Talk:Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog)

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Fox gets the Boot?[edit]

The current article mentions him getting a spinoff as "Fox gets the Boot" and I have never heard of this and can find no reference to it. 2620:22:4000:1204:1FC9:F79E:6D5D:70FE (talk) 21:05, 6 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

What's his name[edit]

In his Debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 his name was Miles "powers" Tails. In Sonic Riders His name was changed to Miles "Tails" Prower. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) His name change ... again to Miles "Tails" Prowler. Come on SEGA, make up your mind. Saprissy (talk) 13:24, 26 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Um, those are probably spelling errors. His name is Miles Prower, best known as Tails. Mokoniki | talk 14:21, 26 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Kitsune?[edit]

Should I add a mention that he seems to be based on a kitsune, due to being a fox with multiple tails? Zyborg —Preceding undated comment added 01:39, 31 October 2009 (UTC).[reply]

Probably not. Lady Sapphia (talk) 22:11, 8 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Popularity of character.[edit]

The article's main section mentions the popularity of the character Tails, placing 3rd to Sonic (1st) and Shadow (2nd). However, it does not mention that this popularity contest is something much more recent and arbitrary in history. Previous contests would have ranked the characters in popularity as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles... or perhaps Sonic,tails, and knuckles .

To be more honest with the character's actual popularity in the series, I believe this sentence should be changed to something neutral, like: "Tails is the second most recurring character in the Sonic Series, followed by Dr. Robotnic aka Eggman." (no source handy) ~ Agvulpine (talk) 07:15, 10 November 2009 (UTC) kl[reply]

Name of page[edit]

The lead of the article says that it's more popularly known as Tails, so the page should be moved to Tails. 79.2.52.49 (talk) 13:55, 18 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That would only apply if Tails was his real name, but its not. It's only a nickname. So the article remains Miles "Tails" Prower. --Ryu (Talk | Contributions) 15:22, 18 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Tails in Sonic Colors[edit]

Since Sonic is a Japanese game I was informed on the Sonic Colors page that who ever started the page gets to choose the language. since I was the one who originally wrote the part about tails being in it I get to choose the language. so I chose Sonic Colours please stop changing it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DreamsDreams (talk • contribs) 19:22, 28 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Here's a good place to start reading. For instance "Each article should consistently use the same conventions of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. For example, these should not be used in the same article: center and centre; color and colour;". That plus "the variety chosen by the first major contributor should be adopted" means "color" is the preferred spelling. It doesn't go line by line or section by section, it's for the entire article. SQGibbon (talk) 19:47, 28 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

New pic[edit]

Can someone get the picture of Modern Tails and Classic Tails from Sonic Generations. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.71.51.195 (talk) 18:46, 15 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move I[edit]

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: Moved to Tails (character) Mike Cline (talk) 17:04, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Miles "Tails" Prower → Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog) – Well, per WP:COMMONNAME, should we move it to Tails as that is the name he's mostly known for? Lucia Black (talk) 08:37, 8 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Support: Makes sense to me. His official name is Miles, but nobody ever calls him that in any of the games, comics or TV shows more than once. Nor does Sega refer to the character as Miles in its press documents. — KieferSkunk (talk) — 03:18, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - I know "Sonic the Hedgehog" is the series name, but as it's also a character's name, it looks confusing to have two names together like that. Almost like one name is an alias for the other name, or something. I know most people who know anything about video games would probably know that's not true, but wikipedia is supposed to be for general audiences who essentially don't know any better. I say keep it how it is, this seems to kind of be a solution for a problem that doesn't exist... Sergecross73 msg me 16:47, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
if its under disambiguation, then it won't be an issue for confusion. I don't think you understand how disambiguation work. Plus, WP:COMMONNAME tells us to use the most common name. Officially he is nicknamed tails while also officiallyhaving a real name. the reason (Sonic the Hedgehog) is there, is because thats whats needed to disambiguate the character. The problem is we use either one name, or the other. not both in one.Lucia Black (talk) 17:02, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
No, I understand how disambiguation works, and I understand what you're doing in theory, I just think that the end result looks awkward, and confusing for those who don't understand disambiguation. Sergecross73 msg me 17:15, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Not to be uncivil, but you sort of misunderstood it last time when the worry was about consistency on Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I think they can figure it out themselves. Tails itself being a name used for other topics, obviously, it wont work the (sonic the hedgehog) would work fine. Plus "Tails" can be put in italics, while disambiguation not. So it would look more like "Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog)". I highly doubt it would confuse anyone. I would normally go with "Tails (character)" but that would usually be if there was a series or video game titled tails. For example: Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon (character). Anyways, i still don't think it would be a problem in terms of understanding the title unless their very new to wikipedia. in which case if they were looking for "Tails" the character, they would either type Tails or Miles Prower and maybe even Miles "Tails" Prower if they are into that formatting. But Tails is the common name and would redirect to Tail disambiguation and list either way.Lucia Black (talk) 17:33, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The Sonic 2 argument was different, and I didn't oppose you as much as I said I didn't know what the best way was to do it, which was why I had never attempted to do anything about it myself. Ultimately irrelevant to this. As far as this goes, it's clear we don't agree, so let's just wait for other's input. Sergecross73 msg me 17:49, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

it's against "appropriate format" over "what doesn't subjectively look akward" is what i gathered. of course we don't agree, but we're not stubborn. There must be more points you have?Lucia Black (talk) 17:58, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

  • Oppose - I suggest Tails instead, simply. There's already a Tails (album) and that's the only other article whose title is Tails. I believe this article is much more of a primary topic, thus does not need the disambiguator. Revising my position -- it is a very common place dictionary word. Searching for "Tails" will bring people here appropriately anyhow; a simple Google search proves that beyond doubt. I see no compelling reason to change. Salvidrim! 18:44, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
WP:COMMONNAME is the compelling reason.Lucia Black (talk) 19:04, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Please explain your rationale (in your own words) in more detail -- why is Miles "Tails" Prower an inadequate name? Salvidrim! 19:20, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Tails is common name. Miles prower is his true name (in fiction) but not common name that he is referred to. Miles "Tails" Prower is a form of mentioning both names together however, it combines uncommon and common name. No one refers to him as Miles "Tails" Prower. Either Miles Prower or Tails. The latter being the common name.Lucia Black (talk) 19:32, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I'd understand your argument better if the article was merely "Miles Prower", but with Tails in there, I think that undoes most of your WP:COMMONNAME argument. "Tails" is still in there. Also, please note that he is referred to as Miles "Tails" Prower in Sonic 2 (and possibly other games or media), so it's not like the name is some sort of crazy concoction some random person created. Sergecross73 msg me 20:04, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I dont think you understand. Its about the title as a whole. Most commonly referred to as tails and tails alone. The format of "first name "nickname" surname" is purely titular but within dialogue or within reviews. Most commonly known as tails. just because tails is in it doesnt justify "Miles tails Prower". I think yoou both mis the idea of WP:Commonname.Lucia Black (talk) 20:39, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You've stated your case numerous times. We get it. We just don't agree with your application of it. It's different than "not understanding", so please stop suggesting that we "don't understand".
In short, it's a "if it's not broke, don't fix it" type situation. No one's having a hard time distinguishing what the article is currently about with it's current title, it's coming up just fine on Google, etc. It's fine the way it is. Furthermore, we should probably concentrate our energy more towards bettering the article itself, which is ultimately more important. Sergecross73 msg me 20:46, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I gave the rules. Its pretty clear. We both know this. Its whether complying to the rules.Lucia Black (talk) 20:50, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

And this is why we work towards gathering consensus here on wikipedia, because there's often different interpretations of those said rules. Sergecross73 msg me 20:52, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
If it wasnt for disambiguation, the consensus would be to support it. However because disambiguation to you seems odd as the series tails is from is also the name of a character, it was opposed. Basically one person fights hard for something that is correct within the rules while the slightly bigger side is more worried about subjective. Consensus wont always save a situation. Its how strong the argument is not how many people vote for it.And you made a half baked attempt to counter wp:commonname. Or maybe you didnt put it in considderation at all.Lucia Black (talk) 20:58, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Please, assume good faith, and concern yourself with your own arguments, and not your perceived "lack of consideration" I put into my stances. Sergecross73 msg me 21:15, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yes i am assuming good faith but the point has been dodged excessively. At the moment its tied between preference and followig guidelines.Lucia Black (talk) 22:37, 13 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Nothing has been dodged, we just don't see eye-to-eye. Let's look at this another way. Please, look at the examples given at WP:COMMONNAME:

