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Nouryoku (能力): what it means in anime
能力
のうりょく · nouryoku · ability; faculty JLPT N3
Nouryoku means "ability" or "capability". In anime it is also the word for a superpower, which is why 能力者 (nouryokusha) means "a person with powers".
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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Reincarnated as a Slime · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
ん す… すごい能力だな 捕食者ってTh-This "Predator" seems like a pretty amazing ability.
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Mob Psycho 100 · 19 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
霊能力あっての 効果だがな
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Haikyu!! · 10 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
恵まれた体格 優れた身体能力
Usage and nuance
Mob Psycho 100 uses 能力 for psychic power; Tensura uses it for the skills a slime absorbs. In an office drama the same word is ordinary job ability. Context decides.
Related: 特殊能力 is "special ability", 能力を使う is "to use one's power", 能力が高い means "highly capable". The rhythm is nou-ryo-ku with a long first vowel.
My Hero Academia avoids 能力 and uses its own term 個性 (kosei, quirk), which is a good reminder that each show picks its own vocabulary for powers.
Hear 能力 in Reincarnated as a Slime6 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account