Japanese with Manga

Should be killed with 〜べき

Manga panel from 三ツ星カラーズ showing example of Should be killed with 〜べき.
三ツ星カラーズ » Volume 1 » Page 6

Yui, Sacchan, and Kotoha are friends who’ve formed a group called Colors to protect their neighborhood. Yui is the group’s leader.

Yui hurries to the Colors clubhouse with news of a cat she saw. She draws it on paper, but Sacchan sees it as the sketch of a monster. Kotoha looks over the drawing and asks if they’re going to kill it.

結衣(ゆい):
「こ (ころ)すのはダメーッ」
“K-killing it is not okay!”
琴葉(ことは):
「でも こんな()(もの)ブッ(ころ)べき
“But a monster like this should be killed.”
さっちゃん:
「そうだ じゃあ捕獲(ほかく)ならいいかリーダー」
“Right. Then is capturing it okay, Leader?”
結衣(ゆい):
「うんそれ!それにしよう!」
“Yeah, that! Let's do that!”

Key Points

1ブッ(ころ)すべき = should kill
  • べき attaches to the dictionary-form verb ブッ(ころ), so Kotoha is stating what she thinks the proper action is.
  • The subject is omitted. In English, “a monster like this should be killed” keeps the focus on the monster rather than naming who should do it.
2べき gives a judgment, not a hard rule
  • Kotoha is not quoting a law or requirement. She is giving her blunt opinion that killing the supposed monster is the right choice.
  • That fits べき’s nuance of ought to or should, stronger than casual advice but short of must.
3こんな()(もの) frames the target harshly
  • こんな means “this kind of” or “like this”, and it points at Yui’s drawing.
  • Calling it a ()(もの) makes Kotoha’s べき sound more justified from her point of view.
4ブッ(ころ)す is rougher than (ころ)
  • The prefix ブッ adds a forceful, violent feel, closer to “kill outright” than the plainer (ころ).
5捕獲(ほかく)なら shifts the proposal
  • Sacchan changes the action from killing to capture with じゃあ捕獲(ほかく)なら, “then if it’s capture…”
三ツ星カラーズ © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.