Curse

Black Metal · Dec 10, 2010, 04:43 AM // 04:43

I was browsing through Wikipedia, specifically reading about Unit 731, an infamous Japanese group that developed biological weapons, and tested them on mainly Chinese, as well as performing horrible, non-anaesthitized surgical experiments, in the 1930's and 1940's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

The group was founded by Shiro Ishii, and he also founded it's secret research group called the Togo Unit.

I checked guild wiki, and there was no lore section about where they might have been inspired from. Perhaps this is it?

ruk1a · Dec 10, 2010, 05:19 AM // 05:19

crafty little japs..

roses are blue · Dec 10, 2010, 05:46 AM // 05:46

That seems unlikely. Factions has an Asian inspired setting and the name Shiro is a common Japanese first name. It would be like coming across the name John in an article on US involvement in WW2, a coincidence.
Togo, likewise, is a Japanese last name, not sure how common it is.

The game designers favor current pop culture references and internet memes, not references to war crimes that still cause strained relations between China and Japan.

Konig Des Todes · Dec 10, 2010, 06:28 AM // 06:28

There's no lore section cuz it's trivia (not technically belonging in the lore forum either).

That said: Shiro is a common term and has many meaning, and as roses are blue said, is a common first name as well.

Black Metal · Dec 10, 2010, 06:46 AM // 06:46

perhaps so, I'm not making any declarations, but to see Shiro and Togo in the same sentence outside of Guild Wars when not even looking for it was an odd coincidence

tacotown · Dec 10, 2010, 03:28 PM // 15:28

that's an interesting find, black metal. i'd like to believe that the devs subtly snuck that in there.

i wouldn't say shiro is even close to being as common a name as John (~meaning 4th son, the uncreative parents would have to have atleast 4 kids). try it out, watch some credits and see how long it takes to see a john. you will not see a shiro if you were to watch quadruple the amount (person for person) of japanese show credits, on average. It IS, however a common pet's name ^^. Any rangers want a dual-wielding crazed asian man for a pet? you wish your pet had impossible odds.

Ferminator · Dec 11, 2010, 08:12 AM // 08:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by roses are blue

That seems unlikely. Factions has an Asian inspired setting and the name Shiro is a common Japanese first name. It would be like coming across the name John in an article on US involvement in WW2, a coincidence.
Togo, likewise, is a Japanese last name, not sure how common it is.

The game designers favor current pop culture references and internet memes, not references to war crimes that still cause strained relations between China and Japan.

It can't be a mere coincidence that Anet picked Shiro and Togo for their characters just because they were popular.

Konig Des Todes · Dec 11, 2010, 09:22 AM // 09:22

Point is, Shiro and Togo, along with a lot of names in GW (although not so much in the lines of the major NPCs) are actual names - common or not. There's thousands and Shiro's and probably just as many Togo's in all of history. The chance of two NPCs in Factions being related to a specific 2 people/groups in reality is... unlikely.

Shiro and Togo don't even have much relation in lore anyways.