Platinum End Sparks Debate Following a Fan's Suicide

By Megan Peters

Platinum End has the potential to succeed Death Note as the stories' creators are overseeing its next moves. It wasn't long ago their latest manga was given an anime order, and its first season reviewed solid reviews. But sadly, a fan's suicide has cast scrutiny on the hit anime as a new report suggests the boy ended his life after watching the show.

The news comes from India.com after local newspapers in Kolkata confirmed a 12-year-boy killed themselves after watching Platinum End. The news revealed the fan jumped off the 11th floor of an apartment building in northern Kolkata. Police are still working through an investigation, but a spokesperson did reveal the boy seems to have committed suicide in the hopes of being saved similar to Platinum End's main character.

"After our primary investigation, we are convinced that the boy was addicted to this serial and was inspired by it to take this fatal action," an officer on the case shared in a recent statement. No foul play is thought to be involved in this case either.

READ MORE: Crunchyroll Announces English Dubs for Platinum End and More | Platinum End Releases Opening Credits

For those unfamiliar with Platinum End, the anime does deal with suicidal content. The story follows Mirai Kakehashi, an orphaned high school student who is taken in by abusive relatives after his parents die. At one point, the kid tries to commit suicide and is saved by an angel who grants Mirai supernatural gifts. Platinum End goes on to reveal that god is retiring, and Mirai was given powers to enter a contest dedicated to finding god's successor. From there, Mirai is put through all-new trials, so you can see the series does deal with dark content.

Sadly, this is not the only anime to inspire some of its fans to end their lives. In the past, Naruto has been blamed for prompting a Russian teen to kill themselves after his favorite hero was killed off. Other shows like Death Note have been scrutinized for their dark themes as well, so a debate has begun over whether series like Platinum End need content warnings before triggering episodes. 

Have you watched Platinum End yet? Do you think triggering series like these need warnings up front? Let us know down in the comments below:

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