Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context UsefulNotes / JapanesePronouns

Go To

1Japanese, unlike English, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro-drop_language allows all pronouns to be omitted from sentences when they can be inferred from context.]] In fact, it not only allows it: you are ''more'' likely to speak without pronouns than with them. In spite of this -- or perhaps because of it -- Japanese has far more pronouns than the average language. There are more than three dozen Japanese words that can be translated as "I" and even more that can be translated as "you". Each of them makes a different statement about the speaker's gender, age, social status, relationship with the addressee, and how the speaker wants to present themselves. To [[{{Woolseyism}} capture a little of the flavor]], English translations sometimes use "this (category of person)" -- this little girl, this humble peasant, this badass.
2
3Writers, naturally, take advantage of this. [[PronounTrouble The "wrong" pronoun]] can be a moment for comedy (see DifferentForGirls); the specific choice can say a lot about the character speaking. And it's easy to [[TheAllConcealingI avoid revealing characters' names]], for [[YouKnowTheOne whatever]] [[HelloInsertNameHere reason]].
4
5Note that, even more so than in most forms of media, [[RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic the language used in anime is heavily stylized and quite different from the way actual Japanese people speak in real life.]] Take everything you hear in anime with a grain of salt -- foreigners who watched too much anime while learning Japanese are easy to spot.
6
7See also: RoyalWe, PronounTrouble, HeyYou, ThirdPersonPerson, UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics.
8
9%%'''Note:''' No Administrivia/ZeroContextExamples, please. If adding an example of a particular pronoun, make sure it says something about its speaker that wouldn't be gleaned otherwise.
10
11When the pronoun(s) used for a character says something about their personality, see ExpositoryPronoun.
12
13----
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16!!I (first person pronoun)
17
18:''Atai'': あたい Originally used by women in certain red light districts, it later spread out and was eventually picked up by those wanting to cultivate a "bad girl" image. Characters who use this pronoun are implied to be lower-class, uneducated, and flippant. It's also a Kagoshima regional variant of ''atashi''.
19
20[[folder:Atai Examples]]
21* "Peppy" villagers in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' use this pronoun. They're [[TheDitz ditzy]] and [[GenkiGirl cheerful]] characters.
22* Although she's normally a ThirdPersonPerson, Ayla from ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' uses this before you [[HelloInsertNameHere name her]]. The VillainousCrossdresser Flea also uses ''atai''.
23* Monophanie in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' uses this despite her feminine appearance and personality. It's somewhat justified since she's fairly childish and is the daughter of [[BearsAreBadNews Monokuma]].
24* Used by a nameless townswoman in the town of Paloom in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' who, upon only having met the protagonist, immediately asks him to settle down there with her.
25* Lei Kugo in ''VideoGame/LiveALive''. The translation patch of the Super Famicom version translates this as her having a rude, tomboyish attitude.
26* Anego, the leader of a gang of female high school [[JapaneseDelinquents delinquents]] from ''Anime/MagicalWitchPuniechan''.
27* Kuromi, the DarkMagicalGirl of ''Anime/OnegaiMyMelody''. Especially fitting in the overall Sanrio merchandise, in which she has a JapaneseDelinquents theme.
28* Vivian in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''. It's worth noting that she's UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} in Japanese.
29* Most of the Iron Town women in ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'', who are former prostitutes.
30* Cirno, ''Franchise/TouhouProject'''s resident UsefulNotes/{{baka}}, uses this, as a sign of her childishness, tomboyishness, and stupidity.
31[[/folder]]
32----
33:''Atashi'': あたし Informal, assertive, yet feminine version of "watashi". It is most commonly used to make a female character sound very casual, which makes it perfect for tomboys who aren't tomboy enough to use the male pronoun "boku". Amusingly, its casualness also makes it a good choice for characters who are confident about themselves and their femininity, especially if they're to be put in contrast with a "watashi"-using ShrinkingViolet. ''Atashi'' was once predominantly used by [[HonestJohnsDealership male merchants and craftsmen of the Edo period]], and is still traditional for ''rakugo'' performers; nowadays however, a male character using ''atashi'' is more likely to indicate that he's CampGay. In Kagoshima, ''atashi'' becomes ''atai'' above.
34
35[[folder:Atashi Examples]]
36* Waka uses ''atashi'' in his [[CampStraight flamboyant]] personality for ''VisualNovel/AmnesiaMemories''.
37* "Snooty" villagers from ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' use "atashi". They're the [[LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine dark feminine]] to the more sweeter "peppy" villagers (who use "atai") light feminine. They're [[TheFashionista fashion savvy]] and [[LovableAlphaBitch bratty]] villagers.
38* Tendonman from ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}'' uses it, though in his case, it emphasizes his hick background by making his words seem rushed and slurred (he also uses "zansu", another term that's often exclusively feminine).
39* Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga in ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' uses "atashi" as part of her characterization as a direct inversion of TheIdiotFromOsaka, being a spacey and gentle girl rather than a brash, loudmouthed GenkiGirl like Tomo.
40* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'': [[TheLadette The very aggressive and tomboyish Revy]] uses this one. Her speech patterns are otherwise very masculine.
41* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
42** Kisuke uses this pronoun, and is a rare male example. His use of it exaggerates his role of a "humble" shopkeeper (it's interesting to note that he used the humble/masculine ''boku'' 100 years ago).
43** Momo, Orihime, Rangiku and [[spoiler:Kirio Hikifune]] use it as well.
44* Nagisa from ''Manga/ChouKuseNiNarisou'' says this even when she's disguised as a boy, which undermines the disguise.
45* The younger girls from ''Manga/DearBrother'' use this one more often than not. Specially the protagonist, Nanako, who uses this as a sign of her [[TheIngenue naivete and youth]].
46* Arashi of ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' uses ''atashi'' in katakana, hinting not only at girliness but a Western-style trendiness as well.
47* A rare male example is [[{{Acrofatic}} Mr. Heart]] from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', though he switches to ''washi'' and ''watashi'' when he's being serious.
48* The main universe version of Riri (or [[DubNameChange Lilly in English version]]) Yarimizu from ''VideoGame/{{IMGCM}}''.
49* Natsuji Kijima in ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'', as he is a ''rakugo'' performer.
50* Used in the ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' series by Uni, Pururut, Falcom and Anonedeath. The latter is a CampStraight man in pink power armor who claims to have the heart of a pure maiden and has a VillainousCrush on [[{{Tsundere}} Noire]].
51* ''Manga/OnePiece''
52** Nami, reflecting her boisterous personality. Interestingly, this is only in the anime, as she uses "watashi" in the manga.
53** The crass, gluttonous Jewelry Bonney uses this.
54* Haruhi's ''father'' Ryoji "Ranka" Fujioka in ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' uses atashi, presumably because he's a crossdresser.
55* Misty in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' uses it, which fits with her hot-blooded and tomboyish nature.
56* Sayaka Miki in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. Despite being tomboyish, she [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak has a girly side]]. Kyoko Sakura also uses it, and is even more tomboyish with her rude, masculine language (such as using ''temee'' on people who annoy her).
57* [[CampGay Oshare Bones]] from ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' uses this when referring to himself.
58* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
59** Ranma, normally an ''ore'' user, switches to "atashi" after Akane lands a nasty blow to his head. His altered language and personality shift worries everyone.
60** Akane herself is actually an ''atashi'' user. Fittingly, she's a {{tomboy}} who wants to be more girlish and thus chose a feminine pronoun for herself. [[{{Bokukko}} Everyone else resorts to speak to her as if she was much more boyish, though.]]
61* In ''Anime/SandsOfDestruction'', Morte uses ''atashi''. She may be [[OmnicidalManiac out to destroy the world]], but she's a LadyOfWar, not TheLadette. The [[Manga/SandsOfDestruction manga]] (which was [[AnimeFirst made later]]) switches her to using the "standard" 私, for unknown reasons.
62* Yuzuru Nishimiya from ''Manga/ASilentVoice'' used to go by ''atashi'' as a little girl with long hair who wore dresses. She started to cut her own hair short and adopt a boyish personality to protect her helpless sister from bullies.
63* Majorina from ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure'', who is an old witch, but she uses ''atashi'' because she doesn't admit to be an old lady. She also can transform into a younger form of herself.
64* Fire Emblem (not [[Franchise/FireEmblem that one]]) from ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' uses this occasionally, being a rather camp person; usually he uses ''watashi''.
65* Vash the Stampede of ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' (who is male) has been known to use ''atashi'' when goofing around, for comedy value. (You can track when he's being serious by the switch to an assertive masculine pronoun like ''ore''.)
66* Vil Schoenheit in ''VideoGame/TwistedWonderland'', an incredibly foppish man who part-times as an internationally famous supermodel.
67* Itou and Odagiri in ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches''. While both are reasonably girly (Itou is a bit more tomboyish than Odagiri, though), they are still quite hot-tempered and brash.
68* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
69** ''Manga/YuGiOh'': Anzu and Mai use ''atashi'' and they are prominent MsFanservice characters. The latter also emphasises the power of sexy, confident women.
70** ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'': Luca uses ''atashi'', being the youngest and "girliest"[[note]]her girly side isn't pronounced prominently in the series[[/note]] Signer of the cast.
71
72[[AC:Japanese-Language Localizations]]
73* Seam from ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' always refers to themself with "atashi" in the Japanese localization. It's worth mentioning that "atashi" was formerly gender-neutral, and was used by merchants in the Edo period; this may reflect their AmbiguousGender (as is the case in the English version) and their job as a shopkeeper.
74* In the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee'', Molly, Libby and Andrea all use ''atashi'', although Andrea sometimes also uses ''watashi''.
75[[/folder]]
76----
77:''Bansei'': 晩生 Archaic, self-effacing, often used by the ''kōhai'' in Senpai/Kōhai context.
78----
79:''Boku'': 僕 "I, a non-threatening man." An informal, somewhat masculine pronoun more assertive than ''watashi'' but less so than ''ore'', it's typically used by men who want to sound casual without coming across as rude or aggressive--for instance, it would be the normal pronoun for a man to use in an informal TV interview. Younger girls and women also use it among each other, however, never when a boy or man is present. It's also the default pronoun for young boys, though an especially childish one may use ''boku-chin'' instead.\
80In anime, it can also be used by tomboyish girls, regardless of social context; these characters are known as ''{{Bokukko}}''. (Note, however, that the ''bokukko'' phenomenon is a prominent example of how anime dialogue differs from actual spoken Japanese; in the real world, it would be a bit weird for a female native speaker to refer to herself as ''boku'' outside of close company). Female singers and poets may also use ''boku'' purely for metrical purposes. Interestingly, this pronoun tends to be used by androgynous characters with either AmbiguousGender or/and ViewerGenderConfusion, such as [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Yubel]], [[Manga/SoulEater Crona]], or [[Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd Ashuramaru]]. If used by villains, expect them to be a PsychopathicManchild and/or a SissyVillain.
81
82[[folder:Boku Examples]]
83* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
84** Naruhodou Ryuuichi/Phoenix Wright uses this. It fits his easily flustered personality.
85** Bansai Ichiyanagi/Blaise Debeste in the second ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth Ace Attorney Investigations]]'' uses it too, but since he's ''68'', it's meant to make him sound [[PsychopathicManchild creepily childish]].
86* "Smug" and "lazy" villagers in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' use "boku". Smug villagers are [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] but [[NiceGuy nice]] while "lazy" villagers are [[ManChild very immature]].
87* Armin and Bertolt from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', in line with their rather [[CowardlyLion meek]] personalities.
88* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'':
89** Jin Kisaragi uses "boku" to refer to himself (in contrast to the other guys using the rough but masculine "ore" or the gender-neutral watashi expected of a grown man), and "omae" or sometimes "kisama" to call most people, which emphasizes his immaturity and his superficial politeness and that he was originally a SissyVillain. For Tsubaki he uses "kimi", reflecting their closeness.
90** Carl Clover uses "boku" to refer to himself, and "anata" to refer to people.
91** Platinum the Trinity has SplitPersonality; one of them, Sena, is a boy and calls himself "boku". The other one, Luna, uses [[ThirdpersonPerson her own name]].
92* Late in ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'', Jun Ushiro, who usually uses ''ore'', uses this while meeting with the parents of Takeshi Waku, [[spoiler:the first character who died]]. After the meeting, Youko Machi teases him about using "boku" and the conversation then leads in to the TitleDrop- "Bokura no" means "Ours" in Japanese.
93* ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' contrasts [[HotBlooded Rin's]] ''ore'' with his younger twin brother [[StepfordSmiler Yukio's]] ''boku''.
94* ''Manga/CaseClosed'':
95** The {{Bokukko}} Natsuki Koshimizu. It's one of the reasons why the other {{Amateur Sleuth}}s think she's a boy aside of her BoyishShortHair and {{Bifauxnen}} looks, [[UnsettlingGenderReveal until they see her]] [[{{Joshikousei}} in a sailor uniform.]] [[spoiler: After being revealed as the SympatheticMurderer, she switches to ''watashi'', probably because [[BrokenBird her innocence is gone forever]].]]
96** Inspector Ninzaburo Shiratori also tends to use this one, probably since he's a GentlemanDetective as well as a PrincelyYoungMan.
97* Stiyl Magnus of ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' is a subversion of the gruff, tough guy archetype usually using ''ore'' by using ''boku'' instead. However, since he's just 14 years old it's somewhat justified.
98* Suzaku Kururugi from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' uses ''boku'' as a teenager and refers to most people except for his superiors with ''kimi''. He used ''ore'' as a child however, which contrasts Lelouch, who used ''boku'' as a child and ''ore'' as a grown-up.
99* Mugman referrs to himelf as "boku" in the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/TheCupheadShow'', highlighting his status as the [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling cautious, levelheaded brother]] compared to Cuphead, who uses "ore".
100* Kiyotaka Ishimaru from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc''. He's a parody of TheAce who wants to follow the rules as much as possible, so while he's very HotBlooded, ''ore'' would sound way too rebellious for someone like him.
101* In contrast to most sports anime characters, Kazama from ''Manga/{{DAYS}}'' uses "boku". He's a shy, soft spoken teenage boy.
102* ''Manga/DeathNote'': A revealing clue to Light and L's personalities (and ages, and nationalities...) is when they make the same speech, but Light uses ''boku'' and L uses ''watashi''. ''Boku'' (usually humble) is also startlingly contrasted with Light's actual personality (anything but humble).
103* ''Anime/DevilmanCrybaby'': Unlike his manga and OVA counterpart who use ''ore'' since the beginning, Akira in ''Crybaby'' uses ''boku'' at first, to emphasize his... well, crybaby nature.
104* Humble Daisuke in ''Manga/DNAngel'' uses "boku" while [[HandsomeLech confident]] [[SplitPersonality alter ego]] Dark uses "ore."
105* Pretty much all male protagonists created by [[Creator/FujikoFujio Fujiko F. Fujio]] in his series and shorts. They are all portrayed as either mild-mannered middle-aged salarymen or feeble nerdy boys. A notable example would be Nobita Nobi from ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}''.
106* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
107** While most of the male heroes use ''ore'', Gohan uses ''boku'' to demonstrate his more gentle nature. He switches to ''ore'' after having his potential unlocked to show how confident he's become, but he switches back to ''boku'' eventually. In Trunks' BadFuture, he uses ''ore'' instead. His little brother Goten follows in his stead and uses ''boku''.
108** Contrasting this is Freeza, who uses ''boku'' in his final form, contrasting his sadism and extreme power with his childish manner of speech.
109* In the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', Ed uses "Boku-chin."
110* Kiritsugu Emiya from ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', Shirou's easygoing adoptive father, is always seen in Shirou's flashbacks as using ''boku''. ''Literature/FateZero'' reveals that he used it even during his [[ColdSniper cold-hearted hitman]][=/=][[MageKiller Magus Killer]] days, which emphasizes how he hasn't grown out of his immature ideals despite being colder and more ruthless as an adult.
111* [[GentleGiant Al]] in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' to set him as the [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]] to his elder brother.
112* Kazuki and Makubex in ''Manga/GetBackers'', Makubex because of his age, Kazuki because [[DudeLooksLikeALady despite everything]] he's still male.
113* Shimon Nagareyama in ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe'', who is usually very shy and polite.
114* ''VideoGame/HatsuneMikuColorfulStage'': Mizuki uses "boku". This is notable mostly because Mizuki has an AmbiguousGenderIdentity -- they're outwardly feminine, but their gender is officially a secret. It's all-but-stated that they are, at the least, gender non-conforming, and their use of "boku" plays a large part in their presentation.
115* Russia in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', mostly to emphasize his [[PsychopathicManchild child-like craziness]] and attempt to sound friendly. Canada, Finland and Iceland also use it, though they're more mellow and mature to differing degrees.
116* Kiba and Gasper from ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' use this in contrast to Issei's more masculine "ore". Kiba is a {{Bishonen}} ChickMagnet while Gasper is a WholesomeCrossdresser.
117* ''VideoGame/{{IMGCM}}'': Akisa Higashiyama, despite being a stoic SmartGirl, sometimes uses this.
118* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': More often than not, the nicest character in an ensemble in this series will use this pronoun. Examples include Jonathan Joestar, Noriaki Kakyoin, and Koichi Hirose.
119* Emu Hojo of ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' uses "Boku"... ordinarily. When he transforms, his SplitPersonality of Genius Gamer M takes over, who instead uses the more tough and self-confident "Ore". This continues when he receives the MidSeasonUpgrade of Mighty Brothers XX, which [[MesACrowd splits him in two]]. The orange copy of him uses "Ore", whereas the blue half uses "Boku".
120** Also notable is that when Emu ends up possessed by the villainous Parado, [[spoiler: who is actually the Genius Gamer M side of his personality given life]] (who ordinarily uses "Ore"), Parado has a slip of the tongue and uses the wrong pronoun when in Emu's body. Him using "Ore" instead of "Boku" ends up giving the game away to the rest of the cast, who up until then had been fooled.
121* Hazumu in ''Manga/KashimashiGirlMeetsGirl'' (she's very feminine, but [[GenderBender used to be a boy]], and hasn't fallen out of the habit yet)
122* In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'', Ash Crimson refers to himself with ''boku''. It's an interesting take in the trope since ''boku'' is considering as "male but non-threatening" (contrasting with Kyo, K' and Iori's rougher ''ore''), and it reflects Ash's fake humility as well as how [[ObfuscatingStupidity he passes himself as a normal fighter]] -- only to strike at the perfect moment and cause massive damage to his targets. It also contrasts with [[spoiler: his ancestor]] Saiki's use of ''shousei'', another self-deprecating pronoun.
123* In ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', Kuroko uses ''boku'' in line with his polite speech. [[spoiler: Akashi's alternate personality uses this too. During their Teiko days before his other side took over and after Rakuzan is defeated by Seirin he used ''ore''.]]
124* Female BreakoutVillain Yodonna from ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'' uses this pronoun, and is also an emotionless general of a space empire.
125* Lady Bat from ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' as part of her "[[VillainousCrossdresser masculine image]]". Taro Mitsuki and Rihito Amagi use ''boku'', too.
126* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed'''s Kira Yamato uses boku along with extremely humble and polite speech even when yelling in anger, notably the only pilot that does. All others use ore and rougher speech.
127* ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'': Louis, William, Bond (switching from Watashi after transitioning to a man), and Fred all use this one reliably--the quieter, more polite men of the gang.
128* Izuku Midoriya of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia''--it's even in the Japanese title. Fittingly, he's a lot gentler and more down-to-earth than most shōnen protagonists. Yuga Aoyama also uses this, and Tenya Iida occasionally slips into it when he gets emotional (he normally uses "ore"). Less pleasant users of this pronoun include [[SmugSnake Neito Monoma]] and [[spoiler:[[BigBad All For One]]]].
129* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', out of the Konoha genin boys, only [[GentleGiant Chouji]] and [[LoveFreak Lee]] use ''boku''. The villainous Sound Village features [[TheDragon Kabuto]] and [[SycophanticServant Kimimaro]]. [[StepfordSmiler Sai]], [[TheStoic Yamato]], and Suigetsu, who are introduced after the timeskip, also use it. Tobi uses it too, [[spoiler: but he drops it for ''ore'' when he stops acting like an idiot.]]. Flashbacks reveal that, in his days in the academy, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, used ''boku'', but as an adult had switched to ''ore''.
130* Shinji Ikari from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' uses "boku" through the series; he graduates to "ore" in ''End of Evangelion'', but it's a subversion of the usual implications of maturity. Also used by Kaworu Nagisa. Toji shifts from his typical Kansai-ben characteristics ''washi'' to ''boku'' when he is talking to Misato.
131* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
132** Coby, a meek boy Luffy meets very early into the story who aspires to become a high-ranking Marine.
133** [[{{Bishonen}} Cavendish]] is one of the few cases in a series of mostly "ore", [[spoiler:but [[JekyllAndHyde his other personality Hakuba]] uses "ore". When the two fight over control of the body and end up each gaining half of it, the resulting pronoun comes out as "bore".]]
134** [[spoiler:Kaido's (biologically female) son Yamato uses this, showing his male identity inspired by Oden (who actually used ''ore'').]]
135* A number of male characters in ''Manga/{{Otomen}}'', with various overtones. GentleGiant (sort of) Kitora and VisualKei singer Hanamasa use ''boku'' because of their gentle and delicate nature, [[StoicSpectacles Kasuga]] uses it to go with his cold and aloof personality (he switches to "ore" when [[TheGlassesComeOff his glasses come off]]), and main character Asuka, who defaults on ''ore'' uses ''boku'' in his letters to his favorite mangaka, in order to be polite.
136* ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}'': Shoma Takakura contrasting with his more assertive brother Kanba's ''ore''.
137* ''VideoGame/Persona4'':
138** [[spoiler:Naoto Shirogane]] uses ''boku'' as part of her attempt to disguise herself as male. After that's exposed she still does it anyway apparently out of habit. However if the main character starts a relationship with her and points her speech out as odd, she'll occasionally use a more feminine watashi when they are alone.
