"Coffin to Death", Way to Die #435, is the first death to be featured in "Sudden Death", which aired on December 22, 2010.
Plot[]
The Nips were a popular Japanese rock band whose members had friendly relations and healthy competitiveness. Combinations of musicianship and theatrics granted the band higher ranks in the Japanese rock scene for ten years. However, in the recent months, jealousy and ego tore the members apart. Their healthy relations and competitiveness descended into hatred. It was actually the tension between lead singer Tinaka and lead guitar player and backup vocalist Basho that caused the decline of their friendship.
One night, prior to a concert, the band members had an argument over Tinaka's new prop, a vampire coffin with an inverted pentagram. As Tinaka insisted on his killer entrance, Basho complained that Tinaka has been upstaging them. Tinaka, however, was bossy and demanded that they acknowledge that he is the band, their boss and not them, especially Basho. The other members, feeling degraded and angered, leave for the stage. Tinaka filled the coffin with the steam from dry ice to add effects for his entrance.
As the band's female stagehands and dancers roll out the coffin, Basho uses this opportunity to steal the spotlight by performing an excessively long, 3-minute guitar solo on top of the coffin (interestingly, the drummer and bassist join in), trapping Tinaka inside the coffin with carbon dioxide from the dry ice and away from fresh air. Once the three minutes were up, all of the oxygen had been used up and Tinaka had died of hypoxia, finally ceasing his toxic cycle of arguments with the other members of the Nips.
Transcript[]
(The Nips in live theater, performing rock)
Narrator: For the last 10 years, The Nips have ruled the Japanese rock world. A combination of musicianship in theatrics, have kept them on top. But lately, ego and jealousy having torn them apart. What was once healthy competitiveness, has deteriorated to flat-out hatred.
(As Basho (The guitarist), wants to take the spot, but Tinaka (Lead vocal) is upset about this idea, cause to Tinaka to plug out the guitar wire; later, in making room... [] is playing)
Narrator: The problem was the constant tension. Between Tinaka, the lead singer, and Basho, the lead guitar player.
Tinaka: だからいっつもこいつがさぁ、ウナウナウナウナ言うから... (Dakara ittsumo koitsu ga saa... Unaunaunauna iu kara...) (He always says some excuses...)
(Replay of The Nips performing rock, but then stop the show due to the feud between Tinka and Basho)
Tommy Kende: In band feuding is actually a funny thing, because you always say it's usually case where...you know, you got your front man, and then you got...you know, some other guy in the band also wants to be in front man. And then these 2 guys will really fight for that creative control and fight for the fame.
([] is playing)
-Rocker: そうなんじゃなくて、本番前だからや (Sou nanja nakute, honban mae dakara ya) (That's not what I meant, we're in pre-live so...)
-Basho: そうやって決めようよ、じゃあ... (Sou yatte kimeyou yo, jaa...) (Let's decide that way, then...)
Tinaka: だから本番だからこれ持ってきたわけよ、演出のためにさぁ... (Dakara honban da kara kore motte kita wake yo, enshutsu no tame ni saa...) (Because it's a performance, so I brought this, for the performance...)
Narrator: Today's fight was about Tinaka's new prop: A coffin. It would make for a killer entrance, for Tinaka.
Tinaka: とりあえずお前らこう楽器持って、ちょっとちょっと... (Toriaezu omaera kou gakki motte, chotto chotto...) (For the time being, you guys take your instrument, then...)
Narrator: Basho wasn't buying it.
Basho: じゃあ聞けやちょっと、こいつ何か言っとるど ! (Jaa kike ya chotto, koitsu nanka ittoru do!) (Your upstaging the rest of us!/Listen, he's saying something!)
Tinaka: イケてるって ! 言ってんだ ! (Iketeru tte! Itte nda!) (I am the band!/It'll be cool I said! I telling you!)
(The rocker blocks the path between Tinka and Basho for not fighting, Demented Orchestra is playing)
Narrator: As always, Tinaka got his way.
