The Official Name Explanations Thread

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: 魔人ブウ
Hepburn: Majinbū
Shuiesha: Majin-Boo
Toei: Majin-Boo
Bandai: Majin-Boo
Funimation: Majin Buu
Viz: Majin Boo (formerly "Djinn Boo")

The official romanization in Japan is pretty much always "Majin-Boo". Funimation went with "Majin Buu". Viz used to call him "Djinn Boo", but they switched to "Majin Boo" in 2015.

The character is or is at least based on a genie according to Toriyama. His antenna resembles a genie's ponytail, his clothes are genie-esque, he forms from smoke, and he has magical powers. He's also listed under "genies & monsters" in the Chozenshuu. In Japan, genies are often called 魔人 (majin), which literally translates to "magic(al) being/person" or "demon(ic) being/person". Given the genie inspiration, "magic(al) being/person" would be a more accurate reading.

Due to Funimation, most people spell his name as "Buu", which comes from the Hepburn for ブウ (Bū). However, his name comes from the Cinderella song "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo". ブウ (Bū) is merely a Japanese approximation for "Boo" in katakana; it would actually normally be spelled as ブー (Bū), but ブウ (Bū) amounts to the same thing. Note that Toriyama spelled his name as "Boo" in the manga. ビビディ(Bibidi) is "Bibbidi", バビディ(Babidi) is "Bobbidi", and ブウ (Bū) is "Boo".

"Genie" is an anglicization of "jinni" and "djinni", a romanization of the Arabic term for a genie. Technically, Viz calling him "Djinn Boo" was incorrect because the word "djinn" is plural for "djinni"; as Boo is only a single genie, Viz should have called him "Djinni Boo".

I'm not against calling Boo a "genie", "jinni", or "djinni" but I would prefer a more direct translation of the kanji. 魔人 (majin) doesn't directly translate to "genie"; it makes sense to call Boo that in context, but I would prefer to call him "Magic Being Boo" or "Magic Person Boo". lol but that's a bit too long, so I would prefer to just call him "Magic Boo" for short. I always liked how that sounds similar to "Majin Buu" while also being a valid translation of the katakana. I figure, since you can translate サイヤ人 as "Saiya", dropping the 人 (jin), why not translate 魔人 (majin) as "magic", dropping the 人 (jin)? It's just for short, anyway. When discussing his species in general, I would say "magic(al) beings/people".

For the record, ネコマジン (Nekomajin) technically should probably just be "Nekomajin" as it's only katakana, emphasizing on the syllables you say rather than the actual meaning. I'm not against translating that as "magic(al) cat", though.

tl;dr His name is "Magic(al) Being/Person Boo". I'd call him "Magic Boo", though.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Kanji: 亀仙人
Hiragana: かめせんにん
Hepburn: Kamesennin
Shuiesha: Kamesennin
Toei: Kamesennin
Bandai: Kamesennin
Funimation: Turtle Hermit
Viz: Kame Sen'nin

(sometimes officially romanzied as "Kamesen'nin" or "Kame Sen'nin" in Japan iirc)

Gonna keep this short. The direct translation of 亀仙人 (Kamesennin) is "Turtle Hermit" or "Turtle Sage". I don't think that title has ever officially been translated in Japan. Funimation does occasionally call him the "Turtle Hermit".

Kanji: 武天老師
Hiragana: むてんろぅし
Hepburn: Mutenrōshi
Shuiesha, Toei, and Bandai: I'm not sure if they ever romanized this other title
Funimation: Master Roshi
Viz: Invincible Old Master (they usually just call him Muten Rōshi, iirc, though)

Will keep this short as well. The direct translation of 武天老師 (Mutenrōshi) is "Martial Heaven(ly) Old Master/Teacher". I'd call him "Heavenly Old Martial Master/Teacher" as that's more grammatically correct. "Martial" is short for "martial arts", so "Heavenly Old Martial Arts Master/Teacher" is also fine.

