker.
Anne	@fxxkdaborder	Just a line from BaNG!!!; chosen for Anne because. Well.
Saimon	@kotonoha0918	His MC name + 09/18, his birthday
Yohei	@godsummer0828	His MC name + 08/28, his birthday
Ryu	@ryukunkawaii	Self-explanatory
Shiki	@nanashisaboten	Nanashi is his MC name, and together this means "nameless cactus" (he takes care of the cactus at the bar)
Kanata	@czmzknt	Abbreviation of "cozmez Kanata".
Nayuta	@czmznyt	Abbreviation of "cozmez Nayuta".
Iori	@AKgokigenYR	Gokigen, roughly good- or high-spirited with a very kansai-ben flavor; a word Iori uses a lot, sandwiched between "AKYR".
Zen	@AKbulkupYR	Bulking up muscle, or working out, sandwiched between "AKYR".
Hokusai	@AKyoshiyoshiYR	Yoshiyoshi is what you say while petting an animal or someone on the head, sandwiched between "AKYR".
Satsuki	@AKsatsukingYR	"Satsuki" + "king", sandwiched between "AKYR".
Reo	@AKreokunYR	Just his MC name, REO-kun, sandwiched between "AKYR".
Buraikan	@_BURAIKAN_	Self-explanatory.
Shogo	@sho5gummylife	5 can be read "go", ergo "Shogo Gummy Life".
Toma	@t0malikes2party	Self-explanatory.
Aoi	@IOAOI_VISTY	If there's a particular reference here and it's not just him doing a palindrome with his name (aoi -> ioaoi) and then "VISTY", idk what it is.
Kantaro	@imsweetiecutie	Self-explanatory.
"Hanitaro" (Kantaro's alt)	@pppieeeeeen	"Pien" refers to the emotion conveyed by the pleading emoji, and it being drawn out like this implies whining or wheedling.
Dongha	@lastjeoldaeja	Jeoldaeja means like the absolute or a supreme being in Korean, and the 'last' thing probably refers to him being the current culmination of the Yeon bloodline.
Chungsung	@battler4dongha	Fairly self-explanatory; again remember that "battler" and "butler" are supposed to sound nearly the same.
Kei	@1nm8_07	1nM8 + Kei's MC name
Itsuki	@1Nm8_05	1Nm8 + Itsuki's MC name and number motif
Rokuta	@1Nm8_06	1Nm8 + Rokuta's MC name and number motif
Yuto	@mainichiheiwani	Something like "spending every day peacefully", which is deliberately aspirational and kind of ironic
Ryoga	@orega_ryouga	Literally just "I am Ryoga".
Shion	@smokinwhitedog	His MC name (smokin' dog) with 'white' interjected, presumably as a reference to his appearance.
Kenta	@endbringer_666_	Kenta is an edgy teenager.

Character	Number	Origin
Allen	00001001	10/01 is Allen's birthday
Hajun	00000048	4/8 is Hajun's birthday; 4-8 is both his MC name and a way of writing his given name
Anne	00000220	"220" has a niche slang usage meaning "second to none"
Saimon	00000918	9/18 is Saimon's birthday
Yohei	00000828	8/28 is Yohei's birthday
Ryu	00009999	Probably chosen for seeming enigmatic or being the number before rolling over to zero; the official explanation is that it's Ryu's "power level".
Shiki	00000047	Presumably a reference to Bar 4/7; may also be an inversion of his MC name, as 4-7 can be read "shi-nana"
Kanata	00000012	Half of cozmez's birthday, 12/24
Nayuta	00000024	Half of cozmez's birthday, 12/24
Iori	00000777	777 is a "lucky" number associated with gambling and luck
Zen	00000640	640 is the approximate number of muscles in the average adult male body
Hokusai	00000222	2-2-2 can be read "nya-nya-nya", as in cat noises (note: this is why 2/22 is often celebrated as "cat day"!)
Satsuki	00004649	4-6-4-9 can be read "yo-ro-shi-ku", which has somewhat memetic use among yankii gangsters
Reo	00000009	0-0-9 can be read "re-o-kun"
Buraikan	00000001	Obviously, Buraikan would be the absolute first possible number.
Shogo	00000093	9-3 can be read "gu-mi" (gummi)
Toma	00001126	11/26 is Toma's birthday
Aoi	00000419	4/19 is Aoi's birthday
Kantaro	00000214	2/14 is Kantaro's birthday
Dongha	00001207	12/07 is Dongha's birthday
Chungsung	00000424	4-2-4 can be read "shi-tsu-ji" (butler)
Kei	00000007	7 is Kei's MC name and general motif number
Itsuki	00000005	5 is Itsuki's MC name and general motif number
Rokuta	00000567	Combines his own motif number (6) with the other two members of 1Nm8's
Yuto	00000022	A play on 普通, read "fu-tsuu" (both readings of the number 2), meaning normalcy or mundanity. Also possibly a play on his double nature.
Ryoga	00000103	10-3 can be read "to-sa"
Shion	00001111	11/11 is Shion's birthday
Kenta	00001337	Reference to l33tspeak (also spelled 1337speak), a deliberately-obnoxious form of internet slang dating back to the 80s but most popular in the late 90s and early 2000s