Name Help for Robot Martial Artists

[DShomshak]

Background: In another thread, I noted that the Cu didn't have any robot characters that specialized in fast, skillful hand-to-hand combat -- i.e., martial artists. So I decided to write up one of my own.

 

That's done. In fact, I wrote up a whole team. The background for martial arts robots was obvious: Where are robots a big thing, and martial arts are a big thing? Why, Japan. It's a team of robots that each use a different Japanese martial art.

 

Since as a GM I need villains more than heroes, the robots are villains. Whoever originally thought that building a group of robot martial artists was a good idea, the Yakuza coopted the project to use them as supervillains.

 

Now I just need names. I have names for most of them, but maybe someone can think of something better.

 

As a group, they are Robogang. The names I have so far are:

-- Judotron (Jujutus)

-- Karatebot (Karate)

-- Kendroid (Kenjutus)

-- Tetsumo ("Steel Sumo." Or maybe it should be Tetsumoka, since some of the martial arts descriptions in Ultimate Martial Artist seem to use the -ka suffix for practictioners.)

 

5th member should maybe be a robot ninja, practicing Ninjutsu, but I don't have a good name yet. I don't want to repeat the name elements that indicate the character is a robot. "Cyber" suggests a cyborg rather than a robot. "Ninjatron" is out because -tron is taken. Ninjamatic?

 

Anyone have better ideas? (It's all rather Silver Age, of course, it's okay to be a little silly.)

 

Dean Shomshak

[dmjalund]

Punch-o-matic 

[Opal]

ROCK-M

and 

SOCK-M

[Lord Liaden]

Well, how about a play on the name of the traditional ninja sword, i.e. Ninjatōmatic?

 

I admit my own penchant for supers names leans toward the florid. If it were my character, I'd use something like Kurōmushadō ("chrome shadow") or Chitanshadō ("titanium shadow") -- Japanese names courtesy of Google Translate.

[assault]

6 hours ago, DShomshak said:

5th member should maybe be a robot ninja, practicing Ninjutsu, but I don't have a good name yet.

 

Ninja are masters of disguise, so it mightn't have an "I'm a Ninja!" name.

Something like Pretty Robot Maid, perhaps?

[BNakagawa]

Here's a video with a bunch of (mostly) japanese robots organized by size with names in english.

 

 

[wcw43921]

Soooo--does Kendroid have a girlfriend named Barbiebot?

 

As for the ninja robot--call him Ninjaka.

 

'Fraid that's all I got.  Hope that helps.

[death tribble]

The Japanese call Ninja 'Shinobi' (those who act with stealth) so Cyber Shinobi or Shinobi Cyber

[Ninja-Bear]

21 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

Well, how about a play on the name of the traditional ninja sword, i.e. Ninjatōmatic?

 

I admit my own penchant for supers names leans toward the florid. If it were my character, I'd use something like Kurōmushadō ("chrome shadow") or Chitanshadō ("titanium shadow") -- Japanese names courtesy of Google Translate.

There is the Steel Ninja (iirc) in Ninja Hero 5th ed by Michael Surbrook.

[DShomshak]

20 hours ago, BNakagawa said:

Here's a video with a bunch of (mostly) japanese robots organized by size with names in english.

 

 

Not sure how useful this is for me right now, but interesting...

 

Dean Shomshak

[Steve]

For the fifth member, I would recommend a female catgirl robot and name her Nekoken* (Cat Fist). She could be a ninja, but not an obvious one from the name.

 

*Yes, I know it is a Ranma 1/2 reference.  

[Cloppy Clip]

Might be a bit of a stretch, but how about Koppomatic? Combining automatic with koppojutsu (lit. 'bone technique'), a style focused on breaking bones and joint locks that was ostensibly used by historical ninja, and is a part of modern reconstructionist syllabi. If you're happy with the -matic part then Ninjamatic would work as well, but I personally prefer the sound of koppo. There's no accounting for taste, I'm afraid!

[BNakagawa]

Robot Ninja Tobikage (Flying/Leaping Shadow) Doesn't get much more ninja than that.

[Cloppy Clip]

10 minutes ago, BNakagawa said:

Robot Ninja Tobikage (Flying/Leaping Shadow) Doesn't get much more ninja than that.

 

That's true, and -kage names are, at least in my mind, sufficiently ninjaesque that you could shorten it to Robokage to match with the other four names. But having a full name with a title feels very suitable too, and there's always potential in having one name stand out from the others. I like this a lot, and now I'm cursing myself for not thinking of it. 😂

[DShomshak]

The ninja is sort of a "extra special character" for the set, often acting apart from the others, so a little extra in the name department fits. For extra cheese, it's Robo Ninja Tobikage!

 

And Steve is right that anyone who'd make robot martial artists would likely also make them catgirls. But I think I'll save that for their second appearance in campaign. First appearance, straightforward robots. Second appearance, somebody modified their appearance to catgirls.

 

Thank you all!

 

Dean Shomshak

 

 

[Tom Cowan]

Android multiform? One sec a school girls, the next catgirl robot martial artists?

[Beast]

Master Robo-fu

[Opal]

Android Multiform? So, like Cutey Honey, then. 😘

[Duke Bushido]

I have no idea for a name, but I see "behold!  My ninjabot, and his deadly Steel Fist technique!"

 

And I'm tapped.

 

 

[Stealthgamer]

Shinobot for the Ninja-droid, a bright chrome-plated android and pronounced "Shine-o-bot", so people will think of him as a domestic robot and not as a master of stealth and assassination. Stuffy "Jeeves" accent, snarky criticisms of slovenly PCs while he cleans up pizza boxes, "dust bunnies" and dirty socks - play it up for a couple of adventures. If used as a villainous NPC, "he" has been built by a contractor to clean the PC's base, so having him in various places around it are completely innocuous. Until his secret programming emerges and his suite of cleaning tools are now suddenly used for nefarious purposes...

 

1) The person who built the Shinobot (and the other androids) wants revenge on the PCs for defeating (villain or mook), and this is their way doing it at arm's length, a la Wayland Talos.

2) The person who built the Shinobot is under (Archvillain name here)'s payroll or control! More robots will be let in by Shinobot if he is not stopped soon!

3) A real twist - the PC the Shinobot has targeted is suspected by (Japanese law enforcement or superhero group) of being an infiltrator or impostor. Unbeknownst to the player themselves, they actually are, having been carefully brainwashed and given powers that simulate the PC's character suite, if only for a limited time! (The best PC to use for this is one known for their propensity for collateral or property damage). Can Shinobot convince the other PCs this character isn't who they claim to be? Can the other PCs convince them to turn themselves in, which might trigger their hidden programming?

 

[Steve]

I suppose another option would be to have the ninjas be a small horde of weaker “mookbots” that obey the main villain robots but are not very smart. I’m thinking of the combat robots from the Star Wars prequel movies, only instead of them saying “Roger! Roger!” when given orders, a Japanese equivalent phrase is substituted.

 

If one of the mookbots managed to be memorable, perhaps it could be promoted, rebuilt and increased in power.

 

Imagine an entire ninja clan composed of only AI robots, from agent-level types up to full superhumans.

 

Hmm. I’m starting to feel the beginnings of a Mechanon plot can be built from this.

[Ninja-Bear]

Perhaps all the robots can join together into a giant robot?

[Khymeria]

Mech Fu! 

[BNakagawa]

Panzer Kunst

 

 

[steriaca]

-maru is the official suffix for a Japanese warrior. Samurai and those descended from Samurai have used the -maru suffix for years. And like -ko and -iro it is considered an official part of their name.