Taiwan Fan Credits Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End After Thwarting Terrorist Attack

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has become a bonafide hit. Thanks to Madhouse, the anime’s first season made a quiet splash in the fall of 2023, and it did not take long to ramp up. By the time the season finale aired in March, Frieren was being touted as a must-watch anime, and now one of its fans is crediting the series after they thwarted a terrorist attack in Taiwan.

The report comes from China Times as a group of citizens stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Taichung, Taiwan this week. The group, which included a 17-year-old boy, restrained a man who attempted to knife passengers on a subway. This attack comes a year after a similar terrorist attack happened in Taiwan, but this time, the tragedy was stopped.

According to local reports, the 17-year-old who held the assailant down was award by the city for his bravery, and they spoke to press afterwards. It was there the long-haired hero came dressed in a Monster Hunter robe, and he told the public he was inspired to stop the attack because of Himmel.

“Himmel would have done the same thing,” the boy told press after sharing his love for Frieren. “If given the chance to go back in time, I would act the same way I did.”

Continuing, the teenager said he hopes his actions will give otakus a better name. In Taiwan, the term is still seen as something very negative, but the 17-year-old calls himself an otaku with pride. By using Frieren as inspiration to thwart a terrorist attack, the kid has put anime on the map in Taiwan, and it goes to show just how influential series can be.

If you have not seen Frieren, you should know the anime is streaming in full on Crunchyroll. You can read the story’s official synopsis below for more details:

“Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to understand what life means to the people around her? Decades after their victory, the funeral of one her friends confronts Frieren with her own near immortality. Frieren sets out to fulfill the last wishes of her comrades and finds herself.”

What do you make of this Frieren headline? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!