Suspicious characters! Discussion about Hyoue Kuroda, Wakasa Rumi, and others.

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

I felt we needed a thread for discussion of suspicious and recurring arc characters like Hyoue Kuroda, Wakasa Rumi, Sakurako Yonehara and others so we have a place to talk about them outside of their intro chapters and the Rum thread. I figured there might be more continuous discussion if I lumped all the suspicious arc characters into one thread rather than give each one a separate thread. Secret spies? Enemies of the Organization? Hidden backstories? False identities? Awesome? Stupid? Please post theories and comments about these characters here!

 

[Balthazar Manfredie 226]

Hyoue Kuroda - It would seem that he is another law enforcer. You cant have too many of those in DC.

Sakurako Yonehara - I think she is just comic relief. Nothing special.

Wakasa Rumi- Dont know, have not read this new one .

[Heliotropic 139]

Hmm, not much to really say at this point...

Hyoue Kuroda - There's a part of me that wonders if Kuroda is going to be actually impactful to the plot, or if he's just another police member who seems to know about Conan's intelligence. He was first introduced with the Nagano police, and it's not as if Kansuke (especially him in particular), Yui and Komei haven't noticed his intelligence as well.

It would seem to me that he was pretty much set up as the overly suspicious character the moment he was introduced so that he can be considered a Rum suspect, since his character introduction was not far off from the moment Haibara mentioned Rum having an artificial eye, and Rum's intro speech at the end of Scarlet... but I think he's definitely too suspicious to be Rum, and after the Blog case/Yoko Higo follow up, I think there is next to no chance that this could even be the case.

That being said, I do think that his memory loss may come up as some form of plot point in the future, or that might have to do with Haibara not sensing him being part of the organization, or him not recognizing Shiho in her child-like state. I think this is a stretch at best, but I can't say I'd really be against it either. It'd be a change from the norm, and I doubt there are many people that actually think Kuroda is Rum. 

I think it was DCA who pointed it out in another thread, but Haibara didn't sense Bourbon/Vermouth in the Cherry Blossom Case with Jodie. I'm not sure if this was a mistake on Gosho's part or is supposed to imply something, but every other time, after the introduction of this "mechanic" or whatever you want to call it (Mysterious Passenger), she has sensed "something"... That is, aside from Numabuchi's debut, where she offers the explanation that she might not have sensed it because she is starting to live a normal life.

Perhaps she can't sense Kuroda for similar reasons, but again, kinda just grasping at straws to make some sense out of it.

The rest...

Sakurako Yonehara - I really don't think Yonehara will have much, if any importance to the story. I'm not even sure I'd mark her as suspicious, though it is odd that we'd have a character like her latch onto Conan's double personality for no reason at all. After a couple more appearances from her, and some backstory in the Yumi/Shuukichi case, I don't think she is really suspicious, or that she will serve anything but some type of connection between the Tokyo MPD characters, and might exist now for the sake of Chiba/Naeko's romance. I've seen the suggestion brought up that she has some type of connection to Rum, but I don't see it, or that she might be the Araide of the Rum arc.

Wakasa Rumi - My personal thoughts on the character are a bit conflicted, and I'm certainly a bit annoyed with her, and how Gosho is presenting us with another potential Rum suspect. The name itself is silly, and pretty much so suspicious that it's not really that suspicious... and her having this fake Eisuke-like persona also strikes me as unnecessary, since it's basically revealed to be a hoax in the end chapter. While the whole fight scene didn't come off as bad as I thought it would, I'm still not pleased with it, and introducing all these characters, be it some martial art, or just that they are capable of beating up the villains doesn't really sit well with me. It's got out of hand over the years.

I really have no clue what this character's purpose is. Potential spy, maybe? MI6? I don't think so, since I'm kinda betting on Mary for that specifically... but can't really see the link to some of the newer agencies that were introduced as well, be it PSB or NPA. Not sure what her goal is either. Is it to simply investigate Conan? What's the point in that?

Aside from Kuroda, none of these characters really seem to match up well with Rum's description given by Haibara, which seemed to describe men specifically, but even more odd is that none of them seem to have this eye problem, which was the only thing consistent across the rumors. Are we supposed to ignore that and just treat everyone as a Rum suspect? I'm not sure how you can have such a defining trait and still pass this off as a successful mystery. Are we just going to get a slew of characters with a prosthetic eye? Surely that won't happen...

Asaka - I don't really have any particularly strong reasoning for it, but I don't necessarily think that Rum has to be Asaka based on the hint on the mirror. I think Conan and Akai coming to this conclusion seems a bit contrived, and the whole scenario just strikes me as odd. Wakasa Rumi could be Asaka but not Rum, but that might be too obvious given the name (but a perfect opportunity, since she could also easily have been the body-guard 17 years ago given her age, and the silhouette looks young... and she seems to have a similar hair-style as the vague photo presented to us)

Mary - Don't really see how she is going to be anything but an ally, but they've definitely tried to make her suspicious, with the copy of Gin's line, or Conan even contemplating about her fitting the description of Rum (but ignoring some of the more crucial details in the process). Probably won't see any more answers, or what exactly she means about Shinichi not being the same person 10 years ago until we see that fated flashback case (who knows when at this point). I think she will have some ties to MI6 given the British connections, the two mothers being sisters (assuming they are Elena and Mary), her light hair, foreign name, and her activities in the Romance novelist case (when analyzing Conan's listening device) and the Soul Detective Case where she shows extremely athletic capabilities. 

I'm still a bit conflicted there since I don't think someone of her size should be able to do such a thing, but mostly because of her sickly state that was presented to us right from her debut. It just caught me completely off-guard... (even though I never really considered such a thing "impossible" since she is an Akai) - Conan initially found it impossible to catch the culprits with his child body, but I guess he isn't trained to the extent Mary has been so you can kinda accept it if you really want to...

Might add a bit more later. Nothing much to really say that already hasn't been.

