Ever wonder why they call a golden fish a "Rainmaker"?

[Martin Lynch]

I knew that golden fish looked familiar from something I saw in Japan, so I looked through my picture albums and found the golden fish in a picture of Osaka. It turns out that the golden fish is based off of a mythical Japanese creature called a shachihoko, who has the power to make it rain.

So I suppose Nintendo just translated its name and description directly from Japanese and doesn't really know what "make it rain" means in American vernacular.

 

[DonkaFjord]

Some of us have mentioned it in other threads and I am 100% sure that NOA and NOE know what Shachihoko are- Localization isn't just translation, but understanding culture, references, puns, and implied cultural things. Splatoon has a pretty strong Japanese flair.

 

[Ryuji]

It was localized to rainmaker because nobody in western countries knows about the mythical creature knows as shachihoko. Part of the localization process is changing words or concepts to better suit foreign ideals. Not to do so and translate words literally and with little regard for other cultures is tactless. What may be known commonly in one country does not mean it will be the same case in others.

 

[Shock "Charger Queen"]

All I know is that the Shachihoko was put on top of wood temples because it was said to bring rain, and fire and other squit. Idk.

 

[IxaVerse]

Because when you get a kill with it...

Spoiler

 

[Kirby Phelps (PK)]

Despite it's cartoonish looks and the whole splat and inking theme reminding me of old school Nickelodeon, this game is VERY Japanese.

 

[missingno]

So how would you have localized it then? Should the "Make it rain!" tagline just be replaced with the full text of Wikipedia's article covering the screen?

I mean hey, at least they didn't call it a jelly donut.

 

[MacTheWriter]

Nintendo probably named it that for making it sound like something from James Bond.

Hell, they were the people who made GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64, and it has the Golden Gun option in multiplayer.

 

[DonkaFjord]

So how would you have localized it then? Should the "Make it rain!" tagline just be replaced with the full text of Wikipedia's article covering the screen?

I mean hey, at least they didn't call it a jelly donut.

I for one would play the heck out of

JELLY DONUT: ​

A shachihoko (鯱鉾 or 鯱?) or shachi ( 鯱?) is an animal in Japanese folklore with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp.[1] It was believed that this animal could cause the rain to fall, and as such, temples and castles were often adorned with roof ornaments (shibi) crafted in the form of a shachihoko, in order to protect them from fire.

When pronounced "shachi", 鯱 also means orca.[2]

​

 

[Martin Lynch]

So how would you have localized it then? Should the "Make it rain!" tagline just be replaced with the full text of Wikipedia's article covering the screen?

I would've called it The Amazing Bootylicious Magical Goldfish Weapon.

 

[REX Legend]

MAKE IT RAIN LIKE MONAY!

 

[seakingtheonixpected]

Wait, so what does it say instead of 'Make it Rain' in Japan?

I always thought that subtitle was a little redundant anyway.

 

[DonkaFjord]

Wait, so what does it say instead of 'Make it Rain' in Japan?

I always thought that subtitle was a little redundant anyway.

The subtitle is kinda a quip about how to play the objectives I thought.

 

[SupaTim]

I would have called it "Splatball" and had the object that you carry be something like a rugby ball or an American football.

I mean, that is basically what it is, a game of football: you take the object and try to push your way into your enemies' zone while they try and stop you and vice versa. The squid with the rainmaker is the running back and everyone else is trying to throw blocks to get him to the end zone.

But that probably doesn't carry over in Japanese culture very well...