Volume 36

Chronology
‹ Volume 35	List of Chapters • List of Cases	Volume 37 ›

Volume 36
Information
Release date:	February 18, 2002
Chapters:	362-372
ISBN:	ISBN 4-09-126166-3
Publisher:	Shogakukan
English release date:	October 12, 2010
English ISBN:	ISBN 1-4215-2887-8
English Publisher:	Viz Media
Featured Detective & Keyhole
Katherine Turner Jinpei Matsuda
Aoyama's death & Conan side images

Volume 36 was released on February 18, 2002 in Japan.

Cast

Characters
Conan Edogawa Ran Mouri Kogoro Mouri Hiroshi Agasa Ai Haibara Ayumi Yoshida Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya Genta Kojima Sonoko Suzuki Heiji Hattori Kazuha Toyama Juzo Megure Wataru Takagi Miwako Sato Kazunobu Chiba Ninzaburo Shiratori Yumi Miyamoto Kiyonaga Matsumoto Hideo Akagi Naoki Uemura Shinichi Kudo (background) Masayoshi Sato (background)

Gadgets

Gadgets
Wristwatch Flashlight Stun-Gun Wristwatch (Off Panel) Detective Boys Badge

Chapters

Onikame Island Case

File 362 - A Dangerous Visitor

Heiji discovers an old anchor.

The message reads: "I am the emissary of the Guso (我はグソーの使いなり)." Heiji states that Taira had been murdered roughly two hours ago. The scratch marks and twigs on Taira's hands mean she was likely strangled in the forest before being dragged onto the sands. Conan explains that she was placed here recently because the wet sand stretches further up the beach, meaning the writing in the sand had to be written after the tide had receded. Heiji says they discovered the body on the opposite side of the island. Because everyone had been on the boat since an hour ago, the murderer is likely an outsider.
After taking photos of the scene, Ikema and Kume carry Taira back to the boat, wondering if she had seen something in the ocean while scuba diving. Suddenly, Heiji distracts Conan before rushing off into the treacherous sea to investigate. Using Conan's Wristwatch Flashlight, he discovers an old anchor resting amongst the rocks. Upon returning to shore, Heiji explains that he knew the currents were dangerously strong due to the existence of mackerel, which typically live in such environments. He also explains that he ran off the boat because he thought Taira might have been washed away by the strong currents.

Daito finds cigarettes that appear to have been recently used.

The group attempts to return to the boat, only to discover that the captain, Shimoji, has already sailed away, leaving them stranded. Ikema believes that Shimoji was the murderer, but Heiji and Conan deny it, saying they would've noticed a boat circling the island when they searched for Taira. Much to the dismay of everyone, Taketomi reveals that the TV officials are unaware of them being on the island. The crew was to hunt for locations yesterday, but after difficulties finding a willing captain, Taketomi discreetly rescheduled the event to the next day. Kogoro is left as their only hope, but he is seen partying with mayor Kaneshiro.
Back on the island, the group has taken refuge in the dilapidated house. Heiji shares his discovery of an anchor, stating that the anchor has been there for about four to five years based on the number of clams and vegetation on it. Ikema says that five years ago, mayor Kaneshiro's daughter was abducted, and a year later, a robbery group stole the family's prized folding screen. Based on a phone call the family received, they believe the same people committed the two crimes. Taketomi commiserates with the mayor as his wife died around the same time as the two crimes. In addition, one of his housekeepers was murdered in the robbery, and his butler resigned shortly after. To add insult to injury, a mysterious corpse wound up on an island he presided over, gouging the town's tourist numbers. Ran and Kazuha wonder if the princess from the first message was in reference to the mayor's daughter. Daito interjects that in myths, women held knives in their mouths to prevent their souls from being sucked out. He also discovers a bowl in the cupboard filled with cigarettes of various brands with its extinguishing water still present. Heiji and Conan consider the idea that multiple culprits may be hiding out on the island along with them.

File 363 - Mysterious Words

Three names on the height tracker.