As many fans have pointed it out, Funimation localizing it as "Master Roshi" is redundant as that would translate to "Master Old Master". Viz probably localized it as "Invincible Old Master" as the direct translation was so long. But if they wanted to shorten it, they should have gone with "Heavenly Old Master". That's what Funimation should have gone with as well.

tl;dr His titles are "Turtle Hermit/Sage" and "Heavenly Old Martial (Arts) Master/Teacher". Probably best to shorten the second title to"Heavenly Old Master".

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: ブロリー
Hepburn: Burorī
Shuiesha: Broly
Toei: Broly
Bandai: Broly
Funimation: Broly
Viz: Broly

Officially romanized as "Broly" all over the map, it seems. Some fans spell his name as "Broli" so it looks more like "broccoli", the inspiration for his name. Broccoli is approximated as ブロッコリー (burokkorī). You could spell it as "Broli" if you want, but I personally think "li" doesn't look elongated enough. I mean, shouldn't there be a difference between ブロッコリ (burokkori) and ブロッコリー (burokkorī)? I kinda wanna spell it as "Brolee", "Brolie", or "Brolye" to emphasize the elongated syllable.

Sidenote: Some Westerners pronounce his name as "bra-lee". You know, cause you pronounce "broccoli" as "bra-co-lee" or whatever.

tl;dr You may as well just call him Broly. "Broli" and "Brolee" are fine, though.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: フリーザ
Hepburn: Furīza
Shuiesha: Freeza
Toei: Freeza
Bandai: Freeza
Funimation: Frieza
Viz: Freeza

Officially romanized as "Freeza" all over Japan, but Funimation (rather pointlessly) went with "Frieza". Viz kept it as "Freeza".

It's a pun on "freezer", which is フリーザー (furīzā) in katakana. Unelongate the ザ (za) and you get フリーザ (furīza).

Weebs hate Funimation spelling it as "Frieza", but it's a valid translation of the katakana so it's no big deal, even though "Freeza" makes the pun clearer.

tl;dr His name is "Freeza". But "Frieza" is fine. get mad weebs lol

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: クウラ
Hepburn: Kūra
Shuiesha: Coora
Toei: Coora
Bandai: Coora
Funimation: Cooler

It seems to always officially be romanized as "Coora" in Japan. Funimation went with "Cooler, which is what most fans call him.

It's a pun of the English word "cooler", which is approximated as クーラー (kūrā) in Japanese. The character's name is spelled as クウラ (Kūra). Although there is no ー (choonpu), the ウ (u) serves to elongate the ク (Ku) all the same. The ラ (ra) is not elongated. The name can translate to "Coola", "Coora", "Koola", or "Koora". Since it's a pun on "cooler", I'd go with "Coola". I prefer "Koola", though; it looks cooler (or should I say, kooler) to me.

tl;dr His name is "Coola", "Coora", "Koola", "Koora", etc.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: コルド大王
Hepburn: Korudo Daiō
Shuiesha: King Cold
Toei: King Cold
Bandai: King Cold
Funimation: King Cold
Viz: King Cold (I think. Is he ever mentioned by name in the manga? They just call him "Freeza's father" from what I remember)

Universally romanized as "King Cold". Pun of the English word "cold", which is コールド (kōrudo) in katakana. The コ (ko) is unelongated, giving you コルド (korudo), which just translates to ... "cold". No other way to translate it, I guess. I mean, you could translate it as "Kold" or "Qold" if you want, but you could already do that with コールド (kōrudo). If you really don't want to spell it as "cold" straight-up, then maybe "Colud" would work? Meh, who cares.

Not much else to note but 大王 (Daiō) directly translated to "Great King".

tl;dr You may as well just call him "King Cold" or just "Cold". "Great King Cold" is fine, though. I prefer "Great King Kold".

