Fans of mystery and thriller stories can look atanimeto give them some of the most entertaining and captivating tales yet. Despite the rather innocent art style and premise of some mysteryanime, some of these have compelling-enough stories to grab viewers at the edge of their seats for a remarkable viewing experience. And a mystery anime isn’t complete without its own detective to solve these mysterious cases.
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However, with a lot of anime detectives out there, it can be difficult to figure out just which of them prevail among the rest as the best anime detective of all time. After all, just which of these detectives have enough deductive and problem-solving skills to outlast the competition?
10Dan Morihiko – Detective School Q
While Kyu Renjo is evidentlythe protagonist ofDetective School Q,none of their adventures in Class Q would be possible withoutDan Morihiko. Hailed as a legendary detective in Japan, Dan in their world is the only private detective in the country licensed to own a gun. He initially formed Dan Detective Company after he quit being a police officer to become a private detective, allowing him to solve numerous cases and even temporarily incapacitate the notorious criminal organization, Pluto.
Unfortunately for Dan, defeating Pluto did render him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. This motivated him to build Dan Detective School, where he would analyze handpicked candidates to choose his successor while also subjecting them to various mysteries. Although not on the frontlines anymore, Dan’s impeccable skill in reading people helped him select Class Q’s equally-impressive members. Not to mention, his reputation for having dismantled their world’s most dangerous criminal organization speaks a lot about his talents in his prime.
9Sakurako Kujo – Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation
Detectives don’t always come as a jack of all trades, sometimes they come with an extremely peculiar set of skills. This is exactly whatSakurako KujoofBeautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigationrepresents. Havinga huge passion for bones, Sakurako loves collecting and reconstructing bones of dead animals. And given her interest in human bones, Sakurako became an osteologist, eventually developing the same forensic skills her forensic scientist uncle possesses. When she meets Shotaro Tatewaki and has him become her assistant, their adventures almost always end up with them solving a murder.
Thankfully, Sakurako’s interest in bones complements her genius. Her near-obsession with human bones and her forensics training allow her to spot minute details that investigators often miss. And with more of her mysteries involving decomposing bodies, her knowledge regarding human anatomy has proven useful now more than ever.
8Sakon Tachibana – Karakurizoshi Ayatsuri Sakon
When one looks atSakon Tachibana, one would see an extremely shy boy with a knack for puppets. However, when he brings out his 100-year-old doll Ukon, Sakon eventually transforms into someone with an observant and calculating personality. It’s their unlikely “duo” that solves a lot of cases during their travels, which forms the crux of theKarakurizoshi Ayatsuri Sakonanime.
While Sakon’s “dual personality” with Ukon is certainly unique, this dynamic brings a new dimension to the detective genre. Criminals often look down on Sakon due to his age and appearance, especially with his nature as a puppeteer. This gives Sakon an unprecedented edge when it comes to observing his environment, one that helps him solve mysteries. Not to mention, Ukon’s supernatural ability to let spirits of the dead possess its body to say their final words before death gives Sakon the means to gleam insights into his cases.
7Keith Kazama Flick – B: The Beginning, B: The Succession
In the animeB: The BeginningandB: The Succession, the archipelago of Cremona becomes riddled with crime, withthe exploits of the serial killer “Killer B”being the most infamous. The rampant chaos in the city forces the Royal Investigation Service to employ the services of Keith Kazama Flick to capture Killer B and stop more murders from happening. And unfortunately for the common person, Keith at first glance would seem extremely lazy.
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However, people who get to enter his private room would realize his obsession with equations and mathematics, to the point of being able to form portraits out of formulas. His keen talent in math allows him to calculate his target’s movement with pinpoint accuracy, allowing him to figure out their intentions and plan accordingly. He uses this uncanny skill with math to solve various cases, much to the bewilderment of his colleagues.
6Taichi Hiraga-Keaton – Master Keaton
Unlike other mystery anime,Master Keatonhas quite a somber take on its mysteries, which the oddTaichi Hiraga-Keatonis solving as its protagonist. Taichi isn’t a detective, though. Rather, he’s an Oxford-trained archeologist and received training with the British SAS, eventually being deployed in the Falklands War and the Iranian Embassy Siege.
