Kyoto Animation Marks Arson's 4th Anniversary With Memorial

Kyoto Animation notes its arson's fourth anniversary with an emotional memorial for those killed.

By Megan Peters

Today marks a somber day in the anime community as the fourth anniversary of Kyoto Animation's arson has come around. In 2019, the world watched on in horror as a man set his sights on Kyoto Animation and set fire to one of its production studios. Dozens were killed with dozens more injured before the day was finished. And now, Kyoto Animation is paying tribute to those who died in a new memorial.

The video, which is only available today here, was put on YouTube by the team at Kyoto Animation as July 18th rolled in. As you can see above, the clip is quiet as text floats over the screen. Starting with family members, the loved ones of those who died in the Kyoto Animation arson penned notes for this memorial in hopes of sharing their grief with the world, and their words are heartbreaking, to say the least.

"Your father, a humble office worker, cannot do a job that will leave a mark on future generations, but he's proud of having a daughter like yourself," one man wrote about his daughter who passed during the attack.

"Four years have passed, but I think of you every day. Of what you were talking about at work and the way you approached it," another grieving loved one wrote before another added:

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"Your legacy is so powerful and positive that I look back on it in my everyday life. However, sometimes unexpectedly, that fact that I can't see you anymore tightens [my] chest as an unbearable loneliness."

As you can see, the wounds left by the Kyoto Animation arson are as fresh to those impacted as they were four years ago. The senseless attack took the lives of 36 people while injuring 33 others in the building plus the suspect. As the case continues through trial, the Kyoto Animation arson has yet to find a resolution in court, but no sentencing will ever bring peace to those who lost loved ones on July 18, 2019. This memorial proves as much, but through its release, the world can mourn the tragedy alongside those most affected. 

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