Notice something? Both names are very different, usually even unrecognizeable if one didn't have any prior knowledge. Not the case at all when you look at:

Again, if the argument was "Miles Prower", then it'd be more relatable to the examples. But it's not the case here; it's very easy to see that Miles "Tails" Prower and Tails are the same. You're just creating extra work, and frankly wasting people's time that could be better spent on actually improving the encyclopedia. Sergecross73 msg me 00:11, 14 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

like i said. If it wasnt for the fact that disambiguation is also the title given to the series. This wouldnt be an issue at all. But because it is opposed per subjective reasons. the point in the tite is being the common name, not having the common name within it.Lucia Black (talk) 00:40, 14 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Your suggestion is equally subjective. It's still just your opinion that this name is someone not getting the job done. But no matter, you refuse to consider any option other than your own, so it's pointless to argue further, unless/until someone else introduces any new info. So I'm back to waiting to see what other people say... Sergecross73 msg me 02:31, 14 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

How is it an opinion? Its pointless because i see no true argument, the main point countering yours is being dodged. I give my point, you give yours, i counter yours, you stick with "lets agree to disagree". As if you had no defense.Lucia Black (talk) 03:01, 14 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

My support for the name change is per WP:COMMONNAME which is using the most common name given to him. Like i said, the reason why this is being dodged is because it'll need disambiguator which means adding (Sonic the Hedgehog) next to it, which the oppose is based on subjective reasons such as "it looks odd" which mine are trying to confide in WP:COMMONNAME. So no, mine arent equally as subjective as yours. In the list of sonic the hedgehog videogame characters, there was no real issue. And has been consistently dodged whenever a point is being brought up. So forgive the bad faith but at the same time understand where all of it this was leading to.Lucia Black (talk) 03:21, 14 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Recognizability. People who want to read the article probably know that he is a fictinal character. Less likely to know that his real name is "Miles Prower".
  • Naturalness. The most natural one is "Tails" but we need to disambiguate from the common noun "tails" in some way. Both 'Miles "Tails" Prower' and 'Tails (character)' are acceptable disambiguation.
  • Precision. Both 'Miles "Tails" Prower' and 'Tails (character)' unambiguously refers to the topic. There are no other articles about fictional characters named Tails as far as I know. (Articles start with Tails)
  • Conciseness. 'Tails (character)' is shorter than 'Miles "Tails" Prower'
  • Consistency. I don't think 'Given name "Nickname" Surname' format is commonly employed on Wikipedia, while use of "(character)" as a disambiguator is common.
--Kusunose 08:08, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support character is good aswell. I was skeptical wasn't the most appropriate name.Lucia Black (talk)
  • Support - Good compromise. It eliminates my concerns with the earlier suggestion. Sergecross73 msg me 13:55, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

His plane[edit]

The fact that he flies a plane probably ought to be mentioned a little more in here, shouldn't it? Seems like that's a reoccuring theme amongst the various games and other media. FYI, I'll probably work on adding that somewhere, whether it be it's own section, or just adding it more to where it's minimally mentioned already... Sergecross73 msg me 13:44, 14 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If you find a good source maybe.Lucia Black (talk) 13:58, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Come on, you don't need to remind experienced editors to provide sources. Sergecross73 msg me 14:26, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Depends...some subjectivity still lingers around.Lucia Black (talk) 16:42, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Names[edit]

I was looking at "Recent changes"(right there on the side of the page) and saw this page's name.I would like somebody to change the name back to Miles "Tails" Prower please.98.71.47.189|sĔm (talk) 18:52, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It would be easier to discuss/respond to this if you explained your point of view a little. What's your opinion? Sergecross73 msg me 18:56, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry took so long,I think this page should be rename back Miles "Tails" Prower,cause well that's his name,since Sonic the Hedgehog is always just called Sonic most of the time should we name his page just Sonic?98.71.47.189|sĔm 98.71.47.189 (talk) 19:02, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Actually there have been several time sonic has been introduced as "Sonic the Hedgehog". Cant say the same for the rest of the characters however Miles "Tails" Prower is more of a title, than a actual name given to him.Lucia Black (talk) 19:36, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, Sonic or Eggman call him "Sonic the Hedgehog" relatively frequently in games, not to mention many of the older Sonic game contained in in the title. It's not quite the same as MTP, which, the only time I recall seeing off the top of my head, was in the intro to Sonic 2, I believe. Ultimately, I believe either would be ok, but this current option was something everyone, prior to yourself, agreed upon, so I feel it's the best combination of policy and consensus right now... Sergecross73 msg me 19:57, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]


Gah! I need to check out Wikipedia more often! I am vehemently opposed to this change, which I liken to moving "Knuckles the Echidna" to "Knuckles (character)" simply because the character is just as well known as just that. "Miles 'Tails' Prower" works perfectly fine with WP:CN, and Google searches are NOT EVIDENCE of the most commonly known name (in fact a Google search for "Knuckles" has similar results as "Tails"; as does "Mickey" for Mickey Mouse).

I strongly challenge Kusunose's assertions that..

the recognizability and naturalness are better (the claim that more people will recognize "Tails" but not "Miles Prower" has no evidence to back it up, and the "(character)" disambiguator is a cumbersome add on that is rendered unnecessary by the character's franchised name),
the assertion that the consistency is better (while the use of "(character)" as a disambiguator is common; most characters still use their franchised name),
and the assertion that the conciseness is better (it's not even shorter, "Miles Prower" = 11 characters, "(character)"= 11 charcters).
Also MTP has been used numerous times in the games as well (most recently in Sonic Generations' in game bios, but also in Sonic Adventure 1&2's story recaps and character selects in several games such as the Riders series to name a few) which directly contradicts that assertion that "Tails" would be more recognizable than "Miles 'Tails' Prower". I feel that this change actually does the opposite of what it is intended. CIGraphix (talk) 23:19, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps the move was done a little prematurely. You make some good points too. The only one I actively contest is "Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog)"; I do understand your reasoning... Sergecross73 msg me 23:23, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Im not so sure about generations, That said, it takes alot more thn in-game. Though MTP is more he most common "title" rather than "name". Still Tails is the common name referred and given to him.Lucia Black (talk) 23:59, 17 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Well, he gave a lot of concrete examples. Kinda makes your opinion that "Tails" is more common a little more...subjective?
Sources for MTP,so then rename the page back.98.71.47.189 (talk) 00:19, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry for the late reply. However he's still referred to Tails. Tails being referred to as the character is still common. the name is more title, than name.Lucia Black (talk) 00:31, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It's pretty clear he's called both pretty frequently. Sergecross73 msg me 04:14, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Which is refered to him. We'll see...and naturally it gives some confusion. MTP is a frm to show both nickname and realname.Lucia Black (talk) 04:39, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

