ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

The wacky, the lovable, and the hot, hot, hot (in the humble opinion of our staff) can be found within the pages of this manga series. Whether you fall in love with the perverted and dorky boy sleuth or the cool, collected, and did we mention hot?, Superintendent is your choice. We're just here to give you the who's who in Kindaichi's world.


KINDAICHI HAJIME

First Appearance: "The Opera House Murders". Available from Tokyopop.

Kindaichi is just your average slacker and class clown with an IQ of 180 and - oh sorry, did we say average? We meant genius. Not only does he hold the record for the highest entrance exam score in the history of his school, he's also learned some seriously nifty sleight of hand from his famous detective grandfater, Kindaichi Kousuke. Despite his brilliance in logic and reasoning, no doubt inherited and learned from his grandfather, Kindaichi is often perceived merely as a simple, perverted, bumbling idiot by his peers. This reputation is not completely undeserved as he has his share of stupid stunts and bad marks, but underneath his silly exterior is a sharp mind, a keen sense of justice, and a sympathetic heart. His main goal in solving any case is to save as many lives as possible while pursuing the murderer, all without making the mistake of leaping to conclusions. Kindaichi never makes accusations without concrete evidence; evidence that proves beyond a doubt that he has trapped the killer in their own web of lies. No jury will ever find any of his perpetrators innocent!

NANASE MIYUKI

First Appearance: "The Opera House Murders". Available from Tokyopop.

Miyuki, the class representative and one of the popular girls at school, has been best friends with Kindaichi since their kindergarten days. Even though others scoff at and ridicule him, Miyuki counts Hajime-chan (as she calls him) as one of her nearest and dearest. She trusts in him in any situation (unless there's a hot girl involved) and always believes the best of him. Whenever Kindaichi has somehow gotten into a dangerous situation, it's Miyuki who is most worried about him. She's also invaluable to him in cases, organizing data for him and finding important background information pertaining to the case. Although he doesn't always show it, it's easy to see that Miyuki is as important to Kindaichi as he is to her, and both are relentless when it comes to keeping the other safe.



KENMOCHI ISAMU

First Appearance: "The Opera House Murders". Available from Tokyopop.

Despite first appearances, Kenmochi is really a competent detective. Really. Of course, in the company of Kindaichi and Akechi, anyone would come off looking incapable, but Kenmochi's worked hard to get where he is and is one of Kindaichi's most important allies. Whenever Kindaichi is in trouble or needs someone to give him some credibility in an investigation, he can always count on Kenmochi to vouch for him. And really, it's awfully humble and grand of Kenmochi to willingly put so much faith in a kid he's four times older than!





AKECHI KENGO

First Appearance: "Death TV". Available from Tokyopop.

This young (and good-looking!) superintendent of the police force is Kindaichi's biggest rival - in a good way. With both of these natural geniuses on the job, it's only a matter of time before the killer is caught! Of course, Akechi is much more refined than Kindaichi, and if he's a bit arrogant at times, well who are we to argue? His accomplishments, which include fluency in three foreign languages, prodigial violin skills, competition skills at the national level for tennis, fencing, skiing, a 100% win-rate in chess, and not to mention reaching a Superintendent level at a young age, allow him bragging rights! Although they are pretty evenly matched in an ongoing battle of wits (with Akechi wavering between being one step ahead or one step behind), his arrogance and overconfidence in his own deductive abilities can sometimes lead to problems. Still, he often (grudgingly) gives a hand to Kindaichi whenever he needs it.


THE SAKI BROTHERS

First Appearance: "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Kindaichi the Killer", respectively. Both cases available from Tokyopop.

Both Ryuta and Ryuji have made invaluable contributions to helping Kindaichi solve cases. With one or the other constantly peering over his shoulder with a video camera in hand, they contribute lots of great footage that can yield important clues to a case Kindaichi is working on. Although both are sometimes overenthusiastic in their attempts to help, Kindaichi is grateful to them for their work - at least when he isn't being annoyed by them!





THE PUPPETEER FROM HELL

First Appearance: "The Magical Express". Available from Tokyopop.

Kindaichi's arch nemesis, and yes - we do mean that in the bad way. He sees himself as Kindaichi's mirror opposite and is chillingly cunning in the execution of his plans, with small regard for human life. He isn't without his own story though, and he seems to strive to have Kindaichi admit and acknowledge that he is, indeed, more clever and cunning than the young detective will ever be.







ITSUKI YOUSUKE

First Appearance: "The Legend of Lake Hiren". Available from Tokyopop.

A freelance novelist/journalist, Itsuki recognizes and appreciates Kindaichi's talents in solving puzzles so much that he constantly convinces (or manipulates) his young detective friend into helping him with riddles or rhymes that promise a huge payoff. Unfortunately for Kindaichi, these well-intentioned schemes of Itsuki's more often than not land him in big trouble. Of course, Itsuki's always there with his investigative skills and reliable sources to help Kindaichi out of whatever tight spot he's in!






HAYAMI REIKA

First Appearance: "Death TV". Available from Tokyopop.

On her way to becoming a major star, Reika is a popular idol whom Kindaichi helped out at one point. She's made a point to keep in touch with him ever since, freely and publicly displaying her affection towards him when given the opportunity (much to Miyuki's annoyance). And really, who wouldn't want such loving attention from a popular teen idol? Certainly not reknowned-pervert Kindaichi! But even though Kindaichi has a soft spot for his famous friend and would likely do anything for her, his romantic interests probably lie elsewhere.





KINDAICHI FUMI

First Appearance: Short Story at the end of Volume 2 of the Japanese Manga

One Christmas, Kindaichi was working a part-time job at his uncle's hotel when, coincidentally, a murder case cropped up to ruin his vacation. Not surprisingly, after the violent and bloody murders, his uncle's hotel was closed down, and Kindaichi's 9 year-old cousin moved in with his family. Much to Kindaichi's annoyance, they were forced to share a bed during her stay. Also much to his chagrin, Fumi has not only inherited a high IQ from her grandfather like her cousin, she also looks and acts very much like him as well. Along with her friends, she is planning on starting her own little detective series (a girl version of Conan perhaps?)






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