139** Shadow Kanji uses this in contrast to the regular Kanji using ore to show that he's a CampGay SissyVillain.
140* Pikachu from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' uses "boku" according to [[AnimalTalk the subtitles]] in "Island Of Giant Pokémon". The other Pokémon used "ore", as does Pikachu's trainer Ash. Pikachu using "boku" can be heard when he introduces himself with "Pika Pikachu" ("boku Pikachu").
141* Mytho from ''Anime/PrincessTutu''. He'd possibly be mistaken for a girl if he used 'watashi'...
142* [[BloodKnight Hibari]], Mukuro, and Byakuran from ''Manga/Reborn2004'' are quite polite (Mukuro even uses polite Japanese!) but along the most dominant and abusive characters of the series. In the case of Mukuro and Byakuran, ''boku'' implies more of an [[FauxAffablyEvil false politeness]] than a genuine one, while in Hibari's case it reflects his strong attachment to rules (not that he's a nice guy, [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk anyway]]).
143* In the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'', Pops uses "Boku-chan", fitting with his childlike, effeminate personality.
144* Utena, Dios, Miki and Saionji in ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena.'' Also Akio when in Chairman mode (he normally uses ''ore''). This is a good example of the different connotations ''boku'' can have. Utena's ''boku'' indicates her assertive and tomboyish persona; Dios and Miki use ''boku'' for the connotations of childlike innocence; Saionji uses it rather than a more aggressive pronoun because he feels he's always playing second fiddle; and when Akio uses ''boku'', it's out of false humility.
145* WholesomeCrossdresser Ren from ''Manga/SazanamiCherry'' uses "boku". His boyfriend originally mistook him for a {{bokukko}}.
146* Some young male characters in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' call themselves "boku", like Kobayakawa Hideaki and Otomo Sorin. Takenaka Hanbe also uses it.
147* ''Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd'': While most males use "ore", some guys use "boku": Mika and Shinya in contrast to their best friends' "ore" - Yuu and Guren respectively, Yoichi - the NiceGuy, Ferid, Crowley, Lest Karr and Asuramaru [[spoiler: aka Ashera Tepes]] - they are all ReallySevenHundredYearsOld vampires who were turned at a young age. The most unusual example is [[spoiler: Saito, who is the former Second Progenitor of the vampires and therefore older than pretty much all the cast except for the First Progenitor. This is probably to emphasize his FauxAffablyEvil nature.]]
148* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
149** Tails "Miles" Prower, indicating his youth compared to his older, cockier friend Sonic.
150** Oddly enough, Shadow the Hedgehog. This actually caused a bit of internal drama at Sonic Team, since many of the people on the ''Sonic Adventure 2'' staff thought he should use "ore" instead. In this case, it's to contrast Sonic, reflecting how he's a more conflicted and less self-confident character.
151* A very androgynous character from ''Manga/SoulEater'', Crona, refers to themself as ''boku'', which only contributes to the AmbiguousGender of the character.
152* Go ([[DubNameChange Speed]] in English) uses "boku" in ''Anime/SpeedRacer''. It's possibly due to the age of the series.
153* Gian of ''VideoGame/SummonNight 4'' reverts to his childhood usage of ''boku'' from his usual ''watashi'' as part of his VillainousBreakdown.
154* Pao-Lin from ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' is a {{Bokukko}}, indicative of her {{Tomboy}}ish personality. Barnaby always uses ''boku'' when speaking with other people. He occasionally switches to ''ore'' when addressing himself during his monologues.
155* Kaneki from ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' uses ''boku'', in line with his kind and shy personality.
156* Amusingly, [[AntiVillain Keith Anyan]] in ''Manga/TowardTheTerra'' uses "boku" in his first appearances. This is probably to help indicate the character's age at the time, since he's voiced by Creator/TakehitoKoyasu, who doesn't sound much like a fourteen-year-old; he switches to "watashi" when he gets a little older.
157* Nitori from ''Manga/WanderingSon'' uses "boku" despite being quite feminine because [[UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} she was raised as a man]].
158* ''VisualNovel/WhenTheyCry'':
159** [[{{Bokukko}} Rika and Hanyuu]] in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' generally use the ''boku'' pronoun, but both switch to "watashi" when their more mature personas surface. An actual male example is Satoshi.
160** George and Kanon in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry''. The former is quite mild-mannered, while the latter a servant, albeit brooding and sarcastic.
161* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
162** ''Manga/YuGiOh'': The contrast between the dark personalities and the real personalities of Yugi, Bakura, and Marik is evident: the author clearly wanted to make them distinctive by making the dark ones use the crasser ''ore'', and the normal ones use ''boku''.
163** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
164*** Shou Marufuji, fitting his youthful appearance and mild-mannered behavior.
165*** Edo Pheonix, helping maintain his surface level charm and humility despite being an undercover vigilante. Carries over to his ''Arc-V'' portrayal as well.
166*** Yubel, a [[{{Hermaphrodite}} hermaphrodic]] being who looks rather feminine and appears to be like a WomanScorned, uses ''boku''.
167** ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'':
168*** Bruno uses ''boku'', in stark contrast to the main male's ''ore'' or his real self's ''watashi''. Due to AmnesiacDissonance, he still refers to himself as ''boku' even after he regains his memories.
169*** Lucciano uses ''boku'', which reflects his "age", representing Aporia's childhood.
170** ''Anime/YuGiOhZexal'': Vector uses ''boku'' when acting as the goofy and rather idiotic Shingetsu.
171** ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'':
172*** Young boys, such as Sora or Tatsuya use ''boku''.
173*** Dennis uses ''boku'' to make him look himself humble.
174*** Yuya's EvilCounterpart Yuri uses ''boku'' as opposed to Yuya and his other counterparts, making him FauxAffablyEvil. He switches to ''ore'' when synchronizing with Yuya.
175* Unlike the other boys in ''Manga/YouAndMe'' (who use "ore"), Shun uses "boku". He is the most [[InTouchWithHisFeminineSide effeminate]] and docile.
176* Kei Jinguji from ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' uses "boku". Combined with the fact that LadyLooksLikeADude, this has lead to much ViewerGenderConfusion.[[/folder]]
177----
178:''Chin'': 朕 The form of "I" used exclusively by Emperors. Hirohito stopped using it after losing WWII and it has fallen into disuse. Analogous to the RoyalWe.
179
180[[folder:Chin Examples]]
181* Qin Shi Huang from ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' uses this pronoun for himself, being an [[AlternateSelf alternate version]] of the real historical figure. The English localization has him use the RoyalWe.
182* Aisin-Gioro Puyi, Emperor of Manchukuo in ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky''.
183* ''Manga/YouAreBeingSummonedAzazel'': Azazel uses it while he's on a power trip.
184[[/folder]]
185----
186:''Jibun'': 自分 "Oneself." 99% of the time this serves as a reflexive pronoun just like its English translation, but occasionally it can also be used as a general first person pronoun. Because it's quite detached and impersonal, military types may use it to indicate professionalism. Although more often heard from men, it's technically gender-neutral, so ''jibun'' can be useful [[TheAllConcealingI if writers want to disguise a character's gender]]. Confusingly, in Kansai-ben ''jibun'' means "you" instead of "I" (when not being used for a reflexive).
187
188[[folder:Jibun Examples]]
189* Tsubaki in ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' uses this when she's trying to sound more like a soldier. Also Hibiki, being another formal member of the military; he also uses "anata" to call people. He falls into "boku" once when [[spoiler:he gets shown his true desire, while trying to deny it.]]
190* Ruu Ballenclare in the HGame ''Dyogrammaton''. This emphasizes the fact that she's the only pilot with formal military training.
191* Sousuke Sagara in ''Literature/FullMetalPanic''. As did the high school rugby team of his school once [[TheSpartanWay Sousuke was through with them]]; Kaname originally expresses confusion at the captain's switch from "boku" to "jibun", but in the English dub she's just stunned by his switch to stiff military speak ("'Ma'am'?")
192* Hibiki, of ''Anime/TheIdolmaster'', uses this in an accentuation of her heavy Okinawan dialect.
193* Sayuri in ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}'' when she's doing an internal narration sort of thing (but also clearly speaking aloud) in a voice that [[{{UsefulNotes/Kawaisa}} isn't pitched abnormally high.]] Normally she's a ThirdPersonPerson.
194* Kino from ''Literature/KinosJourney'' uses this in the first sets of episodes in a similar attempt at gender-obfuscation. Kino is also known to use "atashi" and "boku" alternately.
195* The Adventure Log entries in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' use ''jibun''. While this could be Link referring to himself (fitting for a humble soldier), ''jibun'' is reflexive, so it can also be taken as referring to the player. The English localization goes for the second-person "you" as a result.
196* Gray, in the ''Literature/LordElMelloiIICaseFiles'', uses ''jibun'' as her first-person pronoun, even though she's just a sixteen-year-old girl. But she's quite [[TheStoic stoic]] and [[MysteriousPast mysterious]]...
197* The Boss in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater,'' after her defection, to symbolize how she has sacrificed her humanity in order to become a soldier.
198* Haruhi of ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' is a very rare female user of this pronoun, which makes it easier for people to confuse her for a boy. She continues to use it even after being roped into the Host Club (though she once jokingly uses the assertive ''ore'').
199* Kunzite in ''VideoGame/TalesOfHearts'', by virtue of being a RidiculouslyHumanRobot, and a TinMan no less.
200* Tonbokiri in ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'', which signifies how he's very polite and deferential towards the Saniwa.
201* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', Cornelia uses this pronoun along with a ridiculously formal speech, even when not on missions. This makes her the target of some mockeries from her comrades in the Inquisition
202* Hakuoro of ''VideoGame/{{Utawarerumono}}''. Granted, he ''is'' a military leader for much of the story and is sort of an amnesiac...
203* Isao Kachidoki from ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' uses ''jibun'', which gives him a stoic and professional flair, contrasting his two co-students Takeda and Umesugi who are complete {{Jerkass}}es and use ''ore'' instead.
204[[/folder]]
205
206----
207:''Maro'': 麿 "I, me, oneself", very archaic. It was used as surname of prestige in the Nara period, then it became a first person pronoun in the Heian period (792 CE), although at first commonly used by both men and women, from the Kamakura period its usage among commoners ceased and became a pronoun used by nobles and aristocrats, until the late 18th century. Nowadays, it is obsolete outside of threaters and written style, while it is used in fiction, the Maro pronoun stereotypically represents the Japanese supreme court judges or characters during the Heian era.\
208It is related in origin to ''wa'' (我), as they shared the same meaning and usage that could also mean "oneself" (today only 自分 and occasionally 己). ''Waro'' existed as as variant form of ''wa'' in eastern dialects (along with variants like ''wanu'', ''wagi'', and ''wari'') but only ''maro'' and ''ware'' survived after the Nara period.
209----
210:''Me, Mii'': ミー "Me" in its GratuitousEnglish form. Used either by {{Eagleland}}ers or people trying ''way'' too hard to be Westernized -- like some [[ButNotTooForeign indeterminately Japanese characters]] as a sort of PoirotSpeak. This can be used as both a singular and plural pronoun: "Me-tachi ga You wo mamoru", or "We'll protect you", for example. See also AnimeAccentAbsence.
211
212[[folder:Me Examples]]
213* Zansu uses "mii" and "yuu" constantly in ''Literature/BludgeoningAngelDokurochan''. It helps establish him as an annoying character... not that he needs the help.
214* Capricorn uses ''"me"'' in ''Manga/FairyTail''. It's usually transcribed as ''"meh"'', an onomatopoeia for goats, as Capricorn himself is indeed a goat. His speech is highly formal otherwise.
215* Iowa from ''VideoGame/KanColle'', being the first USN battleship to appear in the game, uses this, along with other heavy GratuitousEnglish words.
216* Parodied in ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'''s ShowWithinAShow, ''Anime/{{Gekiganger 3}}'', with Cowboy Johnny, the pilot of the "Texas Robo". This is based directly on Jack King from ''Manga/GetterRobo''.
217* Jack from ''Manga/MassuguNiIkou'' is a Rough Collie from England who uses "me".
218* The bizarre American ninja sensei in ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce Tribe''.
219* The [[FunnyForeigner American astronomer]] in ''Master Of Mosquiton'', in a unique (semi-)exception to the TranslationConvention for the series. "[=ME no PHOto o kaishiTE=]!"
220* Shurikenger from ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger''. Despite him being, you know, a full-blown Japanese ninja.
221* Lt. Surge, the "Lightning American" from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. He also addresses the player as "you".
222* Fran from ''Manga/Reborn2004'', who is French apparently.
223* Alfred Akagi from ''VisualNovel/RoseGunsDays'' not only uses these pronouns, but he tries to give himself an American accent even though he is completely Japanese. Leo even calls him a "fake foreigner".
224* Topjoy from ''Anime/ShippuIronLeaguer'', to go with his PluckyComicRelief status.
225* Jar Jar Binks in the Japanese dub of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequels uses "me", as a CulturalTranslation of the similar-sounding "meesa" he uses in the original English version.
226* Shining Saotome from ''VisualNovel/UtaNoPrinceSama'' uses ''mii'' and ''yuu'' along with other bizarre speech patterns.
227[[/folder]]
228----
229:''Ora'' おら: A once-common dialect form of ''ore'' (see below), with connotations of being from a low-class, rural area. ''Oira'' おいら is a somewhat more playful variation, making it a popular choice for mischievous kids and small, cute creatures.
230
231[[folder:Ora/Oira Examples]]
232* "Jock" villagers in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' use "oira". They are HotBlooded LovableJock characters who [[DumbMuscle aren't the smartest]] villagers.
233* Son Goku, Chi-Chi, and Ox-King from ''Manga/DragonBall'' all use ''ora'', befitting their rural lifestyle. Uub, too, uses ''oira''. After first becoming a Super Saiyan, Goku uses ''ore'' in the form due to its effect on his mindset, but after mastering the form he returns to using ''ora''.
234* Nanachi from ''Manga/MadeInAbyss'' is a gender-neutral example. They were originally a street kid before becoming coming to the Abyss.
235* In ''Anime/MariaHolic'', Kanako gets sent to the "Study Time Chamber", an obvious DBZ ShoutOut -- and comes back talking like Goku, ''ora'' and all.
236* Young Musashi Natsuki from ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musashi_no_Ken Musashi no Ken]]''. Once he turns 15, he switches to ''ore''.
237* Willie Trombone uses this pronoun in ''VideoGame/TheNeverhood'''s Japanese localization, befitting his simpleminded nature.
238* Kumadori, Absalom, and Big Mom's [[spoiler:(later Nami's)]] [[{{Cumulonemesis}} animate cloud]] Zeus from ''Manga/OnePiece'' use oira. Tama, a girl living in the slums of [[{{Wutai}} Wano Country]], uses ora.
239* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
240** Nyarth (Meowth) usually uses oira in his image songs, though he uses "Nyaa" in the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime itself]] later on.
241** In ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions'', Zorua uses oira, which fits with his mischievous nature.
242* Shimazu Yoshihiro and Itsuki from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara''. Interestingly, while Itsuki is a peasant, Yoshihiro is a samurai (though he speaks with a heavy Kyushu accent).
243* King/Harlequin, the childlike Fairy King from ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', calls himself "oira".
244* The peasants in ''Film/SevenSamurai'', including the girl, Shino.
245* Eric Cartman from the WOWOW Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' uses "oira", fitting South Park being a rural mountain town and Cartman being an EnfantTerrible.
246* Alba from ''VideoGame/SummonNight'', fitting given that he grew up in a slum.
247* Taruto, the alien BrattyHalfPint from ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'', uses "oira".
248* Sans typically uses "oira" in the Japanese localization of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', to fit his characterization as an unassuming prankster who contrasts with the more serious Papyrus. This caused a shock to the existing Japanese fanbase, who had been debating on whether he'd use "boku" or "ore". However, Sans ''does'' switch to "ore" during [[LetsGetDangerous his more serious moments.]]
249[[/folder]]
250
251----
252:''Ore'': 俺 "I, a tough young person". A casual, assertive masculine pronoun used mainly by young men (from adolescence to around middle age, usually) in casual contexts, such as hanging out with friends. As such, it's traditionally considered rude to use it with strangers and people above one's own social standing, but nowadays younger men use it even with strangers in all but formal situations (where its use may lead to AsianRudeness). Used by a vast majority of male leads in anime, especially in {{shounen}}, and also occasionally by [[TheLadette extremely tough and aggressive women]], mainly in fiction. In very rare real-life cases, women have been known to use it among each other in a joking manner. Also ''oi'' in many of Kyushu dialects (compare ''ware'' > ''wai'').\
253Fun fact: until the 1960s {{shounen}} heroes used ''boku''. ''Ore'' became fashionable with manga such as ''Manga/TomorrowsJoe'' that changed the basic "shounen manga hero" formula by featuring wilder and rougher main characters and presenting them as role models.\
254Originally, ''ore'' was a second person pronoun (i.e. "you"), used in old Japanese as extremely insulting and derogative, equivalent to the modern ''kisama'' (貴様) and ''temae'', written as 己 or 爾 (which was the second person pronoun most used in classic Chinese, along with 汝).\
255From the Kamakura until late Edo period, ''ore'' became a first-person pronoun used by men and women of all classes as humble pronoun. It evolved into an assertive masculine pronoun during the UsefulNotes/MeijiRestoration due to women switching to ''washi'', ''watashi'', and ''atashi'', and has rarely been used by women since. However, it's still used by women in some dialects, mainly [[FarmersDaughter rural women]], and some regions retain the second-person usage.
256
257[[folder:Ore Examples]]
258* Keichi in ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'', too bad he was [[GenderBender involuntarily disguised as a girl]] at the time.
259* Cranky villagers from ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' use ''ore''. They're implied to be the oldest villagers and [[GrumpyOldMan act the meanest]].
260* Odoroki Housuke/Apollo Justice from ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' uses this pronoun. It's the first difference between him and his boku-using predecessor that a player of the Japanese version comes to notice and (aside from the [[AnimeHair hair]]) also the most pronounced, since Apollo tends to act a lot more aggressive than Phoenix ever did.
261* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'': Ragna, the main protagonist, uses ''ore'' to refer to himself, and ''temee'' to call everyone else (though he sometimes uses ''omae'' or ''anta'' instead). It reflects his rough, mean personality.
262* [[TheLadette Kuukaku Shiba]] in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. Stern Ritter Liltotto is an ''ore-onna'', made ever stranger by the fact she looks like a little girl.
263* ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'': Jun Ushiro, on the other hand, switches from his [[SnarkKnight brusque]] ''ore'' to a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold gentler]] ''boku'' as he matures and learns to [[SourOutsideSadInside be a little more vulnerable]].
264* Hiroki in ''VisualNovel/Canvas2'', though he attempts to be more polite when conversing with a painter he respects.
265* Megumi in ''Manga/CheekyAngel'' used to be a boy (or is she?), and attempting to become one again.
266* Lelouch in ''Anime/CodeGeass''. He switches to ''watashi'' for his Zero persona to avoid identifying himself as a male teenager. As a child, though, he used ''boku'', in contrast to Suzaku, who used ''ore'' as a child and ''boku'' as a grown-up.
267* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/TheCupheadShow'' uses ''ore'', showing his [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling carefree, easygoing and fun-loving]] personality compared to his brother Mugman, who uses ''boku''.
268* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
269** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'':
270*** Mondo Owada and Leon Kuwata. The former is a [[JapaneseDelinquents biker gang leader]], the latter is a baseball star, and both are very temperamental. And then, there's Byakuya Togami, who is a scion, but also a very arrogant {{Jerkass}}.
271*** [[spoiler:The real Junko Enoshima]] also slips into ''ore'' at times, when she's in her "[[JapaneseDelinquents tough delinquent mode]]".
272** Hajime Hinata from ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' uses ''ore'' and ''omae'', as his speech pattern is far more direct than that of the previous game's protagonist Makoto Naegi. However, [[spoiler:Hajime's BrokenAce alternate personality Izuru Kamukura]] uses ''boku'' and speaks with a polite form of Japanese.
273*** Also from ''Danganronpa 2'' is Akane Owari, to highlight her extreme aggression and tomboyishness. There's also Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, heir to a notorious {{yakuza}} clan, and Kazuichi Soda, an easygoing yet slightly perverted mechanic.
274* ''Literature/DateALive'': Shido uses this, which was a bit of an issue when he was DraggedIntoDrag to get close to [[DoesNotLikeMen Miku]] and kept forgetting to use ''watashi'', though he just keeps using it when she doesn't dwell on it. Conversely, Tohka normally uses ''watashi'' but switched to ''ore'' while trying to pass herself off as a boy to stick with Shido on a field trip.
275* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': Interestingly, Goku Black eventually switches from ''watashi'' to ''ore'' as his personality becomes more and more similar to Son Goku's.
276* Many [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'' use this pronoun. In this case, however, the intent seems to be less an indicator of personality (though it is sometimes used in such a way) and more an indicator of age, as many of the characters who use ''ore'' are preteen/teenage boys.
277* Mordred, the Saber of Red of ''Literature/FateApocrypha'' uses ''ore'' as part of her rejection of her own femininity.
278* Shirou in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. As with Kyon, using this pronoun rather than ''boku'' underscores his no-nonsense personality.
279* All of the SOLDIER characters in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII: VideoGame/CrisisCore'' use ''ore'', most emphatically Zack, but is very much a point of character that Sephiroth uses ''ore'' while in SOLDIER and switches to a condescending ''watashi'' when he turns BigBad. However in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'', when speaking to Cloud during the Edge of Creation, Sephiroth suddenly switches to ''ore'', giving the implication that this Sephiroth isn't the same Sephiroth that they encountered.
280* Naota from ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' uses this to try and seem more mature. It doesn't appear to work.
281* [[BigBad Gauron]] from ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' uses this when referring to himself. It does certainly fit perfectly with his macho, condescending tough-guy attitude. And yes, he uses it rudely with strangers and people who aren't particularly close with him.
