347 Indonesians Are Legally Named Naruto or Uzumaki, and the Full List of Anime Names Is Wild
Anime fandom tends to show up in familiar ways around the world, from cosplay conventions to elaborate merchandise collections to tattoos that outlast most relationships. But in Indonesia, devotion to Japanese pop culture has reached a level that few other countries can match, one that goes far beyond posters on a bedroom wall.
That devotion has apparently made its way onto official government paperwork. Indonesia’s population and civil registration authority recently pulled data revealing just how many citizens carry the names of beloved manga and anime characters on their actual birth certificates and identity cards, rather than simply as nicknames among friends.
According to figures released by Indonesia’s Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration, a total of 347 Indonesians are officially registered with the name Uzumaki or Naruto, both drawn directly from Naruto Uzumaki, the orange-clad protagonist of the long-running ninja series “Naruto.” In total, the agency confirmed 657 people across the country have been legally named after anime characters, spanning multiple different franchises entirely.
Naruto wasn’t the only ninja to leave a mark on the registry. According to the data, 158 people are registered under the name Sasuke, referencing Naruto’s rival-turned-ally Sasuke Uchiha, while another 152 carry the surname Uchiha itself, and 60 people are named Boruto, after Naruto’s own son from the franchise’s sequel series.
“Naruto” wasn’t the only series to shape Indonesian naming trends. Data shows 181 people are named Nobita, the schoolboy companion from “Doraemon,” while 16 Indonesians are registered with the name Doraemon itself, referring to the earless robotic cat at the center of the beloved franchise. Even minor “Doraemon” characters made the cut, with 8 people registered under the name Suneo, described by Director Teguh Setyabudi as “the whiny one” of the group.
“One Piece” fandom left its own fingerprint on the registry as well, with 79 people registered as D. Luffy, referencing Monkey D. Luffy, the rubber-limbed pirate captain at the heart of the manga and anime series. Another 37 people carry the name Usopp, one of Luffy’s fellow Straw Hat crew members, while 65 Indonesians go by Shinchan, and 23 are named Inuyasha after the demon-hunting hero of the classic anime series of the same name.
Local media coverage cited by outlets tracking the data suggests naming trends in Indonesia have shifted meaningfully over generations, with younger parents increasingly less bound to traditional Indonesian naming conventions when choosing names for their children. That shift appears to be opening the door for globally recognized pop culture figures, particularly anime characters, to take root in everyday Indonesian households.
While 347 people sharing a name tied to one franchise represents only a tiny fraction of Indonesia’s population of more than 280 million, the sheer range of characters represented, from ninjas to pirates to a robotic cat from the future, suggests these choices reflect genuine fandom rather than coincidence. For a country long recognized as one of the most enthusiastic anime markets in the world, having hundreds of citizens legally carrying character names feels like a natural extension of that cultural devotion.
Which Anime Character Would You Actually Name Your Child After?
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