The Best Quotes from the Anime Nana

Ai Yazawa’s Nana is more than just a manga or an anime. It’s a famous story that has meant a lot to its fans all over the world. The story started in 2000 and has been on a long pause since 2009.

It all starts when two women, both named Nana, meet on a train to Tokyo. Nana Osaki is a punk rocker who wants to become a famous musician. Nana Komatsu, nicknamed Hachi, is a sweet and boy-crazy girl following her boyfriend to the city.

The story seems simple at first, but it quickly becomes a serious drama. It shows the tough parts of being a young adult without hiding anything. Nana doesn't sugarcoat the struggles of growing up. It deals with big topics like messy relationships, drug use, and the pain of dreams not coming true.

The show’s real power is in its dialogue. The writing feels very real because the characters are flawed and act like actual people. Their words are often messy and confused, which makes them feel human and vulnerable. They are young and don't always understand their own feelings, so they often hurt each other.

Fashion is another big part of the story. The author, Ai Yazawa, uses style to show who the characters are without them having to say a word. For example, Nana Osaki’s punk style and love for Vivienne Westwood says a lot about her personality. This article breaks down some of the most memorable quotes from the series.

'Hey, Nana': Quotes About Their Friendship

The story in Nana is built around a feeling of sad memories. It does this with its most famous storytelling tool: the "Hey, Nana" and "Hey, Hachi" monologues. These moments are so emotional because they aren't happening in the present.

As you watch, you slowly figure out that the characters are talking to each other from the future. They are separated and looking back on their time together. This changes how you see the whole story.

You're not watching to see what happens next. You're watching to understand how everything fell apart. This makes every happy moment, like sharing a laugh in Apartment 707, feel bittersweet and full of loss.

Quote: "Hey Nana, do you remember the first time we met? I believe in things like fate. So I think it was fate."

• Context: Hachi says this in her thoughts during the first episode. She's sitting next to Nana Osaki on a train to Tokyo.
• Analysis: This is the first line of the story, and it introduces the theme of destiny. Hachi really believes in fate, maybe because it's easier than thinking about her own choices. This line sets up their meeting as something special and meant to be.

Quote: "Hey Hachi, no matter how much or how often people hurt each other, loving someone is never a waste."

• Context: Nana Osaki says this in the future, thinking about all the painful relationships Hachi has been in. She says it after reading a letter from Hachi that she still keeps.
• Analysis: This is one of the main ideas of the entire series. It's a way of saying that even when things go wrong, the love you give is still real and important. It's Nana’s way of telling Hachi and herself that their feelings matter, no matter how messy things get.

Quote: "Hey Nana, the midsummer flowers are blooming along the Tama River again this year. We're all waiting for you in apartment 707. I had matching Yukata made for us too... I'll always be waiting, for 10 years, 20 years, 50 years."

• Context: This is a sad quote from the future. Hachi is living with her daughter, and it’s clear she and Nana Osaki have been apart for a long, long time.
• Analysis: This line confirms that their separation is a deep and lasting tragedy. Apartment 707 is no longer just a place but a memory of a promise. Nana O. nicknamed Hachi after a famously loyal dog, and this quote shows that the name became her destiny. She will always be waiting for Nana.

Nana Osaki's Best Quotes

Nana Osaki is the rock star of the series. She is a punk singer who seems tough and independent on the outside. But her cool style hides deep-seated trauma and fear of being abandoned.

Her words show her pride and her desperate need to succeed. She isn't just trying to be famous. She's trying to build a life where she can never be left behind again.

Quotes About Ren

Nana's relationship with Ren Honjo is the great love of her past. He was the guitarist in her old band before he left to join a more famous one. Their bond is intense and codependent, built on shared dreams and pain.

Ren leaving for Tokyo was more than just a breakup for Nana. It brought back her deepest fear of abandonment, which came from being left by her mother. Her whole life becomes about getting him back.

Quote: "Hey Ren. If I were to die, would you die with me?"

