In the Elden Ring manga, Melina gives the Tarnished character a name with a double meaning, with it being a pun on "sweaty." No one expected an Elden Ring manga to be a comedy, but it is, with the two chapters available now. The first chapter is titled "You Thought This'd Be Serious, Didn't You?" mocking readers who reasonably expected it to be a serious manga, while the second is "Probably Maiden" in reference to the Melina.
Future chapters will release on the 4th and 19th of every month, but aside from the various fourth-wall-breaking gags, it's uncertain if there will be any real Elden Ring lore that could be derived from this. What Melina decides to name The Tarnished, however, is of some interest.
Elden Ring Manga: Melina Calls The Tarnished 'Sweaty'
Melina reveals that the Tarnished, as a whole, are also called Asebito, which simply means Faded Person in Japanese. This is just another way to refer to the Tarnished's loss of Grace, but since the Tarnished of the manga doesn't have a name (and apparently chose Elden Ring's Wretch class, at that), Melina chooses to mock him for that. Giving him a name, she shortens it to "Aseo." The Tarnished asks if she's serious, with drops of sweat pouring down his body. That's because, in a double meaning, shortening it with "Ase" at the forefront simply calls the main Tarnished character "Sweaty."
This is a cutesy and somewhat obvious meta-commentary of video game players. If someone is constantly pushing for kills in a battle royale game like Apex Legends or even optimizing their builds for Elden Ring's PvP to win constantly, this player could be called "sweaty." Asebito may just be a nice little name for the Tarnished in general, something fans may enjoy learning, but it seems the entire introduction of this word is just at the main character's expense.
Indeed, these first two chapters set this comedic tone, and the manga seems intent to run away with it. Melina has been a great source of jokes at the Tarnished's expense, but it'll be just as interesting to see how characters like Godfrey, Ranni, and Malenia treat him. After all, there's no chance Malenia takes this Tarnished seriously if her characterization remains in the slightest.
With a comedy adaptation though, anything goes. It'll be interesting to see how this Elden Ring manga adaptation takes the dark, cruel setting of The Lands Between and makes it funny, but fans can expect two new chapters from hereon, likely just as packed as the first two.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.