むかし の ライバル は しんゆう に なった。
mukashi no raibaru wa shinyuu ni natta.
My old rival became my best friend.

This ain’t nothin’ new, it just means “to become” or “to turn into” somethin’ else. Think of it like a come-up, you know? You start from the bottom, and you become a boss. You become a hustler. You become the kingpin. It’s about a change in state, a transformation. You ain’t what you used to be no more.

It’s like when a rookie on the crew becomes a made man. He ain’t just a low-level cat runnin’ errands no more. He put in work, he proved himself, and now he’s a part of the family for real. Or when you start with a lil’ bit of bread and it becomes a whole lotta cash. That’s the grind. It’s that transition from one thing to another. The world is a chessboard, and you gotta move up. You don’t stay a pawn forever, you become a queen.

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Word Type	Conjugation	Example	English Translation
Noun	Noun + になる	がくせいになる (gakusei ni naru)	to become a student
い-adjective	い-adjective (drop い) + くなる	あたたかくなる (atatakaku naru)	to become warm
な-adjective	な-adjective (drop な) + になる	きれいになる (kirei ni naru)	to become clean/beautiful

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Peep these words before you hit the examples.

さいあく (Saiaku)

English: The worst; the pits.

Listen up. When some situation goes completely sideways, like when the cops raid the spot and mess up the whole operation, that ain’t just bad, that’s the absolute worst. It’s the bottom of the barrel, the most messed-up thing that can happen. That’s what this word means—when things are as bad as they can possibly get, period.

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みるみる うち に (Mirumiru Uchi Ni)

English: In the blink of an eye; in no time at all.

Picture this: you’re cookin’ up a deal, and the money starts pilin’ up so fast you can’t even count it. Or maybe you’re outrunning the chase, and you disappear around the corner before they even know what happened. When something goes down so quick, it’s like magic. It happens in the blink of an eye, and that’s the word you use. It’s all about that lightning speed.

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まっさお (Massao)

English: Deep blue; ghastly pale.

This word got two main meanings. The first is when the sky is so clear it’s a deep, beautiful blue, like on a perfect day. But the second meaning, that’s more serious. It’s when someone’s face turns pale as a ghost, like they just saw something real messed up or they’re about to lose it. Think of that look on their face when they realize they’ve been set up. That’s the one.

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かんけい (Kankei)

English: Relationship; connection.

Every single person in the game got connections. Your connects are who you deal with, who you got relationships with. It’s all about who you know and what that relationship is like, whether it’s with your crew, your customers, or the people you gotta avoid. This word is the real deal; it’s the web of who you are connected to.

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ミス (Misu)

English: A mistake; an error.

Look, nobody’s perfect. But in this life, a mistake can cost you everything. It ain’t just a little oops. A miss is a serious screw-up. It’s when you mess up the plan, get caught slippin’, or do something wrong that can’t be fixed. It’s a fumble that can get you locked up or worse. So you gotta be sharp and avoid making these mistakes at all costs.

Check out these sentences to hear some real talk.

その はなし を きいて、おれ の きぶん は さいあく に なった。
sono hanashi o kiite, ore no kibun wa saiaku ni natta.
After hearing that story, my mood became the worst.

けんか の あと、やつ は しずか に なった。
kenka no ato, yatsu wa shizuka ni natta.
After the fight, he became quiet.

やつ の かお は みるみる うち に まっさお に なった。
yatsu no kao wa mirumiru uchi ni massao ni natta.
His face turned dead pale in an instant.

やつ は うらぎりもの に なった。
yatsu wa uragirimono ni natta.
He became a traitor.

この まち は いつか おれたち の もの に なる。
kono machi wa itsuka oretachi no mono ni naru.
This city will become ours someday.

その いっけん で、おれたち の かんけい は わるく なった。
sono ikken de, oretachi no kankei wa waruku natta.
Because of that incident, our relationship became bad.

かれ は かねもち に なって、しゃば で でかい いえ を かった。
kare wa kanemochi ni natte, shaba de dekai ie o katta.
He became rich and bought a big house in the outside world.

あの タフガイ が よわく なった。
ano tafugai ga yowaku natta.
That tough guy became soft.

ちいさな ミス が おおきな もんだい に なった。
chiisana misu ga ookina mondai ni natta.
A small mistake became a huge problem.

ぼす の いぬ は すごく うるさく なった。
bosu no inu wa sugoku urusaku natta.
The boss’s dog became really noisy.

Check out these sentences, straight from the streets.

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Stay dangerous, but stay legit with your Japanese. Peace out.