Thanks to his training, he serves as an insurance investigator for Lloyd’s Of London, where he’s known for weird investigation techniques. His passion for learning helped Taichi become a jack of all trades, with his work as an investigator giving him profound deduction and analytical skills. Coupled with his military training, Taichi has a cunning memory regarding languages, scents, and sights, letting him remember crucial clues where others have missed them.
5Oriki Hotaru – Hyouka
Although still a detective series,Hyoukaisn’t exactly grisly and brutal, unlike its counterparts. Rather,Hyoukaexploresthe life ofOriki Hotaruwhose elder sister convinces him to join their school’s Classic Literature Clubto prevent it from closing down. Joining him are three others, who are having an ordinary school life until they stumble upon the mystery surrounding the origins of the club.
However, despite its slice-of-life premise, Oriki demonstrates his sheer potential to become a detective when he grows up. Despite his slacker attitude, Oriki has a penchant for solving mysteries, able to spot details and piece together deductions that had some more enigmatic schoolmates stunned. What’s more surprising is how the clues Oriki is able to spot are almost always staring viewers in the face - forcing watchers to keep a close eye on their surroundings the same way Oriki does.
4Hajime Kindaichi – The Kindaichi Case Files
At first glance,Hajime Kindaichiis lazy, clumsy, and even a bit careless. However, he’s actually the grandfather of the detective Kosuke Kindaichi, which is probably why Hajime is almost always in the middle of various crimes. InThe Kindaichi Case Files, Hajime uses his amateur sleuthing skills to solve various unsolvable murders, despite these cases being locked room mysteries or with suspects having supposedly-legit alibis.
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Despite his appearance, Hajime possesses 180 IQ and sleight-of-hand skills, being able to use these talents to catch criminals in the act or even breaking down argument after argument. His impeccable attention to detail and deduction skills make him the perfect person to help solve crimes in their city.
3Conan Edogawa – Detective Conan
Originally going by Shinichi Kudo, this wannabe investigator ofDetective Conansuffers the effects of the mysterious APTX 4869 that shrunk him into a six-to-seven-year-old body. Nowgoing by the aliasConan Edogawa, he constantly uses his self-taught deductive skills to solve various mysteries and murders that plague his adoptive uncle, the washout detective Kogoro Mori.
Despite the hilarious nature ofDetective Conan, each of its near-1,000 episodes prove Conan’s sheer genius in solving cases. Taking cues from Sherlock Holmes and other detectives, Conan manages to spot clues, deduce motives, and recreate scenes of crimes based on what little knowledge he gathers in crime scenes.
2Near – Death Note
While some might consider it unfair to include two detectives from the same anime,Death Notefans could easily considerNearan investigator with intellectual prowess equal to, or even greater than, his mentor L. Near themiddle of theDeath Noteanime, Near is introduced alongside his foster brother Mello as potential successors to L, with Near prevailing due to his keen sense of deduction. In L’s death, Near takes on the task of investigating the identity of serial killer Kira.
Although possessing odd traits such as an obsession with toys, Near is much more cunning than his predecessor. Near doesn’t let his lack of social skills impede his progress, as he values results more than anything else. Despite Kira covering his tracks meticulously, Near is able to easily see cracks in his plans and was able to not just uncover his identity, but corner him to his eventual demise.
1L – Death Note
None would perhaps deserve the title of the world’s greatest detective thanL, the deuteragonist ofDeath Noteand the rival of Light Yagami, who is secretly the serial killer Kira. Despite Light’s possession of the Death Note, which can kill anyone whose name is written on its pages, L was able to constantly outplay and outsmart him. In fact,L manages to deduce Kira’s identity early on, with Light only getting away by exploiting L’s lack of knowledge about the notebook.
Despite his lack of social skills and obsession with chocolates, L’s sheer deductive skills are almost on par or perhaps greater than that of Light’s. The fact that L managed to learn about the notebook without ever possessing it is proof of his genius.
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