The group considers that multiple culprits may be hiding out on the island and may even be in the house. Heiji tasks Daito, Kume, and Ikema with searching the upper floor while Taketomi joins the four protagonists in searching the first floor. The group of five eventually comes to the last room, which they cautiously open. On the other side is a vacant bedroom where Taketomi finds a photograph, identifying the room as the master bedroom of the mayor and his late wife. Heiji finds a second photograph hidden behind the first: it’s of mayor Kaneshiro and a young woman in front of a castle-like house. Taketomi explains that the woman in the picture is the mayor’s daughter, Miyako—who was kidnapped five years ago. He also reveals that he was cousins with the housekeeper the robbers murdered. In addition, he says that Ikema’s mother was the mayor’s wife’s sister, making him a direct cousin of Miyako. Conan notices that there’s writing on one of the walls recording heights of the family members. At the top, there is “Brother Chiyo (ちよにい),” then “Kaa-chan (かあちゃん),” and at the bottom is “Me (わたし).” Ran points out the oddity for a little girl to refer to her mother as “Kaa-chan.” But Conan discovers that “Kaa-chan” likely refers to someone else as he discovers writing indicating a room to be “Mama’s Room.” Heiji finds the other rooms, seeing similar labels of names. Brother Chiyo’s name comes with a doodle of an eel, and Kaa-chan’s name comes with a doodle of a bird.

Captain Shimoji found dead.

Suddenly, the group hears Kume’s screams coming from upstairs. They rush up to see a horrified Kume. Daito explains that he got scared from seeing a portrait of Miyako hidden behind a curtain. Ikema explains that Kume was a classmate of Miyako in elementary school, and Daito was a childhood friend of the mayor’s late wife.
With the house secure, everyone returns to the dining area to wait for the rescue ship. They hear the sound of a crash and see a boat at the pier. Ran and Kazuha run towards it, but to their horror, they see a bludgeoned Shimoji hanging from the side of the hull, along with the same message as Taira written beside him.

File 364 - The Emissary of Guso

Ran and Kazuha hold knives in their mouths to protect themselves.

Heiji identifies that Shimoji was bashed with a metal pipe multiple times—even after he died. Based on the presentation of the murder, Heiji believes that the murderer must’ve had a serious grudge. The crew believes there must be a group of murderers hiding around the island, as everyone was in the house when the boat crashed into the dock. However, Conan points out the boat is on autopilot, slated to make a loop around the island. Daito remains skeptical as the currents would’ve thrown the boat off its course. Heiji points out that the boat can accurately hit the pier by lining the boat’s course along the reef. He even highlights the many scrapes and cuts on the boat’s hull to prove it. One of them could have still killed Shimoji while everyone searched for Taira. The crew protest that no one could commit both murders simultaneously as the tide would’ve washed Taira’s message away.
Heiji informs the rest that the boat is out of fuel, meaning they’ll still have to wait for help. Conan and Heiji discuss the case. They find it odd how Taira was so gently put to rest while Shimoji was so violently bludgeoned. They also think about the odd ways the two victims spent their time on the island: Taira scuba diving in the treacherous currents and Shimoji circling the peripheral waters—they must’ve been looking for something. Finally, they discuss the names they found on the underside of the dining room chairs. There were three labeled ones: “Me,” “Mama,” and “Kaneshiro san.” Heiji wonders if Miyako wrote these labels and was the daughter of mayor Kaneshiro, why wouldn’t his chair say “Papa.”
Back at the house, Ran and Kazuha go look for food in the kitchen. They hear approaching footsteps and believe it’s the Emissary of Guso, but soon find that it is Heiji and Conan. In the commotion, the kitchen stools are knocked over, revealing Kaa-chan’s name written on it. Ran speculates that Kaa-chan refers to the housekeeper (“Kaseifu” in Japanese). Conan also finds Brother Chiyo’s stool but notices that under his name is written over a faded name: “Mr. Dojo (どじょうさん).” Since Dojo means Loach in Japanese, the doodle of an eel on Brother Chiyo’s door was likely a loach. Ran also says that Kaa-chan’s door has a bird on it since “Kaa” is the sound crows make. Kazuha instead says that Miyako likely copied the doodle of a bird from the White Herons on the family’s folding screen. Heiji and Conan have an epiphany after hearing Ran and Kazuha talk about Ryūgū-jō. Seeing Conan’s adult-like actions, Kazuha asks Ran if he’s lying about his age. This sparks another realization in Heiji and Conan as they run off to inspect Taira’s murder site. Seeing Conan’s past footprints still on the beach, the two determine who is the killer and their trick. But with no evidence, the two decide to prove their guilt by luring them into the “forest where the princess sleeps.”

