- Joined
- Feb 23, 2023
- Messages
- 500
I solved the mystery of Spopovich's name earlier this year. It's obviously a pun on Popovich, alternatively spelled Popović, Popovytch, and Popovitch. In katakana, it's spelled as ポポビッチ (Popobitchi). Spopovich's name in katakana is スポポビッチ (Supopobitchi). We can see for ourselves that Spopovich was designed as a European man. I'm surprised so many people didn't realize this was the inspration for Spopovich's name.
As for Yamuu, it's not clear, but these are probably the only candidates as to what his name is based on. The katakana for his name is ヤムー (Yamū):
1. 病む (yamu): "To be ill", "to be sick", "to be suffering", or "to have something wrong with you, him, her, them, etc" in Japanese. Both Spopovich and Yamuu sort of look physically ill in the manga, as they completely lack hair (even eyebrows). They also have grayish skin in the anime and colored manga, although they were never colored in the original manga. The excessive veins don't look healthy, either. 病む (yamu) can also be used for mental illness and they were obviously mentally ill as they were brainwashed slaves. 病む (yamu) can also be used for suffering in general as sickness and suffering go together; obviously Spopovich and Yamuu were suffering due to Bobbidi's spell, both physically (excessive muscle and veins showing that they were physically strained) and mentally (a state of perpetual anger). I think this is most likely to be it.
2. 悩む (nayamu): "To be worried" or "to be troubled" in Japanese. Although Yamuu was levelheaded compared to Spopovich, they both looked like very stressed people at first glance and obviously they were dealing with mental strain as Bobbidi's slaves. 悩む (nayamu) can also be synonymous with 病む (yamu); both terms can be used for sickness/suffering and worry. I would say this is the second most likely option.
3. 止む (yamu): "To stop" or "to halt" in Japanese. The very first thing Yamuu does in the story is stop Spopovich from continuing to torture Veedel, so I thought this might be it, but 止む (yamu) is used for something stopping on its own, mainly for stuff like rain and snow, not someone stopping somebody else. It's probably a reach to say this is it.
4. ヤム (Yamu): The vegetable yam in katakana. A lot of people assumed this was it, but Yamuu isn't a Saiyan, so I highly doubt it.
5. むやむや (muyamuya): Japanese onomatopeia for muttering or sleeptalking. I don't think is it lol
6. むやむや (muyamuya): Japanese onomatoepia for being very jealous about something. Although we never saw Yamuu literally express jealously for him to have been a slave of Bobbidi means he was probably dealing with negative feelings like jealousy when he got taken over. I guess this might be it, but we don't know anything about his background, so this seems too speculative.
Some people also think Yamuu is a pun on 闇 (yami), meaning "dark" or "darkness", but I doubt that. Yeah, I don't think we'll ever know for sure what Yamuu means lol. There's a chance his name may not even be inspired by anything at all; there's nothing that makes me think "aha!" like there is with Spopovich.
As for Yamuu, it's not clear, but these are probably the only candidates as to what his name is based on. The katakana for his name is ヤムー (Yamū):
1. 病む (yamu): "To be ill", "to be sick", "to be suffering", or "to have something wrong with you, him, her, them, etc" in Japanese. Both Spopovich and Yamuu sort of look physically ill in the manga, as they completely lack hair (even eyebrows). They also have grayish skin in the anime and colored manga, although they were never colored in the original manga. The excessive veins don't look healthy, either. 病む (yamu) can also be used for mental illness and they were obviously mentally ill as they were brainwashed slaves. 病む (yamu) can also be used for suffering in general as sickness and suffering go together; obviously Spopovich and Yamuu were suffering due to Bobbidi's spell, both physically (excessive muscle and veins showing that they were physically strained) and mentally (a state of perpetual anger). I think this is most likely to be it.
2. 悩む (nayamu): "To be worried" or "to be troubled" in Japanese. Although Yamuu was levelheaded compared to Spopovich, they both looked like very stressed people at first glance and obviously they were dealing with mental strain as Bobbidi's slaves. 悩む (nayamu) can also be synonymous with 病む (yamu); both terms can be used for sickness/suffering and worry. I would say this is the second most likely option.
3. 止む (yamu): "To stop" or "to halt" in Japanese. The very first thing Yamuu does in the story is stop Spopovich from continuing to torture Veedel, so I thought this might be it, but 止む (yamu) is used for something stopping on its own, mainly for stuff like rain and snow, not someone stopping somebody else. It's probably a reach to say this is it.
4. ヤム (Yamu): The vegetable yam in katakana. A lot of people assumed this was it, but Yamuu isn't a Saiyan, so I highly doubt it.
5. むやむや (muyamuya): Japanese onomatopeia for muttering or sleeptalking. I don't think is it lol
6. むやむや (muyamuya): Japanese onomatoepia for being very jealous about something. Although we never saw Yamuu literally express jealously for him to have been a slave of Bobbidi means he was probably dealing with negative feelings like jealousy when he got taken over. I guess this might be it, but we don't know anything about his background, so this seems too speculative.
Some people also think Yamuu is a pun on 闇 (yami), meaning "dark" or "darkness", but I doubt that. Yeah, I don't think we'll ever know for sure what Yamuu means lol. There's a chance his name may not even be inspired by anything at all; there's nothing that makes me think "aha!" like there is with Spopovich.
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