Jimmy Kudo

Shin'ichi Kudo (Japanese: 工藤 新一, Hepburn: Kudō Shin'ichi), known in the United States as Jimmy Kudo,[note 2] is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the manga series Case Closed, created by Gosho Aoyama. A high school detective, he is forced to ingest the lethal poison APTX 4869 after an encounter with Gin and Vodka, agents of the mysterious Black Organization, while they were having a secret deal in an amusement park. Due to a rare side effect, the poison did not kill him. Instead, it shrinks him into a child and he adopts the pseudonym Conan Edogawa (江戸川 コナン, Edogawa Konan) to hide from those who poisoned him. He lives with his childhood friend Ran Mori and her father Kogoro Mori as he awaits the day he can take down the Black Organization and regain his original size.

Shin'ichi Kudo
Case Closed character

Shinichi Kudo, shown in his regular form (top) and his "Conan Edogawa" form (bottom) from the anime
First appearanceCase Closed File 1: "A Modern-Day Sherlock Holmes"
Created byGosho Aoyama
Portrayed byShun Oguri
Junpei Mizobata
Voiced byShinichi/Jimmy Kudo:
Kappei Yamaguchi
(Japanese)
Jerry Jewell
(English, Funimation)[note 1]
Griffin Burns
(English, Bang Zoom)
Conan Edogawa:
Minami Takayama
(Japanese)
Alison Viktorin
(English, Funimation)
Wendee Lee
(English, Bang Zoom)
In-universe information
AliasConan Edogawa
NicknameGreat Detective of the East
RelativesYukiko Kudo (mother)
Yusaku Kudo (father)
NationalityJapanese

Creation and conception

The idea that Jimmy Kudo would be turned into a child stemmed from the idea of a Tortoiseshell cat Sherlock Holmes as a protagonist.[3] Gosho Aoyama's idea was the cat would indicate the crucial evidence needed to solve the case; a performance the child-turned Jimmy does to help those around with the investigation. Jimmy was inspired by the fictional private eye Shunsaku Kudo.[4] Aoyama revealed that his editor was against the name Conan due to the protagonist from the anime series Future Boy Conan sharing the same name and had suggested to name him Doyle instead. The author stuck with the name Conan believing it would overtake the Future Boy series. According to Aoyama, Jimmy's catch phrase, "There is always only one truth!" (真実はいつもひとつ!, Shinjitsu wa Itsumo Hitotsu!), was thought of by the anime adaptation's script writer and drawn into chapter 96 of the manga at the same time.[3] In the English anime localization, the catch phrase was translated as "One Truth Prevails".[5]

Appearances

In Case Closed

Jimmy appears at the beginning of the series as a gifted 16-year-old student at Teitan High School ("Titan" in the US English anime) in Tokyo.[6] He was already well known as a brilliant young detective who had closed many difficult cases that the professionals could not.[7] He is also secretly in love with his childhood best friend Rachel Moore (Ran Mori), but refuses to admit his feelings due to both stubbornness and shyness. Later while on a date with Rachel to a theme park, Jimmy leaves Rachel and follows two suspicious characters, Gin and Vodka, suspecting they are criminals.[8][9] Gin ends up attacking Jimmy and forces him to drink an experimental poison APTX (Apotoxin) 4869 (四八六九, Yon Hachi Roku Kyū) which is supposed to kill him, and then leaves him for dead.[10] However, instead of killing Jimmy, a rare side-effect occurs, causing his age to regress, and he shrinks into the form of a young child.[11] With advice from Dr. Hiroshi Agasa ("Herschel" in the US English anime), Jimmy adopts the identity of Conan Edogawa, devised from the names of Arthur Conan Doyle and Edogawa Ranpo to prevent Gin, Vodka, and their syndicate, the Black Organization, from returning to kill him and those around him. For this reason, he chooses not to reveal his true identity to anyone else, to keep them safe.

Jimmy pretends to be a distant relative of Dr. Agasa's and is placed in the care of Rachel and her father, Richard Moore (Kogoro Mori), who owns a detective agency. Jimmy and Dr. Agasa feel that some clues regarding the Black Organization may possibly filter through the agency, allowing Jimmy to learn more about them to ultimately bring them down.[12] As for Jimmy's disappearance, Conan has to constantly find creative ways to fool Rachel into believing he is off solving a very difficult case and will return once the investigation is concluded.[13] This becomes increasingly difficult as she begins to suspect who he really is.

