I feel like it's worth mentioning that Corbeau calling the player kid in the game, doesn't mean you’re actually a child. I was wondering what he calls you in the original Japanese, so here’s what I found along with other unrelated notes on his Japanese dialogue.
[Now with added notes from and commenters and anons!! Represented with colored brackets and a footnote.]
I’m not fluent so I could be wrong on some points, take from this what you will. Also I got carried away and wrote a lot more than I meant to woops.
(Spoilers up until mission 25, rank C)
Caved and wrote a second part.
To start with, Corbeau speaks Kansai-ben, a dialect spoken in the Kansai region of Japan. Some noticeable differences are ya instead of desu or da at the end of sentences, and na instead of ne. Verb conjugation is also a bit different, with -hen or -n instead of -nai meaning not. Like, “I don't know” is Shirahen or Shiran instead of the standard (slightly impolite) Shiranai.
[The in-universe Kansai-ben has been dubbed “Kogane-ben” by Japanese fans, referring to Kogane City (Goldenrod City) in Johto, which is based on real-world Osaka. This has influenced some headcanons around Corbeau’s hometown in the Japanese fandom. Another popular character who uses this dialect is Rika from SV.]¹ The characters in Goldenrod City all speak Kansai-ben, as do some in Azelea Town, but the rest of Johto does not. This is because what people call Kansai-ben is actually more Osaka-ben, the dialects in Kansai differ greatly from place to place. Also, Johto isn't just Kansai, it's also bits of Chubu. Aside from Corbeau, Rika, and the Johto characters, Commander Kamado in Legends Arceus also speaks Kogane-ben when he's surprised, but Standard Japanese when he's being professional. Carmine and Kieran do not speak Kogane-ben, they mostly speak Standard Japanese with some occasional Tohoku-ben notes. If I see one more person genuinely suggesting that they're related to Corbeau I'll blow up.
I often see Kansai-ben translated into a southern accent, to show that it’s a little… country-bumpkin like. It can be tricky to understand for people who only speak Standard Japanese.
Some people say that Kansai-ben is considered rough and makes you sound like a gangster, but I know a lot of people also find it cute and friendly. Corbeau speaks like a gangster though. I cannot emphasize enough, this man does not speak all fancy and polite. Ending sentences with Yarou is classic Yakuza stuff, think Baka yarou which could be translated as you fucking idiot. Just saying Yarou gives it the same vibe as swearing. But 野郎 Yarou, the suffix used in Baka yarou, and やろ Yaro, Kansai-ben for ですよ Desuyo, aren't the same. In English, he instead says eh sometimes.
(Philippe on the other hand, speaks very formally. He calls Corbeau Karasuba-sama, and uses Watakushi as his personal pronoun.)
[The association with gangsters comes from a mutually-reinforcing combination of both the Kansai region having a more pronounced history of organised crime, and the portrayal of such characters in media as speaking with variations of Kansai-ben (often Hiroshima-ben, but also Osaka-ben), which over the years has solidified this reputation. It’s used by many characters in the Yakuza games, who are written as coming from this part of Japan. Speakers of Osaka-ben, with Osaka historically being a city of merchants and working people, also has a reputation for being either down-to-earth and warm or crass and uncultured, depending on who you ask.]¹
Notable Kansai-ben words/slang are Honma instead of Hontou, meaning really/truly/honestly, like when you’re asking if something really happened. Could be translated to “S’that so?” or “You reckon?” Just to get the difference in dialects across in English.
Omoroi instead of Omoshiroi, meaning fun/interesting/amusing/entertaining. This one Corbeau says a lot. I noticed that in the English dialogue too, but it's even clearer in Japanese. That’s funny, let's have some fun, battling you is fun. This isn't so much a translation note as it is a character trait note.
Meccha instead of Totemo, meaning very. This has spread to all of Japan, I see a lot of Gyaru girls saying it for some reason. Something like “This is real good” works well imo. Or “This is damn good” or “This is darn good” or “This is good as hell”. It’s not that crass though, honestly I think it’s more the vibe of “Totes awesome”.
Ee instead of Ii (ii) meaning good/fine/okay. Sore wa ii desu becomes Sore wa ee ya meaning that’s fine. You could translate it as “Peachy” or “Fine and dandy” if you wanted.
Chau instead of Chigau, meaning incorrect. Also used instead of janai, meaning is not. Sore wa neko janai becomes Sore wa neko chau, that’s not a cat. Also used like a question, Kore wa neko chau? meaning this is is a cat, no?
In Standard Japanese, Baka means stupid/idiot, and Aho means moron. Baka is lighter, you could use it to tease your friends, whereas Aho is really insulting. In Kansai-ben, it's the other way around.
True for all of Kansai-ben, is that your mouth opens less while speaking it. Like, when you say Chau instead of Chigau, your mouth stays very small. So it’s less eloquent, not as cleanly pronounced. I think it’d make sense if he said thinkin’ instead of thinking, and so on, but he’s not written like that in the official English translation so whatevs.
This isn’t the main point of this post so let’s move on. I’m hoping you’ll be able to recognize some of these words when they come up.
In the original Japanese, he mostly calls you Omae, which is a rude/informal way of saying you. Kid is probably the best way to translate that he’s talking down to you, without using swear words at least. He never refers to you as Gaki, meaning kid or brat, or anything that even confirms you’re younger than him.
When he gets mad at Lida during your first meeting, in English I think he says “Is this kid trying to mess with me?” while in Japanese he says something along the lines of “Give me a break” or “Give it a rest” or “Cut me some slack, man” just an expression of exasperation. We know Lida is an adult because she used to rent an apartment. We also know Urbain/Taunie is an adult because they can sign a legally binding contract.
During that fight against the SBC folks who are bothering those kids, he calls them Onee-san and Onii-san, literally big sister and big brother, very often used to refer to strangers whose names you don't know. This could mean they're older than him, or around the same age, or he’s just saying that because they’re older than those little kids. If they were the same age, I’d expect him to call them something like Omaera or Kimidachi, rude/informal ways to say you guys. He’s actually sort of polite to them? (More on his use of Onii-san in the next post.)
In Japanese, he tells them something like, “Losing to someone this young is embarrassing for you”. Refers to you as こんな若い子 Konna wakai ko. Ko can mean kid/girl/boy, I’d interpret this as saying you're a kid compared to these two adults, who I guess are meant to be in their 30’s or something? But I’ll admit it could go either way. Ko can be used for adults. I think it’s used for Pokémon too on occasion.
He then goes on to call the group of children Omaera, in English he calls them "kiddos".