 

[dccd 0]

This thread is a good idea.

My guesses: 

Hyoue Kuroda:  He really belongs to the police or any PSB-like group. #goodguy

Sakurako Yonehara: Surprise surprise, it´s Rum. 

Wakasa Rumi;  In some way connected to Kohji Haneda. Girlfriend or sister - but obv the one responsible for the internet-site.

Shukichi Haneda: Middle Akai brother

Mary; M16-agent, Akai-Mother (?), "Mother" might still be a codename.. who knows.

Azusa Enomoto: Another Rum-Candidate, since she appeared on Movie20 and is getting more and more air-time in the manga. But still Yonehara is my first pick.

Anyone left?

 

 

 

 

 

[Serinox 127]

13 minutes ago, dccd said:

Azusa Enomoto: Another Rum-Candidate, since she appeared on Movie20 and is getting more and more air-time in the manga. But still Yonehara is my first pick.

More and more air-time? She appeared in 3 chapters in the last 100 chapters, Vermouth was disguised as her in more chapters (4) than she really appeared, so I wouldn't say she is getting more time in the manga than before. And I doubt appearing in M20 means anything, it wasn't even her first movie appearance.

[Kurara-chan 13]

Hyoue Kuroda: A normal, high-ranked police. If Haibara's detector can be trusted. Or maybe she can only detect the organization members when they are keen on her? Like Conan can realize a murderous intent from time to time.

Sakurako Yonehara: A smart mob character

Wakasa Rumi: Maybe she is Asaka but she is not RUM.

Mary: Akai's mother. She probably a British, American, or international agent. She is not a result of APTX.

 

 

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

Hyoue: Rei/Tooru has been revealed, through the AC hints, to be a Public Security agent... of the NPA. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be Rei's/Tooru's boss. If Rum didn't lose his eye when he killed Koji Haneda (scissors to the eye), then I'd say he lost it in the incident that also cost Hyoue his eye and put him in a coma. As for Hyoue being Rum? Since Sherry's supposed to be dead, perhaps he wouldn't have been briefed on that, upon his awakening, due to the BO considering that business to be over with, and perhaps part of the memory he lost would be Shiho's eight-year-old face, at least, hence why he didn't recognize her. Perhaps he doesn't know about Shinichi Kudo, and the BO didn't brief him, upon his awakening—if we assume Shiho's change of his status to "deceased" still stands, of course—but I couldn't tell you whether he merely considers Conan Edogawa as a very interesting child, or as a potential threat, if he is Rum.

Of course, that part about him not being briefed on Sherry would mean that he awoke after Mystery Train, and—as far as I know—it wasn't said how long ago Hyoue had woken up, so that's up in the air, unless someone has an answer on that, and I just missed or forgot about it.

Sakurako: While I do get the "just a side character whose voice actress Gosho likes" argument, it's a waste of potential for her to be just a housekeeper who is the childhood friend of Naeko and Kazunobu. In fact, Gosho could give her a Tomoaki-like role for this arc because he likes her voice actress. I don't see why Gosho made her aware of the act that Shinichi/Conan puts on other than because he planned for her to become involved with the main plot, at some point after her introduction. I can't see her being Rum—she's way too young, and if Gosho had her be a false identity for Rum, it'd be perhaps a bit too similar to Vermouth disguised as Tomoaki—so maybe she'll end up as the housekeeper of the character who turns out to be Rum, or there could be a blood or family connection.

Rumi: Agent? BO member? Third party? Given her focus on Shinichi/Conan, she knew about him beforehand—she may very well have joined Teitan Elementary to get close to him. I also can't see her being Rum... unless she has a Hyoue-like reason not to recognize Shiho/Ai (provided how I proposed Hyoue could be Rum stands up).

On August 3, 2016 at 4:31 PM, dccd said:

Wakasa Rumi;  In some way connected to Kohji Haneda. Girlfriend or sister - but obv the one responsible for the internet-site.

I'd never thought of this—she could be Asaka... or, really, Akasa, and Shinichi/Conan and Shuichi/Subaru read Koji's message wrong. Maybe the reason she's focused on Shinichi/Conan is because he's investigating the murder, and she thinks he'll be the one that can lead her to the killer.

Here's an idea—a stretch, most certainly—Rumi is a mother, and a sister of another mother.

[Rohan136 1]

Hyoue Kuroda - Just a police guy. Maybe, he'll provide a helping hand to Shinichi in the future, but definitely a good guy. Reason: Gosho worked too hard to make him look suspicious and a bad guy. And following the patterns of previous arcs, the characters portrayed as being helpful are the villains, the ones who are shown to act suspiciously, are the helpful ones.

Sakurako Yonehara - Just another recurring character. No biggie... She realises a split personality, so what? Kobayashi Sensei noticed how smart Conan was, the Detective Boys noticed Conan's split personality, the list of characters (recurring and non-recurring) who noticed Conan's intellect is long, so we consider them all to be suspects? I think not.

Wakasa Rumi - This is an interesting character. She wants to be helping Conan stay out of danger, but doesn't want them to know about it, meaning she isn't looking to gain his trust. She was deeply interested in solving the mystery of the school (seriously, why can't she take lime from elsewhere), and is smart as well as skilled. I have a hunch it's Vermouth, but her purpose isn't quite clear yet. Maybe asaka and rum being in her name is so she can see what all Conan knows, but she's doing this outside BO orders. It's just a hunch. It's not Rum though, coz as Heliotropic too pointed out, it was too obvious.

