- This article is about the phrase. For the episode, see Anatawa Hitorijanai.
"Anata wa hitori ja nai"「あなたは一人じゃない」is a recurring Japanese phrase heard during the four-part finale of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It means, "you are not alone," and is a traditional Hamato Clan saying that reassures members that the rest of the clan are with them, both those who are alive and the spirits of those who have passed on.
History[]
In "Finale Part 1: E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", Raphael witnessed a memory of his father Hamato Yoshi losing his mother Hamato Atsuko as she embarked on a mission in service to the Hamato Clan. When the young Yoshi was feeling immense separation anxiety at the sudden permanent departure of his mother, she told him, "Anata wa hitori ja nai."
In "Finale Part 2: Shreddy or Not", the recently returned Hamato Karai helped the Mad Dogs and the rest of their family hold off the Foot Clan's assault on their lair. In a climactic showdown, Karai faced off with the Shredder, but was startled when she realized that the uncorrupted will of Oroku Saki survived within the Kuroi Yōroi. The Turtles watched in horror as the Shredder struck back against the distracted Karai, mortally-wounding her in the process. She uttered to them, "Anata wa hitori ja nai," as she lay dying on the floor.
In "Finale Part 3: Anatawa Hitorijanai", the Turtles and Todd Capybara had fled in the Turtle Tank to the safety of Cuddle Cakes Puppy Rescue out in the woodlands of Long Island. They were joined by April O'Neil, who had earlier revisited the ruins of the lair after most everyone else had gone, finding Karai close to death. Karai had proclaimed that April had in fact always been one of the Hamato, and Karai allowed her departing spirit to enter April so she could be a vessel to teach the Hamato Ninpō to the Turtles. As Karai and April were trying to instruct the Turtles, Raph asked Karai to translate the phrase he had heard twice before and she obliged. This understanding, and the relying on other members of the Hamato Clan in times of need, finally helped the Turtles tap into the Hamato Ninpō, greatly enhancing their combat abilities.
Trivia[]
- Though spaced as two words in the episode title "Anatawa Hitorijanai", "anata wa hitori ja nai" is actually a five-word phrase. Here is a rough breakdown of the sentence's meaning:
- "Anata" 「あなた」 means "you" in the singular sense (basically "thou") with a neutral level of politeness. It is written in hiragana.
- "Wa" 「は」 has no direct English translation. It is a grammatical particle that indicates that "you" ("anata") is the phrase's topic in this context. It is written in hiragana.
- "Hitori" 「一人」 literally means "one person". In this context, the intended meaning is "alone". It is written in kanji.
- "Ja" 「じゃ」 means "is/am/are" with an informal level of politeness. It is written in hiragana.
- "Nai" 「ない」 means "not". It is written in hiragana.
- Combined, the words literally mean "thou, one person, art not," with the relaxed, comforting level of politeness of a family member to one other beloved family member.
- Addressing others by name is more common than using "you" ("anata", "omae", "kimi", etc.) in Japanese (e.g., "Yoshi wa hitori ja nai"). Even so, subjects in general, such as "you" or "I" ("watashi", "boku", "atakushi", etc.), are often omitted in native Japanese as the surrounding context completes the message (e.g., "kimi wa hitori ja nai" versus "hitori ja nai". Both phrases translate to "you are not alone" in this context, but the latter simply makes the "you" implicit instead of explicit).
- Although the phrase addresses a singular person, the phrase is sometimes used by one person to address multiple other loved ones at once, as when the dying Karai spoke it to her four turtle descendants; in this situation, rather than addressing the target as a combined group of people, it addresses each individual target within the group simultaneously, as if to say, "(each one of) you are not alone."