List of Kindaichi Case Files Characters

The following are major characters of the manga series Kindaichi Case Files.

Characters

nihongo|Hajime Kinda'ichi |金田一 一| "Kinda'ichi Hajime" anime voices|Taiki Matsuno: High school student Hajime Kinda'ichi is unmotivated, lazy, and a little lecherous, much to the exasperation of childhood friend Miyuki Nanase. However, only a few people see his great intelligence and deductive prowess by his 180 IQ, possibly inherited from his grandfather, private detective Kosuke Kindaichi (a fictional character written by Seishi Yokomizo; called the "Japanese "Columbo" by some; However, the creators of this series did not get permission from Yokomizo's family, and they eventually complained when the series became popular. It appears to have been settled without a lawsuit, and Kosuke as Hajime's grandfather is not explicitly mentioned in the later episodes). His catchphrases are, "In the name of my grandfather...", when he commits himself to solving a murder mystery, and, "This mystery is solved!", indicating to readers that they are now in possession of all facts needed to correctly deduce the killer's identity and methods. He is also an accomplished sleight of hand artist. He is billed to have been quite unpopular with girls, but his kindness, intelligence and comical antics have in fact captured the hearts of many female characters throughout the story, such as Miyuki Nanase, Reika Hayami, Sakura Gozo, and Masumi Takamori. Despite his clumsiness and myriad other flaws, he is a loyal friend and a first-rate detective.

nihongo|Miyuki Nanase |七瀬 美雪| "Nanase Miyuki" anime voices|Akiko Nakagawa: The childhood friend and next door neighbour of "Hajime-chan"; many question why a model student like Miyuki is friends with a slacker like him. Deep down inside, Miyuki feels Hajime is not an idiot, and they seem to have a love that neither has yet fully expressed. Her birthday is November 24, as stated in "The Murderer From the Screen". She possesses remarkable logic and perception, as demonstrated by her 'filling in' for him to solve a murder mystery in the live-action series while the latter was being warded for appendicitis, although she is obviously not as gifted as he is.

: A Tokyo homicide police inspector who met Kinda'ichi on his first case, and was so impressed that he has lent the youngster his unquestioning support ever since. He is often the investigating officer on Kinda'ichi's cases, and provides the official stamp of approval Kinda'ichi often needs to pursue his investigations. He believes fully in Kinda'ichi's ability.

nihongo|Kengo Akechi |明智 健悟| "Akechi Kengo" anime voices|Toshiyuki Morikawa: An extremely intelligent, elite-level police detective (superintendent), who is Kenmochi's supervisor. First appearing in "Death TV", he is presented as an arrogant and snobbish character that becomes a rival to Kinda'ichi in crime-solving. However, Akechi (indeliberately) not only helped Kinda'ichi solve the case, but also aided him out of trouble. His relationship to Kinda'ichi is abraisive at the least, but they have an unspoken mutual respect for each other's abilities. He often compares the crimes in Japan to his experience in Los Angeles. He is proficient in English and French. In "The Magical Express", it's revealed that he met Reiko Chikayama before her death, and this eventually helps Kinda'ichi solve the case. In "Murder at Hell's School", (disguised as a math teacher) he claimed that he had actually been a teacher in a very famous prep-school for three years. His name may be a reference to the classic Japanese detective Kogoro Akechi created by Edogawa Rampo.

nihongo|Reika Hayami |速水 玲香| "Hayami Reika" anime voices|Mayumi Iizuka: A famous actress and singer, first appearing in "Death TV", who initially appeared to be arrogant but turned out to be weak and desperate for protection. After this case, Reika has had a crush on Kinda'ichi and sent her only Valentine's Day gift, a heart-shaped chocolate, to him without revealing her name. Since then, she and Miyuki seem to be rivals over Kinda'ichi. In "Playing the Fool", Reika's past, that even she lost memory of, was revealed. In "Reika's Kidnapping", it was revealed that Reika's real mother is veteran actress Keiko Mitamura, but throughout the series Reika never knew it, and it was a secret that only Keiko and Kinda'ichi know.

: Ryuta Saki first appeared in "Smoke and Mirrors" as a member of the Mystery Club. He is obsessed with filming through a V8 camera. He basically shoots everywhere at any time. His tape helped Kinda'ichi solved the case. In "The Santa Slayings", his tape recorded a critical piece of evidence and he was killed for this. In "Kindaichi the Killer", his younger brother, Ryuji Saki, who very much resembled his elder brother, approached Kinda'ichi at a party, telling him his elder brother told him in a dream that Kinda'ichi would be in trouble. Soon after, Ryuji helped Kinda'ichi avoid a murder rap. Afterwards, Ryuji claims himself as Kinda'ichi's assistant and sometimes really helps Kinda'ichi in solving cases.

nihongo|Yosuke Itsuki |いつき 陽介| "Itsuki Yōsuke" anime voices|Hiroaki Hirata: A freelance writer who first appeared in "Legend of Lake Hiren" and they become friends after the case. Later on, he helped Kinda'ichi during his run in "Kindaichi the Killer". Since then he has become a press/media contact for Kinda'ichi and uses his position as a writer to perform background checks on suspects. His sources are very reliable -- however, in "Kindaichi the Killer", Itsuki will discover that one of his friends, who supposedly tries to help, may be a prime suspect... Also appears in a small role in "The Gentleman Thief."

: Kinda'ichi's cousin.

: Kinda'ichi's nemesis, Professor Moriarty to Kindaichi's Holmes. First appeared in "The Magical Express." He is known to be extremely intelligent, considers himself to be the evil twin of Kinda'ichi, and describes their relationship as parallel lines. He is the only son of Reika Chikamiya, an internationally known magician, who in turn drove Takato to be a magician himself. What he uncovered about the murder of his mother triggered what he is today. A twisted, cold-hearted magician who considers his devilish setups for the perfect crime as masterpieces, and tolerates no mistakes from the people he uses as his puppets.