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Recently while watching _Twin Star Exorcists_ I noticed the main character
using a Sanskrit spell. Why is that the case? Why don't they use native
Japanese spells instead?


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tropes twin-star-exorcists
Why do some anime characters use Sanskrit spells instead of Japanese?


per [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit) on Sanskrit

> Sanskrit (/ˈsænskrɪt/; Sanskrit: saṃskṛtam [səmskr̩t̪əm] or saṃskṛta,
> originally saṃskṛtā vāk, "refined speech") is the primary sacred language of
> Hinduism, a philosophical language in Hinduism, Jainism, **Buddhism** and
> Sikhism, and a literary language that was in use as a lingua franca in
> Greater India.

While Japan's native region is way back when was Shintoism during the Nara
period Buddhism was making it's way into Japan and was structurally
established within Japan by Emperor Shōmu sometime during his reign between
724–749 being a devout Buddhist himself.

> During this time, Buddhism becomes structurally established within Japan by
> Emperor Shōmu (reign 724–749), and several large building projects are
> undertaken. The Emperor lays out plans for the Buddha Dainichi (Great Sun
> Buddha), at Tōdai-ji assisted by the Priest Gyogi (or Gyoki) Bosatsu. The
> priest Gyogi went to Ise Daijingu Shrine for blessings to build the Buddha
> Dainichi. They identified the statue of Viarocana with Amatarasu (the sun
> goddess) as the manifestation of the supreme expression of universality.

Soruce: [Shinto - History - Nara
Period](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto#Nara_Period)

> Shōmu, a devout Buddhist, is best remembered for commissioning, in 743, the
> sixteen-meter high statue of the Vairocana Buddha (the Daibutsu) in Tōdai-ji
> of Nara.

Source: [Emperor Shōmu -
Legacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Sh%C5%8Dmu#Legacy)

obviously one can find Buddist references in some anime such as
[Dragonball](https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/32157/1587) and [Brave
10](https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/7103/1587), particualy from the answer
in that link

> Buddhist texts in Japanese are strange things. As the informed reader is
> aware, Buddhism originated in India, and as such, many of the foundational
> texts of Buddhism were originally written in Sanskrit. When Buddhism moved
> into China, those Sanskrit texts were translated into whatever the
> contemporary form of Classical Chinese was. Eventually, those texts made
> their way from China into Japan.

the exact reason as to why they would use that? if i was to make an assumption
it would be because it's an old yet mystical language from a age long gone and
normally (from what i have seen) old languages are generally used for magic
such as with the Merlin series the Spells used in it were literal commands
(like Open, Copy, Burn) translated to Old English or Lancer in Fate/Stay Night
using Northern European Runes

> Lancer obtained 18 Original Runes, Norse Runes, after studying magecraft
> under Scáthach in the Land of Shadows

Source: [Lancer (Fate/Stay Night) - Abilities -
Runes](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Lancer_\(Fate/stay_night\)#Runes)

[![Runes](https://i.stack.imgur.com/96oci.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/96oci.gif)

^ you can see 3 of the 4 Runes Lancer uses in Ath nGabla. the 4 runes being
Algiz, Nauthiz, Ansuz, and Ingwaz


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You can find an English language equivalent (English using spells
spoken/written in Latin) easily.

For example, any of the Harry Potter books.

Lumos, for example, for light.

-john


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