(This makes me think that he doesn't say Omae in an insulting way, but rather in an overly familiar way. It’s considered to be an impolite word because (in Japan) you shouldn't speak to strangers as if they’re your friends. It's not always mean or offensive, in the correct context. So it's sort of like a term of endearment. We know Corbeau has a roundabout way of talking, when he says something that sounds rough and scary, he actually means the most innocent thing ever. When he calls you Omae, or kid, it comes across as an insult, but knowing him he might mean it differently. In English there are also some words that can both be cute and affectionate, or patronizing and rude, depending on the context. Sweetheart and doll and pretty boy/girl, etc. I’d argue kid can be seen the same way.
That’s all subtext though, my own thoughts and opinions, nothing explicitly stated.)
When the two of you go to check out the commotion with Jett, Urbain/Taunie and those safety protestor guys, Corbeau tells Urbain/Taunie to get the President to safety. Maybe worth mentioning he also calls them Omae.
Facing forward and probably taking to himself, he says Omoroi naa “Isn’t that funny?” Then he looks at you and says something like “Why am I helping out the guy that doesn't pay their debts, I wonder?”
And listen, this might be reaching, but to me it reads like a rhetorical question. Like he’s looking at you, and wondering what it is about you that's made him want to help out Urbain/Taunie. I think he’s talking to himself here, not so much looking for a response. He thinks you’re interesting, and for some reason he’s making an effort to help you out. He’s amused by his own behavior.
Then you say Yasashii kara “Because you’re nice” or Ii hito dakara “Because you’re a good person”, he says こんな仕事してて優しいはないやろ! Konna shigoto shitete yasashii wa nai yaro! “There is nothing nice about this kind of work!” and then, “But abandoning someone in trouble—That’s just plain disgraceful for a human being, isn’t it?”
Then you fight that guy, Corbeau says “My Scolipede’s pretty damn strong, eh.” So he’s definitely showing off to you. Or just bragging for no reason.
He says Lumiose is the city where he was born/raised/grew up in. His Kogane-ben implies he’s from Goldenrod City, or just Johto, and the decoration in his office are very Hisuian, but I think it’s fair to assume he’s lived in Lumiose his whole life. I don’t know where tf he picked up his dialect. Maybe he really likes Japanese comedy.
When he calls you in for your next meeting, he says Omae omoroi naa, “You’re pretty interesting, huh?” And, where in English he says he loves how you can hold your own in battle, in Japanese it’s なにより強いゆうのが 気に入ったわ！Naniori tsuyoi yuu no ga kiniita wa! “Above all, how strong you are is especially appealing to me!” Or something along those lines. Kiniita means to like a lot, to take a liking to, to prefer, to favor, to be pleased with, something that suits your fancy.
When your promotion match is announced, he says Honma omoroi naa. “That really is funny, huh?” “My next opponent in the Z-A Royale is you? This must be heaven telling us to battle!”
If you already have a Challengers Ticket, he says Hanashi no hayai yatsu wa suki ya de. Hanashi no hayai is an idiom, literally meaning fast conversation, for doing things quickly and efficiently without wasting your breath or anyone’s time. Yatsu is a rude/informal word that kinda means guy(s) or person/people or bastard, gender neutral. It's what he called Urbain/Taunie earlier. Suki, you probably know this one, means like or love. Not necessarily romantic, but can be. So all together, “I love guys that get straight to the point” or “fast-acting types” or “people that don’t waste my time” or “someone that simplifies matters”.
In English he says “I love it when someone’s well-prepared.”
Gai/Taunie okagede, omoroi turaaina to aeta wa “Thanks to Urban/Taunie, I got to meet an interesting trainer.”
In the English translation, he says “The best part of battle is facing a trainer who’s got talent… and then sending them home crying!”
In Japanese, 気に入ったヤツに勝って泣かす! これが勝負の醍醐味やで Kiniita yatsu ni katte nakasu! Kore ga shoubu no daigomi ya de.
This one is a little harder to translate for me. Again he says Kiniita, referencing what he said earlier. Kiniita yatsu could be translated as “My favorite kind of guy”, or “My favorite guy”, referring specifically to you. Earlier he said he particularly likes how strong you are, and he was bragging about how strong his Scolipede is, so it’s safe to say he likes when people are strong, and you’re one of those people.
“Defeating my preferred type of guy and making ‘em cry! That’s the real thrill of a battle.”
He says, “If you’re acquainted with that Lysandre, you must be pretty damn strong!” Then he says he’s gonna beat the shit out of you, and he’s looking forward to it, basically.
You say F-san to shiriai kana? “I’m not sure if we’re acquainted?” or Shiriai de wa arimasen “We are not acquainted.” and either way he says Ko makai ya naa “That’s trivial, isn’t it?” or “That’s a bit nitpicky, eh.”
行く当てもなかった ガキのオレを受け入れてくれた Iku wa demonakatta gaki no ore wo ukeirete kureta. “When I was just a kid with nowhere to go, [Lumiose] accepted me.” Here he says Gaki, so it's in his vocabulary, he just never calls you it. Only when he's talking about himself as a kid.
とにかくオマエとのポケモン勝負 本気で楽しませてもらうで！Tonikaku omae to no Pokémon shoubu honki de tanoshi masete morau de! “In any case, a Pokémon battle against you is going to be real fun!” Here he doesn’t say Omoroi, but Tanoshi.
He calls Scolipede Omae too.
After the battle, he says, オレはオマエのこと認めたる Ore wa omae no koto mitomitaru “I respect you” or “I recognize you” or “I acknowledge you”.
When he asks if you want to join the Rust Syndicate, if you say Ii desu ne “That’d be nice” he’ll say Akan akan, Kansai-ben for “No, no, you really shouldn’t.” “It’s a beautiful thought, but you’re a member of Team MZ, aren’t you?”
でもオマエのことあきらめへんで. ホテルZまで追いかけるさかい Demo omae no koto akiramehen de. Hotel Z made oikakeru sakai “But I’m not letting you off the hook. I’ll chase you all the way to Hotel Z.”
(This is starting to get too long now. Here's the second half of the game, since you seemed to enjoy this post. “Wow Legends Z-A is so much fun, I’m going to play it loads today!” said the liar, lying, instead writing 4k words of media analysis. I don't even shirimasu nihongo.)
¹ Onii-chan, Seigi no mikata, and Kansai-ben anon who is fluent in Japanese and has lived and worked in Japan.
Heya, dropping a note to say the posts you did analysing Corbeau’s use of Kansai-ben are excellent, so glad to see the nuances of his speech in Japanese getting some love in the English fandom!!
There were just a few points I wanted to add if you/your followers were interested (caveat: I am not a native speaker but would say I’m fairly fluent and have experience living and working in Japan.)
