ビバップ by アカ
I’ve been a fan of quotes for many years. I regularly visit sites like The Quote Garden and The Quotations Page, and often take note of quotes I like in things that I read. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at remembering anime quotes and haven’t been keeping track of my favorites other than in my head. However, the site Anime Quotes has a good amount of my favorites…
I’ll admit that I’m picky when it comes to anime quotes I like. I prefer universal ones that don’t require much knowledge of the anime itself in order to be appreciated. I also prefer deep/philosophical/poetic anime quotes rather than funny ones only because most anime comedy to me is usually only funny when you know the situation and characters.
With that said, out of all the anime I’ve seen, my two most favorite in terms of quotability are Wolf’s Rain and Cowboy Bebop. Both of these series just have so many significant lines of dialogue on par with any good work of literature:
Wolf’s Rain quotes:
“Everyone’s gonna die. It’s a natural part of life. But if life has no purpose, then you’re already dead.”
– Kiba
“Why do humans always look to the sky? Why do you try so hard to fly when you don’t have any wings?”
– Kiba
“They say there’s no such place as Paradise.
Even if you search to the ends of the earth there’s nothing there.
No matter how far you walk, it’s always the same road.
It just goes on and on.
But in spite of that, why am I so driven to find it?
I hear someone’s voice, calling to me…”
– Kiba
“When are we born? When do we die? Why are we born? Why do we die? The world has been destroyed and we’ve fallen countless times, always resurrecting from the ashes as Paradise. It has happened before, and it will happen again. An endless cycle of life and death. The world is a Paradise that was opened by someone, but this era too is almost at an end. We have acquired the means to exceed our natural span of life, never suspecting that the world itself was finalized in its existence. This knowledge has left me in despair, my fate has fallen and scattered like the petals of a dying flower, like the blast from a sand storm it has been warn down and weathered away. As if to be purified, the world will be encased in ice so that it can return to the beginning once more. Paradise is a world that is opened by someone…”
– Spirit Owl
“Dying or getting killed isn’t something unnatural. Living aimlessly without a purpose is.”
– Kiba
Cowboy Bebop quotes:
“Angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become devils.”
– Vicious
“Do you know what the greatest and worst invention that humans ever made was? Television. Television controls people using information and steals their sense of reality. Yes. Now television itself is a religion.”
– Dr. Londes
“I’m not going there to die. I’m going to find out if I’m really alive.”
– Spike
“Man always thinks about the past before he dies, as if he were frantically searching for proof that he truly lived.”
– Jet
“Do not fear Death. Death is always at our side. When we show fear, it jumps at us faster than light. But, if we do not show fear, it casts its eye upon us gently and then guides us into infinity…”
– Laughing Bull
Evangelion and Fruits Basket are also two of my favorite quotable anime. Once again, their quotes convey meaning beyond just the plot of the anime.
Evangelion quotes:
“So, where is my dream?
It is a continuation of reality.
But where is my reality?
It is at the end of your dream.”
– Shinji and Rei
“Understanding 100% of anything is impossible. That’s why we spend all our lives trying to understand the thinking of others. That’s what makes life so interesting.”
Kaji
“There are as many truths as there are people.”
– Kaji
Fruits Basket quotes:
“They say that we should love ourselves first before other people learn to love us, but it’s not as easy as it seems. Sometimes, we need someone to accept us and love us first. Then, we learn to see ourselves through that person’s eyes and learn to love ourself.”
– Yuki
“For there to be pain, there has to be kindness. For darkness to stand out, there has to be the sun.”
– Kyoko
“I don’t think anyone is born knowing the reason why they’re here. It’s just something you have to find as you go along.”
– Tohru
Some other good quotable anime I like are Fullmetal Alchemist and Code Geass.
Fullmetal Alchemist quotes:
“The world isn’t perfect, and the law is incomplete. Equivalent Exchange doesn’t encompass everything that goes on here. But I still choose to believe in its principle: that all things do come at a price. That there’s an ebb, and a flow, a cycle. That the pain we went through did have a reward and that anyone who’s determined and perseveres will get something of value in return, even if it’s not what they expected.”
