Titles as spoilers.

[Chevywolf30]

Something that irritates me is when a title is a spoiler for the actual chapter/movie/game. Midna being the Twilight Princess is supposed to be a big revelation, but you already know there's a Twilight Princess from the title of the game. I get that the title should be attention grabbing and give you a brief idea of the story, but some do it better than others. That one is really deceiving because it's The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Makes it sound like Zelda is the Twilight Princess. It coulda been called Legend of Zelda: Twilight Era or something.
Me and my mom were talking about it, and thinking about some of our favorite books. What I decided was that a lot of times having the main character as the title works fine. And if the title is a mild spoiler, I think that's fine if the title happens in the first 3 or so chapters, or the title alludes to what gets the story rolling. Feel free to share your thoughts on how to properly title a work of media, or titles you feel are well done, or too spoiler-y.

 

[Fraxinus]

I think in most cases, when a title is named after something that could regarded as a spoiler, it's not obvious. It's like an example of what the saying "hidden in plain sight" means. A lot of video games are named after things very critical to the plot, but sometimes the revelation of what the title means makes the experience better. Just because you don't learn the identity or meaning of the title at the exposition doesn't mean it's spoiling you on it by giving you its name. Using Twilight Princess as an example, you learn the meaning of the title by playing, and in that way it's used more as foreshadowing than anything else. I also think deciphering the meaning of the title is allowed to happen at any time in a story; some people may decipher meaning sooner than others and that's the beauty of stories as a personal experience. Just because you know there is a Twilight Princess--and just because you have a good hunch about who that may be--doesn't mean you know exactly what's going to happen through the course of the story, either.

 

[Echolight]

I actually like spoilers in titles. Take Twilight Princess, for example. When you start the game, you have a faint idea of what the title means. The obvious reason is that Zelda is a princess, stuck in the twilight realm, thus she is the Twilight Princess. But as you progress in the story, the title turns into something deeper than you thought, and when you finish the game, it’s true meaning unfolds to you. Midna, not Zelda, is the true Twilight Princess. I love that.

Here’s another example. There’s this anime I love which is called Your Lie in April. It’s about Arima Kousei, a pianist who stopped playing piano (I won’t say why because I don’t want to spoil) and this violinist, Kaori, must help him regain his love for music and for the people around him throughout the show. It’s very touching. Now, the title sounds like a jumble of words, doesn’t it? But when you reach the end, at the very last episode, you find out what it actually means. And then you can’t see the title the same way you did at the beginning. I love hidden secrets like that. I actually love putting small details in my art, little secrets that people can search for and find.

I think putting hidden spoilers in a title is perfectly fine.

 

[Spirit]

I honestly struggle to think of spoilery titles.

I don't think Twilight Princess is a spoiler title, Midna calls Zelda the Twilight Princess before it's revealed that Midna is. Calling the game Twilight Princess is the same as calling it Ocarina of Time, you just know that the item or character is in it.

I'm not sure if it's possible to have a full on spoiler title. Titles are supposed to intrigue you.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

it depends, if they're choosing to have a bit of the plot given away w/ the title, then that's something the creator wants you to have in mind anyway, and it's not like you're gonna know the context of it unless you go through it

but then there's stuff like Star Wars The Last Jedi, put two and two together and something is certainly gong to happen

 

[MapelSerup]

The title can be used as a great way to foreshadow something, as Fraxinus said. It's fun to look back at the title and find a meaning you didn't realize it originally had. A lot of anime/manga series have titles like this.

 

[twilitfalchion]

Eh, as long as the title doesn't give specific details, I'm not too concerned about it referencing what happens. Even better though is when it offers an oddly vague reference to the events of said story/chapter/etc. It draws my interest because I begin wondering what it even means in the first place.

Take Ch. 3 of Trails in the Sky Second Chapter, for instance. It's called "The Mad Tea Party," which doesn't make much sense given what had happened in the game up to that point. But as you progress, the meaning of that symbolic title becomes clear and it's all the more satisfying when it does.

 

[Mikey the Moblin]

"Dark Souls" spoils some of the deepest lore

 

[AwdryFan1997]

In Japan, the Megaman games have subtitles, most of which are very spoiler-y, such as "Rockman 3: The End of Dr. Wily".