1. にいちゃん [Nii-chan] being used for Ivor: actually, this doesn’t necessarily indicate that Corbeau is younger than Ivor. Nii-san is also often used to refer to anyone who looks fairly young (under 30), even by older people. Him using -chan adds an ever so slightly patronising connotation to it but with no real ill-intent given the scene/Corbeau’s character, whereas if said in a slightly different context (imagine a scene of a random thug calling out to a young college student who’s found themselves in the wrong part of town) it could be a lot more malicious/mocking in tone. The same applies for Nee-san/Nee-chan.
2. 正義の味方 [seigi no mikata] ‘Ally of Justice’ used for the player: this is quite a common phrase in anime/game dialogue, it’s not quite the same nuance as just “law abiding citizen”. In Japanese it sounds very lofty and you certainly wouldn’t refer to yourself with this, unless you were a kid playing at being superheroes with your friends, which is precisely why it’s often used by villainous or morally grey characters to taunt the heroes of a story by making their ideals and heroics seem childish. Again in this case, there’s no real venom (haha) in Corbeau’s use of the term as he does genuinely think highly of the player character and is just joking around — Philippe (and the audience) would immediately know who exactly he’s talking about on this phone call when he says this (even though you haven’t shown up on screen yet), perhaps why the localisation team opted for “our favourite” to give that same effect. I’ve seen fanart of Corbeau where he uses this term for the player in a self-deprecating sort of way too, to play up their virtue and heroic nature in comparison to him, the leader of a yakuza group who’s had to resort to unsavoury things (“you’re a righteous ally of justice, my hands are bloodied and dirty” kind of duality).
3. Corbeau’s use of Kansai-ben in general and how this would be received by a Japanese audience: You’re right that it is sometimes associated (by Standard Japanese speakers) with gangsters: this comes from a mutually-reinforcing combination of both the Kansai region having a more pronounced history of organised crime and the portrayal of such characters in media as speaking with variations of Kansai-ben (often Hiroshima-ben, but also Osaka-ben), which over the years has solidified this reputation. It’s used by many characters in the Yakuza games, who are written as coming from this part of Japan. Speakers of Osaka-ben, with Osaka historically being a city of merchants and working people, also has a reputation for being either down-to-earth and warm or crass and uncultured, depending on who you ask (interestingly, this contrasts heavily with neighbouring Kyoto: elegant and refined or haughty and insincere, even though they technically also use a variant of Kansai-ben). As you noted, it is also associated with comedy routines. This is because of the large number of successful comedians who have come from this part of Japan, to the point where the Kansai-ben has now taken on a reputation as being inherently funny, much like regional dialects elsewhere in the world. Non-Kansai natives may put on the dialect when trying to sound funny (e.g. in a TV commercial) but often Kansai natives can detect that this is inauthentic (they refer to it as エセ関西弁), and there is a great deal of regional pride in being better at comedy than Tokyoites and other Standard Japanese speakers. Anyway, the point is there’re a lot of layers to a character using this dialect that plays into how they might be received by a Japanese-speaking audience.
Back to Pokemon: the in-universe Kansai-ben has been dubbed as “Kogane-ben” (I’m not sure if fans created this term or if it’s used in the games — I haven’t really played them in Japanese) to refer to Kogane City (Goldenrod City) in Johto, which is based on Osaka, and this has influenced some headcanons around Corbeau’s hometown in the Japanese fandom. Another popular character who uses this dialect is Rika from SV, and I’ve seen a fair bit of fanart depicting Rika and Corbeau as old acquaintances haha. All in all, it’s quite fitting for him and I really love that he’s not a one-dimensional evil mob boss character and instead someone with a big heart who is looking out for the people of Lumiose City in his own way. He’s super popular with Japanese fans right now too (the ‘honourable yakuza’ trope often is!) and there’s plenty of fanart that depicts Corbeau using Kansai-ben if you’d like to see more of this!
Sorry, this got super long but I hope you found this all interesting/helpful!! ٩( ᐛ )و
(The post about Kansai-ben here, second post about Ivor and "the ally of justice" here.)
IT'S CALLED KOGANE-BEN. There's no way I could've found out that on my own. So important. I need to see that fanart.
This is great thank you for sharing your wisdom!! I'm going to add some of this to the posts, then it's like a collaborative research paper lol.
I could tell the Seigi no mikata line was some sort of reference that I didn't get, this makes a lot of sense. It's like saying "The big bad villain" in the sense that it's sort of cartoonish and exaggerated, not something people would say in real life. Except it's a hero, of course. I guess there isn't really an English term for that? Maybe "The hero of legend" or "The savior of humanity" or "The one who saves the day".
"Our favorite do-gooder" doesn't hit the same huh. Us English speakers are missing out on that dynamic of him seeing the player as the most upstanding person in the world (even if he said that sarcastically, it had to come from somewhere). That's not healthy Corbeau!!! And from the fact that, in that side quest where you get questioned by a cop, you can answer everything with "No comment", I don't think the player is all that lawful. You have to have been questioned by the police before. Idk that's my head-canon. The player character is really interesting to me. What a little freak.
Thanks especially for the notes on Kansai-ben's reputation in Japan, I was going mostly off of memory on that. Only recently, when talking about Corbeau, did I hear people saying it's associated with gangsters. As expected, it's hard to summarize or understand a whole country's mindset about a specific local dialect.
Rika speaks Kogane-ben too, I didn't play Scarlet/Violet for more than an hour so I can't say anything about her character. Commander Kamado also speaks it in Legends Arceus. Did some more research for this ask, and I've found out that not every character in Johto speaks Kansai-ben, despite Johto being the in-game version of the Kansai region. Only in Goldenrod City, and Azelea Town. Gym Leader Whitney speaks it, as well as Bill and Kurt and some NPC's.
(Now I need to go learn more about Osaka-ben, to find out if Corbeau speaks it... And HG/SS, I guess. I tried to buy it once but I got scammed LMAO. Begging for a remake/remaster so I don't have to pay a bazillion doll hairs for it.)
I did get around to watching some Japanese youtubers play the game—I don't think I'll be making a big post about it—and the general consensus there seems to be "He's scary!" -> "He's... kind of hot?" -> "Ah, so this must be where the Otome game starts, Corbeau's Route is here. He's about to call me an Omoshiroi onna. He must be very popular."
(Translation note, an Otome game is a genre of romance game. I don't know Love in Deepspace personally but I think it might be similar? Mystic Messenger, too. There's an array of love interests, usually the same archetypes, and you carry out their specific events to get their Route. Omoshiroi onna, Interesting woman, is a term that gets said a lot in those games, it's like "You're a funny one" or "You're not like the rest".)