Mary - With every single of her family member being connected to the good side, I don't think she could be Rum. In any case, she knows about Conan, and is curious about Ai, maybe she thinks Ai is her sister who's shrunken, but given how cautious she is, she won't approach her directly. She and Sera left a trail of breadcrumbs for Conan to follow - Sera had in one case (can't remember the number) inquired about Ai, but something happened and that thread was lost. Her interest is in Ai, getting back to regular shape and size, and probably BO, coz they killed her sister, or coz they are related to her husband somehow. Her skills seem to be a part of the Akai family skills pack, but I'm still skeptical about her being an undercover agent - now or earlier. She's conducting her own investigation and may join hands with Ai and Conan later (later = 1000 chapters later, seeing the current pace :P) As far as theories about shrinking go - an earlier version of the drug that her sister developed. Her coinciding words with Gin could be words of her late husband, who got into BO and close to Gin before getting eliminated.

Asaca - Regardless of what Conan and Akai think, ASACA is not RUM. They were countering whatever plan Rum had maybe and are the reason behind Rum's eye thing, but that's it. It's a completely new character. Not Rum.

Then, who is Rum? Not introduced yet, but will be soon, in the next 10 chapters

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

46 minutes ago, Rohan136 said:

Sakurako Yonehara - Just another recurring character. No biggie... She realises a split personality, so what? Kobayashi Sensei noticed how smart Conan was, the Detective Boys noticed Conan's split personality, the list of characters (recurring and non-recurring) who noticed Conan's intellect is long, so we consider them all to be suspects? I think not.

 

Why is she taken notice of? Because she's a character who, at the time of her debut, we all thought was going to only appear in that case (781–786/652–655)—even then, it was strange that such a character would just straight-up approach Shinichi/Conan and point out his act. The ones who realize his intellect are mainly the culprits, who are either arrested, or (in Seiji's case (62–67/11)) die, and even then, they don't march up to him, before the case is solved, and say that his childishness is an act, and that he's actually quite smart.

 

Sumiko and the DBs are Shinichi's/Conan's teacher and classmates—of course they'd realize, with all this time they spent with him, how smart he is. Sakurako recognized his intelligence upon their initial meeting.

 

I don't think she's Rum, but I do think she has the potential to be the Tomoaki Ariade of the Rum arc—not in the sense that she's a disguise for a BO member, but in the sense that she's an overlooked character who will play an important role in the arc.

 

If she's nothing more than a housekeeper who happens to be Kazunobu's and Naeko's childhood friend, whose voice actress Gosho likes, then its a wasted opportunity. I see no point in her continued appearances if she doesn't have a role to play in this arc... or the rest of the series (who knows... maybe she's won't turn out to be connected to Rum, but, rather, to the BO boss).

 

46 minutes ago, Rohan136 said:

Wakasa Rumi - I have a hunch it's Vermouth, but her purpose isn't quite clear yet. Maybe asaka and rum being in her name is so she can see what all Conan knows, but she's doing this outside BO orders. It's just a hunch.

 

It's certainly possible, but I think she would've cracked a smile by now, or let slip something she shouldn't know (as she did in her last appearance (954–957)... in fact, even during the Vermouth arc, she was letting hints slip about her identity), or triggered Shiho's/Ai's BO sense. Yes, it wasn't triggered in the Cherry Blossom Pickpocket case (850–852/734), but she wasn't there for long, and Shiho/Ai wasn't her focus (she can't really be, again, I think, until the fake death in Mystery Train is uncovered by the BO)—there's no way, with this kind of sustained proximity, that Shiho/Ai would have no idea.

 

What about her being an agent (NPA, PSB, FBI, CIA), Koji Haneda's sister or girlfriend (and the one he was really referring to, in his dying message), or being a long-absent character in disguise (Eisuke or Akemi)? (Yes, I know the second choice of the third option is absurd—the second somewhat less so, but still an extreme long shot—but I heard the idea floated around, so I put in in there as another option for her identity).

 

46 minutes ago, Rohan136 said:

Asaca - Regardless of what Conan and Akai think, ASACA is not RUM. They were countering whatever plan Rum had maybe and are the reason behind Rum's eye thing, but that's it. It's a completely new character. Not Rum.

 

I take it you think this because that Asaca being Rum is too obvious?

 

46 minutes ago, Rohan136 said:

Then, who is Rum? Not introduced yet, but will be soon, in the next 10 chapters

 

So Rum hasn't yet appeared—so Rum isn't Taka'aki/Koumei or Heizo?... and why in the next ten chapters? If this arc turns out to be as long as the Kir arc (122 Files), then perhaps... assuming, of course, Rum hasn't yet been introduced.

[MeiTanteixX 184]

Haneda Shuukichi = Sera Masumi and Akai Shuichi's brother/ Haneda Kouji's adopted brother
No arguments there since it's practically confirmed. The Boy from 10 yrs ago is probably still Shuukichi. If he was in a sitting-position for some reason, it could explain the exaggerated height difference between him and his mother.

 

Mary = Sera Masumi and Akai Shuichi's mother/ Former MI6/SIS agent / "Asaka"

She was involved in the Kouji case because of Amanda Hughes. Amanda might've been investing to the BO, and because she feared for her life(maybe because her connections to the FBI/CIA came to BO's notice) she decides to hire "Asaka"(Mary in disguise) maybe through the recommendations of James Black(the family friend of the Akais) or maybe Mary was infiltrating the BO at that time but was blackmailed(Mary's identity being at stake) by Amanda to protect her. the hand-mirror belonged to Mary(similar to Elena's, her sister), which was why "Asaka" was seen with it. When Amanda and Asaka met Kouji, somehow, Mary's hand-mirror ended up with Kouji. Rum appeared and killed Amanda and Kouji, but Asaka/Mary managed to escape(Which was Rum's 17-year-old mess up). at least 7 years later(probably after Mary and Masumi moved back to the US, in other words, around 14-16 yrs later) Rum finds Asaka/Mary and attempts to kill her with the APTX/SB prototype, but she shrinks instead. She then decides take her daughter and flee to Japan in order to find her niece(Shiho) and seek help.

 

Kuroda Hyoue (pre-coma, 10 years ago) = NPA Officer

He might've been Furuya's boss. The accident was caused due to an incident which most likely involved Rum. Rum's eye accident could've been from the same one.

