Manga Creating a manga but having trouble naming main characters

[kaekara]

So I was wondering if I might find some help with naming my main characters. I've been looking up some Japanese names but I haven't really found anything that interests me completely. Here's a short description of my characters if it would help at all:

My main male character:
He's a guy that always gets into fights but really is just trying to find his purpose. He usually lets his aggressive attitude control what he does but deep down he's a softy.

My main female character:
After coming from a hard life, she has turned everything around. She used to be a fighter like my main male character but now she is very gentle and kind. She's usually happy until memories of her past come up.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and thank you for your time ^^.

[AnimeHeroX]

Well as a manga artist myself i would suggest naming the characters based on how they look to you like a guy who likes to get into fights how about something like spike or rage or something like that, as a for a female fighter try naming her after something that represents her fighting skills. or the other alternative you can name the characters after yourself and people you know. but hey what all come down to is what you wish to do. Hope what i wrote helps and good luck. :animesmil

[Sazumechan]

well i dont exactly write manga but when i write stories i like to mix names around.like from my favorite animes or favorite characters.but if you know actual kanji and what they mean try and coming up with something that relates to the character.My personal opinion for a guy who likes to fight i like to use Maru as an ending.if you can come up with a begining part.well i hope i was some help.

[Chikara Kokoro]

Suggestion number one: Don't make Japanese names for your characters.

In all likelihood you are not Japanese. The reason that Japanese magnaka use Japanese names is because they [i]are[/i] Japanese and those names are more accessible to their readers.

Assuming that you're American, I see no problem with using American names. They are just as, if not more, interesting than Japanese names, they are less likely to be a shoddy translation (see my user name... it means nothing, I regret it very much, but I'm too lazy to change it :P), and they haven't been used ten-thousand times before.

Here are two sites that are very useful for finding names:
[url]http://www.behindthename.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names.htm[/url]

[Rachmaninoff]

Personally, unless you yourself are Japanese, I would avoid using Japanese names. For one thing you won?t really relate to them or even understand them in the same context. I would stick with names from where you are from, as you will have a better frame of reference as to how it would actually relate to your characters.

It?s nice and all to have Japanese names when reading manga as it does give it a sense of being more original, but at the same time it?s a little jarring since the names sound and look more like gibberish than an actual spoken name. Just as it?s jarring to hear anime?s in the original Japanese with subtitles and yet barely understand the characters when they have them try to say something in English.

But that?s just my take on it. Besides later once you?ve learned more about the Japanese culture and the reasoning behind how they select names, you can always go back and re-name your characters. And since you will have developed their personalities more it will most likely make it easier for you to select a name that really does fit.