– Al
“A gun is good. Unlike a sword or a knife, it doesn’t leave the feeling of a person dying in your hands.”
– Hawkeye
Code Geass quotes:
“I am not the one at fault, the world is.”
– Lelouch
“If strength is justice, then is powerlessness a crime?”
“Suppose there is an evil that justice cannot bring down. What would you do? Would you taint your hands with evil to destroy evil? Or would you carry out your own justice and succumb to that evil?”
– Lelouch
And some other good quotes:
“First you must decide, then you must follow through. I believe that’s the only way you can get anything accomplished.”
– Lacus (Gundam Seed)
“We are all farsighted, we give importance to those things that are far from us, while neglecting the things that are close to us… only to realize their value later when they are out-of-reach again.”
– Sachiko (Nana)
“If he rips my arms off, I’ll kick him to death.
If he rips my legs off, I’ll bite him to death!
If he rips my head off, I’ll stare him to death!
And if he gouges out my eyes, I’ll curse him
from beyond the grave!”
– Naruto (Naruto)
“Did you know? The world is full of hate and there isn’t any reason for it?”
– Anemone (Eureka Seven)
“Humans can’t live without memories, you know. Still, they can’t live on memories alone. You have to awaken from your dreams eventually. Because dreams you don’t awaken from eventually become sadness.”
– Michiru (Air)
“Don’t tell me he wants to conquer the world? Can’t he come up with something more original?”
– Lina (Slayers)
“As long as there’s at least one person who understands me, I’ll be okay.”
Ami (Toradora!)
———-
I know there are a ton more good quotes from these series and others, but I only used ones that I particularly like from anime I’ve watched that are listed on Anime Quotes. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately and not up to searching lots of web pages for more quotes. But maybe I’ll do that one day and make an even bigger collection ;)
Anyway, feel free to share any of your own favorite anime quotes~
“It’s okay if I’m a devil… I’ll just use my hellish tools to get you to listen!” – Takamachi Nanoha (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s)
I remember that one now! I love Nanoha. <3
Oh, that quote from FMA has always been one of my favorites!
I can’t really think of any off the top of my head, at least ones that work without really knowing the characters. Like there’s a part in season 3 of Jigoku Shoujo where Wanyuudo mentions them being comrades, and Ren says that he doesn’t see them as his comrades. Honne Onna asks what they are to him, and when the other two walk away, he says they’re his family. But that doesn’t work unless you know the series and that specific group.
If I do come up with a good one, I’ll make sure to let you know :)
I’m not familiar with Jigoku Shoujo but I wonder what Japanese words they used for “comrade” and “family” in that conversation you mentioned. Depending on what the words were, the connotations could be interesting.
You have good memory, and some nice quotes there! My memory is not that good, but there are some really good and deep quotes in anime (I’m pretty sure, I just can’t remember). As the person before me said, I’ll post if I remember any good ones.
I wish I could remember more, I know there are tons out there. Just can’t remember just now :( I love when a character tries to make a really cool and deep quote and just ends up making absolutely no sense. Those are always fun :)
Ohhh!! looking at that site, I found a really good one :)
The only thing you can change about the past is how you feel about it in the present.
Lockon Stratos (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)
I thought Gundam had more quotes :(
Good quote! I remember more good quotes from Gundam Seed and 00 (the only Gundam series I’ve seen) but the site doesn’t have all of them. I’ll have to take note of them if I ever rewatch the series.
“When a man bleeds freely for the sake of other people, it’s only proper to pretend that you never saw it” – Musashi from Eyeshield 21.
Lots of great quotes in that manga that are so memorable, but this one stood out the most to me.
Hmm, I’m not quite sure what that one means. Could be because I’m not familiar with the series =/
Yae! More quotes to add to my collection :3
If you think “I can’t do this anymore” and give up, then it ends right there, even if there was still strength left that you didn’t know you had in you. …. You can’t decide for yourself what your limits are. (To Aru Kagaku no Railgun)
and on that note…
When you free yourself from the boundaries of your mind, you’ll be able to release your potential that you never even knew you had. (The Sighs of Haruhi Suzumiya light novel)
Nice Railgun and Haruhi quotes. Do you know which characters said them?