Kuroda Hyoue (post-coma) = Former NPA Officer(?) and Nagano Police First Division Chief / Tokyo Police First Division Mangaing Officer / Rum(???)

He might still be Furuya's boss. He could be someone else in disguise as the former Kuroda, like Rum, or he really did lose some of his memories after the accident and lost his hair color do to the stress from the accident.  It's still not clear whether he really is off the table or not as a Rum suspect, since Haibara's senses has been off at alarming times before, and there's no confirmation that Rum has seen Shiho as a kid.

 

Wakasa Rumi = Haneda Kouji's lover/sister/relative/childhood friend

Her being the one behind the "Kouji case info upload" sounds like the most likely possibility. The Soul Detective case made it to the papers(since Gin knew about it), so Rumi could have gotten her interest to the Mouri's involvement there, only to later find that Conan is the brain behind "sleeping Kogoro"(after doing the same investigation as Eisuke). Her goal is to find "Asaka"(which she suspects to be Kouji's killer), which is why she's probably going with a name that has Kouji's dying message inserted in(W-"ACASA RUM"-I), in order to specifically test Conan's intellectual capabilities(since she might be suspecting that Conan was involved in the "Soul detective" case because he was interested in Kouji's case).

 

Mr. Akai ("Kiritake"/"Zumu"(?)) = Former CIA Agent(???)/Private Detective(???)/Rum(???)

The CIA was mentioned in the Kouji case, because of Amanda's connections. Akai Shuichi's father was mentioned to be involved in the Kouji case and the reason to Akai joining the FBI. If Akai's father is from CIA, it could explain how Amanda hired "Asaka"/Mary(his wife) and how Shuichi got CIA intel of Ethan Hondou's full background. If Akai's father was a private detective, it could mean that he got himself involved to the case in order to help his wife. If he's Rum, it would mean that he faked his death and was hunting his own wife(if she is "Asaka" ofc), which sounds a bit far-fetched.

 

Yonehara Sakurako = Rum(Just kidding, she is just there because of comedic reliefs and an excuse for the VA to get involved in DC)

[Shinan-Kudogawa 26]

9 hours ago, MeiTanteixX said:

 

 

Mr. Akai ("Kiritake"/"Zumu"(?)) = Former CIA Agent(???)/Private Detective(???)/Rum(???)

The CIA was mentioned in the Kouji case, because of Amanda's connections. Akai Shuichi's father was mentioned to be involved in the Kouji case and the reason to Akai joining the FBI. If Akai's father is from CIA, it could explain how Amanda hired "Asaka"/Mary(his wife) and how Shuichi got CIA intel of Ethan Hondou's full background. If Akai's father was a private detective, it could mean that he got himself involved to the case in order to help his wife. If he's Rum, it would mean that he faked his death and is hunting his own wife(if she is "Asaka" ofc), which sounds a bit far-fetched.

 

 

I'd say he if a former CIA senior agent, that is because when Shuuichi was talking to Conan during the Clinched Scissors case, he said regarding his father's job and I quote:" Not FBI but rather.." and the conv ends. It could be continued by saying he was an agent but not of FBI, since the two organizations that are involved in Amanda's case are FBI and CIA that means that he is most likely a CIA agent. 

[MeiTanteixX 184]

5 hours ago, Shinan-Kudogawa said:

 

I'd say he if a former CIA senior agent, that is because when Shuuichi was talking to Conan during the Clinched Scissors case, he said regarding his father's job and I quote:" Not FBI but rather.." and the conv ends. It could be continued by saying he was an agent but not of FBI, since the two organizations that are involved in Amanda's case are FBI and CIA that means that he is most likely a CIA agent. 

Yeah, I'm just handing out ideas but I'm already seeing him as a CIA agent and also a friend of the Hondou's, who's sister married Ethan.

[Shinan-Kudogawa 26]

7 hours ago, MeiTanteixX said:

Yeah, I'm just handing out ideas but I'm already seeing him as a CIA agent and also a friend of the Hondou's, who's sister married Ethan.

Based on your claim, I'd say Father Akai is someone who resembles them lol ..

 

           

 

 

They do have similar eyes though XD ..

 

[MeiTanteixX 184]

4 hours ago, Shinan-Kudogawa said:

Based on your claim, I'd say Father Akai is someone who resembles them lol ..

 

           

 

 

They do have similar eyes though XD ..

 

Yeah! you're pretty much proving my point. Not to mention the resemblence between the potential cousins(Akai = Kir, Eisuke = Shuukichi) and Gosho’s own way of saying that Hidemi resembles Shuichi(by having Akai admit Kir to Haido hospital as his "sister").

[APTX-1412 1]

Yuzuki Fukui : the bartender from Kogoro in the bar episode, she looks very similar to Asaka, her hair is tied like Asaka and also her chin, and I didn’t see any one talk about her.

Ryujiro Uematsu : according to the descriptions of haibara, we can add him also to RUM suspect list, he is old man and in chapter 966 he opened just one eye.

Hyoue Kuroda : I think there is a possibility that he can be Akai’s father, Akai joined the FBI because of his father, and he said his father wasn’t an FBI agent and didn’t specify whether he is CIA agent or not, and his accident may be related to Kohji/Asaka/RUM case.

Mary: or Akai/Sera/Shukichi mother, I think she is not Asaka or RUM as Conan is thinking, and when Akai asked Ran and Sonoko about the person who is with Sera, he didn’t mean that person is Asaka.

Wakasa Rumi: we don’t have enough information about her or her background, her name may be fake to begin with, and her interest in Conan is suspicious, she was giving hints to him as she figured the meaning of the code (the time table and whisky). She may be the responsible for uploading the data about Kohji case, thus she figured that Conan has accessed the website many times through his IP.

However, she isn’t Vermouth, because she didn’t trigger haibara’s sense although she fixed her eyesight on her and talked with her, unlike when Vermouth was standing away from her in Jodie’s memories and the cherry blossom viewing trap.