File 365 - The Princess and The Dragon Palace

Heiji announces that he figured out that the murderer is one of the group members and will interrogate everyone individually to find out who it is. They first drag Kume out into a separate room. After an unusually long time, Heiji calls out that Kume escaped. Not wanting him to take his own life, he enlists the help of everyone as they split up and search for the run-a-away.
A silhouette that appears to be Kume hides amongst the trees. He finds an old boat covered by a tarp, prompting him to look inside. Then, another silhouette appears behind him, wrapping a rope around his neck.

  Show spoilers »

Heiji cuts Daito's rope with a knife he held in his mouth.

The rope is cut, and it's revealed that the strangled silhouette was Heiji dressed as Kume—who had held a knife in his mouth to cut the rope. The other silhouette is revealed to be Mikihiko Daito. Conan appears, stating that Kume is safe, sleeping in the house. Heiji reveals that Taira, Shimoji, and Kume were the perpetrators of Miyako's kidnapping, the housekeeper's murder, and the theft of the folding screen.

Taira's Murder:
Heiji explains that Taira's body was discovered during high tide and that everyone was fooled into thinking it was low tide as there was wet sand above the current wave line. While the original message has since been destroyed, Conan's footprint remains as proof. Heiji further explains that the wakes from the boat produced the wet sand. Daito predicted that Shimoji would drive the boat around the island in search of something, thus creating an extra stratum of wet sand above the high tide.

The First Mysterious Message:
Heiji states that Shimoji was searching for the anchor. He explains that the pieces fit together if you consider the fairy tale of Urashima Tarō, and this island is called Onigamejima (Turtle Demon Island). The Kanji, Ko (甲), is used in the word Koura (甲羅), which means turtle shell. Otsu (乙) refers to the princess of Ryūgū-jō, Otohime (乙姫), who resides in the sea. If the message states that the princess sleeps at Ko (甲) and not Otsu (乙), that means that the princess sleeps on the turtle island and not in the sea.
Heiji explains that "princess" is just jargon made up by the robber trio that refers to their stolen prize. He then goes to uncover the Kaneshiro family's treasure, the folding screen hidden in the old boat. The robbery group originally used the anchor to hold the old boat with the folding screen in the water—waiting for the ruckus to die down. But after an intense hurricane, one of the robbers went to check on it, discovering that the boat had washed up on shore. Seeing that the storm squashed all attempts for rescue, he hid the boat in the forest and left the previous message for his colleagues.

The Secret:

Daito determined who was part of the robber group by uttering, "being here makes me feel like Urashima Tarō," hinting to the robbers the answer to the message. He waited at the treasure site and strangled Taira who came to investigate. The culprit is Daito because of how Taira's body was gently placed on the beach. Daito had known that Taira was Miyako. Heiji knew this upon learning the robber group's call sign for the folding screen was "Hime (姫)," and the nicknames "Kaa-chan" and "Brother Chiyo" followed the same naming scheme. Miyako, who gave the two nicknames, and the person who coined the name "Hime," must be the same person.

Daito knew Shimoji's face from four years ago.

