Man Used ‘Detective Conan’ Technique To Escape Sinking Car And Survive
Watching anime helped this man survive a terrifying ordeal.
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A man in Japan has recounted his harrowing escape from a sinking car, saying he survived by recalling an underwater escape method depicted in the iconic anime series Detective Conan
The driver, posting on X under the handle nozinozi053, revealed that his vehicle plunged into a river on 8 November following a collision with another road user.
According to his account, the other motorist was reversing near a cemetery before suddenly driving forward just as he attempted to overtake. The ensuing impact sent his vehicle plunging into deep water.
As water flooded the cabin, panic immediately set in
"For the first 20 seconds or so, I really thought I was going to die," he wrote.
"But then this scene suddenly flashed through my mind, and I managed to escape alive; I can't thank the creator of Conan enough!"
The technique originated from episode 1078 of the long-running animated franchise, titled The Black Organization's Scheme (Landing), which first broadcast on 1 April 2023
In the episode, fictional FBI agent Andre Camel crashes into the ocean while evading antagonists. Unable to open the doors because of the immense external water pressure, Camel receives urgent guidance from the titular protagonist, Conan Edogawa.
The detective instructs him to breathe from the remaining air pocket near the roof of the car and wait until the cabin fills with enough water to equalise pressure inside and outside the vehicle, allowing him to open the door.
これが、水没してる時に頭をよぎって、生きて脱出出来ました！コナンの作者には感謝しきれません！
ほんとに最初の20秒くらいで死を覚悟したが、不意にこのシーンが頭を過り、生きて出れました https://t.co/TLApBiOzIP
— みらじーの (@nozinozi053) November 8, 2026
Remembering the sequence while trapped underwater, the motorist felt along the interior frame until his hand found the door handle
"I pulled on it, and the wall to my right moved a little," he explained.
"I realised it was the door, so I pushed it open with all my strength. It was a little heavy, but it opened relatively easily."
He also claimed that the driver responsible for the crash did not help
Instead, a passerby rushed over to pull him up the steep riverbank. Emergency responders and police subsequently arrived at the scene.
Although the vehicle was declared a total write-off, the man escaped without sustaining any critical injuries.
In a lighter follow-up message, he lamented that his favourite jacket had floated downstream and was never recovered, an annoyance that nearly matched the grief of losing his car
Despite the driver's remarkable escape, automotive safety authorities warn that waiting for pressure to equalise should only be considered a last resort.
Transport agencies such as the American Automobile Association (AAA) advise drivers to unbuckle their seatbelts immediately and escape through an open or broken side window as soon as possible after a vehicle enters the water. Waiting for the cabin to fill with water carries an exceptionally high risk of drowning or disorientation.