[MeiTanteixX 184]

24 minutes ago, APTX-1412 said:

Mary: or Akai/Sera/Shukichi mother, I think she is not Asaka or RUM as Conan is thinking, and when Akai asked Ran and Sonoko about the person who is with Sera, he didn’t mean that person is Asaka.

it's very likely that he was thinking that maybe his mother(who he might've heard was involved in the Kouji case as "Asaca") came back to Japan with Sera in secret. When he figured out the code "Asaca Rum", maybe he was thinking that Kouji was warning whoever solved the code that "Rum" is after "Asaca", hence Akai trying to verify her location through Ran and Sonoko.

[APTX-1412 1]

22 minutes ago, MeiTanteixX said:

it's very likely that he was thinking that maybe his mother(who he might've heard was involved in the Kouji case as "Asaca") came back to Japan with Sera in secret. When he figured out the code "Asaca Rum", maybe he was thinking that Kouji was warning whoever solved the code that "Rum" is after "Asaca", hence Akai trying to verify her location through Ran and Sonoko.

Thanks for making it clear, I didn't think of it that way.

[Aries Bless 18]

I think that Kuroda works with Rei/Amuro/Bourbon. Koruda used to work in the National Police Agency, where Rei/Amuro/Bourbon also works. I think he has been send out to keep Conan under watch from the police side, while Bourbon do it from Poirot.

[Jimmy-kud0-tv2 34]

On 8/15/2016 at 1:29 PM, APTX-1412 said:

Yuzuki Fukui : the bartender from Kogoro in the bar episode, she looks very similar to Asaka, her hair is tied like Asaka and also her chin, and I didn’t see any one talk about her.

 

 

I raise you one waitress Banba Reiko, same hair style, also works in an Italian restaurant called "Aska" for a man called "Asuka" in  a case involving wine. 

 

(image of Banba Reiko removed because attachment limit)

 

[APTX-1412 1]

59 minutes ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

 

I raise you one waitress Banba Reiko, same hair style, also works in an Italian restaurant called "Aska" for a man called "Asuka" in  a case involving wine. 

You may have a point there, but she doesn't look very intelligent to become a bodyguard, unlike Yuzuki because it seems that she is hiding something according to her way of talking and acting.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

On August 13, 2016 at 5:44 AM, Rohan136 said:

Sakurako Yonehara - Just another recurring character. No biggie... She realises a split personality, so what? Kobayashi Sensei noticed how smart Conan was, the Detective Boys noticed Conan's split personality, the list of characters (recurring and non-recurring) who noticed Conan's intellect is long, so we consider them all to be suspects? I think not.

 

On August 14, 2016 at 10:04 AM, MeiTanteixX said:

Yonehara Sakurako = Rum(Just kidding, she is just there because of comedic reliefs and an excuse for the VA to get involved in DC)

 

Once again...

On August 13, 2016 at 6:12 AM, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Why is she taken notice of? Because she's a character who, at the time of her debut, we all thought was going to only appear in that case (781–786/652–655)—even then, it was strange that such a character would just straight-up approach Shinichi/Conan and point out his act. The ones who realize his intellect are mainly the culprits, who are either arrested, or (in Seiji's case (62–67/11)) die, and even then, they don't march up to him, before the case is solved, and say that his childishness is an act, and that he's actually quite smart.

 

Sumiko and the DBs are Shinichi's/Conan's teacher and classmates—of course they'd realize, with all this time they spent with him, how smart he is. Sakurako recognized his intelligence upon their initial meeting.

 

I don't think she's Rum, but I do think she has the potential to be the Tomoaki Ariade of the Rum arc—not in the sense that she's a disguise for a BO member, but in the sense that she's an overlooked character who will play an important role in the arc.

 

If she's nothing more than a housekeeper who happens to be Kazunobu's and Naeko's childhood friend, whose voice actress Gosho likes, then its a wasted opportunity. I see no point in her continued appearances if she doesn't have a role to play in this arc... or the rest of the series (who knows... maybe she's won't turn out to be connected to Rum, but, rather, to the BO boss).

 

With that out of the way...

 

On August 14, 2016 at 10:04 AM, MeiTanteixX said:

Mary = Sera Masumi and Akai Shuichi's mother/ Former MI6/SIS agent / "Asaka"

She was involved in the Kouji case because of Amanda Hughes. Amanda might've been investing to the BO, and because she feared for her life(maybe because her connections to the FBI/CIA came to BO's notice) she decides to hire "Asaka"(Mary in disguise) maybe through the recommendations of James Black(the family friend of the Akais) or maybe Mary was infiltrating the BO at that time but was blackmailed(Mary's identity being at stake) by Amanda to protect her. the hand-mirror belonged to Mary(similar to Elena's, her sister), which was why "Asaka" was seen with it. When Amanda and Asaka met Kouji, somehow, Mary's hand-mirror ended up with Kouji. Rum appeared and killed Amanda and Kouji, but Asaka/Mary managed to escape(Which was Rum's 17-year-old mess up). at least 7 years later(probably after Mary and Masumi moved back to the US, in other words, around 14-16 yrs later) Rum finds Asaka/Mary and attempts to kill her with the APTX/SB prototype, but she shrinks instead. She then decides take her daughter and flee to Japan in order to find her niece(Shiho) and seek help.

 

Any reason Rumi couldn't be Asaka? And by that, I mean Koji's dying message was actually "Rum(i) (W)akasa."

