Favorite Anime & Manga Quotes

[InfiniteBakuphoon]

Do you remember a line from the latest episode of your favorite anime that was especially badass, funny, or emotional? Or a quote from a manga that you read a long time ago that brought out cheers, laughs, or feels or their own? Or any combination of the above? This thread is a place to share them!

The only requirement is that said quotes come from an anime or manga, or alternatively a light novel or sound drama; it doesn’t matter how new or old they are, or if you’re currently watching, reading, or listening to it. Quotes from video games — even those based on anime, manga, light novels, etc. — are best posted in the video game quotes thread instead. Likewise, quotes from the Pokémon anime have an existing thread as well.

Forum rules apply as always, obviously. And if what you’re quoting might constitute a spoiler for the work in question, it would probably be a good idea to put them in spoiler tags (either drop-down or in-line) as a courtesy to your fellow watchers, readers, and listeners.

Now, I think I’ll let whoever comes across this thread to do the honor of making the first post. Have fun!

 

[Tactician Karina]

"You aren't special, not in the slightest...but that's exactly what makes you special."
- Witch Queen, Black Clover

"I wasted calories on you just now. I'll never get them back."
- Mash Burnedead, MASHLE

"Whether it's in the real world or here, it's okay to cry when it hurts. There's no rule that says you can't express emotion in a game."
- Kirito, Sword Art Online

"If you haven't changed, that means you haven't improved."
- Tetsuya Kuroko, Kuroko's Basketball

"You know, a lot of people make excuses when they lose."
- Ryoma Echizen, Prince of Tennis

"Moping around with sadness and sorrow...what will come of it? Even dead people can do that. However, I'll live and stand on my own two legs. If we are going to die one day, wouldn't it be better to have no regrets?"
- Ciel Phantomhive, Black Butler

"Children don't grow up looking at perfect parents. Rather, using their imperfect parents as anti-teachers, children nourish a spirit of independence."
- Yang Wen-li, Legend of the Galactic Heroes

"As twins, we were often compared and I was often pitied. It made me feel that I was not needed."
- Ichiru Kiryu, Vampire Knight

"The wounds run deep. The pain is almost unbearable. But that doesn't give us the right to just curl up and die. No matter how hard things get, it's our responsibility to keep moving forward."
- Ryosuke Takahashi, Initial D

"They call each other friends, but they're either using others or being used themselves."
- Ritsuka Aoyagi, Loveless

 

[Neo Blaze]

A few come to mind:

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From One-Punch man season 1, after Saitama defeats Lord Boros:

Boros: "That battle was... hard-fought."

Saitama: "Yeah. It sure was."

Boros: "You lie. You had strength to spare, I never stood a chance. It wasn't even a battle."

I like this quote because it humanized Boros, who only showed up for two episodes. Boros ended up being a pretty interesting villain, being the only one to be able have an even fight with Saitama. Until it is revealed that even Boros wasn't that much of a match for Saitama at all, and that there is possibly no limit to Saitama's powers, something which is later explored further in the manga when Saitama encounters an even stronger foe. Boros wasn't just another moustache-twirling shonen villain and he showed respect to Saitama even after defeat; plus he was in many ways similar to Saitama as they were both searching their whole lives for someone who could match their strength. Additionally, it showed that Saitama was even more alone than previously thought, and that even one of the strongest beings in the universe was no match for him in the end.

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From K-On season 1, after Azusa has doubts of joining a band that mostly just goofs around and drinks tea, and Mio says to her:

Azusa, you asked why I don't form a band outside of school. I think I just enjoy being in a band with these members. And I think it's the same for them as well. I think that's why our performances sound good.

It's around this episode that I realized that K-On was not just another generic CGDCT anime and that it does have a deeper meaning at times, something which is explored even more in season 2. Mio could probably flourish as a musician in a professional band, but would that really matter if she doesn't have fun and have her friends to share these precious moments with? It is also partially due to this quote by Mio, that Azusa also starts to realize that life doesn't always have to be so serious, and that spending time with friends and making memories together is worth something too.

Also from K-On, from the very last episode, after the band performed a song specially for Azusa, who is a year behind the others and will be alone after the others graduate:

In the end, you're not very good!

Not a remarkable quote in itself, but in the context of the show it's pretty funny, especially after such an emotional scene. Plus it's a great callback to the very first episode of the show, when Yui said more or less the same thing to Mio, Ritsu and Mugi before joining the band. For me the anime came full circle with that quote and it was a great way to end the series.

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So this is technically a verse from a poem by French poet Paul Valéry and not originally an anime quote, but since it's pretty much central to the Studio Ghibli film The Wind Rises, I think it counts:

Le vent se lève, il faut tenter de vivre! (The wind rises, we must try to live!)

Honestly a wonderful film and sadly not as often talked about as Miyazaki's other films. I love the optimism that springs from this quote.

As for another Studio Ghibli quote:

No matter how many weapons you have, no matter how great your technology might be, the world cannot live without love.

My favorite quote from the film Castle in the Sky, which also happens to be my favorite Ghibli film.

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Technically not a quote, but I think it's fair to say these are some of the most iconic words ever from an anime:

See you, space cowboy.