Miyako based the naming schemes on castles. She called the folding screen "Hime," as Himeji Castle (姫路城) is sometimes referred to as "White Heron Castle (白鷺城)," which is the bird that's illustrated on the screen. Kaa-chan comes from the onomatopoeia: "Kaa," a crow's cry. "Crow Castle (烏城)" is a name for the black colored castle: Matsumoto Castle (松本城), and it applies to the murdered housekeeper, Yoshiko Matsumoto. Brother Chiyo refers to Chiyoda Castle (千代田城), also known as Edo Castle (江戸城). Edo Castle is known as the "Big (大)" castle in the "East (東)." Daito's name is written: (大東). Heiji finally reveals that Daito is the former butler of the mayor's abode. Heiji adds that Miyako originally took: Edo-jō (Japanese for Edo Castle), dropped the "E," and wrote "Do-jō," which soon turned into Mr. Dojo.
Heiji knows that Daito learned that Kume was part of the robber team from his reaction to Miyako's painting, but he asks how he knew Shimoji was in on it. Daito reveals that Shimoji was the one robber who he recognized, as he was the one who killed his fiancee, Yoshiko Matsumoto. Daito says that he learned of Taira's identity when she uttered "sorry, brother Chiyo" while being strangled. Daito realized that Miyako likely dissented after her mother's death, testing her step-father if he loved her or not. After seeing him reject paying the bargain money for her abduction, she stole his prized folding screen as revenge.

Back on the mainland, Kogoro is dumbfounded to learn that Heiji has already solved the case. Hearing their altercation, Taketomi gets the idea for a "Detective Eating Competition." A few days later, Conan, Ran, and Sonoko watch the program on TV.

People

Masao Taketomi
	43 years old TV director

Yoshitsugu Kume
	25 years old Crew

Noburo Ikema
	24 years old Crew

Yoshie Taira
	Victim (strangled) 26 years old Crew

Mikihiko Daito
	47 years old Crew

Takashi Shimoji
	Victim (bashed) 38 years old Crew

Hyogo Kaneshiro
	63 years old Mayor

Miyako Kaneshiro
	Kaneshiro's daughter Kidnapped 5 years ago

Yoshiko Matsumoto
	Deceased Kaneshiro's housemaid

Parade Bomber Case

Characters introduced

Jinpei Matsuda
	Police detective Died in bombing three years ago

File 366 - March in Malice

Takagi's controversial disguise.

A victory parade is held for the Tokyo Spirits, who recently won the title in the J1 league. The Detective Boys celebrate Hideo Akagi and Naoki Uemura for scoring their comeback victory. Unable to get a good view of the parade, Genta and Mitsuhiko devise a plan to stand atop a postbox and record the event. The kids’ temerity is then scolded by an undercover Miwako Sato. Yumi Miyamoto arrives in her police car, teasing Sato about wearing a disguise to date Wataru Takagi. She denies it and is soon aided by an undercover Ninzaburo Shiratori who explains that they are here because a FAX message was sent to the police, saying that “Something interesting will happen at the Spirits’ victory parade.” Sato explains that the 1st Division is here as the message’s MO was similar to an uncaught criminal’s from the past. Comically, Yumi and Shiratori reveal that everyone knows of Sato’s and Takagi’s planned date at Tropical Land as they recently interrogated the latter into spilling the details. Shiratori even teases an attempt to spy on the couple. He also states that his resolve to marry Sato has not been waived because of a failed Omiai.

Takagi's Car is Bombed.

Yumi notices that Takagi has arrived. He gets out of his car, his attire sparking shock in the police. He approaches the group to the shouts of encouragement from the Detective Boys, but Sato coldly slaps him, telling him to remove his disguise. She storms off, leaving Takagi clueless about his fault. Yumi and Shiratori tell him that his disguise looks similar to a former detective who was in the 1st Division for just seven days.
Ayumi notices that Hide’s and Naoki’s car is about to pass by. Mitsuhiko restocks his camera with tape and joins the boys in pushing through the crowd to take their video. In the commotion, Mitsuhiko drops his camera. He asks for it to be returned to him, but a silhouette picks the camera up and walks away. Meanwhile, Takagi goes to move his car but drops his keys under the vehicle. When picking it up, he notices a mysterious package under the car. While the Detective Boys learn that their camera was stolen, an explosion rocks the scene: Takagi’s car has been bombed.

File 367 - Proof on the Videotape

Conan approaches the explosion.