(The band except Tinaka goes to the stage; The rock girls bring the coffin where Tinaka is in it)
Narrator: The Nips, hot stagehands rolled out the coffin with Tinaka inside, ready to rise from the dead.
(Basho sees the coffin behind, sits on it)
Narrator: But Basho saw a chance to steal the spotlight and launched into the longest guitar solo in Japanese rock history.
(But then, Tinaka has a problem...)
Tinaka: (Coughs)
Narrator: Trapped inside the coffin, Tinaka was heading for a finale he did not see coming.
(Flashback of what caused suffocation... [] is resuming)
Narrator: Before he jumped in, Tinaka decided to up the theatrics by filling the coffin with smoke from dry ice containers. Bad idea: Dry ice gives off carbon dioxide.
(After filling it, they close the coffin; back to the stage)
Narrator: In the scant quarters of the coffin, Tinaka was rapidly running out of oxygen. Within a minute, he was gasping for air and suffocated.
Tinaka: (Screams)
(Double Agent of Death is playing, CGI human breathes the smoke from the dry ice, the lungs are filled with smoke, stops breathing)
Dr. Khyber Zaffarkhan: Without the presence of oxygen in a purely carbon dioxide environment, the individual would be unable to obtain oxygen for normal body function. This lack of oxygen would shut down the body's organs and they would die.
(Tinaka's oxygen is no more, he's dying)
Tinaka: (Screams)
(Basho finally descends on the coffin, the rock girls open the coffin)
Narrator: After the 3 minute long solo, there was no more oxygen and no more Tinaka.
(Recap of Tinaka's coffin, What goes up is playing)
Narrator: Tinaka wanted to make a big entrance.
(The rock girls close the coffin)
Basho: ...こいつ何か言っとるよ... (...koitsu nanka ittoru yo...) (...You're upstaging the rest of us.../...he's saying something...)
Tinaka: イケてるって ! (Iketeru tte!) (I am the band!/It'll be cool I said!)
(During Basho's guitar solo, Tinaka is suffocated)
Narrator: Instead, he made an exit, to die for. Sayonara, Tinaka-san.
Interviewees[]
- Tommy Kende - Rock Band Member (last interviewed at Grateful Bed)
- Dr. Khyber Zaffarkhan - Physical Medicine & Rehab
- Jonathan Ohye - Tinaka (lead: intended victim)
- Yoshi Takanmure - Basho/Kioshi
Alternative Name[]
- Also known as "Holy Diver" on Spike TV's website
Segment Description[]
Description as seen on Spike TV's website
- "A Japanese heavy metal singer gets blood poisoning by dry ice during a stage show, when he's unable to get out his "coffin" prop."
Trivia[]
- Thirteen years later, in Osaka, the guitarist of the J-Rock band would commit seppuku.
- "Sayonara" means 'good-bye' in Japanese.
- And "Basho" means 'place' in Japanese.
- In the Latin American Spanish version, the victim's name has changed to Tanaka.
- The alternate name of this death is taken from Dio's hit single, "Holy Diver".
- Tinaka's death are similar to that of Giggles' death in Happy Tree Friends TV series episode, "Junk in the Trunk".
- The death name is similar to Coffin Nailed. However, both victims died very differently. Tinaka was actually stuck in the coffin and died of hypoxia, however, Mason died because a coffin he had in his car slammed into him, snapping his neck. So, it's very obvious Mason was NOT in a coffin.
Segment Nicknames[]
- Holy Diver (Spike TV)
- Suffocation Song
- Breath-Free Rock Concert
- Stagehand Snuff-Out
- Asphyxiating Entrance
- Banded Together, Died Apart
Foreign Names[]
- Ataúd Tóxico (Toxic Coffin) - Latin American Spanish dub
- Asfixiado en el Ataúd (Asphyxiated in the Coffin) - European Spanish dub