u/fork-shovel

Spell name meanings that usually go untranslated because the spoken word differs from the written word.

[Spell 1]

[Spell 1] 癒しの森園 (iyashi no shin-en) is a Healing Illusion spell that Wignall is being taught in the Elf Faction.

It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Alfheim", while its written meaning is "Healing Forest Garden"

Álfheimr means "Home of the Elves" in Old Norse.

[Spell 2]

[Spell 2] 燃え盛れ焼滅の丘 (moe sakare shometsu no oka) is a Higher Rank Fire spell that Sion often uses.

It's meant to be pronounced as "Iflamme Burdelyon", while its written meaning is ~"Burn Brightly, Hill of Blazing Destruction"

Flamme means "Fire" / "Flame" in Latin

Burdelyon is an in-universe name of a Mage who was obsessed with revenge and caused much destruction in his time. He is the founder of the Ulster family.

[Spell 3]

[Spell 3] 黒き炎獅子 (kuroki enjishi) is Incindia's Guardian, hailed as the toughest of all Guardians and known as "Absolute Defense"

Cariott doesn't really say the name of the spell that summons it, though the name most likely contains "Incindia" in it, which means "Flame Emperor"

Sion calls it "黒き炎獅子", which means "Black Flame Lion"

[Spell 4]

[Spell 4] 想塡完了・雷装の魔剣・再装 (souten kanryo・raisou no maken・saisou) is the Wis that Will uses during practice against Zeo.

Will used the "Charge" version of this Wis after absorbing Lihanna's enchantment magick during their fight against Shade.

It's meant to be pronounced as "souten kanryo・Duals Wis・Reload", while its written meaning is "Memory Charge Complete・Lightning Attire Mageblade・Re-Equipped"

[Spell 5]

[Spell 5] 雷霆 (raitei) is the name of Zeo's magick that allows him to zip all over the place. He also used it against Elfie during the 2nd Bloom.

It seems to be enchantment magick that's always running once activated, similar to Lihanna's Owen Sique：Lisolde Dua

Will even compares it to Lihanna's magick. Says that since he can absorb her enchantment, there is no reason why he shouldn't be able to do the same with Zeo's as well. Zeo doesn't really give him a chance to do that though.

It's meant to be pronounced by its Japanese name, "raitei", while its written meaning is ~"Violent Thunder"

[Spell 6]

[Spell 6] 閃雷の蛮族 (senrai no banzoku) is a Low Rank Lightning spell Zeo uses against Will. He also used it during the 2nd Bloom against Will and Elfie.

It's meant to be pronounced as "Zalgia Saga", while its written meaning is "Barbarian of the Lightning Flash"

The word 蛮族 (banzoku = barbarian tribe / savages) is sometimes used to describe both Zeo and the Dwarves.

To be specific, Zeo is often called either 野蛮人 (yabanjin) or 蛮族 (banzoku), like on this page, above the spell name.

野蛮人 (yabanjin) means "barbarian" / "brute", while 蛮族 (banzoku) implies more of a group of barbarians. A tribe. 蛮族 (banzoku) is how the Dwarves are sometimes called in the story.

Saga means "Tale" / "Story" in Old Norse.

[Spell 7]

[Spell 7] 想塡ー換了・蒼氷の魔剣・再換装 (souten kanryo・souhyou no maken・sai-kansou) is the Wis that Will performs against Zeo. He also seems to have created Ice copies of Elfie and Julius.

Will used the "Charge" version of this Wis after he absorbed Julius's spell 'Glace Itier' during the 1st Bloom.

It's meant to be pronounced as ~"soutenーkanryo・Glauss Wis・Tactical Reload", while its written meaning is "Memory ChargeーExchange・Azure Ice Mageblade・Re-exchanged"

換装 (kansou) means something like "changing equipment for a better performance"

'Glauss' means "glass" in German

'Glace' means "ice" / "glass" in French

[Spell 8]

[Spell 8] 氷炸 (hyousaku) is the spell that causes ice clones to explode.

It's meant to be pronounced as "Glast", while its written meaning is ~"Ice Explosion"

'Glast' means "shine" / "gleam" in German

[Spell 9]

[Spell 9] 想塡換了・雷装の魔剣・雷翔 (souten kanryo・raiso no maken・raishou) is the Wis Will switches to after exploding Elfie and Julius copies.

It's meant to be pronounced as "souten kanryo・Duals Wis・Algiz", while its written meaning is ~"Memory Charge Exchange・Lightning Attire Mageblade・Thunder Flight"

[Baal]

[Baal] 天の鍵 (ten no kagi) is what's sealed at the top of the Tower and what Goetia is trying to obtain.

Its' meant to be pronounced as "Baal", while its written meaning is "Heavenly Key" or "Key to the Heavens"

In real life lore, Baal is a demon ranked the highest in "Ars Goetia", and is believed to have the power to make men invisible, which fits the role of Baal in the story.

The world of Wistoria is hidden and sealed away by the Light of the Great Barrier, hiding its inhabitants from the Celestial Host. It seems like Baal has a role in that.

The Lightning Trio is pretty cool. Hope to see more of them (•̀ᴗ•́ )و

And that's about all the unique spells found in Volume 12.

(info from the 1st novel and the manga ahead)

LoadーBurst

After absorbing Shade's Dark magick, Will used an attack called "■■■■ LoadーBurst・Melgitor"

The full sequence usually goes:

装塡完了 (Charge Complete) → ○○ 魔剣 ('name' Mageblade) → 抜剣ー召喚・○○ (LoadーBurst・'spell name')

But this time, Will just says 'LoadーBurst・Melgitor'. There is no name of the Wis or the Charge method provided. Or rather, there is a chance that what Will says before is likely just that, but it's been censored. The spacing and the number of "characters" somewhat supports this.

If that's right, then the reason why it's censored is most likely because the Charge method used here is different from the ones he used so so far, and we're just not meant to know what that method is at this point in the story.

Will also seems to be unconscious during this attack, as he doesn't remember any of it.

When performing the attack, his left eye is slightly whited out, while his right eye had the same black star pattern that the Mage Queen was shown to have when Shade saw her in Will's subconscious.

Bladed weapons

In Will's subconscious, as a greeting, the Mage Queen fires a volley of bladed weapons at Shade.

On one hand, I find this somewhat ironic, seeing how she is a Mage Queen, yet she uses magick to create bladed weapons including swords.

On the other hand, it's fitting given her Promise about the Wand and Sword one day converging into one. It makes sense her skill set somewhat reflects her mentality. Her hopes and dreams.

The swords also seem to be made of Light. Which somewhat ties into Finn who is supposed to be in charge of the Swords, and how 'Finn Clan' is written in the story as 'The Clan of Light' (光の一族)

Black Hegemony (Melgitor)

The attack Will performs after absorbing Shade's magick is called 黒覇, which means something like "Black Hegemony"

Hegemony means "assuming control over something or someone due to being the strongest". It's a fitting name given how the magick that Will absorbed is one that's meant to turn other people into puppets.

From a thematic standpoint, the spell could be named like this because Will uses its overwhelming power to essentially finish the fight. But it could also be understood as the Mage Queen "taking control" over Will who is unconscious at this time.

She is talked about in-universe as the pinnacle of magick; the strongest Mage. And this might not have been the first time where she might have 'exerted' her influence over Will. (more on that later)

5th Domain = 第五の領域 = daigo no ryoiki

Later on, when Will trains with Zeo, he goes deep inside of himself to try and find some means that would allow him to land a hit on Zeo in any way.

First he thinks about the "Argent Light", where "Argent" means "White-Silver" (白銀の光 = shirogane no hikari)

Finn was the one who helped him reach that power during Terminalia. He poured a drop of his blood on the Moria Sword, and once Will picked it up, he was able to use 'Argent Light'

Finn seems to have a strong connection to the Light. He works together directly with Aaron who is the leader of the Light Faction and of the Magia Vander, and (again) the name "Finn Clan" is written in the story as "光の一族", meaning "The Clan of Light", where the word "Finn" is meant to be read as "Light"

In Will's mind, Finn seems to represent the Argent Light power, but when trying to use it again, Finn says that he is unable to as of now, because he hasn't met the condition of having arrived at the '5th Domain' = 第五の領域

Interestingly enough, something similar to this was mentioned in the story before but as the '5th Element' and the '5th Information'

5th Element = 第五源素 = daigo genso

During the 1st Bloom, Incindia calls Will a wielder of the '5th Element' (Origin) = 第五源素, and says that he doesn't mind which faction has him, so long as the '5th Element' (Origin) is understood and utilised properly.