There are huge problems with your logic, in addition to the ones I mentioned, another one is consistency: for example, the Sonic the Hedgehog character is mostly referred to as "Sonic" and thus according to your logic "Sonic" would be the common name because it is used far more than "Sonic the Hedgehog" - but in truth it is only a shortened form of the common name. The character is promoted as "Miles 'Tails' Prower" by Sega (and quite heavily as it appears in nearly every game or manual or TV show that features the character with frequency only slightly under "Sonic the Hedgehog"), it is the franchised name for said character, and is often referred to at least once per reference in the holy grail of Wikipedia: 3rd party reliable sources (as mentioned by Sergecross above). And in your uncertainty of Sonic Generations, check the bios yourself (the whole point of a reference is to allow others to verify it - if you can't do so, I dunno, use YouTube or something - as detestable as that is). I understand your reasoning when it comes to other characters or article subjects (like Bender (Futurama) over Bender Bending Rodríguez because "Bender" is what the character is both marketed as and is what it is indisputably most commonly known as) but this subject is most marketed and known as "Miles 'Tails' Prower" - you have not proven that "Tails" is the most commonly known name over his marketing franchised name, "Miles 'Tails' Prower", and the fact that it is shortened to the easier to say/type "Tails" means as much as it does to the character of Sonic who often gets the same treatment (and it is a title you have openly expressed no desire in applying this logic to). CIGraphix (talk) 05:02, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

he is refered as Sonic the Hedgehog several times as for tails is tails or miles prower. But Sonic might be better and more common just as Knuckles the echidna could be just "knuckles (character)".Lucia Black (talk) 05:15, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, you keep on just talking in rambling generalities. Real counter-examples have been presented. I kind of feel like we should contact that Admin and change it back until there's a clearer consensus... Sergecross73 msg me 05:22, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The same can be said for this character "he is referred as Miles 'Tails' Prower several times" - you just keep making an assertion and not backing it up. Wikipedia lives on 3rd party reliable sources, and 3rd party reliable sources use the name the character is marketed as. You have no evidence, in fact you can't even say that my argument lacks evidence since it has been presented. Remember that WP:COMMONNAME says to look at the references used in the article to judge the common name, the references use "Miles 'Tails' Prower" before going to the shortened name. According to your logic Barack Obama should be shortened to "Obama" despite how nearly all sources refer to him as at least "Barack Obama" before using the shortened version of his obviously common name. So I feel as if you have seriously misunderstood the intentions behind WP:COMMONNAME. CIGraphix (talk) 05:36, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Not true, the given sourcces have used "tails" along side. And many people refer to him Barrack alone. Obama alone yes. Like i said, MTP is a foorm to present both real name and nickname in which this article openly admits he is most commonly referred to Tails.Lucia Black (talk) 05:46, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

On the contrary, by first using the character's marketing franchised name, Miles "Tails" Prower, the sources clearly do not find "Tails" to be enough to precisely identify the character - once they feel they have made certain the character has been identified to the reader beyond all doubt by using the full franchised name first, then they shorten it to just "Tails". This is no different than how the news sources first identify Barack Obama first before using the shortened name. It is time to stop arguing against what is clearly the common name as determined by real world, 3rd party reliable sources, as WP:COMMONNAME dictates. CIGraphix (talk) 06:42, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed. We've provided concrete examples, where as Lucia Black just keeps on talking circles with her generalities... Sergecross73 msg me 06:48, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Not exactly. Because compared to the other titles, this is more of a common format than common name. For one, you'd have to prove how it is said the example you give (meaning knowing how they were used). Sonic the Hedgehog shortened to just Sonic, same as for knuckles or Shadow. However for this situation its not so cut and dry. Its a mix of both nickname and real name. Is he referred to as Miles "tails" prower in the name sense more than the formatted sense? There were instances when Dr. Eggman was referred to Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik at one point. Thats where it leads to...that and we also have proof of given games named after him with just "Tails".Lucia Black (talk) 15:20, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Didn't we just have a RM about this? This thread was started by a long-term Sonic-related disruptive editor while he was ban evading; I'm not sure why exactly it is we're still discussing this. Salvidrim! 16:13, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The IP's thought process was flawed, I wasn't supporting that. It was Cigraphix, who made good points. Also, I had thought that the merger discussion had been quite short and closed prematurely, but looking back, it actually was open for a while, it's just that the discussion was active a few days, and dormant a few days... Sergecross73 msg me 17:24, 18 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You keep going on about the "more common format", yet the subject is a fictional character whose name is marketed and called consistently as MTP. The whole nickname thing is only true in-universe, Sega clearly markets MTP to be his common name in real life (hense why I've called it his franchised name). And it is a common writing device to use the full common name before using a shortened name for the reasons I described earlier... if something should be proven, it's your earlier assertion that most people would be more likely to look up "Tails" or "Miles Prower" because honestly, I don't think just "Tails" is precise enough. And like I said, sheer numerical use does not make something a common name, or else nearly every US President article, along with many, many other articles, would have to consider their last name the common name (it would cause chaos in Wikipedia). CIGraphix (talk) 15:40, 20 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It seems 'Miles "Tails" Prower' is not obscure as I thought initially and therefore qualifies as "natural disambiguation" per WP:PRECISION: a different, alternative name that the subject is also commonly called in English, albeit, not as commonly as the preferred but ambiguous title (do not, however, use obscure or made up names). Although I still think Tails (character) is a good name, probably it is not good enough to warrant a rename. I don't oppose renaming back per WP:STATUSQUO. --Kusunose 02:27, 20 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Its not "that" obscure, but i still dont think is as common as just "tails". Its more of a common name-format but not common name. I am still skeptical because the name is based off two other different names.Lucia Black (talk) 03:20, 21 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

With the new arguments, should a new move request be made now? Or is there some time limit between requested moves? I've participated in the move debates before, but in all the years I've been on WP, I'm normally not the one to start one. CIGraphix (talk) 05:20, 25 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't have time to figure it out at the moment either, but I do support doing another one. Salvidrim set up the first one... Sergecross73 msg me 14:22, 25 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
What's the proposed name? Salvidrim! 14:50, 25 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I assume the original, Miles "Tails" Prower. Sergecross73 msg me 13:47, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
As I understand, the "full name" is the option being debated here; please just make sure you've worked out the format it should be in. Miles Tails Prower, Tails (Miles Prower), Miles "Tails" Prower, Miles Prower (Tails), or any variation; I'd like a clear proposition that will end the debate. I'd hate to see this article's title devolve into a string of RfCs and RMs on technicalities. The goal here is not to find out who's "more right", but to find a common ground we can all agree on. From what I've seen here are mostly three involved editors -- hopefully some consensus can be reached without months of arguments. :)
Additionally, I'd like to bring to your attention two cases where people (fictional or not) are known more by their "nicknames" or aliases than by their real name, and the title of these articles. One is Notch (game designer), the other is Goichi Suda, more commonly known as Suda51. Neither name includes both the "commonly used" nickname and the full name. In fact, apart from this article, I do not recall any (reasonable) proposition that both a full name and the commonly used nickname be included in the title of an article. I'm not expressing a specific position about this article and am well aware of the trappings of WP:OTHERCRAPEXISTS; however this is simply something that perhaps should be taken in consideration.
Oh, and just a note, in case -- please refrain from moving the article until said consensus has been reached. :) Salvidrim! 16:54, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
"Neither name includes both the "commonly used" nickname and the full name. In fact, apart from this article, I do not recall any (reasonable) proposition that both a full name and the commonly used nickname be included in the title of an article." - I understand this, but that's because people/characters in general typically don't use such a name structure. This name is not something that an editor has manufactured on their own; if they had, I'd be very against it myself. But this is a name Sega created, and that has been used in-game, and from sources. (See my 4 source bulleted list above, and some examples CIGraphics provided.)
  • As far as people's stances go, I don't mean to put words in anyone's mouths, but this is how I understand it to be:
    • Miles "Tails" Prower - CIGraphix's only option. Serge's preferred option. Kusunose "doesn't oppose it" anymore.
    • Tails (character) - Lucia and Serge's compromise option. Kusuonse's said it was "a good name, probably it is not good enough to warrant a rename."
    • Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog) - As far as I can tell, only Lucia's primary option.

