Y'know what? I'm gonna say it: I hate the way that the Western side of the DR fandom writes Kokichi.
Now, hear me out! I usually don't like to police how people write characters in fics, as developing and expanding on an existing character is one of the many joys of fandom works. But for the love of god, I hate the way people write Kokichi.
Why, you ask?
The English translation for NDRV3 was... awful.
During the localisation, the NDRV3 team had four separate translators working on the script. And in a Reddit AMA, it was revealed that they were dividing the 16 main characters between themselves, with each translator being assigned four characters.
Having more translators working on a game might sound like a good idea, but it’s not. The more translators that are assigned to a work, the harder it is to provide a consistent translation. In situations where there are multiple ways to translate the same word in a conversation, communication between translators is essential in making sure the script flows well.
However, the NDRV3 English translators apparently couldn't be bothered to do the most basic of communication within their team. It's blatantly clear that they did not reference each other’s work, and the translation suffered because of it. This is clear in the many lines of dialogue that were made confusing to read when the same word was translated two separate ways during conversations between two characters.
Some of the translators were able to pick which characters they wanted to translate for, creating a clear bias that influenced their work. Because translators were assigned four characters each, this meant that whilst they were enthusiastic about translating for one character in particular, they were less enthusiastic for others. This is obvious in most characters, though I'll be focusing on Kokichi here.
One of the most frustrating things for me, is that the translators decided to make Kokichi (and Miu) say incredibly rude and downright offensive terms. These were not present in the original Japanese script.
Miu only ever refers to Gonta as “ばか” (idiot) or occasionally, “あほ” (a slightly ruder way of saying idiot, though can be used affectionately amongst friends in certain regions). However, her translator decided to add multiple instances of her calling Gonta a r***** and a “Mongoloid,” which are both incredibly offensive and outdated terms.
Kokichi’s translator similarly took lines and decided to insert insults like “bitch” and “whore.” Like Miu, he never says anything remotely like this. It's as if they couldn't be bothered to do their jobs and decided to come up with their own narrative for each character.
Consequently, these translations have become the sole personality for these characters when it comes to English-speaking fans writing fanfiction.
Kokichi actually speaks in a very unique and interesting way. He uses the very masculine pronoun “オレ” (ore), whilst referring to almost every other character by their surnames and the childish honorific “ちゃん” (chan).
“ちゃん” is usually seen as a very feminine way to refer to someone else. It's usually used amongst school girls, but can also be used by older people when talking to a child, and when referring to other things they find cute, (such as pets).
The fact that Kokichi uses “ちゃん” to refer to almost everyone is very notable. Boys don’t use this term to refer to other boys unless they're very young. Using “ちゃん” to refer to anyone you’ve just met or don’t know very well is frowned upon, but a boy using it to refer to other boys is especially rare. This immediately establishes Kokichi's character as someone who is incredibly casual with others (something that is uncommon in Japanese culture). Considering Kokichi values his childish and light-hearted traits and how much emphasis is put on him having “a very innocent, childish streak,” it makes sense then that he would be written to talk like this.
Kokichi also refers to a few characters as “大好きな___ちゃん” (daisuki na ___-chan), a phrase which can be translated as “my beloved.” He uses this phrase with Shuichi most often, but does also use it with Rantaro, Kaito, and Kaede on occasion. This is the phrase he's using on most occasions when he is translated as saying “because I love you” or “because you’re my favourite.”
In chapter 4, Kokichi refers to Shuichi as “好きになった人” (suki ni natta hito), meaning: “the person I fell in love with.” This line was changed in the translation to, “when there’s a person I like.” Though I wouldn't say this is correct, as ““好きになった” has explicit romantic implications. It is often used in Japanese love songs and manga/anime love confessions.
A mistake often made by non-Japanese speakers is that "好" only means "like." However it is almost exclusively romantic when referring to people, especially the full phrase, "好になった人."
I think it should also be noted that this is the exact same phrasing Maki used when describing her romantic feelings for Kaito. Since Maki’s feelings for Kaito are considered canonically confirmed, I don't see why Kokichi’s feelings aren't considered to be equally canon. Though I suppose you can't blame people for not knowing, considering how awful the translation is.
This translation issue even stems to the fact that Kokichi's motive video was completely mistranslated and provides a very poor idea of what his motivations and ideals were like for the player. This includes them straight up omitting a line stating that Kokichi and DICE have a rule against murder.
This is one of the first lines in his motive video. The Japanese version makes it very clear that DICE were forbidden to kill people, and that abiding by this rule is extremely important to them. In contrast, the translation just talks about him committing “petty nonviolent crimes and pranks.”
Saihara later references Kokichi’s motive video as evidence in the chapter 6 trial and states that Kokichi and DICE “have a rule against killing people,” despite the game… never mentioning it up until that point. This not only completely changes Kokichi’s character at a crucial moment, but also just lies to the localisation players and expects them to be able to work through the shitty translation errors to come to the same conclusion. It could also give off the impression that Shuichi was lying to cover for Kokichi, leading localisation players to assume this plotline instead.
To end this long rant, I will include one of my favourite lines here:
“Come on, it’s not a big deal! I’m like a fairy, so it’ll be fine!”
And its disappointing translation:
“Come on, would I lie to you?”
...Did they even try?