282* Shiki from ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'' uses it too, [[spoiler:in imitation of SHIKI, her male persona, who died two years ago. She returns to using ''watashi'' after the events of the seventh chapter/movie, signifying her acceptance of her past and present]].
283* Shuichi in ''Manga/{{Gravitation}}'', despite his general {{Uke}}[=/=]{{Keet}} persona.
284* In ''Anime/{{Grenadier}}'', Mikan uses ''ore'', reflecting her tomboyish personality.
285* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
286** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'': Amuro [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Ray]] switches from using ''boku'' to using ''ore'' as he grows into adulthood.
287** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00''
288*** Used most often and with much emphasis by [[DudeLooksLikeALady Tieria Erde]] in , likely as a counter to his feminine appearance, as during a HeroicBSOD, he interestingly cycles through pronouns, saying "''Ore wa... boku wa... watashi wa...''". In fact, his pronoun usage seems to generally depend on his mental state: although he usually uses ''ore'', he has been known to slip into ''boku'' or ''watashi'' during moments of extreme emotional distress or while having an identity crisis.
289*** Setsuna F. Seiei. After all, he often phrases "''[[CatchPhrase Ore(-tachi) wa Gundam!]]''"
290* Tenma Morimura and [[OnlyOneName Inori]] in ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe''. Inori is a street boy and Tenma is a regular teenager from our world; neither usually cares about being at least remotely polite.
291* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'':
292** Hungary ''used'' to refer to herself as ''ore'' in her younger years... when she [[{{Bokukko}} thought she would grow up into a man]]. As she grew up, she switched to ''watashi''.
293** America also uses ''ore'', to remark on his HotBlooded LoveFreak personality.
294* Issei in ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'', highlighting him as the most masculine among the three male protagonists.
295* Upon their first meeting in ''Manga/HikaruNoGo'', Hikaru uses ''ore'' while Akira uses ''boku''. Hikaru is a much rougher, normal boy from the lower/middle classes, while Akira is much more formal and polite.
296* Miroku in ''Manga/InuYasha'' mostly uses ''watashi'', but slips into ''ore'' and correspondingly rougher speech when he loses his temper -- most noticeably when a catfish youkai tries to claim Sango as his concubine and Miroku announces that he will not overlook someone else "getting funny with my woman (''ore no onna'')". Inuyasha himself uses ''ore'' all the time. Jakotsu uses this and speaks in a rude masculine Japanese... [[CreepyCrossdresser suprisingly enough]].
297* ''Literature/IsThisAZombie'':
298** Ayumu decides to turn his life around and announces symbolically "Goodbye, old ''boku''. Hello, new ''ore''." Of course, being the ButtMonkey, it's not long before he's forced to welcome back his old ''boku''...
299** A rare female example: Yuki also refers to herself using ''ore''.
300* ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'':
301** Thoma Avenir uses ''ore'' in contrast to most other male characters, like Erio, Yuuno and Chrono (''boku'') and Zafira (''watashi'').
302** Zest Grangaitz and Regius Gaiz from ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' use ''ore''.
303* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' uses ''ore'' in his own series, even while grappling with being forced to fight despite his pacifism, but switches to ''boku'' in the DarkerAndEdgier ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' drama tracks. One suspects that the prolonged carnage of the [[RobotWar Elf Wars]] between the two series had something to do with it. Interestingly, in the Japanese version of the prologue OVA "The Day of Sigma" of ''VideoGame/MegaManMaverickHunterX'' he uses ''watashi'', but has switched to ''ore'' in the game proper. Fefnir and Harpuia of ''Zero'' use this as well. Fefnir is a HotBlooded BloodKnight, while Harpuia is probably trying to [[ViewerGenderConfusion assert his gender identity]].
304* ''Manga/MinamiKe'':
305** All four family members of the other Minami family use ''ore'', even the [[{{Bifauxnen}} sister]], Touma.
306** Hosaka, Fujioka and Makoto also use ''ore''. The latter uses it even when he's in his alter ego, [[DisguisedInDrag Mako-chan]].
307* ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'': Sherlock and Moran both use ''ore'' to refer to themselves, reflecting their rough speech patterns (Cockney, in Sherlock's case) and brash, arrogant personalities.
308* Akira of ''Anime/MyHime'' uses this because she's pretending to be a boy. [[TheOneGuy Yuuichi]] also uses it.
309* Iida in ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'' and probably some of the other male students as well.
310* Takeo from ''Manga/MyLoveStory'' is a teenage boy who uses ''ore''. The name for the manga is "Ore Monogatari". Takeo's a FriendToAllLivingThings but is very masculine.
311* ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'': Uzume normally [[{{Bokukko}} uses this]], but slips into childish [[ThirdPersonPerson third-person]] while fantasizing or transformed into Orange Heart. [[spoiler:She's later revealed to be an inverted EnemyWithout to her game's BigBad Kurome, who also uses this, but does so in katakana instead of kanji.]]
312* Many of the males in ''Manga/NurseAngelRirikaSOS'' use ''boku'', however Ririka's childhood friend Seiya uses ''ore''. He isn't {{bishonen}} like many of the other boys and is headstrong.
313* Many character from ''Manga/OnePiece'', including all male members of the Straw Hat Pirates, with the exception of Brook and Jimbei, who are both older, more polite men compared to their younger crewmates.
314** Sogeking uses ''watashi'', but the lyrics of this ImageSong have ''ore''.
315** One [[OurGiantsAreBigger giant]] named Oimo uses ''oi'', so when he wants to say "me too", it comes out as ''oi mo'', like his name.
316** Big Mom is a notable [[{{Bokukko}} female example]], with the author noting that it used to be unisex when questioned about it by one reader.
317* In ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'', after it is discovered that the androgynous Haruhi Fujioka, who'd just been pressganged into working for the host club, is actually a girl, she briefly proposes using ''ore'' on herself, only for Tamaki, her eventual love interest, to be scandalized.
318* Kanba Takakura from ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}'', as the most aggressive and assertive Takakura sibling.
319* The majority of male members of the Phantom Thieves of Heart from ''VideoGame/Persona5'' uses ''ore'' as their pronoun, except Morgana who used ''wagahai'' and Goro Akechi who used ''boku''. In [[Anime/Persona5TheAnimation animated adaptation]], however, Akechi could be heard using ''ore'' in only one occasion. [[spoiler:Nonetheless, after Akechi is revealed as the traitor, he fully used ''ore'' when he confronted the thieves in Shido's Palace.]]
320* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
321** Satoshi (Ash) from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' uses ''ore'', which sometimes clashes with his polite speech patterns.
322** The Youngster trainer class also typically uses this pronoun in the games for similar reasons.
323** Tough, casual Archie in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]''.
324* Fakir in ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' always uses this. He probably is meaning to be rude half the time.
325* Manly young male characters in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', including Ranma even when transformed into a girl. Ukyo, while in schoolboy uniform, also uses ''ore'', otherwise ''uchi''. Tsubasa and Konatsu, Ukyo's straight [[DisguisedInDrag tranvestite]] love interests, use ''watashi'' instead.
326* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': Kenshin, who normally uses ''sessha'', goes into this when he is in [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Battousai]] mode. If this happens, ''run''.
327* Sailor Star Fighter/Kou Seiya in ''Franchise/SailorMoon''; this character is male (physically in the [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]], just cross-dressing in the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]]) in civilian form, but still uses ''ore'' as a Sailor Senshi.
328* Inoue Jun from ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' uses this as befitting of her {{Bifauxnen}} appearance.
329* On Music/DavidBowie's album ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps'', Michi Hirota uses ''ore'' in the spoken-word Japanese passages that punctuate "It's No Game (Part 1)", delivered in a defiantly aggressive shout. According to Bowie, Hirota's parts were meant to subvert western depictions of Asian women (and women in general) as meek and submissive, which the use of ''ore'' reflects.
330* Date Masamune and Katakura Kojuro from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', who are portrayed as a {{delinquent}} and a {{yakuza}} respectively. Young {{pirate}} Chosokabe Motochika also uses this. Sanada Yukimura from the same franchise uses exceedingly formal and humble speech patterns, including the pronouns "sessha" and ''soregashi''. However, he sometimes uses ''ore'' with Sasuke, implying that this would be his default pronoun if he wasn't so hung up on sounding proper and samurai-like. Given that Sasuke is under his command and has been a kind of brotherly presence in his life since he was young, Yukimura can use a more relaxed speaking style with him.
331* Yagyuu of ''VideoGame/SenranKagura'' uses this. She's not a rough or masculine woman (that'd be Daidouji) but she's a very determined person beneath her calm demeanor, especially if Hibari is involved.
332* Giroro from ''Manga/SgtFrog'' is a brash and hot-headed soldier, so it makes sense that he'd use this pronoun.
333* Yuzuru Nishimiya in ''Anime/ASilentVoice'' is quite a complete tomboy: dresses like a boy, acts like one and talks like one too. Her preferred pronoun is ''ore''. Apparently, she's so convincing that she can pull off being her sister's "boyfriend", a front she puts up to protect her from the former bully that is our protagonist Nishida. However, she used to be quite girly (see ''Atashi'' Examples).
334* Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog typically uses ''ore'' in katakana (オレ) to highlight his breezy, rebellious personality, although interestingly, very early Japanese-language promotional materials had him use the less assertive ''boku'' instead. Knuckles also uses ''ore'', but written in kanji (俺) to emphasize how he's more serious and rigid in personality.
335* Several characters in ''VisualNovel/TearsToTiara'' use ore, the main character included. Arawn also uses ''ore-sama'' a few times and the formal ''watashi'' when [[spoiler:he temporarily reverts himself to his angelic form.]]
336* Simon from ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' graduates from ''boku'' to ''ore''. Kamina uses it from the beginning. Also, Kittan's youngest sister, Kiyal, refers to herself as ''ore'', referencing her more up-and-at-'em attitude towards fighting.
337* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'':
338** The talkative, bright Hide uses ''ore''.
339** From the sequel, Mutsuki, being rather weak and shy, seems like an odd person to use ''ore'', but once he's revealed as transgender, it can be assumed that he's doing so to assert his masculinity.
340* ''VideoGame/{{Tomba}}'': Interestingly enough, Tomba himself is a SilentProtagonist, and the Japanese title of [[http://tomba.wikia.com/wiki/I_Cant_Swim one event]] suggest that he normally uses ''oira''.
341* Vash the Stampede of ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' normally uses ''boku'' or even ''atashi'' as part of his ObfuscatingStupidity persona, but will switch to ''ore'' when he means business.
342* Ryuunosuke Fujinami from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' [[{{Bifauxnen}} sometimes has to remind people]] "''Ore wa onna da!''" ("I'm a woman!", constructed in an ''extremely'' masculine way).
343* Hinagiku aka Angel Daisy from ''Manga/WeddingPeach'' uses this pronoun even as a Love Angel in a frilly wedding dress.
344* Yamada and Miyamura from ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'' both use this pronoun to highlight their brash and confident personalities. A noteworthy distinction is that Yamada is generally more likely to leave out first-person pronouns and only uses ''ore'' when it's necessary to a given context, while Miyamura uses ''ore'' constantly, almost to the point of a VerbalTic. When Yamada uses ''ore'', it's written in regular kanji, but when Miyamura uses it, it's written in katakana, probably to emphasize his love for the word.
345* Hazuki in the manga version of ''VisualNovel/YamiToBoushiToHonNoTabibito'' uses ''ore'', while in the anime, she uses ''boku'' instead.
346* ''Franchise/YokaiWatch'':
347** The {{youkai}} Venoct from ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'' uses ''ore'' in the first game; however, he switches to ''watashi'' in the second game.
348** Boyish KidHero Keita (Nate) uses ''ore'' in the Japanese version of the games and [[Anime/YokaiWatch anime]].
349* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
350** Masculine characters ("masculine" in as in blunt, crass, crude in demeanor and language) from ''Manga/YuGiOh''. These include Jonouchi (Joey), Honda (Tristan), Kaiba and Mokuba, and the three dark personalities, Dark Yugi, Dark Bakura and Dark Marik. Interestingly enough, the moment Kaiba switches from ''boku'' to ''ore'' is the moment he's "masked off" and shows his true nature as an evil son of a bitch. Moreover, the contrast between the dark personalities and the real personalities is evident: the author clearly wanted to make them distinctive by making the dark ones use the crasser ''ore'', and the normal ones use ''boku''.
351** ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'': Among many male characters who use ''ore'', Yuya uses it casually, but switches to ''watashi'' when he's in his entertainer persona. His counterparts Yuto and Yugo also use ''ore''. His other counterpart, Yuri, on the other hand, uses ''boku'', but switches to ''ore'' when he is synchronizing with Yuya. [[spoiler:Their original incarnation Zarc used ''ore'' as a human, adopting ''ware'' after merging with his dragons to become the Supreme King Dragon, but shifts back to ''ore'' toward the end of his duel with everyone.]]
352* ''Manga/YouAndMe'':
353** Most of the boys use ''ore''. The exception is Shun, who is InTouchWithHisFeminineSide and uses a boyish ''boku''.
354** The boys meet a kindergarten boy named Ken who uses ''ore'' despite his young age. He's very boisterous and aggressive.
355* ''Anime/YourName'': Taki, being an ordinarily masculine teenage boy from Tokyo, uses ''ore''. When Mitsuha first swaps bodies with him, she struggles to get used to this, briefly referring to herself with ''watashi'' (her usual pronoun), ''watakushi'', and ''boku'', which confuses the hell out of Tsukasa and Takagi. (The English dub, having no way to properly convey this, instead has Mitsuha using "gal", "fella", and "stud", before settling on "guy".)
356[[/folder]]
357
358----
359:''Ore-[[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics sama]]'': 俺様 "My most esteemed self," perhaps, or "my magnificent highness." Attaching an honorific that indicates great respect to the most macho of first-person pronouns makes it a highly emphatic, arrogant and presumptuous version of ''ore''. Used either tongue-in-cheek, or [[SmugSnake by the]] [[{{Narcissist}} most smug of men]].
360
361[[folder:Ore-sama Examples]]
362[[AC:Original Japanese-Language Works]]
363* Terumi in ''VideoGame/BlazBlue''. When he's in Hazama form, he usually uses the more normal 'watashi', but on Terumi form, he specifically uses 'Ore-sama' and everyone else is 'Temee', [[ItsAllAboutMe showing off his utterly narcisstic side thinking that he's the most awesome being ever, and woe betide anyone that says otherwise]].
364* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'':
365** Gundham Tanaka from ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair''. Very fitting for a self-proclaimed "overlord-to-be."
366** Miu Iruma from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', which fits with her brash, vulgar, and arrogant personality.
367* Koroogi, the resident [[InsufferableGenius computer whiz]] in ''Manga/DimensionW'', uses "ore-sama".
368* Piccolo and Vegeta from ''Manga/DragonBall'' use ''ore-sama'' on several occasions. Fitting, since Piccolo is the self-proclaimed demon king, while Vegeta is actual royalty and very fixated on that status despite the destruction of his kingdom.
369* Koga of ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' uses it to reflect his boastful, confrontational personality; he's implied to have taken the habit from Rei, who spoke like this prior to the 'war'. Nowadays Rei uses the still confident but far more eccentric (for a modern-day high schooler, anyway) 'wagahai'.
370* Normally polite and aloof Yuki in ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', while [[IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer giving Kyou a lecture]] at the beach, refers to himself as "ore-sama" just to annoy Kyou. It's notably a sign that Yuki is [[DefrostingIceQueen learning to loosen up]] as well as the shifting of his relationship with [[HotBlooded Kyou]] toward VitriolicBestBuds.
371* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Greed uses this in both incarnations, which makes sense for someone who wants to have everything the world has to offer, including power and status.
372* Kousaka from ''Manga/FutureDiary'' uses this sometimes. Fitting, for his SmallNameBigEgo.
373* Cagliostro from ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy.'' Conceit and arrogance aside, it's also an indicator that [[spoiler: she's a 1000 year-old alchemist who transferred his soul into the body of a little girl/homunculus he considers "ideal".]]
374* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'':
375** Prussia is a batshit insane flavor of HotBlooded with an extra helping of egomania, so this is fitting.
376** England, who normally uses ''ore'', switches to this when he's boasting.
377* Dio Brando of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', who takes this up another notch by referring to himself as "[[ThirdPersonPerson Kono Dio-sama]]", roughly equivalent to "I, the Magnificent Lord Dio".
378* [[AuthorityInNameOnly King Dedede]] uses ''ore-sama'' (オレさま) in the Japanese versions of the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games. Interestingly, he's retained this trait even after undergoing a HeelFaceTurn and becoming a good guy, though it still indicates his ego and self-importance. In the anime, he uses ''washi'', due to his AdaptationPersonalityChange.
379* ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'': The peppy death goddess Shinigami referrs to herself as ''ore-sama-chan''.
380* Oudo Miyakonojou from ''Manga/MedakaBox'' refers to himself as “Idai naru ore” (the great I) to stress that he is the king of Hakoniwa Academy. This is fitting given that his power is something along the lines of a CompellingVoice.
381* Ushijima Gonta (Bud Bison) in ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' is usually an ''ore''-speaker, but he switches to ''ore-sama'' when he's taken over by the villainous alien Taurus.
382* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Every time the titular character gets all high-and-mighty he starts referring to himself as this, like in the omake for ''Shippuden'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXGudAcRbyE Episode 75]]
383* Chiaki in ''Manga/NodameCantabile'' when he's feeling particularly smug (at other times he just uses "ore"). In the first episode, a couple of Nodame's classmates mock his condescending attitude; one imitates his voice and says "Ore-sama wa Chiaki-sama".
384* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
385** After Buggy the Clown becomes a Warlord of the Sea during the TimeSkip, he often talks boastfully about himself, using "ore-sama" when he does.
386** Usopp normally just uses "ore", but switches to "ore-sama" (and referring to himself as "Usopp-sama") when he's in MilesGloriosus mode.
387* ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'': Team Skull leader Guzma uses this one to introduce himself. [[{{Woolseyism}} Woolsey'd]] into English into introducing himself as "It's ya boy Guzma".
388* Atobe Keigo in ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis''. He often utters the catchphrase "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoina" - which translates to something like "be amazed by my wonderful self's excellent play".
389* Tajomaru from ''Film/{{Rashomon}}'' uses "ore-sama", as a show of his SmallNameBigEgo.
390* Rance from the Rance game series ''[[Creator/AliceSoft Sengoku Rance]]''. He often proclaims to be "the strongest of all".
391* UsefulNotes/SarutobiSasuke in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' uses this when he's being boastful. UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi uses it all the time.
392* Kururu from ''Manga/SgtFrog'' is a {{Jerkass}} MadScientist who uses this pronoun.
393* [[SmallNameBigEgo Vector the Crocodile]] in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series.
394* [[LargeHam Black Star]] from ''Manga/SoulEater'', only switching to 'ore' when he's being polite or concerned.
395* Wolf in the ''VideoGame/StarFox'' series uses this pronoun for himself and ''kisama'' (see below) for everyone else. Can't you just smell the superiority complex?
396* Ludwig von Koopa usually uses "ore" in ''Manga/SuperMarioBrosMangaMania'' but sometimes uses "ore-sama".
397* O'Chunks from ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' uses "ore-sama" to call himself, and "omae" to most people. Very fitting for a ProudWarriorRaceGuy.
398* Zelos Wilder from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' uses "ore-sama" almost exclusively, fitting for his conceited playboy attitude. Rarely, he'll drop the "sama" and switch to "ore" [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness during serious moments]], which makes it a pretty good tell for when things are about to get real.
399* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'': Devil Jin in his conversations with Jinpachi uses Oresama to address himself, to emphasize his difference from his human counterpart, thinking to be the most supreme being that mastered the power of the Devil. Kazuya Mishima also uses Oresama to distance himself from all other fighters, thinking to be the strongest one.
400* [[LargeHam Kamina]] in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' when addressing an enemy. The dub has him temporarily becoming a ThirdPersonPerson whenever this happens: "...me, the mighty Kamina!" Used by Kittan just before moments before [[spoiler:using his own version of Giga Drill Breaker and [[TearJerker preforming a]] HeroicSacrifice]].
401--> '''Kittan:''' [...]Ore-Sama no Tamashi!! (My magnificent soul!!)
402* Alien Guts Vorst, one of BigBad Alien Chibu Exceller's [[CoDragons two leading subordinates]] tends to refer to himself with this pronoun most of the time he's on-screen in ''Series/UltramanGingaS''.
403* Lucifer in ''Manga/YouAreBeingSummonedAzazel'' uses ''ore'' most of the time, but sometimes adds -sama for added effect.
404* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
405** [[BigBad Dark Bakura]] in ''Manga/YuGiOh''. Occasionally, Kaiba and Jonouchi uses it as well, but not nearly as much as Dark Bakura.
406** Jun Manjoume in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', and although he means it seriously, he's seldom taken serious. The English dub translates this as him referring to himself in the third person as "the Chaz".
407** Shingo Sawatari in ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'', showing his overly inflated ego [[MilesGloriosus despite his poor track record]].
408** Roa Kirishima in ''Anime/YuGiOhSEVENS'' uses ore-sama to highlight his naughty prince persona and how highly he thinks of himself.
409
410[[AC:Japanese-Language Localizations]]
411* [[BigBad The Devil]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheCupheadShow'' refers to himelf this way. Fitting, considering he's... well... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the devil]].
412* Lancer in the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' uses "''boku-''sama", combining the childlike male pronoun "boku" with the -sama prefix as a cheerful preteen CardCarryingVillain who is also the son of the Spades King.
413* ''VideoGame/TheNeverhood'': The cruel EvilOverlord Klogg uses this pronoun to refer to himself in the Japanese version. He switches to "ore" when talking with Klayman at the end of the game.
414* In the Japanese version of ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', Oogie Boogie's shadow uses "ore-sama" as a pronoun during "This Is Halloween". Curiously, this does not carry over to the rest of his appearances in the film.