There is a bit of a wordplay here.

元素 (genso) means 'element', but in the story, it's written as 源素 (genso), which means something closer to 'origin' / 'source'

I do believe this is intentional and that the word is meant to be understood as both of these things.

5th Element = 第五源素 = daigo genso

Later on, during the 2nd Bloom, Finn calls Will a "new wielder of the 5th Element (Origin)"

Just like when Incindia said it, it's written here as 第五源素 (daigo genso)

This is after Will performs "Memory Charge" for the first time, although Finn reveals that he provided a Wist gem for Will's reforged sword around the time it was commissioned, after the old one broke during the Terminalia Incident. So before Will was admitted to the Tower.

Finn also seems to confirm here that Will isn't the only wielder of the '5th Element', since he refers to him as "a new wielder" of the 5th Element. Implying there were others before him.

5th Information = 第五情報 = daigo johou

Near the end of the 1st novel, during the fight against the Invader, Will activates Ice Wis, the Load version. This is before he activates 'Argent Light' and Tearis Wis Overload.

There is a passage here (to the left with the blue highlight) that reads:

"思考に走る第五情報 (ノイズ) を無意識の領域で処理しながら..."

Which means:

"While processing the 5th Information (Noise)—which ran through his thoughts—in the realm of the subconscious..."

There is mention here of the '5th Information'

It's written as 第五情報 (daigo johou), but it's meant to be pronounced as 'Noise' = ノイズ

This was before 'Argent Release' = 'Limit Off' happened. Which somewhat implies that "processing" this 'information', whatever it may mean, is a necessary step in achieving 'Argent Light', as Will achieves it soon after, and might be part of the reason why he couldn't activate it against Zeo.

https://preview.redd.it/4lqoi4rqsmsh1.jpg?width=927&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4edc6bc948d57152eb5b642f564b0a1579d9fa6f

So in the story so far there has been a mention of:

5th Element (Source) = 第五源素 (daigo genso) mentioned by Finn and Incindia during the Bloom

5th Information = 第五情報 (daigo johou) mentioned in the novel

5th Domain = 第五の領域 (daigo no ryoiki) mentioned by "Finn" in Will's mind

All of this could be the same thing but called differently. Or it could be things closely tied together that are all needed to work in tandem. Or they could all be separate things where each one corresponds to something completely different.

It is important to note that the 第五の領域 (daigo no ryoiki) can be read as ~'5th Domain', or as ~'Domain of the 5th', where the '5th' part can refer to any of the other 5ths. As in, "Domain of the 5th Information / Element"

Either way, all of these '5th' things are always mentioned in regard to Will.

Black Magick

Since he can't use Argent Light, Will then thinks to use the power he used against Shade, which he heard about from Lihanna. Since he doesn't actually remember any of it, he just calls it 'Black Magick' (黒魔 = kuroma)

That 'Black Magick' seems to be represented in Will's mind by the Mage Queen, and when Will wonders if he can use it, the vision of her in his mind straight up refuses.

To be specific, the word she uses is 認める, which means 'to approve' / 'to accept' / 'to allow'

She says that she denies his request. That she doesn't acknowledge it because he hasn't arrived at the 'source' / 'origin' (起源 = kigen) yet.

This can be seen as proof that the 'Charge' method Will used against Shade was unique for whatever reason, and that just like with Argent Light, there are certain conditions that need to be met first before using it.

It can also be understood that the spell / technique itself, Melgitor, had very little to do with Shade, and much more to do with the Mage Queen herself.

Wisteria

The Mage Queen is said to have been able to use all magick of any affinity, but it does seem like she may have a stronger connection to Dark Magick. At least from a story-telling perspective.

Her hair is black, her clothes are all black, her nails are (usually) black, and she wars a black lipstick.

There is a chance that she might be the "Source / Origin". Will has never actually seen her the same way Shade has. He had visions of her, but in those visions her eyes are never visible and she is just there in some empty space.

It's very different from what Shade saw, where she sat on a throne surrounded by what seemed to be flower petals from a Wisteria tree.

The reason I think it's a Wisteria tree is because Will's eyes are canonically stated in the novel to be the colour of Wisteria trees (藤色) as well as the colour of Wist gems.

There is also the WIS part in the name. WIST gems, WISTORIA, WISTERIA, WIS.

But the best part is the author's very own name, 大森藤ノ (omori fujino)

藤 (fuji) means "Wisteria" in Japanese.

kisama

One more interesting thing to point out here is that she calls Will '貴様' (kisama).

'kisama' is a derogatory term to refer to someone. It's a very rude way to say "You"

Or at least, that's how it is nowadays. In the past, '貴様' (kisama) meant the opposite. It was a very polite, honorific way to refer to someone. It was a very respectful way to say "You"

The Mage Queen lived over 500 years ago, so her 'kisama' could have the old fashioned meaning to it. That said, she doesn't have any old-fashioned speech quirks that are usually common to characters from an old age. So the intended meaning could really be either or.

https://preview.redd.it/8dnfif5htmsh1.jpg?width=930&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bec539aa936e8eedfb264a17da3d57d3853332f4

So to summarize, Finn and Mercedes seem to represent different powers (paths) within Will, the White-Silver Light and the Black Magick respectively, and he can't really use either of them.

But that's fine with Will, because when things don't work out the way he wants them to, he can always lean on his friends for help
(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ♥♥

^(man... this Wis stuff really just gets more complicated with each new chapter huh...)

(info from the 1st novel ahead)

Mage Queen Mercedes is said to have revolutionised the world of magick, and has been shown to wear what looks a lot like a Wist gem around her neck.

https://preview.redd.it/dx22q4j8vqqh1.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=716ce0d555a15e90f2589c3868c4719ec4de414a

Wist gems are capable of amplifying Magick that passes through it. Will has one installed in his sword, making his Wis, particularly his Memory Load, stronger than it would have been without it.

Both the student Mages at the Academy as well as some Colourless Mages are shown to be wearing something that looks a lot like a Wist gem in the same area the Mage Queen was shown to wear hers.

I wonder if those are real Wist gems or just something that's meant to look like one, and if they are wearing them as a sort of tradition. In memory of their Founder.

https://preview.redd.it/8rr83ebavqqh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=041dfbf0da1c70b1095b541392fabb17dbc5a4d9

Kiki also seems to have something resembling a Wist gem on her head.

https://preview.redd.it/kjejolpbvqqh1.jpg?width=1023&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74ba0c32a3e0de3a27997267b411aa7a8c502c97

Interesting thing is, when Kiki protected Will during the All-Student Praxis, the name "Kiki" (キキ) was written as "秘晶の守護獣", meaning "Guardian Beast of the Concealed Crystal"

秘 means "hidden" / "secret". 晶 means "crystal"

"The Concealed Crystal" part makes me wonder what it might be referring to exactly.

One obvious answer is that it refers to Kiki's connection to the Crystal Ball, which Workner used to check up on Will regularly. But I wonder if the "Concealed Crystal" might be referring to Will himself.

https://preview.redd.it/eaixwvwdvqqh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1371ab3ca90d15632a5366ad78838787fe0d1ce

Will was hidden at the academy by Caldron. She concealed his existence from the Tower, the Magia Vander, and even Finn who it seems was supposed to be the actual supervisor to Will.

This coupled with the fact Will's eyes are canonically stated to be the colour of Wist gems makes me wonder if there is some double meaning to the "Concealed Crystal" part.

Kiki = Guardian Beast of the Concealed Crystal (Will?). They are always together, after all.

Will may have received Kiki from Workner, but Caldron was the one who let him in on Will's secret power and appointed him as his guardian at school.

https://preview.redd.it/oog7e4qivqqh1.jpg?width=905&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bb010ac435857d30ecc5a5b5e0e2008dff91a1f

There is actually a photo of young Will and Elfie, as well as freshly graduated Ed, Workner and Clairie at the Witch's Hideout.

