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I was recently reading _One Piece_ (specifically chapter 754), and I noticed
that Zoro used the attack "1080 Pound Phoenix."

![Final page of chapter 754](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1yAKZ.jpg)

After I read through this chapter, I was rewatching the anime with my sisters
(episode 66 in this instance), and we were in the Baroque Works arc and I
noticed that Miss Valentine declared her attacks as "10,000 Kilogram Press."

![Probably a direct clip from the anime, but I don't know for
sure.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RTJFx.gif)

I'm pretty sure that Japan does not use the imperial form of measurement, so
was the translation of "1080 Pound Phoenix" incorrect?


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2015-07-17T21:22:31.540
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2015-07-19T07:30:25.747
2015-07-19T07:30:25.747
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question
one-piece
Why does Zoro's "1080 Pound Phoenix" use the term "pound" instead of "kilogram"?


As was pointed out to me by キルア, the reason Zoro uses "pound" in "1080 Pound
Phoenix" is purely an artistic choice. The original Japanese uses the furigana
ポンド (pondo, "pound")
[reference](http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Santoryu#Before_Timeskip "Scroll
Down to Hyakuhachi Pound Ho").

Also, as the wiki points out, the choice to use pound incorporates a sort of
pun.

> The attack's name is actually a very heavy pun — it is written out as
> "Phoenix of the 108 Earthly Desires" in the manga with a skewed reading
> attached that makes it "108 Pound Hō" when read out. Ho means both "cannon"
> (砲 Hō?) and "phoenix" (鳳 Hō?), however the attached kanji is for "phoenix",
> making that the literal translation and the "cannon" reading a pun on that,
> both of which are correct. The "pound" part is a skewed reading of the kanji
> for "earthly desires" (煩悩 Bonnō?), and it is referring to the caliber of a
> cannon (a 108 Caliber Cannon would fire a 108 Pound Ball).

Thank you again to キルア for pointing this out to me.


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2015-07-18T21:49:53.523
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answer