• Context: Nana asks Ren this in flashbacks to their time in their hometown.
• Analysis: This isn't a romantic question, it's a test. Nana needs to know that she is the most important person to him because he is to her. She is asking for a guarantee that she will never be left alone again.

Quote: "Even now I'm anxious at times because when I am with Ren, everything around feels like a dream. That was... source never catch him."

• Context: Nana thinks this after she gets back together with Ren in Tokyo.
• Analysis: This quote shows how she feels small in their relationship. Being with Ren feels like a dream, but it also makes her own life and band feel less important. She feels like she can never truly have him, because he often chooses his career over her.

Quote: "If Ren and I had a choice to die, I don't think Ren would want to die with me anymore."

• Context: A sad thought from Nana later in the story, as Ren's drug addiction and fame pull them apart.
• Analysis: This is the heartbreaking answer to her first question. She finally realizes that their "die-with-me" love was a fantasy. She now knows that he has once again chosen himself over her.

Quotes About Hachi

If Ren was Nana's toxic love, Hachi becomes her anchor to the world. Their friendship is the other great love story of the series. Nana's feelings for Hachi are protective and possessive, driven by a deep need to be needed.

Quote: (Paraphrased) "She's like a stray dog. Small, needy, and quick to get attached. But she's loyal. I'll call her Hachi."

• Context: Nana's thoughts when she first meets Hachi and gives her the nickname.
• Analysis: This nickname is Nana's way of claiming Hachi. It's a complex name with a few layers of meaning.
  1. The Pun: "Nana" means seven, and "Hachi" means eight.
  2. The Pet: It's a cute name, like one you'd give a puppy, which is how Nana sees Hachi.
  3. The "Stray Dog": Nana sees that Hachi is lonely and looking for a home, just like her.
  4. The "Hachikō": It refers to a famous loyal dog in Japan. By giving Hachi this name, Nana is making sure she has someone loyal who will never abandon her.

Quote: "Men are so useless. I can make Hachi happy!"

• Context: Nana often says this when she sees Hachi getting hurt by men like her cheating boyfriend Shoji or the manipulative Takumi.
• Analysis: This line shows how possessive and protective Nana is of Hachi. She sees Hachi's search for a boyfriend as a waste of time. Nana truly believes she is the only one who can give Hachi the happiness and stability she's looking for.

Quote: "You know Hachi... I was too small of a person to be able to accept everything about you. It's just that I preferred the pain of breaking into pieces, to the loneliness I felt from losing everything. I was just too fragile, It's not your fault."

• Context: A monologue from the future, where Nana reflects on Hachi’s decision to marry Takumi.
• Analysis: This is a moment of sad self-awareness. Nana admits her pride was just a shield for her own fragility. She couldn't handle Hachi's choice because it felt like another abandonment, and her possessive love was a reaction to her own trauma.

Quotes About Her Music

Nana's ambition for her band, the Black Stones (Blast), is the driving force of her life. These quotes show her passion and the loneliness that comes with chasing her dream.

Quote: "For my 20th birthday in March... A one way ticket to Tokyo. All I need is my guitar and a pack of [cigarettes]."

• Context: Nana's thoughts in a flashback, as she prepares to leave her hometown and Ren behind.
• Analysis: This is Nana’s punk-rock declaration of independence. Of course, it’s not totally true, as she desperately wants connection. But it's the myth she builds for herself, and her guitar is the one thing that will never leave her.

Quote: "That overflowing feeling became love. But I don't sing for Ren's sake. I sing for myself everyday."

• Context: Nana explaining why she makes music, probably to Hachi.
• Analysis: This is a key line about her independence. She admits her love for Ren fueled her art, but she makes it clear that her music is her own. She is the artist, not just someone's muse.

Quote: "Right now I am full of greed and vanity, so I cannot live with you like before. But maybe we can meet like this... But when we grow old, when greed and vanity will be completely gone, when I will be tired of singing can I return to that place too?"

