How to Find an Anime Name

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posted on 4 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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It can be frustrating to forget the name of an anime, whether you’re an avid watcher or just a casual viewer. Thankfully, there are plenty of online resources you can use to pin down the exact show that you’re looking for. Alternatively, there are plenty of websites you can check if you’d like to come up with an original anime name for yourself or a fan-made character.

Steps

Identifying an Anime

Search an image database using a screenshot from the anime. Take a screenshot of the anime you’re watching to see if a database can recognize the exact show. Try to take a picture of a scene with specific characters and detailed scenery so the database has a better shot at identifying the show. You can look up screenshots here: https://trace.moe. For instance, a picture of 2 characters talking would be better than a screenshot of an open meadow. Any reverse image site will work well for this, like Yandex, IQDB, and SauceNAO.

Browse the categories in a character database to look for the anime. Visit the official Anime Character Database site, which has a lot of information compiled about different anime series. Think about some specific details of the show, like character names, or the year the show was first released.

Use the Anime Character Database with specific parameters to narrow it down. Using the specific details you remember, narrow down your search with different categories, like the year the anime was released or which genre it falls under. While there will still be quite a few options to browse through, you may have an easier time finding the show that you’re looking for. For instance, it’s a lot easier to narrow down which anime you’re looking for if you know it falls into the “slice of life” genre, as opposed to the “sports” or “historical” genres. If it’s a recent anime, you can search within the last 5 years and see if any familiar titles show up.

Ask for help on Reddit. Check out subreddits like “r/whatanime,” where you can ask for help identifying a certain anime. To get a quicker answer, provide as much detail in your post as you can remember, even if it seems insignificant. Within a few minutes or hours, you may get a response back! You’ll need a Reddit account to be able to post your question. You can also try posting in “r/animesuggest” and the general “r/anime” subreddits as well. For instance, you can say something like: “I can’t remember the name of this anime I used to watch. One of the main characters has long white hair and wears a crop top, and she travels around with a talking pig. Does anyone know which anime this is?” You can also say something like: “I found this screenshot while I was browsing Twitter, but I completely forget which anime it’s from. Could someone help me out?”

Picking an Anime Name for Yourself

Take a fun quiz to give yourself an anime name. Search online for quizzes that help generate an anime name for you. You can find these on popular quiz sites or uploaded to YouTube. Try taking a variety of different quizzes and see what kinds of results you get! Even if you don’t like the name you get from your quiz results, it may inspire you to come up with a name that better suits you. You can take a free quiz here: https://www.quizony.com/anime-name-generator/index.html. You can find this type of quiz by searching “anime name quiz” or “what’s my anime name” on a search engine.

Choose a name through a name generator site. Visit a site that automatically generates a list of names that you can repurpose for your own fictional anime identity. Feel free to generate multiple names until you find one that really fits your personal aesthetic. Websites like “The Story Shack” and “Fantasy Name Generator” have cool generators that you can try. You can also use a standard name generator site, but customize the program to give you Japanese name suggestions. Check out this site for ideas: https://www.name-generator.org.uk/character.

Create a name inspired by your favorite show or character. Write a list of some of your favorite anime characters, and try to see if there’s a pattern between any of the names. Do your favorite characters have really bold, unconventional names, or are they more Western? Your perfect anime name might be the very same as a character that you know and love. For instance, if you’re a fan of the Sailor Moon franchise, you might choose “Hikari” as your name. “Hikari” means “light” in Japanese, while “Usagi” means “bunny.” If you’re a fan of the One Piece franchise, you might try a fun spin on the name “Ace” by naming yourself “Spade.”