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Police Step In Amid Fight Between BanG Dream! Fans in Osaka

Things got heated in Osaka after a fight broke out between BanG Dream! fans at the Animax Musix event on Saturday. What started as a group of fans gathering for photo and hoping to enjoy a performance by Poppin' Party ended with a police intervention.

The group posed for a photo but a disagreement escalated into a full-scale argument and shoving between at least four members. Concert-goers captured the fight on their phones and, allegedly, an iron pipe was brandished and used to smash a cell phone.

One member of the group, seen briefly in the above video, is shown wearing a colorful BanG Dream! happi coat while arguing with another member. The individual bears a resemblance to one of the three suspects arrested for vandalizing the Love Live! Sunshine!! manhole covers in Numazu but has not been positively identified as the same person. It's unknown if his resemblance to that suspect is related to the fight breaking out.

BanG Dream! executive producer Takaaki Kidani wrote on Twitter on Sunday that he received many messages on Twitter regarding security at the upcoming BanDori 7th Live three-day concert at Nippon Budokan. Kidani wrote that he'd like to come up with a perfect security system for the event and will announce details at the scene. He hopes that that the staff can put on an event that everyone can enjoy with confidence.

Bad idol fan behavior has left an indelible mark on the Love Live! fandom. Raucous concert-goers at a Love Live! Sunshine!! event at Akihabara UDX led to a reminder that continued poor behavior could lead to events being cancelled. The official site has also issued multiple warnings to Numazu visitors to respect the town's citizens and private property.

Problems have continued in Numazu including the aforementioned manhole vandalism that led to authorities removing the covers from the streets. Since then, a Love Live! Sunshine!! itasha driver was arrested for a hit-and-run in the town. The anime's director Kazuo Sakai also received online harassment from alleged "fans" of the series and threatened legal action if the behavior did not stop.

Source: @yui0_a on Twitter via Nijipoi, Otakomu, Yara-on