 

Mary must've shrunk around the time Shinichi/Conan, Ran, Kogoro and Hiroshi were in London (generally, I mean any time after Red Shirts, but before Masumi appears—between 704 and 767/581 and 645, and I mention the London case because it's pretty close to Masumi's debut... I'd say Mary was shrunk from the 740s to the 760s). If Mary had been shrunk before that, Masumi would've come to Japan earlier. Of course, anything related to Mary before her debut in 875/756 and 876–878/759–760 is hard to comment on. I think Masumi taking a photo of Shinichi/Conan in 856/740 was per Mary's instructions, and her showing Shinichi/Conan the picture of her and Mary was the follow-up to that. I couldn't tell you if Mary's been with Masumi since 768–770/646–647, or if she started living with Masumi sometime after Mystery Train (818–824/701–704). Does the middle brother know about what's happened to their mother? Was the phone call Masumi received at the end of Detectives' Nocturne (796–800/671–674) from him about that particular subject? Was Mary shrunk in the U.S., or did it happen to her in Japan? If the former is true, then the middle brother may have sheltered her for a time. There's just so much we don't know about Mary's actions and whereabouts, pre-875/756 (though I do think that she was living with Masumi by 856–858/740–741).

 

On August 14, 2016 at 10:04 AM, MeiTanteixX said:

Kuroda Hyoue (pre-coma, 10 years ago) = NPA Officer

He might've been Furuya's boss. The accident was caused due to an incident which most likely involved Rum. Rum's eye accident could've been from the same one.

Kuroda Hyoue (post-coma) = Former NPA Officer(?) and Nagano Police First Division Chief / Tokyo Police First Division Mangaing Officer / Rum(???)

He might still be Furuya's boss. He could be someone else in disguise as the former Kuroda, like Rum, or he really did lose some of his memories after the accident and lost his hair color do to the stress from the accident.  It's still not clear whether he really is off the table or not as a Rum suspect, since Haibara's senses has been off at alarming times before, and there's no confirmation that Rum has seen Shiho as a kid.

 

For the possibility that he's Rum...

On August 6, 2016 at 3:48 AM, DCUniverseAficionado said:

As for Hyoue being Rum? Since Sherry's supposed to be dead, perhaps he wouldn't have been briefed on that, upon his awakening, due to the BO considering that business to be over with, and perhaps part of the memory he lost would be Shiho's eight-year-old face, at least, hence why he didn't recognize her. Perhaps he doesn't know about Shinichi Kudo, and the BO didn't brief him, upon his awakening—if we assume Shiho's change of his status to "deceased" still stands, of course—but I couldn't tell you whether he merely considers Conan Edogawa as a very interesting child, or as a potential threat, if he is Rum.

 

If he's not Rum, but he's also not the real Hyoue Kuroda, then the only character I think he could be is Mr. Akai. Else, this whole amnesia thing was a red herring, and the only important thing about it is the accident that caused it (the accident is important, I think, regardless of whether Hyoue is the real Hyoue, Rum, or Mr. Akai).

 

On August 14, 2016 at 10:04 AM, MeiTanteixX said:

Mr. Akai ("Kiritake"/"Zumu"(?)) = Former CIA Agent(???)/Private Detective(???)/Rum(???)

The CIA was mentioned in the Kouji case, because of Amanda's connections. Akai Shuichi's father was mentioned to be involved in the Kouji case and the reason to Akai joining the FBI. If Akai's father is from CIA, it could explain how Amanda hired "Asaka"/Mary(his wife) and how Shuichi got CIA intel of Ethan Hondou's full background. If Akai's father was a private detective, it could mean that he got himself involved to the case in order to help his wife. If he's Rum, it would mean that he faked his death and was hunting his own wife(if she is "Asaka" ofc), which sounds a bit far-fetched.

 

While him being of American descent, like Ethan Hondo, would explain the family ties to America, he could've been 100% Japanese, and the America connections existed because of Mary being connected to James Black, and those connections got Shuichi into the FBI (and in a position to go to Japan and undertake the BO case).

 

Gosho's comment about Mr. Akai—suggesting he wasn't dead—plays into the Mr Akai = Post-Coma Hyoue theory, regardless of whether Post-Coma Hyoue is Rum or not.

 

On August 15, 2016 at 2:29 PM, APTX-1412 said:

Yuzuki Fukui : the bartender from Kogoro in the bar episode, she looks very similar to Asaka, her hair is tied like Asaka and also her chin, and I didn’t see any one talk about her.

1 hour ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

 

I raise you one waitress Banba Reiko, same hair style, also works in an Italian restaurant called "Aska" for a man called "Asuka" in  a case involving wine. 

15 minutes ago, APTX-1412 said:

You may have a point there, but she doesn't look very intelligent to become a bodyguard, unlike Yuzuki because it seems that she is hiding something according to her way of talking and acting.

 

Yuzuki is 26. Assuming she's not lying about her age, she'd be 9 at the time of the Amanda Hughes/Koji Haneda double murder. She'd have to actually be around Rumi's age, now, to have been in a position, 17 years ago, to become a bodyguard.

[APTX-1412 1]

25 minutes ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Yuzuki is 26. Assuming she's not lying about her age, she'd be 9 at the time of the Amanda Hughes/Koji Haneda double murder. She'd have to actually be around Rumi's age, now, to have been in a position, 17 years ago, to become a bodyguard.

She is the bodyguard of Amanda who was investigating BO, wouldn't she in the same condition as Vermouth who doesn't age.

[Jimmy-kud0-tv2 34]

30 minutes ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Yuzuki is 26. Assuming she's not lying about her age, she'd be 9 at the time of the Amanda Hughes/Koji Haneda double murder. She'd have to actually be around Rumi's age, now, to have been in a position, 17 years ago, to become a bodyguard.

 

Yuzuki is 26, and Reiko is 27, even Mifune  who was on some people's lists of suspects is only 26 as well. Considering that the Kouji case is literally an example of APTX existing up to 17 years ago, its still possible for both of them. If, and I stress " if ", people who take APTX still have the ability to age after they have taken it, one of them could have taken the drug and merely aged up till their current state/age, in the same way that Conan can tell people that he is 6 years old, and Chris Vineyards character intro box can tell us that she is 29, and they technically aren't wrong since their bodies reflect that type of age, despite flashbacks from both characters that tell us otherwise. 

