is a fictional private detective created by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo.

Overview

Akechi first appeared in the story in January 1925 and continued to appear in stories for a quarter of a century. Edogawa Ranpo (a pseudonym for Tarō Hirai) is considered the father of the Japanese detective story and was a great admirer of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Akechi is the first recurring

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

character in Japanese fiction and is clearly inspired by Doyle's

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

. Like Holmes, Akechi is a brilliant but eccentric detective who consults with the police on especially difficult cases. He is a master of disguise and an expert at judo whose genius lets him solve seemingly impossible cases. Also like Holmes, Akechi makes use of a group of young boys to gather information. His version of the Baker Street Irregulars is known as the . Akechi smokes Egyptian cigarettes when he is thinking about a case. Kogoro Akechi is a tall, handsome man with heavy eyebrows who dresses well. He is married to a woman named and lives with , the leader of the Boy Detectives Club. Kobayashi often plays an important part in solving cases. Like his mentor, he is an expert at disguise and is especially adept at posing as a young woman. Aside from these relationships little is known of the detective's personal life, which always takes a back seat to the mystery in his adventures. Detective Akechi's most frequent foe is the infamous . The fiend is a master criminal whose infallible gift for disguise may have been inspired by

Hamilton Cleek Thomas W. Hanshew (1857 – 1914) was an American writer and male actor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York (state). Life and career Hanshew began a career as an actor when only 16 years old, playing minor parts with Ellen Terry's comp ...

Thomas W. Hanshew Thomas W. Hanshew (1857 – 1914) was an American writer and male actor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York (state). Life and career Hanshew began a career as an actor when only 16 years old, playing minor parts with Ellen Terry's comp ...

's heroic but amoral "Man of Forty Faces." The Fiend is a non-violent criminal who steals to demonstrate his brilliance rather than out of need for money. He and Akechi have a mutual respect in the stories. The Akechi stories are based mainly in the detective's home city of Tokyo, though some move the action to the Japanese countryside. The stories often feature

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

and

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

overtones, though not so much as Ranpo's other fiction.

Bibliography

Short stories

* Published in English in ''The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro''. * Published in English in ''Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination''. * Published in English in ''The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro''. * Published in English in ''The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro''. * Published in English in ''The Edogawa Rampo Reader''. * * *

Novels

* Published in English in ''The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro''. * * * * * English edition was published by Kurodahan Press in 2019. * Published in English in ''The Black Lizard and Beast in the Shadows''. * * * * * *

''The Boy Detectives Club'' series (a.k.a. ''Fiend with Twenty Faces'' series)

This is a juvenile mystery series. ;Novels # English edition was published by Kurodahan Press in 2012. # English edition was published by Kodansha in 1988. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # originally titled # # # # # # # # originally titled # originally titled # originally titled ;Novellas and short stories * * * * * * serialized in the magazine ''Tanoshii Ni-nensei'' * serialized in the magazine ''Tanoshii Ichi-nensei'' *

In popular culture

Akechi has become a fixture in Japanese

pop-culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

. There have been a number of movies made based on his adventures, some of which pit him against other fictional characters such as Arsène Lupin. The actor best known for playing the detective is

Eiji Okada was a Japanese film actor from Chōshi, Chiba. Okada served in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and was a miner and traveling salesman before becoming an actor. Internationally, his best-remembered roles include Lui ("him" in Fre ...

. Akechi has been featured as a character in the

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

'' Lupin III'' (and its anime pilot) and references to him are common in

Japanese fiction Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanes ...

. He is probably best known in the west through the 1994 movie, '' Rampo''. Another notable movie featuring Akechi is the 1968 film ''

Black Lizard Black Lizard may refer to: * ''The Black Lizard'', a 1934 novel by Edogawa Ranpo ** ''Black Lizard'', a 1961 play by Yukio Mishima adapted from Ranpo's novel ** ''Black Lizard'', a 1962 film directed by Umetsugu Inoue adapted from Ranpo's novel ** ...

'', directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The movie was adapted from Ranpo's novel of the same name by noted author Yukio Mishima, who also appears briefly in the film. The story pits the detective against a female mastermind, known as the Black Lizard, who is played by

cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...

actor Akihiro Miwa. The film is considered high

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

with its bizarre conventions and over-the-top performances but has a loyal following among fans and critics alike. Modern references to him can also be found in Gosho Aoyama's popular and long-running

series, '' Detective Conan''. One of the characters, Detective Kogoro Mori is a persistent and courageous yet highly flawed and lecherous private detective—almost a parody of Kogoro Akechi. He has his cases solved for him by the youthful main character, Conan Edogawa. The name of young Conan's elementary school detective club is the "Detective Boys". Akechi himself is highlighted in volume 2 of the manga, in "Gosho Aoyama's Mystery Library", a section of the graphic novels (usually the last page) where the author introduces a different detective (or occasionally, a villain) from literature. Further Akechi references can be seen in Aoyama's other series, ''

Magic Kaito is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It began in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' in June 1987. The story tells of a phantom thief named Kaito Kid. Aoyama put the manga on hiatus after the first two ''t ...

