Yatta!
| Yatta! | |
|---|---|
| File:Yatta.jpg Hiro exclaims "Yatta!" upon his arrival in New York, NY. | |
| First reference: | Genesis |
Yatta is a Japanese short form for "yarimashita", which translates to "(I/We) did it!", but can also have meanings of "okay!", "it's done!", "ready!", or "all right!". The word is frequently exclaimed by Hiro Nakamura, accompanied by his raised arms.
About
Genesis
When Hiro learns he can turn back the flow of time, he runs through his office shouting Yatta!. Later, Hiro and Ando are thrown out of a bar — Hiro excitedly tells Ando, "I tele-ported myself!" and throws his hands in the air. Finally, after teleporting to New York, Hiro triumphantly exclaims the phrase in Times Square.
Don't Look Back
Exploring New York, Hiro finds a comic book whose cover captures his shout.
One Giant Leap
Back in Tokyo, Hiro enthusiastically tells Ando "I did it!", relating his control over the space/time continuum.
Hiros
Nathan gives Hiro a ride from the Fly By Night Diner to Las Vegas. When Hiro gets out of the car, he shoots his hands joyously in the air and yells, "Victory!".
Nothing to Hide
After working with D.L. to stop time and save a woman, Hiro tries to explain his time-freezing power to Micah. Despite his broken English, Hiro attempts saying "Yatta!" as a means of conveying his success.
Seven Minutes to Midnight
Charlie calls Hiro "sweet" at the Burnt Toast Diner in Midland, TX. Hiro turns around, arms raised high, and cheerfully boasts, "I'm sweet!"
Six Months Ago
Hiro enters the diner, arms cheerfully raised, with a Japanese newspaper he thinks will irrefutably prove he is a time traveller. Later, Hiro tells Charlie about a 24 hour Samurai film festival, just after he joyously raises his arms.
Notes
- In the original script for Genesis, Hiro was to exclaim "bonsai" after discovering his powers. According to a statement by Masi Oka on The View, he approached Tim Kring and informed him that "bonsai actually means 'little tree'", and that he probably meant banzai. Because Masi felt that banzai had wartime/old-fashioned connotations, he asked if it would be okay to use the more modern exclamation "Yatta!" instead. Tim Kring gave Masi permission to change the line by replying along the lines of "Dude, go to town."
Street Fighter II homage
Hiro's style of shouting "Yatta!", with his arms outstretched, appears in part to be an homage to the character of Chun-Li, who after winning a match in the videogame Street Fighter II, stretches her arms, giggles, jumps in the air, and also shouts "Yatta!" [1] [2]
Links
- A YouTube video montage of Hiro's "Yatta!"s
- Yatta!, the Japanese Pop Song (also know as the comedic video Irrational Exhuberance) on Wikipedia
- Milo Ventimiglia and Masi Oka on The View - Masi Oka begins discussing "Yatta!" at 03:15.