 

Also the idea that character boxes can lie for even non-APTX characters like that culprit from that Blog actress case where she was actually 5 years older than it said.

 

On 8/13/2016 at 5:12 AM, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Why is she taken notice of? Because she's a character who, at the time of her debut, we all thought was going to only appear in that case (781–786/652–655)—even then, it was strange that such a character would just straight-up approach Shinichi/Conan and point out his act. The ones who realize his intellect are mainly the culprits, who are either arrested, or (in Seiji's case (62–67/11)) die, and even then, they don't march up to him, before the case is solved, and say that his childishness is an act, and that he's actually quite smart.

 

Sumiko and the DBs are Shinichi's/Conan's teacher and classmates—of course they'd realize, with all this time they spent with him, how smart he is. Sakurako recognized his intelligence upon their initial meeting.

 

I don't think she's Rum, but I do think she has the potential to be the Tomoaki Ariade of the Rum arc—not in the sense that she's a disguise for a BO member, but in the sense that she's an overlooked character who will play an important role in the arc.

 

Do you have any further thoughts on what you wrote above ?

 

For a while I've been thinking about the various Urusei Yatsura references in the series and I keep seeming to think that Sakurako and Kuroda could be analogs to Sakura and Cherry (Sakuranbou).

 

In Yatsura, "Cherry" is a wandering monk whose actual name is Sakuranbou, but since the kanji mean "deranged monk", he goes by the english equivalent. He kind of carries the loose plot of the series by popping up out of nowhere and telling the main cast that bad things are about to happen. Sakura is his niece, who is cursed, but some how it gets transferred to the main character. She starts out as a shrine priestess, but later becomes the school nurse. Pretty much the only thing they seem to have in common is that they can consume massive amounts of food and never gain any weight. 

 

In Conan I believe that Sakurako could be Kuroda's niece, or even his daughter. The death of Saurako's mother and the exact timing of Kuroda's 10 year coma have not been specified. Typically when someone's parent dies, the child just lives with the other parent. However if Kuroda was the father, and was in a coma at the time, it would make sense that she ended up living with the Wakamatsu family who were essentially family substitutes  since she grew up there. There isn't really any mention of a father, but we know that by nature of being born, that she must have had one, even if he wasn't actually in her life. Kuroda, who is a Superintendent who keeps getting transferred (to Nagano, then to Tokyo), comes off as a wandering monk type character to me, although when I first saw his design, his sideburn beard combo made me think he looked more like Son Goku the monkey king from Journey to the west >_>. Currently both characters have been said to like Koucha (Black tea in english speaking countries, Red tea everywhere else). Kuroda even appears again at the end of that Blog case that Sakurako was in. Maybe he was simply there to pick her up? She did kind of just disappear halfway though the last chapter. 

[MeiTanteixX 184]

51 minutes ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

 

For a while I've been thinking about the various Urusei Yatsura references in the series and I keep seeming to think that Sakurako and Kuroda could be analogs to Sakura and Cherry (Sakuranbou).

 

In Yatsura, "Cherry" is a wandering monk whose actual name is Sakuranbou, but since the kanji mean "deranged monk", he goes by the english equivalent. He kind of carries the loose plot of the series by popping up out of nowhere and telling the main cast that bad things are about to happen. Sakura is his niece, who is cursed, but some how it gets transferred to the main character. She starts out as a shrine priestess, but later becomes the school nurse. Pretty much the only thing they seem to have in common is that they can consume massive amounts of food and never gain any weight. 

 

In Conan I believe that Sakurako could be Kuroda's niece, or even his daughter. The death of Saurako's mother and the exact timing of Kuroda's 10 year coma have not been specified. Typically when someone's parent dies, the child just lives with the other parent. However if Kuroda was the father, and was in a coma at the time, it would make sense that she ended up living with the Wakamatsu family who were essentially family substitutes  since she grew up there. There isn't really any mention of a father, but we know that by nature of being born, that she must have had one, even if he wasn't actually in her life. Kuroda, who is a Superintendent who keeps getting transferred (to Nagano, then to Tokyo), comes off as a wandering monk type character to me, although when I first saw his design, his sideburn beard combo made me think he looked more like Son Goku the monkey king from Journey to the west >_>. Currently both characters have been said to like Koucha (Black tea in english speaking countries, Red tea everywhere else). Kuroda even appears again at the end of that Blog case that Sakurako was in. Maybe he was simply there to pick her up? She did kind of just disappear halfway though the last chapter. 

 

Interesting analysis, that does hold some logical grounds to Sakurako's reappearances. I wouldn't mind that kind of development, but that only stems on the fact Kuroda is neither Rum/Mr.Akai/or anything in that regard... which I guess makes things less interesting IMO...

 

2 hours ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Any reason Rumi couldn't be Asaka? And by that, I mean Koji's dying message was actually "Rum(i) (W)akasa."

 

It's too obvious and more like a redherring, and although Conan is in the dark of her potential, Gosho has definitely given her enough attention for us think that she is Asaka. Mary being "Asaka" holds more proof if u add the hand-mirror(that Haibara specifically said her mother also owned[Mary's potential sister]) into the mix.

 

As for Rumi...

On 14/08/2016 at 4:04 PM, MeiTanteixX said:

Wakasa Rumi = Haneda Kouji's lover/sister/relative/childhood friend

Her being the one behind the "Kouji case info upload" sounds like the most likely possibility. The Soul Detective case made it to the papers(since Gin knew about it), so Rumi could have gotten her interest to the Mouri's involvement there, only to later find that Conan is the brain behind "sleeping Kogoro"(after doing the same investigation as Eisuke). Her goal is to find "Asaka"(which she suspects to be Kouji's killer), which is why she's probably going with a name that has Kouji's dying message inserted in(W-"ACASA RUM"-I), in order to specifically test Conan's intellectual capabilities(since she might be suspecting that Conan was involved in the "Soul detective" case because he was interested in Kouji's case).

