Last Name Basis / Anime & Manga

Examples of Last-Name Basis in anime and manga.

It is worth noting that family names come before given names in Japanese, Chinese and Korean usage. These cultures all tend to be more formal about names, with only family and close friends using First-Name Basis. It varies whether or not translations will reflect this.

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• Unlike his best friend/eventual nemesis Tetsuo Shima, Shotaro Kaneda is always referred to by last name in AKIRA (to the extent that it's easy to forget he even has another name).
• Rurouni Kenshin has several characters referred to only by their surname, namely Shishio, Saitou, and Hiko. Misao is one of the few to usually address Kenshin by his family name "Himura".
• In Blue Seed, Yoshiki Yaegashi, Daitetsu Kunikida, and Azusa Matsudaira are all referred to by their last names. While in the original Japanese dialogue their first names are never invoked, the English dub interestingly used their first names as a tool to denote a new level of intimacy regarding the romantic relationships of those three characters. Thus in the English dub Matsudaira is called "Azusa" by her ex-husband, Yaegashi is called "Yoshiki" by Koume when they start a relationship at the end of the series and again when they get engaged in the OVA, and Kunikida is called "Diatetsu" by Ryoko when they begin dating as well.
• Free!: as nearly every character are childhood friends, using given names are common between the boys. There are few exceptions:
  • Sousuke and Haru call each other Yamazaki and Nanase due to their initial dislike towards each other. They upgrade to First-Name Basis in 2nd season special.
  • Similarly, Makoto and Sousuke also refer to each other by their family names as they do not interact much. Later they upgrade to given name basis too.
  • Rin and Ai call each other Matsuoka-senpai and Nitori respectively throughout the first season. They later upgrade to Rin-senpai and Ai.
  • Ikuya's friend Hiyori refers to most characters by their family names as he is not a fan of them getting closer to Ikuya again. Later his negative feelings are resolved and he becomes friends with others.
  • Mostly the Last-Name Basis is kept for coaches, teachers, and upperclassmen. Though, Nagisa is a big breaker of the rule by calling even his former swimming coach, who is an adult man, by his first name and the honorific -chan, Goro-chan.
• In Full Metal Panic!, Sousuke calls everyone by their last names, mostly because of military discipline, and has actually had to be ordered to use first names. The only exception is Kurz as they've known each other for a long time and are roughly equal in rank.
• For Haikyuu!! everyone, including the fandom, (nearly) always refers to characters' by their last names as it is the norm between teammates.
  • Hinata is called Hinata by everyone except Nishinoya (who is on first-name basis with nearly everyone due to his friendly nature) and Kenma (who doesn't like formalities) - they call him Shouyou.
  • No one except Oikawa calls Kageyama "Tobio" - which is mocking in its nature as he adds the honorific -chan at the end.
  • Tanaka is known as Tanaka by everyone except his best friend Nishinoya and his sister who call him Ryuu.
  • Nishinoya and Sugawara are generally referred to by their nicknames based on their family-names, Noya and Suga.
  • Yamaguchi calls his childhood best friend Tsukishima "Tsukki" which later becomes common amongst other players and even other teams. Tsukishima, on the other hand, never refers to Yamaguchi by his given name "Tadashi".
  • The Benchwarmer Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita are always referred by their family names, except by Nishinoya who calls them Chikara, Hisashi, and Kazuhito.
• Neon Genesis Evangelion:
  • Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari both do this with each other; he only says her first name in unusual situations. This is one of the things changed in the English dub.
  • Gendo (when people aren't calling him "Commander" or "Father") and Fuyutsuki are always called by their last names.
  • For some reason, nobody — not even the fans — uses Kaji's first name, Ryouji, to the point where said name is only mention in dialogue at one point, when Misato gives him a Full-Name Ultimatum. He also only ever calls Misato "Katsuragi", unusual considering they used to date each other.
• Fullmetal Alchemist:
  • Lt. Colonel Hughes is referred to so rarely by his first name (Maes) that the casual fan or someone who hasn't seen very many episodes would probably only know him as "Hughes."
  • This seems to go for a good chunk of the military characters, actually. Even when screaming to each other in fear or pain in the manga, about 85% of the time or more, it's either the rank or the last name.
  • The only reason anyone would know Mustang's first name is the fact that Hughes seems to always refer to him on a First-Name Basis. Roy also seems to be the only person to ever address Hughes as Maes.
  • There are two Armstrongs: Major Alex Louis Armstrong, and his sister General Olivier Mira Armstrong. Fans usually refer to Alex as "Armstrong", since he was introduced much earlier, and he's a guy while she's a girl, and Olivier as "Olivier" (or "Olivia"). The series generally differentiates them by their ranks: Major (Alex) vs General (Olivier). Nobody in the series ever calls Alex by his first name (other than his sister).
  • Late in the manga, Hawkeye smokes out Envy impersonating Mustang by claiming that:
    Hawkeye: When we're alone, the colonel always calls me 'Riza.'
    Envy: Damn! I knew you two were—
    Hawkeye: I Lied. Thanks for blowing your cover. *bang*
    • They almost exclusively use each other's ranks, only rarely bothering even with surnames.
  • The only person in the military who's most often referred to by his first name is Edward Elric, who is both significantly younger than the other military members and consistently travels around with his brother of the same last name. The only person who doesn't is Mustang, who usually calls him Fullmetal/Hagane, but calls him "Elric" twice in the dub of Brotherhood.
• In Death Note, all of the police officers (the ones that join L's forces) refer to each other by their surnames. The exception being Soichiro who's either referred as "Chief" by the remaining four taskforce members and "Mr. Yagami" by L and Watari and Light who's addressed by his first name.
• A few characters from Your Lie in April are rarely referred to by their first name, not even by their close friends.
  • Watari Ryota.