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: クリーザ
Hepburn: Kurīza

I'm not sure if this character's name has ever officially been romanized in Japan. He appeared in Super Dragon Ball Heroes for the 3DS which I believe came out in America, but idk what the official English localization calls his name and I can't find any screenshots or vids).

Most fans call him "Kuriza", but that doesn't quite reflect the elongated リ(ri). "Kurieza" would be a better translation and since the "u" isn't stressed, you can just translate his name as "Krieza". That's how a lot of people would spell his name anyway, since Freeza is officially romanized as "Frieza" in America.

tl;dr You may as well just call him "Krieza". But "Kurieza" is fine.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: ヒルデガーン
Hepburn: Hirudegān
Shuiesha: Hirudegan
Toei: Hirudegan
Bandai: Hirudegan
Funimation: Hirudegarn

This character's name has rarely been romanized in Japan from what I've seen, but when it is, it seems to only be "Hirudegan". Funimation went with Hirudegarn.

It's a pun of the Japanese name 蛭田 (Hiruta) and the sound effect for a mouth opening in surprise, which is ガン (gan) or ガーン (gān).

Since the ル (ru) isn't stressed, you can translate ヒル (hiru) as "hir", "hil", or "hill". The ガ (ga) is elongated, so you can translated that as "gar", "ger", or "gur". If I wanted to translate ヒルデガーン (Hirudegān) into something that looks better in English, I'd go with "Hildegarn". Looks the best in English to me. A lot of fans went with that before Funimation released their dub of DBZ Movie 13 in 2006 (btw, "Wrath of the Dragon" was a stupid title. It should have been called "Dragon Fist Explosion". That'll always be the name of the movie to me. Also, it was really stupid how the "Dragon Fist" technique got renamed to "Dragon Fire" smh)

His species is called 幻魔人 (Genmajin). That translates to"Phantom Magic(al)/Demon(ic) Person/Being". Kinda weird to call him a 人 (jin) when he's not a person, imo. I'd translate it as "Magic Phantom" or "Demon Phantom".

tl;dr You may as well just call him "Hirudegarn". But "Hildegarn", "Hirudegahn", and "Hirudegaan" are also fine.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Kanji: 神龍
Katakana: シェンロン
Hepburn: Shenron
Shuiesha: Shenron
Toei: Shenron
Bandai: Shenron
Funimation: Shenron
Viz: Shenlong

The official romanization in Japan is usually "Shenron" from what I've seen. Funimation went with that as well, but Viz went with Shenlong instead.

In Japanese, 神龍 would normally be read as the hiraganaしんりゅう(Shinryū). However, the furigana above the kanji 神龍 in this series is the katakana シェンロン (Shenron). That's an approximation of the Chinese reading for 神龍. The Pinyin romanization is "shén lóng". In Wade Giles, it's romanized as "shen lung".

In English, 神龍 can translate to "god-dragon", "godly dragon", and "divine dragon". I'm not against using those translations, but Toriyama approximated the Chinese reading into Japanese for the furigana instead of using the actual Japanese term, which means you're supposed to say the name in Chinese. This means it's not meant to be translated.

When you translate a Japanese series into English, you're supposed to translate Japanese to English, obviously. But if there are terms from other languages that appear, then you leave them untranslated, or else you'll lose nuances that the author intended there to be. Let's say you're translating a manga into English and there's a character who says:

「ヨ ワサップ ドッグ ハウ ヤ ドゥーイン? ルーキン フライ ホームボーイ! スワッグ スワッグ! チイェア ギャングスタ！」
"Yo wasappu doggu hau ya do~ūin? Rūkin furai hōmubōi! Suwaggu suwaggu! Chii~ea gyangusuta!"

