Police officers in Melbourne rushed to a shopping center after reports of a knife-wielding man turned out to be a Demon Slayer fan in cosplay.
On September 9, security at Southland Shopping Centre believed a cosplayer was armed with a real sword or knife and raised the alarm just after 7:20pm, prompting a rapid response from officers with lights and sirens.
When police arrived outside Village Cinemas, they found a 24-year-old Maidstone man dressed in a Demon Slayer costume, carrying what looked like a sword.
The sword, however, was just a prop for the screening of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, and the man had decided to dress up to attend the movie.
Police take Demon Slayer cosplayer’s sword after security alert
Police seized the imitation weapon and issued the man a warning, telling him to leave all “weaponry at home next time.”
“No demons were slayed and the man enjoyed watching the movie without further incident,” Victoria Police said in a statement, confirming that he was free to go.
This isn’t the first time cosplay props have triggered police responses. Back in August, UK police detained a 16-year-old cosplayer after mistaking his imitation firearm for a real weapon. The teen had been cosplaying as Hunk, a masked character from Resident Evil, before being tackled to the ground and placed in custody.