I see a lot of folks on tumblr complaining because they don't like that the loan sharks actually turn out to be nice people, and they're supposed to like them, as if they aren't literally loan sharks. Whereas the JP youtubers I watched didn't say anything about that, they just started disliking Urbain/Taunie for running off all the time instead of dealing with their own debt. One said something like, "Corbeau, well, he is the reason the interest rate is so high, and he's making me work. That's true. But at least he says himself that he's not a good person, you know? Urbain is ignoring his friends so he can help out strangers, fix your own problems for once!"
They don't just think that because they're Japanese, of course. But it could be relevant, at least for the idea that the situation might read a little differently in the Japanese language version.
Thank you anon!!!! Everyone say thank you anon!!!!!!!
What are those paintings in the Lumiose Museum supposed to be references to?
Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer de c. 1665
Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter known primarily for this painting, but some of you might also recognize The Milkmaid, c. 1658. This painting depicts a young woman wearing an "exotic" headdress and robe, showing off her wealth and worldliness. It's still in debate who exactly this girl was, if she even was a real person, and Vermeer himself was of absolutely no help. Less than 40 paintings have been attributed to him, and only 2 of them have dates written on them. The title "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is a misnomer, as the earring she's wearing might actually be made of tin. It used to be called "Girl with a Turban", and in some languages, it's known as "The Blue Girl".
In Legends Z-A, the Diancie painting's description says: "A painting of the Mythical Pokémon Diancie. The artist boldly eschews painting a background altogether, keeping the focus solely on Diancie. Thus, we can feel the artist's desire to emphasize that the subject transcends eras and trends."
As for the real painting, the background wasn't originally black like it is now. It was painted black, and then coated with a glaze that made it look green. That glaze has faded now. Making the girl stand out like she does wasn't exactly Vermeer's intention. The painting is focused on the girl as a person, the look in her eyes and what we can tell about her life from her clothes.
Interestingly, the two other paintings are by French artists, but this is the only one with a Pokémon from Kalos. I don't know too much about Diancie's lore, but if it's only known in Kalos, I guess that could mean the Netherlands don't exist in the Pokémon world lol.
Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son, Claude Monet 1875
Claude Monet was one of the main founders of the Impressionist movement, which focuses on the impression the subject matter gives the viewer, rather than portraying it accurately as was the norm at the time with Realism. As you can see, it's not cleanly blended, the individual brush strokes are all broken up, and rather than looking like a photograph, it only gives you the idea of what you're seeing.
The woman is Monet's first wife, Camille Doncieux, and the boy in the background is their son, Jean Monet. It's painted as if the viewer is laying down on the ground and looking up. Monet would later paint Woman with a Parasol, Facing Left in 1886, this time of his second wife's daughter. The paintings are very similar, but the original here is better known (and better, imo).
The game's description is: "A depiction of the Fruit Pokémon Tsareena and the Scarecrow Pokémon Cacturne. Some have chosen to explore the figures of Pokémon—so different than humans—in order to better understand their anatomy and to explore the nature of their hearts and minds."
Impressionism was often focused on landscapes rather than figures. If you're looking for hidden lore in these paintings, there isn't much. The original work shows a mother and son, who are replaced by a Tsareena and Cacturne, which can't be mother and son in-game. Tsareena is female only, so its offspring will always be Bounsweet. It could suggest that the painter, PokéMonet if you will, was more attached to his Tsareena than his wife. That's only if you really read into it.
Madame Charpentier and Her Children, Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1878
This is the reason I wanted to make this post, I recognized the other two pieces immediately but I couldn't quite remember the name of this one. Renoir was another Impressionist, and was friends with Monet, who he took inspiration from. But while Monet and the rest of their club were hardcore art-radicals, Renoir was more lenient, and this painting in particular was very well-received by mainstream artists and critics. It was even accepted by the Paris Salon, an art event that constantly rejected Impressionist works. Renoir preferred painting people over landscapes, but he's still one of the best examples of Impressionism.
Marguerite Charpentier was an art collector and huge fan of Impressionism, this is one of many paintings she commissioned Renoir to make of her family. Her and her two children, Georgette and Paul, are sat in their living room, the walls decorated with Japanese bamboo art. The dog's name is Porthos, he's a Newfoundland. (Makes me want to nickname a Mightyena Porthos next time they're catchable...)
I think this is my favorite in-game painting of the three, I love how many Pokémon are included. The whole Gothitelle line, Mightyena and a little Poochyena that isn't in the original, the Gossifleur, Sinistea and Polteageist replacing the bouquet and food. Then the paintings of the Unfezant, Eiscue, and what I thought was Swanna, but is actually Bombirdier. This suggests that Galarian Pokémon were around in Kalos during this time, despite the history of war. The Gothitelle must belong to a trainer from a rich family, so importing a Hoenn Mightyena isn't too crazy.
The game says: "Pokémon sharing a moment together, centered around Gothitelle. Many artists have displayed curiosity about how Pokémon would relate to each other in the absence of humans."
So, it's wondering whether more humanoid and intelligent Pokémon like Gothitelle would see Pokémon like Mightyena as animals, I guess. That's a very interesting thought. We tend to forget that some Pokémon are magical, empathetic, wise beings, and others are just. Just a dog. How would your Lucario feel about being on a team with a Magikarp? It's literally a fish it can't even communicate or anything. Do humanoid Pokémon see humans as just another species of them?
Anyways.
These are so fun, I wish there was more like this in the museum. It's interesting to me that of all the paintings they could have chosen, the three they landed on all depict a woman as the main focus, maybe that was the theme for that part of the museum.
I'd have liked to see a painting of something non-human that could be replaced by Pokémon, like Starry Night by Van Gogh with Minior, The Son of Man by Magritte with Applin, Anguish by Schenk with Dubwool and Corvisquire but that might be too much for a children's game, Water Lilies by Monet with Lotad, Sunflowers by Van Gogh with Sunflora, you get the gist. Me personally I think Pokémon fan-artists should get on that. I'm hoping and praying they add a new section to the museum in the DLC.
Let me know if you learned something from this, or if I've made a mistake somewhere :)
I'm super glad people liked my previous post, and I had fun writing it, so here’s more notes on Corbeau’s Japanese dialogue, and some of my rambling.
[Now with added notes from commenters and anons!! Represented with colored brackets and a footnote.]
Again, keep in mind I’m not fluent and things can have multiple meanings, a lot is up to interpretation. The official translation is the best source, there's just a few things that get left out sometimes, or idioms that are changed.
(Spoilers for mission 25 to 37, no post-game)
Forgot to mention in the last one, when he asks you if you want to join the Rust Syndicate, he calls you by your name instead of Omae. It seems like most characters call you your name without honorifics, with a few exceptions being Ivor (player-san) and Lebanne (player-sama). Even knowing that, Corbeau calling you your name alone could be very impolite. Again, it’s overly familiar. Honorifics exist to create a boundary, a degree of separation. To go from calling someone Omae and Yatsu, to just their name, would be crazy irl.
