The Etymology of Giant Killing
Language is an interesting beast. The evolution and creation of words and phrases over thousands of years have generated the language that you and I speak in the present. The title of an anime is the first exposure most people have to a work, so it’s important to choose a name that has meaning. Today I want to examine Giant Killing. We can all agree the name means exactly what it says on the tin. Rather, I am more concerned with the history of the term, and in addition, how it fits the anime. You might want to grab a Bible before continuing. I promise it will be painless.
The famous account of giant killing comes from the writer’s account at 1 Samuel 17. Yes, this is the story of David and Goliath. For those of you unfamiliar, I’ll summarize the highlights. The Philistines began to war with the Israel, and they had their star soldier, Goliath, acting as a demoralizer. He’d constantly come to the battle lines to taunt the Israelites. It worked too, because he stood almost 9’6” and wielded the largest arms anyone had ever seen. The camp didn’t know what to do about him, they just ran around in fear. They figured a man like this had to be invincible.
Puny humans cannot harm me!
One day, this young shepherd named David comes to the camp to deliver supplies and check on his brothers. While there, Goliath again approaches the line and delivers his stock speech. When David hears it, he asks about the reward for killing the giant. They tell him the slayer will receive riches and a marriage alliance with the king. So he goes to the king, Saul, and offers to fight. At first, he declines, but David gives reference to what he has done in the past by killing a lion and a bear with his own hands to protect his flock. The king decides to give him a chance and arms him. These weapons though, they’re too big and weigh him down, so he abandons them. Instead, he goes to the river with his sling and selects a few choice stones. He then approaches Goliath, and they exchange taunts. David cracks him in the head with a stone and then makes sure the giant dies by decapitating him with a sword.
Keep talkin', chucklehead. It'll be real funny when you DIE!
Before I apply this to Giant Killing, you might need to know a little about slings. A sling is simply two cords attached to a pouch. If you think of a slingshot and take out the handgrip, you have it. Commoners prized the simplistic and cheap design, which could offer devastating results. For example, the furthest recorded shot travelled 477 meters. You can imagine the power required for that feat. So, David has already chosen the commoner’s weapon, but he takes it further. Like any projectile, you can manufacture sling ammunition. Instead of using those, he goes to the river to pick out his stones. Thus, he uses the basest weapon possible. He doesn’t just take any stone though, he only takes the smoothest. He needs the best power conservation possible, and a smooth stone won’t lose as much speed from air resistance. So what’s the point of all this? He obviously could have chosen a different weapon. Instead, he used his knowledge and experience to make an undeniable statement to his people: Even the weakest person can prevail over insurmountable odds.
Modern sling, you get the idea.
Now we can apply all the information. All the other teams in Japan have left ETU demoralized. They keep going out to play, and the enemy hammers them repeatedly. The fans have no idea what to do and have lost their faith. Enter Tatsumi. If he can pull this team out of the dirt, think of the acclaim he would receive! Naturally, the team’s owners are skeptical of his ability, but when faced by him and his accomplishments, they know they have no other choice. A coach’s only real weapon is his team, so Tatsumi needs to examine his armaments. He has more experienced players he could use, but the idea doesn’t appeal to him. He could probably win, but it doesn’t do enough. Maybe they could have won without his help. Instead, he looks at the inexperienced members. He doesn’t just pick at random though, he divides them by track time to get only the fastest players. He needs speed, because a fast team can prove fatal to a slow offense or defense. He knows how to play the game, and he knows how to use his arms to the best of his ability from his experience as a player and coach. Tatsumi orchestrates all this for his statement: Even the weakest team can prevail over insurmountable odds.
I, Tatsumi, WILL KNOCK YOU ALL DOWN!
Did you see how well everything matches? That’s why I’m interested in Giant Killing. It puts all the aspects of the severe underdog story together “just so.” Now we just have to wait to see whom Tatsumi decapitates first.
