#volitional form

少年 (しょうねん) = boy; young man

侮辱する (ぶじょくする) = to insult; to humiliate [suru verb]

侮辱するな = don't insult — な after plain verb form = blunt prohibition

何度でも (なんどでも) = any number of times; however many times it takes

言おう = volitional form of 言う (to say)

価値基準 (かちきじゅん) = values; value system; standard of judgment

違う (ちがう) = to differ; to be different

如何なる (いかなる) = any; whatever; no matter what [formal]

あろうとも = even if there may be; no matter what — volitional of ある + とも

鬼 (おに) = demon

How to form the volitional

The volitional form expresses volition — intention, proposal, or invitation to act.

Group 1 verbs (u-verbs):

change the final う-sound to おう

言う → 言おう · 書く → 書こう · 飲む → 飲もう · 話す → 話そう

Group 2 verbs (ru-verbs):

replace る with よう

食べる → 食べよう · 見る → 見よう · 起きる → 起きよう

Irregular verbs:

する → しよう · くる → こよう

Polite volitional:

replace ます with ましょう

行きます → 行きましょう

"I will" or "let's"?

The volitional has two main readings depending on context:

"Let's ~" — proposal or invitation directed at others 行こう！= Let's go! 食べましょう。= Let's eat.

"I will ~" — personal declaration of intent, often internal 絶対に勝とう。= I will definitely win. 何度でも言おう。= I'll say it as many times as it takes.

The "I will" reading tends to appear when the speaker is alone, making a private resolution, or delivering a declaration with no invitation for others to join. Rengoku isn't asking anyone to say it with him — he's committing to saying it himself.

何度でも言おう — register and nuance

This phrasing is more dramatic and declarative than everyday speech. In casual conversation you'd more likely hear 何回でも言うよ — the plain future with よ, which is softer and more conversational. 言おう gives it the feel of a formal statement, a vow almost.

It's not unnatural — but it carries weight. Context earns it here: Rengoku is dying, and he's making a point he wants to land.

君と俺とでは — contrastive では

君と俺とでは価値基準が違う — the と after both 君 and 俺 marks them as paired elements ("you and I, taken together"). では introduces a contrastive frame — "when it comes to you and me." The implication is that elsewhere, or with someone else, things might be different — but between these two, the values don't align.

如何なる理由があろうとも — volitional + とも

あろうとも = even if there may be; no matter what. あろう is the volitional of ある, and とも attached to the volitional creates a concessive — "even if X were to be the case."

volitional + とも = even if ~; no matter ~

如何なる理由があろうとも鬼にならない → No matter what reason there may be, I will not become a demon.

如何なる (いかなる) is a formal, literary word meaning "any; whatever" — it's not used in everyday speech. Its formality matches the weight of the declaration. Rengoku isn't considering specific reasons; he's ruling out all of them in advance.

Other examples of volitional + とも:

何があろうとも = no matter what happens

誰が来ようとも = no matter who comes