Ao Ashi - Vol. 19 Ch. 190 - Reason for Smiling

[es_kan]

Yoo, Funebashi is HYPE. Is this the first serious opposition Aoi faced?

 

[Vikingix]

@MarbleCitadel

Actually, I don't think so. True that if you search for Tripone surname, you find a few there, but that doesn't sound like a name from someone with African roots. And Sammy definitly sounds more english than french, while Rufin sounds... well I don't know, but not french at all.

I actually don't see any countries where they would get such names, my guess is that the mangaka invented them.
My bet is that he wanted to give him some African background, and didn't knew which name he could use. If he was from USA or Brazil for example, it would have been easier to find a matching name.

Wild guess here, I'll bet he's Ghanean (if we ever know)

 

[Alex_79]

I'm actually thinking Tripone is of Brazilian or Portugese ancestry. His first name is Rufin in the translation, but in japanese sounds like Rufino or Rufiño, which sounds more Spanish or Portugese

 

[MarbleCitadel]

@Vikingix

Now that you make that point i looked up the names a bit more and i pretty sureyour right. i think the name "sammy" pushed me towards french, i dont know why i relate it to a french name so much.

Mangaka do seem to be really bad at picking names for non japanese people, Burn The Witch for example has names ive NEVER seen people here having.

 

[Meo]

Man...I'm hoping for a Esperion loss (don't think that's ever happened to me in a sports manga before).

I don't know if it's me rooting for the underdog, or I'm a softie for teammate comradery (if I wanted to selfish egoist, I'd just read Blue Lock), but I'm rooting for Funabashi.