There's also this, as per WP:NOCONSENSUS - In article title discussions, no consensus has two defaults: If an article title has been stable for a long time, then the long-standing article title is kept. If it has never been stable, or has been unstable for a long time, then it is moved to the title used by the first major contributor after the article ceased to be a stub. - I believe both of those options would default back to Miles Tails Prower. Sergecross73 msg me 17:22, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

  • Understood, but asking the admin to move it back while it may be moved again short term seems unecessary - unless either party has a strong issue with leaving the title as is until the RM is done?
  • If I understand correctly, Lucia & Serge agree to Tails (character); CIGraphix believes it should be Miles "Tails" Prower; Kusonose hasn't expressed a strong opinion either way. I will summarize CIGraphix's position shortly and start up another RM, I guess. Salvidrim! 17:30, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
    • I'm fine with keeping the title as is for the RM, I wasn't arguing that part of your statement. And to be clear, in the past, I compromised to to "Tails (character)", yes, but after CIGraphix's argument, and my source hunting, I'm back to my original stance that it never needed to be changed. Sergecross73 msg me 17:39, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move II[edit]

The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the proposal was NO CONSENSUS TO MOVE. While there was some support for a move, more editors (and the advice of WP:COMMONNAME) prefer the status quo. Kim Dent-Brown (Talk) 19:16, 12 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Tails (character) → Miles "Tails" Prower

Basically a reversion of the previous RM; parties have mostly agreed to another RM.

Proposal on behalf of CIGraphix. Here are the major arguments:

  • Conciseness is not a factor, both titles are as long.
  • Miles "Tails" Prower is a name used in-game in several titles in the series.
  • Several sources in use in the article refer to the subject as Miles "Tails" Prower (IGN, Cracked, sonicteam.com, GamesRadar).
  • Tails is the short name for the character, like Sonic is the short name for Sonic the Hedgehog; however the full name should be used in the title.
  • It would qualify as "natural disambiguation" per WP:PRECISION, and while Tails (character) may not be a bad name, Miles "Tails" Prower might be preferable per WP:STATUSQUO.

I, Salvidrim, am writing this proposal but not weighing in on the matter as of the time of this post; this is done solely on behalf of CIGraphix. Salvidrim! 17:47, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

  • Support -(edit conflict) - Per the proposal. (That's not the cheap/lazy way out, as much of the sources and ideas from the proposal were past arguments I've made while discussing this.) Sergecross73 msg me 18:04, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • The reason why i prefer Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog) is because thats the most appropriate format when it comes to having disambiguation, but opposing it is more subjective than anything else, so i consider it a weak oppose. if Tails had his own series called "Tails" then it would be much better to use Tails (character). I'm not completely opposing Tails (character) because it's do-able without any contradiction. Overall, i'm still not going for Miles "Tails" Prower, it looks more like Common name format over common name. The example of Barack Obama isn't exactly accurate in this situation as Barack Obama is only one name. The current situation is with the merging to two already given names. Makes me wonder, if it's said as a format, or said as a common name?Lucia Black (talk) 18:03, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Is a nickname a shorter version of it's true name? The biggest issue i see is that it's mainly made up of two different names. The names are also used differntly.Lucia Black (talk) 18:06, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It doesn't matter, its the name given to him by Sega, used by Sega in-game, and by reliable sources (examples listed in proposal). It makes more sense to use it per WP:PRECISION and WP:STATUSQUO. Sergecross73 msg me 18:09, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It's not the most common name, yes used in-game (rather rarely) and used in sources, but it does matter, because it's the main point i'm making.For example Indianna Jones.Lucia Black (talk) 18:36, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, but there is also the more relevent counter example of the Sonic the Hedgehog article being at Sonic the Hedgehog (character), and not Sonic (character). Sergecross73 msg me 18:45, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
But does not apply here. SOnic the Hedgehog is actually one name alone. Tails isn't exactly a shortened version.Lucia Black (talk) 18:53, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Well, then once again we're just down to a difference in opinion, because I feel it does apply, and it is just the shortening of a name. Sergecross73 msg me 19:06, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Think about it, the format is "first name 'nickname' surname". A nickname is a name given instead/over their real name (first name and surname). To believe Tails is short for Miles "Tails" Prower is shortened version of his true name, is suggesting that Tails is actually part of his real name, such as middle name or so.Lucia Black (talk) 19:21, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

We are talking about a fictional character. There are no birth records, or any of that. What matters is what Sega named/labels him. They have assigned these three words to represent this character. Miles Tails Prower. He is referred to as such. That should be his name.
I've noticed a pattern that you will continually answer every post that you disagree with, whether there's anything new to comment on or not, so I'm stopping here until any new info/participants arise. Thanks. Sergecross73 msg me 19:29, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Your point being it's name in general, not the common name. And it's getting subjective, we both know, Tails alone is the most common referred to him in both sources and such. And the problem is still being the same, common format to include both true name, and nickname and by true, that's the only word i can think of at the moment, and i hope no one stresses the word. And yes, why shouldn't i respond to every post i disagree with? thats how discussion works. I think you're striving away from the point. The pun of his name was to be "miles per hour". And although fictional or not, they have their "set" of names and their place values. We both know Tails is a nickname that he is commonly referred to, we both know Miles Prower is his true name given as a pun. Sega/Sonic team also refers to him as simply "Tails" and has several games such as Sonic and Tails and several other spin offs. There's nothing wrong with Tails (character), yes it is less subjectively accurate, but still the most common, and the shorter than Miles "Tails" Prower. For the sake of not disambiguation i can understand, but only when the name with disambiguation is more complicated than the "lesser" common name. Another Example is James T. Kirk. In which several sources use several formats of his name such as James Kirk, Jim Kirk, James T. Kirk, James Tiberius Kirk etc.Lucia Black (talk) 20:21, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. In general, I find article titles using quoted nicknames to be awkward and hard for our readers to find and our editors to link. That, in my opinion, overrides any "naturalness" argument. Note what WP:AT has to say about naturalness: "Titles are those that readers are likely to look for or search with as well as those that editors naturally use to link from other articles." The average reader of this article would likely expect it to be found at "Tails", perhaps with a parenthetical disambiguator, and that's how it will be linked from most articles (using the pipe trick: "[[Tails (character)|]]"). Powers T 21:40, 27 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - I would disagree that "Tails" is accurate enough, 3rd party sources generally use "Miles 'Tails' Prower" before dropping the name down to the shorthand version of just "Tails". This fact would make "MTP" the title more readers & editors would naturally use (editors would likely write, or should write, like the sources and use "MTP" for the first mention of the character in an article before dropping to the shorthand "Tails"). Also WP has articles like "Crocodile" Dundee and Michael "Crocodile" Dundee and what is said at WP:AT "An exception is made when the quotation marks are part of a name or title." In light of how so many 3rd party reliable sources use "MTP" it looks like claims that "Tails" is more common for the character fall under WP:OR. CIGraphix (talk) 05:33, 28 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
    • Actually the word Tails come up more often than Miles Tails Prowers. I argue, it won't be as natural as just tails regardless if it's used. And the sources also use tails. I also argue accuracy isn't the point of WP:COMMONNAME. However, we both know Miles "tails" Prower isn't exactly a shortened version. Its a common name format to show both his true name and the nickname most commonly associated with him, not a common name but a common name "format". in the end people refer to him as "Tails" overall. "Tails" incluences MTP not the other way around. The fact that they use that format suggests which one is the common name. For example, if "tails" really was a shortened version of Miles Tails Prower, we would actually be calling him "Miles" not "Tails". "Crocodile" Dundee is the title of the article, and there is no other title that it's given. That and it's not a name of a person. Michael "Crocodile" Dundee can easily be changed to simply "Michael Dundee" which he's also known as "mick".Lucia Black (talk) 15:55, 28 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
      • The sources still mostly use "Miles 'Tails' Prower" in the most prominent spot... the first use that identifies that the subject they are currently talking about - "Tails" is used in the spots after that. Even if WP:COMMONNAME does not mention accuracy, WP:ARTICAL TITLE mentions precision and also says....
"However, when a topic's most commonly used name, as reflected in reliable sources, is ambiguous (can refer to more than one topic covered in Wikipedia), and the topic is not primary, that name cannot be used and so must be disambiguated. There are generally two methods employed to avoid using an ambiguous title.
1. Natural disambiguation: If it exists, choose a different, alternative name that the subject is also commonly called in English, albeit, not as commonly as the preferred but ambiguous title (do not, however, use obscure or made up names).
2. Parenthetical disambiguation: If natural disambiguation is not possible, add a disambiguating term in parentheses (or sometimes after a comma), directly after the ambiguous name."
The character "Tails" is clearly not the primary use of "Tails", which is even reflected in your "Tails (character)" parenthetical disambiguation. But parenthetical disambiguation is considered the secondary form of disambiguation to be used if a natural disambiguation does not exist (the bolded above: "If natural disambiguation is not possible"). Even if you are unable to agree with us that "Miles 'Tails' Prower" beats "Tails" in WP:COMMONNAME just because of its numerical usage, "Miles 'Tails' Prower" still beats out "Tails (character)" based on this. CIGraphix (talk) 22:00, 1 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I completely agree. Sergecross73 msg me 22:15, 1 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I personally find that rule flawed. For example Lightning (Final Fantasy) has disambiguation however, there is only one Possible name, and it is not most commonly used the one and only name she is most commonly referred to is "Lightning" and it is common for people to look for her as Lightning. Same situation as Tails. It's natural, but not common for MTP over Tails. Regardless, i give up at this point, because "Tails (character)" will still redirect here. And either form will lead to the article at this point.Lucia Black (talk) 22:31, 1 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The proposed title is hardly "natural". The natural form referred to in the rules must be at least somewhat common, and I just don't see enough evidence of that to be worth using the awkward infixed nickname. Powers T 00:23, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It's not natural as far as usual convention goes, but it is both his official name, and what he is referred to in many games, again, like Sonic 2. And it's still what Sega has named him, and what 3rd parties commonly refer to him as. (See IGN and other sources for proof.) Your argument is the equivalent to renaming the the article for VGChartz to VGCharts because it's not natural to have a "Z" to represent something being plural. Natural or not, it's what it is called and identified as. Sergecross73 msg me 00:43, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, but appealing to "official" names doesn't hold much water with me. We title articles the way readers are likely to expect them to be titled, to ease both searching and linking. The current title achieves those goals, and the proposed title inhibits them. Powers T 00:59, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I know this very well, that's why that was only one part of my argument. Please see the third party sources that call him as such, I've relisted them below. Extremely popular and mainstream websites, like IGN, use the proposed title, for example. Sergecross73 msg me 01:06, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
IGN itself is only one source. And they also named various other games such as "Super robot Wars" into "Super Robot Taisen". Which several other sources name the games "Super Robot Wars" not every source is perfect. Officially though, since Sonic Adventure, it has been the main common title (not name). But i also agree, the proposed isn't as natural as the current.Lucia Black (talk) 00:52, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I've got proof for my claims (IGN, Cracked, sonicteam.com,GamesRadar.) Where's proof for what you're saying? (Also, I've seen "Taisen" and "Wars" used interchangeably before. See Sakura Taisen/Sakura Wars, for example. Either is acceptable in this case.) Sergecross73 msg me 00:59, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The issue with taisen/wars is bigger than interchangeable words. That said, i think you missed the point i brought with SRW/SRT with IGN.Lucia Black (talk) 01:43, 3 March 2012 (UTC) if you were fa[reply]