• Context: Nana's thoughts later in the story, talking to an absent Hachi as her fame grows.
• Analysis: This quote shows Nana's true tragedy. She sees her own ambition as a bad thing that keeps her from the simple happiness of living with Hachi. She feels like she has to choose between her dream and her friend, which leads to her lonely future.

Nana "Hachi" Komatsu's Best Quotes

While Nana Osaki is cool and admirable, Nana Komatsu (Hachi) is the relatable heart of the story. Her search for love is really a messy search for herself. Her journey is about learning that fairytales aren't real and growing up is painful.

Quotes About Finding Love

Hachi falls in love easily and has a deep fear of being alone. She isn't looking for the perfect partner. She is looking for the perfect role for herself, like being a girlfriend or a wife. Her search for love is really about wanting to belong to someone.

Quote: "I wanted to have a good relationship. One that's romantic and dramatic, like in the movies. But I finally became a woman at 17... and learned that men aren't really that simple. Or so I thought."

• Context: Hachi thinking about her messy love life early in the story.
• Analysis: This line sets up her whole story. Hachi wants her life to be like a movie, but real life and real men keep messing up her script. Her character is defined by the gap between what she wants and the harsh reality of love.

Quote: "I, who was empty… I made myself believe that I could only fill it.. by falling in love… At that time to me.. in this world around you, Nana... Everything was so shiny that I was blinded. That doesn't mean that anyone would suit me… I just wanted to be in the same light as you."

• Context: Hachi explaining how she felt when she first met Nana Osaki.
• Analysis: This is a very self-aware moment for Hachi. She admits her search for love was just a way to fill her own emptiness. She then explains that her admiration for Nana was another form of this same feeling, wanting to be near someone so "shiny."

Quote: "Even if I'm not loved, I still want to love. To love someone from the bottom of your heart, is the simplest thing in the world. So why is it so difficult?"

• Context: Hachi's thoughts during her complicated relationships with Nobu and Takumi.
• Analysis: This shows the sad problem of Hachi's character. She has a lot of love to give, but it’s all tangled up with her neediness. She can’t love purely because her empty heart is always trying to take what it needs, like stability and validation.

Quotes About Her Friendship with Nana

While Hachi's love life is a mess, her friendship with Nana Osaki is the most important relationship in the series. Her quotes about Nana O. show her deep admiration and loyalty. Hachi sees Nana as the hero of her own life.

Quote: "Nana acts like a stray cat, wild, free, and proud.......But inside her heart, she houses a wound. Dense as I am, I thought that. This trait of hers was a part of her charm as well... but she never realized how much pain it brought her...."

• Context: Hachi’s insightful observation of Nana Osaki's tough personality.
• Analysis: This shows that Hachi is very emotionally intelligent. While Nana O. sees Hachi as a simple puppy, Hachi sees Nana O. perfectly. She sees the pain hidden underneath the proud exterior, which is the foundation of their bond.

Quote: "Our table became the stage. Your phone was the mike and the crescent moonlight was your spotlight. Only you could make Magic like that. Nana."

• Context: Hachi remembering a simple, happy night in Apartment 707.
• Analysis: This poetic quote shows how Hachi romanticizes Nana O., turning her into a hero. For Hachi, Nana is magical and the shiny center of her world. It perfectly captures her deep admiration.

Quote: "Hey Nana, if you and I were lovers, would we have been able to fill the emptiness by holding each other?"

• Context: Hachi’s most famous and painful thought, reflecting on her emptiness and her deep bond with Nana O.
• Analysis: This is one of the most heartbreaking lines in the series. Hachi has spent her life thinking a man could solve her problems. But the love she shares with Nana O. is the most fulfilling she has ever known. This quote is her wondering if that love could have been the answer, if only it fit into a romantic box.

Quotes About Life

Hachi seems naive, but she is the true philosopher of the series. While Nana O. is busy chasing her dreams, Hachi spends a lot of time thinking. Her reflections are often surprisingly wise and capture the main message of the story.