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I'd have to think about others. I think Violet Evergarden has quite an amount of good quotes, but it's been a while since I last saw it.

 

[RK9]

"If you haven't changed, that means you haven't improved."
- Tetsuya Kuroko, Kuroko's Basketball

We can't forget the absolute gem of Kagami.

"This is Japanese lunch time rush!"

Or, the one he got laughed at for, but I thought was pretty cool.

“The only times we’re fated to lose are in fictional stories. This is our drama! We decide what the plot will be!”

Though, he also had genuinely cool lines like "There is no such thing as useless effort."

 

[Insanish Danish]

Way back in like 2014 before my phone was permanently set to silent/vibrate, Kagami going "THIS IS JAPANESE LUNCH TIME RUSH" was my text notification sound (I would set it to silent in public lol). Simpler times.

 

[Tactician Karina]

"Having the skills will give you confidence, and then you'll be able to control your feelings. Relying on feelings or whatever is what people without skills do!"
- Mei Narumiya, Ace of Diamond

"When you're ten, they call you a prodigy. When you're fifteen, they call you a genius. Once you hit twenty, you're just an ordinary person."
- Haruka Nanase, Free!

"Everything in the world is actually connected. That means, even if we get separated, we'll never be alone."
- Aladdin, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

"Everyone's gonna die. It's a natural part of life. But if life has no purpose, you're already dead."
- Kiba, Wolf's Rain

"I...can't explain why. We have the same name, but I am not your big brother. I don't care about what happened in the past...but now this is my Z. Even if it is a devil...I still love it. And that's that."
- Akio Asakura, Wangan Midnight

"When you love someone more than they deserve, surely they will hurt you more than you deserve."
- Yuichiro Hyakuya, Seraph of the End

"If you love someone, let them go with a bottle of wine. If they come back drunk, they're yours. If they come back sober, they're better off absent."
- Wei Wuxian, Mo Dao Zu Shi

"People need fear to survive. We experience it so we can grow stronger."
- Maka Albarn, Soul Eater

"The world is dyed with the color of blood. It will never be able to go back to the way it was before."
- Yuki Kuran, Vampire Knight

"As you live you lose reasons and hope. But as you keep on going, you pick up new reasons and hope."
- Asta, Black Clover

"The people who have overcome difficulties must be applauded. The people who have survived through it all have earned that right."
- Cale Henituse, Trash of the Count's Family

 

[InfiniteBakuphoon]

“Good morning, mom.”
— Sakura Kinomoto, Cardcaptor Sakura

You’ll need to know the context of those words to know why I chose them, but… even as someone very much not in Sakura’s shoes when it comes to that, I couldn’t help feel my heart sting a little when I heard her say those words for the first time. I wonder how anyone who lost a parent in real life felt upon their own first watch of this scene.

 

[toastghost]

"reality is sometimes cruel... i close my eyes and dream so that i can wake up tomorrow and live. you're my drawing- my dream- and my hope. because of you, i'm here today with my eyes open. it's thanks to you that i'm here, alive!" - mei shijima, chapter 55 of jibaku shonen hanako-kun.

 

[DigitalGen6]

“I think it’s called spinal reflex or something.”
— Gretel from Black Lagoon
This is from the English dub of Black Lagoon (I haven’t actually watched the series)

 

[InfiniteBakuphoon]

“Now pay attention, everyone. I’m going to show you how to kill a god. A god of life and death.”
— Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke

I believe that’s from dub rather than sub — the former of which has its detractors — but damn if that isn’t a badass line nonetheless!

 

[Tactician Karina]

"There is no such thing as Paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the earth, there's nothing at all. No matter how far you walk, it's just the same road, it just goes on and on. But in spite of that... why am I so driven to find it?"
- Kiba, Wolf's Rain

"This is something completely different. Something I don't think you could understand. And even if I could explain it, you couldn't wrap your head around this crazy fear I have inside."
- Takumi Fujiwara, Initial D

"When pressured, people tend to choose the decision that is best fitted to the situation, but they usually realize later on, that it was a mistake."
- Kunimitsu Tezuka, Prince of Tennis

"If sorry could solve anything, we wouldn't have a need for the police."
- Yoichi Hiruma, Eyeshield 21

"I am the record of your struggles, the evidence of your resistance, and the reward of your sufferings. I am death, I am eternal rest, and I am also terror."
- Ashborn, Solo Leveling

"Everyone knows that an amateur like you will make mistakes. Like paying taxes, it's unavoidable."
- Kaede Rukawa, Slam Dunk

"People exist to save themselves. You will understand that at the moment of your death."
- Sakunosuke Oda, Bungo Stray Dogs

"It's the most powerful words in the world. No just argument or eloquence can stand a chance against it. It's... "So what?"
- Yang Wen-li, Legend of the Galactic Heroes

"Don't drag up the old team at this point. We're over with these kid fights! Plus, you're a team made out of losers, you guys are obviously no match for us. If you want to make memories, go somewhere else!"
-Haruchiyo Sanzu/Akashi, Tokyo Revengers

"The sky, the forest, the earth. Everything is visible from this window. This is all I need. However, I do like tea that you make."
- Raizel, Noblesse