★Hi, I played Sun version and added some updates !

    Hello, this is Ayuha (アユハ) from Smash, doing a T.O. in Tokyo. I played Pokemon X in English on a whim, but I’ve got some sense of discomfort in the “attack names” of English version.

    I am not a competitive Pokemon player, and still consider X was a great game in terms of scenery art, music and new Pokemon appearance. Plus, I still value all the translations were “best” given the text length limits. As a translator player of Smash, however, I can’t stand how English speakers might misunderstand some attack name expressions. Thus I decided to write this page.

version 2.1

updated Jan. 2017

    My arguments are below  (basically in alphabetical order):

(English Attack name) : (in Japanese)

~what I thought about.

assist : ねこのて neko-no-te (cat hand)

    If you see the Pokemons that use “assist”, they always have something to do with cats. This is because there is a Japanese proverb “ねこの手も借りたい (I want to borrow even cat hands)”, which means “I want anyone’s help”. In this term, “hand” means “assist”.

- fake out : ねこだまし neko-damashi (cat deception)

    Cat series likewise. Neko-damashi is to make a slap sound while in a combat, like clapping your hands, hitting your thigh. By this, the opponent will be surprised and will get a wrong impression that you are already hit. Usually used at opening clash in Sumo matches.

- pay day : ねこにこばん neko-ni-koban (coin to a cat)

    Cat series, 3rd. You might know that this attack used to be original to Meowth and Persian. And that Meowth has something yellow on its forehead. That something is a coin. It’s a form of coin in Edo period (17th~19th century). 

    There is a proverb “neko-ni-koban” and this has exactly the same meaning as “Cast no pearls before a swine” from the Bible. This Japanese proverb derived from the fact that cats are related with money in Japan. I don’t know why.

aerial ace : つばめがえし tsubame-gaeshi (swallow flip)

    A flying swallow will flip it’s body real quick. So this word “swallow flip” existed in Japanese since 10 centuries ago or so. But a samurai Kojiro Sasaki (佐々木小次郎 : http://p.tl/Vq4f) invented a move of turning his sword very quick, and named the art “swallow flip”. So that’s why this is Flying type and can move quicker than usual.

There is a legend that Kojiro actually cut down a flying swallow by a nodachi (imagine a sword Sephiroth has in FF7). But Kojiro Sasaki loses against Musashi Miyamoto from a duel in 1612.

    Tips : “Jessie and James” is “Musashi and Kojiro” in Japanese.

aura sphere : はどうだん hado-dan (pulse-bullet)

    In Pokemon, all “hado” are translated into “pulse”. You might know “hado” from “hado-ken” in Street Fighter. But this aura sphere is somehow, aura.

cotton spore : わたほうし wata-houshi (cotton spore, no change)

    What I want to say is the difference between “spore”. Spore is “mushroom spore” in Japanese version, so only mushroom Pokemons are capable to use it.

curse : のろい noroi (curse, no change)

    The MOST important word ! You need to understand a Japanese pun. The sound “noroi” has 2 meanigs. One is the noun “curse (呪い)”, and another is the adjective “slow(鈍い)”. So, that’s why only ghost Pokemons can use this curse attack in the actual way of use. If other types use it, it drops your Speed.

cut : いあいぎり iai-giri (iai-cut)

    Imagine a samurai with his katana on his waist. Usually, every swordsmen will cut things from their swords unsheathed. But samurais have to cut from their sword inside the cod in many occasions. That movement is “iai-giri”. “Cut” is a too easy translation.

double edge : すてみタックル sutemi-tackle (tackle with “go for broke”)

    Sutemi is a difficult word. The word literary means to “throw away (sute)” your “body (mi)”. So this means to tackle without thinking about any risk. Thus it is double-edged and you’ll get 1/8 damage in return.

double slap : おうふくビンタ oufuku-binta (slap back and forth)

    In this term, “double” should mean “back and forth”. If not, you can’t understand why this “double” slap does a multiple attack of 2~5.

double team : かげぶんしん kage-bunshin (shadow clone)

    If you know NARUTO, it’s easy. Kage-bunshin is a ninja skill to make illusions of yourself.

http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Clone_Technique

draco meteor : りゅうせいぐん ryu-sei-gun (meteor stream ??)

