
It also ties in with his title as the Knight of Blood. This could also be an allusion to sickle cell anemia, a relatively common genetic disorder that causes blood cells to take a form similar in shape to a sickle. Karkat uses the strife specibus sicklekind which is possibly a reference to the ruling planet of Cancer, his associated zodiac sign, the moon, which takes the form of a sickle when crescent. Karkat's mutation is likely an allusion to this. "Cancer" can also be defined as "irregular" and "mutated,". Another plausible explanation is that his chumhandle is a combination of 'carcinogen' (a cancer-inducing substance) and 'geneticist'. The first part of his handle might be related to "Karkino" or "Karkata" which are names for the cancer constellation, like how his first name is possibly related to them. His Trollian handle is a play on the medical term "carcinogenesis" which is the development of cancer in the body, and "carcinology," the study of crustaceans. This may be a reason why Sollux has given Karkat the nickname “ kk ”.Īlso, when translated from Hindi, "Karkat" means litter or waste, which may be a reference to him being an outcast because of his blood color. Similarly, the Dutch word for cancer is "kanker", and so most Dutch citizens use "KK" as a shorthand for it. On the other hand, his last name, Vantas, is a prostate cancer treatment drug. This may mirror his relationship with Gamzee, since, in the myth, Hercules was known to enter great fits of rage and ended up killing his family, similar to how sober Gamzee apparently gains incredible strength and kills his friends.


Additionally, his name may be drawn from "Karkinos," a giant crab from Greek mythology who fought Hercules, also the origin of the Cancer astrological sign.

Karkat comes from "Karkata," the Sanskrit astrological equivalent of Cancer, minus one letter. Karkat was a name suggested by beesmygod and Vantas was suggested by hr.morgaes.