No, that was a bad example. I'm pretty sure Super Robot Wars and Super Robot Taisen are both acceptable, much like Sakura Wars or Sakura Taisen. I've probably "missed the point" because you haven't provided a valid example of what you're trying to say yet. Sergecross73 msg me 02:39, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The point is IGn will often have innacurate naming. You can't compare the word itself. the last issue with SRW was Super Robot Wars was often known as "Super Robot Taisen" when released in english. However the series was still commonly known was "Super Robot Wars" in japanese and english even if they referred to it as "Super Robot Taisen" in certain released video games. IGN would call them Super Robot Taisen in games that weren't released in japanese after that. Sakura Wars and Sakrua taisen is interchangeable because thats the original language (japanese) is "Sakura Taisen", but the article is still named "Sakura Wars" per english. the point was IGN isn't always accurate with some naming. You made a half-baked counter example by comparing words, not titles.Lucia Black (talk) 03:32, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
There are a lot of unsubstantiated claims being made: IGN often has inaccurate naming, "Tails" is the name most likely to be searched for the subject, "Miles 'Tails' Prower" is awkward. Without some sourcing, these amount to Original Research and opinion. And there is even disagreement with Wikipedia rules themselves; don't try to change the rules here, go to the rule itself and discuss it there - the rule stands until it is changed by the community consensus. Meanwhile "M'T'P" is frequently used in the most important spot in 3rd party sources - the identification of subject (which trumps shorthand uses in proving Common Name), is a natural disambiguation (which trumps parenthetical ones), and conforms to Wikipedia Article Titles (which allows quotes in situations in which the quotes are part of the name such as this). Please don't get into "Other Stuff Exists" arguments and derail the topic at hand with Super Robot Taisen Wars. CIGraphix (talk) 04:54, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, this is what I was saying before. Lucia has yet to actually back up what she's saying now with any sort of source. Sergecross73 msg me 06:38, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It really isn't something that hard to find. Which is why i have no need to bring an actual link. But my point was made clear enough. But at this point, i already gave up.Lucia Black (talk) 15:41, 3 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
That doesn't make sense. You say your point is "clear enough" and doesn't require a link, right after we both say we don't agree/understand? And this is after admitting that it "wouldn't be hard to find" too? What's the point in these responses, especially if you've self-proclaimed "given up"? Sergecross73 msg me 14:41, 5 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

What I'm saying is that the current title is a lot more natural than the proposed one. And i find the current rule choosing lesser common name without disambiguation over common name with disambiguation. And also i continue to respond to correct the logic used, such as comparing words instead of titles. But like i said, Tails (character) is going to redirect here anyways, so its not going to affect that much.Lucia Black (talk) 17:16, 5 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I understand (in theory) your argument about Commonname, you've said that many times. I was talking about your past prior response about providing links in particular. But if you're sticking with your "over it" stance, then it doesn't matter and we need not argue anymore. Sergecross73 msg me 17:29, 5 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • I'm going to oppose this, due to COMMONNAME. Tails is pretty easily identifiable to those without the extra distinction, and moving it to a less common name could cause some confusion. In response to Sonic the Hedgehog being used over simply Sonic, the full name is reasonably common (and more specific) due to it being the full title of the respective series. If we're going to bring this into the comparison, Tails' games aren't Miles "Tails" Prower's Adventures. - New Age Retro Hippie (talk) (contributions) 12:07, 6 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
But you have nothing to back up that "Tails" is the most easy identification for the character, "Tails Adventures" is not a good example of supporting evidence either (it's not "Sonic the Hedgeghog Adventure" or "Sonic the Hedgehog Heroes"). I can just as easily allege that someone who knows of the character would not be sure what someone was talking about if the character was brought up as just "Tails" without relating it to the Sonic series. Reliable 3rd party sources nearly always identify the character as "Miles 'Tails' Prower" first - as if just "Tails" is not enough compared to the character's marketing name "Miles 'Tails' Prower". And of course Sega markets the character as "Miles 'Tails' Prower" - and marketing names are in the vast majority of instances the common name (in the few where they are not, like Federal Express, the marketing name is almost always eventually changed to reflect the common name, FedEx). And then there are these parts in WP:COMMONNAME:
"Titles are often proper nouns, such as the name of the person, place or thing that is the subject of the article. The most common name for a subject, as determined by its prevalence in reliable English-language sources, is often used as a title because it is recognizable and natural. Editors should also ask the questions outlined above. Ambiguous or inaccurate names for the article subject, as determined by reliable sources, are often avoided even though they may be more frequently used by reliable sources. Neutrality is also considered; our policy on neutral titles, and what neutrality in titles is, follows in the next section. When there are several names for a subject, all of them fairly common, and the most common has problems, it is perfectly reasonable to choose one of the others."
"Tails" is ambiguous and imprecise, failing the first bolded part of COMMONNAME and requiring disambiguation. "Tails" also fails WP:PRECISION and its rule on the use of disambiguation, which states that "natural disambiguation" (ie. "Miles 'Tails' Prower") is preferred over "parenthetical disambiguation" (ie. "Tails (character)"). Also WP:TITLEFORMAT makes exceptions for names that have quotations that are part of the name (as this character's marketing name does). CIGraphix (talk) 23:10, 6 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Tails is precise enough. WP:PRECISION says to be precise, but not too Precise, and i believe simply "tails" is enough precision along with disambiguation. WHich means, my reasoning as Sergecross said (in theory) is correct. WP:ARTICLEFORMAT does take place in the sense, that if needed, it can be added. However, the examples given are "corcodile" Dundee and "Heroes". The situation changes when it's for a person, or character as its not much more title-dependent.Lucia Black (talk) 04:06, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

