Sections
Muri (無理): what it means in anime
無理
むり · muri · unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable JLPT N4
Muri means "impossible" or "no way". It is the word for refusing or giving up: 無理だ ("it's impossible"), 無理無理 ("no, no, no"), 無理しないで ("don't push yourself").
Where you hear it 8 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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Mob Psycho 100 · 12 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
いや 無理っすよ！No, that's impossible. Recruiting season ended a long time ago.
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Assassination Classroom · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
無理ですよ 烏間さんIt's impossible, Mr. Karasuma.
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The Promised Neverland · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
無理じゃないIt's not impossible
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K-On! · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
やる前から無理だとか ダメだとかばかり言ってるEven before I do it, I keep saying it's impossible and it's no good.
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Jujutsu Kaisen · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
鉄コンじゃなくても無理よ 普通！
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KonoSuba · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
魔王討伐とか 無理なんですけど！
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My Hero Academia · 5 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
私 ２車線以上じゃなきゃ無理
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Your Lie in April · 5 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
だから 無理だって言ってるだろ！
Usage and nuance
The two faces of the word confuse learners. 無理 alone is "impossible, can't". 無理をする is "to overdo it, to strain yourself", so 無理しないで is a caring phrase, not a refusal.
In comedy it is a reflex: Kazuma in Konosuba and Mob in Mob Psycho both say 無理 whenever asked to do something heroic. 無理やり (muriyari) is "by force, against one's will".
Politer refusals exist, like 難しい ("that's difficult"), which is how a Japanese adult says no in a meeting. 無理 is blunt.
Hear 無理 in Mob Psycho 10012 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account