Sections
Aite (相手): what it means in anime
相手
あいて · aite · companion; partner; company JLPT N3
Aite means "the other party": your opponent in a match, your partner in a conversation, or the person you are dating. Anime uses it for all three.
Where you hear it 6 of 42 series
Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.
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Haikyu!! · 20 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
相手チーム ホントちっちえOur opponents sure are short.
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KonoSuba · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
成功すれば相手の持ち物を 奪い取ることができるIf it's successful, you can take possession of your opponent's property.
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Code Geass · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
相手は 名誉ブリタニア人にすら なれない クズどもだ―Our opponents are scum who can't even become honorary Britannians.
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Re:Zero · 18 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
私の もう１人の交渉相手さ
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No Game No Life · 10 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
…てことは 相手は人類… あっ
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Psycho-Pass · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
相手のことだけを 見詰めていた
Usage and nuance
In Haikyu and No Game No Life, 相手 is the opposing team or player, with no hostility implied. In Konosuba and Re:Zero it is the person you are dealing with. 結婚相手 is a marriage partner.
The idiom 相手にする means "to take someone seriously, to deal with them", and 相手にしない is "to ignore". 相手になってやる is the cocky "I'll be your opponent".
There is no single English word for it, which is why subtitles vary. Think of it as "the one across from me".
Hear 相手 in Haikyu!!20 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account