The viral manga earthquake prophecy from Ryo Tatsuki’s “The Future I Saw” has sent ripples across Asia—and not just in Japan. Originally released in 1999 and reissued in 2021, the manga eerily foresaw a massive quake and tsunami on July 5, 2025, predicting a seabed crack between Japan and the Philippines. As the date drew near, voices of alarm—some rational, others sensational—echoed across social media, tourism markets, and scientific circles.
What The Future I Saw reveals
In Watashi ga Mita Mirai (“The Future I Saw”), Tatsuki connects her vivid dreams to real-world disasters: notably the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In the 2021 edition, she warns of a “real disaster” in July 2025, specifying that the Philippine Sea floor will snap open, unleashing a tsunami three times larger than the Tōhoku event. Though later interpretations added the exact date of July 5, and even hinted at an asteroid or apocalypse, Tatsuki’s publisher and the artist have firmly stated she’s “not a prophet.”
🇯🇵 Japan’s reaction to the Manga earthquake prophecy
During April and May 2025, Japan’s southern Tokara Islands were shaken by a sudden series of earthquakes. Over 1,000 small to moderate quakes, including some above magnitude 5, rattled the region in just a few weeks. While seismic activity isn’t unusual in Japan, the timing added fuel to the growing talk about the manga earthquake prophecy. Many started connecting these real tremors to Ryo Tatsuki’s warning, even though experts kept reminding everyone that earthquakes can’t be predicted that precisely.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency stressed that it is impossible to pinpoint the exact time and place of a quake. But despite these reassurances, the fear took hold. Tourism numbers showed the impact clearly. Although Japan welcomed a record 3.9 million visitors in April, the number of travelers from Hong Kong dropped by 11% in May. Declines from other nearby countries followed. Some airlines even suspended certain routes, and travel agencies reported many people backing out of trips. It’s likely these drops came from growing worries about a big earthquake. These fears strengthened following the real tremors and the viral manga earthquake prophecy.
🇵🇭 The Philippines: Echoes of “The Big One”
Across the sea, people took notice—not out of fear of Tatsuki’s prophecy, but as a wake-up call about real seismic threats:
• Both Japan and the Philippines lie on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and in the Philippines, the infamous “Big One” looms along Metro Manila’s West Valley Fault.
• PHIVOLCS estimates a future quake of ~7.2 magnitude, potentially affecting Manila, Makati, Pasig, Taguig, and beyond. The last major rupture occurred in 1658—placing Metro Manila squarely in the seismic danger zone.
• Current Director Teresito Bacolcol warns of potential 51,500 deaths and up to 13% of residential buildings collapsing in such an event.
• Meanwhile, OCD Undersec. Ariel Nepomuceno has highlighted critical vulnerabilities in infrastructure, schools, and health facilities, advocating retrofits and structural improvements.
In short, while the manga earthquake prophecy may be fiction, the Philippines’ seismic dangers are all too real—and the renewed discourse has bolstered awareness and calls for preparedness.
