Sickle-wielding attacker safely fended off by victim’s umbrella in Aomori

The umbrella is mightier than the sickle.

Carrying around an umbrella can be a nuisance at times. But when it is needed who hasn’t held one and wondered if it could be used as an impromptu Jackie-Chan-style weapon should the need arise?

▼ I’m pretty sure I could do all this if it came down to it

Luckily, such a need rarely does arise so most of us will never know. But for one man in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, an umbrella was the only thing preventing him from serious injury or even death.

At about 2:50 p.m. on 12 January, the 58-year-old office worker was walking along a street near his home. Then, a man holding a sickle with a 16-centimeter (six-inch) blade attacked him out of the blue.

It was truly a nightmare situation, but the victim’s quick thinking and reflexes saved the day as he managed to use his umbrella to deflect the attack. In total, the assailant took 10 swings at the man with the tool but each one was deftly blocked by the umbrella and the victim managed to emerge unharmed.

Police arrived on the scene and arrested the 65-year-old attacker who admitted to the charges against him. The two men had no prior relationship and police are currently looking into what motivated him to carry out the attack.

Meanwhile, readers of the news we full of nothing but admiration for the victim who showed that an umbrella really could be used as a defensive weapon.

“He didn’t even get hit once?! He’s a master.”
“This is totally like in Siren.”
“You have to be some kind of martial arts master to escape a sickle attack unharmed with an umbrella.”
“He won by only blocking too. He’s probably really good at Sekiro.”
“Life is becoming an open-world action game.”
“He’s a Kingsman!”
“If he had a clear vinyl umbrella he could have made a beam shield.”
“The samurai spirit is strong in him.”

The victim was never identified and wasn’t interviewed by the media. I’d like to think in true hero fashion he just walked off into the sunset and relaxed by a koi pond while tranquilly playing a bamboo flute. Either that or he went home and played PlayStation to learn some more sick moves with everyday objects.

Source: ATV News, Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
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