Moments before Cerridwen uses Mage Queen's magick to send Will down the memory lane, he says that he feels like he'd known Cerridwen for a long time.

This was most likely a hint to the reveal that Cerridwen and Caldron are actually the same person. But that doesn't really explain her having a photo of him and Elfie when they were kids. And it's not like he spent a lot of time with Caldron to feel some familiarity between her and Cerridwen either. Especially considering they act nothing alike.

https://preview.redd.it/zw3qy24lvqqh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=b0ec2233a6489cd9905518f8442bfe8529e5003d

In the 1st novel, it is stated that someone has left both Will and Elfie together at the Serfort orphanage. They even provided a baby bottle.

I think there is a chance that someone might have been Cerridwen, and that she might have watched over the two of them from afar from time to time. She is mentioned to be unaging as well.

https://preview.redd.it/ao8bra3farqh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=0cd0978d8ff13f144bda32026f7942248d7d9b71

It also seems like Will and Elfie may have been the first ones at that orphanage.

In the novel, they refer to all their siblings as "younger brother / sister". Since they were dropped at the orphanage as infants, and the only other children they remember are siblings younger than them, then there might be a chance that they have been the first two admitted there.

What if the orphanage was built specifically for the sake of these two? To keep them hidden? Caldron was the one keeping Will's existence a secret while at school. Maybe Cerridwen did the same before that?

https://preview.redd.it/9redbgrpvqqh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65133c1c850526cdcbb627b4cc105aaf52f368cb

[tinfoil hat theory time]

Will seems to vividly recall memories from when he was an infant. Like he literally remembers laying there in front of the orphanage. He knows it sounds weird, but he swears he remembers something like that happening. Not only that, he says that some of his memories are from his father's (Ashley Serfort's) point of view.

This is actually due to his dad's magick. When Will forgot nearly everything after his fight against the Wolf Creature in the woods, his dad used a spell that "restored" some of Will's lost memories by sharing some of his own.

Magick like that sounds a lot like magick the Mage Queen left behind specifically for the sake of the wielders of the Wis power, which Cerridwen also uses in the novel, and once again after the Terminalia incident. Though it seems to have been a different spell than the one Ashley used.

This makes me wonder if the man in charge of the Orphanage was someone special. A very skilled Mage. Maybe he knew Cerridwen personally? Maybe together they were trying to keep Will and Elfie safe? And maybe the sense of familiarity that Will feels towards Cerridwen is actually some residual memories and feelings left behind by the memory transfer from his dad?

Will does seem to be remembering a lot of stuff that didn't actually happen in his own life, after all. Which adds additional weight to the "Memory Load" and "Wistoria" meanings.

Best Friends Forever

To summarize, I feel like Mage Queen Mercedes was a fashion icon that inspired generations, and Cerridwen knows a lot more than she lets on about Will's origins.

Both her and the Serfort Orphanage seem suspicious, though not necessarily in a bad way. I believe there is a chance she and Ashley Serfort had worked together to hide Will and Elfie from the world of magick, with her occasionally checking up on them. And if that's right, then she might be the person who guided Will's life the most from the shadows.

(info from the 1st novel ahead)

Throughout the story, Will used the same Wis—Mageblade of Icy Tears—three times. Each time, he used it under a different state.

https://preview.redd.it/kfyfrq0dwnph1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=6dec343d0555081088855885f389cbc3724c5ba0

The first time he used Tearis Wis was during his childhood when he and Elfie fought against the Wolf-like Creature in the forest.

Will activates this sword by absorbing Elfie's spell. Tearis Nono (Icy Tears of the Silent Maiden).

The only thing Will says during it's activation is 装塡完了 (Charge Complete) which is what he always says when activating Wis.

This seems to be a regular state where Wis will last until the Magick of the spell absorbed is exhausted.

The Mageblade is made of ice and is very smooth and elegant in appearance.

https://preview.redd.it/7f7uq74fwnph1.jpg?width=2800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b81cb72c4aeea1a2e7030e936ca147e586239e6

The second time he used Tearis Wis was during his 1st year at Rigarden.

Same as before, he activates it by absorbing Elfie's spell, Tearis Nono, but this time it triggered the state of 装塡完了ー抜杖抜剣 (Charge CompleteーOverload), which was powerful enough to give Will the advantage over the Celestial Invader he was fighting against.

抜杖抜剣 (batsujyou bakken) is meant to be pronounced as "Overload", but its written meaning is "Wand and Sword Unsheathed"

Overload is a state where Will loads the Magickal Power of the person who cast the spell in addition to the power of the spell itself.

The Mageblade is made of course ice with many uneven protrusions in its appearance.

https://preview.redd.it/i7ibqxzgwnph1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=f54d596a3ef48767062afd2b543ff1fc9bf39e8d

The third times Will used Tearis Wis was during the Second Bloom when he had to fight against the Oozes again. It is very different from the other two times he used it in many ways.

It is still called Mageblade of Icy Tears, but this time Will didn't absorb any external Magick to activate it.

For the first time, rather than loading other people's Magick, he loads his Feelings and Memories instead, and uses Magickal Energy that he subconciously absorbs to activate it.

The Mageblade grows a pillar of blue light in the middle, and slightly glows in its appearance. There is no ice, but the Wist gem changes its colour from purple to blue.

What will says when he activates it is 想塡・再装 (Memory Charge・Reload)

再装 (saisou) is meant to be pronounced as "Reload", but it's written meaning is "Re-equip"

Charge (装塡 = souten) is different from Memory Charge (想塡 = souten)

https://preview.redd.it/12ds8xijwnph1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=57b69066b148c9cbb1a30e88566b024183381730

装塡 (souten) is the regular way in which Will activates Wis.

装塡 (souten) means "to load" / "to charge" / "to fill"

Will activates Wis by absorbing the spell he is struck by and uses its energy to create a Mageblade, with its characteristics being dependant on the absorbed spell.

In 想塡 (souten), 塡 (ten) still means "to load" / "to charge" / "to fill", but the 想 (sou) part is different.

想 in the context of the story means "emotion" or "feelings"

To be specific, it refers to the deep feelings within our hearts, rather than our general thoughts about whatever topics.

So 想塡 means something more like "Emotion Charge" or "Feelings Charge". It sounds a little bit awkward in English though, and "Memory Charge" isn't wrong at all since those two things are often interconnected.

I do feel like this ties nicely into the moment where Will realizes that the true name of his Magick is Courage and activates "Argent Light" with Finn's help.

https://preview.redd.it/5scp6dnixnph1.jpg?width=1070&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe4686b689793816b27dde8d9fafac66b7092dfa

Cerridwen explains that Will's body is somewhat unique as he is incapable of releasing Magick that his body absorbs and stores within him the same way other Mages can.

This seems to be the reason why he can't cast any traditional spells. He technically has Magick within him, same as the Elves or the Rizanth do, but he can't unleash it in the same way they do.

https://preview.redd.it/v8o3hi5rxnph1.jpg?width=2140&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67dfaafab38039a9d333447d5f7ba0e77f057356

There is a very strong theme of a "tale" and a "book" regarding the Wis power. Will is shown to be metaphorically pulling the Mageblade of Icy Tears straight out of a book; a story about him and Elfie from when he used that power for the first time. And the word "Wistoria" itself stands for "Mageblade Tale"

When Will is about to activate "Reload" he searches through his memories and feelings, and says:

[1] ページをまくれ, which means "Turn the pages", while it's written as 想いを起こせ, which means "Muster up your feelings"

想い is part of the Memory Charge (想塡). 想い means the feelings that lie deep within one's heart.

[2] 栞を挟む, which means "Insert a bookmark", while it's written as 探し出せ, which means "Find it"

[3] 読み上げ, which means "Read it out", while it's written as 刻み込め, which means "Carve it in"

[4] 今日まで辿ってきたみちから, which means "From the road I've followed until today—", while the みち (road) part is written as 物語, which means "story / tale"

[5] 必要なものを「想起」する!!, which means "Recalling what it is I need!!", while the もの (what it is) part is written as 魔片, which means "scraps of Magic"

想起 means something like "recall the memory"

片 means "scraps" or "fragments". Basically a small amount of something that used to be something greater. This explains why Tearis Wis, the Reload version, is nowhere near as impressive as the other two times he used it. It's merely a remnant of it's power. A memory.

https://preview.redd.it/9xc9kduvxnph1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=cfbdf5b556cf4947d29384d51498492d98f55d4e

What this sort of implies is that Will can potentially use any Mageblade or any spell that he experienced in his life at any time, without directly relying on absorbing Magick from others to activate it.

