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So according to this website https://eigobu.jp/magazine/hodasareru some 類語 of 「絆される」 are "押し切られる; 呑まれる; 丸め込まれる; 力負けする; 手折られる."

Of course, Jisho just tells me that this word means "to be moved by kindness" but these 類語 make me think it can be translated as "to be outmatched [by]" or "to be overwhelmed [by]" or "to be outwitted [by]" in some cases.

I'm translating a song about a guy trying to capture a villain, and in this context, I think the 類語 definitions work better. Also, the villain is the 妄想 in the story; he's the speakers evil alter ego that he doesn't fully realize exists yet. As such, he indirectly refers to the villain as the 妄想; it is personified (I think)。

妄想に絆されていく

I really don't think this means "moved by kindness" here as the two continue trying to kill each other in the song. Can I use the word "outmatched" or "outwitted"? (I think I prefer outwitted since it has a connotation of losing to someone in a mental game, which might be similar to 絆される in my opinion.)

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  • 妄想 doesn't mean kindness though, does it? I've only heard it used as "wild imagination" / delusion. I'm not familiar with the expression 妄想に絆されていく, but just looking at it from an English POV, "overcome by (or with) delusions" would be idiomatic at least...
    – Will
    Apr 15, 2021 at 7:53
  • I used to watch the movie "Face Off" or some other Hong Kong Movie based on brotherhood. The plot is often drifted into the turbulence of brothers' emotion. I think "to be moved by kindness" in the dictionary is saying something like that. But I am not sure what [妄想]{もうそう} without more detailed contexts, so I do not get what you are asking. Probably 情に絆される is a set phrase you often see.
    – kimi Tanaka
    Apr 15, 2021 at 8:04
  • Hello, thanks for your responses. I definitely wasn't clear enough, so the villain is the 妄想 in the story; the speakers evil alter ego that he doesn't fully realize exists yet. As such, he indirectly refers to the villain as the 妄想; it is personified (I think)。 I'm thinking about translating it sort of like "I’m getting outwitted by the delusion" or something like that. I'm not too sure though.
    – MastahxGraffiti
    Apr 15, 2021 at 8:28
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    It seems like you're referring to the idiomatic definition of 絆される described in Jisho, but isn't it also possible this is just figurative usage of the passive of 絆す? In other words, that might be the more relevant entry to look at?
    – Leebo
    Apr 15, 2021 at 8:35
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    @MastahxGraffiti If you want to anthropomorphize this embodiment of delusion, I'd suggest "getting possessed by (the) delusion".
    – Will
    Apr 16, 2021 at 13:26

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In my own words, 絆される means "to be affected by someone's strong emotion and feel like doing something one usually does not do" or "to be motivated to do something undesirable out of sympathy/pity". This may seem like a very specific definition, but this is what 絆される means. It's typically used like 彼の熱意にほだされて20万円の絵を買ってしまった. However, this does not necessarily mean someone intentionally tried to outsmart, overwhelm or deceive you. You may ほだされる by the crying face of an absolutely innocent small girl, for example.

In the case of 妄想に絆されていく, the speaker is aware that he is being more and more influenced negatively by the alter ego. Whether or not the alter ego has any evil intentions, the speaker doesn't like the fact that he is becoming unable to control himself because he is psychologically affected by the alter ego. (If this still doesn't make sense, please share the entire lyrics. I usually read the entire lyrics before answering a question about a song, but I could not find this phrase on the net.)

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