Symbolic names often play a part in traditional stories from around the world. In the West, Biblical names are extremely common, and many Chinese names are derived from concepts like love and prosperity.
Japanese is sometimes literal when it comes to names, and many common names have specific connotations. For instance, Sato means "village," Minato means "port," and Riku means "land." In anime, more than a handful of prominent characters have been named after "light," usually for symbolic reasons. Some of these characters are bright and cheerful, and some are the precise opposite.
Note: Despite Japanese naming conventions, within this article, names will be written as first name first, family-name second for the sake of consistency.
11 Light Yagami Is The Antithesis Of His Name (Death Note)
Light Yagami of Death Note has the unusual distinction of having an English name in a Japanese setting. Whereas many modern students adopt English names as they learn the language, Light has no Japanese name at all. Curiously, however, when the kanji of his written name is dissected, it reveals some pointed characteristics.
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Light's family name is written with the characters for "night" and "god," and his first name is written with the character for "moon" rather than "sun," a telling choice from a writing perspective. Considering Light's extremely dark personality and corruptible nature, his name could not be more apt.
10 Hong Ji Guang Is A Precious Sunbeam (Yuri!!! On Ice)
Yuri!!! On Ice features a large, endearing cast of characters from all around the world. There are skaters from Japan, Italy, Russia, Thailand, and beyond, all with their own goals and personality. Among these fans come to know a promising young skater named Hong Ji Guang.
Hong Ji Guang hails from China, though the show doesn't state where specifically. "Guang" is the Chinese word for "light," and "hong" as a solitary character means "rainbow," so it's no surprise that he's such a sweetheart.
9 Shouyou Hinata Is A Blinding Explosion (Haikyuu!!)
Is there any anime character better suited to the name Hinata than the central protagonist of Haikyuu!!? Probably not. Hinata is a bundle of energy, passionate and enthusiastic to the point of overwhelming. Very little keeps him down, and he seems to illuminate every court he stands on.
His family name means "sunny place," and his first name, Shouyou, is written with the characters "翔 陽," the second of which means "positive" in Chinese. Clearly, this boy is positively beaming.
8 Hikari Sakishima Is The Light Beneath The Water's Surface (Nagi No Asukara)
Hikari is yet another Japanese name with sunny implications, the literal word for "light." In the case of Hikari Sakishima, there seems to be a certain degree of irony to the name. Yes, Hikari is sometimes upbeat, but he's also extremely emotional throughout Nagi No Asukara.
As usual, his first name adjusts his last ever so slightly. Nagi No Asukara is a series about worlds colliding, and Hikari is one of several mermaid children who are forced to attend school onshore. Given this, it's not surprising that "Sakishima" has nautical ties. Written as "先島," this name utilizes the kanji characters for "destination" and "island." The Sakishima Islands are a real archipelago off the East coast of Japan.
7 Hinata Tachibana Is a Bright Spot Worth Saving (Tokyo Revengers)
This Hinata may not be as cheerful as Hinata Shouyou, but she's still a light in the darkness. Hinata Tachibana of Tokyo Revengers was the first crush and girlfriend of protagonist Takemichi, and the reason he travels back in time in the first place. When Hinata dies unexpectedly as an adult, Takemichi resolves to change her fate by changing the course of time.
Curiously, the name "Tachibana" is also the name for mandarin oranges. The correlation isn't entirely relevant, except that everyone knows citrus is good for the soul, just like this girl.
6 Licht Wanted To Bring People Out Of Darkness (Black Clover)
Licht isn't a major character in Black Clover, but he is a memorable one. As a leader of the Elf Tribe but the husband of a human woman, Licht was once driven to forge peace between their two species. After his resurrection, he becomes a shell of his former self, as though his light has gone out.
"Licht" is the German word for "light," and that seems fitting enough.
5 Hikaru Shindo Meets A Ghost In The Dark (Hikaru No Go)
Hikaru No Go is two decades old now, but the anime and manga won plenty of accolades in the early 200os. The shonen series about Go had more than 25 million copies in circulation and popularized the board game for a new generation of players.
The titular character, Hikaru Shindo, bears the first name "Hikaru," which of course means light. His family name, Shindo, has ties to Buddhism, and may be associated with concepts of "truth" and "reality."
4 Hinata Hyuuga Sets Naruto's Heart Alight (Naruto)
Before Haikyuu!! became a modern classic, the most popular character named Hinata was undoubtedly Hinata Hyuuga of Naruto. Hinata is Naruto's primary love interest from the very beginning, a kind but meek girl who was denied the right to lead the Hyuuga Clan due to her timid personality. Even so, she's a definite bright spot in Naruto's life.
Curiously the family name, Hyuuga, is written as "日向," which can also be read as "Hinata."
3 Hikari Takanashi is The World's Sunniest Vampire (Demi-Chan Wa Kataritai)
Some names are clearly meant to be ironic, and some characters are as well. Such is certainly the case for Hikari Takanashi, the world's most cheerful vampire girl in Demi-chan Wa Kataritai. Her first name is written in Hiragana, but her family name, Takanashi, has related meanings such as "expensive" and "pear tree" in Japanese. How this correlates isn't really certain, although pears have often been seen as a sign of prosperity. In any case, it's hard to think of a more upbeat, bubbly character than her.
2 Hikaru Is Named For Light, His Brother For...Fragrance? (Ouran High School Host Club)
Naming twins must be a fraught experience for parents. Is it better to give them similar names to bind them together, or grant them unrelated names so that they can forge their own unique identities? The parents of Ouran's Hitachiin twins seem to have gone the second route.
Hikaru, named for "light," is the elder twin. His younger twin, Kaoru, has a name that means "fragrance," so maybe that's why these two are often surrounded by roses.
1 Both Protagonists Are Named For Light (Classmates)
Doukyuusei is a BL gem that feels luminous in its simplicity and taste, and so it shouldn't come as a surprise that its protagonists are both an embodiment of light. When Rihito Sajou and Hikaru Kusukabe become close during music class, their relationship soon blooms into something sweeter than either of them expected.
Much has already been written about the name Hikaru, but what about Rihito? It comes down to the hiragana. "Rihito" is written as "リヒト," which can be read as the German word "Licht". Together, these two are luminous indeed.
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