  • Kashiwagi Nao.
• Azumanga Daioh:
  • When she's first introduced, the scant few scenes featuring Ayumu Kasuga have other characters referring to her as "Kasuga-san" rather than "Ayumu-san". Of course, by the end of the episode Tomo starts calling her "Osaka", and that becomes her most well-known name.
  • Sakaki and Kagura's second names are never disclosed, and it's unclear whether their names are given or family, as they can be either. Some fanfics treat them as family names, putting them on last name basis with their friends, while others treat them as given names and assign new last names. At least one fanfic jokes that Sakaki's full name is "Sakaki Sakaki".
• Signum of Lyrical Nanoha always refers to Fate as "Testarossa". Since Signum calls everyone else by their first name, and she and Fate are close friends, this seems to be treated as a term of endearment and/or respect for her long-time rival.
  • She continues to call Fate this after Fate's last name stops being "Testarossa".
    • Except the "Testarossa" name never completely disappeared; it just got turned into a middle name, usually rendered as just an initial (but explicitly stated at least once).
    • Vita also calls Fate "Testarossa" at first. Shamal initially refers to Fate as "Testarossa-chan", but by StrikerS, starts calling her "Fate-chan".
    • Signum's mode of address is briefly discussed in Gears of Destiny, with Rynith, Fate's mother's familiar, making note of it. Signum notes that it's a habit, but that Fate doesn't seem to dislike being called "Testarossa."
  • Also from Gears of Destiny, Aria and Lotte address Hayate by her surname of "Yagami," despite being on a First-Name Basis with Nanoha, Fate and Chrono, since relations are rather tense between the twins and Hayate's family.
  • In the StrikerS supplementary manga, Subaru initially calls Teana "Lanster-san", and Teana refers to her as "Cadet Nakajima" while explaining that they do not need to become friends. After Teana meets Subaru's sister Ginga and learns more about her, she decides to start calling her Subaru, claiming that it makes no sense to call her by her last name now that she knows her sister, and Subaru decides to start calling her "Tea". Erio and Caro initially have a bit of trouble calling each other by their first names (even though they're technically siblings).
  • While Nanoha, Fate and Hayate are usually on a First-Name Basis, while on duty, they'll switch to last names and titles as appropriate.
  • In ViVid Strike!, Jill refers to most of the martial artists by their last names with the "-senshu" honorific (literally "competitor"). The only exception is Jill's own protégé, Rinne, whom she calls by her first name. Jill also refers to Nove, head of the Nakajima Gym, as "President Nakajima."
• CLANNAD:
  • Youhei Sunohara usually goes by his last name with the exception of his little sister Mei and Kyou. Then again, Kyou calls everyone by their first name.
  • Tomoya always calls Ryou "Fujibayashi", probably to differentiate her from her sister, Kyou, whom Tomoya calls by her first name. He and Nagisa are also initially on a last name basis with each other, which lasts until they meet Fuko, who advises them to start calling each other "Tomoya-kun" and "Nagisa-chan" (while Tomoya is too embarrassed to tack on "-chan" and instead sticks to "Nagisa", Nagisa does call him "Tomoya-kun" from then on).
  • It's a subtle plot point in the bonus episode that adapts Kyou's route. Ryou tries to have Tomoya call her by her first name, which he does after some hesitation, but he notes that it feels awkward, since he doesn't love her.
• In Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Lucrezia Noin goes by her last name, and nobody, not even her romantic interest Zechs, uses the first unless they're calling her by her full name. (Fanon often has Zechs give her a cute nickname, such as "Lu", when they become a real couple.) This is actually by Noin's own request: when Treize tries to call her by her first name in a prequel manga, she actually corrects him and says that one's gender does not matter in the battlefield so he should make no distinctions in regards to her.
• In His and Her Circumstances, the two leads continue calling each other "Arima" and "Miyazawa" after they've slept together. They don't get to "Soichiro" and "Yukino" until a few months later.
• This is very common in Yu-Gi-Oh!, especially in the Japanese version. Some characters who are referred by their surnames and have relatives, those relatives are referred by their given names instead (e.g. Mokuba or Rudger). Only a few characters are referred by their surnames in the 4Kids dubs.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh!: Jonouchi, Honda, Kaiba, Bakura, Otogi, Haga, Ryuzaki, Kakjiki, Roba, Kotsuzuka, Mr. Crocketts, Saruwatari, Hanasaki, Ushio, Sozoji, Inogashira, Kokurano, Nagumo, Imori, Nezumi, Chono, Tsuruoka, Karita, Hirutani, Yoshimori and Kanekura. Most of these, except Kaiba, go by their given names in the dub. Jonouchi's English first name is Joey, probably intended to preserve the "Yu-Jo" ("friendship" in Japanese) pun.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Manjoume, Kenzan, Misawa, O'Brien, Fujiwara, Daitokuji, Samejima, Kagemaru and Saiou.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds: Goodwin, Kiryu, Ushio, Mizoguchi and Heitmann. Most characters (including Yusei) called Aki by her last name Izayoi before she joined the heroes. Jack still calls her "Izayoi". Jack is often called "Atlas-sama" by his female fans.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL: Shingetsu and Yamikawa.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: Gongenzaka, Sawatari, Kurosaki, Nakajima, Ishijima, Ankokuji, Kyuando, Kachidoki, Takeda, Umesugi, Kakimoto, Ootomo, Yamabe, Tokumatsu and Roget.
• Shuichi in Gravitation continues to refer to boyfriend Eiri Yuki as simply 'Yuki' (no honorific) even after learning that it isn't his real surname.
