Blackwing Names

When Yu-Gi-Oh first came out we had access to monsters that were mainly from the anime and their names were quite simple such as Dark Magician, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Celtic Guardian, etc. Most of the names were almost literally a description of the monster. As the game progressed we were introduced with monsters that had more complex names. Some were named after mythological creaters, some others after ancient civilizations, and so on; Blackwings--My favorite Archtype--are no different. Blackwings as most of you know are a DARK winged-beast archtype, hence the name 'Blackwings.' The monsters are humanoid birds with most of them having black plumage somewhere on their bodies, and the most interesting thing about these guys is that they are named after different types of wind-related terms.

Vayu is named after after the Hindu deity Vāyu, who is the god of the wind. Vāyu was worshipped in ancient Hindu cultures as one of the great gods since he was in control of the wind, one of the four elements. My guess is that Vayu is named after this god because his effect works from the graveyard, the same way Vāyu controlled the wind from the heavens.

Mistral is named after the mistral, a strong and cold regional wind in France. The mistral has a major influence all along the Mediterranean coast of France, and often causes sudden storms in the Mediterranean between Corsica and the Balearic Islands. The wind the mistral creates can reach speeds of more than ninety kilometers an hour. Winds this strong would probably require some kind of shield to protect yourself against, and that is perhaps another reason Mistral was named the Silver Shield in addition to its 1800 defense.

Gale is named after a strong wind that weather forecasters define as low as 28 knots (52 kilometers per hour) and as high as 90 knots (170 kilometers per hour). Forecasters usually issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are expected to hit a region. Gale the Whirlwind is one of the most beloved Blackwings because its effect could be devastating to opponents, much like a gale could be devastating to a town, and is perhaps the reason it was named after a gale.

Bora is named after a norther to north-easter wind which passes through Croatia, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. The name bora derives from the Greek mythological figure Boreas who was the of the four chief Anemoi. The Anemoi were wind gods in Greek mythology and Boreas was the Greek god of the cold north and bringer of winter. Boreas was described as being very strong, and a short temper to match. Boreas did not have any weapons that resembled spears so the reason Bora is also deemed the Spear is most-likely due to its piercing effect.

Sirocco & Ghibli are both basically named after the same Mediterranean wind current that comes from the Sahara and reaches hurricane speed in North Africa and Southern Europe. Sirocco is the term used in Italy while Ghibli is the term used in North Africa which comes from the Arabic word qibli. I really couldn't find any relevance between the card effects. However, in the OCG Ghibli's name is the Hot Wind which is a common feature of the Sirocco.

There are several cards I left unmentioned like Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North since it is common sense to everyone what a blizzard is, and some of the less popular Blackwings. We've come a long way from monsters with simple names to monsters whose creators dedicated time and research into naming their creations. The next time you see a monster whose name is appealing to you try doing some research on its name to see what story that monster can tell you other than its effect.

Rescue Cat-
Rescue means to save and Rescue cat fetches 2 beasts from your deck. So this is why he is known as the mighty Rescue Cat.

All the Gladiator Beasts are references to different kind of Gladiators who fough in the arena in the mighty city of Rome, during the Era of Alexander the Great.

Very cool article, DJD Also, cool other meanings too, everyone ^^

Boo Koo
http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Boo_Koo
In Indonesia Book is translated as "Buku" which is the pronounciation of this card xD

Well I don't know anything about card names. But Thanks DJD and Thanks for you too Gothic. No thanks for Captain I did not like your monster -.- + Rep ^_^

Nice article. KIU man!

Gothicmess wrote:Des Frog, derived from the Arab , الضّفدع المميت, which means deadly frog

Most likely because when its effect is activated and you have Deadly croaking in your hand it could very well mean your dead o.o

Umm, Des is used for "Death" in the translation. So the japanese name is "Death Frog" but since TCG is played by kids too, they cencor te name