Akako Koizumi

Akako Koizumi
Profile
Japanese name:	小泉 紅子 (Koizumi Akako)
Age:	17
Gender:	Female
Height:	165 cm
Relatives:	Unnamed assistant
Occupation:	Ekoda High School student Witch
Status:	Alive (Magic Kaito) Non-existing (Detective Conan)
Statistics
First appearance:	Magic Kaito : Chapter 6 Anime: OVA 1
Appearances:	Episodes: 1 OVAs: 1 Specials: 5 Openings: 3 Closings: 1 Episodes: 14 Episodes: 9 Magic Kaito Manga: 9 Magic Kaito 1412: 6
Actors
Japanese voice:	Megumi Hayashibara (episode 219 and OVA 1) Miyuki Sawashiro (TV Special) Eri Kitamura (Magic Kaito 1412)

Akako Koizumi (小泉 紅子 ,Koizumi Akako) is a character from Magic Kaito, who also appeared in the anime of Detective Conan and in Hanzawa the Criminal. She's a witch of 17 years who is well-versed in black and red magic and tries to steal the hearts of all the men in the world, but fails to do so concerning her main target, the Kaitou Kid. She's currently attending class 2-B of Ekoda High School.

Gosho Aoyama himself suggested that she's not a canon character in the world of Detective Conan.

Background

Akako laughing.

Akako is a teenage witch of considerable power who attends Ekoda High School alongside Kaito Kuroba, Aoko Nakamori, and Saguru Hakuba. Due to her considerable beauty and magical charms, she is very popular among the male student body.

Akako does not appear to have any living parents or adult guardians. She lives in a solitary Western-style mansion in a secluded, wooded part of Ekoda with a strange, demonic-looking servant as her only company.

Personality

Akako is typically very vain and haughty, and delights in using her magical charms to ensnare every man who crosses her path. Those who can defy her charms, such as Kaito Kuroba, frustrate as well as interest her. She also dislikes many of her female peers on principle, viewing them as rivals for attention and adoration.

Beneath this arrogant exterior, however, Akako does possess a softer side. Though her interest in Kaito was once rooted in an obsession with controlling him, it eventually grew into a more complex relationship that may well be genuine (if one-sided) love. In addition, despite her claiming that human life means nothing to her, she could not bring herself to kill Kaito, or even allow him to be captured, when she had multiple opportunities to do so.

As is stereotypical of haughty female characters in anime and manga, Akako possesses a stereotypical "Ohohoho" laugh.

Skills

Akako's magic can be incredibly powerful, and often revolves around complex rituals. These rituals have allowed her to create voodoo dolls, entrance other human minds, and even summon demons to do her bidding. She also possesses many magical artifacts, including a mirror that can answer questions, a crystal ball that can predict the future, and a broomstick that she can fly on.

The Magic Kaito 1412 anime gives Akako additional abilities, such as telekinesis and pyrokinesis, which she may or may not possess in the manga.

Akako also appears to be a competent skier, whether or not this is another magically-acquired skill is unknown.

Appellations

Picture	Name	What they call Akako Koizumi	What Akako Koizumi calls them
	Kaito Kuroba	Akako-chan (first time) Akako	Kuroba-kun Kuroba Kaito (inner thoughts) Kaito (opening, once)
	Aoko Nakamori	Akako-chan	Nakamori-san Nakamori Aoko (inner thoughts)
	Saguru Hakuba	Akako-san	Hakuba-kun

Plot overview

Magic Kaito plot overview

Past

A gallery of Akako's ancestors in the Magic Kaito TV Specials.

Akako Koizumi's past is virtually a mystery. She has no living family members as far as it's known, but she seems to be proficient in real magic (in contrast to Kaito Kuroba's stage magic). In the Magic Kaito: Kid the Phantom Thief TV Specials this is explained by her being the last descendant of a long line of witches starting at least back with her great grandmother; in the manga and the anime series Magic Kaito 1412, on the other hand, the origin of her skills and the source of her powers are never explained beyond her being "the last descendant of black mages", according to her servant.

The Scarlet Temptress (MK Manga: 6, MKS: 4, MK1412: 5)

Akako adored by all her male classmates.

