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Washi (わし): what it means in anime
わし
わし · washi · I; me (old men) Not on JLPT lists
Washi is the first-person pronoun of old men in fiction. When a character says わし, the show is telling you they are elderly, rural or speaking an old-fashioned dialect.
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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Vinland Saga · 14 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
わしは その地に名を付けた
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Re:Zero · 9 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
貴様！ わしを殺す気か
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Demon Slayer · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
わしの言っていることが分かるか？
Usage and nuance
In real Japan わし is still used by older men in the west of the country, but in anime it has become shorthand for "grandpa", regardless of where the story is set. Old masters, village elders and ancient dragons all say it.
It usually comes with the rest of "old man speech" (役割語, role language): じゃ instead of だ, ぬ instead of ない, and のう at the end of sentences. Once you recognise the set, you can guess a character's age from one line.
Do not use it yourself unless you are playing a role. It is a stage pronoun now, like saying "ye" in English.
Hear わし in Vinland Saga14 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account