86 follows the marginalized Eighty-Six soldiers, led by Shinei Nouzen, as they battle autonomous drones in a war-torn nation riddled with systemic racism and oppression.
The series explores themes of identity, resilience, and the human cost of warfare through its emotionally charged narrative. This curated list highlights 25 quotes that encapsulate the series’ depth, character growth, and societal critique.
We are the Eighty-Six. We are not dead yet
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 1 (“Under Pressure”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin’s defiant declaration establishes the squadron’s resolve against erasure by their oppressors.
I will remember you. I will never forget your names
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 4 (“Let’s Have a Funeral March Played at the End”)
[Speaker]: Vladilena Milizé
[Context]: Lena vows to honor the Eighty-Six, rejecting her nation’s dehumanization of them.
If we stop fighting, we’ll lose the right to be human
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 11 (“What It Means to Survive”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin asserts their humanity hinges on resistance, even in hopeless circumstances.
Even if this world is a lie, the pain we feel is real
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 7 (“I’ll Remember You”)
[Speaker]: Raiden Shuga
[Context]: Raiden acknowledges their suffering’s validity amid systemic denial of their existence.
You don’t get to decide who’s human!
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 5 (“I’ll Never Forget”)
[Speaker]: Vladilena Milizé
[Context]: Lena confronts her peers’ bigotry, defending the Eighty-Six’s humanity.
We’ll keep moving forward, even if it kills us
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 9 (“That’s What It Means to Survive”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin’s resolve to persist despite inevitable casualties underscores their existential defiance.
I want to see the sea
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 3 (“I Don’t Want to Die”)
[Speaker]: Daiya Irma
[Context]: Daiya’s dying wish symbolizes the Eighty-Six’s crushed hopes and unfulfilled dreams.
Surviving is our way of resisting
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 6 (“Until the End”)
[Speaker]: Anju Emma
[Context]: Anju reframes survival as an act of rebellion against their oppressors.
The only thing we can leave behind is our will
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 11 (“What It Means to Survive”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin emphasizes legacy over physical survival during the squadron’s final stand.
I refuse to let your deaths be in vain
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 12 (“Stay Alive”)
[Speaker]: Vladilena Milizé
[Context]: Lena pledges to fight for justice, honoring the Eighty-Six’s sacrifices.
We’re not heroes. We’re just survivors
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 8 (“Let’s Go”)
[Speaker]: Raiden Shuga
[Context]: Raiden rejects romanticized narratives, grounding their struggle in raw survival.
Even in death, we are not alone
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 10 (“Thanks”)
[Speaker]: Theoto Rikka
[Context]: Theo finds solace in camaraderie, transcending the isolation of war.
This war took everything from us, but it can’t take our humanity
[Episode Details]: Season 2, Episode 13 (“How Are You?”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin’s refusal to relinquish empathy amid horror defines his character arc.
You’re not a monster. You’re human, just like us
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 7 (“I’ll Remember You”)
[Speaker]: Vladilena Milizé
[Context]: Lena assures Shin his trauma doesn’t strip him of humanity.
The battlefield is our grave, but we choose how we lie in it
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 5 (“I’ll Never Forget”)
[Speaker]: Kurena Kukumila
[Context]: Kurena asserts autonomy over their fate despite oppression.
We fight so that one day, someone might live in peace
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 2 (“Spearhead Squadron”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin’s early hope for a future beyond war fuels the squadron.
Names have power. They prove we existed
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 4 (“Let’s Have a Funeral March Played at the End”)
[Speaker]: Vladilena Milizé
[Context]: Lena’s insistence on naming the dead challenges systemic erasure.
Even if the world forgets us, we’ll remember each other
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 11 (“What It Means to Survive”)
[Speaker]: Anju Emma
[Context]: Anju clings to bonds as the last vestige of their identity.
You don’t need a reason to help someone
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 6 (“Until the End”)
[Speaker]: Raiden Shuga
[Context]: Raiden’s simple ethic contrasts the Republic’s moral bankruptcy.
Our screams are the proof that we’re still alive
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 9 (“That’s What It Means to Survive”)
[Speaker]: Theoto Rikka
[Context]: Theo finds validation in their collective voice amid silence.
I’ll carry your will forward, even if I’m the last one
[Episode Details]: Season 2, Episode 23 (“The Answer”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin’s promise to fallen comrades drives his post-war purpose.
This is not a fight for survival. It’s a fight for our dignity
[Episode Details]: Season 2, Episode 8 (“Shin”)
[Speaker]: Vladilena Milizé
[Context]: Lena redefines their struggle as a quest for self-respect.
We’re not tools. We’re human beings!
[Episode Details]: Season 1, Episode 3 (“I Don’t Want to Die”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin rejects the Republic’s objectification of the Eighty-Six.
The sea… I finally see it
[Episode Details]: Season 2, Episode 23 (“The Answer”)
[Speaker]: Shinei Nouzen
[Context]: Shin’s arrival at the sea fulfills a symbolic journey toward hope.
Even in this cursed world, we found something worth protecting
[Episode Details]: Season 2, Episode 24 (“May You Remain”)
[Speaker]: Vladilena Milizé
[Context]: Lena’s epiphany underscores love and connection as redemptive forces.
These quotes reflect 86’s haunting exploration of identity, resilience, and the cost of humanity in the face of oppression. Each line etches the characters’ struggles and triumphs into a timeless narrative of defiance.