As a child, Conan must attend Teitan Elementary, where he inadvertently forms a detective club called the Junior Detective League with friends he makes at the school.[14] Conan is forced to adapt to his new daily life and becomes accustomed to attending elementary school while secretly helping Richard solve crimes with the use of his gadgets invented by Dr. Agasa. The most prominent of these are: his voice-changing bowtie, allowing him to impersonate anyone's voice;[15] his customized glasses which allow him to track and listen through his covert listening devices;[16] his super sneakers which multiply his kicking force;[17] his wrist watch stun gun, which allows him to tranquilize Richard or a criminal;[18] his Solar Powered skateboard[19] as well as a soccer ball dispenser belt, super strong/elastic suspenders, among others.[20]

Conan eventually meets Harley Hartwell, a detective from Osaka who is seeking to challenge Jimmy in a deductive battle. After drinking baijiu while sick with a cold, Conan reverts to a teenager and rectifies a deduction made by Harley.[21][22] In their second encounter, Harley is able to deduce Conan's identity as Jimmy Kudo and confronts him about it. The two later become good friends.[23]

As the series progresses, Conan befriends biochemist Shiho Miyano, a former member of the Black Organization and inventor of the APTX-4869 drug. She and her sister had grown up within the organization, as their scientist parents had been members too, before their deaths. After her sister was killed by Gin, she took the poison to commit suicide. However, like Jimmy, her age regressed and she shrank back to a small child's size. She then escapes and adopts the pseudonym Anita Hailey. Dr. Agasa ends up taking her in, and she vows to help Conan take down the Black Organization.[24] She later invents a prototype antidote to the APTX-4869 allowing Conan to temporarily become Jimmy again, which Conan uses on occasion to fool Rachel when she suspects his true identity.[25][26] During the events of Holmes' Revelation, Jimmy, while in his original form, confesses his feelings to Rachel in London.[27] In The Scarlet School Trip, Rachel returns those feelings by giving Jimmy a kiss on the cheek.[28]

Conan's investigation of the Black Organization leads him to discover the American FBI's existence in Japan, as they are also investigating the syndicate. The head of the syndicate, often referred to as 'you-know-who' and 'boss' by syndicate members, who is at least one-hundred and thirty, is Renya Karasuma. However, the FBI and Conan are currently unaware of this. '[29] His collaboration with FBI agents Jodie Starling and Shuichi Akai allows them to capture organization member Kir. They discover she is really an undercover CIA agent and return her to the organization to continue to spy from within.[30]

In other media

Jimmy Kudo has appeared in all of the feature films of the series, both the original video animation series (Shōnen Sunday Original animations and the Magic Files), the two-hour cross-over television special Lupin the 3rd vs Detective Conan, and is the protagonist in all Case Closed-related video games. He is the protagonist in the novels of the series.[31] In the 2006–2007 live-action series, he is portrayed by Shun Oguri as a teenager and Nao Fujisaki in child form.[32][33] In the 2011 live-action movie and TV drama series, Junpei Mizobata portrays the teenage Jimmy.[34][35]

In 2006, the Japanese government used Conan in campaigns to help promote crime awareness among children.[36] Targeting the same audience, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs used Conan and his friends in two pamphlets: one to promote the ministry's mission, the other to introduce the 34th G8 summit held in the country in 2010.[37][38] Conan and his friends were also featured in the sixth installment of the Anime, Heroes and Heroines commemorative stamp series issued by Japan Post in 2006.[39]

Reception

In the survey "friendship" developed by rankingjapan.com in which people had to choose what anime character they would like to have as a friend, Jimmy ranked third.[40] In Newtype magazine Jimmy ranked fourth and ninth in the 2001 and 2010 polls for most popular male anime character, respectively.[41][42] In the Animage's Anime Grand Prix awards from 1998, Jimmy was voted as the tenth most popular male anime character.[43] Mania Entertainment rated Conan as the third greatest anime detective.[44] Jimmy Kudo and Conan Edogawa were the second and third most popular characters in the series defined by a poll on ebooksjapan.jp.[45] Jian DeLeon of Complex magazine named him eighteenth on a list of "The 25 Most Stylish Anime Characters."[46] Additionally, in 2017 Charapedia poll, Kudo ranked as the 5th most ideal Prime Minister in anime series.[47] Conan won the "clever" award in the Animedia's magazine "Animedia Character Awards 2019" for standout anime characters chosen by the readers.[48]

Notes
  1. Also voices Conan Edogawa's inner thoughts in Jimmy Kudo's voice.
  2. He is known by his Japanese name in the English version of the manga published by Shogakukan Asia in Southeast Asia[1] and in Bang Zoom! Entertainment's English anime dub.[2]

