Glass Heart

Then, there is one mystery: why would Gosho Aoyama show the character using a different main hand to the point he even recreates the exact same scene (the bathroom with the toothbrush) with this major inconsistency ? Narratively speaking, it would have no sense at all if not implying the possibility of two different characters. Also, it is fact that there is a different person posing as Subaru Okiya in the current case. We could guess that someone takes the place of Akai only in the current case but, remembering that there were already some clues pointing out at Subaru Okiya being actually two people (as I've pointed out some months back), it's logical to deduce that this was already the case back then. I don't see why this theory would be impossible. Now that you mention it, I may have made a major mistake on that one. I thought Subaru Okiya was the second one because he was right-handed during this case (I'm 99,9% sure about that: he hold Masumi over his right shoulder given her position on the couch and he "texts" on his mobile phone using his right hand). Still, I also doubt he could have mimicked Akai's eye. But what was Gosho Aoyama's intention during this story ? He wanted us to think that Subaru Okiya was Shuichi Akai. Clearly, he wanted to hide something else. Now that I think about it, the trick is simple: it couldn't have worked if Shuichi Akai was not on the scene, still Subaru Okiya was seen as right-handed and therefore he couldn't be Shuichi Akai. Aoyama would have used the exact same trick he wanted to hide to create the illusion that Subaru was only one person. If I'm right, he fooled me completely on that one until now. It didn't even occured to me that the two Subaru could be present at the same time. But that's the trick itself after all !

There are three times when I think Subaru Okiya was another person: -Files 812-814 (Yusaku Kudo's Cold Case) -Files 820-823 (Belltree Express) -Files 894-895 (Scarlet Showdown) In these three cases, Subaru Okiya is definitely right-handed. Even when he uses his left hand, it's in situation right-handed people would also do it (such as holding their phone in their left hand to do other things with their right hand such as writing). As for the build, he is definitely thiner in file 812 when Masumi met him in the bathroom and in files 894-895. But looking at the Belltree Express, he appears to be more muscular as in his other apperances so I'm wondering. Either I'm wrong or he wears something that he hadn't had the time to put on in file 812 and in files 894-895 (strangely, the two occurences were he is definitely thiner is when he hadn't had much time to prepare, especially on files 894-895 where Conan must have phoned him in urge and where Subaru puts the wrong glasses as a result).

I think I've written something some months ago but it would be hard to find (I don't even remember the topic). But the idea that Subaru Okiya is in fact two different people is very likely. As for the glasses which are different in chapter 895, I think the second Subaru changed in urge as soon as he got Conan's phone call explaining the situation. That may be why he forgot to change his real glasses (with a straight branch) with the one Subaru is traditionnally using (with a rond branch). Being nearsighted/shortsighted, he wouldn't have noticed his mistake.

There might also be something about how old the characters are. Shuichi Akai: ?? years old. Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack): 33 years old. Subaru Okiya: 27 years old. Quattro Bajeena / Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam): 27 years old. Masumi Sera: 16-17 years old. Seila Mass (Mobile Suit Gundam): 17 years old. Touru Amuro: 29 years old. Amuro Ray (Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack): 29 years old. It is likely that there are two people posing as Subaru Okiya for quite some time now, and it is also likely they share some likeness. What if the younger brother was the second person posing as Subaru Okiya ? Also Subaru's age is around the supposed age of Masumi's middle brother according to his friends. That could also explain two mysteries: the different main hand and the different builds. The Subaru that Masumi has met is either right-handed or ambidextrous while Akai is left-handed and he doesn't have the same constitution as Akai who is more muscular.

I think the Subaru Okiya we see in this case is the one who was seen as right-handed (but who might end up to be ambidextrous in fact) and that Masumi Sera has met previously in the Kudo's house. Probably he was also the one who saved Masumi on the Belltree Express while Shuichi Akai appeared before Bourbon. Meaning I highly doubt he is Yusaku Kudo since the right-handed Subaru discovered Conan's true identity during the case where he met Masumi Sera.