Quote: "Hey Nana... How come realising a dream and being happy... are such different things? I still don't understand..."

• Context: Hachi’s most famous thought, which she returns to often as her life unfolds.
• Analysis: This is the main idea of the entire series. It’s the painful realization that getting what you want doesn’t always lead to a happy ending. Both Nanas get their "dreams," but they end up miserable and lonely.

Quote: "The dreams we are chasing and the reality that is chasing us are always parallel; they never meet."

• Context: Hachi's thoughts on the tough, unglamorous nature of adult life in Tokyo.
• Analysis: This is a more poetic version of the previous quote. It captures the feeling of exhaustion that comes with being an adult. No matter how hard you work for your dream, reality is always right behind you.

Quote: "I always thought that life was about standing your ground, no matter how strong the current was. But going with the flow isn't so bad after all. As long as it takes you forward."

• Context: Hachi trying to justify her life choices, especially her decision to stay with Takumi.
• Analysis: This quote shows both Hachi's maturity and her biggest flaw. On one hand, it's about accepting that you can't control everything. But on the other hand, it's her excuse for giving up control and letting others decide her life for her.

Themes in Nana's Quotes

The story of Nana feels so real because of its recurring themes and symbols. These ideas are woven into the dialogue. Looking at them helps us better understand the characters' feelings and choices.

Fate and the Number 7

The story of Nana is a battle between Hachi's belief in fate and Nana O.'s belief in her own choices. This conflict is shown through the theme of destiny and the number seven.

The idea of fate is there from the start. "Nana" means "seven" in Japanese, and their special home is Apartment 707. This number connects them and makes their meeting feel like it was meant to be.

Hachi blames her problems on a "Demon Lord" she made up. This is her way of avoiding responsibility for her own bad decisions. By blaming fate, she can stay passive and not have to change.

Nana Osaki is the opposite, believing she can control her own life. The real tragedy is that both of them end up getting hurt. Hachi gets stuck in a cycle because she believes in fate, while Nana O. ends up alone because she tries too hard to control everything.

Apartment 707 and the Strawberry Glasses

The emotional heart of the series is tied to two key symbols: their home and a set of matching glasses.

Apartment 707 was their sanctuary. It was the only place where the two Nanas and their different worlds could exist together. This is why the memory of it is so painful. In the future, it's not a real place anymore, just a symbol of what they lost.

The two matching strawberry glasses represented Nana and Hachi's special bond and Hachi's dream of a happy home life. This dream was so important to Hachi. Nana O. went along with it because she loved Hachi, not because she liked cute glasses.

When Hachi chooses Takumi, she shatters that dream herself. The moment when one of the strawberry glasses breaks is a powerful symbol. It represents the breaking of their bond and the end of the life they were supposed to share.

What We Learn From Nana

Nana connects with people because its life lessons feel real, raw, and bittersweet. The author wanted people to relate to either Hachi or Nana O. The story is full of painful and messy realism, and the quotes teach us a few core lessons.

1. Love Isn't a Cure: The series shows that loving someone is never a waste, but you can't use love to fix your own emptiness. Hachi looks for a savior in men, and Nana O. tries to be Hachi's savior. All of these attempts fail because you can't expect someone else to save you.
2. Female Friendship is Powerful: The most important relationship in the whole series is the one between the two Nanas. Their friendship is shown with all the passion, pain, and possessiveness that is usually saved for epic love stories.
3. Growing Up is Hard: The biggest lesson is in Hachi's famous quote about dreams and happiness being different things. The point of Nana is that adulthood is messy and incomplete. It's about learning to live with the gap between your dreams and your reality.

The series has been on a long hiatus and may never be finished. In a sad way, this is the final lesson of Nana . The story itself is incomplete, just like life. The fans are left like Hachi, waiting in Apartment 707 for a resolution that might never come.