To top it off, it IS Sonic the Hedgehog 4. There are no other notable characters that go by the name of Tails. In addition, there are people who recognize the character as Tails - mainly because most people refer to the character in the short-hand. People who don't know the character wouldn't care where it was; people who do would know him as Tails; and people who only casually know him would be more likely to be confused if they use a less commonly used name. - New Age Retro Hippie (talk) (contributions) 10:07, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

That leads me back to my argument I said earlier; I'd understand your argument if we were proposing "Miles Prower", but with the "Tails" in there, as in Miles "Tails" Prower, I'd find it hard to belive that people would have a hard figuring out who this is. No one seemed to have a hard times in the years before it was changed a month ago... Sergecross73 msg me 15:23, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Which was countered along time ago with, title don't work like the way you make them out. it's not about it if's in there, just that Tails (alone) is enough. Not the other way around. It's precise enough, thats the point.Lucia Black (talk) 18:32, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Which was countered by the fact that, since "Tails" by itself requires the disambiguation of "(character)" at the end, it equally long character-wise, but not as precise. (And MTP requires no disambig too.) Sergecross73 msg me 18:39, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It's precise "enough". I believe thats the point WP:PRECISION is trying to make, to be precise, butnot too precise and i believe Miles "Tails" Prower is too precise.Fans and non-fans alike know him as merely "tails". I don't believe disambiguation over natural disambiguation always wins. Example: Lightning (Final Fantasy) her true name been Claire/Eclaire Farron. Overall, people will most commonly look up "tails" rather than Miles "tails" Prower if they're new to the topic.Lucia Black (talk) 19:06, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
And so, it boils down to opinion again; you say it's "precise enough", I say it isn't. (And you're Lightning example isn't revelevent because the two options aren't Lightning and Clair "Lightning" Farron. It's different because there's no overlap in Lightning and Claire, and as such, I would never propose her article be named Claire Farron.) Sergecross73 msg me 19:20, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The fact is, Tails alone is used for several other games and most commonly introduced, similar to Sonic (the hedgehog). And he is referred to as just Tails (not in the sense of shorter version of MTP if you look closely at the situation doesn't make sense). I gave the example, simply for the fact that both have options regardless. Tails is precise enough. He is commonly referred to as such and easier to find for new readers. Miles "tails" Prower is too precise in the sense that "Tails" is whats being highlighted.Lucia Black (talk) 19:39, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The character of "Lightning" from FF and that character's "real name", is a bad example. Ask yourself this, does the character get marketed as "Clair Farron", "Clair 'Lightning' Farron", or just "Lightning"? "Clair Farron" is not the character's MARKETING NAME, "Lightning" is, I looked through several sources on the character's page and "CF" does not even get mentioned. This is no different than Bender from Futurama (the character's full name is "Bender Bending Rodríguez" or "Bending Unit 22", but it's marketing name is simply "Bender"). Comparatively, "Miles 'Tails' Prower" IS the marketing name for this character. The fact that reliable 3rd party sources so frequently use this marketing name to precisely identify the character before dropping to the shorthand reflects that "Tails" may not be enough in their eyes (and I'm getting tempted to start looking up the copyrights to see if "Tails" is even copyrighted by Sega - it may be that generic that they can't). I really want some proof that "Tails" would be just as or more recognizable than "Miles 'Tails' Prower" when separated from the Sonic series - because the 3rd party reliable sources available are not going that way. Furthermore, we Wikipedia editors SHOULD BE emulating their way of writing by using "MTP" in the first reference to this character in other articles (the one that gets the link so as not to overlink) before dropping to shorthand ourselves. Also that fact that Wikipedia prefers natural disambiguation over parenthetical disambiguation is not even being challenged when it alone is enough to prove this article should be titled "MTP". CIGraphix (talk) 22:24, 8 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It's withint he sources. the fact that Tails is being used as a title for such media. And as you said, I find it nearly impossible for Sega to copyright a name such as "Tails" as it's pretty generic. Miles "Tails" Prowers, maybe a market name, but the name most identified by him is "Tails" alone and as said. It wasn't until i looked carefully, that we don't have to be that precise. Tails alone is precise enough. Prefering over natural Disambiguation is one thing, but which one are they going to look up naturally first? Miles Tails Prower or Tails (character) when familiar with wikipedia. Even if they weren't familiar with wikipedia, either way the chances of the m are directing to disambiguation. THe official Site i'm the only one to give, but the rest?Lucia Black (talk) 04:41, 9 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You're asking for proof that Tails is as recognizable or more so than Miles "Tails" Prower. Well, how about this:
  1. To know him as Miles "Tails" Prower is to know him as Tails as well.
  2. To know him as Tails is not necessarily to know him as Miles Prower.
It's pretty much common sense - 100% of both sides will know the character as Tails. This is not true on the other hand. - New Age Retro Hippie (talk) (contributions) 05:41, 9 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
While true when talking about the Sonic series and probably what would work in a Sonic based wiki, that is not what I was asking. I was talking about the character being separated from the Sonic series - basically someone says at the start of a conversation "how about that character, Tails" without mention of "Sonic the Hedgehog" or "Miles Prower" - would the conversation have to then go off track to precisely identify who this is (with a question like "you mean Miles 'Tails' Prower" or "you mean from Sonic the Hedgehog")? I believe there is a very strong likelihood that it would - and this is reflected in how reliable 3rd party sources use "Miles 'Tails' Prower" first as it leaves no need to go off track explaining who they are talking about (it is a common writing tool to name the subject before dropping to a shorthand). And by proof I was asking for reliable 3rd party sources that bring up the character separate from the Sonic series but still use "Tails" without the "Miles Prower" part. Also your logic can be applied to just about any fictional or non-fictional character or person on WP (Mickey Mouse can be "Mickey (Disney)"; George Washington can be "Washington (president)") - which is also why Wikipedia expressly prefers natural disambiguation over parenthetical disambiguation in WP:PRECISE. The entire argument that "Tails" is the common name is based on its numerical useage which Wikipedia has said may not be enough in certain situations (like this one where the sources consistently use "MTP" first). And again, "Miles 'Tails' Prower" is still the preferred title under WP:PRECISE regardless as even if you believe that "Tails" is more common (based on numerical usage in 3rd party sources despite what WP says), "MTP" is indisputably another common name - and "Tails (character)" will continue to redirect there as Lucia Black said. I'm about to go on a nearly week long vacation, I don't know how well I'll be able to respond after this. CIGraphix (talk) 15:46, 9 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You already know my response to those example given. It's not that simple. George Washington, Susan B Anthony or any other that is just part of a name is completely diferent within the situation here. Yes, it's market name but despite that, it still emphasizes "Tails". Its the one most identified as him, and easier to find. If Claire "Lighning" Farron was a market name, or any form I would still be against it as Lightning is still being the main part thats highlighted. And as we have said, most likely the name we see now is because of Tails alone might be too generic to hold any rights. The name still highlights "tils" over its entire (market) name.Lucia Black (talk) 17:50, 9 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Mickey Mouse is far more commonly referred to by his full name than his shorthand name. There are examples of his name being just "Mickey"; however, Mickey Mouse is a household name. Tails is not. We use Mickey Mouse because everyone understands - there is no confusion. The same cannot be said for if we used Tails' full name. - New Age Retro Hippie (talk) (contributions) 07:17, 10 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose - As per arguments above. COMMONNAME. Arguments have already been churned overed infinitum above, so I'm not going to repeat any in long form here. - hahnchen 01:13, 9 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Article Title Compromise[edit]

Continuing from previous Move attempt. So clearly some editors cannot be convinced that sheer numerical number of a shortened name does not make a common name despite its use in the 3rd party reliable sources - we'll agree to disagree for now. However, the title "Tails (character)" still does not conform to Wikipedia's Article Title guidelines, specifically WP:PRECISION which (like I quoted before) states,

"However, when a topic's most commonly used name, as reflected in reliable sources, is ambiguous (can refer to more than one topic covered in Wikipedia), and the topic is not primary, that name cannot be used and so must be disambiguated. There are generally two methods employed to avoid using an ambiguous title:
1. Natural disambiguation: If it exists, choose a different, alternative name that the subject is also commonly called in English, albeit, not as commonly as the preferred but ambiguous title (do not, however, use obscure or made up names).
2. Parenthetical disambiguation: If natural disambiguation is not possible, add a disambiguating term in parentheses (or sometimes after a comma), directly after the ambiguous name."

