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初見殺し shoken goroshi
A trap you can't dodge blind.
What does shoken goroshi mean?
A section built so that first-timers die no matter how skilled they are. You only get past it by already knowing — which is why speedrunners memorize and newcomers rage.
Example
この面はどう見ても初見殺しだった。
That stage was a total first-timer killer.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Friends only Casual. Natural with friends, out of place at work or with strangers.
The story behind shoken goroshi
The design goes back further than the phrase. Arcade cabinets earned money by killing you, and the shooters and action games of the 1980s were built so that survival came from memorising the pattern, not from reflexes. 初見殺し names that bargain honestly: this bit is unfair on purpose, and you are meant to pay for the lesson.
Modern games inherited it, and so did the language. People now use 初見殺し for a road junction with a hidden turn, a restaurant whose ordering system has no instructions, a ceremony where everyone else knows when to stand. Anywhere the rule is invisible until you have already broken it.
Get shoken goroshi in your pocket
初見殺し is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