• Naruto rarely does this, with some characters, like Gaara, referring to Sasuke as "Uchiha." The Third Hokage is often referred to by his last name until his first name is revealed in the databooks, although in one translation, The Fourth Hokage calls him "Hiruzen-sama." Shiho calls Naruto "Uzumaki-kun", while referring to Shikamaru (whom she has a crush on) and Jiraiya (who only has one name) by their given names, so it's unclear to what degree she uses last names. Rock Lee is always either called "Lee" or "Rock Lee", never just "Rock".
• Haruhi Suzumiya:
  • In the novels, Kyon refers to everybody except Haruhi by their last name. In the ninth novel, he strangely also calls the mysterious interface, Kuyo, by her first name.
  • Kyon is confused as to which of Kuyo Suo's names is her given name and which is her surname when they are introduced, as she introduces herself in both orders; he calls her Kuyo-san most likely because that's what Sasaki calls her.
  • Also worth noting is that he never uses honorifics when addressing or speaking about anyone other that Mikuru Asahina. He also continues to refer to her as "Asahina-san" even though she told him to feel free to use her given name early in the series. He does use honorifics with the upperclassmen (which Mikuru is), but it's almost always -san and not -senpai; in later novels he starts to refer to Kimidori as "Kimidori-senpai".
  • Most fans also refer to Itsuki and Yuki as Koizumi and Nagato, respectively. Speaking of which, Itsuki is almost never referred to by his first name.
  • Haruhi refers to the entire Brigade (including Yuki) by their first names, except Koizumi, which is probably why most fans ended up doing the same.
  • Several characters in the series aren't even given first names. Tsuruya, Kunikida, Taniguchi, Sasaki...
  • Yuki Nagato rarely refers to others by name in the main series, but in The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, refers to most people by their last names, even calling her close friend Ryoko "Asakura-san", and most people refer to her as "Nagato-san".
• Bleach:
  • Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida are on a Last-Name Basis with one another. Rukia is on Last-Name Basis with the gang except for Ichigo and Renji. Ishida is on Last-Name Basis with most everyone (excluding some minor characters), and the only people who refer to him by his given name in the original Japanese are his father and grandfather (and later Pesche). Following up on that, nearly every Shinigami in the series addresses the entire gang exclusively by their surnames, aside from Yoruichi (to Ichigo), Rangiku (to Ichigo, Renji and Orihime), Ikkaku and Yumichika (to Renji, Ichigo and "Orihime-chan"), and Kenpachi (with Yachiru; to Ichigo).
  • Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya is very particular about this, although he tends to insist that people also address him as a captain. Interestingly enough, in an inversion of people discarding Last-Name Basis as they get closer, Momo told him that she would call him by his last name after he got into the mmy.
  • With or without addressing their respective ranks, most seated officers call one another by their surnames (such as Ukitake and Kyoraku), with the majority of the fandom following suit; aside from characters who are related by birth (the Kuchikis or Kotetsus), they call every other officer by their surnames.
  • Orihime herself tends to address everyone except "Tatsuki-chan" (and later "Yachiru-chan", "Riruka-chan" and "Yukio-kun") by their last names.
  • When Ryuken Ishida calls Isshin Kurosaki by his last name with no honorific, Isshin says that's downright cuddly by Ryuken's standards.
  • Ichigo is also referred to on last-name basis by some other characters, namely Grimmjow, Urahara, Ginjou, and Toshiro.
  • The potential for this to be inconvenient is lampshaded in 473, when Hitsugaya is talking about Byakuya and Rukia Kuchiki.
    Hitsugaya: I don't see Kuchiki and Kuchiki.
    Ikkaku: Could you use their first names? It's a little confusing.
  • In the Everything But the Rain flashback arc, Katagiri's first name wasn't immediately introduced. Everyone referred to her by her surname. For her part, being the Ishida family's maid, she doesn't even refer to Ryuken and his parents by name at all (his parents are the Master and Mistress and he's the "young master"). She makes an exception for Masaki, however, by referring to her as "Masaki-sama", and in one conversation calls Ryuken "Ryuken-sama" to emphasise that he really needs to listen to what she's telling him. He does. Her first name, Kanae, is only revealed when Isshin, who's telling this story, clarifies to Ichigo that Kanae later became Ryuken's wife and Uryu's mother... and died around the same time Masaki kicked it.
  • The English dub performs a bizarre subversion mid-season. For the majority of the series, everyone refers to him as "Aizen," but in the middle of the Fake Karakura arc, without any explanation, the cast are suddenly on a First-Name Basis with their most hated enemy. What makes this even stranger is that Shinji called Aizen by his first name while Aizen was his lieutenant, but switched to "Aizen" after Aizen betrayed him.
• YuYu Hakusho:
  • Most characters call (Kazuma) Kuwabara by his last name, except for his sister and Yukina.
  • Kuwabara, in turn, mostly calls Yusuke "Urameshi".
  • Shinobu Sensui tends to go by his last name most often, and this is significant because his first name changes based on which personality is in control.
• Although most of the children are on a first name basis in Digimon Adventure/Digimon Adventure 02, Miyako always calls Koushirou "Izumi-senpai." Ken, the Sixth Ranger of the latter, seems to be the other main exception. Most of the children refer to him as "Ichijouji", while he and Daisuke go back and forth for a bit and end up settling on a first name basis by the end, and Miyako ends up referring to him by his first name.
  • In the dub of the first episode of Digimon Adventure lists the full Japanese names of the characters, but Izzy (Koushiro Izumi) is the only one whose Americanized name is based on his Japanese surname. Even his parents call him Izzy.
• In Digimon Tamers, Ruki, Ryo, Guilmon, Culumon and Impmon refer to Juri by her first name after meeting her. However, Takato notably never does despite having a crush on her; he always calls her "Kato-san". The one time he does refer to her by her first name is when he sends a message to her father in Episode 32, telling him that she's all right. Her Digimon partner, Leomon, also does it at first when meeting her. Hirokazu, Kenta and Jianliang do it as well.
