Let’s face it. Anime is a phenomenon that has taken the world by storm. From the likes of Pokemon to Attack on Titan, anime covers a lot of genres that are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. Ever since its inception around the year 1917, anime has constantly produced characters that are both inspiring and despicable and, along with them, are some of the best quotes that up to this day remain unforgettable. If you are an anime fan, these quotes will surely jog your memories. Fair warning as the list below will contain some spoilers.
Edward Elric – Fullmetal Alchemist
How can you move forward if you keep regretting the past?
Edward Elric
After a failed human transmutation attempt to resurrect his mother, Edward Elric ended up losing his leg while his brother, Alphonse’s body was consumed during the process. However, Edward was able to sacrifice his right arm to rescue his brother’s soul and bound it to a suit of armor. One might think that this would be the end of the world for the character. However, Edward continues to be a beacon of light for his brother and the people surrounding them.
The quote alone speaks volumes to Edward’s unwavering optimism. It tells a story of how a severely damaged person can still find strength in the mistakes of the past and let it fuel to do good and grow from it. This teaches us a reason to continue living even with the burdens of the past.
Jiraiya – Naruto
The true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives how he dies. It’s not what they do in life but what they did before dying that proves their worth.
Jiraiya
Naruto fans surely know the impact of this quote, as Jiraiya is one of the most beloved characters. While investigating the ongoing threat of Akatsuki to the Hidden Leaf Village, Jiraiya encounters one of its members named Pain and begins to duel. Later on, it was discovered that Pain is one of his former protege that was consumed with hatred, which led him and his friends to join the rogue group.
While locked in a duel with his former student, Jiraiya learns the truth of what happened that led Pain to this path. Pain was able to strike in a moment’s notice and mortally wounded Jiraiya. As the hero slowly succumbs to his wounds, he remembers the life that he has lived, which prompted him with this thought.
The quote heavily implies how he dreams of living behind a legacy but ended up failing as he once again was unable to protect his latest protege against the harsh realities of the world. Little did he know that he has lived up to his dreams through inspiring people. And in the closing moments, Jiraiya finally accepts his fate.
Taki Tachibana – Kimi No Na Wa
Hey, Mitsuha. So we don’t forget when we wake up…let’s write our names on each other. Here.
Taki Tachibana
There is no doubt that Kimi No Na Wa is one of the best anime movies of the decade. This critically acclaimed movie tells the story of two teens, Taki and Mitsuha, who constantly swap bodies and slowly forges a connection and decides to meet. Fate, however, has other plans for the two.
In the climax of the story, the two meet on top of a mountain. Taki suggests writing their name so that they will remember it as the constant body swap somehow leaves them with nothing but a feeling of familiarity. The two agree to do so, but as their fates are intertwined by an incoming tragedy that is about to strike in Mitsuha’s village – they both forget their names, signaling that their love for each other is not meant to be as of this time.
However, this does not stop Mitsuha and her friends from warning the entire village to evacuate before the broken piece of comet crashes. This heartbreaking scene in the movie tells how fate can sometimes be so cruel, but it would all be for the best. If not for Mitsuha’s courage, she would not survive the tragedy, and the two would not meet in another twist of fate and introduce themselves to each other at the end of the movie.
Kenshiro – Hokuto No Ken
Omae wa mou shindeiru.
Kenshiro Kasumi
Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru translated as You are already dead is a famous catchphrase from Hokuto no Ken that has led to countless memes. This quote has been made popular as a reaction image to different arguments and even in different meme-worthy videos.
The quote originated from the series that centers around Kenshiro, who uses the Hokuto Shinken style that attacks the pressure points of the body. This means that the victim would not know the person is already dead even before he knows it as the body would implode in a delayed effect fashion.
The quote reached worldwide fame when it was used to finish a long argument, especially over forums or discussion boards. It reached an all-time high when clips with added effects became viral, and up to this day has been used as a meme.
Dio Brando vs. Jotaro Kugo – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA! – Jotaro Kugo
MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA! – Dio Brando
Speaking of famous meme-worthy anime quotes, here’s another that will surely bring the nostalgia. This happened during the faceoff between Dio Brando and Jotaro Kugo in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Ora Ora Ora is a notable stand cry made famous by Jotaro Kujo as he tried to senselessly beat his opponent. However, Dio Brando also has an ace up his sleeve, and the two are locked in a storm of a fist flying through the air while shouting Muda Muda Muda. The term Muda which means useless in Japanese was used to taunt Jotaro.
What was seemingly an intense fight to the death between two iconic anime characters became an online sensation over the years as both terms are awesome and hilarious. The fact that both are almost equal in power and use different terms to try and humiliate the other means that they devolve to shaming one another while fighting.
The world-famous quote has since become a viral sensation and has been the staple of stand cry memes. This goes to show that even with two simple words, it elevates the conversation to another level.
Makarov Dreyar – Fairy Tail
It is the role of the parent to stand in front of their children and protect them even if their legs were to give out at any moment.
Makarov Dreyar
Makarov Dreyar was the titular leader of the magic guild known as Fairy Tail. It housed famous mages in the series such as Erza, Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia, and many others. He is known to have a calm and loving demeanor to the members of his guild, all of whom he treats like his children.
He was often seen reprimanding his guild as the members often find themselves in different types of situations. However, he has always shown great pride to his children. Typically left within the confines of the guild, Makarov sometimes joins the rest of the guild’s adventures, especially when they are in need of dire help.