As panic ensues, Inspector Juzo Megure orders an immediate evacuation. Conan rushes to the bomb site to see that Takagi has successfully escaped the bomb’s kill-radius. The group sees Sato still trying to break her way into the burning car—not yet noticing that Takagi is safe. Yumi pulls her away, showing her that Takagi is fine; she quickly excuses herself from the scene, wiping away tears. Yumi theorizes that Sato may have been having flashbacks about "Matsuda".
Megure announces the bomb was a plastic explosive and was not triggered based on time but rather manually. Whoever the perpetrator was, they waited for Takagi to near the bomb. Megure states that the MO is identical to a “case from three years ago,” and the culprit targets police officers. The Detective Boys approach the Inspector, saying their camera may have captured the culprit in planting the bomb. The theory is corroborated by Professor Agasa finding Mitsuhiko’s camera, tapeless, in a trash can, meaning the thief wasn’t interested in the camera but its contents. Since Mitsuhiko had restocked his film before heading off into the crowd, the boys still have the tape with potential evidence recorded in it.
The police watch the film, but, to the anger of Takagi’s colleagues, the only content visibly recorded is the drama between Sato and Takagi. Megure gets a call, learning there’s been a second bombing: a telephone booth next to Haido Park. The police now believe that the culprit is not targeting the police but the Tokyo Spirits’ victory parade, as both sites are on the parade’s scheduled path. Megure orders for the evacuation of civilians while tasking Takagi with further analysis of the Detective Boys’ film. Before leaving, Sato tells Takagi she has something to tell him later.
While the boys analyze suspicious parade spectators, Takagi is seen as introspective, clearly reflecting on Sato’s words. He expresses that there’s nothing recorded on the tape, sparking Conan to realize that the culprit didn’t attempt to steal the video because it recorded something, but rather because it recorded nothing.

File 368 - The Bomber's Aim

Takagi's jealous colleagues.

The group returns to the post box, where Conan points to the mail truck’s timetable. They realize that according to the designated schedule, the mail truck should’ve arrived in the fifteen minutes Mitsuhiko had been recording, leading them to believe the culprit is tied to the postal service. The culprit stole the footage as Yumi’s police car showed the Detective Boys as police associates making the footage a potential liability.
Conan sends the boys to report on post boxes scattered around the city to prove his theory. He records the pickup times and draws the truck’s route—distancing itself from the parade— confirming his suspicions.

  Show spoilers »

A group of armed men dressed as postal workers hold an employee at gunpoint and enter a post office. They then point their guns at the wider room and demand money. Several familiar faces dressed like postal employees step forward, explaining that the robbers sent in the FAX to the police and bombed the victory parade to draw attention to the big event, clearing the way for an easier heist. Dozens more postal workers step forward, revealing themselves to be police officers, swiftly arresting all of the criminals.

That night, Sato and Takagi wander the streets, engaging in a friendly conversation about the day’s events. Takagi asks Sato what she wanted to say to him, to which she says they should cancel their next date since she’s “cursed,” citing various failures with men in her life, including “that person,” as evidence. Takagi grabs her hand, appearing like he’ll confess his feelings, but diverts at the last second—to the dismay of Yumi, but the joy of his colleagues. The next day, the Detective Boys are brought to the police headquarters for questioning, escorted by a dejected Takagi, clearly upset by Sato’s rejection. His colleagues then show up, greeting him with gifts and warm words of encouragement.

People

Head Robber/Terrorist
	Thief/Terrorist

Tsutsumi
	Mail Truck Driver

Postal Worker
	Postal Counter Worker

Major events

• It is hinted that Sato is in love or "still" in love and can't let go of Jinpei Matsuda.
• Takagi tried to confess to Sato while holding her hands. However, he didn't manage to get enough courage to do it.

Serial Bomber Case

Characters introduced

Professor
	Teitan High School class 2-B professor

File 369 - The Officer Who Never Returned

The Grim Reaper appears behind Takagi.

Sato imagines Takagi in his disguise and is horrified to see the grim reaper appear, ready to slice him in half with its scythe. Yumi wakes her up from the vision, telling her to question the Detective Boys and to check her texts, but realizes Sato has a text she can't delete. Sato and the boys return to the victory parade route, recording what happened during the bombing. She checks the date and realizes it's been three years.