Side note that Canari uses Boku as her personal pronoun, which I think is neat. It’s sort of tomboyish, look up Bokukko for further explanation on that. Personal pronouns in Japanese are such an important character detail that have no English counterpart, which is such a shame. There's a scene in Your Name where the girl character, in the body of the boy character, accidentally says Watashi instead of Ore, and his friends call her out on it. And there’s a bit in My Hero Academia where Iida, a boy from a rich family, accidentally calls himself Boku in front of his new friends, when he’s been saying Ore previously. They notice, and ask if he’s a Bocchan. The English subs had to change the conversation entirely.
Corbeau says Ore, if anyone was wondering. It’s typically used by adult men, and it’s somewhat impolite. And as previously mentioned, Philippe uses Watakushi, which is most formal option.
At the Super-Tournoi De Jacinthe, Philippe yells out, Bosu! Watakushi to no dokkun wo omoidashitekudasai “Boss! Make sure to remember your special training with me!”
Corbeau responds, あのアホ いらんこといわんでええねん Ano aho, iran koto iwan de ee nen “That dumbass. He doesn't have to say unnecessary things.” Remember that in Standard Japanese, Aho is very rough, like moron or fucking idiot. In Kansai-ben, it’s not as mean, but it might still sound mean to a Standard speaker.
He doesn’t tell you about his “special training with Philippe” here, like he does in the English translation if I remember right. I might be remembering wrong. He says he and his team aren’t the same as the last time you fought. So he’s just totally brushing past what Philippe said.
Philippe seems a lot sillier in Japanese, whereas when I played in English I got the impression he was grounded and cool and had a lot of respect for Corbeau. In Japanese, he has a lot of respect for Corbeau. He’s a bit dense/oblivious on occasion. A brawns over brains type of guy. Very, very polite, extremely formal speech, very humble.
When you beat him, Corbeau say Honma omoroi na, omae to omae no Pokémon wa! “You and your Pokémon sure are interesting, huh!” Then, “It’s embarassing to admit, but I really did do some special training with Philippe.”
でもやっぱオマエとの勝負はおもろいな また事務所に遊びにおいで Demo yappa omae to no shoubu wa omoroi na. Mada jimusho ni asobi ni oide “But still, battles with you are great fun. Come hang out at the office again sometime.” He says Asobi, which means hang out or visit or play, and Oide, come. “Come play at the office again.”
When Lysandre shows up, Philippe says, Eh!? Eh!? Usotsu! “Huh?! Huh?! No way!” “That person is Mr. Lysandre, isn’t he?” He calls him Fladari-sama.
Corbeau says, Damare Gypso. Fladari-san no mae de hazukashii yaro “Shut the hell up, Philippe. You’ll embarrass us in front of Mr. Lysandre” or “You should be embarrassed” or “Don’t you feel ashamed?” Damare is very rude, more so than Shizukani, silence or Urusai, noisy.
Big skip, at the final strategy meeting, Corbeau shows up and says he figured you were in trouble.
Jacinthe pops up and says Sabigumiya minasama dakede wa, fuan de mune ga shimetsukeraremasu wa “With only the Rust Syndicate and you all, my heart feels tight with anxiety.”
Corbeau says いきなり会話に入ってきて ケチつけんなや Ikinari kaiwa ni haitekite, kechitsuken na ya “Don’t just barge into our conversation and start talking shit!” Kechitsuke means nitpicking, complaining, being a bitch.
Jacinthe ignores him, and shows the picture of an aerial view of Lumiose. Deciding that they have to do something about those flowers, Corbeau asks, ジャスティスの会のにーちゃん その立派な筋肉でなんとかならへん？Justice no kai no onii-chan, sono ritsuba na kinniku de nantoka narahen? “Big brother from the Fist of Justice, can’t you do something with those impressive muscles?”
THIS IS SO FUNNY TO ME. He calls Ivor Onii-chan, like he called that SBC guy Onii-san, only this time it’s a little more cutesy. Either he’s saying this because the Fist of Justice is run by a pair of siblings, and Ivor is the big brother, or, Ivor is older than him, and he’s being respectful.
If Ivor was younger, wouldn't he just call him Justice no kai no omae or Justice no kai no yatsu or even Justice no kai–san? In English he calls him “Mr. Justice”, which I feel suggests that he’s calling him Onii-chan personally. Like sometimes in anime, when a kid calls a stranger Onii-san, it’ll get translated as Mister. “Are you okay, Mister?” Whereas if the official translation was something like “Justice’s big bro” I’d take it differently. It’s hard to know for sure.
[Nii-chan being used for Ivor: actually, this doesn’t necessarily indicate that Corbeau is younger than Ivor. Nii-san is also often used to refer to anyone who looks fairly young (under 30), even by older people. Him using -chan adds an ever so slightly patronising connotation to it but with no real ill-intent given the scene/Corbeau’s character, whereas if said in a slightly different context (imagine a scene of a random thug calling out to a young college student who’s found themselves in the wrong part of town) it could be a lot more malicious/mocking in tone. The same applies for Nee-san/Nee-chan.]¹
(But, if we take it at face value, it could mean Ivor is older than Corbeau. We know Ivor is around the same age as Lebanne, and older than Gwynn and Canari. Lebanne is probably Jacinthe’s age. I have no idea what range anyone is in. The only canon ages are AZ and Emma, I think, so I’d go off of Emma’s appearance and level of maturity when guessing. She’s 21, and in my opinion she seems just a little older than the player. Maybe the same age as Urbain/Taunie? Cause they act like buddies.
Lebanne and Ivor strike me as being in their late 20’s, same as Jacinthe. She’s the kind of person that turns 30 and then says she’s 28 for the rest of her life.
Gwynn might be… a teenager. I have no idea. She kind of looks 30 to me. But maybe she’s short because she’s a child. And Ivor is so protective of her, it’d make sense if they were far apart in age. Canari has to be 18-21 at most.
We definitely know that Philippe is a good chunk older than Corbeau. To the point where he was already running a gang when he met Corbeau, who he says was a kid at the time (going off memory there). I have no clue how old Philippe is. Please let me know what you think.
Corbeau is definitely an adult, he has his shit together, but he’s not nearly as old as some people think. The glasses add 20 years. If I had to guess, I’d say he could be anywhere around 20-30. Yeah you know what I do think he could be younger than Emma. If she’s a full-on detective at this age, with only 5 years since we saw her, then it's not unreasonable that same-aged Corbeau could become the leader of the Yakuza in that time.
