Anata wa hitori ja nai

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 "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", Raphael witnessed a memory of his father Hamato Yoshi losing his mother Atsuko, as she sacrificed her presence in this world to reinforce the Hamato Clan's efforts to keep the Shredder sealed away. When the young Yoshi was feeling immense separation anxiety at the sudden permanent departure of his mother, she told him, "Anata wa hitori janai."

In "Shreddy or Not", the recently returned Hamato Karai helped the Mad Dogs and the rest of their family hold off the Shredder's assault on their lair. In climactic showdown, Karai faced off with her corrupted father, but was startled when she realized that the uncorrupted will of Oroku Saki survived within the Kuroi Yōroi. The Mad Dogs watched in horror as the Shredder struck back against the distracted Karai, mortally-wounding her in the process. As she lay dying on the floor, she uttered to them, "Anata wa hitori janai."

In "Anatawa Hitorijanai", the Mad Dogs 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 Mad Dogs. As Karai/April was trying to teach the Mad Dogs, Raphael asked her about the phrase he'd heard twice before, and Karai explained that it means "you are not alone." This understanding, and the relying on other members of the Hamato Clan in times of need, finally helped the Mad Dogs 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.
  • "Wa" 「は」 has no direct English translation. It is a grammatical particle placed after a sentence's topic noun.
  • "Hitori" 「一人」 literally means "one person." In this context, the more specific intended meaning is "alone."
  • "Ja" 「じゃ」 means "is/am/are" with an informal level of politeness.
  • "Nai" 「ない」 means "not."
  • 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.
    • Nevertheless, 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."