You're already translating the series into English, so obviously, you would translate this piece of approximated English into, "Yo, wassup, dog, how ya doin'? Lookin' fly, homeboy! Swag-swag! Chyeah, gangsta!" (unless, of course, they're intentionally supposed to be speaking in Engrish based on context; in which case, you'd keep the line in approximate English to show it's not a fluent English speaker)

Now let's say there's someone who's translating that to Spanish. Would they translate it to, "Oye, ¿qué pasa, perro? ¿Cómo estás? ¡Te ves elegante, hombre! ¡Muévete, muévete! ¡Sí, pandillero!"

If you wanted to be proper, then no, because it was stressed even in the original Japanese version that the character was speaking in some form of English. You would translate the characters speaking in Japanese to Spanish. The character who was speaking in Engrish in the Japanese version was speaking in a different language from the other characters. Translate that to Spanish and you'll lose this nuance.

Of course, I'm sure a lot of translations run into a dilemma when characters are already meant to be speaking the language that the series is being translated into. Imagine a character says in response to that "Yo wassappu doggu" Engrish I posted above:

「あの人は英語で話していますか？彼が今言った一言も理解できませんでした。」
Ano hito wa eigo de hanashite imasu ka? Kare ga ima itta hitokoto mo rikai dekimasendeshita.

That translates to, "Is that person speaking English? I couldn't understand a word he just said."

If you're translating the series into English, how would you deal with this? How can you have a guy say they don't speak English if you're translating the series to English? I suppose you would just keep the approximate English lines as Engrish, then. Guess I'm getting a little sidetracked. There are definitely some language barriers in translation; if you wanted to truly understand what people are saying when they speak in another language, then you would actually learn said language rather than just translate it to your own)

Anyway, let's say a character says ボンジュール (Bonjūru) in an anime/manga, should you translate that as "Thanks" in the English version? No, you would translate it to the French word "Bonjour", because the line was an approximation of French. It didn't say ありがとう (arigatō) in the Japanese version; the author made it a point to approximate the French phrase for "thanks". You translate to whatever language is being approximated. In Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, there's a group called パッショーネ (Passhōne). This is an approximation of the Italian term "passione", which means "passion" in English. We don't translate "Passione" to "Passion", because we're just supposed to call it by the Italian term. The Japanese version didn't say 情熱 (jōnetsu), because the author made it a point to use the Italian term for "passion".

This also applies when approximated terms are used as furigana for kanji. In Japanese, the kanji for 超 is normally read as ちょう (Chō) in hiragana. However, for "Super Saiyan", the katakana スーパー (Sūpā) appears as the furigana for that kanji instead. This is an approximation of the English word "Super". Because that katakana is used as the furigana, 超 is translated as "Super" when it comes to "Super Saiyans" and not another word that the kanji could translate to like "mega", "hyper", "ultra", etc. From another series, when Stands were first introduced in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the kanji 幽波紋 appears. The Japanese reading for that kanji is ゆうはもん (yūhamon), but the katakana スタンド (sutando) appears as the furigana. This is an approximation of the English word "stand". Because that katakana is used as the furigana, 幽波紋 should be translated as "Stand" (eventually, the kanji stopped being used and just the katakana スタンド "sutando" would appear) instead of "Hidden Ripple", a more literal translation of the kanji.

In Saint Seiya, there are warriors called "Saints", items called "Cloths" and a type of energy called "Cosmo". The kanji used for "Saint" is 聖闘士, for "Cloth" is 聖衣, and for "Cosmo" is 小宇宙. In Japanese, 聖闘士 is normally read as せいとし (seitoshi), 聖衣 is read as せいい (seii), and 小宇宙 as しょううちゅう (shōuchū). But in Saint Seiya, the furigana used for 聖闘士 is the katakana セイント (seinto), for 聖衣 is the katakana クロス (kurosu), and for 小宇宙 is the katakana コスモ (kosumo). These are Japanese approximations of the English words "Saint", "Cloth", and "Cosmo". Because they're the furigana for their respective kanji, they're used as the translations instead of "holy warrior", "microcosm", and "holy cloth", which would have been more literal.