No, it seems pretty clear there is something odd about Subaru. Aoyama went out of his way to show him in the EXACT same situation than in a former case with a different main hand, while managing to keep it discreet enough (few people have taken notice of this and he was rarely seen using his hands since then). He litterally changed his main hand altogether while doing the same action. And he's not ambidextrious either since he was never seen alternating between his hands before. Something like that must have some kind of meaning, and the guess that they are two different people would be the most logical explanation (at least the only one I could think of so far). Plus, the Shuichi Akai in the Belltree Express that seemed to confirm Akai and Okiya are one and the same. It would look like Aoyama to make it like he almost confirmed the connection to Akai while it was in fact a different person altogether at the time. But I still doubt there is any "true" Subaru Okiya. I think the impersonator (the right-handed one who Masumi met and who was posing as Akai in the train) is the brother and that this is not his true appearance. It's possible to hide traces of a mask with make-up (especially with the help of a master like Yukiko) and, Okiya and Akai having almost the same face (Akai probably wore just a wig and some basic make-up to create the Okiya persona), the new "Okiya" would just have to wore a wig to make himself look like Akai (and I think the wig's long hair found by Masumi points to that possibility). Of course, whoever the second Okiya is, he needed Yukiko's help to perform his disguise, while I don't see why Akai would need his help if he was still Subaru at the time. What I keep wondering is why Akai would need someone else to take the Okiya identity from him, but the actions of "Okiya" clearly points to him trying to attract Bourbon's attention, so I can only guess it's to distract him away from something the real Akai could be plotting. I just thought that Yukiko could have also provided Akai with another disguise/appearance but I can't think of something to support that guess so far. Edit: In fact, Subaru could have been using his right hand way before the meeting with Sera. He was already using it in volume 67 (the hostage crisis), holding a phone in his right hand and later adjusting his glasses with it (something he did with his left hand before). So I might be wrong. The right-handed one didn't need Yukiko's help to look like "Subaru", maybe just for the Akai's disguise of the Belltree Express (this one at least is likely considering the wig's long hair found by Masumi). But what is happening if there was two people posing as Subaru since then ? Or maybe I've made a mistake somewhere. At least, the only thing for sure is that Okiya is "always" left-handed at times and "always" right-handed at others. That, at least, is "fact". Now, there must be some kind of logical explanation to this whole mess (lol), which may involve two people posing as the same person or not. Edit 2: Thinking about it, at the time, Okiya was definitely saying he came because he thought he recognized someone (Akai) before realizing it wasn't really him (Bourbon). And Conan was watching Okiya shaking hands (right-hand) with Kogoro while being deep in thoughts (he noticed). It might be the first time Conan met the second Okiya and learned he was looking for Shuichi Akai. Then, for some reason, he made him discover Akai was posing as "him" and Subaru takes Akai's place (as himself) from time to time. What if there was a real Subaru Okiya after all ? A Subaru who knew Akai and who Masumi recognized while wondering while he was here but keeping silent about it nonetheless. I have to think everything up until that point and see if that connects but that's the most likely explanation after all. Then, Subaru wouldn't be the brother after all, it would be someone else (otherwise Masumi would have known her brother already knew Conan since she saw him with Subaru before). There would be: -Fake Subaru Okiya (Shuichi Akai) -Real Subaru Okiya that was looking for Akai, who discovered Conan is Shinichi, who is helping Akai and him and who, for some reason, looks like Akai -Masumi Sera who thinks her brother is dead and who recognizes Subaru Okiya (the real one) for someone she has seen before and that her brother knew -Bourbon who is searching for Shuichi Akai right now and who is posing as him from time to time -The brother who I have no longer any idea who he is but who met Conan at some point It's becoming messier and messier... Bourbon posing as Akai (Scar Akai), Akai posing as Subaru, Subaru posing as... Akai posing as himself (Subaru) and as Scar Akai in front of Bourbon...

Yes, you're right. I didn't thought about that (I just saw a dark hair, so I assumed it was black).

You might have thought about something crucial. I have already thought about Kazumi Sanada, but there was a missing link about his connection with Sera. Now, if I thought about Sanada being the brother, Sera having met Shinichi and Ran somewhere during their childhood (with the magic show of Sanada's future mentor being one of the occasion), Yukiko's connections with the world of magic, the need for "Subaru" to suddenly use Yukiko's talent for disguise, and the definite possibility of Subaru being a different person now (with a different main hand) with the right-handed one discovering Shinichi's true identity and later the brother having trust in Conan, everything makes perfect sense. But that changes a lot of things. Of course, Akai didn't need Yukiko to conceive a disguise he already had. Plus the long dark hair of the wig which didn't connect with Subaru's hair. If we connect everything together, especially the fact that there is a second Subaru Okiya, it is likely the disguise they conceived was not Subaru Okiya (at least, not only) but Shuichi Akai. That would explain why Subaru was right-handed aboard the train despite Akai's appearance: it would have been his brother disguised as him.

As for me, I think the boss is likely linked to Renya Karasuma, if he isn't Karasuma himself (he would be what nowadays ? 150 or so ?).

Just so you know, The Raven Chaser was adapted by Gosho Aoyama as an extra chapter of the manga very recently (just after the case of Sera's hotel). The chapter (50 pages) recaps the events of Tokyo Tower. It shows that this movie continues to have a popular fan-base.

The right-handed Okiya could have been playing a role. His intention was to bring Haibara to a certain place and, since she suspects Okiya from being Akai and a BO agent, it was the easiest way. But I think Okiya is now a different person from Akai (with some help from Yukiko). And maybe that's the reason why Conan wanted Ran to stay away from the mansion in the first place.