Personally, and you're free to disagree with me on this, I’d say the player character might be 18-22 at least. You’re still young, and in Japan you're not an adult until you’re 20, but you are old enough to go on vacation on your own and work for Emma and all the other stuff you do. I have my own head-canons for why you came to Lumiose but this isn't the place for that.
I think Urbain/Taunie is older than you, only by a little, because they’re the leader of Team MZ and act somewhat like a mentor to you. Maybe 20. Lida could be older than them? Since she’s a little rude sometimes, I doubt she’d call them an idiot if they were her senior, or judge their clothes. Naveen is prob 19 look at him that's a 19 year old. Either that or he’s the youngest, maybe a minor, and that's why he has to visit his family sometimes (I don't remember what they say about it).
Alright, back to the translations.)
Jacinthe says, Chotto iikashira “Can I say something quickly?”
Corbeau says, なんやねん いま火急のときや! Nanyanen, ima gakiyuu no toki ya! “What the hell? We’re in the middle of an emergency!” Nanyanen, though usually Nandeyanen, is Kansai-ben slang expressing surprise and bewilderment. There’s a lot of Japanese Manzai comedians with Kansai-ben dialects, and this phrase is heard often in Boke and Tsukkomi routines. The Boke, silly/stupid person, says something totally bizarre, and then the Tsukkomi, straight man, says Nandeyanen in response. Like, “What the actual hell are you talking about.”
The English line “But don’t you worry about me. Our favorite do-gooder just came to the rescue.” is でもなんとかなるわ 正義の味方が駆けつけてくれたし Demo nanto kaneru wa. Seigi no mikata ga kaketsukete kuretashi “But I reckon I’ll manage. The ally of justice has come to my rescue.” Seigi is justice, Mikata is ally/supporter. Not referring to the Fist of Justice. Unfortunately he does not call you his favorite </3.
[正義の味方 Seigi no mikata Ally of Justice used for the player: this is quite a common phrase in anime/game dialogue. In Japanese it sounds very lofty and you certainly wouldn’t refer to yourself with this, unless you were a kid playing at being superheroes with your friends, which is precisely why it’s often used by villainous or morally grey characters to taunt the heroes of a story by making their ideals and heroics seem childish. Again in this case, there’s no real venom (haha) in Corbeau’s use of the term as he does genuinely think highly of the player character and is just joking around — Philippe (and the audience) would immediately know who exactly he’s talking about on this phone call when he says this (even though you haven’t shown up on screen yet), perhaps why the localisation team opted for “Our favourite” to give that same effect. I’ve seen fanart of Corbeau where he uses this term for the player in a self-deprecating sort of way too, to play up their virtue and heroic nature in comparison to him, the leader of a yakuza group who’s had to resort to unsavoury things (“you’re a righteous ally of justice, my hands are bloodied and dirty” kind of duality).]¹
Then you walk up, and he says Matteta de “I’ve been waiting.” “And these Mega Evolved Pokémon have been waiting too, I guess.” “Well then. Guess it’s time to get back to work, it’s been a while.” Work as in Shigoto, job. Your job or his job, I’m not sure. Probably referencing when you worked for him.
Then he smiles and says, 安心しいや オレもペンドラーも手伝うさかい Anshinshii ya. Ore mo Penduraa mo tetsudau sakai “You don’t have to worry. Both Scolipede and I will help you out.”
He says another Kansai-ben term, Houna ikoka “Shall we go?” In Standard Japanese, it’s written and pronounced Ikouka, with a long o sound.
The ladder thing goes much the same, Corbeau asks “Is it a ladder that’s invisible to idiots?”
Philippe says to you, “Once you’ve decided which path to take, you’ve got no choice but to keep going down it.” I’d say in reference to the current situation, but also being in the Rust Syndicate. The grunts give it their all because that’s all they can do now, no turning back.
When they’re missing one more person and you ask what to do, Corbeau says かわいい子分ががんばっとるねん！Kawaii kobun ga ganbattoru nen! “My cute little henchmen are working so hard!” I don’t know where the sweetness came from but it’s not me. He says Kawaii, cute, adorable, lovely. 子分 Kobun is made up of the Kanji for small + part, with the Ko also meaning child, and can mean henchman, follower, protegee, member, offshoot or adopted child. Despite being a little mean to them earlier, I think he appreciates his grunts. Not to their faces, but he sees them as his family, maybe. He’s very loyal and protective of them. (I think I might be wrong on this one, tbd.)
あいつらのお天道様になるには オレがもっとがんばらなあかんやろ！Aitsura no otentosama ni naru ni wa, ore ga motto ganbarana akan yaro! “If I want to become these guys’ boss, I have to work even harder!” Otentosama literally meaning the sun, or God. Akan here means must.
Then, he says Anshinshi again, “Don’t worry.” Yakusoku wa hatasu! Ore ni makasetoki “I keep my promises! Leave it to me.”
If you fall of the roof, he’ll say, Omae… Nande ochiru nen! “You… Why the hell did you fall!” then Moppen nobore! “Climb it again!”
The second time, he says Omae… Dakara nande ochiru nen!! “You… Seriously, why the hell did you fall!!” and Moppen nobore ya! “Climb it AGAIN!” and オレに肉体労働させるなや Ore ni nikutai roudou saseru na ya “Quit making me doing manual labor, asshole.” Essentially. Not that he calls you an asshole, but he’s very rude.
Third time, sorry Corbeau, he says “…Maybe you’re making fun of the Rust Syndicate, huh?” then, Saigo no kyokoku ya de, giri giri nobore yaa!!! “This is your last warning, climb the hell up here!!!”
One of the grunts who previously just said ah… now says Iikagen onegaishimasu “Please cut it out.”
Someone that reblogged my last post brought up when he calls you kid during this part of the game, and there isn't anything like that in Japanese. His last line is something like “Next time you fall down, I’m going to be pissed” or “If you fall down again, I’m not helping you” or “Don't you dare fall again, you hear me?”
So, in summary, Corbeau calling the player character kid does not mean you're a child, or that he sees you as one. It is not a mistranslation, to be clear, it's just something that can be easily misinterpreted by an audience that doesn't have the same knowledge. And in my opinion, it's a fun word! (I wonder what calls you in other languages?)
For all you fanfic writers, I hope you let him keep saying kid without one of those “Stop calling me kid! I'm an adult!” moments. If he said baby you wouldn't be complaining. It’s the same thing, in essence.
That's all the Japanese Corbeau footage I had. Everything else he says is pretty much the same. Please let me know if I’ve made any mistakes or you disagree with me anywhere, or if you just want to add your two cents. I was really hoping for someone to write a post like this, but I got impatient and figured I’d have to do it myself, despite not being an expert on any of this.
Thank you for all the nice reblogs and comments on the last one :]
¹ Onii-chan, Seigi no mikata, and Kansai-ben anon who is fluent in Japanese and has lived and worked there.
