Survivors Gave Vivid Accounts of KyoAni Arson Attack

From Jiji

January 25 2024

KYOTO – Kyoto Animation Co. employees who barely survived the July 2019 arson attack on its No. 1 studio have testified vividly before court about what happened when the attacker broke in.

The attacker, Shinji Aoba, scattered a bucket of a liquid, yelled, “Die,” and set it alight, said an employee who was in her second year at the animation powerhouse, known as KyoAni, at the time of the incident.

The employee was working on the first floor of the studio when the automatic door opened and she heard footsteps. When she looked up, she saw Aoba in a red T-shirt and jeans standing about 3 meters ahead.

Just 10 to 20 seconds after she heard the footsteps, flames shot from the floor to the ceiling, engulfing three employees beside her.

Thinking she would die if she stayed where she was, she ran into a women’s bathroom. She had the liquid on her upper body.