sfx jokes
From the latest interview from Isayama (thank you @yaboylevi for your hard work with the translation!^^) I thought it might be interesting to share some of the onomatopoeia word play as spotted by eagle-eyed japanese that I’ve seen. (Mainly from discussions on this site)
カツオ katsuo (ch 102)
I suppose this is the one that started it off for me since I started off late in the series. l’m not sure if it’s supposed to have a special hidden meaning, but katsuo is bonito or skipjack tuna, it is an essential ingredient in japanese fish soup stock, the beige shavings on japanese food and the sashimi dish where the fish is seared just on the outside.
ペリエ Perrier (ch 107)
Self-explanatory XD (Or maybe not, on reflection I’ve decided to add that it’s a French brand of natural bottled mineral water)
ゴンゾオ gonzo- (ch 107)
Taking the explanation from a wiki:
In police terminology is jargon for a police officer who does not work despite having experience and ability, or, from the english gonzo, slang for an eccentric or foolish person.
エドシーラン Ed Sheeran (chapter 108)
I think Isayama really hit peak with this one XDD I wonder whether this was the point where he might have thought that he was going a bit far XDD
パシリ pashiri (ch 113)
A pashiri is a person who runs errands for somebody. The only one I spotted myself XD Really appropriate here
パシリ pashiri again and パンツ pants (ch 114)
I think pants primarily tends to mean underwear?, and then shorts and/or trousers, depending on the context in which it’s used XD
チャカカーン Chaka Khan (ch 118)
Straight off the wiki:
Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Her career has spanned nearly five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Khan received public attention for her vocals and image. Known as the Queen of Funk,[1] Khan was the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with “I Feel for You” in 1984.[2] Khan has won ten Grammys and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide.[3]
She’s still going strong omg Also re the Ed Sheeran comment, apparently not XD
Additional ones via 進撃の巨人ブログ.com:
From ch 109, clockwise from top:
カプレェゼ Caprese a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt and olive oil
トゥウリオ Túlio lots of options, but I’m going to go for this homeboy
シドビシャス Sid Vicious
バス ガス バクハツ basu gasu bakuhatsu (ch 113)
I found this one here. The phrase is a tongue-twister, a nonsensical “bus, gas, explosion”.
Forgive me for not putting up a full mangacap of the scene, it is the one where Levi demonstrates his blade technique on Zeke to a devastating degree.
カツオ katsuo (ch 124)
Apparently it’s appeared not only in chapter 102 as indicated above, but 103, 104 (although as ガツオ) and 105 as well. The admin of this site wonders whether it could mean to represent Sazae-san’s Katsuo, a manga character. [x]
カルチャー クラブ Culture Club (ch 125)
I decided to have a stroll through this one to see if I could spot anything, and omg I found Culture Club. So tiny, so sneaky. Do you really want to hurt me



