Sources: DeepL, a dictionary, JapanDict, and this video vv
I feel like it's worth mentioning that Corbeau calling the player kid in the game, doesn't mean you’re actually a child. I was wondering what he calls you in the original Japanese, so here’s what I found along with other unrelated notes on his Japanese dialogue.
[Now with added notes from and commenters and anons!! Represented with colored brackets and a footnote.]
I’m not fluent so I could be wrong on some points, take from this what you will. Also I got carried away and wrote a lot more than I meant to woops.
(Spoilers up until mission 25, rank C)
Caved and wrote a second part.
To start with, Corbeau speaks Kansai-ben, a dialect spoken in the Kansai region of Japan. Some noticeable differences are ya instead of desu or da at the end of sentences, and na instead of ne. Verb conjugation is also a bit different, with -hen or -n instead of -nai meaning not. Like, “I don't know” is Shirahen or Shiran instead of the standard (slightly impolite) Shiranai.
[The in-universe Kansai-ben has been dubbed “Kogane-ben” by Japanese fans, referring to Kogane City (Goldenrod City) in Johto, which is based on real-world Osaka. This has influenced some headcanons around Corbeau’s hometown in the Japanese fandom. Another popular character who uses this dialect is Rika from SV.]¹ The characters in Goldenrod City all speak Kansai-ben, as do some in Azelea Town, but the rest of Johto does not. This is because what people call Kansai-ben is actually more Osaka-ben, the dialects in Kansai differ greatly from place to place. Also, Johto isn't just Kansai, it's also bits of Chubu. Aside from Corbeau, Rika, and the Johto characters, Commander Kamado in Legends Arceus also speaks Kogane-ben when he's surprised, but Standard Japanese when he's being professional. Carmine and Kieran do not speak Kogane-ben, they mostly speak Standard Japanese with some occasional Tohoku-ben notes. If I see one more person genuinely suggesting that they're related to Corbeau I'll blow up.
I often see Kansai-ben translated into a southern accent, to show that it’s a little… country-bumpkin like. It can be tricky to understand for people who only speak Standard Japanese.
Some people say that Kansai-ben is considered rough and makes you sound like a gangster, but I know a lot of people also find it cute and friendly. Corbeau speaks like a gangster though. I cannot emphasize enough, this man does not speak all fancy and polite. Ending sentences with Yarou is classic Yakuza stuff, think Baka yarou which could be translated as you fucking idiot. Just saying Yarou gives it the same vibe as swearing. But 野郎 Yarou, the suffix used in Baka yarou, and やろ Yaro, Kansai-ben for ですよ Desuyo, aren't the same. In English, he instead says eh sometimes.
(Philippe on the other hand, speaks very formally. He calls Corbeau Karasuba-sama, and uses Watakushi as his personal pronoun.)
[The association with gangsters comes from a mutually-reinforcing combination of both the Kansai region having a more pronounced history of organised crime, and the portrayal of such characters in media as speaking with variations of Kansai-ben (often Hiroshima-ben, but also Osaka-ben), which over the years has solidified this reputation. It’s used by many characters in the Yakuza games, who are written as coming from this part of Japan. Speakers of Osaka-ben, with Osaka historically being a city of merchants and working people, also has a reputation for being either down-to-earth and warm or crass and uncultured, depending on who you ask.]¹
Notable Kansai-ben words/slang are Honma instead of Hontou, meaning really/truly/honestly, like when you’re asking if something really happened. Could be translated to “S’that so?” or “You reckon?” Just to get the difference in dialects across in English.
Omoroi instead of Omoshiroi, meaning fun/interesting/amusing/entertaining. This one Corbeau says a lot. I noticed that in the English dialogue too, but it's even clearer in Japanese. That’s funny, let's have some fun, battling you is fun. This isn't so much a translation note as it is a character trait note.
Meccha instead of Totemo, meaning very. This has spread to all of Japan, I see a lot of Gyaru girls saying it for some reason. Something like “This is real good” works well imo. Or “This is damn good” or “This is darn good” or “This is good as hell”. It’s not that crass though, honestly I think it’s more the vibe of “Totes awesome”.
Ee instead of Ii (ii) meaning good/fine/okay. Sore wa ii desu becomes Sore wa ee ya meaning that’s fine. You could translate it as “Peachy” or “Fine and dandy” if you wanted.
Chau instead of Chigau, meaning incorrect. Also used instead of janai, meaning is not. Sore wa neko janai becomes Sore wa neko chau, that’s not a cat. Also used like a question, Kore wa neko chau? meaning this is is a cat, no?
In Standard Japanese, Baka means stupid/idiot, and Aho means moron. Baka is lighter, you could use it to tease your friends, whereas Aho is really insulting. In Kansai-ben, it's the other way around.
True for all of Kansai-ben, is that your mouth opens less while speaking it. Like, when you say Chau instead of Chigau, your mouth stays very small. So it’s less eloquent, not as cleanly pronounced. I think it’d make sense if he said thinkin’ instead of thinking, and so on, but he’s not written like that in the official English translation so whatevs.
This isn’t the main point of this post so let’s move on. I’m hoping you’ll be able to recognize some of these words when they come up.
In the original Japanese, he mostly calls you Omae, which is a rude/informal way of saying you. Kid is probably the best way to translate that he’s talking down to you, without using swear words at least. He never refers to you as Gaki, meaning kid or brat, or anything that even confirms you’re younger than him.
When he gets mad at Lida during your first meeting, in English I think he says “Is this kid trying to mess with me?” while in Japanese he says something along the lines of “Give me a break” or “Give it a rest” or “Cut me some slack, man” just an expression of exasperation. We know Lida is an adult because she used to rent an apartment. We also know Urbain/Taunie is an adult because they can sign a legally binding contract.
During that fight against the SBC folks who are bothering those kids, he calls them Onee-san and Onii-san, literally big sister and big brother, very often used to refer to strangers whose names you don't know. This could mean they're older than him, or around the same age, or he’s just saying that because they’re older than those little kids. If they were the same age, I’d expect him to call them something like Omaera or Kimidachi, rude/informal ways to say you guys. He’s actually sort of polite to them? (More on his use of Onii-san in the next post.)
In Japanese, he tells them something like, “Losing to someone this young is embarrassing for you”. Refers to you as こんな若い子 Konna wakai ko. Ko can mean kid/girl/boy, I’d interpret this as saying you're a kid compared to these two adults, who I guess are meant to be in their 30’s or something? But I’ll admit it could go either way. Ko can be used for adults. I think it’s used for Pokémon too on occasion.
He then goes on to call the group of children Omaera, in English he calls them "kiddos".