415* Plankton in the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'' refers to himself as "ore-sama", fitting with his status as an IneffectualSympatheticVillain with delusions of grandeur. Humorously, he's also [[CrossdressingVoices voiced by a woman]] in that version.
416* The Shredder from ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime'' refers to himself as such in the Japanese version.
417* In the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', Gordon uses the pronoun "ore-sama", fitting how arrogant he is.
418* Papyrus from ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' uses "ore-sama" to refer to himself in the Japanese version, fitting his inflated ego and working as a CulturalTranslation for him referring to himself as "The Great Papyrus" in the English version.
419* Scar from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' refers to himself as "ore-sama" during his VillainSong.
420
421[[AC:Original English-Language Works]]
422* Creator/WilliamShakespeare randomly refers to himself as this a couple of times in [[Creator/DetsniyOffSkiword Profesor Layton Vs Jack The Raper]].
423[[/folder]]
424----
425:''Sessha'': 拙者 "This humble, unworthy, clumsy fool". Archaic, not in use nowadays. People who use this in anime are usually {{samurai}} or {{ninja}}. Probably the closest parallel in English is "your humble servant", sometimes used in correspondence as a first person pronoun.
426
427[[folder:Sessha Examples]]
428[[AC:Original Japanese-Language Works]]
429* Shinobu of ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' uses this due to being a ninja {{Chuunibyou}}. He also likes to refer to people as '[name/title]-dono'.
430* Yae Kokonoe of ''Literature/InAnotherWorldWithMySmartphone''. Justified as her homeland, Eashen, is pretty much the equivalent of Feudal Japan, and she's a samurai.
431* Bandeiras Hattori of ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters XIV'' uses this, being a ninja... [[McNinja from Brazil]].
432* Goemon Ishikawa XIII from ''Characters/LupinIII''. Covers both the samurai and ninja aspects; he is the ultimate archaic gentleman.
433* Steamax the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot robot ninja]] from ''VideoGame/MegadimensionNeptuniaVII''.
434* Fox Fire Kin'emon from ''Manga/OnePiece'', a samurai from the Wano Country, their world's version of Japan. His [[spoiler:alleged]] son Momonosuke does the same. During the Wano Arc, which takes place in said country, many more side characters unsurprisingly use this as well.
435* In ''VideoGame/Persona3'', French exchange student Bebe uses ''sessha'', along with some other odd and archaic word choices, because he's a FunnyForeigner and an enthusiastic Japanophile.
436* Kyou (Koga) in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. He's a ninja gym leader. The ninjas of Kalos's hidden ninja village has also many ninjas who use this pronoun, including Sanpei.
437* Basil, an Italian Mafia in ''Manga/Reborn2004'' uses this due to receiving misleading information about Japan from his master.
438* An RPG Maker 2000 game, ''VideoGame/RomancingWalker'' has Hayami the [[{{Ninja}} kunoichi]], whose dialogues are left with Japanese Pronouns after the game was translated.
439* Himura Kenshin in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin''. When he switches to ''ore'', [[BewareTheNiceOnes RUN]]. Here are some quotes:
440-->(Politely)'' '''Sessha''' wa rurōni. Ate no nai tabi no kenkaku de gozaru yo.'' ("I [this humble one] am a wanderer. I am a swordsman on an aimless journey.")
441-->(With murderous rage)'' '''Ore''' ga korosu to itta ijō, omae no shi wa zettai da.'' ("Once I say I will kill, your death is certain.")
442* Pop from ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure'' who is a ninja, yes, but he's also an [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter extremely cute and fuzzy]] [[MentorMascot mascot character]] who looks like a plushie lion.
443* Several characters in ''VisualNovel/YoJinBo'', most notably Muneshige and Ittosai. It proves a pretty good indicator of which of the six bodyguards featured in the story are actually samurai and which ones are something else - Jin, who uses ''ore'', is revealed to be the son of a peasant, and Yo, who uses ''boku'', is actually a ninja.
444* Tsukikage and Hikage from ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' use ''sessha'' because they are ninjas.
445[[/folder]]
446
447----
448
449:''Sessō'': 拙僧 lit. "this humble priest." Archaic, masculine, used [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exclusively by Buddhist monks]]. There's an equivalent in Chinese which literally translates to "this poor (broke, janky) monk".
450
451[[folder:Sessō Examples]]
452* Yamabushi Kunihiro from ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'' dresses and acts like a Buddhist monk, and he uses this pronoun for himself. It's often translated as referring to himself [[ThirdPersonPerson in third person]] as "this humble servant of Buddha".
453* [[NobleDemon Ryōken Hōinbō/Sirhan Dogen]] from "VisualNovel/GyakutenKenji2" uses this pronoun as part of his Buddhist monk quirk.
454[[/folder]]
455
456----
457
458:''Shoukan'': 小官 Literally "petty official", it's also an old-fashioned, humble way for military or government officials to refer to themselves.
459
460[[folder:Shoukan Examples]]
461* Riou Mason Busujima from ''Music/HypnosisMic'' uses this, befitting his background as a former sergeant in the military. He carries this to his songs as well.
462[[/folder]]
463
464----
465
466:''Shousei'': 小生 Another archaic, self-deprecating form of "I" used by men with their equals and subordinates. Nowadays it's rare but still used sometimes in letters and such.
467
468[[folder:Shousei Examples]]
469* Tokitsu Junya, the "Detective of the North" in ''Manga/CaseClosed''. It's hinted that he uses this as a way to make himself [[SmugSnake look humbler than he truly is.]] [[spoiler: And it's a plot point, actually. See the character sheets to learn the reason why.]]
470* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': [[MusicalAssassin Kyogai]], a Demon who used to be a downtrodden musician, scorned and ridiculed by his own father. It's easy to see where the self-deprecating element associated with this pronoun lies within the character.
471[[/folder]]
472
473----
474
475:''Soregashi'': 某 Literally means "so-and-so." Used mostly by men, usually {{samurai}}; now archaic. Like ''sessha'', it's self-deprecating and denotes excessive modesty and humility.
476
477[[folder:Soregashi Examples]]
478* Konotegashiwa in ''Fanfic/TalesOfTheUndiscoveredSwords''. In most of the fic's English text, it's sometimes written as "this humble warrior".
479* Raidei The Blade in ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' to fit his stereotypical samurai behavioural and speech patterns.
480* Yudias Velgear in ''Anime/YuGiOhGORUSH'' uses this as his pronoun of choice, highlighting his extraterrestrial and warrior origins.
481[[/folder]]
482
483----
484
485:''Uchi'': 家 A word for "I" or "my own" used in Kansai-ben (including Osaka-ben) and Kyushu dialect by women. Thus, one may hear a female [[TheIdiotFromOsaka idiot from Osaka]] refer to herself as ''uchi'', in addition to other characters from the Kansai region. The Kansai-ben equivalent to ''atashi''.
486
487[[folder:Uchi Examples]]
488* "Big sister"-type villagers from ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' speak in the Kansai accent and thus use ''uchi''. They're presented as [[CuteBruiser tough]], CoolBigSis characters.
489* Hiyori in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. She sometimes ''is'' an idiot, though, but more of a HotBlooded tomboy normally.
490* Momiji Ooka from ''Manga/CaseClosed'', as befitting a [[{{Ojou}} princessy rich girl]] from Kyoto.
491* Yoimiya from ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact''. Fitting due to her working-class background, as well as courtesy of her seiyuu, the Kansai-born Creator/KanaUeda.
492* Bridget from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', despite not being from Kansai and initially identifying as male, uses ''uchi'' almost invariably (she uses ''boku'' a single time in a private context), reflecting her feminine presentation and ultimate decision that she is more comfortable identifying as a girl.
493* Kuroshio and Ryuujou of ''VideoGame/KanColle'' use this, as both speaks Kansai. Interestingly, only the former is a genuine speaker (as she was born/built in Osaka) while the latter is not (neither the ship or her voice actress is a native).
494* Suletta Mercury, protagonist of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury'', uses this pronoun for most of the series, reflecting her status as a CountryMouse who hails from the Mercurian colony (widely viewed as the outer-space equivalent of a DyingTown in the boonies). As the series goes on, she switches to "watashi."
495* Dorothy in ''Anime/PrincessPrincipal'', who's the team leader but also the most casual and easygoing member.
496* Ukyo, while not in schoolboy uniform at school, from ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''. Otherwise, she may use the masculine ''ore'' instead.
497* Hazel from ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}} Gunlock'', mainly to emphasize that he's foreign. (Also not an idiot. Maybe.)
498* Kohran from ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' uses it (as well as speaking Kansai-ben), but she's technically {{Chinese| Girl}}. To be fair, she grew up in the Kansai area.
499* Akane Hino/Cure Sunny from ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure'' who is from Osaka. She's not an idiot, but a DeadpanSnarker.
500* Callie/Aori in ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'', the goofier half of the Squid Sisters/Sea o' Colors act. She and Marie both come from the Calamari Country, which is implied to be a more old-timey, culturally-rich area of the Inkling world like the Kansai region is in real life (and certain dialogue in [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 the second game]] implies it may actually ''be'' Kansai under a different name), so it's quite appropriate.
501* Asuka Kazama in {{VideoGame/Tekken}} initially went by "atashi" in her debut in Tekken 5 but she later switched to "uchi". Given that she is from Osaka, this is more appropriate.
502* Lum, the hot {{Oni}} AlienPrincess from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', refers to herself as "Uchi". Curiously, her father and little cousin speak in Kansai dialect.
503* Kylier from ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion''. She has a very light Kyoto-ben accent.
504[[/folder]]
505
506----
507
508:''Wachiki'': わちき/私 A feminine pronoun stereotypically used by prostitutes in the Edo period and every bit carries the same connotations as ''atai'' above.
509
510----
511
512:''Wagahai'': 吾輩 / 我が輩 "my class, one of my standing". Every bit as arrogant and presumptuous as ''ore-sama'', with the added benefit of being quite archaic (it incorporates the possessive form of ''ware''). Note that 50% of the time you see this, it's an allusion to ''Literature/IAmACat'' (the original Japanese title being ''Wagahai wa Neko de aru''), a well-known Japanese satirical novel.
513
514[[folder:Wagahai Examples]]
515* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
516** Karuma Gou/Manfred von Karma, an extremely pompous prosecutor.
517** [[HistoricalDomainCharacter Soseki Natsume]] in ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' uses this, naturally. The cat that Ryunosuke and co. adopt gets named this, after Soseki's pronoun choice.
518* [[GreatWhiteFeline Shirogane]] in ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'', complete with "de aru" ending many sentences.
519* Chiyo's father in ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'', a [[MegaNeko giant cat]] [[MindScrew ...thing]]. Voiced by the suave, often artistically archaic Norio Wakamoto. Naturally, he introduces himself as "wagahai wa neko de aru" in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlLhw1mtCFA one infamous scene]].
520* Cyborg 007/Great Britain in ''Manga/Cyborg009''. Fitting, he's an actor in his 40's and his speciality is classic theatre.
521* Chaser John Doe from ''Manga/DreamEaterMerry'', who actually quotes the book's title without ever having read it.
522* Rei of ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' uses this post-war; the archaism reflects his eccentric old man persona, but it still reflects his confidence and power as a 'vampire'.
523* [[LargeHam Caster of Red]] from ''Literature/FateApocrypha''. Then again, he's ''Creator/WilliamShakespeare'', so this, in addition to show his penchant for grandiness, is basically how his Main/AntiquatedLinguistics translate in Japanese.
524* Mayor Zao from ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' uses this in the Japanese subtitles. He's a red panda, not a cat, but he does have a bit of an ego.
525* [[LargeHam Alex Louis Armstrong]] in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. Yes, even when talking to superiors.
526* In one episode of ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'', Shinpachi, Kagura and Otae are transformed into demons who wear kabuki makeup, play UNO and speak using "Wagahai". Naturally, Gintoki is freaked out beyond all belief.
527* Zero in ''Literature/GrimoireOfZero'', as one of her eccentricities from growing up in a magical research commune filled with old books.
528* Neko in ''Anime/{{K}}''. [[ADogNamedDog She is a cat]], and introduces herself as "Wagahai wa Neko de aru." [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Kukuri]] calls her Wagahai-chan.
529* Tone of ''VideoGame/KanColle'' talks in an archaic manner, including using "wagahai".
530* Teika in ''Literature/KyouranKazokuNikki'', who is a lion of a royal line. Even his theme song is titled "Wagahai wa shugojuu de aru ka".
531* Nyanta in ''Literature/LogHorizon'', who considering that he plays a werecat character, is most probably using "wagahai" as an allusion to ''Wagahai wa Neko de Aru''.
532* In ''Manga/LuckyStar'', Yui at one point calls Yutaka "wagahai no imouto", i.e. "my younger sister". In this case the usage seems to be playful rather than arrogant.
533* King Drake the Third in ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', making for not the first time Creator/NorioWakamoto has voiced a cat-man using this pronoun. It helps to underline just how incredibly smug and arrogant he is.
534* Mashin Hakobu from ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'' uses this, reflecting his being the mentor of King Oradin and one of the more powerful Mashins.
535* Yukichi from ''Manga/TheMasterfulCatIsDepressedAgainToday'', despite being unable to speak, uses the pronoun "wagahai" in his internal monologues. Since he's [[MegaNeko an enormous bipedal cat]], it's clearly a reference to ''I Am a Cat''.
536* Mogami Yoshiaki from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', whom arrogant doesn't even begin to describe.
537* Keroro from ''Manga/SgtFrog'' is the pompous and incompetent leader of his platoon. He, along with his squadmates, are ReallySevenHundredYearsOld, so perhaps this is why he uses this pronoun.
538* [[BigBad Bowser]] from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, in keeping with his [[AwesomeEgo brash and boastful personality]]. It should also be noted, of course, that he ''is'' a king.
539* Morgana in ''VideoGame/Persona5''. Given that he's a cat-like being, it's obviously a reference to ''I Am a Cat''.
540* Champ from ''Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger''; he's not really all that arrogant, so it's more than likely due to his age (he's over 300 years old). When he briefly adopts the identity of "Yagyu Jubei", he tries to switch to ''ore'' but keeps slipping up and instinctively saying ''wagahai'' instead, which is just one of the many elements that makes it a PaperThinDisguise.
541[[/folder]]
542
543----
544
545:''Warawa'': 妾 An archaic feminine form. Originally it was humble and self-effacing (the kanji means "concubine"), but in modern historical anime/novels/etc. it's used by female characters of high social standing (usually royals or aristocrats) with old-fashioned speech patterns. In contemporary settings it's used by supernatural beings (goddesses, demonesses, spirits, etc.) who hold human society beneath them; because they existed when the address had its original nuances, their usage of it is loaded with irony. Don't confuse it with ''ware wa'', which is "I am" with the pronoun ''ware''.
546
547[[folder:Warawa Examples]]
548* Princess Azula from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' uses ''warawa'' in the Japanese dub.
549* Enju Aihara in ''Literature/BlackBullet'', despite being a 10-year-old girl.
550* Goddess Venus in the Japanese localization of ''VideoGame/BugFables''.
551* Minerva Orland in ''Manga/FairyTail'', considered the strongest mage of the Sabertooth guild.
552* Yae Miko in ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact''. Fitting for a [[AsianFoxSpirit kitsune]] who's [[LongLived lived for something close to 500 years]].
553* Another male example is Kotaro of ''Manga/KotaroLivesAlone''. He copies the speech pattern of the samurai in his favorite anime.
554* Princess Luna in the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. She switches to ''watashi'' in more guarded moments (like when asking Fluttershy how to speak more softly).
555* The ancient, legendary [[spoiler:Princess Kaguya Ootsutsuki]] in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''.
556* Boa Hancock from ''Manga/OnePiece'', the incredibly haughty and self-serving Pirate Empress of [[LadyLand Amazon Lily]].
557* [[GenderFlip Enma]] in ''VideoGame/Onmyoji2016'', being the ruler of the Afterworld.
558* [[spoiler:The Shadow Queen, [[EldritchAbomination an ancient malevolent entity]] [[SealedEvilInACan sealed within the titular structure]]]] in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''. Also used by Hooktail, a dragon serving as the first major boss, [[FemaleMonsterSurprise making her gender]] apparent sooner to Japanese players.
559* [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Sectonia]], the BigBad of ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe''. She is a vain, tyrannical, [[spoiler:{{Body Surf}}ing parasitic wasp who has possessed other species for thousands of years to give herself a [[VainSorceress beautiful]], [[GodhoodSeeker all-powerful]] body and eventually take over Planet Popstar]]. This pronoun definitely emphasizes how egotistical she is.
560* The Princess of the Crystal in ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}''. Himari herself also uses this pronoun in one episode when roleplaying a period drama with the cabbages she's chopping up.
561* Queen Nehelenia from ''Franchise/SailorMoon''. Dubs usually translated it into her using the most formal speech patterns of the language in question.
562* [[PluckyGirl Gracia]] from ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors''. She also uses other archaic speech patterns (e.g. the use of ''ja'' instead of ''da'' as an ending copula). They are meant to portray her as a high-ranking {{Ojou}}, but it is still mildly hilarious to see ([[ArtisticAge who is basically]]) a teenager talking like an aging empress or a 700-year-old fox spirit. [[PrettyPrincessPowerhouse Koshosho]] mercilessly lampshades this in the fourth game, mockingly calling her "Warawa-chan".
563* A ''male'' example with Himetsuru Ichimonji in the fanfic series ''Fanfic/TalesOfTheUndiscoveredSwords''. He is an insufferable [[RoyalBrat self-proclaimed princess]].
564* [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Beatrice]] in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' uses this pronoun to lend to her image as a dignified [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 1000-year-old]] witch. [[spoiler:Except she isn't actually 1000 years old, and occasionally she'll drop the witch act and use the more modern and gender-neutral "watashi" pronoun instead, hinting at her true nature.]]
565* Tamamo/Kyubi from ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi''. She has the excuse of actually being an old fox spirit.
566* Princess Natsume Izayoi in the ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngelII'' trilogy, which is consistent with [[AntiquatedLinguistics her archaic Japanese speech patterns]].
567[[/folder]]
568
569----
570
571:''Ware'': 我 An archaic first person pronoun, that means "I, me, oneself", usually male, alternatively written as 吾 (although this is more literary).\
572Once the traditional and most common of the first person pronouns used in Japan since the ancient times, it was widely used until the late Edo period, when 私 had been preferred, even though it was in common use until [=WW2=], after the Meiji school reforms began to shift written Japanese (as it had remained the same since the Heian Period, around 800 CE) to modern and increase the literacy, which reduced the use of ''ware'' and other now near-archaic pronouns like ''washi'' and ''wai'' in regional dialects.\
573Nowadays it's quite uncommon, rather literary and stiff, but extremely formal and polite, as it is used in speeches and formalities to give an intentional traditional and formal tone that gives a lot of emphasis on one's self. It is commonly used for book titles, like "I, robot" (我はロボット) or songs in classical (pre-1946 writing) Japanese songs like 吾は海の子 (I, kin of the sea).\
574 It's used more freely in fictional writing, where usually it is used by gods and powerful immortal entities, as well archaic kings, self-proclaimed lords and rulers. It is commonly used by DemonLordsAndArchdevils to emphasize their wise and archaic age. {{Magical Incantation}}s will likely use this pronoun for the first person. A TalkingWeapon is also likely to use this to refer to itself.\
575It's extremely archaic, as it dates back before the Nara Period (600 CE) and was first used in the Man'yōshū. Being extremely old, it retains its own possessive form: ''waga'' (我が) which is composed of the ancient Japanese language pronoun ''wa'' (I, us) with the ''ga'' particle, used to express possessiveness with certain nouns only, or used as nominative particle, but this last usage of ''waga'' is obsolete.\
576Note that despite the similarity, neither ''ware'' nor its ancient form ''wa'' are related to the common Chinese pronoun ''wǒ'', written using the same character. Because Modern Chinese has evolved so much from Middle Chinese (the time when the kanji was borrowed by Japan), the Japanese equivalent of ''wǒ'' is actually ''ga'', which is not used as a pronoun.\
577In Western Japanese dialects, ''ware'' is occasionally used as second person pronoun, "you, yourself" (also archaic and dialectal nowadays), the equivalent of ''omae'' in Tokyo dialect.\
578The Okinawan (not to be confused with the Okinawan dialect of Japanese) equivalent of this pronoun is ''wan'' (我ん), descended from Proto-Japonic ''wa'', itself the root for the Japanese ''ware''. It was once used as the exclusive first person pronoun in Okinawa, but the school laws reform done in the Meiji period (late 19th century) led to it become archaic and becoming rarer due of declining local use of Okinawan to dialectal, Okinawan Japanese
579
580[[folder:Ware Examples]]
581* Both Akatsuki and Murakumo from ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'' use this one in their winning quotes since both of them are OlderThanTheyLook [[spoiler: and because Murakumo is the BigBad who has [[AGodAmI a god complex]]]].
582* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' has three characters who use ''ware'': Arakune, Hakumen, and Susano'o. For Arakune it's used to show his insanity, and for Hakumen and Susano'o it's because of how they're both godlike beings (Hakumen is the body of Susano'o, and Susano'o himself is the God of Destruction).
583* Toru and Akari in ''Literature/CoffinPrincessChaika'' use it for their "iron blood transformation" incantation: "Ware wa hagane nari..."
584* Antiramon/Lopmon in ''Anime/DigimonTamers.'' The use of this archaic pronoun (combined with his cute appearance and female partner) caused quite a bit of [[AmbiguousGender gender confusion]] to the English translators, so he was actually dubbed as female. In the original version of the show, Suichon pushes him to use a more modern pronoun.
585* A lot of male characters in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', justified with it being set in Ancient China. Ma Chao, though, with his constant talk of bringing you his personal "[[CatchPhrase justice]]", stands out the most.
586* Souma of ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', befitting his anachronistic {{Samurai}} persona. He also refers to all other characters his age or older as '[name/title]-dono'.