  • Takato refers to Jianliang as "Li-kun" at first as well. By the midpoint of the series, they have become close friends, and while Jianliang drops the -kun honorific from Takato's name, Takato starts calling him "Jian", the nickname Terriermon and the Li family also use.
• The typical mode of address in Muhyo and Roji. Tohru Muhyo allows Jiro "Roji" Kusano to call him "Muhyo" instead of "Executor Muhyo". Long-time best friends Harumi Busujima and Reiko Imai call the other "Imai" and "Busujima."
• One Piece goes all over the place with this, even accounting for the fact that 90% of the cast have Only One Name.
  • Zoro is usually called "Roronoa" by any opponents that bother naming him at all.
  • Shackey calls Luffy "Monkey-chan".
  • Interestingly, Ho(r)dy Jones, Ikaros Much, Caesar Clown and Tank Lepanto have been referred to with their last names (Ho(r)dy, Ikaros, Caesar and Tank) as if they were their first names.
  • Law is called by his family name Trafalgar by the other Supernovae, e.g. Kid and Luffy. Luffy and his crew usually use a nickname based on Law's family, but it's still basically this trope.
  • Unlike King Nefertari Cobra of Alabasta, King Riku Dold of Dressrosa is always referred to as "King Riku."
  • Upon having his surname revealed, Sanji is referred to as “Vinsmoke” by a few characters (such as X-Drake), much to Sanji’s fury as he hates his evil family.
  • With several multi-part names, it's not even clear which part is supposed to be the family name. Take, for instance, Tony Tony Chopper, who was named that on the spot by his human mentor. While virtually everyone else calls him just "Chopper", Vivi opts for "Tony-kun", which is supposed to reflect her more intimate Girly Girl personality but would, by strict Japanese convention, be using his family name.
• First names are a rarity to begin with in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but absolutely nobody calls Yang Wen-Li by his given name (except his father, in a single flashback). Even his friends whom he calls by their first names call him "Yang." His wife just calls him anata (roughly, "darling").
  • Reinhard calls Kircheis by his last name because as a child he decided that it sounded better than his first name (Siegfried). Kircheis, however, calls Reinhard by first name (with the appropriate honorifics, of course).
• An understandable standard in Monster, since most characters are in the professional field and do not know each other that well. The only person who ever seems to call (Kenzo) Tenma by his first name is his fiancee.
• Lucky Star:
  • Kagami Hiiragi realizes how much time she spends in Konata's class after a short scene showing her own class calling her Hiiragi while Konata's calls her Kagami. She herself also refers to Misao and Ayano respectively by their last names Kusakabe and Minegishi, even though she's been friends with them for longer than with the other core characters.
  • Miyuki alternates between Konata's name and surname when referring to her.
  • Yutaka sometimes calls Minami, her closest friend, by her last name Iwasaki. She at some point realizes how much of a habit she made of this.
  • Both she and her other friends tend to refer to Hiyori as Tamura-san. Hiyori herself also addresses Yutaka and Minami by their last names.
  • Nanako Kuroi, being a teacher, is mentioned most commonly as (Ms.) Kuroi by other characters (except for Konata, who calls her "Teach", and herself addresses her students by their surnames.
  • The manga-exclusive Tamaki Yamanobe addresses her friends by abbreviated, honorificized versions of their last names, such as Buu-san (Miku Busujima), Kobacchi (Yutaka Kobayakawa), etc. (except for Patricia, whom she calls "Paa-chan").
• Kanda Yu of D.Gray-Man tends to threaten people who don't address him this way with violent death.
• In Negima! Magister Negi Magi, Kazumi Asakura usually goes by "Asakura", which is strange, given that practically everyone else in the class calls each other by their first names.
• In Lupin III; (Arsene) Lupin the Third, (Daisuke) Jigen, and (Koichi) Zenigata might as well have Only One Name for all the times anybody's used their given names in the show. Goemon Ishikawa the Thirteenth and Fujiko Mine, on the other hand, mainly go by their first names. Odd in Goemon's case, because the rigidly traditional character takes no offense at complete strangers speaking to him by his given name.
• Otonashi, Iwasawa, and Naoi from Angel Beats! are always referred to by their last names, even after their first names are revealed ( Yuzuru, Masami, and Ayato, respectively). The only exception in Otonashi's case is Angel; the two get on a First-Name Basis some time after Otonashi remembers his first name.
• Surnames are said to be uncommon in the world of Dragon Ball, but the main character, Son Goku, has one. While most characters refer to him as Goku, his given name, Bulma, his first friend, refers to him exclusively as "Son-kun" (but not in the dubs where his family name is never even mentioned). Piccolo and Tenshinhan also often refer to him with his surname but not always.
• Except for a few racers and characters in Future GPX Cyber Formula, most of them are rarely called by their first names, like Naoki Shinjyo, Karl Lichter von Randoll, to name a few.
• Yamato of Karakuridouji Ultimo refers to his crush Sayama by her last name, and at one point, while thinking about what life with her would be like in the future, realizes that her name would not be "Sayama" any more.
• The general rule between people in Bakuman。, even between Mashiro and his fiancee Azuki. Mashiro and Takagi refer to each other by nicknames while speaking with each other, but with last names when talking about each other to other people, such as their editors.
  • When Hiramaru gets together with Aoki, he notices that she's still calling him by his last name, while he uses an abbreviated and highly affectionate version of her first name. His editor claims that's proof that he's just a friend she has for tea, in order to manipulate him into becoming depressed enough to write well.
• In Triangle Heart 3: Sweet Songs Forever, most characters address each other by first names, but interestingly enough, Kyouya and Shinobu, the Official Couple, refer to each other by their last names, despite being on a First-Name Basis in the first season of Nanoha.
• The main character of Dawn Tsumetai Te is only ever referred to - by his friends, his Love Interest, and his Jerkass Mad Doctor handler - by his family name.
