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Shonen Anime and Japanese: Why Your Favorite Heroes Talk So Weird
Goku, Luffy, and Naruto don’t speak like real Japanese people (and that’s okay).
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Ever tried using anime Japanese in real life? Maybe you confidently dropped a “Dattebayo!” in conversation and got a blank stare in return. Or perhaps you channeled your inner shonen hero and shouted, “Ore wa saikyou da!” — only to be met with concerned looks.
Shonen anime is often the first exposure many learners have to Japanese, but is it actually a good resource for learning how to speak? The short answer: Yes and no. The long answer: Well, that’s this whole story. Let’s break down why shonen protagonists talk the way they do, why it’s different from real-life Japanese, and how you can still learn a lot from anime (without sounding like you just stepped out of a battle scene).
What is Shonen?
Shonen is less of a genre of anime and manga and more a demographic category for stories targeted primarily at young boys, typically aged 12 to 18. The word shonen (少年) means “young boy” in Japanese and it’s counterpart shojo (少女) can also either refer to young girls or the anime and manga they consume.
