A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia Kamchatka Peninsula last week, triggering tsunami waves that reached Japan northern coast. While scientists monitored the event closely, a different wave took over the internet speculation surrounding a decades-old Japanese manga that some say predicted the disaster.
The manga, Watashi ga Mita Mirai (The Future I Saw), was published in 1999 by Ryo Tatsuki, an artist who has since been dubbed the “New Baba Vanga” by fans online. The comic, which has gained cult status over the years, had warned of a disaster in July 2025. When no major event occurred earlier in the month, the theory faded until now.
Following the quake and tsunami alerts, social media users reignited the conversation, posting comparisons between Tatsuki’s fictional vision and real-world events. One viral post declared:
“Massive tsunami alert after an 8.8 earthquake in Russia. Manga predictor Ryo Tatsuki who foresaw 2011 did it again!”
This isn’t the first time Tatsuki’s manga has been linked to major events. Her book also referenced the death of Princess Diana, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and even the COVID-19 pandemic all years before they happened.
Despite the eerie coincidences, experts have dismissed the idea of supernatural predictions. Seismologists stress that Japan’s high seismic activity makes it statistically likely for fictional disaster stories to occasionally align with reality. Still, the psychological impact of such narratives remains powerful.
“Speculative fiction can tap into our collective anxieties,” explained a Tokyo-based disaster researcher. “When events mirror stories, people look for patterns, even if none exist.”
Japan’s response to the real disaster was swift. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued immediate tsunami warnings, with evacuation orders activated across coastal regions. Fortunately, waves along Hokkaido’s coast were modest around 30 cm but officials remained on alert for aftershocks and secondary surges.
The earthquake’s epicenter lay about 125 km southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia’s Far East. Initially recorded at 8.0 magnitude, it was later upgraded to 8.8 by the US Geological Survey, making it one of the strongest quakes in recent history.
While fans debate whether Tatsuki’s manga is prophetic or coincidental, experts agree on one thing: stories like these, real or fictional, can push communities to take disaster preparedness seriously something Japan has long prioritized due to its location atop multiple tectonic plates.
As social media buzzes with conspiracy theories and curious observations, the line between prediction and fiction remains as blurry as ever.