• In Happy Yarou Wedding, Yuuhi never makes the switch from calling his lover Todou to Akira, even when he becomes a part of the family and Todou becomes his last name.
• In A Certain Magical Index/A Certain Scientific Railgun: Kaori Kanzaki, Mikoto Misaka, Ruiko Saten, Kazari Uiharu, sometimes Touma Kamijou and a few others. Special mention for Kazari and Ruiko: They're pretty important characters, and appear a lot, but nobody ever calls them by their first name.
• Yurie in Kamichu! generally addresses Kenji as Ninomiya-kun, though she switches to Kenji-kun in the scene where she reaches out to rescue him from the typhoon she accidentally created. Unusually, the English dub retains this.
• Puella Magi Madoka Magica:
  • Mami typically refers to her fellow magical girls as "(Last name)-san", partly out of politeness and partly because while she gradually becomes closer to Madoka and Sayaka, she never quite gets past being an acquaintance to them before she is eaten. Madoka becomes suspicious of Hitomi's behavior when she, under the effects of a Witch's Kiss, refers to her by her last name and speaks in a much more formal tone: she is a very polite speaker normally, due to her high-class upbringing, but up until then she had always addressed her and Sayaka by First-Name Basis plus "-san".
  • Homura, in the earlier timelines, calls the other magical girls by their last name and -san. While Mami's use of Last-Name Basis was not carried over to the dub, Homura's was (for example, calling Madoka "Miss Kaname").
• Despite being the Official Couple of the Bakemonogatari series, Hitagi refers to Koyomi as Araragi-kun, while he calls her Senjogahara-san
  • In addition, Hanekawa and Kanbaru are almost exclusively referred to by their last names.
• On Soul Eater, pretty much everyone calls Dr.Franken Stein by his last name, along with the title occasionally.
• Canon Foreigner Sanae Demokori from Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! anime seemed to prefer to be called by last name, even among her classmates ("Deko-chan"). Nibutani is also almost exclusively referred to by her last name.
• This is the standard way of reference in Kotoura-san, even between Haruka Kotoura and Yoshihisa Manabe, which are already having a stable relationship.
• The eponymous Armitage of Armitage III. We find out fairly late in the series that she does have a first name, but no-one ever uses it.
• Cardfight!! Vanguard has (Toshiki) Kai, (Taishi) Miwa, (Katsumi) Morikawa, and (Yuuta) Izaki. However, we only ever learn Miwa and Izaki's first names in the credits. Meanwhile, everyone else is known by their first names (although some characters call Aichi Sendou by his last name).
• In ×××HOLiC, both Watanuki and Doumeki are rarely if ever referred to by their first names (Kimihiro and Shizuka respectively). Doumeki himself never calls anyone except for Yuuko by their first name, (though to be specific, he never calls anyone anything except the first name he knew them as, as he'll continue to call girls by their maiden name even if they've married).
• The Sweets Princes in Yumeiro Pâtissière are on a last name basis with each other: (Makoto) Kashino, (Satsuki) Hanabusa^note Ironically, played by the same voice actor who would go on to voice Aichi in Cardfight! Vanguard., and (Sennousuke) Andoh. While the latter two refer to Ichigo as "Amano-san", Kashino, being the kind of person he is, prefers to call her "Amano".
• In Kimagure Orange Road, Kyosuke always refers to Madoka as "Ayukawa", while she calls him "Kasuga-kun". This remains even after they finally get together and it's only dropped in the Shin Kimagure Orange Road novels and movie; in the first, it's via a scene where she points it out and Kyousuke switches to First-Name Basis via shouting her name to the skies.
• In Girls und Panzer, most of the girls who don't know each other well refer to each other by their last names.
  • Yukari calls most people by their last name and the extremely formal "-dono". She's also the only person to call Sodoko by her actual last name outside of introducing her.
  • In one scene, Hana gets Yuzu's last name correct while addressing her as "Koyama-senpai," but mistakes her first name for Momo's.
  • Miho starts out calling all her friends by their last name and -san, but switches to first name and -san about a third of the way through the series.
  • In Little Army, Emi calls her friends by their last names and -san, even after they start calling her "Emi-chan". As she's saying goodbye to Miho, she calls her by her first name.
• Gunslinger Girl: Victor Hilshire is only addressed by his last name, even by his fellow handlers. His cyborg Triela doesn't even know what his first name is until halfway through the series, when his girlfriend happens to mention it.
• The main characters in Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun go by their last names almost exclusively to the point that it's sometimes hard to remember what their first names are! Sakura is possibly the only exception, as both Seo and Kashima call her Chiyo (and so does the mangaka herself). The only characters that are frequently called by their first names are Nozaki's editor Ken Miyamae, as Nozaki calls him Ken-san, and Nozaki's younger brother Mayu Nozaki, so as not to confuse him with Nozaki himself.
• In Sgt. Frog, Fuyuki always refers to Momoka Nishizawa as "Nishizawa-san".
• In Area no Kishi, this trope presents a dillema when Nana Mishima joined the jr. high soccer team. Because there was another Mishima on the team, saying "Pass to Mishima" could cause confusion. This resulted in coming up with a nickname for her: "Seven"^note "Nana" is "seven" in Japanese..
• This is common in most military themed anime. This happens in a few mecha anime as well, such as the original GoLion.^note But not in the Voltron dub, where they have no surnames.
• In Angelic Layer, while Kotaro Kobayashi prefers to refer to Misaki as "Suzuhara", Tamayo prefers that everyone refer to Misaki as "Misakichi".
• In Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!, Arima's firt name Ibushi is easily forgotten because everyone else complies with this trope.
• In Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace, characters are introduced using only their last name, so everyone gets this. Even the official site doesn't give their first names.
