# Did ancient warriors run headlong into battle shouting “For \[their cause\]!” **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** middle-earth\ **Created:** [January 27, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067 "2026-01-27T00:14:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067/41 "2026-02-19T19:32:59Z")
No no that’s B **o** nsai, Banzai was a battle cry for the emperor, if you didn’t raise it you may very well end up being forced to commit Ikebana. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067/42 "2026-02-19T19:35:43Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > …being forced to commit Ikebana. No, that’s a popular Japanese grill where they cook the food in front of you. You’re thinking of Hare Krishna. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067/43 "2026-02-19T19:51:04Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > You’re thinking of Hare Krishna Or maybe Hairy Karaoke. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067/44 "2026-02-19T20:41:58Z")
As long as you aren’t forced to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with Harry Caray. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067/45 "2026-02-19T20:47:30Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I don’t know what your real name is, but to me, you’ll always be Deuteronomy Waterloo. That’s a good one! I’ve actually used a few of these variations as aliases. My favorite is “Amos Borodino”. It just has a great sound to it. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067/46 "2026-02-19T23:25:29Z")
> [@icon](#): > > It means something like 1000 years, or Live Long and is a term that is used, though not pronounced in the same way in many Asian countries including China, Korea and Vietnam. Yeah, it actually means 10,000 years and the entire saying cry was 天皇陛下万歳 Tennoheika banzai, which is along the lines of “long live the Emperor”. The first part, The Emperor, is said with less emphasis and flatter and I presume the charge itself starts with banzai. > [@dtilque](#): > > Or maybe Hairy Karaoke. There are a number of Japanese words that got completely mangled when adopted into English, including karaoke and harakiri. I had to reset my brain to see why this is funny. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067/47 "2026-02-26T17:20:15Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Yeah, it actually means 10,000 years and the entire saying cry was 天皇陛下万歳 Tennoheika banzai, Whoa - I haven’t played _Call of Duty_ since highschool, but seeing that written I could hear the _World at War_ line in my head. They do say both words, and yeah the emphasis is on _banzai_. Interesting meaning - there was a similarly translated cheer in the Vice episode on North Korea, people shouting ‘Live 10,000 years’ to the Supreme Leader. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067/48 "2026-02-26T21:00:24Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Screaming “For King X!” helped identify you as somebody the _other_ people fighting for King X _weren’t_ supposed to kill. It’s worth bearing in mind though that typically armies were more cohesive than the movie trope of a intermingled mass of friend and foe. If you can’t see a demarcation between “them” and “us” it’s generally time to run. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-warriors-run-headlong-into-battle-shouting-for-their-cause/1027067.md?page=2)