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5th Gen Was the name change needed? (Isshu > Unova)

Isshu or Unova?


  • Total voters
    81

Zhinc

a Dark-type trainer
132
Posts
13
Years
  • I liked it when the regions had basically the same name. Also, I like Isshu more because it sounds funny. It made me laugh when I first heard the name for the region. (:
     

    Bluerang1

    pin pin
    2,543
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  • Wait a second, Unova keeps the "o" sound pattern for the regions which is great, unlike Isshu.

    I'm not phased by changing the name but I'd prefer if they kept Isshu but Unova is great!

    I don't have a preferrence, they're both great names. Even though I hated it when I first saw it, as I was so used to Isshu, I am now leaning slightly more towards Unova since I've gotten used to it.

    Great.
     

    Cherrim

    PSA: Blossom Shower theme is BACK ♥
    33,294
    Posts
    21
    Years
  • Isshu is kind of hard/awkward to say for non-Japanese speakers. :| There's a little hitch in it between the S's and I hate that. (It's not just pronounced issue.) So I have no problem with the change and I actually like the English name better.
     

    Perriechu

    i make this look easy tik-tik boom like gasoline-y
    4,079
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    15
    Years
  • Depending on how Unova is pronounced I may very well favor Isshu. atm it's 50/50

    Pronouncing both names can be a bother for a few people; but it's quite easy to get the hang of, I just say how it sounds, no one else hear's it so what the Hey! 8D

    GF had to change the name because if they didn't it would be a sin D8
     

    RivalGator

    I hate them all.
    777
    Posts
    14
    Years
  • I dislike how they have to change names and worry about that crap... But I do like Unova better than Isshu. Unova just sounds better to me... Rolls off the tongue a lot better. (I don't think name changes are ever needed, but that's just me. I will call it whatever I like best, whatever I hear the most or whatnot.)
     
    97
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    14
    Years
  • I was in love with Isshu, TBH, but then Unova came out and I was like 'wtf?' so, it was a weird change..
     
    2,334
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    16
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    • Age 33
    • Seen Aug 21, 2021
    I like Isshu slightly more than Unova, however I've gotten used to Unova now I think it's a fairly decent name.

    I still voted Isshu though.
     

    darkpokeball

    Beware the Chainsaw Meowth 0.o
    762
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    14
    Years
  • At first, "Isshu" was just another name. Isshu was just like Kanto, Sinnoh, Johto, Hoenn...kind of like, meh, just another region name. WHen Unova came out, I had no clue about it until I preordered the game. Although, I prefer Unova. Isshu sounds like...well...people playing the game have issues. Kind of like how Guardian Signs, "Oblivia" sounded like oblivion, as if everything was going to be blasted into Oblivion(which Dolce Island was...but anyways...)
     

    Porygon Z

    721 and counting!
    683
    Posts
    14
    Years
  • Yeah, I like Unova, but I don't think the change name was needed.
    Also, I found out that in my Italian version (IDK if it will be for all European games) the region will be Unima.
     

    Zelda

    ⍃⍍⍄ ⍃⍍⍄
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    • Age 8
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    • Seen Sep 15, 2020
    My first impression on the change of name from Isshu to Unova was more questioning; why would they differ the region name from the Japanese version in this generation specifically and why now? Isshu was a great name, and I enjoyed making the lame puns for it. However, Unova wasn't half bad as I had looked at it. It still has a pun within either way (Unova know what's gonna happen) but aside from all the lame puns for it, Unova has meaning. You can't really image/get a feeling of Isshu whereas with Unova, you get the meaning of a nova (star) and the idea of { United States of America }. The name represents the fact that the region is based off of New York more than Isshu gives you that message too, and so I do believe the name change was needed so long as it was good, and that it was.
     

    PiPVoda

    water, Forever
    1,306
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    • He / Him
    • USA
    • Seen Dec 2, 2022
    I prefer Isshu, to be honest. I have no problem with Unova but it's just drastically different. I think the name will grow on me, but Isshu sounds more unique to me than Unova--which seems stale in creativity.
     

    fenyx4

    HOENN CONFIRMED!
    1,761
    Posts
    15
    Years
  • Do you think it was a good idea for the Unova region to have a completely different name to what it is in Japan (Isshu)? Do you think keeping name consistency between different languages matters?

    Also! Which do you prefer: Isshu or Unova?

    (Remember, discussing how Unova is pronounced goes in this thread)

    At first I was a bit against, but then I delved into the many meanings that Unova is layered with. "United States of America", "one new/new one", "star explosion", "one/new egg", "no go (humorously in Spanish)", something with the Greek letter gamma (I'll repost the "gamma" finding here if I can scour for it later; busy with the process of hunting Deerling right now). Not to mention the various puns accompanying Unova that seem to be the equivalent of Isshu's "issue", "tissue", and "Best Wishes" puns. "Unova know what you might find", "s-Unova _____", etc.
    Plus, "Unova" retains the traditional "O" sound and doesn't sound as Japanese as "Isshu" does.

    I prefer keeping consistency among languages so that original meanings can be preserved, but in this case, I guess the changes were a little warranted from Japanese to English. I felt every region except the Spanish-speaking ones could have kept "Unova", though. Teselia was a nice way to avoid Unova's construed "no go" meaning...though I figure even Unova could be used in Spanish just as Dialga (reminiscent of word for algae in Spanish) was. As long as the more positive English and Latin meanings are more prominent, it shouldn't be too much of a problem... :\

    Personally, I've now become accustomed to and even prefer Unova over Isshu (I mean, even when I first heard and liked "Isshu", I anticipated that calling a region the exact same thing as a homophone to "issue" and not that far from "tissue" would have been a bit weird...).
     

    Eurydice

    `~♥Eury♥~'
    1,126
    Posts
    14
    Years
  • i like unova so im glad they didnt stick stick with isshu. i just wish they prounounced it differently in the anime
     

    Notworking15

    Wait...WHAT?!
    66
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Seen May 29, 2011
    it was called Isshu? I always knew it as Unova, its what is most familiar to me, so i'd rather stick with it
     
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