• No one in Wandering Son refers to Nitori Shuuichi or Takatsuki Yoshino by their given names besides their family members and Nitori's girlfriend. It could be because they're transgender and don't like their names but we never see them tell anyone not to use their names, and them being trans is a secret for much of the series. Almost all their other friends are on a First-Name Basis so it's even more noticeable. Chiba Saori is usually referred to by her surname as well, though Kanako uses "Saorin" as an Affectionate Nickname.
• Togo Mimori from Yuki Yuna is a Hero is only referred to as "Togo" or "Togo-san" despite being on a First-Name Basis with all her friends. Episode 10 reveals that when they first met her closest friend (and crush) Yuuna uses it because she thinks "Togo-san" sounds cool.
• All of the main characters in Ojojojo call each other by their last name despite being close friends. The only major exception to this is Chris, and even then it's because he initially introduced himself in Western name order and they mistook his first name for his last one. Haru and Tsurezure don't switch to First-Name Basis until a few months after they started dating.
• Assassination Classroom: Most character in Class 3-E are called by their last name for about 90% of the time. Exceptions are Nagisa, Karma, Ritsu (which is simply a nickname for her Overly Long Name) and Itona.
• Food Wars!: Most characters are referred by their last name for the majority of time, but there are also plenty of First-Name Basis examples as well.
• Ririka from Nurse Angel Ririka SOS gets mad at her friend Seiya because he refers to Kanou as "Nozomu" instead of "Senpai".
• Keitaro of Love Hina never calls Naru by her first name, even after they get married.
• Kobayashi of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid is never called by her first name. In fact, it's never even been revealed.
• Kaguya from Kaguya-sama: Love Is War refers to just about everyone by their last name, no matter how close she is to them (even Hayasaka and Ishigami). She even makes a mental note when she addresses Kei by her first name when the latter insists on it, noting that it's the first time that she's ever done so for a non-family member. It isn't until she and Hayasaka dissolve their master-servant relationship in chapter 187 and just become close friends that she willingly calls someone by their first name.
• For the most part, Last Name Basis is common in Interviews with Monster Girls, as would be expected in a Japanese school setting. There are some exceptions, as kids are more casual among themselves and Takanashi doesn't mind his students having a nickname for him. Chapter 15 hangs a lampshade on the trope when Kusakabe notes that Takahashi only refers to Hikari by her given name. Hikari, in turn, refers to Takahashi simply as "Sensei", instead of "Takahashi-sensei" or his nickname. Takahashi says at first it's to differentiate her from "Himari-chan", only for the girls to pick up on the use of "chan" for Himari and no honorific at all for Hikari. What follows is a sequence of Takashashi referring to Hikari as "Takanashi", making Hikari wonder if she's in trouble, "Hikari-chan", making the Genki Girl respond with extra Genki, and just "Hikari", which gets her to respond naturally. The narration notes that it's simply become too habitual to change now. In the course of the chapter, Takahashi also refers to Kyouko Machi and Yuki Kusakabe by their first names. The former explodes in embarrassment and the latter ends up finding it awkward, despite being the one who first brought it up.
• 5 Centimeters per Second: One of the signs that Takaki never feels anything for Kanae is that he always calls her by her surname, whereas he addresses Akari by her given name.
• In Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto, it's unknown what Sakamoto's first name is. He did reveal it one time, but it was drowned out by noise.
• Bokurano has this happen fairly often.
  • All the military characters, government officials and other adults are generally only referred to by their surnames.
  • While some characters are exclusively referred to by their first names, and others by nicknames, still others- Kako, Waku, Moji, Kirie, Machi and Ushiro- are referred to by their last names by anyone who isn't a family member. Even Ushiro and Moji's long-time best friends call them by their surnames.
• Bloom Into You:
  • Riko Hakozaki is very particular about being showed the respect she deserves as a teacher, and insists that her students call her "Hakozaki-sensei." She also calls most people by their last names, except for Miyako, her long-time friend and girlfriend, although she and Miyako did start out calling each other "Kodama-san" and "Hakozaki-san."
  • Touko and Sayaka are among the few people who use each other's first names. They also use last names on most other people, although Touko asks for (and gets) permission to call Yuu by her first name and Yuu starts using Touko's first name after they start going out. Sayaka briefly considers calling Yuu by her first name, but sticks with the more formal "Koito-san."
  • Doujima and Maki are both exclusively referred to by their surnames, even in the dub of the anime (which has most characters on a First-Name Basis). Doujima once tries to drop a hint and suggest that Touko call him by his first name, Suguru, but Touko brushes him off.
  • Throughout much of the third volume of Regarding Sayaka Saeki, Sayaka refers to Haru Edamoto, her kohai at college, as "Edamoto-san," despite Haru repeatedly insisting "You can call me Haru." Sayaka finally starts calling Haru by her first name after they start dating.
• Pokémon: The Series: Since neither have a first name, Professors Kukui and Burnet refer to each other by their last name (or title), even after they get married.
• In Failed Princesses, Nanaki Fujishiro and Kanade Kurokawa both call each other by their surnames. When Fujishiro gets annoyed with Kurokawa calling her "Fujishiro-san," she insists that Kurokawa drop the "-san," rather than switching to First-Name Basis. It becomes a plot point later on when Kurokawa realizes that Fujishiro is the only person close to her who calls her by her surname. They switch to first names at the end of the story, after they become a couple.
• In Ebisu-san and Hotei-san, as the title implies, both main characters address each other by their last names, and the "-san" honorific, being coworkers in a professional setting. The only exceptions are when Hotei initially refers to Ebisu as "Shrimp Ebisu," a play on the "Ebi" in her name, and refers to her as "Mayo" in her thoughts toward the end of the series.
• Kase-san has Kase and Yamada refer to each other by their last names, even after they start dating. They switch to first names for a little while, but then Yamada decides she's more comfortable with last names, at least for the moment.