He goes through a history of Magick that is known to him, and is able to evoke its traces by recalling the feelings associated with the moments when they happened.

The downside is that Memory Charge is significantly weaker than regular Charge, which is showcased through the many different forms Tearis Wis takes on depending on the method used, the effects produced by the Mageblade, as well as numerous characters—like Will, Finn, or Incindia—simply stating as such.

In fact, it's implied that Reload Wis would be even weaker if not for the sword Will is using.

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The sword Will uses is the reforged Moria Silver Sword at its base, with an added Wist gem at the guard portion, creating the Twin-Silver Wist Sword (双銀のウィスト)

What the Wist gem does, is it amplifies the Magick that is poured into it, making any spells or techniques stronger than they would be without it.

This allows Will to actually activate and properly use Reload, as it's implied by Finn that as he is now (Volume 10), he wouldn't be able to do it without the sword. Not to the same effect at least.

On the other hand, this also somewhat implies that Will can get better at it on his own as well. Separate from the power of the Wist gem.

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To summarize, I have no idea what's going on and I feel like I know less with each new chapter I read, but I try my best to make sense of it all (•᷄ᴗ•᷅ ᵕ)

At the very least, this is my current understanding of Wis relative to where I am in the manga (about to finish volume 10)

Translated spell names that usually go untranslated because the pronunciation differs from the written meaning of the word.

[Image 1]

[Image 1] 大円形自然境域 (dai-enkei shizen kyouiki) is the spell that generates the landscape seen on the 1st floor of the Tower, the Colourless Garden.

It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Magnaturas Ringul", while its written meaning is ~"Great Circular Natural Environment"

Wignall also mentions that the landscape is meant to be a projection of Paradise. People—the Rizanth—are written in the story as 楽園の住人 (Residents of Paradise), though ironically, it is the Elves that have cast this spell.

[Image 2]

[Image 2] 血統雷伝：騎士甲冑・雷装 ー 雷翔 (kettou raiden: kishi kacchu・raisou ー raishou) is Lihanna's signature spell and technique. She uses it to quickly get to a sweets stall.

Its' meant to be pronounced as ~"Owen Sique: Lisolde Dua ー Algis", while its written meaning is ~"Lightning Bloodline Technique: Knight's Armor・Thunder Attire ー Lightning Soar"

[Image 3]

[Image 3] 蒼氷の詩人 (souhyou no shijin) is the spell Julius uses against Tower Constructs during the First Bloom.

It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Glace Itier", while its written meaning is ~"Poet of Azure Ice"

[Image 4]

[Image 4] 蒼氷の魔剣 (souhyou no maken) is the spell Will uses after he absorbs Julius' spell from Image 3.

It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Glauss Wis", while its written meaning is ~"Mageblade of Azure Ice"

This spell shares the same characters of 蒼氷 from the spell it loaded, Glace Itier (蒼氷の詩人), but there is a slight difference in the way it's written and pronounced.

Glace (蒼氷) from Glace Itier is written in Katakana as グラス, while Glauss (蒼氷) from Glauss Wis is written as グラウス. The difference is there but the word is pronounced almost the same in Japanese.

[Image 5]

[Image 5] 抜剣ー召喚・氷車 (bakkenーshoukan・koori-guruma) is the spell Will uses against Tower Constructs.

It's meant to be pronounced as "LoadーBurst・Glauss Mill", while its written meaning is ~"Sword UnsheathedーEvocation・Ice Mill"

This is a spell that Will performs while using his Glauss Wis (蒼氷の魔剣) which he got by loading Julius' spell of Glace Itier (蒼氷の詩人), hence the similarity in pronunciation even though the characters used (蒼氷)≠(氷車) are different.

[Image 6]

[Image 6] 青流の侍者 (seiryu no jisha) is a Lower Rank Water spell that Kreutz uses to destroy one of the Oozes he summoned.

It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Krysto Wreath", while its written meaning is ~"Attendant to the Blue Stream"

Will is so cute

And that's all the unique spell names found in Volume 8.

(spoilers for 1st novel ahead)

"Everything is born from the Dungeon. Everything is connected" - Mage Queen Mercedes

I believe there Is reason to think that the world of Wistoria as we know it is part of the dungeon, and not the actual surface of the world.

https://preview.redd.it/073cxl9ljhnh1.jpg?width=1070&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=872fcaf0f59214825462baa664f3d2922da9292f

In the very first chapter of the manga, we are told that "long ago, people didn't know the sky, and the world was shrouded in darkness."

That text comes from a time before the False Sky was created. In other words, people (the Rizanth) didn't know what the Sky was even before the False Sky was first created by the original Magia Vander.

It also says that before that False Sky was created, the world was shrouded by darkness. If the world was shrouded by Darkness before the False Sky was created, then that implies that before its creation, people did not really live under the Sun.

The "darkness" in the quote could be seen as more literal rather than metaphorical. The quote says that people don't know what the sky is; therefore they have lived shrouded in darkness. As in "Underground".

https://preview.redd.it/7xdga17jvhnh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=ac3d5afe04609431edb17f58109d5743a27ccecb

The 1st novel states that the Rizanth as a race see very well in the darkness. To be specific, it says that "Rizanth are a race that is strong in the Dark."

They see in the dark so well, in fact, that they need to use specific eye drops to reduce the "Light" that is visible to them, because it can be so bright that it might actually hurt their eyes. The Light in question being a Fireball and such. They even use those eye drops in the Dungeon itself, where it is already much darker than on the "surface" under the False Sky.

What's interesting about this is that it sort of implies that Will may not be a Rizanth, or a pure-blooded Rizanth, at least. The other students laugh at him because he can't see in the dark. They even question if he's actually one of them—a Rizanth—and not some Elf or Dwarf. This further implies that neither Elves nor Dwarves can function in the Dark as well as a Rizanth can.

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Elfie can see just fine in the Dark, while Will can hardly see anything. Their siblings and dad can also see fine in the dark, and in fact, Will's younger siblings would often play pranks on him during nights because of it.

The glasses Will wears are actually an enchanted item given to him by his dad. They allow him to see better in the Dark, but he is still barely able to see anything in the Dungeon. He mainly navigates it using his sense of smell, mentioned multiple times in the manga and the novel as 嗅覚 (kyuukaku = sense of smell), though it seems to be a little bit more than just that.

What this proves is that the Rizanth, as a race, are accustomed to the Dark, and they function very well in it. Almost as if Dark places were their natural habitat.

Out of the 7 Magickal Affinities, the Light Magickal Affinity is the rarest among the Rizanths.

And rather than the Dark, Will seems to have a strong connection to the Light, though it doesn't seem to be a Magickal Affinity. But more on that later.

https://preview.redd.it/umcxxvbfdhnh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=03519f42f1e145c157214fb64afec7b6ed09bc61

There is also the part where Elfie reads the book that inspired her and Will to see the real Sunset. In the novel, it reads, "The real Sunset lies just beyond that long tunnel!"

The word 長い道 on its own means "long road", but in this case it is meant to be pronounced as トンネル, which means "tunnel"

Again, what this implies is that to see the true Sun, you must first pass through a long tunnel. This could be seen as a metaphor, of course, but if that were the case, then I feel there would be no need to specify that the word "long road" is meant to be pronounced as "tunnel" instead.

And if the real Sun were concealed by the Fake Sky, then there would be no need to pass through such a tunnel in order to see it. Removing the Fake Sky should be enough. Unless, of course, the Fake Sky doesn't cover up the True Sky, but is merely another Ceiling of the Dungeon.

https://preview.redd.it/r1ol16loihnh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=0a920a742152064a665d2d652455af3fcc4fa47e

Near the end of the novel, Headless describes the Celestial Invader as a "Resident of a True World."

The Celestial Invaders come from above the Ceiling. From above the False Sky. And Headless seems to believe that the "world" the Celestial Invaders come from is a "True World."

The word "Celestial" may have another meaning to it in Japanese.

