A mysterious person named John Titor, who claims to be a time traveler from 2036 and hopes to enlist people’s help in order to prevent World War III from happening, has surfaced on Twitter. The person claims to have intimate knowledge of direct events that will set off a chain reaction leading to a disaster, and their description of events might be very familiar to anyone who has played Steins Gate. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
The account itself was created in July 2020 and only began posting this month. Here’s what the account claims will sets off World War III.
椎名まゆりがメタルうーぱを手に入れること。
それが第三次世界大戦の引き金になってしまうみたいなんだ。— JOHN TITOR (@QA4nAofm0) July 27, 2020
“Mayuri Shiina obtaining a Metal Upa. That seems to be the root cause of World War III.”
As a reminder, a Metal Upa is a kind of collectible toy found in the world of Steins;Gate and Shiina is one of the heroines.
椎名まゆりがメタルうーぱを手に入れないために、みんなに協力してほしいことがあるんだ。
過去と未来、すべてのうーぱの回収だよ。
— JOHN TITOR (@QA4nAofm0) July 27, 2020
“In order to make sure that Mayuri Shiina does not obtain a Metal Upa, I wish for everyone to cooperate on one thing. Please collect and keep every single Upa released in the past and in the future.”
作戦開始は椎名まゆりがメタルうーぱを手に入れてしまう少し前。
7月28日11時。
念のため、以降1週間を目途として実施する。— JOHN TITOR (@QA4nAofm0) July 27, 2020
“The operation will begin slightly before Mayuri Shiina obtains the Metal Upa—-July 28th at 11am. Just in case, I hope people will help carry this out up to one week after the date.”
作戦名は『運命を司る女神作戦』
――オペレーション・フォルトゥーナみんな、お願い、あたしに力を貸して!
— JOHN TITOR (@QA4nAofm0) July 27, 2020
“The operation name is Operation Fortuna. Please, everyone, help me out!”
(Editor’s note: This tweet is written with feminine pronoun “atashi,” which matches a certain character from Steins;Gate.)
Speaking of July 28th, that is the date in the prologue of Steins;Gate, when protagonist Rintarou Okabe and Shiina head to Akihabara, obtain a Metal Upa, and end up seeing Kurisu Makise in a certain way in the process. It’s unknown if this is an actual tease regarding the series or an elaborate referential prank, but Siliconera will keep up to date with all developments.
Steins Gate first released in Japan on October 15, 2009 for the Xbox 360. Its remake, Steins;Gate Elite, is available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and PC via Steam. In 2019, the game celebrated its 10th anniversary.