The Railgun quote was said by Yomikawa Aiho, an Anti-Skill person and a teacher.
The Haruhi quote was said by none other than Haruhi :)
Oh, that is a glorious Cowboy Bebop picture.
Love the Eva, Bebop, Fruits Basket, and FMA quotes. I knew a couple of the Wolf’s Rain ones, but I actually haven’t watched the whole show yet. /ashamed.
“You may love humans, but humans sure don’t love you.” – Namie, Durarara!
“I thought I was crazy, Urameshi, but you take the prize! The hell was that? You don’t make bombs go boom in your face!” – Jin, Yuyu Hakusho
“There is no coincidence in this world. Only hitzusen.” – Ichihara Yuuko, xxxHOLiC
“Don’t believe in the you who believes in me. Don’t believe in the me who believes in you. Believe in the you who believes in yourself.” – Kamina, Gurren Lagann
“Give a man a break, and you’ll end up broken” – Lina Inverse, Slayers
“Instead of being a princess needing to be protected, I want to become a handsome prince” – Tenjou Utena, Revolutionary Girl Utena
“What is something eternal? That’s an eternal mystery!” – A-ko and B-ko, Revolutionary Girl Utena
“It’s all right now. Please go on playing make believe ‘prince’ in this coffin of yours forever.” – Himemiya Anthy, Revolutionary Girl Utena
“You can’t end a good party without someone on the floor” – Urameshi Yusuke, Yuyu Hakusho
Nice collection. The “no coincidences” thing from xxxHolic is also used in Cardcaptor Sakura ^^
Yeah, just to a lesser extent :)
(PS. I just created a separate LJ account for my animanga ramblings. Would you mind linking it in your blogroll? I just wrote a long post for Madoka theories
http://aimless-anime.livejournal.com/)
I cracked up when I heard Jin say that Yusuke
I’m going to “cheat” a bit and give a quotation from anisong rather than anime dialogue. Reason being no particular quotation from anime dialogue has really left a mark on me, but lyrics from songs do. This is from 地に還る, the ED for Starship Operators. The anime was bad, and the song didn’t really connect with the anime plot/characters, but KOTOKO’s singing and the song itself is beautiful. The lyrics of the entire song are very poetic, but for me the most haunting and beautiful stanza is the refrain/chorus:
生まれた痛みも 流れた月日も
瞳(め)の奥で風景に変わる
僕らは走った
過ちに気づいた
息を止めて
静かに地に還る
The pain that was born, the days that flowed by
Fade into the scenery before my eyes
We ran
Realized our mistakes
Stopping my breath
I quietly return to Earth
Beautiful lyrics~ I’ll have to give that song a listening too =)
I live my life by quotes from Gurren Lagann;
“If you decide that you’re going to be a wall that’s standing in my way, then I have something that will open a hole in you every time! And that something… is MY DRILL!”
“We evolve beyond the person we were a minute before! Little by little we advance a bit further with each turn! That’s how a drill works!!”
“The tomorrow we’re trying to grab for ourselves is not the tomorrow you set up for us; its the tomorrow that we chose for ourselves, a tomorrow that we chose out of all the infinite universes. We’ll fight our way through and protect the universe–we’ll stop the Spiral Nemesis too”
And of course,
“Just who the hell do you think I am?!”
I’m not a fan of Gurren Lagann, but the show did have good quotes, especially the ones you mentioned =)
That’s a nice collection of quotes there. Unfortunately, at the moment I can only think of the quirky little quotes that characters have as their catchphrase, and none of those particularly deep, memorable quotes from anime.
The one I’m remembering the most right now is Aika’s “Embarrassing remarks are not allowed! (Hazukashii serifu kinshi!)” quote, probably because I just recently finished watching Aria the natural (which was a great, calming show by the way).
Aika’s saying could probably apply to 90% of anime, which is probably why I like it so much :3
There are quite a few you mentioned that I actually do remember seeing, which makes me think I should start keeping track of my favorite anime quotes.