One such situation was when Makarov and the Fairy Tail guild were fighting the Alvarez army. At a certain point, the guild was slowly overwhelmed with a swarm of Alvarez soldiers, and Makarov watched in horror as his children succumbed to the enemy. It was at this point that the leader of the Fairy Tail guild enacted his sacrifice by enacting the Fairy Law. The spell was thought to sap away a portion of his life force equal to the number of enemies on the battlefield. With the sheer amount of enemies present, the spell would mean that he would die.
Tensions mount as several surviving guild members try to stop him from finishing the spell. However, the leader announces to the rest of the guild to take care of each other. He also mentions that as the father figure, it was up to him to protect his children even if it meant his demise. He ultimately made the sacrifice, and the spell eradicated most of the soldiers. As the dust settled, what remained was the husk of an old man standing frozen in the same Fairy Law stance.
Kenshin Himura – Rurouni Kenshin
You can die anytime, but living takes true courage.
Kenshin Himura/Battosai
Kenshin Himura is the main character of the series Rurouni Kenshin where he travels around Japan as a Rurouni who is in search of redemption and forgiveness. Before his self-imposed search for inner peace, he was known as merciless Hitokiri/Himura Battosai.
Kenshin also bore the legendary cross-shaped scar and was thought of as a curse mark from killing innocent people. During the entire series, Kenshin is haunted by his past deeds as the unforgiving killer while he tries to atone for his sins. As a tormented soul, he has developed an appreciation for life and has vowed never to kill again.
He also develops a keen relationship with other characters in the series as he protects them and others from being killed. However, several antagonists have taunted him, and a few times, he would revert to his Battosai demeanor. It was in this state that he would later realize that learning to appreciate life has always been difficult for him and that it takes courage to live a life that he had lived when it was far easier to die for his guilt.
The complexities of a character trying to atone for his past sins make for a compelling series. This is also the reason why Rurouni Kenshin is a successful and popular anime up to this day. Ask anyone who has seen this anime, and this quote alone summarizes the theme of the series.
Nagato/Pain – Naruto Shippuden
Sometimes, you must hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, lose in order to grow because life’s greatest struggle is through the pain.
Nagato
Nagato was a shinobi from a war-torn village and, at an early age, was exposed to the horrors of war. Nagato sought to bring peace by forcing it into the world, whether by enacting the same violence he has experienced to achieve his goals. He was the leader of the rogue Akatsuki group alongside his friends Yahiko and Konan, who were also war orphans.
Later on, he and his friends were under the tutelage of Jiraiya. Jiraiya taught them how to defend themselves, and once they were strong enough, they formed the Akatsuki group. Nagato and the Akatsuki have gone through many experiences together and, along the way, lost Yahiko. This further fueled his hatred for Konoha and his search for peace no matter the cost.
Nagato has lost so much in his entire life through pain, and with that, he gained the nickname Pain as a way to remind him of what life has brought upon him. The quote embodies the struggles that this battle-hardened shinobi has tried to overcome.
Puppet Master – Ghost In The Shell
Man is an individual only because of his intangible memory. But memory cannot be defined, yet it defines mankind.
Puppet Master
Ghost In The Shell is arguably one of the greatest anime films in history. It tells a story of a cyborg assault officer named Makoto Kusanagi, who has always questioned her existence and purpose in the world. She was tasked to hunt down a mysterious hacker known only as of the Puppet Master. She soon has an encounter with the Puppet Master, who was created by Section 6. He claims that he was a creation of Section 6 that became a sentient being who also questions the complexities of humanity and what makes a human being.
It was later in the story that the Puppet Master was able to confront the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Section 6. In the conversation, the Puppet Master questioned what it was to be human and how memory made people human. And yet, he has all the memory in the world, but there is no humanity in him. The Puppet Master soon merged with Motoko, who also gained sentience from her encounters with him.
This was a movie that questioned the complex nature of human beings, mortality, and the essence of humanity. Truly a movie worth watching, this quote simply defines what the anime was about and how it was able to intricate the human life is.
Light Yagami – Death Note
I’ll take a potato chip…and to eat it!
Light Yagami
Death Note is one of the most famous anime known for its tight plot and creative twist and turns. It tells the story of Light Yagami, also known as Kira, who has the possession of the Death Note. Death Note is a book that kills any name written on it and is used to punish criminals. Light is an ambitious young man who uses the Death Note in a bid to be the god of the new world.
In the series, Light is pursued by L, a brilliant investigator who is tracking the culprit of the murders and is slowly narrowing down the suspects. The quote was taken from the scene in the series where Light was trying to hide a small television inside a bag of chips to keep his identity from being discovered while still being able to write down names on a piece of paper that was taken from the Death Note.
While the scene may not have intended to be silly and over the top, it has gained worldwide popularity for how brilliant the show depicts its character and how it can still be silly, exciting, and riveting at the same time. This scene and quote alone defines the series as a cat and mouse game filled with twist and turns with an overarching story about justice, making Death Note a truly remarkable anime.
Final Thoughts
Anime has proven to be a gateway to a fantasy world filled with colorful characters. There’s always a quote within the series that sums up what the show is about. These famous quotes show that even with the silliness of anime, these characters are highly relatable and can sometimes even be thought-provoking.