The Celestial Host is written as 天上の侵略者 (tenjyou no shinryakusha). The 天上 does in fact mean "Heavens." Not to be confused with sky, which is 空.

Sky (空) means the blue thing above our heads, while the Heavens (天上) means a more metaphorical Heaven.

https://preview.redd.it/ijfw1r5l0inh1.jpg?width=2800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d7fc77706a02abbb6d507acd020424b3f1f1892

However, the other way the word "Celestial Invaders" can be written as is 天井の侵略者.

天井 (tenjyou) means "Ceiling", while 天上 (tenjyou) means "Heavens." These two words are pronounced exactly the same, but their meaning is slightly different. Different, but similar at the same time.

In other words, the name of the Invaders てんじょうのしんりゃくしゃ can be read as "Celestial Invaders" or as "Invaders from above the Ceiling"

The word 天井 (Ceiling) is very often used while within the Dungeon itself. Eespecially during Will's battle against the Invader, where they both fly all over the place, including the Ceiling. The author put the words 天井 (tenjyou = Ceiling) and 天上 (tenjyou = Heavens) very close to each other multiple times.

Top: Rigarden Bottom: Dungeon

So yeah. I don't know if the Invaders are inhabiting the true surface of the world or if there is something beyond that still, but it is my belief that Rigarden, that the whole world of Wistoria as we know it, is actually another "Floor" of the Dungeon and that the Fake Sky conceals the Ceiling of that Dungeon Floor.

I also believe the Rizanth as a race have their origins directly tied to the Dungeon. Possibly even being born from it.

"Everything is born from the Dungeon. Everything is connected." - Mage Queen Mercedes

(spoilers for the 1st novel ahead)

In the first novel, there is this interesting part where the characters talk about catching a "cold."

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After Elfaria is kidnapped to the tower by Incindia and Logwell, she is laying there unconscious and has seemingly caught a cold from the stress and whatnot.

In the scene there is Sarisa, Incindia, Logwell, and Evan. They talk about the meaning of catching a cold in the magickal world.

They say that a Mage catching a cold is a sign of good luck and a blessing from the Mage Queen who bestows power upon skilled Mages. The practice comes from the belief that it was the Mage Queen who bestowed power upon the original Five Magia Vander.

https://preview.redd.it/ouls59cum3nh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=62d63477ff27f6c69a92c261524dd18fc5f19fbf

The more talented in magic a person is, the more susceptible to catching a cold they are. Fittingly, Will is said to have never caught a cold, while Elfie would be catching it a lot.

However, Elfie was often trying to catch a cold on purpose, because Will would then be taking care of her. She noticed that the more magic she used, the more likely she would be to catch a cold.

This is explained as part of the reason for why she is so good at such a young age. She practiced magic a lot because it would make her sick, which would in turn lead to her spending more alone time with Will, who would be taking care of her.

When Will eventually learns that she is getting sick on purpose, he gets really angry with her, and she promises to stop.

https://preview.redd.it/tu708lwal3nh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=e54e3b9cce067399292644e069dd9c5fd1d715f1

When asked by Evan how often he would catch a cold when young, Incindia responded with "around 3 times a year," to which Evan responded that he himself would catch a cold about "1 time every 2 years." He then adds that Elfaria was "catching cold 6 times a year," to which people present are shocked to hear.

What's interesting about this is that it seems to be somewhat of a superstition, as there is no concrete proof of this "blessing" actually existing. But it is a superstition that only High Mages know of. This information is unavailable to a regular person. And even Magia Vander seem to believe in this to a varying degree. Incindia definitely does believe in it.

https://preview.redd.it/gotrjhuoh3nh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=e924871bb76968f83fbc36e292c53dc94be98daa

All of this implies a correlation between "practicing magick" and "getting sick." Like being good at Magick is bad for your health, which is (somewhat) supported by Will's own "Magick."

In the novel, the more "courageous" he gets, the more "daring" he gets, the more memories he starts to lose, which is presented as a serious sickness / condition. But more on that later.

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PS. To be specific, the other name for "cold" (風邪 = kaze) in the world is "Mage Queen's Kiss." The characters in the scene use both these words interchangeably.

Mage Queen's Kiss is written as 魔女の祝福 (majyo no shukufuku)

祝福 means "blessing", but it's meant to be pronounced as ベーゼ (beze) , which means "kiss"

ベーゼ is a loan word from the French language. The French word "baiser" means "kiss"

A major plot point of Volume 1 (chapters 1-9) is Kaneki's refusal to eat.

\"You want it?\"

The first time Kaneki and Touka meet as Ghouls is in some back alley where she is getting assaulted by a drunk. She kills him quickly and—sensing that Kaneki is a Ghoul—offers him a snack since she's not that hungry right now.

Kaneki is still confused as to what's happening to him and runs away in fear.

Not long after, feeling the effects of the hunger, Kaneki seeks Touka out and asks her for help. The Boss gives him some food to eat, but he ends up throwing it away because he can't bring himself to eat a person.

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Time passes and Kaneki still hasn't eaten anything. On his way home from the store, he ends up being drawn by the sweet smell of a corpse nearby. Some random Ghoul killed somebody.

Nishiki shows up, kills the Ghoul; Touka shows up, chases Nishiki away.

Witnessing all this, Kaneki freaks out and calls Ghouls monsters with no morals.

\"Eat it!\"

Touka can tell he hasn't eaten what they've given him. That he hasn't eaten anything at all.

So she scoops some bits off of the corpse and—frustrated by his words and his decision not to eat—forcefully shoves them in his mouth saying that if he doesn't have the courage to eat, she'll help him out. Still, he forces himself to puke most of it out.

As a farewell, she tells him that a Ghoul's hunger is hell, and that that is what awaits him if he won't eat.

\"looks delicious, doesn't it?\"

After Kaneki fights off Nishiki in the final chapter of the volume, he starts to lose his mind from the hunger and decides to eat Hide to satisfy it.

Touka shows up to stop him. She tells him about what happens to Ghouls who refuse to eat.

Once a Ghoul's hunger reaches its limit, nothing else matters. They'll eat their friends, their family, anything. And once they wake up from the hunger madness, it might be among the sea of blood and entrails of people dear to them.

\"I'll save you from that fate this time\"

So she tells him she will save him from that fate this time. She kicks his lights out, and together with the Boss, they force-feed him some food at Anteiku while he's unconscious.

Small thing to point out here is that what Touka says here is 同情 (doujyou), which means ~"sympathy" or "compassion," but it is written as "救う" (sukuu), which means ~"to rescue," "to relieve," or "to redeem."

just another night in the life of a ghoul

Touka's decision to forcefully shove human flesh down Kaneki's throat initially comes off as insensitive since he's made it clear through his words and actions that he has no intention of eating such a thing.

However, she's been a Ghoul for much longer than he has. And from what she says in this 1st volume, she seems to be aware of some Ghouls who have killed people close to them to satisfy their hunger and have regretted it deeply once they came to their senses.

Seeing Kaneki refuse to eat makes her worry. Not so much about him. She doesn't know him. And what little talk they had was not pleasant. She's worried as a fellow Ghoul. She's worried because what's happening to him can happen to any of them. A Ghoul's hunger is a fate they all bear. And there's only one way to satisfy it.

So when he finally loses it and tries to eat his closest friend, she is there to stop him. Because she hopes that one day if she ever finds herself in the same position, somebody will be there to stop her as well; to show her the same sympathy.

The 1st volume of the manga puts a large focus on the theme of "belonging". A struggle to find a place to belong, to be specific.

The word used is 「居場所」 (ibashyo), which means "a place to belong," or "a place where one can be oneself" This specific word comes up several times in multiple chapters of volume 1.

\"There's no place for you who is neither Ghoul nor Human\"

In chapter 6, after Touka fights off Nishiki and claims the feeding ground for Anteiku, Kaneki insults her by saying Ghouls are monsters who have no morals and tells her not to lump him in with the likes of them.

She responds in unkindness, and tells him that he's a freak who has no 「place to belong」

Some sort of... Tokyo Ghoul or something

Once she leaves, Kaneki thinks about what she's said and wonders if she is right. He wants to believe that there is still a 「place for him to belong」 in this world. While he's thinking this, a panorama shot of Tokyo is shown.