587* The Servant-summoning ritual in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' uses the possessive ''waga''. Interestingly, this slips into the speech of several Servants, especially as part of the phrase ''"waga no Master"''.
588* In ''Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger'', Natsuki Mamiya uses this when {{brainwashed}} by the Ashu.
589* Tahei and Matashichi in ''Film/TheHiddenFortress'', since they ''live'' in an archaic era.
590* In ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'', Woz frequently addresses Sougo as "waga {{maou|TheDemonKing}}" (generally translated as "my lord"), reflecting that Sougo is going to grow up to become an EvilOverlord and Woz is his faithful servant.
591* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
592** The Wolkenritter and Reinforce tend to use this pronoun when talking about themselves as Hayate's servants (on other occasions, Vita uses ''atashi'' whereas Signum, Shamal, Zafira and Reinforce use ''watashi'').
593** Hayate's EvilTwin Lord Dearche uses this frequently, because SheIsTheKing.
594* In ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'', Phantom of the Four Guardians also uses this, fitting for a {{ninja}} with UndyingLoyalty. It also contrasts him with his BloodKnight brothers, Fefnir and Harpuia.
595* The Japanese translation of ''Literature/MeinKampf'' uses this pronoun's possessive form ("Waga Tousou").
596* Pain of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' used this mode to express the totality of his Six Paths (bodies) to his former teacher, Jiraiya.
597* Grimoire Weiss from ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'', who is a talking book, but very arrogant and dignified.
598* Genji in the Japanese dub of ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. Just like his brother Hanzo, this is justified because he's a ninja as well.
599* The infamous "Waga Shikabane wo Koe yo" tech from Creator/{{Sega}}'s ''Sangokushi Taisen'' games, one of the many ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' inspired Japanese game series. It reached MemeticMutation levels when videos depicting it were paired with J-ROCK group Onmyouza's similarly named ''Waga Shikabane wo Koete yuke''. For the Japanese illiterate, the phrases translate to "Over My Dead Body".
600* Mori Motonari (who has a Chinese theme), and his somewhat more EvilCounterpart Otani Yoshitsugu from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara''.
601* Used in the spell incantations in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}''.
602* In ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', the Macross is infiltrated by three Zentradei spies named Warera, Rori, and Konda. "''Warera [[LoliconAndShotacon rorikon]] da''" translates as "we are pedophiles."
603* Sanger Zonvolt of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' uses this form in his InTheNameOfTheMoon speech. And then there's Baran Doban, his rival, who uses this form in his ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMHGoLzc27Q theme song]]''.
604* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'':The main demon entity "Devil", behind the Devil Gene, uses this pronoun when it takes control over Kazuya and Jinpachi. "Ware wa kisama-ra ga 'Debiru' to yobu sonzai." (I am the being you mortals call "Devil")
605* Mononobe no Futo from ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' also uses this, to exemplify how archaic her speech is, and to show that she [[FishOutOfTemporalWater hasn't adapted to modern language]].
606* Archtype-Earth, AKA ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'''s heroine Arcueid before Shiki unintentionally turned her into an airhead, uses this. It is unknown if she goes back to using this after the events of ''Tsukihime'' because it is unknown if she reverts back to her old colder personality.
607* In ''Series/UltramanZ'', the titular Ultraman uses this in his catchphrase "Goshowa kudasai ware no na wo!"[[note]]I ask that you chant my name![[/note]]. The contrast between the modern ''kudasai'' and the archaic, somewhat self-important ''ware'' is an indication of Z's unfamiliarity with Japanese.
608* In ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'', [[EldritchAbomination Merkava]] and [[BadassBookworm Chaos]] both use "ware". While Chaos only drops "ware" during his [[SuperMovePortraitAttack Infinite Worth EXS]], all of Merkava’s attacks in Japanese all follow the format "ware, [verb]".
609* ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'':
610** Used by the BigBad [[spoiler: Miyo Takano]] in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry Kai'' in her AGodAmI speech.
611** ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'': Clair Vauxof Bernard's role is to tell Beatrice's tale in a theatrical maner, so she will use this. Her CatchPhrase in Japanese is ''"Ware koso ha ware nishite, warera nari!"'' ("I am 'I', and yet I am 'we'!", translated by Witch Hunt as "Oh, I am one yet many!").
612* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
613** In ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', [[spoiler:Rex Goodwin/Godwin]] uses it once he becomes [[spoiler:a god]].
614*** The summon chant for Red Demons Dragon/Red Dragon Archfiend ends with "Waga tamashi! Reddo Demonzu Doragon!" which translates to "My soul! Red Demons Dragon!". Several fansubbers translate it as "my very soul" to give it a more refined feel.
615** Zarc from ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' originally used ''ore'', but adopts this after merging with his Four Dimension Dragons to become the Supreme King Dragon, with proclaimed god-like power and lots of Supreme King Servant Dragons under his wing.
616** Zuwijo zir Velgear in ''Anime/YuGiOhGORUSH'' uses this pronoun with him being the Supreme Galactic Commander of the Velgear Star Cluster.
617[[/folder]]
618
619----
620
621:''Washi'': 儂 In popular media it's reserved for elderly men only (except for some JidaiGeki dramas and suchlike), but in real life it used to be popular with men and women of all ages, especially in the mid-western regions of Japan. By now its usage has faded among the younger generations, due to the effects of the aforementioned popular media. It's still relatively common in the Kansai-ben, and is the dialect's equivalent to ''ore''.
622
623[[folder:Washi Examples]]
624[[AC:Original Japanese-Language Works]]
625* Used by Pai's Sanjiyan persona in ''Manga/SazanEyes'', ostensibly to denote her extreme age.
626* Suzu Shuto in ''Manga/AkumaNoRiddle''. Her choice of pronoun, very odd for a young girl, gives Japanese viewers a bit of extra {{Foreshadowing}}. It also gets her scolded by Shiena, director of the class's ''Romeo and Juliet'' production, when she keeps ''washi''-ing in her maid/nurse costume.
627* Resident CoolOldGuy Dot Pixis in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''.
628* General Iroh from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', resident older, kindly uncle and former soldier. He also plays up the campy old man bit ''a lot''.
629* Muten Rōshi of ''Manga/DragonBall'', of course, given his age.
630* Xiaomu of ''Namco x Capcom'' and ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier: VideoGame/SuperRobotWars OG Gaiden'' is a centuries-old fox demon who only looks like a young girl. It sounds pretty weird.
631* Kotengu in ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe'' uses this; technically, being a tengu, he is probably ReallySevenHundredYearsOld or so, but he spends most of the time [[SleepModeSize sealed]] in the form of a SidekickCreatureNuisance, so the pronoun seems a little out of place.
632* [[ForeignExchangeStudent Wilhelmina]] from ''Anime/HighSchoolFleet'' uses washi because she learned Japanese from watching gangster movies, where stereotypical {{Yakuza}} often speak in the [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseDialects Hiroshima dialect]], which uses washi. The crew of the ''Harekaze'' find it [[FunnyForeigner hilarious]] that a teenage girl would use this.
633* Joseph Joestar in Part 3 of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. Used to signify a change in his character's tone from his original appearance in Part 2; where before he was a brash and impulsive young man (using ''ore''), he has now gained age, experience, and wisdom.
634* Midori Asakusa from ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'' uses "washi"; despite being a teenage girl, it's still fitting for her {{tomboy}}ish and somewhat eccentric nature.
635* [[AuthorityInNameOnly King Dedede]] uses ''washi'' in the Japanese version of ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa''. Interestingly, [[AdaptationPersonalityChange this contrasts with his game counterpart,]] who uses ''ore-sama'' -- Dedede in the anime is implied to be older, and is both [[AdaptationalJerkass more of a jerk]] and [[AdaptationalDumbass less intelligent]].
636* Gandalf, Saruman and many old characters in Japanese translations of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' books and films.
637* In the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' spinoff series ''Anime/VividStrike'', main character Fuuka uses ''washi'', in addition to speaking with a generally archaic-sounding dialect that really doesn't fit with the pronoun stereotype; she's a [[LittleMissBadass little girl]] who basically talks like an old man.
638* Major Nixel in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Mixels}}'' Japanese dub uses it, possibly to highlight the use of the white mustache and eyebrows he has.
639* Jack Renfield of ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot''--he's 58 before the time skip and by far the eldest of the major characters, and it shows. Several of the other characters even call him "jijii" (old man).
640* In ''Film/MortalKombat2021'' Hanzo Hasashi initially speaks this way, fitting as he's an older samurai in the feudal era. When he reappears in the climax he has switched to ''ore'' to show how traveling through Hell has changed him.
641* Stephen Magnet the sea serpent in the Japanese dub ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', who also speaks in a manner befitting a stereotypical (if rather camp and hysterical) old man.
642* Kokūzō Bosatsu from ''VideoGame/NamuAmidaButsuUtena'' speaks in Tosa accent and thus uses this pronoun.
643* From ''Manga/OnePiece'', there are Borsalino "Kizaru", Sakazuki "Akainu", Jimbei, Garp, Neptune, and some other old characters. A noteworthy example is Kaku, which is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] during his introduction due to his young age.
644* Byakuroku and Daidai in ''Manga/OtomeYoukaiZakuro'', to go with their anachronistic speech patterns.
645* Cologne from ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', a 100+ years old Chinese woman, uses ''washi''.
646* Mako Someya from ''Manga/{{Saki}}'', who was raised by her grandfather and picked up his speech habits. It's confirmed in a flashback in Chapter 117, when someone says "Mako, I know you like Grandpa, but don't copy his manner of speech."
647* Tokugawa Ieyasu in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' uses it to go with his JidaiGeki-like speech patterns. As a grown-up he starts using ''soregashi'' as well, which is more proper for a samurai.
648* Dr. Eggman from ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' refers to himself as ''washi'', keeping with his VagueAge.
649* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Darth Vader, old Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda use this in Japanese. Sorta justified, since many of their respective Japanese [=VAs=] who dubbed them are old men themselves, through Darth Vader now uses "Watashi" instead since 2016, since his previous voice actor, Creator/ToruOhira, passed away, and his new official voice actor, Creator/TaitenKusunoki, is much younger.
650* Cardinal in ''Literature/SwordArtOnline''. Despite looking like a young kid, she talks this way to emphasize that she is [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld over three centuries old]].
651* The {{Tanuki}} Mamizou Futatsuiwa from ''Franchise/TouhouProject''. The rest of her speech is rather old-fashioned as well, though she claims she isn't that old.
652* An uncommon instance within the franchise (whereas most of characters uses ''ore'', ''boku'' or ''watashi'') Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki from ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'' uses this, fitting with his background as a sword of Sakamoto Ryoma, the famed historical figure who grew up in Tosa Province. He also has the distinctive accent to match.
653* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': Many Decepticons and Autobots speak that way in the Japanese versions (or use ''ore'' instead). Justified in-universe, since almost all of them had lived for million of years and out-universe and many of their voice actors are old people themselves.
654* Azazel in ''Manga/YouAreBeingSummonedAzazel'' as part of his Kansai dialect.
655* ''Manga/YuGiOh'':
656** Sugoroku Mutou, Yugi's wise and knowledgeable grandfather.
657** Shimon who was basically an Ancient version of Sugoroku.
658** Ota/Nesbitt uses ''washi'', despite he appears to be younger than the rest of the Big Five who all use ''watashi''. But given he's more of a firearms producer than a businessman, his pronoun might give him more of a war veteran vibe.
659* This is played with a bit in ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': Koenma is (literally) ReallySevenHundredYearsOld, but spends most of his time in toddler form. And when he doesn't, he shows up in the form of a young man in his teens.
660[[/folder]]
661
662----
663
664:''Watakushi'': 私, わたくし An ultra-formal term, often used in anime by characters who are profusely polite, very sophisticated, or somewhat old-fashioned. Fictional royalty tends to use this, especially princesses and the like. The archetypal {{Ojou}} pairs it with [[VerbalTic frequent use of]] the emphatic sentence ending わ (wa). It's also used in place of ''watashi'' in very formal speech (for example, a job interview). A more feminine variant is ''atakushi'' あたくし.
665
666[[folder:Watakushi Examples]]
667* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
668** Harumi Ayasato/Pearl Fey from ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' uses this, since her mother basically trained her to be as polite and formal as humanly possible. Ryuuichi/Phoenix even comments on the dissonance between her refined speech and her adorable appearance.
669** In ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth Ace Attorney Investigations 2]]'', Hakari Mikagami/Justine Courtney also uses this pronoun, in addition to very formal ways of addressing others (such as using [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics -sama]] on most people).
670* Uraha in ''VisualNovel/{{AIR}}'' (Kanna's servant and extreme user of a polite form of Japanese).
671* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'':
672** Rachel Alucard, the filthy rich young vampire. Contrary to other examples of this version, she mixes the 'polite' with 'snarky'. And calls most people with "anata". Valkenhayn, her BattleButler, also uses it (and also "wareware") and calls people "anata" or "kisama".
673** Hazama uses "watakushi" (or sometimes just "watashi") to refer to himself. It's part of his "friendly and polite chap" facade. He, however, uses "ore" when Terumi controls him, and "boku" for one moment when [[spoiler: he regains his memories in ''CF'']] for some reason. He also uses "anata" to refer to people (and "temee" when Terumi controls him).
674* Sode No Shirayuki uses this in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', and fourth division captain [[YamatoNadeshiko Retsu Unohana]] commonly uses it. Both are {{Yamato Nadeshiko}}s and very traditional. [[spoiler:Unohana uses it even when she drops her YN facade and reveals her BloodKnight self.]]
675* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'':
676** Used by many students at Tokiwadai, a school for high-level {{Ojou}} espers, most notably Kuroko.
677** Strangely enough, Touma also uses this, but only when he's self-deprecating.
678* Kurumi Tokisaki in ''Literature/DateALive'', referring to her {{Temporal Duplication}}s as "watakushi-tachi". [[spoiler:She was an {{Ojou}} before she became a Spirit.]]
679* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}''
680** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc''
681*** Celestia Ludenberg uses "watakushi", befitting her ElegantGothicLolita style... [[spoiler:until she's pissed off and slips to ''watashi'']].
682*** [[spoiler:Junko Enoshima switches into ''watakushi-sama'' as [[SplitPersonality (one of)]] her pronouns. Since it's derived from the very arrogant "ore-sama", it sounds both very princess-y and ''incredibly'' stuck-up.]]
683** Sonia Nevermind from ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' uses ''watakushi'', befitting the Ultimate Princess.
684* Another {{Ojou}} who uses this is Fukiko "Miya-sama" Ichinomiya from ''Manga/DearBrother''.
685* OnceAnEpisode in ''Anime/ExcelSaga'', Rikdo Koshi makes an announcement stating that he allows ''Excel Saga'' to be made into whatever the episode parodies, starting with "Watakushi, Rikudou Koushi wa..." ("I, Rikudou Koushi..."). In the same anime, Hyatt usually uses ''watakushi''.
686* Ruri Hadou, the head of the Hadou Financial Group, in ''VisualNovel/{{Demonbane}}''.
687* Eliza Yukifune from ''VideoGame/{{IMGCM}}'', {{Ojou}} MagicalGirlWarrior. She also uses this along with "Chan-Sama".
688* It could be a dialectal thing, but a couple of female characters from ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musashi_no_Ken Musashi no Ken]]'', namely Musashi and Shura's mothers and Musashi's first [[LoveInterests love interest]] Monami, always sound like super duper extra proper ladies with their incessant ''watakushi''.
689* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Although Ino and Yamato typically use ''atashi'' and ''boku'' as personal pronouns, they use "watakushi" in one omake in which they appear as hosts for a quiz show.
690* The Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi from ''Manga/OnePiece'', who is extremely polite even to people trying to kill her.
691* ''Anime/PrettyCure'':
692** Madoka Aguri / Cure Ace from ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure'' uses ''watakushi'' due to being the daughter of nobility.
693** Kaguya Madoka / Cure Selene from ''Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure'' also uses ''watakushi'', befitting her wealthy upbringing and YamatoNadeshiko archetype.
694* Diving Beetle Beastman, one of MonsterOfTheWeek in ''Series/KamenRiderAmazon'' use this pronoun while averting YouHaveFailedMe moment by [[BigBad Great Emperor Zero]].
695* Akiko Hashou from ''Manga/KaseiYakyoku''. Fittingly, she's {{Ojou}} ''and'' from UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan days.
696* Miu Furinji, the female lead of ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'', uses exaggeratedly formal language, including both this and "desu wa" to the point of a VerbalTic.
697* Escargoon in ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa''. He always speaks with (almost exaggerated) politeness, no matter the tone he's speaking with.
698* ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh'':
699** Gunter von Christ refers to himself this way, being aristocratic and extremely proper.
700** Lady Celi, formerly royalty herself, combines it with 'atashi' above and refers to herself as 'atakushi'.
701* In ''Manga/ALoveLetterForTheMarchingPuppy'', cadets at the MilitaryAcademy are instructed to use "watakushi" on themselves when speaking with superior officers.
702* Kougyoku Ren in ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'', a young princess and ''very'' formal.
703* Fuu from ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'', a private-school student and the calm, logical one of the group.
704* Masako Natsume from ''Anime/{{Penguindrum}}''. She has ''very'' unusually polite and formal speech patterns compared to girls her age, contrasting with Kanba's much rougher "Ore" and Shouma's non-threatening "boku".
705* Both Relena Peacecraft/Darlian and Dorothy Catalonia in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWingEndlessWaltz''. The first one is an {{Ojou}}, the other is a RichBitch.
706* [[{{Meido}} Tsukuyomi and the "three idiots"]] in ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvExtra'', who carry it over as Imperial Honor Guards in ''Unlimited'' and ''Alternative''. Also from ''Alternative'': Yuuhi Koubuin, the Grand Shogun [[spoiler: and Meiya's twin sister]].
707* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
708** Erika uses this as a textbook YamatoNadeshiko.
709** Ghetsis and [[spoiler:Lusamine]] also use this to [[FauxAffablyEvil sound much more pleasant than they really are]].
710** [[spoiler:Volo]] uses ''jibun'' for most of the game, but switches to this upon revealing his true colors.
711* [[{{Ojou}} Rulue]] and [[VainSorceress Witch]] both use this pronoun in ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo''. Witch is an interesting example, as she otherwise greets people very informally.
712* Nanami Kiryuu from ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena''; appropriate, since she's a {{Deconstruction}} of {{Ojou}}.
713* The four generals in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', which establishes Lordgenome's rule as an oppressive, totalitarian empire.
714* Mint Aizawa from ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'' is a sophisticated {{Ojou}} and calls herself "watakushi" to show it.
715* ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'':
716** Satoko Hojou in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry''. [[spoiler: It's because her family was shunned in Hinamizawa for inner conflicts; Satoko desperately wants to be accepted back into the community, so she tries to speak as ladylike as possible, though she is a BrattyHalfPint.]]
717** Natsuhi Ushiromiya in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', who is a stickler for manners and often chastises her daughter Jessica for her crude speech patterns.
718* Himawari in ''Manga/YuruYuri'', who always uses very polite words, even when she's angry or annoyed.
719* Vert from ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' uses "watakushi", to go with her presenting herself as [[{{Ojou}} a prim and proper lady]]. Her NumberTwo, the ClingyJealousGirl WomanChild BunnyEarsLawyer Chika, uses the more feminine "atakushi".
720
721[[AC:Japanese-Language Localizations]]
722* A variant is seen in the Japanese translation for Chapter 2 of ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}''. The character Spamton G. Spamton, a long-forgotten ad-bot you first encounter in the dumpster, constantly refers to himself with "watakushi", since he's constantly trying to sell things to people. However, thanks to his ElectronicSpeechImpediment, instead of the standard spelling (私 or わたくし), it's spelled "ワタ94", invoking a GoroawaseNumber situation with the on'yomi pronunciation for "94" while also playing into his frequent use of death-related puns in the Japanese script (in this case invoking FourIsDeath through said on'yomi pronunciation).
723* Princess Celestia in the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. Rarity typically uses ''watashi'', but switches to this pronoun when she gets especially pompous.
724* Raleigh, a ruthless pirate with a rich upbringing, uses this pronoun in the Japanese dub of ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus''.
725[[/folder]]
726
727----
728
729:''Watashi'': 私 A standard, polite word for "I", usable by both men and women in formal situations. It's also fine for women in informal situations. A man who uses it in an informal context may come across as business-like or aloof, sometimes effeminate. In fiction, a stoical, taciturn man may prefer ''watashi'' or even ''watakushi'', while a more layback, easy-going man would use ''ore''. Even though ''watashi'' is a mark of politeness, women who casually use it need not use polite language (more specifically, polite grammar); fictional men can use crude, masculine language, and also ''watashi''. In the case of children, ''watashi'' is often used by girls, but never by boys, who use ''boku''. In Japanese as a second language courses, ''watashi'' is almost always the first word for "I" learned. In the Tohoku dialect, it may be pronounced ''watasu'' instead.
730
731[[folder:Watashi Examples]]
732* [[spoiler:Tsukasa]] switches from ''boku'' to ''watashi'' at the end of ''Anime/DotHackSign'' to symbolize [[spoiler: her acceptance that she was a girl.]]
733* Several characters in ''Franchise/AceAttorney''
734** Mia Fey is the first in the series to use it as a way to establish her character as more serious and grounded than the boku-using Phoenix.
735** Miles Edgeworth uses watashi initially because that's just what you'd expect a professional to use in a courtroom, but continues to use it in private, with friends, and in situations that otherwise wouldn't call for the formality.
736** Franziska Von Karma also primarily uses watashi due to mostly appearing in a formal court, but is still noteworthy because it shows her being less self-agrandizing than her father, and less rigidly formal than Edgeworth by relaxing it in some out-of-court scenes.
737** Kay Faraday in ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'' notably uses it at odds with her otherwise excitable, childish, and informal speech patterns seemingly in attempt to sound and be taken more seriously.
738* ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'''s NobleDemon Luck Gandor refers to himself as ''watashi'', in a "businesslike and aloof" male use of the word.
739* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'': Mai Natsume, whose gender changed in the past due to tampering with a certain SpellBook, used "boku" as a boy but switched to "watashi" in order fit in as a girl. [[spoiler:When she suffers an identity crisis and is no longer sure if she's still mentally male or female, she alternates between the two in her mind. After accepting herself as a woman she sticks with "watashi".]] She uses mostly uses "anata" to refer to others, even people she hates such as Relius. Though she switches to "omae" in one scene she's talking to Relius where he enrages her.
740* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Men who use this are usually either expressing aristocratic aloofness -- [[AloofBigBrother Byakuya]], post-Soul Society arc [[AGodAmI Aizen]] (''boku'' while a captain), [[KnightTemplar Tousen]], adult [[HeroicNeutral Ryuuken]] (''boku'' as a teenager), [[TheEmperor Yhwach]], and [[TheDragon Haschwalth]] -- or just flat-out weirdness -- [[MadScientist Mayuri]] (''boku'' while imprisoned in Maggot's Nest), Zommari, and Pesche.
741* L from ''Manga/DeathNote'', probably one reason being that he grew up in England.
742* Yoshikage Kira in ''Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable'' uses "watashi", which highlights his quiet yet dangerous disposition and, much like his aim of [[IJustWantToBeNormal leading a quiet life]], sets him apart from previous antagonists, such as [[EvilBrit DIO]] and [[UltimateLifeForm Kars]].
743* Freeza and Cell of ''Manga/DragonBall'' use this pronoun as part of their FauxAffablyEvil demeanor. Freeza switches to ''boku'' for his final form, and the both of them move on to ''ore'' when in the throes of VillainousBreakdown. The same goes for Super Buu in his two final forms, which is meant to show him [[ExpositoryPronoun becoming more eloquent]] after assimilating Piccolo's intelligence (even though Piccolo himself uses ''ore'').
744* Wataru of ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', reflecting his androgynously flamboyant theatre-loving personality.
745* Archer from ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' uses ''watashi''. It is therefore notable that he switches to ''ore'' during TheReveal in Unlimited Blade Works, [[spoiler:as he returns to using the personal pronoun he used to in his prior life]]. Kirei also uses ''watashi''.
746* [[TeamMom Refia]] and [[TheStoic Ingus]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' both use ''watashi''. Interestingly, DummiedOut text suggests that Ingus would have switched to ''ore'' after a certain point in the game, reserveing "watashi" for the presence of nobility.
747* In ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden'' [[spoiler: Prince Rimudo aka]] Uruki is normally an "ore" user, but he switches to "watashi" when he [[spoiler: meets up with his until-then MissingMom, Queen Ayura.]]
748* ComicallySerious and [[JapanesePoliteness ultra-polite]] Japan from ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', of course.
749* Sai in ''Manga/HikaruNoGo'', fitting his personality as a formal {{Bishounen}}.
750* Kurapika from ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' uses a polite "watashi". He's an [[DudeLooksLikeALady androgynous young man]] as well; in comparison the other more masculine looking males, even the younger Gon and Killua, use "ore".
751* Xemnas in the Japanese dub of ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', reflecting his cold, unemotional nature as the LiteralSplitPersonality of Terra-Xehanort - by contrast, his Heartless counterpart "Ansem" uses ''ore''.
752* [=McGillis=] Fareed from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' uses only ''watashi'', he's a Gjallarhorn officer and a gentleman, this serves as an emphasis of his politeness and [[spoiler:his unnerving demeanor when he's betraying Gaelio]].
753* Ranko Todoroki from ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musashi_no_Ken Musashi no Ken]]'', an Iwate resident, uses ''watasu''. Shura's father, a very stiff man, uses formal language all the time (''watashi'' included), in contrast to Musashi's father (an ''ore'' type) who's much more easy-going.
754* All Might from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', who tends to show up declaring that the situation has been resolved because "watashi ga kita (I am here)!"
755* Among the many ''ore''-using males of the Straw Hat crew in ''Manga/OnePiece'', Brook uses this and generally more polite speech patterns. The two females Nami and Robin also use this, though Nami uses ''atashi'' in the anime.
756* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' has two examples in the Japanese version:
757** The first example is Olivia, who is a princess.
758** The second example is King Olly. Notably, he is the only main antagonist and {{FinalBoss}} in the Paper Mario series to use this pronoun, foreshadowing [[spoiler:his age.]]
759* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
760** Aloof, formal Maxie in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire]]''. By contrast, Archie uses "ore."
761** The Mewtwo appearing in ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' uses ''watashi'' in the Japanese versions, with the above-mentioned connotations of aloofness. It reflects both his [[NoNonsenseNemesis cold and ruthless demeanor]] as well as his [[TragicVillain inner turmoil.]]
762* Manjimutt from ''Anime/YokaiWatch'' uses a polite "watashi" despite being a DirtyOldMan. He was a SalaryMan prior to his death.
763* ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'':
764** Rika from ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', who normally uses ''boku'', switches to ''watashi'' [[spoiler:when she's in Frederica Bernkastel mode, which is when she acts serious and shows her true maturity]].
765** Incidentally, Rika's {{Expy}} Bernkastel in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' always uses ''watashi''.
766* Shiraishi from ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'', who is somewhat more soft-spoken and polite than the "atashi"-using Itou and Odagiri, uses this pronoun.
767* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'':
768** The BigGood Yusho Sakaki and the BigBad Leo Akaba use both ''watashi''. The former is an entertainer who adresses his opponents and the audience respectifully, while the latter is the Professor and leader of Academia.
769** Yuya Sakaki uses ''watashi'' when he is in his entertainer persona, imitating his father Yusho.
770** Reiji Akaba uses ''watashi'' as part of his polite and calm character, opposing the rather rude personalities of Kaiba and his [[{{Expy}} clones]].
771** Roget uses ''watashi'' as part of being FauxAffablyEvil.
772** Barrett uses ''watashi'' as of being AffablyEvil and a NobleDemon.
773* Despite her rather blunt and somewhat tomboyish character, Marisa of ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' series still uses ''watashi'' to describe herself, to the point that an old joke among the Japanese side of the fandom is that Marisa using something like ''ore'' is a sign of a fake or cheap imitation.
774
775[[AC:Japanese-Language Localizations]]
776* Characters/BatmanTheCharacter from ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' uses ''watashi''. One of his famous quotes, "I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!" is translated as follows: "Watashi wa hōfuku. Watashi wa yoru. Watashi wa Battoman!"
777* Characters/GodOfWarSeriesKratos. He still otherwise uses stereotypically manly grammar.
778* In the Japanese localization of ''{{VideoGame/Undertale}}'', the Fallen Human refers to themself with Watashi when they're finally encountered [[spoiler: at the end of the Genocide route]]. Since the character is a child, and female children use watashi, this has had a ripple effect in the Japanese fandom, depicting them [[spoiler: and the SilentProtagonist main character]] almost exclusively as female.
779[[/folder]]
780
781----
782
783:''Yo'': 余 or 予 Archaic, dignified, elevated form of "I", most often used in entertainment media. It's occasionally translated with the RoyalWe.
784[[folder:Yo Examples]]
785* Saber uses this in the ''VideoGame/FateExtra'' series for her version of the franchise's ArcWords, immediately contrasting her with [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight her predecessor]]
786* The Chimera Ant King Meruem in ''Manga/HunterXHunter''.
787* ''VideoGame/KanColle'''s Nelson[[note]]a [[MoeAnthropomorphism personification]] of the British UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo battleship of the same name[[/note]] uses ''yo'' to refer to herself, betraying her high self-esteem. In fan works, this is sometimes translated as "It is I!"
788* Puni-chan, who is actually a Zygarde Core, from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' uses ''yo'' when speaking in its dreams or telepathically. It is kind of bossy and demanding, which is expected from a Legendary Pokémon.
789* The Snake of the Festival, one of the three Crimson Gods in ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana''. [[spoiler:By extension, his host Yuji will use it when he’s talking through him.]]
790* Count Bleck from ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' uses ''yo'' [[spoiler:until after his HeelFaceTurn.]] In English, the grandiose connotation is localized by having him speak as though reading from a book: "So be it... says Count Bleck!"
791* Thranduil in translations of the Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium, particularly the movies, befitting his status as a stern king of the elves.
792[[/folder]]
793
794
795----
796
797!!You (second person pronoun)
798
799There are even more words for "you", carrying implications ranging from extreme deference to deliberate deadly insult. In real life, pronouns for "you" ''should'' be used carefully and as rarely as possible, as it can seem either distancing and cold or obtrusive to use them instead of one's first name. In general, addressing someone either using their title or their name with the appropriate honorific is the most polite.
800
801----
802
803:''Anata'': 貴方 (gender-neutral), 貴男 (male) or 貴女 (female); The standard polite word for "you". Also translates to "my dear" when a wife calls her husband ''anata'' (note that it doesn't work both ways; husbands who are being affectionate to their wives simply call them by their names without any honorifics).
804
805[[folder:Anata Examples]]
806* In the Season 1 finale of ''Anime/CodeGeass'', Jeremiah Gottwald uses ''anata-sama'' when addressing Zero, his enemy. It's probably meant sarcastically or to emphasize his SanitySlippage from being [[spoiler: turned into a cyborg]].
807* ''VideoGame/{{Cyberpunk 2077}}'': Saburo Arasaka refers to his [[TheUnfavorite least favorite son]] Yorinobu this way when the two of them exchange pleasantries. However, when the conversation turns to the latest and extremely serious way in which Yorinobu has defied him, Saburo switches to "kisama" without missing a beat.
808* Over the course of the story, [[SugarAndIcePersonality Tsugumi]] in ''VisualNovel/Ever17'' transitions from a cold ''anata'' to endearing ''anata'' when talking to Takeshi.
809* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': When Riza's being [[SugarAndIcePersonality vulnerable]], she switches from addressing [[ShipTease Roy]] by his rank to calling him ''anata''.
810* Signum, Zafira, and Reinforce of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' tend to use ''omae'' on most people, but use ''anata'' on Hayate as a sign of respect for their mistress. [[YamatoNadeshiko Shamal]], by contrast, uses it on everyone.
811* In ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'', Choutarou Ohtori refers to his doubles partner and senpai [[HotBlooded Ryoh Shishido]] as ''anata'', which seemingly is rare among men. [[HoYay Fangirls reacted accordingly]], [[{{Fanservice}} but can you blame them?]]
812[[/folder]]
813
814----
815
816:''Anta'': あんた The contracted, informal variant of ''anata''. This can be used by girls who refers to themselves as "atashi", or by guys to refer to people whom, while they respect to a degree, they still don't want to use "anata" on; consequently, it implies a defiance of authority. It's also generally used instead of ''anata'' in the Kansai dialect.
817
818[[folder:Anta Examples]]
819* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': Manosuke Naito (Horace Knightley) and Yumihiko Ichiyanagi (Sebastian Debeste) from ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth Investigations 2]]'' use it frequently, to show their arrogance.
820* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Uryuu Ishida addresses his father, Ryuuken, with either his first name or this pronoun... which is the first sign we get of just [[DysfunctionalFamily how bad]] their relationship is.
821* Vi in the Japanese localization of ''VideoGame/BugFables'', a resident "atashi" user, refers to everyone with "anta", befitting for her rebellious and careless attitude.
822* Mikoto in ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' never addresses [[UnknownRival Touma]] with anything else, [[{{Tsundere}} even after she develops a crush on him]]. She also directs it at Kuroko whenever the latter's lesbian advances go too far (which happens [[ClingyJealousGirl quite often]]).
823* Tomoya Okazaki from ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' uses "anta" to adults, including his father. Kyou Fujibayashi is shown mingling with Tomoya and addressing him as "anta", hinting of initial disposition different from that of other heroines (she's having fun, and harbors affection).
824* During the father-son confrontation between Yorinobu and Saburo Arasaka from ''VideoGame/{{Cyberpunk 2077}}'', Yorinobu addresses his father as "anta", a sign of his rebelliousness and serious disrespect toward Saburo.
825* Reaker towards Montblanc in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' mission ''[[PrankDate Moogle Bride]]''.
826* [[{{Tsundere}} Kaname]] in ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' tends to use ''anta'' on Sousuke and her friends when she's irritated.
827* Sayuki in ''Manga/InitialD'' uses this, though her usage of it emphasizes her outgoing personality.
828* Kagura from ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'', being her rebellious, disrespectful self has no qualms addressing ''everyone'' like this, including her very creator and high-ranking demon nobility like Sesshomaru.
829* General Sanshi is the most notable user of this in ''VideoGame/NamuAmidaButsuUtena'', reflecting his standoffish and gruff personality towards anyone who's not [[LikeAGodToMe Tamonten]].
830* Sakura in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' commonly uses this when she is angry with someone, but tends to use anata on most other occasions. This is about as polite as Sasuke ever gets to his superiors, as he never uses honorifics (he doesn't even call Kakashi "sensei" like Naruto and Sakura). He notably addresses his older brother Itachi this way despite hating him for most of the story.
831* And who could forget Asuka's infamous "ANTA BAKA?!" toward Shinji Ikari from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''?
832* Nami in ''Manga/OnePiece'' uses "anta" on virtually everyone, displaying her brash personality.
833* The outgoing Maeda Keiji from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara''. Also Date Masamune and Chosokabe Motochika, in whose case it denotes light respect (as this is the closest they'll ever get to ''anata'').
834* Itou and Odagiri from ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'' - who are also the resident "atashi" users of the series - usually use "anta" towards others, especially Yamada (who in turn always uses "omae" on them).
835[[/folder]]
836
837----
838:''Ase'':吾兄 lit. "my older brother". Archaic, feminine, used to refer to a man to whom one's familiar with and not necessarily one's brother.
839----
840
841:''Kei'': 卿 Archaic second person pronoun, used mostly by men. It can be used among peers to denote light respect, and by a superior addressing his subjects and retainers in a familiar manner. Like ''kimi'', this can also be used as an honorific (pronounced as ''kyou'') in which case it's equivalent to "lord/lady" or "sir/dame."
842
843[[folder:Kei Examples]]
844[[AC:Original Japanese-Language Works]]
845* Byakuya Kuchiki in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' uses this with other captains (when he's not mad at them) and, later on, Ichigo. Curiously, though, Kubo uses the kanji "兄" which has no such meaning and is only a homonym.
846* Meta Knight from the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa anime]] is referred to as Metaknight-kyou ("Sir Meta Knight") by practically everyone; he's also sometimes called 'Kyou' by his subordinates, Sword Knight and Blade Knight.
847* Used profusely in the Empire in ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'', to indicate the characters' archaic and sophisticated speech (somewhat akin to TheQueensLatin). Even close friends such as Reuenthal and Mittermeier use it with each other.
848* Matsunaga Hisahide uses it with everyone (and always in a very patronising way) in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara''.
849[[/folder]]
850
851----
852
853:''Kiden'': 貴殿 Archaic pronoun used by men when addressing equals and superiors (only men) in a polite, respectful manner.
854
855[[folder:Kiden Examples]]
856* Appears in the Aoi Bungaku version of ''Hashire, Melos!'' in a formal letter from Joushima's wife to the main character. The story takes place in 1950 so apparently it's not as archaic as it would appear. It's definitely out of usage nowadays, though.
857[[/folder]]
858
859----
860
861:''Kikou'': 貴公 An archaic male term used to address other men who are equal/inferior to oneself. Due to its association with samurai, it can come off as a little haughty.
862
863[[folder:Kikou Examples]]
864* Taigong Wang from ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'', being an immortal sage with magic powers and all.
865[[/folder]]
866
867----
868
869:''Kikan'': 貴官 Used when formally addressing government officials and members of a force (e.g., policemen, firemen and the military) in a respectful manner.
870
871[[folder:Kikan Examples]]
872* Used all the time in ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'' among and referring to members of the FPA military. (The Imperial military prefers the more archaic "kei".)
873[[/folder]]
874
875----
876
877:''Kimi'': 君 A somewhat informal but still polite second-person pronoun used mostly by men when addressing their equals or younger men and women (though it can be insulting if used to address elders). In a romantic context, the boy might refer to the girl (or the boy) as this. There are female examples, but they are incredibly scarce. The kanji can be used as an honorific as well, pronounced ''kun'', which is used in the same social context as ''kimi''. However, do not confuse it with it the honorifics ''gimi'' or ''no gimi'', both also written with the same kanji, as the two are very archaic and respectful honorifics for lords and ladies.\
878Notably, the pronoun is used in Japan's national anthem, "Kimigayo". In this case, ''kimi'' is taken to mean literally, as the kanji means "lord", so the song's title can be translated as "Your [Majesty's] Reign".
879
880[[folder:Kimi Examples]]
881* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
882** Uryuu Ishida uses it along with ''boku'' for the first person as part of his "well-mannered young man" speech patterns. He sometimes slips into "omae" though, mostly when talking to his enemies or, recently, [[VitriolicBestBuds Ichigo]].
883** Aizen uses it [[AffablyEvil all the time]]. The only times when he stopped being nice and he dropped it? Two: when he ordered Grimmjow to not attack [[CoDragons Tousen]] (he called Grimmjow "omae") and when [[spoiler:Gin betrayed him]]: first Aizen called [[spoiler: Gin]] "kisama", and then used "omae".
884* In ''Anime/BrainPowerd'', Hime uses this term of address when speaking to her organic [[HumongousMecha robot]].
885* Tokiko Tsumura from ''Manga/BusoRenkin'' who's known for using men's rough language (casual verb forms, masculine pronouns, masculine particles, etc.) for extra [[ActionGirl badassery]]. She still uses ''watashi'' for herself, though.
886-->''Kuru zo, Kazuki! Te o hanasu na! '''Kimi''' to watashi wa isshin dōtai. '''Kimi''' ga shinu toki ga watashi ga shinu toki da!'' ("Incoming, Kazuki! Don't let go! You and me, together as one. When you die, I die!")
887* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', Jeremiah uses ''kimi'' when addressing Suzaku, even when they're enemies. Suzaku, on the other hand, uses ''anata'' when addressing Jeremiah.
888** Also, unless he's being '''very''' mad with Lelouch and will use ''omae'', Suzaku always refers to Lelouch with ''kimi'', regarding their [[HoYay closeness ]]as [[ChildhoodFriend childhood friends]].
889* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': As in the ''anata'' example above, during particularly [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold vulnerable moments]] Roy calls [[ShipTease Riza]] ''kimi'' instead of her rank.
890* ''Kimi'' is the default for [[MoeAnthropomorphism America and Canada]] from ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' (America uses it with everyone while Canada uses more polite language with his elders). The difference is that [[{{Eagleland}} loud and self-assertive America]] uses it together with "ore" while [[CanadaEh shy and mellow Canada]] uses "boku."
891* When Yui in ''Manga/KOn'' writes the song [[http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/kons2/ui.htm "U&I"]] to her sister - which is about how much she means to her - a majority of the lines have a "kimi" in them.
892* In the last scene of the original series for ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', Fate switches from "anata" to "kimi" when asking Nanoha if she can become friends with her, and tends to mainly [[SayMyName use her]] [[FirstNameBasis given name]] after that.
893* Aside from his boss Mikeru (with whom he uses anata) Lady Bat from ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' calls pretty much everyone ''kimi'', throwing in an ''omae'' in one episode when talking to Hanon.
894* There's a whole lot of ''kimi'' going on in ''Manga/{{Monster}}'', maybe to help the characters sound foreign. (The show is set in Germany.) Eva accentuates her dumping of Tenma by switching from ''kimi'' to ''anata''.
895* [[NiceGuy Rock Lee]] of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' uses ''kimi'' on people he knows well, and ''anata'' on strangers.
896* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Shinji and Kaworu always use this to refer to each other, showing just [[HoYay/NeonGenesisEvangelion how close they are.]] However, in the manga version, this gets an ironic upgrade, as ''kimi'' is the only thing the two uses to call each other and they [[HeyYou very rarely]] call the other by name, signifying their more strained and tension-filled relationship, in contrast to the anime where they are on FirstNameBasis.
897* Sanji of ''Manga/OnePiece'' uses ''kimi'' on his female crewmates, and ''omae'' or ''teme'' on his male crewmates.
898* Takenaka Hanbe from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' uses this and '-kun' for almost everyone, even men much older than he is. Seems to be slightly condescending.
899* ''Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd'':
900** Yoichi, being the resident NiceGuy, uses this with everyone but his superiors and the girls (he addresses the girls by their names and [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics "-san"]].)
901** This is Mika's default pronoun for Yuu when he isn't calling him [[AffectionateNickname "Yuu-chan"]]. This also shows that [[LivingEmotionalCrutch Yuu]] is pretty much the only one Mika [[ChildhoodFriend actually]] [[HoYay likes]] nowadays.
902* ''Manga/YourLieInApril'': There's a rare female example with Kaori, who uses "kimi" to refer to Kousei. He returns the favor.
903[[/folder]]
904
905----
906
907:''Kisama'': 貴様 Extremely insulting word for "you", almost never used in real life. However, in feudal times it had no offensive overtones and was used to address subordinates and people below one's rank in an informal manner. Note that there are ''many'' different translations for this word, similar to ''kuso'' (basically a general-purpose expletive)--anything from "motherfucker" to "you bastard" to just plain ol' "[[YouExclamation you]]" would be acceptable, depending on the context. Japanese politeness levels are sort of complicated.
908
909[[folder:Kisama Examples]]
910[[AC:Original Japanese-Language Works]]
911* Ignis in ''VideoGame/AgarestSenki2'' would usually refer to anybody by this language. Even his ''LoveInterest'' (at least before he calls her by name).
912* ''Anime/AngelBeats'': A good indicator of how Naoi [[ItsAllAboutMe thinks of himself in relation to others]] is that he addresses everyone but Tachibana and Otonashi this way, the former likely only to keep up appearances, and the latter, [[HoYay well...]]