It's not only English that gets approximated as katakana for furigana. In the manga Black Lagoon, there's a group called 五本指. The reading for that kanji would normally be read as ごほんゆび (Gohon'yubi) in hiragana. In English, it would translate as "the five fingers". However, in Black Lagoon, the furigana that appears above the kanji is the katakana レ・サンク・ドワ (Re sanku dowa), which is a Japanese approximation of the French term "Les Cinq Doigts", which would translate to "the five fingers" in English. Because that katakana is furigana for the kanji, we translate it to proper French as "Les Cinq Doigts" instead of English as "The Five Fingers". The group itself is French, so they're called by a French name to show this.

If words from other languages are approximated to Japanese, then you translate them back to their respective languages. If it's approximated English, then you translate it back to proper English. If it's approximated Chinese, then you translate it back to actual Chinese. Approximated Spanish, French, Italian, etc? Back to actual Spanish, French, Italian, etc. This includes furigana. Just as Toriyama intends for you to use the English term "Super" when reading the kanji 超 for Super Saiyans, he intends for you to use the Chinese term "Shenlong" when reading the kanji 神龍. He intended for Japanese viewers to approximate the English word "Super" for 超 instead of just saying ちょう (Chō). Just as he intended for them to approximate the Chinese term "Shenlong" for 神龍 instead of just saying しんりゅう(Shinryū). If not even the Japanese version translates the kanji 神龍 for the series, then we English speakers aren't supposed to translate it to our language, either. We're just supposed to use the Chinese term as is. This is all intentional on Toriyama's part to display the Chinese influence in the series.

(This also extends to 星球, the term for the Dragon Balls based on their number of stars, and 星龍, the term for the Evil Dragons aka "Shadow Dragons" based on their corresponding Dragon Ball. The series doesn't use せい たま (seitama), ほしたま (hoshitama), or せいりゅう (seiryū) as the furigana for those kanji despite those being the Japanese readings. Instead they approximate the Chinese readings, Xingqiu and Xinglong, into シンチュウ (shinchū) and シンロン (shinron) into Japanese. That means you're supposed to use the Chinese terms for these kanji)

Basically, when you translate a Japanese series to English, you're just supposed to translate Japanese to English. If words from other languages are approximated to Japanese, then you don't translate them to English; you simply translate them back to their original language and romanize them. Doesn't matter if it's furigana or not. At the very most, you would just explain what the foreign term means in a footnote.

tl;dr He's "Shenlong", not "Shenron". Divine/Godly Dragon are correct English translations, but you're not supposed to translate this title into English. You're supposed to say and romanize the Chinese reading for the kanji.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Kanji: 孫 悟空
Hiragana: そん ごくう
Hepburn: Son Gokū
Shuiesha: Usually Son Gokou (sometimes Son Gokuh, Son Gokuu, and Son Goku)
Toei: Usually Son Gokou (sometimes Son Gokou, Son Gokuu, and Son Goku)
Bandai: Usually Son Gokou (sometimes Son Gokuh, Son Gokuu, and Son Goku)
Funimation: Goku (sometimes Son Goku)
Viz: Son Goku

Yeah, a lot of official romanizations for his given name in Japan. "Gokou" is the most common. Toriyama usually spelled it as "Gokuh" in the manga, though; he sometimes went with "Goku". Funimation went with "Goku"; they rarely ever call him by his full name. Viz went with "Son Goku".

It's the Japanese reading of 孫悟空. Some of the romanizations for the Chinese reading are Sūn Wùkōng (Pinyin) and Sun1 Wu4-k'ung1 (Wade-Giles). Since Toriyama didn't approximate the Chinese reading as ウーコン (San Ūkon), though, you shouldn't call him that.