The current title "Tails" requires Parenthetical disambiguation, however Wikipedia EXPLICITLY PREFERS NATURAL DISAMBIGUATION (as per the bolded quote: "If natural disambiguation is not possible..."). Clearly, by the 3rd party reliable sources listed in the last move attempt, "Miles 'Tails' Prower" is at the very least an "alternative name that the subject is also commonly called in English, albeit, not as commonly as the preferred but ambiguous title." Therefore, to put this article back in line with WP:PRECISION, it is a perfect compromise to move the page back to its original title of Miles "Tails" Prower and keep "Tails (character)" as a redirect. CIGraphix (talk) 21:25, 22 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Point being "Tails" alone is the most recognizable to readers to find. WP:PRECISION as it is now "SUBJECTIVE" between user to user. So while you think it helps your point, it may also hurt you without even realizing. The point is it's "precise" enough and not "too precise". There is also the issue of what wikipedia "prefers" and what wikipedia "mandates". Compared to other media aswell, he is referred to as just "Tails". The discussion ended.....this wont pick up again anytime soonLucia Black (talk) 22:36, 22 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
There's nothing subjective about the disambiguation part - there is no mandate that works against "Miles 'Tails' Prower". The weight of both the character not being a primary topic for "Tails" and WP's preference for natural disambiguation overcomes any subjectivity & original research. And your point on the other media does not hold water, and not just because Wikipedia prefers 3rd party sources, but also because nearly all other 1st party media canonized "MTP" - from games to Sonic X to the DiC cartoons. CIGraphix (talk) 23:06, 22 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The issue isn't whether it's mandated. Its whtherw e should enforce a preference. This isn't a policy-based issue. it's subjective.Lucia Black (talk) 23:14, 22 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Where in "If natural disambiguation is not possible..." and accompanying text does it say something like "should" - it only makes exceptions for "obscure" and "made up names" (of which "MTP" is neither); there is no subjectivity there. I characterized it as a preference, perhaps wrongly as it actually does seem more mandate-ish. CIGraphix (talk) 01:16, 23 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It's a guideline, not a policy. The issue is based on preference. Wikipedia allows exceptions to the guidelines. Tails (character) is a much easier for readers to find rather than Miles "Tails" Characters.Lucia Black (talk) 01:45, 23 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Read WP:PRECISION again, not only is it on a policy page (WP:ARTICLETITLE), it says at the top of its section "This policy section should be read in conjunction with the disambiguation guideline" - it is a policy section which has a guideline on another page to expand on it, its exceptions are specifically "obscure" and "made up names" of which MTP is neither. Why do you have such a problem with a compromise you agreed to earlier? CIGraphix (talk) 03:20, 23 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

This move has been thoroughly discussed within the last month and there was no consensus to move. Please don't re-open a discussion immediately after its closure, just because the result was not the one you preferred. Leave this be for at least six months. Kim Dent-Brown (Talk) 06:41, 23 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The previous discussion was cut short by my leaving for a vacation and did not even consider the argument about how the new name does not conform to WP:PRECISION that was made during that discussion nor how there was a possible compromise on the table when closing it (which is more the reason why I've continued it than just because it was closed with a result that I did not prefer) - also the closing seemed to put too much weight on democracy which Wikipedia is not. I looked for a policy about reopening move discussions after closure and couldn't find one (I've never really bothered with moves and such so my familiarity with their rules isn't that extensive), is there a policy about closed move discussions being reopened? CIGraphix (talk) 20:15, 23 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
This isn't a policy in the sense that its not a policy (that if broken) will cause damage. Its more closer to a guideline. Regardless, even policy's are bendable look up WP:COMMONSENSE. The policy is based more on Wikipedia's "preference" but doesn't fully enforce it as something that must absolutely be mandated. For example, WP:NPOV is mandated no matter what, because thats the goal of Wikipedia, its a lot more than a preference. We can't use "common sense" in that regard. There have been several exceptions that i myself do not agree with, but in the end it relies on preference. The issue is, whether you'll let it go. This isn't a democracy, i agree, but it really isn't based on vote-count.Lucia Black (talk) 21:18, 23 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Don't forget about Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna. Those pages about the characters use FULL names. --82.139.5.13 (talk) 21:26, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Difference is they dont have altered common names interferring. The highlight of the name is tails. For easy navigation for readers its easier to search for tails first.Lucia Black (talk) 00:30, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
That would only be a valid argument if someone was arguing he should be named "Tails the Fox", which no one is. Sergecross73 msg me 20:48, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
But Amy Rose isn't popularly called Amy the Hedgehog --82.139.5.13 (talk) 10:07, 27 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I realize that. But unless her article was named something like like Amy "Rosie" Hedgehog or something, it's equally poor of an example. This is a long standing stale-mate or an argument, and even though you're arguing on my side of it, your arguments are very lacking. I'd suggest we let this 6 month argument die... Sergecross73 msg me 12:37, 27 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Image[edit]

I'm thinking of replacing the image of Sonic 2's title screen with this (src: [1]), to better illustrate the two-player gameplay. Thoughts, anyone? Tezero (talk) 21:35, 17 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Age?[edit]

An IP (97.127.69.217) has been changing his age from 8 to 11, I reverted the IP a couple of times (because his official Sega profile says he's 8) and tried to talk to him/her, to no avail. I don't want to get in an edit war, what should we do? --AmaryllisGardener talk 14:56, 4 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It's still there. Sergecross73, Tezero? --AmaryllisGardener talk 18:37, 4 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Is there any reason to think that the IP is making a good-faith mistake? If it just seems like he's being a troublemaker I could protect the page for a bit. Sergecross73 msg me 19:02, 4 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Sergecross73: I reverted him, then I messaged him, (See here) then he did it again, I reverted him, (because I thought maybe he didn't have enough time to read my message) then he did it again, then I stopped so I wouldn't get myself involved in an edit war. This happened in early May with a different IP, whose edits were reverted by Tezero. --AmaryllisGardener talk 19:09, 4 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I'll put a hidden comment there reminding any editors that changes must be cited. Tezero (talk) 19:11, 4 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Good, but don't forget the lead, where we're having the most trouble and where it still says 11. --AmaryllisGardener talk 19:20, 4 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Done. Tezero (talk) 21:28, 4 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
@Sergecross73: A different IP just changed it to 11, protection would be nice. --AmaryllisGardener talk 14:14, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Done. Sergecross73 msg me 17:15, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Is the in-universe age of the character significant? If not, simply remove it altogether. —Farix (t | c) 15:38, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed. I've gone out of my way to enforce not having any ages in the List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters article, I just don't maintain many of the individual articles like this one. Sergecross73 msg me 17:15, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for protecting it. I don't know that his age should be in the lead section, but I think it would be good to have it in the characteristics section. --AmaryllisGardener talk 17:50, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I think no ages, period, might be going too far. In some cases, the character's general age seems to be relevant to critics' opinions of them, e.g. how Tails is a kid several years younger than Sonic and Sonic is (or was) an edgy teenager. It's also not an extensive or rarely referenced piece of information about the character, like Amy's supposed love of soft-serve ice cream is; it's just a number. Tezero (talk) 18:39, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed. --AmaryllisGardener talk 19:12, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

EasyTimeline Issue[edit]

i watching a content called "In video games", i found a issue in EasyTimeline. This is a error message:

EasyTimeline 1.90

Timeline generation failed: 1 error found Line 44: at:2015 text:"Sonic runners (android game)

- Plotdata attribute 'at' invalid. 

