An 18-year-old boy’s love of anime and quick instincts saved the life of an elderly woman in Japan.
A little before midnight on Aug.15, the teen boy, Harumasa Kawazu, a Kagoshima City resident, was taking a stroll to his local convenience store to score some snacks when he noticed a two-story wood-frame house on fire.
Kawazu noticed that a fire had broken out inside the home’s front entrance.
The teen immediately took out his phone and called the emergency fire services to alert them of the fire incident.
Kawazu didn’t just sit around and wait for help to arrive. He rushed to the front door and rang the bell, but got no response. He then began pounding on the door until it got the attention of the occupant, a woman in her 70s who lives by herself.
The elderly woman was had retire for the night, completely unaware of the danger she was in until Kawazu woke her up.
Fortunately, the elderly woman managed to put out the fire before anyone was injured or her home was destroyed.
Following the incident, Kawazu’s attentiveness and bravery were recognized and the Kagoshima City Central Fire Department awarded him with a letter of commendation.
"I’ve been watching an anime about firefighters, so I was able to stay calm while dealing with the situation," Kawazu said during the presentation ceremony held last Wednesday, Sept.29.
Kawazu’s heroism and love for anime have been met with praise and smiles from netizens worldwide.
"Maybe I’m getting old, but when I hear about young people saving someone’s life or protecting them from scammers, it brings a tear to my eye," a user tweeted.
"Nice of him to show an example of anime having a positive effect in the real world," another user wrote.
A third user tweeted: "I wonder what anime he watched?"
"I bet it was Fire Force," the fourth one commented
Another user said: "Fire Force is a great series!"
Alerting the fire department when you see a fire and warning the people in the building aren’t exactly high-level concepts that one could only attain after watching firefighting anime.
However, Kawazu’s viewing habits helped him possess a conscious that kept him aware of both the danger fire can pose and the power people have to save others.
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