Detective Conan 18th movie: Ijigen no Sniper. "Shuichi Akai is targeted by a sniper and Masumi Sera is shot. Tokyo is in panic, citizens are taken in the shooting of a sniper. Nothing is known about him. Why was Sera targeted ? Will Akai be able to make it ? Jodie Starling and Subaru Okiya are also in this one. Will Conan be able to find and apprehend the culprit ?" A first trailer should be attached with Lupin III vs Detective Conan. http://www.manga-news.com/index.php/actus/2013/11/29/18eme-film-pour-Detective-Conan

You might have a point. In fact, I have wondered if Subaru Okiya is still the same person. Ever since Masumi discovered the hair of the wig and the recent presence of Yukiko, I've almost never seen Subaru using his left hand again (except once, for a drink of Bourbon at the end of the camping case). While before, he was always using it. And that's not a question of habit (using a hand for a particular thing) since he even changed the hand he uses to brush his tooths between two similar scenes in volumes 60 and 77. And the way he was holding Masumi in volume 78 is definitely right-handed. I don't think anyone could hold someone with his right shoulder like that if he isn't naturally right-handed. Maybe there are two people posing as Subaru Okiya: the real one (right-handed) and Shuichi Akai (left-handed). When Sonoko thought Subaru might hid something and was proven wrong in volume 77, Subaru was right-handed. While when Haibara tries to see the same thing in the car just one case before, Subaru stopped her with his left hand. Also, when Subaru is clever enough to deduce that Conan is Shinichi Kudo, he is the right-handed one (not Shuichi Akai) which could also explain a few things. It's also the right-handed one who is acquainted with Yukiko, who is in the Belltree Express with her and who is supporting the sleeping Masumi with his right shoulder later (not necessarily meaning he is also the Shuichi Akai who appeared, he might not be).

Some ideas I have about what Detective Conan's final might look like: -Conan discovers the truth behind the events of the Karasuma mansion (chapter 300): Renya Karasuma faked his death and arranged for all his rivals to reunite during the auction 40 years ago. Then, everything was arranged in order to murder them, allowing him to take complete takeover of the criminal underworld, while taking back his precious belongings (his fortune), without any investigation being in charge considering the unusual circumstances of the event. -Conan and Haibara confronts an 140 years old Renya Karasuma about his experiments, trying to achieve eternal life. The experiments have succeeded to maintain him in life this old, but now he seeks a more permanent solution: eternal youth. The boss is convinced that eternal youth can be achieved since one case was a complete success (Vermouth), allowing him to hope for himself, but Vermouth sees eternal life as a curse and she hates Karasuma for what he did to her. Haibara learns that Vermouth was the one who assassinated her parents in revenge for what they did to her and in order to prevent them to complete their researches. -Vermouth intends to kill the boss but Karasumu kills her before she even has the chance. In her dying words, Vermouth says that she is happy her life finally comes to an end since it also marks the end of her existence as a monster during which she has forgotten who she was truly. She says that she is happy the son of Yukiko is at her side by the end and that he is "a true silver bullet". Conan finally understands what she means by that. -To confirm that the APTX-4869 can truly rejuvenate someone, Karasuma uses it on Ran, held hostage. She rejuvenates, becoming a 6 years old girl again. Confident, the boss is about to take it while Conan tries to prevent him. Then, the boss begins to slowly dying and wonders why. Conan reveals that Ran, Haibara and he share the same blood type and it is so rare that the chances the boss would rejuvenate were pretty low. In the last moment of the boss, Conan says to him that, while he can't forgive Karasuma for all the suffering he has brought on too many people, he would have try to save him, since a detective who lets a culprit kill himself isn't different from a murderer. The "silver bullet" (APTX-4869) has finally killed the monster. -Haibara consideres stopping her researches on the cure since it could lead to the achievement of what the organization was seeking. In doing so, she finally ends the cycle of suffering her parents have begun many years ago. Too many people have already suffered enough because of it, and Shinichi no longer needs the cure since he's finally reunited with Ran after all this time, as 6 years old children in school. Haibara can now finally live the life of any normal young girl with all her friends at her side.

Renya Karasuma. There are still many holes, but he might fit the description of the boss on several points. Except that he's supposed to be dead at 99 fourty years ago, even though the circumstances of his death are left pretty unclear (but he would be... 140 years old if he was still alive). We heard about him in volume 30 (chapter 300), during the case of the seven detectives.

There is still something left unexplained about Bourbon:

Right now, Masumi Sera is one of the most mysterious characters of Detective Conan. We know almost nothing about her, her intentions and who is the one supporting her.

I certainly hope

Why not ?