• This is quite common in My Hero Academia, even among characters who are friends. For example, Izuku's mom is pretty much the only person who calls him by his first name ; everyone else calls him by his surname, Midoriya, or in the case of Bakugo and Uraraka, his nickname "Deku"(until Bakugo apologizes to Izuku and uses his proper first name during the apology). Tsuyu is the main exception, as she calls friends by their first names and asks them to address her that way too, although she generally refer to boys by their surnames. The only other characters to be consistently called by their first names are Eri and Kota, who are young children.
  • Himiko Toga, a member of the League of Villains, is one of the few members besides Tomura Shigaraki(whose name is not his real name) who doesn't have a villain name, so she's usually called by her surname. Even Twice, who has a crush on her, calls her "Toga-chan" rather than her first name.
• Adachi and Shimamura
  • The two leads address each other by their respective surnames, even though Shimamura doesn't like hers.
  • Akira Hino and Taeko Nagafuji used to refer to each other as "Tae-chan" and "Akira," respectively, but as they got older, Hino insisted that they use surnames, at least while other people are around.
• Somewhat similarly, Tadokoro San is about a girl named Kageko Tadekoro and her new friend and Love Interest, Sakurako Nikaido. Both girls exclusively use each other's last names for most of the manga.
• In BanG Dream!, Sayo addresses most of the other characters by their last names and the "-san" honorific, except for her younger twin sister Hina, Tsugumi, and, on one occasion, sisters Ako and Tomoe (since she wanted to clarify which one she was talking to/about).
• Asteroid in Love:
  • The fact that Japanese usually refers to people they aren't close with last names works to maintain the suspense at the beginning of the story for a few minutes, both in-show and out. When Mira enters the Earth Sciences clubroom to join the club, another new member just introduces herself as "Manaka". A few moments later, Mira speaks of The Promise between herself and a boy called Ao as the reason she's into astronomy in the first place, at which point the club president feels obliged to point out to Mira that the full name of the other new member is Ao Manaka, and she is blushing when Mira is speaking... Cue Unsettling Gender-Reveal.
  • Most of the characters go by their last names, or nicknames derived from their surnames. For example, Moe Suzuya, the main character Mira's Childhood Friend, is generally called "Suzu," since she doesn't like being nicknamed "Moe Moe." The only exceptions are Mira Konohata, who made those nicknames in the first place, and Ao Manaka, as Mira sees the latter as a particularly special friend.
• In the one-shot Ogawa San And I, the protagonist refers to the eponymous character, the only named character in the one-shot, as "Ogawa-san." The two women are coworkers, and while the protagonist thinks she knows Ogawa well, she never hears about her getting married until it's too late, at which point, she realizes she's in love with Ogawa. After Ogawa gets married, the protagonist continues referring to her by that name, with parenthetical notes indicating that it's her former last name.
• Space Battleship Yamato: Everyone goes by last name, even "Kodai-kun" when Yuki addresses Susumu after their relationship blossoms.
• Captain Harlock: The titular space pirate seems to only go by last name, but this may be assuming that he has a first name like some of his ancestors such as Franklin (Gun Frontier) and Phantom F. (Arcadia of My Youth). In some interviews, Leiji Matsumoto has stated that he tried applying various first names to Harlock but felt that they didn't fit, and thus concluded that "Harlock is just Harlock". This is telling as in the 1978 series, even the child Maya (who is like his surrogate daughter) knows him just as "Harlock". This does not, however, neccesarily confirm that the Harlock of the space pirate era is an Only One Name character. Just that Matsumoto just doesn't want to think about it.^note  There is no evidence, outside of fan theory, that Space Pirate era Harlock is Phantom F. Harlock (insert Roman numeral here).
• Sakura-chan to Amane-kun: Being transgender, neither Sakura or Amane like their given names, but they haven't chosen new names either. Both instead are primarily referred to by their androgynous surnames.
• In Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, all the characters address each other by their last names unless they're part of the same family. This includes Asakusa and Kanamori, who have been friends for years.
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
  • In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood, Robert E. O. Speedwagon is exclusively referred to by his surname.
  • In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency Rudol von Stroheim is generally referred to as "von Stroheim" or just "Stroheim."
  • In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, out of the main five, Polnareff, Avdol and Kakyoin exclusively go by their surnames. All of Joseph's companions besides his grandson call him "Joestar-san," and Jotaro is the only one called by his first name or the "Jojo" nickname.
  • In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable, most characters call each other by their first names, but the main characters refer to Akira Otoishi and Yoshikage Kira by their surnames. Kira's father Yoshihiro is the only person who addresses him by his given name.
  • In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, characters such as Bruno Bucciarati, Leone Abbachio, Guido Mista, and Pannacotta Fugo are all referred to by their surnames, despite the part taking place in in Italy.
  • In Jo Jos Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean, everyone calls Father Enrico Pucci by his surname, including his close friend Dio and his long-lost brother Weather Report.
• Rent-A-Girlfriend:
  • Kazuya refers to his girlfriend Chizuru Mizuhara by her last name, Mizuhara, despite the fact that it's her assumed last name as a rental girlfriend; her real last name is Ichinose. Kazuya generally calls her "Chizuru" around his family, who think that she's his actual girlfriend, but once almost gets into trouble when he calls her "Mizuhara" when speaking to his father.
  • Both Kazuya and Chizuru exclusively address their new neighbor Mini Yaemori as "Yaemori-san," while Yaemori calls Chizuru "Mizuhara-san," and Kazuya "Master."
• In She Becomes a Tree, the two leads, Kisaki and Chishiro, address each other by their last names and "-san" due to being coworkers, even as they begin falling in love. In the last chapter, Kisaki calls Chishiro by her first name, Hikari, when proposing to her.