"Gokou" is clearly an anglicization modeled after English words like "you" and "caribou" and names like "Lou". However, in most systems for romanizing Japanese (including the standard Hepburn), "Kou" would only be a romanization of コウ (Kou), コー (Kō), こう (Kou), etc. You'd only pronounce those as "koh" or "koe", so romanizing the name as "Gokou" creates confusion. If anglicizing his name was a priority, I think they should have taken it a step further and spelled it as "Gocou" or some shit lol. Yeah, you probably shouldn't use "Gokou". I wouldn't use "Gokuh", either, because it could easily be mispronounced as "kuh" (rhyming with "uh" as in "uhhh I dunno").

Since the 空 (kū) part of his name is elongated, I think it would make the most sense to romanize it as "Gokuu". The "Goku" romanization that most people use doesn't convey the long vowel.

Sidenote, 孫 is a common surname in Asia. There are actually a lot of ways to romanize it. In America, surnames go after the given name aka "first name" but since this is an Asian-inspired character, the surname should come first. There are actually some characters with American-style "first name-last name" names in Dragon Ball like "Barry Carn". Their names can be styled like that but ones with Asian-esque names should remain Asian style.

Also, fun fact: he's called Sun Wukong in the Chinese version of Dragon Ball. Gohan is Sun Wufan. Goten is Sun Wutian, Gotenks is Wutianks, and Gogeeta is Wugeeta.

tl;dr He's "Son Gokuu".

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana/kanji: ピッコロ 大魔王
Hiragana for kanji: だいまおう
Hepburn: Pikkoro Daimaō
Shuiesha: Piccolo Daimaoh
Toei: Piccolo Daimaoh
Bandai: Piccolo Daimaoh
Funimation: Demon King Piccolo
Viz: Demon King Piccolo

In Japan, it's officially romanized as "Piccolo Daimaoh" from what I've seen. Funimation and Viz went with "Demon King Piccolo.

The katakana ピッコロ (Pikkoro) is the Japanese approximation of the musical instrument "Piccolo"; that's what he's named after. The kanji 大 (Dai) means "great" or "grand". 魔 (ma) means "magic" or "demon". 王 (ō) means "king". So his name translates to "Great Demon King Piccolo".

tl;dr You may as well just call him "Demon King Piccolo". But "Great Demon King Piccolo" is fine.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: グルド
Hepburn: Gurudo
Shuiesha: Ghourd
Toei: Ghourd
Bandai: Ghourd
Funimation: Guldo
Viz: Gurd

Katakana seems to officially just be romanized as "Ghourd" in Japan. Funimation went with "Guldo". Viz went with "Gurd".

It's a pun on the English word "yogurt", alternatively spelled "yoghurt" and "yoghourt". That English word is approximated as ヨーグルト (yōguruto) in katakana. Drop the ヨー (yō) and replace the ト (to) with ド (do), and you get this characters name. "Gurd" and "Ghurd" are fine translations. I'd go with "Ghurd"; looks better, imo. "Ghourd" looks tacky.

tl;dr His name is "Gurd", "Ghurd", or "Ghourd", not "Guldo". You could just call him "Turd", though. XD

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: リークム
Hepburn: Rīkumu
Shuiesha: Recoom
Toei: Recoom
Bandai: Recoom
Funimation: Reecome
Viz: Reacoom

Katakana is リークム (Rīkumu). Officially localized all over in Japan as "Recoom". Funimation went with "Reecome". Viz went with "Reacoom".

It's a pun on the English word "cream". I don't think "Recoom" accounts enough for the elongated リー (Rī). Funimation and Viz's romanizations are valid translations of the katakana, but they kinda obscure the "cream" pun, imho. Personally, I would have translated this name as "Reac'm" or "Reec'm".

tl;dr You may as well just call him "Reecome". But "Recoom", "Reacoom", "Reac'm", Reec'm", etc are all fine.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: バータ
Hepburn: Bāta
Shuiesha: Burtta
Toei: Burtta
Bandai: Burtta
Funimation: Burter
Viz: Butta

Katakana is バータ (Bāta). Officially romanized all over Japan as "Burtta". Funimation went with "Burter". Viz went with "Butta".