Heh, Aika’s “Hazukashii serifu kinshi!” would definitely be funny in other anime too. Never thought of that XD
This is in the light novels and hasn’t appeared in the anime yet (and I doubt it ever will unless they make a fourth season or a movie after a third season), but this is one of the most incredibly cool quotes I’ve ever heard. He says this after blowing up the side of a helicopter, too.
“This is not a negotiation. It is not a suggestion, not a trade, not a petition, not an agreement, not a compromise, not a surrender. This is my victory march, you stupid bastards.” – Accelerator, To Aru Majutsu no Index
Some more Accelerator quotes:
“—But then again, just because I’ve gotten weaker, it doesn’t mean that you got stronger, RIGHT?”
“I’M SORRY, FROM HERE ON NOW, THE PATH IS ONLY A “ONE-WAY STREET”!! YOU CAN’T ADVANCE, JUST HIDE BEHIND YOUR TAIL AND CRY YOUR WAY HOME!” (making a pun on the kanji his name is written in, 一方通行)
“With this pitiful state of mine, maybe I might not have the right to be called the strongest in Academy City. However, I’ve already made up my mind. I’ll always be the strongest in front of that brat, damn it!!”
“You damn bastards!! You damn heartless bastards who think I can only kill!! I’ll show you, like when I saved that brat from Amai’s virus, I definitely have the power to protect everything!!”
Others:
“They’re called miracles because they never happen.” – Shiori, Kanon 2006
“”WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM” KICK! “HOW DARE YOU TUCH MY CUTE GANMEN” PUNCH!” – Kamina, TTGL
“Pitiful shadow cloaked in darkness.
Thy action cause men pain and suffering.
Thy hollow soul drowns in thy sins.
How would you like to see what death is like?” Ai, Jigoku Shoujo
“Thank you! Fuck you! The villain has arrived!” – Ladd, Baccano!
“God’s not at home. He’s on vacation at Vegas.” – Eda, Black Lagoon
“Friends are nothing more than the the people who you spend fun yet meaningless times with. When those times get rough, they aren’t there to support you.” – Rena, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
“Those who shoot must be prepared to get shot!” – Lelouch, Code Geass
“This summer was filled with more happiness than some people have in an entire lifetime. ” – Misuzu, AIR
“Would you mind… if I fell for you?” – Togame, Katanagatari
Having only watched the anime of Index, I didn’t know Accelerator could be so quotable. I didn’t care for him at first but he’s slowly growing on me after becoming more of an anti-hero rather than villain. His relationship with Last Order is one of the more interesting relationships in the series.
Like the Code Geass and Kanon quotes~
I prefer my quotes in Japanese :)
I’m betting you can guess where this one is from..
“I’m begging you! Please establish a context before you begin speaking to me!”
-Kyon :)
Another good quote I like, which is more powerful when you realize who it’s coming from but even without context it’s still good is this one from Irresponsible Captain Tylor when he is forced to be serious for a day.
“As steady as a mountain. We stay… a mountain neither runs nor hides.”
OH! Also a favorite of mine, but unfortunately context is where it’s at.. when Nanoha (Strikers) tells her ‘daughter’ Vivio: “This might hurt a little bit, ok?” Right before… well.. you know. Some befriending.
Heh, I find it hard to find good quotes in some of the recent anime series, namely because many ‘quotes’ on such quote collections are simply quotations that are memorable, not necessarily those that have meaning.
On that note, I’ve been compiling quotes from every single anime I’ve ever watched (I think that’s now… er, two? :P), and right now, the one from Madoka is the most memorable, when Homerun-chan says “Don’t confuse gratitude with responsibility.” I’m not sure if I’ve got the moonrunes right, but “感謝と責任よ混同してはだめよ。”? Quotes like those are like onions – and metaphors like that are so vague that…
This site is good for anime quotes!
Try searching for Bokura Ga Ita quotes if you like cheezy quotes. And the anime, two thumbs up i tell ya!
” ..Every human being relies on and is bounded by his knowledge and experience to live. This is what we call “reality”. However, knowledge and experience are ambiguous, thus reality can become illusion. Is it not possible to think that, all human beings are living in their assumptions?”
– Itachi Uchiha (Naruto)