    Once, there was an application that said “We’re collecting new idea for a new Pokemon move”. An elementary school kid won the award and that was “龍星群 (ryu-sei-gun)”. Usually ryu-sei-gun, which means “metor stream”, writes “流星群”, but this kid wrote it “龍 (dragon)” not “流 (stream)” on purpose. Thus it is dragon type.

fire blast : だいもんじ daimonji (daimonji)

    Fire blast is a too simple translation. The Daimonji Festival, or the Okuribi Festival is one of the most famous event in Kyoto. ↓

http://www.kyokanko.or.jp/okuribi/

“Okuribi” means the fire to send the dead spirit to heaven. In Japan it is believed that the dead will return to their hometown in August, so on the day they leave back for heaven, we send them so that they won’t get lost in our world (the dance Yuna does in FF10 is related with this idea).

    There are 5 fires of different shape. Each fire use one whole mountain to draw it. The most famous one is the “daimonji (大文字)” which means “the letter 大(dai)”. Therefore, the shape of “fire blast” is always like “大”. I guess Nintendo placed this “daimonji (fire blast)” attack as the strongest fire type in Red version because Nintendo is actually at Kyoto.

kinesis : スプーンまげ spoon-mage (spoon bending)

    This has to do with some trouble between Nintendo and a psychic man. The Japanese name of Kadabra is “Yungeler”, and apparently, Nintendo named it after a famous “psychic man you know who”. The “you know who” claimed he could bend spoons in psychic, and as a result, a trial was held. Nintendo won the judge, but they did not use “Yungeler” again on Pokemon cards, nor did not translate “spoon-mage” as “spoon bending” after all.

low kick : けたぐり keta-guri (keta-guri)

    Keta-guri is a move in sumo. You kind of kick the opponent’s leg. So this attack “low-kick” has a plus effect related to the opponent Pokemon’s weight. However, one day, “ローキック (low-kick)” appeared in Japanese Pokemon. So “low kick” in Japanese was translated “low sweep” in English.

meditate : ヨガのポーズ yoga-no-pozu (yoga pose)

    Everyone should have thought about “why if you use ‘meditate’, the attack rises ?” This is because it was “yoga pose” in original. Why Nintendo translated as “meditate” is unknown.

mirror move : オウムがえし oumu-gaeshi (parrot reply)

    Parrots can repeat human words. We call that oumu-gaeshi. That’s why only bird Pokemons can use “mirror move”.

outrage : げきりん gekirin (outrage, no change)

    You can understand that “outrage” can have the power 120, and that after its attack results in confusion. But why dragon type is unexplained.

    The word “逆鱗 (gekirin)”, which means outrage in Japanese too, comes from a Chinese proverb. It was in the writings of 韓非子 (Han Fei Zi, Han Fei) ↓

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Fei

    It said : “The creature dragon (in China) is gentle in nature and could be ridden on its back when tamed. It has, however, one scale grown reversely. Anyone who will touch it would be killed immediately. A king has the same kind of nature. ”

After this, 逆鱗 , which means “reverse scale”, meant the outrage caused by referring to someone’s unpleasant point. That is why this “outrage” is a dragon type attack.

return : おんがえし onn-gaeshi ( repay a kindness )

    So “return” should mean “repay” or “return a kindness”.

reversal : きしかいせい kishi-kaisei ( reversal from tough corners )

    起死回生(kishi-kaisei) means to make a great comeback and win. It’s not just “reversal”.

splash : はねる haneru ( flounce )

    Magicarp has an image of flouncing around, or jumping or hopping or whatever. But “splash” can be a little misleading translation. The move “splash” meant “flounce” in Japanese but somehow, they translated into “splash”. If you say “flounce”, it can be understood nothing will happen.

Quiver Dance : ちょうのまい chou-no-mai ( Butterfly dance )

   Swords Dance, Dragon Dance and this “Butterfly Dance” are the 3 dances in Japanese version. Volcarona was known for this move because it’s a butterfly. I don’t know why they re-named it into “Quiver,” but this move is bug type. Thus Pheromosa, which is a bug type, uses this move in S/M.

U-turn : とんぼがえり tonbo-gaeri ( dragonfly u-turn )

    とんぼがえり (tonbo-gaeri) is an old way of describing someone who just came but has to go back again. This term has tonbo (dragonfly) in it, thus this move is bug type.

 

vital throw : あてみなげ atemi-nage ( throwing by catching your opponent’s hit )

    当て身投げ (atemi-nage) is a move used in Japanese combat since long time ago. You catch your enemy’s attack using your arm by being hit on purpose, then connect it to throws. It’s hard to explain but if I use a Smash words, “grab out of shield” would fit.

    There were translations I thougt was so good. Like “will-o-wisp” “memento” “follow me” and so on. But I would be grateful if people knew the actual meanings of these attacks above.