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May 21 is “Detective’s Day”.

The day was set to commemorate the first advertisement being printed in a Japanese newspaper in 1891.

Detectives are essential characters for solving difficult cases in the mystery genre. Anime and games are no exception and various detectives have solved mysteries in them.
Some are so smart that no one can compete against them, some are usually in a daze but become brilliant when a case arises, and some catch the criminals with brute force. Who is the most popular among these detective characters?

We at Anime!Anime! conducted the same readers’ survey as last year asking, “Who’s Your Favorite Detective Character?”. There were 327 votes during the survey period from May 10 to May 17. The voters were mainly female with a gender ratio of 80% female to 20% male, and the age range was on the younger side with 55% under 20 and 25% in their 20s.

■Several “Detective Conan” characters made it in the list!
1st Place
Topping the list was Edogawa Conan from “Detective Conan” with roughly 25% of the votes, keeping him at the top for two consecutive years.

“It’s not an overstatement to say that every Japanese person knows this detective character! I think his detective skills such as deduction and flexibility have evolved over the years,” and “How he seriously takes on the cases and the action scenes in the films are so cool, even though he’s just a kid! On the other hand, he acts like a child to solve the cases, and I can’t resist the gap between his two faces,” are comments that show how he fascinates fans just as his catchphrase says, “the looks of a child, the brains of an adult.”
There were five characters from “Detective Conan” making it in the top 10 of the list. The various detectives add to the charm of the anime.

2nd Place
Coming in 2nd was Edogawa Ranpo from “Bungou Stray Dogs” with roughly 18 % of the votes, also keeping his position from last year.

His looks and excellent reasoning skills made him popular and received comments like, “How he can solve any case in an instant by putting on his glasses is so cool. I also love how he’s usually just enjoying his snacks and relaxing,” “His keen insight and observation skills are that of a true detective. I also love that he’s lazy and loves sweets,” and “The line ‘Hannin wa Kimida’ (The culprit is you) is so cool.”

3rd Place
Sherlock Holmes from “Moriarty the Patriot” takes 3rd place with roughly 9% of the votes. A character from a current title made it in the top 3.

He received comments such as, “I like that he’s not just a genius, but that he acts very humanly like laughing or getting frustrated,” “His reasoning skills that uncover the hidden intentions is so amazing,” and “I love the compassionate and humanly Sherlock Holmes!”
By the way, his rival William James Moriarty made it to 15th place. He received votes since he also has solved cases.

■Here are some comments for other characters!

For Kindaichi Hajime from “The Kindaichi Case Files”, “He’s usually a high school student that slacks off, but when he gets involved in a case, his deductive skills kick in! I can’t resist this gap. The many TV drama versions also left a strong impression on me.”
For Sherlock Hound from “Sherlock Hound”, “For us old farts, the first detective that comes to mind is the dog version of Holmes.”

For Matsuno Osomatsu (Calming Detective) from “Mr. Osomatsu”, “He doesn’t solve any cases but calms everyone down at the crime scene. I think it’s nice to have a detective like him.”

For Pikachu from “Detective Pikachu”, a Hollywood film, “He has the cute looks but inside he’s just a middle-aged man.”

Another wide variety of characters made it on the list for the 2021 survey, and many of them are based on Sherlock Holmes.

■Top 20
[Who’s Your Favorite Detective Character? 2021 Edition]
1. Edogawa Conan (Kudou Shinichi) “Detective Conan”
2. Edogawa Ranpo “Bungou Stray Dogs”
3. Sherlock Holmes “Moriarty the Patriot”
4. Hattori Heiji “Detective Conan”
5. Amuro Tooru “Detective Conan”
6. Sera Masumi “Detective Conan”
7. Oreki Houtarou “Hyouka”
8. Kindaichi Hajime “The Kindaichi Case Files”
8. Mouri Kogorou “Detective Conan”
10. Sherlock Shellingford “Tantei Opera Milky Holmes”
11. Siesta “The Detective Is Already Dead”
11. Soutouin Manabu “Pretty Boy Detective Club”
11. Dazai Osamu “Bungou Stray Dogs”
11. Matsuno Osomatsu “Mr. Osomatsu”
15. Detective Sakaido “Id:Invaded”
15. Sherlock Hound “Sherlock Hound”
15. Katrielle Layton “Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katori no Nazotoki File”
15. Damien Darkblood “Invincible”
15. Akachi Gorou “Persona 5”
15. Ayatsuji Yukito “Bungou Stray Dogs”
15. William James Moriarty “Moriarty the Patriot”
15. L “Death Note”
15. Okigami Kyouko “Okigami Kyouko no Bibouroku”
15. Kobayashi Opera “Tantei Opera Milky Holmes”
15. Fukuroi Michiru “Pretty Boy Detective Club”

(Voting Period: May 10 – May 17, 2021)

※This survey was held to investigate the readers’ “interests and attention towards current anime titles and characters”. The results should not be used to determine the supremacy of characters and titles. We hope this article will help you find new anime/characters and deepen your understanding of them.