I've noticed sometimes, especially in video games, that some parts of sentences that would normally be written in hiragana is instead written in katakana. For example, I've seen "です" written as "デス" and even words being split into hiragana and katakana "pieces" such as "ください" written as ”くだサイ". So why would this be used? Could it be just random and discretionary, or could it convey something specific to the reader e.g. in/formality?
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1In these video games, it was only specific characters that did this, right?– AngelosFeb 8, 2021 at 18:38
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I think so, but it might have been used in some of the interface as well– J. S.Feb 8, 2021 at 18:48
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1Without context it's hard to say. This type of writing typically indicates the character is a foreigner or has a distinct inflection to his/her speech. Or デス could be a pun on "death" if the speaker is say, the grim reaper. At any rate, it may be better to take this case by case (though even then it's just an artistic choice made by the writer, so not everything can be explained...)– JimmyFeb 9, 2021 at 0:29
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