Sections
Ittai (一体): what it means in anime
一体
いったい · ittai · the heck; in the world; on earth JLPT N3
Ittai is an intensifier for questions: 一体何だ？ is "what on earth is that?", 一体誰が？ is "who in the world?". It expresses confusion or outrage rather than curiosity.
Where you hear it 3 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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Bleach · 8 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
あいつは一体…What the heck is that...
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Tokyo Ghoul · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
えっ！ あっ… 材料は一体…
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One-Punch Man · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
一体 何者だったんだ？ あの地上人は
Usage and nuance
The literal meaning is "one body", and the question sense grew out of "in the first place". It almost always sits before a question word: 何 (what), 誰 (who), どう (how), なぜ (why).
Bleach, One-Punch Man and Tokyo Ghoul all use it when a character meets something inexplicable. 一体どうなってる is "what the hell is going on".
The stronger form 一体全体 (ittai zentai) is "what in the whole wide world", used for comic effect.
Hear 一体 in Bleach8 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account