913* Back when the two of them were still [[BelligerentSexualTension at odds with each other]], Casca of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' would usually address Guts like this.
914* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': A good indicator of how Jin Kisaragi [[ItsAllAboutMe thinks of himself in relation to others]] is that he addresses virtually everyone but Tsubaki with this and "omae". This also [[spoiler:carries over to his future self, Hakumen.]]
915* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
916** [[AloofBigBrother Byakuya Kuchiki]] uses it often with people he considers below himself (of whom there are a lot). Rukia and Soifon use this with most everyone, to go with their archaic and masculine speech patterns. [[TheStoic Ulquiorra]] also insults his enemies in this way, distinguishing himself from his fellow Espada who use the much less archaic sounding ''temee''.
917** Rukia notably uses this toward main protagonist Ichigo at all times, despite the two being close friends.
918** Sui-Feng addresses basically everyone who is not Yoruichi or Yamamoto like this.
919** [[AGodAmI Barragan]] uses this on everyone; his enemies, his subordinates, even his superior Aizen. (Of course, he hates Aizen, so it only makes sense.)
920** Zommari, despite spending most of his battle with Byakuya speaking very politely, switches to this when condemning Shinigami for slaughtering Hollows just because they have to eat humans to survive.
921** Aizen, despite normally using ''kimi'', uses this toward Kyoraku after getting stabbed, but [[spoiler:[[MasterOfIllusion what was stabbed was Hinamori]], so this might not have happened]]. He later uses it on Yoruichi in response to a surprise attack ([[InvincibleVillain not that it hurt him]]) and [[spoiler:Gin]] when the latter uses an attack that, despite how ludicrously powerful Aizen had become by that point, had the potential to kill him.
922* ''VideoGame/{{Cyberpunk 2077}}'': When Saburo Arasaka and his prodigal son Yorinobu exchange pleasantries, Saburo adresses his son as "anata". However, when the conversation turns to the priceless piece of experimental tech Yorinobu stole from his father, Saburo slips over into calling his son "kisama" without missing a beat.
923* Gundham Tanaka in ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' refers to everyone but Princess Sonia Nevermind (who he's implied to have a crush on) as ''kisama''. As he believes himself to be a half-demonic EvilOverlord, it could be interpreted as either a form of contempt or an archaic polite term.
924* Tohka from ''Literature/DateALive'' regularly addresses Origami this way, mostly for their [[ClingyJealousGirl conflict]] over Shido, [[spoiler:though she stops after their relationship smoothes over in the new timeline.]] She also uses it toward her enemies. [[spoiler:Her SuperpoweredEvilSide uses this on everyone.]]
925* Rozalin spends the first half of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}'' addressing Adell in this manner. She switches to 'onushi' when he ends up TakingTheBullet for her.
926* ''Manga/DragonBall'':
927** Vegeta likes to use this one quite a bit as well. He notably addresses Goku this way throughout the story (when he's not addressing Goku by his birth name, Kakarot), long after their animosity gives way to simple rivalry. Interestingly, while he does often use this in the manga, he also uses ''temee'', but [[Creator/RyoHorikawa his voice actor]] generally avoided this to make him sound like a more refined villain.
928** Goku himself used it toward Freeza after his first Super Saiyan transformation triggered a change in his behavior.
929* Keito of ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' uses this as his standard second-person pronoun, as part of his very strict, condescending demeanor.
930* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
931** Erza Scarlet uses this on her enemies, along with ''"onore"''.
932** Mard Geer Tartaros uses this on [[PunyHumans all humans]] and his own minions when he's displeased with them.
933** The Celestial Spirit King refers in this way to Leo when he's inadvertently summoned by Lucy at Karen's grave, though not in a demeaning or confrontational manner, but rather in a display of authority.
934* Issei and Shirou of ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' are close friends, and Issei usually uses ''omae'' with him. He briefly switches to ''kisama'' - understandable, as Shirou has just [[NotWhatItLooksLike ordered him to strip]]. Another notable instance: [[spoiler:Berserker]] is surprisingly calm on the one occasion when he speaks, but he still uses ''kisama'' for Saber, his enemy.
935** Rider of ''Literature/FateZero'' uses ''kisama'' when speaking with his Master Waver, but in the older, speaking-to-subordinates form. This probably comes from his status as the King of Conquerors as well as the fairly casual undertones to his general kingly demeanor.
936* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
937** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'': When Nintendo of America failed to find an adequate dynamic equivalence for Edward being called 'kisama', the [[MemeticMutation Spoony Bard]] was born.
938** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': Sephiroth uses this with everyone, excluding his "mother" of course.
939* Sousuke from ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'', though normally ''very'' formal, addresses [[BigBad Gauron]] as this, always. Even when he's not [[WhyWontYouDie yelling at him to go die]].
940* Like Kuno, Juubei from ''Manga/GetBackers'' uses both the respectful form for Kazuki and the "you bastard!" form for whoever is pissing him off that day. There's a ''reason'' he's called "samurai-boy."
941* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
942** Domon Kasshu of ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'' tends to use this one a lot regardless of his mood or the social standing of the person he's talking to (prime ministers, for instance).
943** Char Aznable of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' uses ''kisama'' to address his subordinates, though, not with any offensive undertones.
944** One of the reasons people poke fun at fansubbers TV-Nihon is that in the past, they left certain Japanese words (including ''kisama'') untranslated and justified their actions by saying there was no direct English translation. This lead to the [[MemeticMutation memetic]] screenshots from the ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' movies where (among others) someone refers to Kamille as "You little ''kisama''!" They've toned this down a lot in recent years.
945* [[TheBully Yozora]] of ''Literature/{{Haganai}}'' regularly addresses [[SitcomArchNemesis Sena]] this way, when she's not simply calling her "Meat". The protagonist Kodaka's little sister Kobato often uses this, but it's just part of her [[CosplayOtakuGirl cosplay]] of a vampire show she enjoys.
946* Both Naraku and Sesshomaru in ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' use "kisama" to refer to almost everyone.
947* Kogarashi from ''Manga/KamenNoMaidGuy'' refers to everyone like this, from his co-workers to his mistress, Naeka.
948* At the climax of every world in ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'', the villain [[PhraseCatcher invariably demands of Tsukasa]], "Kisama! Nani mono da?!" (Bastard! Who the hell are you?!), to which Tsukasa invariably replies with his CatchPhrase, "[[IWasJustPassingThrough I'm a Kamen Rider passing through]], remember that!"
949* In ''VideoGame/KanColle'', ''Yo''-user Nelson uses the non-insulting variant to address the admiral, implying that she sees him as her inferior, even as he is an ally -- and later a dear friend if you remodel her.
950* Satsuki of ''Anime/KillLaKill'' uses this on everyone except her closest subordinates and her mother [[spoiler:(at least before rebelling against her)]]. While main protagonist Ryuko prefers "temee" toward her enemies, she throws it out a couple of times, most notably ''[[SkywardScream screaming it at the top of her lungs]]'' when [[CuteAndPsycho Nui]] [[spoiler:reveals herself as the assailant of Ryuko's father]].
951* In the original Japanese dialogue for ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', Aqua says this to Vanitas after the latter breaks Ventus' wooden Keyblade in front of her. Notably, this is the ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness only]]'' time Aqua uses such language in the series, as she is normally a pretty polite speaker, so the anger she feels at the moment is driven home. The English dub [[MemeticMutation famously]] renders it as "[[GoshDangItToHeck You freak!]]" (then again, it's Disney. Translating it as "you bastard" would have been too much. Besides, coming from [[TeamMom Aqua]], that is still uncharacteristically harsh).
952* In ''VideoGame/KoumajouDensetsu II'', [[NinjaMaid Sakuya Izayoi]], utterly fed up with [[{{Troll}} Yukari's]] treatment of her mistress, addresses her in this manner during their final confrontation.
953* ''Manga/LoveHina'' when Motoko Aoyama addresses Keitaro with "kisama", that means a painful beatdown is about to commence.
954* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
955** Signum uses this when Vita calls her a "boob demon" and on another occasion, when their MysteriousProtector takes Fate by a surprise during their duel and steals her Linker Core.
956** This is Dearche's most common second-person pronoun. The only person she doesn't use it on is [[spoiler:Yuri]].
957* In ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent'', Master Mikhail addresses his fellow Master Thomas with "kisama..." when [[spoiler:the latter reveals his plan to be the same as [[BigBad Master Albert's]] - RestartTheWorld.]]
958* Medaka Kurokami of ''Manga/MedakaBox'' uses this to refer to everybody, including her [[ChildhoodFriendRomance beloved childhood friend]] Zenkichi and her upperclassmen. However she uses it in the same contextual manner as a feudal lord[[note]]Fitting since she is the school president for most of the series.[[/note]] and rarely if ever uses it as an expletive.
959* Archetype Earth from ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'' uses ''kisama'' on everyone she talks to, partly because of her ancient age (she even physically looks like past Arcueid from thousand of years before the game's timeline), and that she is practically a PhysicalGod.
960* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'':
961** If you thought Bakugo was rude, Endeavor is even worse; ''this'' is his default pronoun for addressing anyone who isn't his family (with the exception of using "kimi" to address Midoriya).
962** The only person All Might refers to with "kisama" is the villain [[spoiler:All For One, who killed his master and brainwashed her grandson into evil]], which speaks a lot about how reprehensible the latter is.
963* Natsuki of ''Anime/MyHime'' and ''Anime/MyOtome'' is not known for being especially polite, but when she's especially angry with someone, such as Nao, she tends to use this pronoun.
964* Chitoge's bodyguard Claude in ''Manga/{{Nisekoi}}'' uses this on Raku, as he thinks Chitoge is too good for him and suspects their relationship is fake (it is; it’s just meant to keep their gangs from fighting each other). Claude’s protege [[LadyLooksLikeADude Tsugumi]] also addresses Raku this way for similar reasons, and continues doing so after she simmers down to more of a {{Tsundere}}. Even when [[spoiler:she confesses her feelings to him (while covering his ears because [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy she doesn’t want to impede his relationship with Chitoge]]), she’s still using this.]]
965* Tatewaki Kunou of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' uses this in both its archaically formal form (for Akane), and in its insulting form (for Ranma).
966* In the Japanese script of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', Wesker uses it to refer to Sergei during their fight.
967* Takeda Shingen in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' uses this, with no offensive undertones. Azai Nagamasa also uses it with his wife Oichi.
968* Alastor in ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' will unfailingly use 'kisama' when addressing Yuji, despite the level of familiarity the torch has with both him and his champion. This is not so much a calculated insult as the fact that the Crimson King considers humans to be literally beneath his notice -- Yuji is the only human Alastor will use pronouns to (or mention at all) when addressing directly. Alternatively, he could just be extremely old-fashioned and is unaware that it's a rude form of address in modern Japan.
969* ''VideoGame/Splatoon2: Octo Expansion'' has [[spoiler:[[AIIsACrapshoot the Telephone]] using this to refer to [[PlayerCharacter Agent 8]] and their kind, befitting its AbsoluteXenophobe nature.]]
970* Lamia Loveless from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAdvance'' slips into this in OG Gaiden (she usually uses a much more formal tone), if she ever encounters a Bartoll, which is understandable, because she has a grudge against them for capturing her and using her as a "pilot".
971* ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'': Barbatos Goetia always uses this in the insulting fashion when referring to anyone, befitting of his self-centered and aggressive personality.
972* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
973** [[SmugSmiler Seto Kaiba]] of ''Anime/YuGiOh'' commonly uses this on anyone whom he hates or looks down upon (in other words, most people).
974** His {{Exp|y}}ies, including Manjoume of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' and Jack of ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', also like using this.
975\
976[[AC:Japanese-Language Localizations]]
977* In the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', Jafar exclaims, "Kisama!" after he catches Aladdin trying to steal back the lamp.
978* ''VideoGame/BugFables'':
979** Wasp King refers to everyone as ''kisama'', befitting for a cruel, violent tyrant who looks down upon everyone.
980** King Hector IV of the Termite Kingdom refers to Queen Elizant II as ''kisama'', indicating his strong hatred for her, with his furious YouExclamation during the first meeting being translated as "きさまっ!" (KISAMA-TSU!).
981* In the Japanese dub of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', Simba uses ''kisama'' on Scar during their final duel on the Pride Rock, possibly to empathize the fact Simba is prepared to kill him for good. Oddly enough, Scar ''doesn't use'' this, despite his position as the villain and the fact he wants to see Simba ''dead'' more than everyone.
982* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'':
983** Undyne uses kisama to address the player before and during her boss fight. Later, after she's befriended you, she mostly switches to omae.
984** Papyrus mostly calls you ningen (human), but every once in a while he uses kisama as well. Though, in his case, he's using it in a more ironic fashion, as he continues to call you kisama even after going on a date with you.
985[[/folder]]
986
987----
988
989:''Nanji'': 汝/爾 Another archaic form, roughly equivalent to "thou." Used in Literature/TheBible, and to translate the speech of Quakers in films. [[MagicalIncantation Incantations]], spells, and the like tend to use this for the second person.
990
991[[folder:Nanji Examples]]
992* ''Nanji'' is used in Literature/TheBible and various Christian texts, including the marriage vow.
993* The words of the Servant summoning ritual in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and its prequel ''Literature/FateZero'' uses this along with ''waga''.
994* In ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe'', the Dragon God refers to the main character this way. The first episode of the ''Hachiyou Shou'' TV series is even titled "Nanji, Ryuujin no {{Miko}}".
995* Used in the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series through the series-recurring ArcWords "Nanji wa ware, ware wa nanji.", or "Thou art I, and I am thou.", as it is translated to in English. It is usually used as a CatchPhrase by Persona when their owners awake to their power to illustrate their nature and existence, amongst them Orpheus and Izanagi to the protagonists of ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]''.
996* Uesugi Kenshin from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' uses this, being very old-fashioned.
997* Also used in the incantation for the Dragon Slave spell in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}''.
998* Used in the ''VideoGame/{{Tales|Series}}'' incantation for Indignation: "''Yomi no mon hiraku tokoro ni nanji ari,''" which is roughly "The gates of hell open where thou art," as well as the variant in ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'', "''nanji no houkou yori banshou ni haae''" ("by thy roar destroy creation").
999[[/folder]]
1000
1001----
1002
1003:''Omae'':お前 Used mostly by men with their close friends, children, kohai, etc. Denotes self-assertiveness and informality, so it's insulting to use it with strangers or in less informal situations (usage is commonly related to ''ore''). However, it's perfectly fine and non-insulting in informal situations, such as with friends or among siblings. Women also use it but less frequently. There is also a version with rougher pronunciation that is said ''omee'', which is a typical manly "long-vowelization" of "diphthongs" such as ''oi'' (as in ''sugoi'' > ''sugee''), ''ai'' (as in ''yabai'' > ''yabee'') and ''ae'' (as in ''temae'' > ''temee'').
1004
1005[[folder:Omae Examples]]
1006[[AC:Original Japanese-Language Works]]
1007* Tomo and Yomi from ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' usually call each other ''omae,'' and of course, that's because Tomo is a {{Jerkass}}.
1008* Another female example, [[ActionGirl Casca]] in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' uses this when she addresses Guts or her comrades in the Band of the Hawk.
1009* Ulquiorra of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' addresses Orihime with "omae", which is rather noticeable as he refers to nearly everyone else (the only other exception being [[BigBad Aizen]]) as "kisama".
1010* The ''Manga/CromartieHighSchool'' guys use this a lot. What's interesting is that when they use it for "Happy Birthday" (see ''unu'' below), it gets dubbed as "ya jerk" -- a little reminder that ''omae'', while not rude among young men, isn't respectful either.
1011* Out of jealousy due to Takeru's close friendship with Hikari, Daisuke frequently used ''omae'' [[HeyYou in a disrespectful manner]] when referring to the former in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''.
1012* Laharl from ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'' use it on Flonne for the first half of the game which she eventually get mad about it, saying that it's rude.
1013* Adell from ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'' uses this as a standard pronoun for everyone, including Rozalin immediately after having met her. She immediately points out the rudeness of it; nevermind of course that she constantly refers to him as 'kisama'.
1014* Early in ''Manga/DragonBall'', Bulma gets annoyed with Goku for calling her "omee" -- he's younger than her and should be more respectful. He doesn't stop. It's less a matter of rudeness than just Goku being a very casual person.
1015* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' immortalized the line "Omae wa mou... [[YouAreAlreadyDead shindeiru.]]"
1016* Consistently used by Atsushi Otani in ''Manga/LovelyComplex'' to address his classmates. Then again, Osaka-ben already has a reputation for informality bordering on the uncouth.
1017* [[BigBad Gauron]] from ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' uses this when addressing Sousuke. Needless to say, it's ''very'' rude and [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace overly chummy]], considering that Sousuke absolutely hates his guts, and they're not close at ''all'' (at least, what Sousuke feels, Gauron on the other hand [[StalkerWithACrush seems to feel differently]]).
1018* ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'': Ryougi Shiki uses this, in keeping with her OreOnna status.
1019* Tenma, Inori and Yasuaki in ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe'' address everyone ''omae'', regardless of status. OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Tenma is probably just being rude; Inori is a street boy who doesn't care about politeness; and Yasuaki likely [[ArtificialHuman doesn't]] [[YoungerThanTheyLook understand]] the difference anyway.
1020* ''Series/KamenRiderDouble''
1021** Double's CatchPhrase is "Saa, omae no tsumi wo kazoero!" ("Now, count up your sins!")
1022** Accel's CatchPhrase is "Zetsubo ga omae no...''goal'' da." ("Your goal is despair / despair waits at your finish line, etc.")
1023* In the ''VideoGame/{{Kuukiyomi}}'' series, the player character is consistently referred to as "Omae".
1024* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
1025** Signum uses this for most people except her mistress, Hayate. At one point early on in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers StrikerS]]'', she wonders if she should stop calling Fate this when she's assigned as her vice-captain in Forward Lightning, but Fate says it's all right (one [[{{Woolseyism}} fansub]] has her suggesting that she shouldn't be calling her "HeyYou" any more).
1026** Reinforce Eins and Zafira also use "omae" a lot if they don't address Hayate.
1027** Dearche, who frequently use "kisama" to everyone", addresses [[spoiler:Yuri]] with "omae" after [[spoiler:[[DefeatMeansFriendship "befriending"]] her]].
1028* All the teen guys from ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy'' (coupled with several of them being ''ore'' users), even when talking to girls (Girls that are not [[{{Ojou}} Meiko]], that is).
1029* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'': "[[CatchPhrase Omae o]] [[IllKillYou korosu]]" is basically Heero Yuy's catch phrase. He refers to everyone this way, from teammates to the RebelliousPrincess, even the time he gets closest to admitting he cares for her[[note]]his "I will protect you" speech in the penultimate episode[[/note]]; if you've really ticked him off, you get upgraded to ''kisama''.
1030* ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'': Bakugou is very aggressive and coarse, so he uses ‘temee’ almost all the time. So it’s very significant when he switches to omae [[spoiler:in pivotal moments in his relationship with Izuku. i.e. After Deku vs Kacchan Part 2, during his apology to Izuku, and when he addresses Izuku as he thinks he’s about to die. In Bakugou’s case, he uses it to show how he thinks of Izuku as an equal now and that he acknowledges their closeness.]]
1031* Most of the ore-using Konoha ninja in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' use omae on people at or below their rank.
1032* Most of the male Straw Hats refer to their crewmates with ''omae'' in ''Manga/OnePiece'' Luffy in particular uses this on everyone no matter how he feels about them, while the others are prone to using "temee" on people that they don't like. Franky uses the variant ''omee''.
1033* Zeno from ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' is a rather unusual case, in which he refers the player as "omae-san".
1034* Jun from ''Manga/RozenMaiden'', he of no social skills, uses this for everyone.
1035* [[{{Delinquent}} Katsuya Jonouchi]] in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' is another guy who uses ''omae'' pretty much all the time (and switches to ''temee'' when angry).
1036* Gendo Ikari from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' calls his son Shinji ''omae.''
1037* Date Masamune uses ''omae'' for those he's familiar with, and ''omee'' for pretty much everyone else in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara''.
1038* In ''{{TabletopGame/Shadowrun}}'', the western world has adopted a lot of Japanese slang, including the main form of currency, nuyen (New Yen). In the fiction, many characters use "omae" interchangeably with "chum" or "mate."
1039* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
1040** Adiane is a female example. She uses it when she speaks to Viral due to his failure in aiding Thymilph and due to his lower rank.
1041** The Anti-Spiral uses it as well. When he's calm, that is. Once he gets pissed off, he switches to ''onore''.
1042* In ''Manga/{{X 1999}}'', Yuzuriha uses it when speaking to her spirit dog Inuki, in friendly manner.
1043* Yamada from ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'' practically always uses this pronoun.
1044\
1045[[AC:Japanese-Language Localizations]]
1046* In a pivotal scene from the Japanese dub of ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven1960 The Magnificent Seven]]'', Chris addresses Chico with "omae".
1047[[/folder]]
1048
1049----
1050
1051:''Onore'': 己 An archaic word that, like ''jibun'', means "oneself", nowadays used only in popular entertainment. When used in first-person, it's rather self-effacing and humble; when used in second-person, it's very insulting (on the level of ''temē''). Often the last word shouted by a SuperRobot villain before their critically damaged HumongousMecha explodes. This pronoun is often found in Buddhist literature, possibly due to the humility expected of monks.
1052
1053[[folder:Onore Examples]]
1054[[AC:Original Japanese-Language Works]]
1055* Zommari of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' yells this quite frequently late in his battle with Byakuya. The captain of Divison 7, Sajin Komamura, also refers to himself this way, showing his humble nature.
1056* For an oddly casual example, Misae in ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' calls Sunohara this... right before picking him up by the legs and swinging him around to clean up the junk in his room. Well, it's the thought that counts, right?
1057* "ONORE! ONORE ONORE ONORE ONORE ONORE ONORE ONORE" -- Gilgamesh, losing to Shirou in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''.
