Hitting back: The Japanese public have hit back at the latest Islamic State video showing Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto being threatened by Jihadi John by turning the masked murderer into internet memes
Helpless: As the 72-hour deadline to save the captives passed without the $200million ransom being paid, Japanese Twitter users began sharing the darkly comic posts as a symbol of defiance
Mocking: Most of the messages were written in Japanese, but one which appeared in English read: 'Tomorrow will be sad but it will pass and ISIS will still be a big joke. You can't break out spirit'
Defiant: One of the Islamic State's largest weapons in its so-called holy war is fear, so the Japanese chose humour as a way of hitting back
Joke: This internet user re-imagined Jihadi John and his ransom demand as comic character Doctor Evil from the Austin Powers movies
Dark comedy: In another post, Jihadi John is dressed up as Mickey Mouse while the background is changed to make them appear as if they are in Disneyland
Laughing stock: Kim Jong-Un and some of his generals are shown laughing at images taken from the latest Jihadi John video which appeared this week
Not afraid: The Japanese man chose to recreate the terror footage using block-building game Minecraft
Mission to mars: The trio were also pictured on the red planet with the Curiosity rover in the background
Taunting: Another user placed the faces of South Park characters Kenny and Butters over the hostages
Playing games: In this image, Jihadi John is pictured taking part in a hand of the Yu Gi Oh card trading game
Dressed up: This user imagined Jihadi John dressed in pink underwear in a field full of flowers
Showing
the familiar sight of fearful men kneeling in orange jumpsuits in the
desert, the latest footage of Jihadi John caused despair across the
world when it appeared this week.
In
the latest clip, the Islamic State enforcer demanded a $200million
ransom to free Japanese men Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto, giving them
just 72 hours to live.
But
as the deadline approached the Japanese public responded with a show of
defiance by creating dozens of darkly comic internet memes mocking the
deranged ISIS killer.
In
the pictures, which have been widely shared online, the masked murderer
is seen using his knife to carve kebab meat, taking part in a cooking
show, and holding a selfie stick.
The
vast majority of the posts are written in Japanese, but one in English
reads: 'Tomorrow will be sad but it will pass and ISIS will still be a
big joke. You can't break our spirit.'