• New Game!:
  • Umiko refers to most of her colleagues by their last names, although she insists on being called by her first name(since she finds "Ahagon" to be embarrassing). Despite this, Kou occasionally calls her by her surname, often to mess with her, and Rin once uses Umiko's surname when announcing that Umiko donated the prizes (a required bit of formality given the circumstances, but Umiko still gets annoyed).
  • When Tsubame "Naru" Narumi meets Nene Sakura, she initially agrees to the latter's request to call her "Nenecchi." However, after Nene admits that she mainly got her job due to her connections with her boss, Umiko, Naru takes it personally, since Naru had to work hard to get the job. Naru then switches to calling Nene "Sakura-san" in private, but returns to using Nene's nickname after they later make up.
• In Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Dr. Thunderland Jr. refers to most people by their surnames, calling Lag "Seeing" and Gauche "Suede," even though the latter was the closest thing he had to a friend. He does, however, refer to Mana Jones, an anime-exclusive scientist who worked with him, by her first name or her full name.
• In School Zone Girls, Rei and Kei have known each other for years, but while Rei calls Kei "Kei-chan," Kei calls Rei "Yokoe." This seems to imply that Rei's significantly more invested their friendship than Kei is.
• Laid-Back Camp
  • Rin addresses Ena Saitou, who's been her friend since before the series, by her surname, despite the fact that 1)Ena calls Rin by her first name, 2)All of Ena's other friends call her by her first name, and 3)Rin calls all her other friends by their first names.
  • Minami Toba, the advisor for the Outdoor Activities Club, might be a Sensei-chan, but she's reasonably professional while sober. As such, she politely addresses her students by their last names with the "-san" honorific.
• In Super Cub, the main character is only known as Koguma, with her first name being unknown. As such, both of her friends, Reiko and Shii, refer to her as "Koguma-san" despite using first names on each other.
• In My Girlfriend's Not Here Today, while Yuni Asahina and Nanase Natsume are dating, the latter refuses to call the former by her first name when others are around. This, combined with the fact that Nanase has never said that she loved Yuni, causes Yuni to be dissatisfied with the state of their relationship, and in Chapter 3, she specifically cites Nanase's refusal to use her first name in front of others when calling her out on her lack of affection.
• This is a staple in Team Medical Dragon. Hospitals run on a strict professional conduct and all the workers refer to each other by their surnames. The fact that Kirishima bothers to know Kihara's first name is the reason the latter is so loyal to him.
• In Ise-san and Shima-san, the two leads are only known by their surnames. After they become friends in their backstory, they continue using their surnames, but with Shima using "-chin" on Ise and Ise using yobisute on Shima rather than the "-san" they used on each other as acquaintances.
• Shirobako, which takes place in an anime production company, has almost the entire cast use last names on each other, with honorifics or job titles depending on their relationship. As such, Aoi Miyamori, the protagonist, doesn't know her mentor Erika Yano's first name until an old friend of Erika's refers to her by that name. Aoi herself uses first names or nicknames on her old high school friends, but switches to surnames when around others from her company.
• In My Neighbor Seki, the characters are most often referred to by their surnames. The only people who call Rumi Yokoi by her first name are her mother and her close friend Tomoko.
• In Hyakunichikan!!, Aoki calls Shuuto by his first name, but Shuuto calls him by his surname. In Chapter 34, Chiho thinks this means they aren't really friends, triggering a Heroic BSoD from Aoki (he quickly gets over it).
• Great Teacher Onizuka:
  • Only Onizuka's closest friends (mainly Ryuji, Nagisa, and Saejima, who have known him since the days of GTO: The Early Years) call him by his given name Eikichi. Understandable, since he's a teacher, though one with a very informal style.
  • The kids vary whether they're referred to by first or last name, but Kikuchi is almost never referred to by his given name, Yoshito.
• For most of A Silent Voice, Shoya Ishida calls Shoko Nishimiya by her last name. The only time he calls her by her first name is during the scene where he prevents her from killing herself by jumping off of her apartment balcony. The switch mostly symbolizes the emotional urgency of the scene, as Nishimiya is deaf and not wearing her hearing aids at the time, making her unable to hear his desperate pleas.
• The Girl I Want is So Handsome! focuses on a basketball team, the members of which address each other by surnames unless they're particularly close, like Shiki and Hina or Rei and Hanna. Rei in particular is relatively selective about who gets to call her by her first name; she and Shiki still call each other "Hiiragi" and "Miyamoto" despite being friends, and when Hina expresses an interest in becoming friends with her, Rei allows her to call her "Meowmoto-senpai" rather than "Rei."
• The Summer You Were There
  • When Shizuku and Ruri were in elementary school together, they called each other by their first names with the "-chan" honorific, even though Ruri apparently never thought of Shizuku as a friend and bore the scars of her bullying. When Shizuku goes to apologize to Ruri, she switches to calling her the more formal and polite "Ichinose-san," but refers to her as "Ruri-chan" in her thoughts and when talking with Kaori. After Ruri expresses a desire to start over with Shizuku as acquaintances, Shizuku switches back to calling her "Ruri-chan."
  • Ruri's best friend Seri, who hates Shizuku for bullying Ruri, rudely calls her "Hoshikawa" without honorifics, while Shizuku calls her "Ichihara-san."
• Ghost Sweeper Mikami: The titular protagonist, Reiko Mikami, is very rarely addressed by her given name. Same applies for her assistant, Tadao Yokoshima, who's always called by his family name bar a few exceptions (including his own mother in a Time Travel episode).
• In Whisper Me a Love Song, Yori tends to refer to people by their surnames, even her best friend Aki. She continues to address Himari as "Kino-san" most of the time after they start dating, despite Himari calling her "Yori-senpai," and while she agrees to Himari's request to use her first name more, she often falls back on using Himari's surname.

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