<blockquote>
  <p>My question is: why does Satsuki Kiryuin use "kisama" to address the Elite Four? They should, at least, be worthy of a bit more of respect.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Well, for the one thing, this is anime. Typical conventions governing the use of honorifics in actual spoken Japanese frequently go out the window in anime. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>[...] or is there a different meaning for "kisama" I'm not aware of?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It so happens that the "bad guys" that use <em>kisama</em> frequently are precisely those who typically speak in a mildly archaic-sounding register of Japanese (from memory: Satsuki, Gamagoori, Sanageyama, and Ragyou - but <em>not</em> Inumuta, Nonon, or Nui). The use of <em>kisama</em> in an archaic register of Japanese is not harsh as its use in a modern register would be - historically, <em>kisama</em> was in fact a polite word (roughly "honorable person"); cf. <a href="https://listserv.brown.edu/archives/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind1209a&amp;L=CONLANG&amp;E=quoted-printable&amp;P=222433&amp;B=--&amp;T=text%2Fplain;%20charset=UTF-8&amp;header=1" rel="nofollow">here</a> or <a href="http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=14412#comment-1279849" rel="nofollow">here</a> for what little English-language reading about this I was able to find.</p>

<p>Even in modern registers of Japanese, I feel that <em>kisama</em> is a smidge less harsh than its typical (shoddy) English translation "you bastard", though I don't know if other people would agree.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Was it a stylistic choice that Satsuki would address virtually everyone (with few exceptions such as the butler and Iori, for example) in such a disrespectful way [...]</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I imagine the reason that Satsuki addresses Soroi (her butler) using a different pronoun (<em>kimi</em>) is that <em>kimi</em> is a more familiar term of address than <em>kisama</em>, and she feels that she can open up to Soroi more than anyone else.</p>

<p>But really, I think this is mostly down to characters using more "powerful" language for dramatic effect (e.g. to express Satsuki's general disdain for most people) since this is an anime rather than real life. You'll see this happening in many an anime; <em>Kill la Kill</em> is by no means unique in this respect.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-12T15:33:14.323Z
So it was actually a polite word as well, then. Now it actually makes more sense. However, it is kind of strange to hear the same word with so different a meaning depending on the moment in which it is used. Anyway, thanks for the answer.
RCap107
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-11T23:17:24.713Z
2016-01-11T01:44:58.140Z
2016-01-11T01:44:58.140Z
senshin
<p>I'm rewatching Kill La Kill and I've noticed that the word "kisama" is used by every one of the bad guys (Student Council, Satsuki Kiryuin, Ragyo, and so on) to address basically every good character (i.e. Ryuuko, Mako, her family, etc.). </p>

<p>I know that in the Japanese language there are multiple different ways to address another person depending on the level of familiarity you have with them and so on, and I know that "kisama" is the most impolite way of addressing anybody (and it's usually translated as "bastard" or something like that when it's used).</p>

<p>My question is: why does Satsuki Kiryuin use "kisama" to address the Elite Four? They should, at least, be worthy of a bit more of respect. Was it a stylistic choice that Satsuki would address virtually everyone (with few exceptions such as the butler and Iori, for example) in such a disrespectful way, or is there a different meaning for "kisama" I'm not aware of?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-11T22:59:22.267Z
It looks to me like we've only seen `kisama` used to address people condescendingly or in conjunction with swear words and death threats, so it kinda became synonymous with "Hey, you bastard!" but the original meaning is lost on us since we haven't often seen it used otherwise.
Hakase
<japanese-language><kill-la-kill>
Why does Satsuki address everyone using "kisama"?
# Why does Satsuki address everyone using "kisama"?
Posted by: username_0 on 2015-01-11
I'm rewatching Kill La Kill and I've noticed that the word "kisama" is used by every one of the bad guys (Student Council, Satsuki Kiryuin, Ragyo, and so on) to address basically every good character (i.e. Ryuuko, Mako, her family, etc.).

I know that in the Japanese language there are multiple different ways to address another person depending on the level of familiarity you have with them and so on, and I know that "kisama" is the most impolite way of addressing anybody (and it's usually translated as "bastard" or something like that when it's used).

My question is: why does Satsuki Kiryuin use "kisama" to address the Elite Four? They should, at least, be worthy of a bit more of respect. Was it a stylistic choice that Satsuki would address virtually everyone (with few exceptions such as the butler and Iori, for example) in such a disrespectful way, or is there a different meaning for "kisama" I'm not aware of?
**Tags:** japanese-language kill-la-kill
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It looks to me like we've only seen `kisama` used to address people condescendingly or in conjunction with swear words and death threats, so it kinda became synonymous with "Hey, you bastard!" but the original meaning is lost on us since we haven't often seen it used otherwise.  
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## 1 answers
### Answer by username_2 on 2015-01-11. Score: 15 | Accepted answer
> My question is: why does Satsuki Kiryuin use "kisama" to address the Elite Four? They should, at least, be worthy of a bit more of respect.

Well, for the one thing, this is anime. Typical conventions governing the use of honorifics in actual spoken Japanese frequently go out the window in anime.

> [...] or is there a different meaning for "kisama" I'm not aware of?

It so happens that the "bad guys" that use *kisama* frequently are precisely those who typically speak in a mildly archaic-sounding register of Japanese (from memory: Satsuki, Gamagoori, Sanageyama, and Ragyou - but *not* Inumuta, Nonon, or Nui). The use of *kisama* in an archaic register of Japanese is not harsh as its use in a modern register would be - historically, *kisama* was in fact a polite word (roughly "honorable person"); cf. [here](https://listserv.brown.edu/archives/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind1209a&L=CONLANG&E=quoted-printable&P=222433&B=--&T=text%2Fplain;%20charset=UTF-8&header=1) or [here](http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=14412#comment-1279849) for what little English-language reading about this I was able to find.

Even in modern registers of Japanese, I feel that *kisama* is a smidge less harsh than its typical (shoddy) English translation "you bastard", though I don't know if other people would agree.

> Was it a stylistic choice that Satsuki would address virtually everyone (with few exceptions such as the butler and Iori, for example) in such a disrespectful way [...]

I imagine the reason that Satsuki addresses Soroi (her butler) using a different pronoun (*kimi*) is that *kimi* is a more familiar term of address than *kisama*, and she feels that she can open up to Soroi more than anyone else.

But really, I think this is mostly down to characters using more "powerful" language for dramatic effect (e.g. to express Satsuki's general disdain for most people) since this is an anime rather than real life. You'll see this happening in many an anime; *Kill la Kill* is by no means unique in this respect.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2015-01-12): So it was actually a polite word as well, then. Now it actually makes more sense. However, it is kind of strange to hear the same word with so different a meaning depending on the moment in which it is used. Anyway, thanks for the answer.  
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