Date '2015' not within range as specified by command Period.

can you fix this? --Ijoe2003 (talk) 01:20, 19 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Transgendered[edit]

Why is there no discussion about how Tails is transgendered? See [2]. 166.171.120.182 (talk) 01:00, 5 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Because Wikipedia uses strong secondary sources (news, media, etc.) not twitter feeds of random people. Jcmcc (Talk) 01:05, 5 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]
+1, the day Wikipedia starts using Twitter as an acceptable secondary source, will be the day that Wikipedia dies. --AmaryllisGardener talk 01:13, 5 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]
What is this, a joke? --Frogging101 (talk) 19:36, 16 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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It's okay. Interestingly, the retrieved date (2011-12-16) is after the website had closed. Nibiko (talk) 20:38, 11 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move 6 October 2016[edit]

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: not moved. SSTflyer 13:48, 14 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]


Tails (character) → Miles "Tails" Prower – Per WP:NATURALDIS, "Tails (character)" is an ambiguous title that requires disambiguation, but use of this is unnecessary as "Miles 'Tails' Prower" is natural disambiguation.

Previous arguments for "Tails (character)" as the title erroneously referenced sources about the overall Sonic series where "Tails" would not be ambiguous, but the only time the character's shortened name of "Tails" is not ambiguous is within the context of the Sonic series itself. So while all sources that refer to the character as simply "Tails" have already established that the subject is within the Sonic series, other sources that talk about the Tails character separate from the Sonic series such as this Cracked article, or this GamesRadar article use the character's full name to unambiguously identify their subject. And that does not go into all the articles that use the full franchised name regardless of talking about the Sonic series like this IGN article, or that on top of this is the fact that the character's owner, Sega, very frequently identifies the character by its franchised name "Miles 'Tails' Prower." This means "Miles 'Tails' Prower" meets the requirements of WP:COMMONNAME and most importantly, according to WP:NATURALDIS, "Miles 'Tails' Prower" is the preferred title for this character article; "Tails" would only be appropriate within some Sonic series wiki. CIGraphix (talk) 16:03, 6 October 2016 (UTC) CIGraphix (talk) 16:03, 6 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

  • Oppose as an apparent rehash of an old suggestion and a violation of the usual naming practice on Wikipedia; see WP:NICKNAME: "avoid (for example) adding a nickname ... in quotes between first and last name. For example: Bill Clinton, not William "Bill" Clinton." Even for a fictional character, that seems to apply. —BarrelProof (talk) 04:40, 7 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]
"Miles 'Tails' Prower" is the real life marketing name of the fictional character, technically the character's nickname is only a nickname inside its fictional universe - Wikipedia writes everything from a real world perspective, therefore applying the same logic is problematic.
Per WP:TITLEFORMAT, "Article titles that are quotes (or song titles, etc.) are not enclosed in quotation marks (e.g. To be, or not to be is the article title, whereas "To be, or not to be" is a redirect to that article). An exception is made when the quotation marks are part of a name or title (as in the movie "Crocodile" Dundee or the album "Heroes" (David Bowie album)). "
And anything about special characters would fall under WP:TSC "Exceptions can be made when they are part of the proper title (e.g. "A" Is for Alibi) or required by orthography ("Weird Al" Yankovic)." CIGraphix (talk) 05:07, 7 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]
  • Opposse. The character is commonly known as "Tails" not as "Miles "Tails" Prower". WP:COMMONNAME applies. soetermans. ↑↑↓↓←→←→ B A TALK 08:17, 8 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]
  • Neutral - I'm torn on this one, and have !voted on both sides of things in previous debates on this. On one hand, it seems like "Tails" is the WP:COMMONNAME - they don't call him that whole thing typically in games or promotional material. (But that's just "anecdotal" evidence, and something that is rather hard to prove with a search engine test considering the vagueness of the name "Tails".) On the other hand, Miles "Tails" Prower does satisfy WP:NATURALDIS] - making it so no disambiguation is necessary. Either way, I don't agree that its a violation of WP:NICKNAME - it isn't isn't a nickname or "combined name" situation manufactured by fans, it's literally the name given by Sega. Sergecross73 msg me 18:15, 12 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose Google Trends says theres a very large discrepancy between the usage of the names giving credence to Tails over Miles Tails Prower. Comparison Jcmcc (Talk) 11:22, 13 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Heroes[edit]

Howcome the voice actors of Tails in these games have been omitted from the infobox? 107.77.228.109 (talk) 18:19, 27 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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Tails (fox) listed at Redirects for discussion[edit]

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Tails (fox). Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so. ZXCVBNM (TALK) 12:37, 22 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move 22 July 2019[edit]

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: Move to Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog). Cúchullain t/c 20:10, 31 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]


Tails (character) → Tails (Sonic) – Per WP:NCVGDAB. Unlike Sonic the Hedgehog (character) there is no series name that conflicts with it. ZXCVBNM (TALK) 12:40, 22 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

He is the second character to consistently appear by Sonic's side in the series[edit]

The article says "He is the second character to consistently appear by Sonic's side in the series" - if he is the second, then who is the first? Nzseries1 (talk) 09:37, 11 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Change of image[edit]

To stay more consistent with the Sonic article, we could have an image of both Classic Tails and Modern Tails from Sonic Generations. I've uploaded it here

File:Tails modern and classic designs.webp

. Thomasfan1000 (talk) 16:54, 10 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion[edit]

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion:

You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 01:21, 7 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Cleanup to comply with MOS:FONTSIZE[edit]

With this edit, I cleaned up the infobox to comply with MOS:FONTSIZE. I have been reverted multiple times. If any editors think that there is a reason that this particular article should not comply with this accessibility-related guideline, please explain your reasoning here. The guideline clearly states: In no case should the resulting font size of any text drop below about 85% of the page's default font size. – Jonesey95 (talk) 03:49, 11 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Seeing no objections or comments here, I have reimplemented the edits to enlarge small text that was inaccessible per MOS:FONTSIZE. If you have a quarrel with that consensus guideline, please raise your objections at the appropriate talk page. – Jonesey95 (talk) 20:49, 18 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Is the part "like a helicopter rotor" easily understandable?[edit]

The article states that he flies "by spinning his tails like a helicopter rotor," but I think that may be not very easy to understand. If he spins the tails in the same direction, that creates two problems, and it took me some time to realise that, if he spins them in different directions, that solves both. Maybe including this in the article would be OR, but is it easy for humans to see that? Orisphera2 (talk) 15:43, 19 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

UPD: I've watched the films, but haven't paid attention to the tail movements. Maybe I will soon re-watch them and see if my theory holds. Orisphera2 (talk) 15:55, 19 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

UPD2: I've re-watched a part of STH2 now, and I couldn't see how exactly he does that. (That wasn't "soon" because I did a lot of other stuff.) Orisphera2 (talk) 12:34, 24 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

2023 Dream Team renders?[edit]

recently upon revisiting the articles, specifically of Sonic characters who appear in the new Sonic game "Sonic Dream Team" (this was 2 weeks ago mind you) the page's reference images of the characters themselves have been changed to their respective renders from Dream Team, aprox 3 days later (i assume, i cant be too sure) they were reverted back to the flat 2000s images and i think, why do this exactly? i think the use of the Dream Team renders better suit the characters themselves and the Yuji Uekawa art has been used for, what was it like 10 years now? i think it shouldnt hurt too much to atleast change the images eventually. Miner Eleven (talk) 00:44, 30 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I brought this up at Talk:Shadow the Hedgehog when it was happening. The Fandom wiki on Sonic the Hedgehog has always used the latest renders to represent the characters, but most folks who work on the relevant pages on Wikipedia are more interested in using the long-standing and more iconic 2D art. Plus it means we do not need to upload more non-free media. Reconrabbit 01:18, 30 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

hi I'm tails[edit]

wanna be a hero?@ 197.219.35.119 (talk) 13:57, 7 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

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