Sections
Jinrui (人類): what it means in anime
人類
じんるい · jinrui · mankind; humanity JLPT N3
Jinrui means "humanity" or "mankind" as a whole. It is the word for the species, not a person, and it appears whenever a story is about the survival of everyone.
Where you hear it 4 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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Attack on Titan · 18 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
その日 人類は思い出したOn that day, humanity remembered
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Dr. Stone · 13 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
これで 人類はNow humanity
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One-Punch Man · 8 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
人類を超越したtranscended humanity
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No Game No Life · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
…てことは 相手は人類… あっ
Usage and nuance
Attack on Titan says 人類 in nearly every episode: humanity behind the walls, humanity's counterattack. Dr. Stone is about rebuilding 人類 after petrification. One-Punch Man's hero association grades threats by their danger to 人類.
人間 (ningen) is the word for a human being as an individual or as opposed to non-humans. 人類 is the collective noun. "Humans are weak" uses 人間; "humanity will survive" uses 人類.
Related: 人類史 is "human history" and 人類最強, "strongest of mankind", is a title you will hear in several battle anime.
Hear 人類 in Attack on Titan18 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account