It's a pun on the English word "butter". That is approximated as バター (batā) in katakana. Move the ー after the バ (ba) and you get the character's name. "Burtta" is a fine translation. "Burter" isn't quite correct; it would only be a valid translation if the katakana was バーター (bātā). "Butta" isn't quite correct, either; it would only work as a translation of バッタ (batta). I'd just translate the name as "Bertta". Maybe "Burtta" because I like how the looks more.

tl;dr His name is "Bertta", "Burtta", "Burta", "Berta", etc, not "Burter" or "Butta".

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: ジース
Hepburn: Jīsu
Shuiesha: Jees
Toei: Jees
Bandai: Jees
Funimation: Jeice
Viz: Jheese

Katakana is ジース (Jīsu). Officially romanized as "Jees" all over Japan. Funimation localized it as "Jeice". Viz translated it as "Jheese".

It's a pun on the English word "cheese", which is usually approximated as チーズ (chīzu) in katakana. チース (chīsu) would be more accurate, though. Replace the チ (chi) in チース (chīsu) with ジ (ji) and you get the character's name. Basically, it's just "cheese", but with the "c" replaced with a "j". Viz's translation was spot-on. "Jeice" is a localization on Funimation's part. That would probably be ジェイスー (Jeisu) in katakana.

tl;dr His name is "Jheese", not "Jeice". But "Jees" and "Jeese" are fine, too.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: ギニュー
Hepburn: Ginyū
Shuiesha: Ginew
Toei: Ginew
Bandai: Ginew
Funimation: Ginyu
Viz: Ginyu

Katakana is ギニュー (Ginyū). Officially romanized as "Ginew" all over Japan. Funimation and Viz went with "Ginyu".

It's a pun on 牛乳 (gyūnyū), the Japanese term for "milk". "Ginyuu" would be the most direct romanization. The "yuu" is an elongated syllable. "Ginew" seems to be an anglicization Bandai came up with.

tl;dr He's "Ginyuu".

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: トランクス
Hepburn: Torankusu
Shuiesha: Trunks
Toei: Trunks
Bandai: Trunks
Funimation: Trunks
Viz: Trunks

Katakana is トランクス (Torankusu). Universally romanized as "Trunks" everywhere.

It's straight-up just the English word "trunks", which is approximated in katakana the same way as the character's name. He's "Trunks".

tl;dr He's Trunks.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Kanji: 孫 御殿
Hiragana: そん ごてん
Hepburn: Son Goten
Shuiesha: Son Goten
Toei: Son Goten
Bandai: Son Goten
Funimation: Goten
Viz: Son Goten

Kanji is 孫 御殿 (Songoten). Officially romanized all over Japan as "Son Goten". Funimation dropped the "Son" for the most part and just calls him "Goten". Viz kept his name as "Son Goten".

孫 (Son) is the surname.

tl;dr He's Son Goten.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Kanji: 孫 悟飯
Hiragana: そん ごはん
Hepburn: Son Gohan
Shuiesha: Son Gohan
Toei: Son Gohan
Bandai: Son Gohan
Funimation: Gohan
Viz: Son Gohan

Kanji is 孫 悟飯 (Son Gohan). Officially romanized all over Japan as "Son Gohan". Funimation usually drops the "Son" and just calls him "Gohan". Viz kept his name as "Son Gohan".

孫 (Son) is the surname.

tl;dr His name is Son Gohan.

 

[ScottyFamalam]

Katakana: セル
Hepburn: Seru
Shuiesha: Cell
Toei: Cell
Bandai: Cell
Funimation: Cell
Viz: Cell

セル (Seru) is the katakana. Universally romanized as "Cell".

Named directly after the English word "cell", which approximated in katakana just like the character's name is.

tl;dr He's Cell.