Does Yasuo Say Hasaki or Hasagi?

Yasuo, one of the most beloved and hated champions of League of Legends. He is a samurai from Ionia, a mystical and Far Eastern-themed region of Runeterra. For being an older character and also a highly preferred one for a very long time, it can be said that he is an iconized champion. 

Being an icon, Yasuo has many signature sayings that will bring him to mind. His quote “Hasaki/Hasagi” is maybe the most popular one of these signature sayings and it is quite often argued over whether the correct spelling of this quote is “Hasaki” or “Hasagi”.   

In the recent Riot Games game Legends of Runeterra, we see from Yasuo’s subtitles that the correct spelling is “Hasagi”. Still, there are many elements that cause confusion or leave room for doubt. 

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The Meaning

In the League of Legends universe, there are many different languages and dialects as there are different cultures and subcultures. The language Yasuo speaks is “Bronzie”, an ancient Ionian dialect. 

As Ionia is a region with heavy elements from Far Eastern cultures, the language used in the region is a combination of several Far Eastern languages. 

The dialect Yasuo uses mostly draws from the Japanese and Korean languages. His name Yasuo for example is a masculine Japanese name and depending on its Kanji spelling can mean; protective, tranquil, happy, young man, peaceful, superior, and so on.  

Because of the use of Japanese in Yasuo’s character, many players claim the correct 

pronunciation of his iconic quote is “Hasaki” which means “cutting edge” in Japanese.

Lore Connection

Some also say the word “Hasagi” can mean “Fraud” in Japanese. In this case, it would be quite appropriate for Yasuo’s backstory. 

We learn from Yasuo’s biography that he was a student of the “Wind Technique”. He studied the wind technique and mastered it over time, learning all its secrets. He was the most powerful disciple of his master Elder Sauma and also his protector. 

When the Noxians started an invasion of Ionia however, Yasuo decided to fight against them. While Yasuo was off fighting the forces of Noxus, his master was killed. Nobody knew who the killer was. 

The only clue they had was that he was killed by a user of the wind technique. Yasuo, the most powerful known user of the wind technique besides Elder Sauma, was decided to be the culprit.

Yasuo was hunted down by many of the wind technique disciples who wanted to avenge their master. He successfully defended himself and presumably killed all other disciples of Elder Sauma. Even his own brother Yone.

After his brother Yone was resurrected and came for Yasuo once again, Yasuo had been defeated. Yasuo offered Yone to exact his vengeance by killing him but Yone denied it. Instead, sparing his life and saying Yasuo might deserve death but he will not be the one to kill him. 

Yasuo left his homeland after these events as he had no peace left there. He became a Ronin, a Japanese stereotype of a traveling warrior. 

Most importantly, even though he found the real culprit behind Elder Sauma’s killing and proved his innocence, he never could have cleared his name. He is to be always known as a traitor and a fraud. 

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Pronunciation 

It is clear in the pronunciation that the word doesn’t have a “k” in it. Some Korean and Japanese speaking players also state that in the voice lines of these languages Yasuo says “Hasagi”.  

Gimmicks 

Of course, with a lot of debate going on in the community some players created certain gimmicks and jokes. The most famous of these jokes go “Why does Yasuo never get locked out? Because he has-a-key.”.