Tokyo is a giant metropolis brimming to the full with all sorts of people from all around the world. Maybe it can still be a home. Even for someone like him.

\"No place for you\"

Chapter 6 is called［帰巣］(kisou), which means "homing instinct." To be specific, it refers to an animal's ability to return home no matter the distance travelled or how much the world has changed.

Fittingly, Kaneki decides to visit his university in this chapter. He again attempts to reclaim his 「place in the world」

What happens instead is he comes to realize that the Ghouls were present even in his old life, he just had no way of knowing at the time.

Meeting the Ghoul again at the campus—a place from his life before the tragedy—is a large step for Kaneki in realizing that his life will never be back to how it used to be.

It's different now...

Before that, Kaneki was shown to try and reclaim his human life multiple times after the organ transplant, but each time it was proven impossible.

He tries to hang out with Hide at their favourite restaurant, only to find that the food there is making him nauseous. He tries to destroy the kidney he was given, only to realize he can't even pierce his own skin.

He slowly and reluctantly comes to realize that his body no longer works the same way it used to.

\"Can I really... eat a human?\"

Out of desperation, he decides to ask a strange girl—whom he just learned is a ghoul—for help. She refuses since he unintentionally made her angry by saying that living as a Ghoul is the worst.

The Boss overhears the exchange and offers to help anyway. Kaneki is given human flesh to satisfy his hunger, but since he can't bring himself to eat it, he ends up throwing it away.

\"There's no place for me anywhere...\"

In the final chapter of the volume, after Nishiki tries to kill Hide and Kaneki fights him off, he ends up losing himself to the hunger.

Touka does him a favour by knocking his lights out, and he wakes up at Anteiku, where the Boss informs him that they have fed him "something" while he was unconscious and tells him that he must accept what he is or things will get much worse for him.

Kaneki despairs at his current situation and suffers from the realization he no longer has a 「place to belong」

\"We will teach you how to live as a Ghoul\"

The Boss again extends a helping hand and offers him a place at Anteiku, where they can teach him about this new world he'd found himself in.

He comforts him by saying that in learning how to be a Ghoul, he may even be able to regain his 「place in the world」 as a human.

https://preview.redd.it/43d7p5uroamh1.jpg?width=1680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e7469016fcd6bc8ac3c1157f9afda3c719bc0bd

So yeah, Volume 1 of the manga mainly focuses on Kaneki coming to grips with the reality of his situation. He initially rejects the truth of what he is and desperately tries to go back to the way things were before, only to inevitably fail each time.

Both Touka and Nishiki make him realize that Ghouls have always been around him. Even in places he used to consider safe—like the campus or the café. His eye(s) are now opened to a new world. And what has been seen cannot be unseen.

Seeing Hide, who was about to be murdered by Nishiki, as well as nearly losing his own mind from the hunger and attacking his friend himself, finally makes him accept the truth of his situation and that there is no escaping from it.

Things end on a positive note, however. As Kaneki is given some glimmer of hope in the form of a promise that things will get better in time so long as he doesn't turn away from what he is.

A place where you can belong

P.S. Anteiku's official name in the story is written using only hiragana as あんていく. When written like this, it doesn't exactly mean anything. However, the あんてい part can only be written as 安定 (antei) using kanji. 安定 (antei) means "stability," "balance," or "composure."

The く (ku) part, likewise, can only really be written as 区 (ku) in this context, which means "area," "district," or "zone."

In other words, "Anteiku" can mean something like "Safe Space" or "Place of Stability". Stuff like that.

This interpretation is supported by the story, as in chapter 9, Kaneki is shown to be losing his mind in a dark alley after fighting for his and his friend's lives. When he wakes up, he finds himself in Anteiku, where he and Hide are both safe, and he is no longer suffering from hunger.

Additional meanings in Volume 7.

[Image 1]

[Image 1] 白銀の光 (shirogane no hikari) seems to be the name of the power / transformation that Will unlocks with Finn's direct help. It doesn't have a unique pronunciation when Finn explains it. Its written meaning is ~"Argent Light", or ~"Pale Silver Light"

"Argent" means "silver" or "white-silver" colour.

[Image 2]

[Image 2] 白銀解放 (shirogane kaihou) is what Finn says when Will transforms. It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Limits Off", while its written meaning is ~"Silver Unleashed", or ~"Pale Silver Liberation", or "Argent Liberation"

(or any combination of these)

[Image 3]

[Image 3] 煮え滾れ 大釜の水鏡 (nietagire, o-gama no mizukagami) is the spell Headmistress Cauldron uses to stop and attack the Devander that was sent flying to the school grounds by Will. It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Nietagire, Keridos Aqualuum", while its written meaning is ~"Boil Hot, Reflecting Surface of the Great Cauldron"

The 煮え滾れ (boil over / boil hot) part seems to be an incantation leading to the spell.

[Image 4]

[Image 4] 氷姫の魔剣 (hyouki no maken) is the spell Will uses after he absorbs Elfie's magic. Meant to be pronounced as "Albis Wis", while its written meaning is ~"Mageblade of the Ice Maiden"

The 氷姫 (hyouki = Ice Maiden = Albis) part is the same as Elfaria's title 氷姫の杖 (hyouki no tsue = Ice Maiden's Wand = Albis Vina)

[Image 5]

This one is a bit ridiculous in presentation. The spell comes in three parts.

[Image 5] part 1 抜杖抜剣・最大召喚 (batsujou bakken・saidai shoukan) is what Will says when he is ready to cast Elfie's magic. Meant to be pronounced as "Overload, Full Burst", while its written meaning is ~"Wand and Sword Unsheathed、Highest Evocation"

抜剣 (bakken) means drawing a sword. As in, you unsheathe it and assume a battle stance. Same for the Wand part (抜杖)

[Image 6]

[Image 6] part 2 十二の氷秘法・七の法 (juuni no koori hihou・nana no hou) is the spell Will uses to destroy the weaker monsters. Meant to be pronounced as ~"El Glace Frosse・Nana no Hou", while its written meaning is ~"Twelve Secrets of Ice: Seventh Act"

[Image 7]

[Image 7] part 3 万氷千蒼の凍神殿 (banhyou senso no tou-shinden) is the Seventh Act of the El Glace Frosse series. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Fruzel Cardeneia", while its written meaning is ~"Freezing Temple of Myriad Ice and Blue"

"Myriad" as in, "a very large, incalculable number", which is what the presence of both the 万 and 千 characters imply. A more literal translation would be "Frozen Temple of 10,000 Ice and 1,000 Blue"

And that's all additional meanings found in Volume 7.

In the novel, Julius >!pretty much proposes to Elfie and tries to kiss her hand. Will jumps in to protect Elfie, and Julius insults him. Then, Elfie says to Julius she can't be the girl he likes, because she knows he already has someone he likes. She was being mature and empathetic about it. !<

It is kinda crazy though that immediately after that, Will genuinely thought to himself Julius looked cute >!when he was surprised to learn that Elfie (somehow) knew about his first love.!<

Keneki's speech pattern changes when he is losing his mind due to hunger and stress.

\"Please... don't make me into a killer...\" 僕 = (I / Me) masculine pronoun

When he's holding it together, Kaneki uses 僕 (I / Me = Boku) as his preferred pronoun to refer to himself. "Boku" is a masculine pronoun mainly used by males.

However, when he succumbs to the hunger, which is usually coupled with extremely traumatizing experiences, his entire speech pattern changes. It becomes feminine in structure, and he starts talking like a woman, adopting the use of many speech quirks he doesn't use under normal circumstances.

フフ = feminine laugh / ね = feminine sentence ender / あたし = (I / Me) feminine pronoun

When succumbing to his hunger after his first battle against Amon, Kaneki's laugh is written as フフ, which is how some women's laughs—often of the cruel or mocking variety—are often written as, including Rize's herself.

His sentence ender also becomes ね (ne), which is, again, a very feminine sentence ender. Boys usually end their sentences with よ (yo), ぞ (zo), or ぜ (ze). And again, Rize's sentence ender was also ね (ne).

ね (ne) can also serve as a sentence starter. Used as a way to garner attention when you're about to speak. Kind of like "Hey." But again, this is a very feminine, cutesy method primarily used by women. A masculine version of this would be おい (oi).