(This makes me think that he doesn't say Omae in an insulting way, but rather in an overly familiar way. It’s considered to be an impolite word because (in Japan) you shouldn't speak to strangers as if they’re your friends. It's not always mean or offensive, in the correct context. So it's sort of like a term of endearment. We know Corbeau has a roundabout way of talking, when he says something that sounds rough and scary, he actually means the most innocent thing ever. When he calls you Omae, or kid, it comes across as an insult, but knowing him he might mean it differently. In English there are also some words that can both be cute and affectionate, or patronizing and rude, depending on the context. Sweetheart and doll and pretty boy/girl, etc. I’d argue kid can be seen the same way.
That’s all subtext though, my own thoughts and opinions, nothing explicitly stated.)
When the two of you go to check out the commotion with Jett, Urbain/Taunie and those safety protestor guys, Corbeau tells Urbain/Taunie to get the President to safety. Maybe worth mentioning he also calls them Omae.
Facing forward and probably taking to himself, he says Omoroi naa “Isn’t that funny?” Then he looks at you and says something like “Why am I helping out the guy that doesn't pay their debts, I wonder?”
And listen, this might be reaching, but to me it reads like a rhetorical question. Like he’s looking at you, and wondering what it is about you that's made him want to help out Urbain/Taunie. I think he’s talking to himself here, not so much looking for a response. He thinks you’re interesting, and for some reason he’s making an effort to help you out. He’s amused by his own behavior.
Then you say Yasashii kara “Because you’re nice” or Ii hito dakara “Because you’re a good person”, he says こんな仕事してて優しいはないやろ! Konna shigoto shitete yasashii wa nai yaro! “There is nothing nice about this kind of work!” and then, “But abandoning someone in trouble—That’s just plain disgraceful for a human being, isn’t it?”
Then you fight that guy, Corbeau says “My Scolipede’s pretty damn strong, eh.” So he’s definitely showing off to you. Or just bragging for no reason.
He says Lumiose is the city where he was born/raised/grew up in. His Kogane-ben implies he’s from Goldenrod City, or just Johto, and the decoration in his office are very Hisuian, but I think it’s fair to assume he’s lived in Lumiose his whole life. I don’t know where tf he picked up his dialect. Maybe he really likes Japanese comedy.
When he calls you in for your next meeting, he says Omae omoroi naa, “You’re pretty interesting, huh?” And, where in English he says he loves how you can hold your own in battle, in Japanese it’s なにより強いゆうのが 気に入ったわ！Naniori tsuyoi yuu no ga kiniita wa! “Above all, how strong you are is especially appealing to me!” Or something along those lines. Kiniita means to like a lot, to take a liking to, to prefer, to favor, to be pleased with, something that suits your fancy.
When your promotion match is announced, he says Honma omoroi naa. “That really is funny, huh?” “My next opponent in the Z-A Royale is you? This must be heaven telling us to battle!”
If you already have a Challengers Ticket, he says Hanashi no hayai yatsu wa suki ya de. Hanashi no hayai is an idiom, literally meaning fast conversation, for doing things quickly and efficiently without wasting your breath or anyone’s time. Yatsu is a rude/informal word that kinda means guy(s) or person/people or bastard, gender neutral. It's what he called Urbain/Taunie earlier. Suki, you probably know this one, means like or love. Not necessarily romantic, but can be. So all together, “I love guys that get straight to the point” or “fast-acting types” or “people that don’t waste my time” or “someone that simplifies matters”.
In English he says “I love it when someone’s well-prepared.”
Gai/Taunie okagede, omoroi turaaina to aeta wa “Thanks to Urban/Taunie, I got to meet an interesting trainer.”
In the English translation, he says “The best part of battle is facing a trainer who’s got talent… and then sending them home crying!”
In Japanese, 気に入ったヤツに勝って泣かす! これが勝負の醍醐味やで Kiniita yatsu ni katte nakasu! Kore ga shoubu no daigomi ya de.
This one is a little harder to translate for me. Again he says Kiniita, referencing what he said earlier. Kiniita yatsu could be translated as “My favorite kind of guy”, or “My favorite guy”, referring specifically to you. Earlier he said he particularly likes how strong you are, and he was bragging about how strong his Scolipede is, so it’s safe to say he likes when people are strong, and you’re one of those people.
“Defeating my preferred type of guy and making ‘em cry! That’s the real thrill of a battle.”
He says, “If you’re acquainted with that Lysandre, you must be pretty damn strong!” Then he says he’s gonna beat the shit out of you, and he’s looking forward to it, basically.
You say F-san to shiriai kana? “I’m not sure if we’re acquainted?” or Shiriai de wa arimasen “We are not acquainted.” and either way he says Ko makai ya naa “That’s trivial, isn’t it?” or “That’s a bit nitpicky, eh.”
行く当てもなかった ガキのオレを受け入れてくれた Iku wa demonakatta gaki no ore wo ukeirete kureta. “When I was just a kid with nowhere to go, [Lumiose] accepted me.” Here he says Gaki, so it's in his vocabulary, he just never calls you it. Only when he's talking about himself as a kid.
とにかくオマエとのポケモン勝負 本気で楽しませてもらうで！Tonikaku omae to no Pokémon shoubu honki de tanoshi masete morau de! “In any case, a Pokémon battle against you is going to be real fun!” Here he doesn’t say Omoroi, but Tanoshi.
He calls Scolipede Omae too.
After the battle, he says, オレはオマエのこと認めたる Ore wa omae no koto mitomitaru “I respect you” or “I recognize you” or “I acknowledge you”.
When he asks if you want to join the Rust Syndicate, if you say Ii desu ne “That’d be nice” he’ll say Akan akan, Kansai-ben for “No, no, you really shouldn’t.” “It’s a beautiful thought, but you’re a member of Team MZ, aren’t you?”
でもオマエのことあきらめへんで. ホテルZまで追いかけるさかい Demo omae no koto akiramehen de. Hotel Z made oikakeru sakai “But I’m not letting you off the hook. I’ll chase you all the way to Hotel Z.”
(This is starting to get too long now. Here's the second half of the game, since you seemed to enjoy this post. “Wow Legends Z-A is so much fun, I’m going to play it loads today!” said the liar, lying, instead writing 4k words of media analysis. I don't even shirimasu nihongo.)
¹ Onii-chan, Seigi no mikata, and Kansai-ben anon who is fluent in Japanese and has lived and worked in Japan.
rereading something i wrote a long time ago and thinking damn!!!! this is so good!!! i wish there was more. unfortunately. there is only one way to get more. and i'm not doing it.
hanging out with two people and playing the challengers soundtrack very quietly in the background to see if it makes them act any different subconsciously
tangentwithtanner
stormborns