'', where a master thief steals high profile items for recognition. Both Akechi and the Black Lizard are referenced in the '' Sakura Wars'' series of video games and anime. One of the musicals performed by the Teikoku Kagekidan is ''Benitokage'' ("Crimson Lizard") and features the title character, a criminal femme fatale, along with a handsome young detective named Akechi Kojiro. The manga and anime

Nijū Mensō no Musume is a Japanese manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese ...

, or the Daughter of Twenty Faces, focuses heavily on Akechi's arch-rival. Akechi himself is featured as well, but as a much more minor character. Akechi is also referenced in the character of Police Superintendent Akechi Kengo in '' Kindaichi Case Files'', a popular detective manga series. In the media franchise, '' Tantei Opera Milky Holmes'', Akechi is represented by a girl police detective named Kokoro Akechi. In 2015, a new Anime series entitled '' Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace'' has been created, based on the Mystery novels of Edogawa Ranpo, and in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death. The story follows Kobayashi (a reference to the leader of the Boy Detectives) who becomes assistant to eccentric 17 year old Akechi. In this Anime Twenty Faces also makes an appearance as a vigilante serial killer. In October 2016, an Anime titled, '' Trickster: From Edogawa Ranpo's "The Boy Detectives Club"'' was made, based on the stories of the 'Boy's Detective Club'. The plot follows Kogorou Akechi who meets mysterious Yoshio Kobayashi. Kobayashi, who has an undying body because of an "unidentified fog," wishes his own death, but together they both make their way after a mysterious criminal, nicknamed the "Fiend with Twenty Faces". The Anime takes place in the future period of the 2030s. Goro Akechi, a character in the 2016 video game '' Persona 5,'' is a deliberate homage to this character, even down to the name. His early role in the game, as a celebrity detective who opposes the Phantom Thieves (especially their leader, whose Persona takes the name of the original Lupin), mirrors especially the original Akechi's role in Edogawa's works. Also of note his role in the overall story of the game, combined with the protagonist's ability to change Personas serves as an homage to the rivalry between Akechi and the Fiend with Twenty Faces. In 2013 and 2014 a pair of films were made pairing Akechi with another famous fictional Japanese detective

Kosuke Kindaichi is a fictional Japanese detective created by Seishi Yokomizo, a renowned mystery novelist. His first case, ''The Honjin Murders'', is a novel of locked room murder in an old family, which many people regard as one of the best Japanese detective no ...

. Hideaki Itô was Akechi, whilst Tomohisa Yamashita played Kindaichi.

List of film adaptations

*''Hyôchû no Bijo'' (1950) (starring Jōji Oka) *''Shonen tanteidan: Nijumenso no akuma'' (1956) (starring

) *''Shonen tanteidan: Tetto no kaijin'' (1957) (starring Eiji Okada) *''Shonen tanteidan: Yako no majin'' (1957) (starring Susumu Namishima) *''Shonen tanteidan: Nijumenso no fukushu'' (1957) (starring Susumu Namishima) *''Shonen tanteidan: Kubinashi-otoko'' (1958) (starring Susumu Namishima) *''Kumo-otoko no gyakushū'' (1958) (starring Susumu Fujita) *''Shonen tanteidan: Tomei kaijin'' (1958) (starring Susumu Namishima) *''Satsujinki: Kumo-otoko'' (1958) (starring Susumu Fujita) *''Kurotokage'' (1962) (starring Minoru Ōki) *''

'' (1968) (starring Isao Kimura) *''

Horrors of Malformed Men is a 1969 Japanese horror film directed by Teruo Ishii, who also co-wrote the film. It is based on the novels and by Edogawa Rampo. Plot Hirosuke (Teruo Yoshida), a medical student with almost no recollection of his past, is trapped in an as ...

'' (1969) (starring Minoru Ōki) *''A Watcher in the Attic'' (1993) (starring

Kyūsaku Shimada is a Japanese actor. History Shimada was originally part of the Tokyo Grand Guignol Theater group, formed by artist Norimizu Ameya. He stayed with the group until its dissolution in 1986. One of the productions the group undertook was an adaptat ...

) *'' Rampo'' (1994) (starring Masahiro Motoki) *''

Murder on D Street is a 1998 Japanese film directed by Akio Jissoji based on a novel by Edogawa Rampo. Cast * Hiroyuki Sanada as Seiichiro Fukiya * Kyūsaku Shimada as Kogoro Akechi * Yumi Yoshiyuki Reception Awards 20th Yokohama Film Festival * Won: Best Suppo ...

'' (1998) (starring

) *'' Blind Beast vs. Dwarf'' (2001) (starring Shinya Tsukamoto) *''

Rampo Noir is a 2005 Japanese anthology film consisting of four segments based on works by Edogawa Ranpo. Synopsis Mars Canal A story told without speaking. It tells the story of a naked man who wanders through a depressing and desolate landscape recallin ...

'' (2005) (starring Tadanobu Asano) *'' K-20: Legend of the Mask'' (2008) (starring Tōru Nakamura) *''Yaneura no sanposha'' (2016) (starring Kouta Kusano)

References

{{reflist Fictional characters from Tokyo Literary characters introduced in 1925 Fictional judoka Fictional private investigators Fictional male detectives