And finally, rather than the masculine pronoun 僕 (boku), he uses a feminine 私 (atashi) instead. 私 (あたし = atashi) is a cutesy, informal version of 私 (watashi). But while 私 (watashi) is a formal, gender-neutral pronoun, 私 (atashi) is a women-exclusive pronoun. Once more, 私 (atashi) is the pronoun Rize was using. Some other women in the series—like Itori—use it as well.

In this specific instance, when Kaneki charges at Yomo, 私 (あたし = atashi) is written as 僕 (boku). This is a practice known as 義訓 (gikun). It's when a spoken word differs from the written word. To put it differently, it's when the Furigana (pronunciation) attached to the word is completely different from the actual meaning of the word it is attached to. This is a literary technique often used in Japanese fiction, which allows for the creation of double meanings.

What Kaneki is saying is 私 (atashi = woman version of "I / Me"), but it's written as 僕 (boku = man version of "I / Me")

The author clearly draws attention to this by separating these words from the rest, as well as showing Kaneki behaving different from usual.

フフ　・　ねぇ　・　私

Here is an example of Rize using all of those. Kaneki seems to be subconciously mimicking Rize when he is losing his mind.

Anime version uses layered voice

Having taken a peak at this scene in the anime, the way they added unto it is they layered Rize's voice together with Kaneki's. This is a way to make it much more clear to the audience that Kaneki is currently acting and talking like Rize.

What he is saying at the end is "私今 すごくお腹が空いてるの　ねぇ―" → "I am terribly hungry right now (ne)ー"

Again, by layering his and Rize's voices together, the story draws attention to the fact that Kaneki uses 私 (atashi) to refer to himself, and that he ended his sentence there using ね (ne).

So yeah, Kaneki starts talking like Rize when he is losing his mind, including referring to himself as a woman. To be clear, I'm not trying to make an argument that Kaneki is trans or anything like that. Because he isn't. This is just what happens in the story.

Kaneki isn't exactly a pillar of mental health. Nor are any characters in the story, as far as I'm aware. And in addition to a myriad of other things, he does seem to be suffering from body dysmorphia and sudden bursts of gender dysphoria—which are mental disorders—caused by the organ transplant he underwent as well as severe stress he undergoes on a nearly daily basis as a result of his new tragic "eat or be eaten" life.

Suffering from body and gender dysphoria isn't the same as being trans. And not all trans people are suffering from these conditions either.

Anyway, there is a LOT more that can be said about sentence structure and whatnot, but it's kind of hard to explain. This is all just a neat little thing that's pretty much impossible to accurately convert to the English language, so I thought I'd share it because I think it adds another layer to the horror of Kaneki's situation.

Her organs... for him

PS. Adding a bit onto the 義訓 (gikun) and the Furigana part.

Tokyo Ghoul is a Seinen series. One of the things that separates a Seinen series from a Shonen series is the presence of Furigana (pronunciation).

In a Shonen series, Furigana is attached to nearly every Kanji. That's because Manga is often used to help kids in Japan learn the language. In contrast, Seinen series have hardly any Furigana present. That is because it is assumed that you already understand the language and can read it without any training wheels. So when the Furigana does show up in a Seinen story, it is usually because the word used is either very uncommon, or because 義訓 (gikun) is used and you're supposed to pay attention.

PS.2 The pronoun game is strong in Tokyo Ghoul, and some characters use one that you wouldn't think they'd use by looking at them. I found this old post from way back made by a Japanese reader that cleanly lists out the primary and secondary pronouns that major characters use. Here it is.

I'm a new fan who started reading the manga. I'm still on Volume 1. I haven't watched the anime—though of course I am aware of ""Unravel"—but I am vaguely familiar with the main story beats until Jason.

Anyway, in Chapter 2, when Ken recovers in the hospital after the organ transplant, he walks into a unisex restroom. A restroom for both men and women.

I think it's a neat little thing that serves as a preview for the theme of body horror found in the story. Body horror that is sometimes manifested in Kaneki as body and gender dysphoria caused by his declining mental health and the fact that his whole life has changed because he received Rize's organs and is now metaphorically haunted by her, seemingly possessed at times.

I know I'm a bit late to the party and that the manga has most likely already been picked clean of these cool little moments, but in case you didn't know, now you do.

There is this moment in the novel where Will compares Elfie to a climbing cat. He also mentions she always liked to climb trees when they were kids. You know... like a cat.

This novel confirms beyond the shadow of a doubt that Will is a cat person, and that all he sees when he looks at people is cats.

The story is great so far. It provides a ton of characterization, background, context, and a great deal of supplementary lore.

Additional meanings that usually go untranslated found in Volume 6.

[Image 1]

[Image 1] 楽園隔つ五杖の大境界 (rakuen hedatsu gotsue no dai-kyoukai) is the spell the Magia Vander use to restore the Barrier. Meant to be pronounced as "Vandes Terminalia", while its written meaning is "Great Boundary of Five Wands Separating the Paradise"

Interesting to note is the word "Vandes" is written in japanese as ヴァンデス, which is very similar to how (Magia) Vander is written as ヴァンデ.

The similarity is there on purpose, since the written meaning of the spell contains 五杖 (gotsue) which is also found in the written meaning of "Magia Vander" - 至高の五杖 (Five Supreme Wands).

[Image 2]

[Image 2] 鍋番の護人 (kaban no gojin) is the spell Clairie uses to summon multiple Guardians. Meant to be pronounced as "Keridos Gardinas", while its written meaning is ~"Guardian of the Pot".

"Pot" as in a "small cauldron". Pot is written as 鍋. While 大鍋 (big pot) means Cauldron.

[Image 3]

[Image 3] 青流の侍者 (seiryu no jisha) is the spell Rosti uses to blast away one of the summoned monsters. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Crysto Wreath", while its written meaning is "Attendant of the Blue Stream"

[Image 4]

[Image 4] 黒禍の火番 (kuromaga no hiban) is a Lower Rank spell Edward uses to fight the monsters. It's the same spell he used against Will in their supplementary lesson. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Dax Darbicans", while its written meaning is ~"Fire Guardian of Black Calamity"

[Image 5]

[Image 5] 境界祭 (kyoukai matsuri) is the written meaning of Terminalia. It means Boundary Festival.

The "Boundary" (境界) part is present in the "Vandes Terminalia" spell.

[Image 6]

[Image 6] 戦車解禁 (sensha kaikin) is the code that lifts ban on combat by dwarves. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Gordvere", while its written meaning is ~"Chariots Unrestricted".

"Chariots" as in "a military machine of war", and "Unrestricted" as in "a restriction that's been set in place is now lifted".

[Image 7]

[Image 7] 至殺の王 (shisatsu no ou) is the name of the monster that Will ends up fighting. Meant to be pronounced as "Devander", while its written meaning is ~"Lord of Supreme Killing" or ~"King of Highest Murder"

The title directly refers to the Magia Vander which is written as 至高の五杖, meaning "Five Supreme Wands", and the fact that this monster has killed Magia Vander in the past.

[Image 8]

[Image 8] 魔狩 (magari) is the name for the "Mage Slayer". It's meant to be pronounced as "Sleime", while its written meaning is "Mage Hunter".

This sword is referred to both as Mage Slayer (メイジ殺し = meiji-goroshi) and as Sleime (魔狩り = magari = Mage Hunter).

And that's about all the additional meanings found in Volume 6.

The novel's really good so far. I'm about to finish reading chapter 1.

In the story, Elves don't see themselves as "Mages", but simply as "Elves".

\"You are Mages, and I am an Elf.\" 魔導士 = Mage / 妖精 = Elf (chapter 13)

When Colette called Wignall out for being rude for refusing to accept food from Will, he pointed out, "You are Mages, and I am an Elf."

\"A school for the likes of Mages...\" (chapter 14)

Not only that, but it seems the Elves look down upon the Mages. They see a "Mage" as something that is inferior to an "Elf". When Wignall was having flashbacks to getting bullied by his kin, they said, "Even though he pollutes himself by attending a school for the likes of Mages..." They see him being stuck in a school for Mages as a disgrace.

To be specific, they use the word 燻る (kusuburu), which can mean "being dirty from smoke pollution" or "staying at the same level of a certain social position". Both are meant as an insult towards the idea of a "Mage".