 

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

3 hours ago, APTX-1412 said:

She is the bodyguard of Amanda who was investigating BO, wouldn't she in the same condition as Vermouth who doesn't age.

 

Why would she have that condition? You tell me.

 

2 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

Yuzuki is 26, and Reiko is 27, even Mifune who was on some people's lists of suspects is only 26 as well. Considering that the Kouji case is literally an example of APTX existing up to 17 years ago, its still possible for both of them. If, and I stress " if ", people who take APTX still have the ability to age after they have taken it, one of them could have taken the drug and merely aged up till their current state/age, in the same way that Conan can tell people that he is 6 years old, and Chris Vineyards character intro box can tell us that she is 29, and they technically aren't wrong since their bodies reflect that type of age, despite flashbacks from both characters that tell us otherwise. 

 

Also the idea that character boxes can lie for even non-APTX characters like that culprit from that Blog actress case where she was actually 5 years older than it said.

 

I'll agree with you on the bolded part. Still, the thought of any of these characters being de-aged is not going to be the first thought that will occur to me, in relation to them.

 

3 hours ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Once again...

 

On August 13, 2016 at 6:12 AM, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Why is she taken notice of? Because she's a character who, at the time of her debut, we all thought was going to only appear in that case (781–786/652–655)—even then, it was strange that such a character would just straight-up approach Shinichi/Conan and point out his act. The ones who realize his intellect are mainly the culprits, who are either arrested, or (in Seiji's case (62–67/11)) die, and even then, they don't march up to him, before the case is solved, and say that his childishness is an act, and that he's actually quite smart.

 

Sumiko and the DBs are Shinichi's/Conan's teacher and classmates—of course they'd realize, with all this time they spent with him, how smart he is. Sakurako recognized his intelligence upon their initial meeting.

 

I don't think she's Rum, but I do think she has the potential to be the Tomoaki Ariade of the Rum arc—not in the sense that she's a disguise for a BO member, but in the sense that she's an overlooked character who will play an important role in the arc.

 

If she's nothing more than a housekeeper who happens to be Kazunobu's and Naeko's childhood friend, whose voice actress Gosho likes, then its a wasted opportunity. I see no point in her continued appearances if she doesn't have a role to play in this arc... or the rest of the series (who knows... maybe she's won't turn out to be connected to Rum, but, rather, to the BO boss).

 

2 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

Do you have any further thoughts on what you wrote above ?

 

No—hence why I just re-used what I wrote, earlier.

 

2 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

For a while I've been thinking about the various Urusei Yatsura references in the series and I keep seeming to think that Sakurako and Kuroda could be analogs to Sakura and Cherry (Sakuranbou).

 

In Yatsura, "Cherry" is a wandering monk whose actual name is Sakuranbou, but since the kanji mean "deranged monk", he goes by the english equivalent. He kind of carries the loose plot of the series by popping up out of nowhere and telling the main cast that bad things are about to happen. Sakura is his niece, who is cursed, but some how it gets transferred to the main character. She starts out as a shrine priestess, but later becomes the school nurse. Pretty much the only thing they seem to have in common is that they can consume massive amounts of food and never gain any weight. 

 

In Conan I believe that Sakurako could be Kuroda's niece, or even his daughter. The death of Saurako's mother and the exact timing of Kuroda's 10 year coma have not been specified. Typically when someone's parent dies, the child just lives with the other parent. However if Kuroda was the father, and was in a coma at the time, it would make sense that she ended up living with the Wakamatsu family who were essentially family substitutes  since she grew up there. There isn't really any mention of a father, but we know that by nature of being born, that she must have had one, even if he wasn't actually in her life. Kuroda, who is a Superintendent who keeps getting transferred (to Nagano, then to Tokyo), comes off as a wandering monk type character to me, although when I first saw his design, his sideburn beard combo made me think he looked more like Son Goku the monkey king from Journey to the west >_>. Currently both characters have been said to like Koucha (Black tea in english speaking countries, Red tea everywhere else). Kuroda even appears again at the end of that Blog case that Sakurako was in. Maybe he was simply there to pick her up? She did kind of just disappear halfway though the last chapter. 

 

Interesting... it then leads back to, is Post-Coma Hyoue Rum, or isn't he? If so, there's the connection to Rum I was talking about. Maybe there's a flashback to the accident, and maybe Sakurako remembers something about Rum, if Rum lost his eye in that accident, whether he's Post-Coma Hyoue or not.

 

1 hour ago, MeiTanteixX said:

Interesting analysis, that does hold some logical grounds to Sakurako's reappearances. I wouldn't mind that kind of development, but that only stems on the fact Kuroda is neither Rum/Mr.Akai/or anything in that regard... which I guess makes things less interesting IMO...

 

No, Post-Coma Hyoue could still be Rum and still be connected to Sakurako like Jimmy suggested. As for Mr. Akai... that's... more complicated, I think, but I wouldn't dismiss it.

 

3 hours ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Any reason Rumi couldn't be Asaka? And by that, I mean Koji's dying message was actually "Rum(i) (W)akasa."

 

1 hour ago, MeiTanteixX said:

It's too obvious and more like a redherring, and although Conan is in the dark of her potential, Gosho has definitely given her enough attention for us think that she is Asaka. Mary being "Asaka" holds more proof if u add the hand-mirror(that Haibara specifically said her mother also owned[Mary's potential sister]) into the mix.

 

But doesn't that become "too obvious," as well? Gosho has given equal time and weight to Rumi's name, and the fact that Elena had a mirror like Koji's dying message one, as I see it. Gosho just told us these things in a single panel, and left it at that.

 

Mary would have to be in disguise to be Amanda's bodyguard—Rumi? Nope. 

 

And what of the hint? What does "Asaka Rum" mean, if Mary was Asaka?