In Nioh 2 your name is 'Hide,' but Tokichiro calls you '秀の字,' or 'Hide no Ji,' which just means 'the letter/character Hide.' As if he's not calling you by your name but 'The letter 'A'.' Because how Hide introduces himself, being mute, is just by showing Tokichiro the name 'Hide' inscribed on his blade. He's going around calling Hide "The word 'Hide'" instead of just 'Hide.' This is my best friend, Mr. Letter Written on Sword. So if you ever wondered what nickname Tokichiro calls Hide, it's actually a joke.
you could take this even further with the decision that he wants to share a name with Hide, to be considered as one person throughout history under the name 'Hideyoshi.' He is calling Hide 'The character Hide,' as in the first character half of their shared name. He is calling Hide 'My other half.'