\"I will remain a bystander. This is a Mage's country, after all.\" (chapter 25)

During Terminalia, when the Magia Vander argue over their course of action, Ellenor says that she will remain a bystander because "This is a Mage country." She talks about them in second person. As in, "This is you, Mages' country (not Elves')."

I find this a little sad, because it means that she, as an immigrant, has trouble or is unwilling to assimilate. She doesn't recognize Rizanth as her home. Could be she feels unwelcome or alien in an environment dominated by humans. Maybe that is why her faction is comprised entirely of Elves.

Rizanth = Resident of Paradise (chapter 18)

The elven attitude towards Mages is especially confusing considering they view Rizanth as a sort of Paradise. When Wignall tells Lihanna that he has recognized Will as a friend, the word "Rizanth" is written as "Resident of Paradise". It's pretty interesting how the Elves view a "Mage" as something that is inferior to them, yet they view the home of the Mages as "Paradise".

All this does make me wonder if there are actually any fundamental differences, maybe even genetic, in the approach to magic between Elves and "Humans", or if it's just another unreasonable prejudice. Similar to how most Mages view Dwarves as inferior.

One of the most basic understandings of magic is "power to turn imagination into reality."

We all have dreams of a certain future; we imagine different scenarios, we hope to achieve something or become someone. But without action, those dreams will always remain just dreams. Nothing more than a fictional scenario.

Courage is the force that spurns us into action because we believe in the future or idea we have envisioned. It is thanks to Courage that we are able to take steps to achieve said future; to turn our fantasies into reality. That is what Magic is by the very definition.

So I really like how the true name of Will's magic isn't actually "Wis" but "Courage." He was able to envision himself climbing the Tower and becoming a Magia Vander to see the sunset together with Elfie. He believes in that future and strives to achieve it even if so many others mocked him for it. And it's because of his Courage that he is slowly turning that dream into reality.

「勇気」= Courage / 「魔法」= Magic

btw Will's Magic being Courage has been teased at since Chapter 1, though it is made much more clear in Japanese. When characters talk about Will's Courage, the word "courage" is written inside of**「　」** meaning there's meant to be a double meaning there, though the meaning wasn't fully clear until chapter 26.

When Finn tells Will what his「magic」is, he remembers the moment when Elfie said "I know that Will is「braver」than anybody."

Bravery / Courage = 勇気 (yuuki)

(images from chapters: 26, 1, 18, 26, 27, 28)

Julius has a sweet side to him.

Julius spots the danger up above...

Julius warns of the danger

I really like this moment when Julius screams for Gina to warn her as she's about to get jumped during Terminalia. Working at her inn really helped him develop some empathy.

I mean, warning someone of immediate danger sounds like it should be the norm, but to see Julius—who very much believes in magic supremacy—call out in fear for the safety of a dwarf—a race he ridiculed and humiliated not so long ago—is very nice to see.

I like to think him working part-time at the inn wasn't a one-time thing and that he actually helps her out from time to time. Not that he'll ever admit any fondness, of course. He'll always find some pretext as to why he "has to do it."

(images from chapters 11 + 25)

Additional spell meanings found in Volume 5.

[Image 1]

[Image 1] 黄土の隠者 (oudo no inja) is a Low Rank spell Colette uses as a form of suppressive fire against the Grand Duke to buy Julius time to cast his spell. It's meant to be pronounced as "Frubas Julies", while its written meaning is "Hermit of Yellow Ochre" or "Hermit of Loess"

Ochre is a natural earth pigment made of clay. It is sometimes used in oil paintings.

Loess is a type of terrestrial deposit that's mainly composed of quartz particles carried by the wind or glaciers.

[Image 1] 紅貴の従士 (kouki no juushi) is a Low Rank spell Sion uses for the same purpose. Meant to be pronounced as "Ignis Rooks", while its written meaning is ~"Squire of Esteemed Crimson" or ~"Thane of Noble Red"

This is the same spell Sion throws at Will later on to trigger "Wis".

[Image 1] 深緑の狩人 (shinryoku no karyudo) is a Low Rank spell Wignall uses for the same purpose. Meant to be pronounced as "Verdes Lana", while its written meaning is "Deep-Green Hunter"

[Image 2]

[Image 2] 凍え哭け氷鉄の森 (kogoenake hyoutetsu no mori) is the spell Julius uses with his clones to rain hail on the Grand Duke to immobilize him. Meant to be pronounced as "Armenta Auliscus", while its written meaning is ~"Weep in the Cold, Forest of Iron Ice" or ~"Frozen Weeping Forest of Ice and Iron"

[Image 3]

[Image 3] 血統雷伝：騎士甲冑・雷装 (kettou raiden: kishi kacchu - raisou) is Lihanna's signature enchantment spell. Meant to be pronounced as "Owen Sique: Lisolde Dua", while its written meaning is ~"Thunder Bloodline Technique: Knight's Armor, Lightning Attire" or ~"Lightning Bloodline Tradition: Knight's Armor, Thunder Attire"

"Lightning" and "Thunder" are interchangeable. The 雷 (ikazuchi) character means both.

"Technique" and "Tradition" are interchangeable too. The 伝 (den) character can mean both. It can mean a lot of things, in fact. "Legend" or "Method" also work.

[Image 4]

[Image 4] 雷翔 (raishyou) is a technique / spell Lihanna uses to charge at the Grand Duke while using her Bloodline Technique. It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Algiz", while its written meaning is "Thunder Flight" or "Lightning Soar"

[Image 5]

[Image 5] 血統地伝：巨兵の短剣 (kettou chiden: kyohei no tanken) is the spell Colette uses to create a giant sword. Meant to be pronounced as "Loire Sique: Golterre". while its written meaning is ~"Earth Bloodline Technique: Giant Soldier's Short Sword"

[Image 6]

[Image 6] 燃え盛れ焼滅の丘 (moesakare shouemtsu no oka) is a High Rank spell Sion uses to blast the Grand Duke. It's the same spell he used to start a fight against Will during the Magic Festival. Meant to be pronounced as "Iflamme Burdelyon", while its written meaning is ~"Burn Brightly, Hill of Blazing Destruction"

[Image 7]

[Image 7] 魔剣 (maken) is the spell Will uses when he eats Sion's flames. Meant to be pronounced as "Wis", while its written meaning is "Mageblade"

魔剣 can also be understood as "Magic Sword" to better fit with the "Wand and Sword" thing. 魔 (ma) in this context means magic, while 剣 (tsurugi) means sword / blade. I like Mageblade better.

[Image 8]

[Image 8] 炎貴の魔剣 (enki no maken) is a spell / technique Will uses to destroy the Grand Duke. Meant to be pronounced as "Ignis Wis", while its written meaning is ~"Mageblade of Exalted Flames"

[Image 9]

[Image 9] 秩序の光秤 (chitsujyo no koubin) is an ~Advanced Rank (高位) Light-type annihiliation spell Aaron uses to clear up the remaining rampaging monsters. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Lois = (read as "lúa") Eluza", while its written meaning is ~"Illuminating Scales of Order"

[Image 10]

[Image 10] 黒死界・滅天誓いし 極夜の終王 (kuro shikai・metten chikaishi kyokuya no shuuou) or (kokushi kai・metten chikaishi kyokuya no shuuou) is the spell that's listed as Edward's first love on his character sheet that came with Volume 5. It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Kuro Shikai / Kokushi Kai・Arnade Darnatia", while its written meaning is ~"Black Realm of Death・Last King of the Polar Night who Swore to Destroy the Heavens", or ~"Realm of Black Death・Last King of the Polar Night Sworn to Destroy the Heavens"

黒死界 can be read as 黒 (Black = Kuro) + 死界 (Death Realm / Underworld = Shikai), or as 黒死 (Black Death = Kokushi) + 界 (Realm = Kai). There's no furigana attached to any of these, so as of Volume 5, both readings are correct.

The 天 (heavens) character isn't the same as the 空 (sky) one. When people in the story talk about the "False Sky", they say 偽りの空 (itsuwari no sora). The "promise to destroy the Heavens" the spell most likely refers to relates to the Celestial Host, which is written in the story as 天上の侵略者 (tenjyo no shinryakusha) [Heavenly Invaders] = [Celestial Host].

And that's about all the unique spell names found in Volume 5.