Following a random stabbing incident on the Taichung subway on May 21, the Taichung City Government honored 17 citizens on June 4, 2024 for their bravery in confronting the attacker.

The Mayor of Taichung expressed deep gratitude to all the honorees, saying: “These individuals demonstrated incredible courage and selflessness. Their actions prevented further harm and showcased the best of our community.“

Among those honored is a man named Xu Ruixian, who credited his act of bravery to Himmel since Frieren: beyond the end of the journey. Quoting a line from the anime, he said: “That's what Himmel, the hero, would have done“.

Xu explained that this motto has been a guiding principle for him, encouraging him to act courageously. He stated that if time were to go back, he would make the same choice again.

Xu, in fact, stood out at the ceremony, not only for his bravery, but also for his attire. Wearing a jacket from the popular Japanese video game Monster Hunter, he declared himself an otaku.

“Otaku are not as bad as everyone thinks. Don't stereotype us.,” he said, referring to the stigma that has grown since the Zheng Jie incident a decade ago. “Today, I wear something familiar to other fans, a symbol of something positive we share.“

In addition, Xu Ruixian also wore the canvas shoes he was wearing at the time of the incident, which still had blood stains on them. He said that the blood stains on the shoes could not be cleaned, but the shoes were still comfortable to wear, so he did not specially clean them.

Source: China Times