@Yoshida> Please remove inactive lvl1-49 characters that take popular names!

[SilkaN]

While that's a bit harsh, names like that are usually a good indicator of terrible players. Along with mancat and/or an excessive amount of unnecessary apostrophes.

I like you. You forgot spiky hair, though.

[Khemorex]

question to the OP , what if u stoped play for a year and someone took your name?

and what if u come back after 1 year? would you be ok with someone else taking ur name? :P

[otarolgam]

That being said, when you mean popular names, I can only guess that you're referring to completely unoriginal people that lack any sort of creativity and name their character after some popular character from a video game or a book or an anime or a tv show despite it specifically stated as being against the ToS. I'd rather names like that be locked out entirely (looking at all you Kirito/Asuna/Sephiroth/Cloud/Squall wannabes) and I certainly report them when I see them because it's against the ToS.

... wat? How is naming your character something from other video games/anime against the ToS?

[ErikMynhier]

Oh my gods... just be somewhat original. Problem solved.

[Stitches1974]

... wat? How is naming your character something from other video games/anime against the ToS?

3.5 Naming Right. You may not use any name or other intellectual property belonging to Square Enix or any other third party in your use of the Game (for example, naming a character after a celebrity, company, product, or superhero).

[DaikiKiyoshi]

That being said, when you mean popular names, I can only guess that you're referring to completely unoriginal people that lack any sort of creativity and name their character after some popular character from a video game or a book or an anime or a tv show despite it specifically stated as being against the ToS. I'd rather names like that be locked out entirely (looking at all you Kirito/Asuna/Sephiroth/Cloud/Squall wannabes) and I certainly report them when I see them because it's against the ToS.

That's actually rather pathetic. Are you really so bored that you have to do this to entertain yourself?

[JunseiKei]

... wat? How is naming your character something from other video games/anime against the ToS?

Protection of property, trademarking and copyright. Every company has to defend their products or risk loss over the property in the court of law. Every business practices it, just some are more aggressive about it (IE: Nintendo).

[Risvertasashi]

Throwing in my support for fully opposing this. With the 2-name system, the only reason to want this is to use names that are against the ToS and, more important, unoriginal anyways. Embrace your creative side.

(That, and do we really want a fresh wave of Kirito'Ayra Uchiha-Stark's running around?)

[Pintsized]

Personally I like to try to be a tad original so 'popular names' aren't a problem for me, but NO WAY should SE do this!

Way back (possibly even in V1 days) Yoshi said quite clearly that he recognises a player's character's name is hugely valuable to that player and SE would never do anything to take it away, except in the case of server mergers which is the context in which he made that comment (which is why I think it was at the time when SE merged V1 servers to reduce the initial over-optimistic numbers.

@OP, why would you ever want to name one of your own characters with a name umpteen others want to use ("popular")?

[Drakkaelus]

Friend: "This is stupid, none of the names I pick are valid"
Me: "Pick something other than, 'Grimlock', 'Highwind' or 'Grommash'".
Friend: *immediate success* "Oh..."

This is only a problem if you're trying to use a name 10,000 other people already have. Just pick something else.