Sato sees a flashback to when she first met Jinpei Matsuda. He was a disrespectful transfer officer from the riot police assigned under Sato's supervision. He didn't listen to what she said and often texted a best friend who "could never respond." For three years, the police had received a FAX with a large number plastered on it, showing a countdown. This year, the FAX sent a riddle that Matsuda quickly deciphered, stating it refers to the Ferris wheel's 72nd capsule at the Haido shopping mall. The police arrived to hear that an explosion broke the ride's stopping mechanism. Despite all passengers being evacuated, Matsuda boarded the 72nd capsule to defuse the bomb, stating they should "leave it to a pro." Megure explained Matsuda used to be a part of the Explosives Disposal Unit along with his "best friend," Kenji Hagiwara. Hagiwara died four years ago when two explosives were planted in different locations. Matsuda diffused one of them, but Hagiwara had failed to diffuse the other, resulting in his death. The perpetrator remains at large, and Matsuda's ventures with bomb-related cases are an attempt at exacting revenge. Suddenly, another explosion goes off, halting the Ferris wheel's rotation and activating a mercury switch in the bomb. Matsuda displayed confidence in his ability to defuse the explosive but saw text stating that it would show a hint to where a second explosive is placed three seconds before this bomb explodes. While he determined that the second bomb was at a hospital, to confirm, Matsuda waited for the hint. Matsuda apologized to Hagiwara for failing to deliver on his promise and texted the hint to Sato before the capsule exploded. Sato shows Megure and Shiratori that the second bomb is at the Beika Central Hospital.

Matsuda in his final moments.

Sato is seen in the present day, still holding onto the last text Matsuda sent her. The group joins Shiratori and Takagi, who were assigned to investigate a location where a bomb was stated to be planted but found nothing. Shiratori leaves in his car, but Conan realizes where the bomb is probably placed. Shiratori reads a message taped to his visor before his car explodes.

File 370 - Uneraseable Memory

The Police Headquarters in chaos.

Shiratori lies on the road in a critical state, barely surviving the explosion. Haibara states that, based on his injuries, he probably has an acute subdural hematoma and needs immediate medical attention. Conan believes the culprit was specifically targeting the police. They lied about the bomb being in the building, allowing them to plant it in the car while the police were investigating. Shiratori gives Sato the message he found in the car. She reads it, noticing that the message repeats the words written on the FAX message from three years ago. Sato calls Megure, telling him the perpetrator is definitely the same person who bombed the Ferris Wheel, as only the first part of their message was released to the public, but the new message also perfectly repeats the second half. Chiba soon arrives with a car as Sato joins the investigation.
Superintendent Kiyonaga Matsumoto is seen barking orders, informing all officers of two bombs set to explode the next day at 12:00 and another at 15:00. Sato drives her car, remembering Matsuda telling her not to forget her late father, who she keeps alive in her memories. Conan reveals himself sitting in the back seat of Sato’s car and asks her the bomber’s motive.

The false bomb.

She recounts the events from seven years ago when two men set explosives in two high-end apartment buildings, threatening to detonate the bombs if even a single resident fled. Matsuda managed to disarm one bomb, but Hagiwara struggled with the other, leading the police to pay the ransom of a billion yen. However, half an hour later, one of the bombers called the police, confused by why the bomb was still active. He likely saw an old news report that said the timer was still ticking. The police capitalized on this opportunity, tracked the signal, and chased the culprit into a car accident. Enraged by his partner’s death, the second bomber restarted the timer, killing Hagiwara.
The Detective Boys hear the same story, displeased by the bomber’s twisted quest for revenge. Learning of the bomber’s riddle, the boys led by Haibara cement themselves in the investigation, annoying Takagi. Meanwhile, Professor Agasa calls Ran, lying to her that Conan is testing a game at his place and will be out for the night. A drunk Kogoro tells her to relax and study for her exam tomorrow. Based on the riddle, Haibara and Conan deduce the bomb is placed on a train at South Haido Station. The police quickly evacuate the premises, but an officer discovers what looks like a bomb. The object emits smoke before harmlessly bursting with confetti. Learning the bomb was fake, Conan concludes that the culprit is out for revenge, taking the twelve million residents of Tokyo hostage.

File 371 - Red Trap

The riddle must reference the Tohto Tower.

