Shinji Aoba

It is one of the deadliest massacres in Japan since the end of World War II, the deadliest building fire in Japan since the 2001 Myojo 56 building fire, and the first massacre ever to have occurred at a studio associated with an entertainment company, and the animation industry.

The suspect, who did not work for the studio, entered the front door carrying about 40 L of gasoline, then doused the area and several employees before igniting it.

After setting himself on fire while lighting the fuel, the suspect attempted to flee, but was apprehended by police about 100 m from the building.

Witnesses stated they heard him accusing the studio of plagiarism.

The attack is reported to be one of the deadliest massacres in Japan's history since the end of World War II and the deadliest building fire in the country since the Myojo 56 building fire in 2001.

It was considered "suicidal terrorism" by one criminology professor at Rissho University, as the attack was reportedly intended to be a suicide mission by the suspect.

Seventy people were inside Studio 1 at the time of the fire.

The building was used mainly by the animation production staff, and was constructed in 2007.

In the year leading up to the attack, Kyoto Animation had received over 200 death threats.

Company president Hideaki Hatta said they did not know if the threats were related to the incident, as they were sent anonymously, but he had informed police and lawyers of them.

After the National Police Agency was informed of these threats in October 2018, officers temporarily patrolled the head office at the time.

The fire began with an explosion at around 10:31 a.m. (01:31 UTC) when the perpetrator walked into Studio 1 and set the building on fire with 40 L of gasoline.

The perpetrator bought the gasoline 10 km away from the building, and it was believed that he walked to the building with the gasoline being carried on a platform trolley.

The police believed that the gasoline dispersed on site mixed with the air, causing the explosion at the start.

The perpetrator is reported to have been shouting "Die!"

(死ね!) as he carried out the attack.

He also poured gasoline over some individuals before setting them alight—setting himself on fire in the process—causing them to run out into the street in flames.

As the fire grew by the entrance, staff members were trapped inside the building.

Twenty bodies were found on the stairs from the third floor to the roof, evidently indicating that the victims were attempting to escape.

Tomoaki Nishino, associate professor at Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University, estimated that the second and third floors were almost filled with smoke within 30 seconds of the explosion.

The perpetrator fled the scene but was chased by two Kyoto Animation employees and soon collapsed on the street, where he was apprehended by police.

Multiple unused knives were found lying by the scene.

The fire was under control at 3:19 p.m. (06:19 UTC), and extinguished at 6:20 a.m. on the next day (21:20 UTC).

Once the rescue efforts had ended, it was confirmed that all people in the studio had been accounted for.

The building did not have fire sprinklers or indoor fire hydrants due to its classification as a small office building, but had no deficiencies in fire safety compliance during its last inspection on 17 October 2018.

Initial reports claimed the studio's entrance required employee pass-cards, but the door was left unlocked as the studio was expecting visitors.

However, this was inaccurate: there was no security system in place and the door was always left unlocked during business hours.

The arson attack destroyed most of Kyoto Animation's materials and computers in Studio 1, though a small portion of keyframes were on exhibition in Tokushima and hence spared destruction.

On 29 July, Kyoto Animation reported that it successfully recovered some digitized original drawings from a server that survived the fire.

The Kyoto Animation arson attack (京都アニメーション放火殺人事件) occurred at Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building in the Fushimi ward of Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, on the morning of 18 July 2019.

The arson killed 36 people, injured an additional 34 (including the suspect), and destroyed most of the materials and computers in Studio 1.

After awaiting his recovery from life-threatening burns for more than ten months, the police arrested 42-year-old Shinji Aoba on suspicion of murder and other offenses on 27 May 2020.

He was formally indicted on 16 December 2020.

Aoba eventually pled guilty to the charges on 5 September 2023, and was sentenced to death on 25 January 2024.

In addition to condolences and messages of support from national and international leaders, fans and businesses raised over in Japan and over US$2.3 million internationally to help the studio and its employees recover.

A special measure was passed by the National Diet to allow for donations to the studio to be tax-exempt.

As a result of the incident, some works and collaborations by the studio were delayed, and several events were suspended or cancelled.

Kyoto Animation is one of Japan's most acclaimed anime studios, known for titles such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-On! and Clannad.

It has several different locations in Kyoto: Studio 1 (in Fushimi ward); Studio 2 (the head office), and Studio 5.

Their merchandise development division is in Uji, one train station away from Studio 1.