Created by Hirohiko Araki, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has become one of the most read series of all time. Araki started writing the manga back in 1987, and he has shown no signs of stopping. Unlike most manga where the story follows just one main protagonist, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is divided into multiple parts.
Each part focuses on a different protagonist, which makes it different in comparison to the rest of the manga series. One of the key components of any manga is its unique power, which in the case of JoJo are Stands. The Stands are given unique names, but in the English translation the names are lost due to localization, and this raises the question of what leads to the localization of Stand names?
What Are Stands Named After?
Before Stands were a thing, Hamon was the main power in the series, and they remained in that position for the first two parts, but as Araki continued to write and improve, he dropped the idea of Hamon, and created Stands to replace it. Ever since their introduction in StardustCrusaders, Stands have retained their position as the main power in JoJo. Stands are the manifestation of a person's life energy, and they take different forms depending on the type of Stand. While making Stands was extremely careful about how he would use them in the story and how they would be named. Each Stand has a unique name, and they are based on different people, and even objects.
In StardustCrusaders, the Stands in the first half were based on the Major Arcana of the Tarot, and the Stands in the second half were named after Egyptian Gods, which falls with the theme of Part 3. However, a few Stands were based on neither the Major Arcana nor the Egyptian Gods.
It is plausible to say that Stands started to be named after musicians, albums, fashion designers, etc. truly in DiamondisUnbreakable. In the Japanese manga, these names are clearly listed, which makes it easy for the readers to understand what was Araki's inspiration behind the Stand, however, when the manga is localized, there is a change in the names.
Why Are The Names Changed?
The Stand names are perfect, and they sound much better before localization, so why are the names altered? The reason is quite simple— copyright. Using the names of famous people or their work can cause a lot of problems.
The copyright laws are extremely strict and if the names are not altered, it could lead to the publishers getting sued, and most companies do not want to incur losses over something that can be easily avoided. So, in order to stay clear of such problems, publishers alter the names of the Stands.
The New Names
There are countless examples of localization throughout all the JoJo parts, for example, Funny Valentine's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is changed to Filthy Acts, at a Reasonable Price, Guido Mista's Sex Pistols becomes Six Bullets, Polpo's Black Sabbath is modified to Shadow Sabbath. Localization has its pros and cons, and the biggest problem is that due to the alteration part of Araki's work is lost because he puts a great deal of effort into his work. Araki has stated that once he thinks of a character, he develops the character's personality and appearance with the Stand's power in mind.
Localization isn't entirely useless, and it has its benefits. Without localization, it would be nigh impossible for people outside Japan to read Araki's work. This would seriously hinder the popularity of the series and cause the manga to be relatively unknown. It is a well-known fact that anime adaptations help to bolster manga sales, and without localization of names, there would be no anime. Aside from the publishers helping to distribute Araki's work to other parts of the world, there is another good thing about Stand names being localized. The changed Stand names are not so far off from the original names, and sometimes the localized name of a protagonist's Stand reflects what part they belong to. Jolyne's Stand is Stone Free, but in the Netflix anime, it has been changed to Stone Ocean, which is also the name of the part.
Likewise, Giorno's Stand is Gold Experience, but the anime changed it to Golden Wind, which is also the name English translation for Vento Aureo. However, some localized names are way different from the original names, which can lead to the essence of that particular Stand being lost. Some of the worst examples of Stand localization are— Limp Bizkit to Flaccid Pancake, Green Day to Green Tea, Oasis to Sanctuary. In comparison to the real names, the localized names sound awful. No one would believe that Flaccid Pancake is one of the most dangerous Stands in Part 6 because of such a hilarious name. This kind of localization isn't ideal, but it is needed by the publishers to help Araki's work. Also, it is important to remember that translating is not an easy job, and the change of names doesn't mean that fans should insult the translators.