Superintendent Matsumoto orders his men to continue investigating places referenced in the riddle, stating there are only five hours left before the first bombing. Meanwhile, Sato and Takagi talk about the riddle while the Detective Boys eat at a restaurant, struggling to stay awake. Takagi confirms from Yumi that Shiratori is recovering and attempts to relay another message from her but decides against it. Takagi remembers how she called him, telling him to look after Sato, who’d likely do something stupid as this is a very personal case for her. She also tells him that he resembles Matsuda and thinks Sato is beginning to notice that. Sato rushes back to the investigation, leaving Takagi to return the kids home as she doesn’t want to involve him in the case.

Takagi strengthens his resolve to act.

The Detective Boys mock Takagi for his submissive behavior around Sato. They believe he feels inadequate compared to Matsuda, who gave his life to protect many innocents in a hospital. Ran and Sonoko are seen taking the exam at Teitan High School. Sonoko teases Ran for glancing at Shinichi’s desk for help, but Ran denies it, as she just simply misses him. Back at the car, Conan deciphers the riddle based on the repeated use of the color red. He points to the Tohto Tower (Tokyo Tower) elevator as the bomb site. Takagi arrives to hear that a small explosion has halted the elevator. He calls Sato, who tells him to stay put while she goes to deal with everything, but after Takagi hears of a small girl being trapped in the elevator, and remembering Yumi’s words not to let Sato do anything stupid, he disobeys her orders and rushes towards the danger. Conan follows him, telling the worried Detective Boys they can still function without him.
In the elevator, Conan is the one to rescue the girl as the adults are unable to fit through the crack. On the way out, the bomber snaps the elevator cable sending Conan and Takagi down to a lower level, trapping both of them. Takagi calls a disappointed Sato and informs her of the situation. Meanwhile, Conan climbs atop the elevator and discovers the bomb. He warns Takagi not to follow him as his weight will activate the mercury lever. After a closer examination, Conan concludes that this bomb can bring down the whole tower.

File 372 - The Most Important Thing in the World

Conan tells Takagi that he'll reveal his true identity in the next world.

Conan finds a listening device on the bomb, meaning the culprit is listening to them. Because of the mercury lever, the only way to safely stop the explosion is for Conan to diffuse the bomb. Sato sends Chiba to evacuate the Detective Boys while the explosives disposal unit sends Conan the equipment. Takagi reads the instructions to Conan, but the boy seemingly knows his way around the explosive. While working, Conan suddenly realizes what the riddle was referencing. He then notices something on the bomb and tries to cut a deal with Takagi.

A grim fate awaits the protagonists.

The disposal team is confused about why Conan can’t cut the last few wires. Sato takes over the phone call to learn that Conan saw the same message as Matsuda did, saying the bomb will reveal a hint of the second bomb’s location three seconds before detonation. A silhouette of the bomber is seen getting into their car as they remember how the police used his partner’s goodwill to kill him. They smirk; whichever way, the police are finished. Conan explains to Takagi what the riddle meant, but roughly 400 places in Tokyo meet the description and evacuating all of them is impossible. Conan states the most valuable person in the world may be in one of them. Finally, Takagi asks who Conan is, to which he replies he’ll “tell him in the next world.”
The Detective Boys frantically pull at Chiba to turn the car around as Ayumi calls for Conan while looking back at the Tohto Tower. The moment of truth arrives as Conan relays the message displayed on the explosive: alphabet letters “E.V.I.T.” Sato gazes upon the Grim Reaper that is ready to strike the Tohto tower. She lets out a scream of misery, a scream which is lost to the surrounding chaos. Meanwhile, at Teitan High School, Ran hears Shinichi’s voice calling her name, begging her to flee.

People

Serial Bomber
	Matsuda and Hagiwara's murderer

Man
	Deceased (truck accident) Accomplice bomber

Cover in other countries

• 

  China
• 

  Finland
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  France
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  Germany
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  Hong Kong
• 

  Indonesia
• 

  Italy
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  Korea
• 

  Malaysia (Chinese)
• 

  Malaysia (Malay)
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  Rep. of China (Taiwan)
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  Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2)
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  Sweden
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  Thailand
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  United States
• 

  Vietnam

References

See also

• Manga
• Volume 31-40
• Detective Conan