Meaning of “Dattebayo” in Naruto

Naruto Shippuden episodes have so much to watch, see and learn. Especially Japanese words. Let’s say “Dattebayo.” Do you know the meaning of Dattebayo? So the story moves this way. Naruto had a habit of saying dattebayo every time he finished a verse. He often said dattebayo to prove someone he was doing because he mainly was proving people wrong about himself or completing a specific task.

So he used the word dattebayo to confirm that he would finish the task. He got this habit from his mother Kushina Uzumaki may be genetic, and she too likes to speak a word after completing a sentence ‘DATTEBANE.’ Well, naruto says DATTEBAYO. He says it to make his sentence more effective and catchy, which means’ believe it.’ So he wants that the words he spoke are the truth. And ask the audience to listen to it carefully—# DATTEBAYO.

So in the anime and manga, whenever he said dattebayo, it can be roughly translated into believing it.

Japanese to English Translation

Naruto’s catchphrase,「～だってばよ」(dattebayo), is substituted in the English interpretation with “Believe it!” However, multiple Japanese Q&A sites say it is more or less meaningless and superficial roles like the emphasis particle よ (yo).

The parts of the word can be cracked down to だ (da), the authoritative version of the copula, ってば (tteba), meaning “like I said,” and よ (yo), the emphasis particle.

While you might think of 「～だってばよ」 as meaning “It’s like I already told you!” or “Believe it!” established on that, it’s still not an authentic Japanese expression. You must probably avoid using it in your speech.

Why did Naruto start saying “Believe It!”?

Well, it was nothing more than sort of a filler for speech. Because when they started translating from Japanese to English dub, there was an abrupt use of a phrase

“Dattebayo”

That is a common phrase in Japanese that roughly means “you know.”

It is not an actual translation, as you can use the phrase differently. Still, every time naruto would state something big, he would say that to reassure everyone that “yea, I will do.”

In part 1, the dub filled it in by having naruto say, “believe it.” But this was later changed in Shippuden, and some context and lore add up behind it.

It turned out that Kushina was born impatient, and saying the phrase “Dattebayo” was her quirk (just some candy for any academia fans here), and she would get nervous every time, and she would blurt it out.

So naruto got that quirk from her, and he would say that whenever he got nervous or excited.

While I liked the meme value in believing it, I liked the change because it added a sentimental value, especially when naruto first met his mom, and it brought a tear to my eye. So I think it was an excellent addition.

Summary

“Dattebayo” is a catchphrase used by Naruto in the Naruto franchise, inherited from his mother, Kushina, who says, “dattebane.” Dattebayo is translated into “believe it” in the English dub, essentially what it means.

だって, or datte, means “it must go my way” or “believe what I say.” When ば, or -ba, is added to it, making だってば (datte-ba) it suggests that the catchphrase is time-proven and means “I’ll say it again” or “just like I said before.” “Yo” is just an add-on that ties off the whole thing and gives it some energy. “Dattebane” is translated into “ya know” in the English dub. “Ne” means “right?” and if you’ve watched anime, you’ll see characters going, “Ne? Ne? NE????” So “dattebayo” means “I’ll repeat it, it’ll go my way! Yeah!” and “dattebane” means “I’ll repeat it, it’ll go my way! Don’t you agree?”

Unless you’re conversing among members of the anime community (to which it’s a pretty good joke that most people will know and laugh along too), I’d suggest refraining from saying this in public as an actual expression since it’s regarded as infantile and childish. If you’re speaking to someone in Japanese who doesn’t watch Naruto and you say “dattebayo,” they’ll immediately brand you as a weirdo.