1058** In the prequel ''Literature/FateZero'', Caster addresses ''God'' this way while [[RageAgainstTheHeavens railing against his supposed cruelty]].
1059* ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'':
1060** Used during the Homeland Arc. True to this pronoun's description, it was shouted by one of Sousuke's team members (in a HumongousMecha, no less) at Gauron, after Gauron killed one of their comrades.
1061** It is also used by Kaname towards Sousuke, at one particular time when he has managed to misinterpret 'be model for the class' painting project' as 'go hide in the nearby forest and incapacitate anyone who comes looking for you', leading to half the class being knocked out cold by anti-personnel mines and the other half put at risk to failing their arts grade.
1062* ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'' villain Narutaki seems to follow [[TheHero Tsukasa]] and co around the worlds solely for the purpose of blaming him for everything regardless of whether or not it was his fault, [[MemeticMutation inevitably shouting]] "Onore Dikeido/Damn you, Decade!"
1063* Washizuka from ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'' shouts this upon being defeated.
1064* ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable'': Lord Dearche addresses people with this when she's really pissed off. Mostly, it's "ONORE! O-NO-REEEEEEE!!"
1065* ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'': After [[spoiler: Juzo]] screws over Akumaro's plan to create HellOnEarth at the last minute, Akumaro goes absolutely apeshit and starts throwing lightning everywhere. As the Shinkengers line up their big guns, he keeps stumbling towards them, blasting them and snarling "Onore...onore...onore!"
1066* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
1067** Viral uses this against Simon and Kamina before his MacrossMissileMassacre SmokeOut during their first encounter. Kamina also uses it ''all the time'' when taunting enemies.
1068** Even the ''Anti-Spiral'' uses it once he's [[NotSoStoic sufficiently pissed]]. And always while yelling YoureInsane at the heroes.
1069* Yubel in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' when it and Johan simultaneously lose their duel and everyone else in the school gets sent back.
1070\
1071[[AC:Japanese-Language Localizations]]
1072* The Japanese translation of the "Buddha-killing teaching" of Rinzai Zen (originally in Chinese)—"''Tada aru ga onore no ikirukoto.''" ("All there is, is the living of your life.")
1073* In the sidequest "The Family Man" in ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'', Jin addresses a PaterFamilicide with "You sick-". In the Japanese audio track, he instead shouts, ''"Onore!"''
1074[[/folder]]
1075
1076----
1077
1078:''Onushi'': 御主 Archaic mode of address used by {{samurai}}, nobles, and really old or old-fashioned people. It implies that the speaker is a superior or equal in social standing to the one being addressed.
1079
1080[[folder:Onushi Examples]]
1081* Every iteration of Sakamoto Ryōma ever, even the personification of his sword Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki. The version in ''VideoGame/AkaSeka'' pronounces it ''onshi''.
1082* Himari of ''Manga/OmamoriHimari'' calls anyone close to Yuuto this, while she calls Yuuto "waka-dono".
1083* ''Anime/PrincessPrincipal'' is set in Victorian times, so it makes sense that Chise, the team's Japanese member, sometimes uses archaic pronouns like this one. Of course, the other characters are ''also'' speaking Japanese -- but since they're "really" speaking English per TranslationConvention, their pronouns are modern.
1084* Cologne and Happousai from ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', both well over 100, use this pronoun.
1085* ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'':
1086** Several older characters, particularly Takeda Shingen, use this.
1087** Otani Yoshitsugu drops the first character and uses ''nushi'', which makes him sound even more superior.
1088* Holo from ''Literature/SpiceAndWolf'' also uses this. Very fitting, seeing as she is a ReallySevenHundredYearsOld god.
1089* In ''Manga/SquidGirl'', Ika Musume alternates between using ''onushi'' and ''omae'', as part of her haughty invader persona.
1090* Kiki, a School-Girl/samurai/defense force military leader from ''VisualNovel/StarMineGirl'' uses this when referring to your character. Seems to fall under the polite / archaic in this context.
1091* Raidei The Blade in ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' uses this with E. G. Mine and Wolfwood (he uses ''kiden'' with Vash).
1092* Zatch Bell of ''Manga/ZatchBell'' (pronounces it ''onashi''). Many of his speaking patterns (such as using the -dono honorific for adults) are outdated.
1093[[/folder]]
1094
1095----
1096
1097:''Otaku'': 御宅 An old term for "you" that fell into general obsolescence and became a subcultural shibboleth, giving the word [[{{Otaku}} its more common meaning]]. Still pops up as a pronoun once in a while, typically by the military sort who might refer to himself as ''jibun''.
1098
1099[[folder:Otaku Examples]]
1100* Sasuke from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' uses it occasionally, but only toward his enemies.
1101* Cobra from ''Manga/SpaceAdventureCobra'' uses this to address strangers, usually ones he doesn't trust and isn't trying to flirt with.
1102* Alvin from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. His peculiar dialect is one of the (many, many) red flags that there's something up with him.
1103[[/folder]]
1104
1105----
1106:''Sokomoto/sonomoto'':其許, 其元, 其処許/其の許 Archaic, masculine, used by samurai and is equal in connotation to ''sonata'' or ''omae''. When used as a noun, it has a sense meaning "there" similar to ''soko''.
1107----
1108:''Sonata'': そなた/其方 An archaic form. Historically it was used to address people of lower social standing in a respectful way. In modern works this is the standard second-person pronoun used for archaic type characters, and depending on the context can either be used as ''anata'' with an archaic flavor or as a version of the more friendly ''kimi'' for these characters (which is happening more and more often with modern works).
1109
1110[[folder:Sonata Examples]]
1111* Ōkuninushi in ''VideoGame/AkaSeka''. He is a [[TheGoodKing Good King]] YamatoNadeshiko based on a mythological deity.
1112* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight's'' Gilgamesh always uses ''kisama'' or ''omae'' when referring to everyone else, with only ''one'' exception: he uses this [[spoiler: on [[Literature/FateZero Alexander]] (the only opponent in the war he had a shred of respect for) shortly after defeating him, while telling him that they can have a fight again some other time.]] Also most probably a deliberate archaism.
1113** LostInTranslation, but Gilgamesh always talks in archaisms, making his conversations sometimes hard for even native speakers to understand.
1114* In the ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'' videogames, Shiva Transbaal, the last surviving member of the royal family, addresses Tact as ''sonata'' when not using his name.
1115* Used sometimes in ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe''; [[UsefulNotes/{{Onmyodo}} Abe no Seimei]] addressing [[ArtificialHuman Yasuaki]], for one example.
1116* ''Literature/{{Katanagatari}}'': Togame the Strategian uses this pronoun to refer to Shichika.
1117* After you save her from Barinade, Princess Ruto in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' starts using ''sonata'' for you. Before that, she uses the less respectful variant ''sonohou'' (as does King Zora).
1118* Meiya [[spoiler: and her twin sister Yuuhi]] in ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvExtra''. This may a case of archaic usage, given Meiya's formal and archaic mode of speech, [[spoiler: and Yuuhi's upbringing as the Grand Shogun]].
1119* Queen Mashiro in ''Anime/MyOtome'' - again, due to her status as royalty.
1120* Kisei in ''VideoGame/Onmyoji2016''. He is a perpetual polite Japanese speaker.
1121* In ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'', Kuro the Divine Heir uses 'sonata' for Wolf, showing a sense of respectful affection between master and shinobi.
1122* Used frequently by the ancient witches Beatrice and Featherine in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry''.
1123[[/folder]]
1124
1125----
1126
1127:''Temē'': てめえ A ''very'' insulting word for "you," almost exclusively used by rough-talking male characters. [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseStockPhrases Commonly translated]] as "you bastard." A corruption of the archaic first-person pronoun 手前 ''temae'', literally "that which is in front of you," which was very humble and self-effacing.
1128
1129[[folder:Teme Examples]]
1130* Following the Eclipse, this is Guts' most common form of address towards Griffith in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', and is very indicative of his hatred for him.
1131* Ichigo from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' frequently uses this. Then again, he talks like a delinquent anyway. [[BloodKnight Grimmjow]] uses it for pretty much everyone. Hitsugaya, Kenpachi, Nnoitra, and Yammy, too.
1132* Routinely used by Touma from ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' when agitated or talking to someone he doesn't like (which makes it pretty much his standard pronoun).
1133* In ''Manga/{{GANTZ}}'', the black ball wastes no time establishing itself as a prick by addressing each new group of captives as ''temee-tachi'' (this pronoun pluralized). It only gets ruder from there.
1134* Video game example: I-no in ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear XX'' has absolutely no respect for other people, and thus addresses everyone this way.
1135* Ryuko Matoi of ''Anime/KillLaKill'' is quite fond of using "temē" on her many enemies in Honnouji Academy.
1136* Kyo Kusanagi from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' uses this when speaking with Iori Yagami. When speaking with Ash Crimson, this gets elevated into a yell.
1137* [[TheBerserker Vita]] of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' tends to use "temē" on her enemies, and "omae" on most other people.
1138* Another rare female example are the JapaneseDelinquent students in ''Series/MajisukaGakuen'' when addressing their opponents.
1139* Nena's Haro in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' addresses Lockon's Haro with this on the only occasion when they meet in person. He probably learned it from [[AxCrazy Nena's older brother Michael]].
1140--> "Big brother!" [thump] "Who the Hell are you? Who the Hell are you?!"
1141* The ill-tempered Bakugo from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' uses this on almost everyone, especially the protagonist Izuku. [[spoiler:So, it’s really significant when he starts using ‘omae’ sometimes to refer to Izuku in pivotal moments.]]
1142* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'''s title character uses "temē" on most of his enemies or other people he doesn't get along with (often Sasuke), to the extent that casual sub viewers often incorrectly assume it to be an [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics honorific]].
1143* Blanc/White Heart from ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' when [[HairTriggerTemper pissed off]], in her less restrained SuperMode, or both. Otherwise she uses the regular "anata". OreOnna Uzume also uses this on her enemies.
1144* ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'':
1145** Katakura Kojuro, when talking to his underlings. And anyone he dislikes really.
1146** Tachibana Muneshige uses ''temae'' to refer to himself in a humble manner.
1147* Ex-gangster Hanamichi Sakuragi from ''Manga/SlamDunk'' (who uses ''ore'' as his personal pronoun) usually refers to other ''male'' characters that way, indicating his turbulent past. On the other hand, he reverts to a much more polite speech when talking to women.
1148* A rare female example is ''Manga/SoulEater'''s Patti Thompson. (Though, only when she [[CuteAndPsycho gets very mad]].)
1149* You'll hear more ''temē'' in a single episode of ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'' than in the whole run of most other shows. In particular, Taiga and Ami are always yelling this one at each other.
1150* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
1151** [[{{Delinquent}} Katsuya Jonouchi]] generally referred to anyone he had a slight problem with as "temē" in ''Anime/YuGiOh''.
1152** In ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', Kyosuke Kiryu/Kalin Kessler uses this while a Dark Signer.
1153* Yusuke and Kuwabara in ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''. They're both delinquents.
1154[[/folder]]
1155
1156----
1157
1158:''Unu'': 汝/己 Similar to ''onore'', it's also either very insulting or very archaic; rarely heard.
1159
1160[[folder:Unu Examples]]
1161* The guys at ''Manga/CromartieHighSchool'' have an odd habit of never using the same "you" pronoun twice when they sing "Happy Birthday". ''Unu'' is the most obscure one they pull out. The rudeness is no surprise coming from delinquents... but then, these are [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything delinquents who rarely do any delinquenting]], so it's no surprise when they use ''kimi'' either.
1162* Raidou the 14th's ancestors refer to him this way in ''[[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy the Devil Summoner]] [[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon Raidou Kuzunoha]]'' games, as does Gouto (his [[TalkingAnimal talking cat]] [[NonHumanSidekick sidekick]]).
1163* In ''Manga/ZatchBell'', the protagonist says "unu" as an archaic RoyalWe to the point of being a VerbalTic. It's meant to foreshadow him being a son of the former demon king -- he got the quirk upon discovering he had a family at all when he was being raised in secret by an old woman who abused him when nobody was looking. He keeps saying it even as he spends most of the series with amnesia.
1164[[/folder]]
1165
1166----
1167:''Wagimo/wagimoko'':吾妹/吾妹子 lit. "my love" (and not "sister"). Archaic, used by men to refer to their wives, lovers or women they're close to.
1168----
1169
1170:''You, Yuu'': ユー The GratuitousEnglish counterpart to ''me/mii'', for use by {{Eagleland}}ers and [[ButNotTooForeign wannabe Eaglelanders]] only.
1171
1172[[folder:Yuu Examples]]
1173* Cowboy Andy from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' uses this constantly. He still uses Japanese pronouns for himself (most commonly "watashi"), but this is the only pronoun he uses for other people.
1174* A semi-example in ''VisualNovel/Ever17'': [[SesquipedalianSmith Tanaka Yuubiseiharukana]] prefers to shorten her name to "Yuu"/"[[WhosOnFirst You]]", and everyone addresses her as that. She even lampshades it in her introduction: "[[{{Pun}} I am You!]]"
1175* Iowa from ''VideoGame/KanColle'' sometimes uses "you" to refer to the Admiral, complementing her "me".
1176* Date Masamune of ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' uses this once or twice, befitting his love of GratuitousEnglish. [[CatchPhrase You see?]]
1177* Real Life Example. Johnny Kitagawa, the president of Johnny and Associates, uses you so much that it's both trademark, and will grab the attention of ALL of his talents in the room no mater which one he's talking to. In fact, the only person he doesn't call you is, fittingly enough, actually named You.
1178[[/folder]]
1179
1180----
1181
1182!!Plurals
1183
1184Be forewarned -- Japanese has no grammatical category corresponding to the English "plural suffix." "''X-tachi''" does not mean "the plural of ''X''" (i.e., "a group of ''X''s"), but rather "the group containing ''X''" much like the casual English expression "X and company," or seeing as this is Japanese, "X and [[TrueCompanions Nakama]]." For this reason, use of ''-tachi'' in conjunction with a gender-specific pronoun does not necessarily specify anything about the makeup of a group as a whole--"atashi-tachi" and "ore-tachi" could both refer to mixed-gender groups.
1185
1186----
1187
1188:''-domo'': 共 Another plural suffix, but usually implying that the people or objects described are lowly or humble. Can be condescending when used on others, but using it on oneself indicates humility.
1189
1190[[folder:-domo Examples]]
1191* Alien invaders frequently refer to humanity as "ningen-domo" when gloating over a plan to conquer or exterminate the foolish humans.
1192* In the Shusuke Amagai arc of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', a maid for the Kasumi-oji clan uses "watakushi-domo" to say "we" in reference to her and another maid; as they are low-ranking servants, they are presumably expected to be very polite and humble.
1193* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': Gilgamesh likes to use "zasshu-domo", or "mongrels", referring to ''everyone else'' but himself.
1194* Kenshiro from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' is very fond of using the word "akutō-domo" when addressing multiple opponents. "Base villains" would probably be a decent translation.
1195* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Donquixote Doflamingo] uses "kozou-domo" ("brats") to refer to Bellamy and Sarquiss, showing condescension.
1196** Many captains address their subordinates as "yarou-domo" in their battlecries.
1197* In ''Manga/SeitokaiYakuindomo'' Yokoshima refers to the student council twice by using a TitleDrop, and probably couldn't care less if it sounds offensive.
1198* Chosokabe Motochika from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' refers to his [[{{Pirate}} pirate crew]] as "yarou-domo" which is roughly the Japanese equivalent of calling them "scurvy dogs" or the like ("you sons of bitches" in the Funimation dub).
1199* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
1200** Andine is rather fond of the phrase "[[FantasticRacism ningen-domo]]" when addressing the heroes.
1201** Kamina and Kittan frequently use "yarou-domo" in their battlecries to address their teammates.
1202** Simon use it on himself when he first meet Nia, possibly freaked out that she goes ultra formal and polite on him.
1203[[/folder]]
1204
1205----
1206
1207:''-gata'': 方 From ''kata'', a polite word roughly meaning "honorable person," the "k" changes to "g" when attached to another word. Very polite and formal. It should always be applied to a group not including the speaker; e.g., ''anata-gata''.
1208
1209[[folder:-gata Examples]]
1210* Kuchiha in ''Manga/{{Amatsuki}}'' uses ''osamurai-gata'' when pleading for a group of samurai to spare her friend's life.
1211* In ''Manga/{{Aria}}'', Alice refers to Akari+Aika as "senpai-gata".
1212* Darjeeling of ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'', tends to address people in the plural as "anata-gata".
1213* In ''Anime/MyOtome0Sifr'', Lena, making an ApologeticAttacker statement to [[spoiler:the Five Columns, sans her friend and classmate Elliot, who refused to help them]], as [[OneeSama "onee-sama-gata"]]
1214* Uesugi Kenshin and Akechi Mitsuhide from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' use ''anata-gata''. At one point Yukimura addresses a group of soldiers using ''minamina-sama-gata'', which is polite almost to the point of being ridiculous.
1215[[/folder]]
1216
1217----
1218
1219:''-ra'': ら Works the same way as ''-tachi'', though the two are not always interchangeable; e.g., "Ware" can take "ra" but not "tachi".
1220
1221[[folder:-ra Examples]]
1222[[AC:Original Japanese-Language Works]]
1223* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', after learning what has become of most of his friends during the Eclipse, Guts gets pissed and snarls "Kisamara!" at the demons responsible for said friends' awful fate, which gets translated in English as either "You bastards!" or "God damn you all!"
1224* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', Terumi sometimes use "temee-ra" to address multiple people at once.
1225* ''Anime/CuteHighEarthDefenseClubLove'': "[[InTheNameOfTheMoon Warera ai no oui keishousha, Battle Lovers!]]" ("We are the heirs to the throne of love, Battle Lovers!"). Plus "Warera aoki hoshi o suberu mono, Caerula Adamas!" ("We are the rulers of this blue earth, Caerula Adamas!") from their opponents, along with their ImageSong "Warera seigi no Caerula Adamas!!" ("We are justice, Caerula Adamas!!").
1226* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': Monokuma refers to the students he torments near exclusively with "Omaera". Given the context, he is clearly being disrespectful, to the point that localizations usually translate this as "you bastards".
1227* Saika Magoichi always refers to herself and her band of mercenaries as ''ware-ra'' collectively in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara''.
1228* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' crossover movies have the multi-team roll call end with "Ware-ra Super Sentai!"
1229* The title of the novel ''Literature/{{We}}'' is translated into Japanese as ''ware-ra''.
1230\
1231[[AC:Japanese-Language Localizations]]
1232* Leif in the Japanese localization of ''VideoGame/BugFables'' refers to himself with ''boku-ra'', even when he refers to himself only. He [[RoyalWe refers to himself in plural]] in the English version as well, but considering that Japanese works ''never'' have characters refer to themselves in such manner, Japanese fans actually thought that the game was mistranslated at first. [[spoiler:Much like in the English version, he drops the plural during his HeroicBSOD after [[TomatoInTheMirror discovering his true nature]].]]
1233[[/folder]]
1234
1235----
1236
1237:''-tachi'': 達 A suffix used to denote a group that includes the person referred to. [Name]''-tachi'' translates loosely to "[Name] and one or more others"; most singular pronouns can get this suffix attached for a similar effect.
1238
1239[[folder:-tachi Examples]]
1240* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Winry amusingly refers to the brothers Ed & Al Elric as "Edo-tachi."
1241* In ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', Keiichi, Rika, Shion, and the others in the game club often refer to themselves as [[TrueCompanions nakama-tachi]].
1242* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' the SOS Brigade is referred by "Haru-tachi". The "Haru" can mean either Haruhi or [[SixthRanger Haruka]] depending on the context.
1243* In one ''Manga/MinamiKe'' episode, Haruka refers to Chiaki and the others with her as "Chiaki-tachi".
1244* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsEx'', at least one of the Puru sisters say "Funnel-tachi" when using a Funnel attack.
1245* Used in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' in the instances where the catchphrase is said by a group. It becomes "Ore-tachi wo dare da to omotte yagaru?!" or "Who the hell do you think we are?!"
1246[[/folder]]
1247
1248----
1249
1250:''Wareware'': 我々 "We" or "us", the plural of ''ware'' above, used by both men and women to refer to a group. Generally used to refer to, say, one's people or one's company, rather than in a "me and my friends" sense. Note that the repetition of the word with the small kanji 々 is a common way of expressing a plural for some words in Japanese − like "hitobito" (人々) for "people".
1251
1252[[folder:Wareware Examples]]
1253* Luck Gandor in ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'' uses this to refer to [[TheMafia the Gandor family]].
1254* Balalaika from ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' always refers to Hotel Moscow this way.
1255* Ceres uses this when referring to the ten'nyo/celestial maidens in ''Manga/CeresCelestialLegend''.
1256%%* Banon from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''
1257* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Rufus]] uses this in ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'' to refer to himself and the Shinra company. He still sounds pretty pompous when he says it, though.
1258%%* The Inbit Refles from ''Anime/GenesisClimberMospeada''
1259* ''Anime/KillLaKill'': Aikuro uses this repeatedly, when he reveals that he is a member of a secret resistance group.
1260-->"Ware ware wa... NUDISTO BEACHH!!!"
1261* ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'': During his speech to his Repliforce, General uses wareware to refer to all of them. Colonel, despite normally using "watashi", also uses this during the speech for the same reason.
1262* Mashiro Blan de Windbloom in ''Anime/MyOtome'', being a queen, uses this form as the "royal we".
1263* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Pain uses this form when referring to himself, and himself only. Weird? No, it's actually justified by the fact that Pain is essentially [[spoiler:a small HiveMind, consisting of 6 people, a dozen or so animals and one [[TheManBehindTheMan "puppeteer"]] with a sort-of justified [[AGodAmI messiah complex]]]].
1264* The standard form for Seele in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' (and the [[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion new movies]]). Used occasionally by Gendo Ikari.
1265%%* The Big 5 in ''Anime/YuGiOh''.
1266[[/folder]]

Top