References
  1. "Detective Conan My Bloody Valentine". Shogakukan Asia. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  2. "Case Closed Episode "One" Blu-ray". RightStuf. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  3. "Fami 2011". Otona Fami (in Japanese). Famitsu. 2011 (6). 4910022630610.
  4. Aoyama, Gosho (July 17, 2007). Case Closed. 18. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 184. ISBN 1-4215-0883-4.
  5. "No Immunity For The Diplomat Part 2". Case Closed. Season 2. August 16, 2004. Cartoon Network.
  6. Aoyama, Gosho (September 7, 2004). "File 2". Case Closed. 1. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 59. ISBN 1-59116-327-7.
  7. Aoyama, Gosho (September 7, 2004). "File 1". Case Closed. 1. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 11. ISBN 1-59116-327-7.
  8. Aoyama, Gosho (September 7, 2004). "File 1". Case Closed. 1. San Francisco: Viz Media. pp. 17–32. ISBN 1-59116-327-7.
  9. Aoyama, Gosho (September 7, 2004). "File 1". Case Closed. 1. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 34. ISBN 1-59116-327-7.
  10. Aoyama, Gosho (September 7, 2004). "File 1". Case Closed. 1. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 37. ISBN 1-59116-327-7.
  11. Aoyama, Gosho (September 7, 2004). "File 2". Case Closed. 1. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 44. ISBN 1-59116-327-7.
  12. Aoyama, Gosho (September 7, 2004). "File 2". Case Closed. 1. San Francisco: Viz Media. pp. 52–59. ISBN 1-59116-327-7.
  13. Aoyama, Gosho (September 7, 2004). "File 10". Case Closed. 1. San Francisco: Viz Media. pp. 180–182. ISBN 1-59116-327-7.
  14. Aoyama, Gosho (April 1, 2005). Case Closed. 6. San Francisco: Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-838-4.
  15. "Bow Tie Voice Transmitter". Funimation. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  16. "Homing and Listening glasses". Funimation. Archived from the original on February 11, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  17. "Super Sneakers". Funimation. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  18. "Wrist Watch Stun Gun". Funimation. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
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  22. Aoyama, Gosho (April 18, 1996). "File 6. 熱いからだ" [File 6. A Burning Body]. 名探偵コナン [Detective Conan] (in Japanese). Volume 10. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-123380-5.
  23. Aoyama, Gosho (December 10, 1996). "File 1. 本当の姿" [File 1. Revelation]. 名探偵コナン [Detective Conan] (in Japanese). Volume 13. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-125043-2.
  24. Aoyama, Gosho (July 17, 2007). "File 8". Case Closed. 18. San Francisco: Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0883-4.
  25. Aoyama, Gosho (February 18, 2000). "File 5. 束の間の休息" [File 5. Momentary Rest]. 名探偵コナン [Detective Conan] (in Japanese). Volume 26. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-125496-9.
  26. Aoyama, Gosho (February 18, 2000). "File 7. 思い出の場所" [File 7. The Memorable Place]. 名探偵コナン [Detective Conan] (in Japanese). Volume 26. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-125496-9.
  27. Aoyama, Gosho (June 17, 2011). "File 1. 厄介な難事件" [File 1. A Troublesome and Difficult Case]. 名探偵コナン [Detective Conan] (in Japanese). Volume 72. Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-122898-7.
  28. Aoyama, Gōshō; 青山剛昌. Meitantei konan : 95. Tōkyō. ISBN 978-4-09-128560-7. OCLC 1057657302.
  29. Aoyama, Gosho (July 18, 2003). "File 10. 雨中の刻印" [File 10. Mark in the Rain]. 名探偵コナン [Detective Conan]. Case Closed (in Japanese). Volume 42. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-126412-3.
  30. Aoyama, Gosho (July 18, 2007). "File 7. 姉弟" [File 7. Older Sister and Younger Brother]. 名探偵コナン [Detective Conan] (in Japanese). Volume 58. Shogakukan. ISBN 978-4-09-121155-2.
  31. 小説 名探偵コナン [Detective Conan novels] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
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  33. 工藤新一の復活！～黒の組織との対決 [Shinichi Kudo Returns! Showdown with the Black Organization] (DVD). B-Vision. March 28, 2008.
  34. "溝端淳平、実写版SPドラマ『名探偵コナン』で"2代目"工藤新一役に抜擢" [Mizohata Juntaira, Detective Conan TV Live action drama, Junpei Mizobata chosen as second generation Kudo] (in Japanese). Oricon. February 9, 2011. Archived from the original on June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  35. "Conan News" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  36. "Detective Conan Helps Kids Fight Crime". Anime News Network. September 18, 2006. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20.
  37. "Japanese Government Hires Detective Conan for PR Campaign". Anime News Network. April 9, 2007. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2010.

    名探偵コナン-外務省を探る- [Detective Conan Investigates the Ministry of Foreign Affairs] (in Japanese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2010.

  38. "Japan Hires Detective Conan to Introduce World Summit". Anime News Network. April 8, 2008. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2010.

    名探偵コナン-サミットガイド- [Detective Conan – Guide to Summit] (in Japanese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2010.

  39. "Detective Conan Special Stamp Collection" (in Japanese). Japan Post. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  40. "Which Anime Character Do You Wish You Could Be Friends With?". Anime News Network. February 28, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  41. "Newtype top 10 Anime". Anime News Network. August 12, 2001. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  42. "NT Research". Newtype. Kadokawa Shoten (4). March 2010.
  43. 第20回アニメグランプリ　1998年6月号 (in Japanese). Animage. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  44. Joseph Dexter (March 23, 2010). "10 Greatest Anime Detectives". Mania Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
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  46. DeLeon, Jian (January 23, 2013). "The 25 Most Stylish Anime Characters". Complex. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  47. Green, Scott (October 19, 2017). "12,000 Japanese Fans Vote on Japan's Top Heroes and Heroines". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  48. Morrissy, Kim (January 10, 2020). "Demon Slayer Sweeps Animedia Character Awards 2019". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
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