Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s lesson will focus on violent actions in manga. Shonen Jump features a lot of battle manga, so it’s natural that these types of terms come up often.

UTSU (うつ)

UTSU means “to shoot.” In World Trigger, the main characters belong to a military organization called Border. There they learn how to use weapons like seasoned pros. How else can Earth protect itself against invading aliens known as Neighbors? Agents in Border who specialize in shooting things occupy different positions, like Sniper, Gunner and Shooter. Poor Osamu learned what UTSU means when he was the first to be taken out in the Rank Wars match that is currently in progress.

SASU (さす)

SASU means “to stab.” World Trigger also has Border agents who specialize in using blades. These are known as Attackers. Most of the SJ team’s favorite characters in the series are Attackers, including Kageura. This bad boy may have trouble controlling his temper, but he has perfect control when it comes to his blades.

BAKUHATSU (ばくはつ)

BAKUHATSU means “to explode” or an “explosion.” The World Trigger Rank Wars have been quite explosive lately. Defeating your opponent is a lot easier if you can alter the terrain in your team’s favor. Thanks to her immense amount of Trion, Chika is able to blow up structures when she shoots her Ibis. This came in handy when she took out a bridge in order to separate her squad’s opponents.

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