At the beginning of her debut chapter, Akako Koizumi is presented as a witch in the vein of Snow White's evil queen, asking her magic mirror who the fairest in the world may be. It answers that it is her and that all men in the world are supposed to be her slaves - except one person: Kaitou Kid, which greatly angers her. The next morning - coincidentally the one of February 14th, Valentine's day - she arrives as a transfer student at Ekoda High School, instantly receiving requests for a present from every boy around - except Kaito Kuroba. As soon as he arrives, loaded with chocolate he got from other girls (one of them being Momoko Aoyama), she forces him to throw it all away by slapping him and demands that he should only take her chocolate. He declines, leaving her visibly shocked. She realizes that Kaito Kuroba must be Kaitou Kid, the only man who could refuse her, according to her mirror.

Following this, she steals Kaito's handkerchief and uses it for some occult ritual, mixing it in a cauldron with "a dragon's hair, a mermaid's tear and one eye of an angel", creating some kind of magically charged Valentine's chocolate which, after consumption, will make Kaito her submissive slave. She tortures him by impaling a voodoo doll version of his likeness while he's active with a theft, just before teleporting him before her, catching him in a circle of black magic drawn on the ground and urging him to eat her chocolate.

Unfortunately for her, it suddenly starts snowing, covering the circle and rendering her magic void. After angrily telling him that her magic is real and his is just a fake, Kaitou Kid amuses her with some conjuring tricks in return, telling her that people are entertained by things like these even though they know it's not real. He leaves Akako behind in a sad mood, who muses that she forgot about witches losing their magic power when they cry.

Magic Kaito NG Collection (MK Manga: Volume 1 Omake)

This short bonus story continues the previous chapter in a humorous manner, showing the meta-fictional "behind the scenes" work on Magic Kaito under the direction of Gosho Aoyama (represented by the "Director A-Yama"), including Akako's actress, who's a completely shy and insecure person, contrary to her role in the manga.

At first she interacts with production assistant Eiichi Yamagishi, who wonders about her still being in the studio, with her replying that she waited for him. Afterwards, Gosho scolds her during the "filming" of chapter 6 for not wanting to wear the skimpy witch costume, making Akako cry, which causes Aoko Nakamori to defend her in front of their own director/mangaka.

Akako is in costume in the end, trying to act out her "You'll be my slave" line and pretending to laugh in a malicious way, which she utterly fails to do. Aoko gives her an example of how to do it right, managing it in such a frightening manner that Gosho ponders about switching their roles. Finally, she joins Kaito Kuroba and Aoko in the last panel, saying to the reader that they were just kidding.

Stay Away From Him (MK Manga: 7, MKS: 6, MK1412: 13)

In the course of a trip to a ski resort the Ekoda High School undertakes, Akako prepares a love charm in the form of a patch with a heart on it, with the preparatory work shown in the Magic Kaito TV Special only. After having a go at Aoko about how she isn't good enough for Kaito and that she's in love with him - who feigns taking it in stride, telling Akako that she doesn't love Kaito - the teacher of class 2-B, Erika Konno, announces that she wants to organize a duo skiing contest with male/female pairings only.

After putting the patch on Kaito's back, Akako tries to take her chance and follows Kaito onto a ski lift, much to his visible dismay. He can fend her off for the moment, but she believes this to be because her charm may already be working.

At evening, when the ski contest starts, Keiko Momoi draws Kaito's attention to the heart patch on his back, which he gives to the his classmate Fujie, who, like most boys of the class, secretly is in love with Akako. Kaito devises a plan with Fujie, switching places with him, so that the latter - in full-body costume - may ski together with Akako anonymously. She races down the slope with him as "Snow Queen and her Abominable Snowman", not noticing the change in ski partners. After Kaito's and Aoko's phenomenal show as "Kaitou Kid and Bride" she, too, realizes that she has been duped, but this only makes her desire to get him all the greater.

Japan's Most Irresponsible Prime Minister (MK Manga: 8)

A balloon figure of Akako with an "aka"-Kanji (紅) on it briefly appears in the sky during Kaitou Kid's show for Prime Minister Uemoto in the city park.

Would You Grow Up? (MK Manga: 10, MKS: 4, MK1412: 8)

Akako waits for Kid on the Tokyo Sky Tree to kill him.

Akako then decides that she has to kill Kaito: after his death, it will be true that all men love her. She gives a cursed necklace to Ginzo Nakamori, but the inspector is unable to kill Kaitou Kid, who runs away. Akako waits for him on Tohto Tower (Tokyo Skytree in the Magic Kaito TV Specials), but her feelings for Kaito prevent her from killing him.

Akako's Delivery Service (MK Manga: 17, MKS: 9)

When Saguru suspects that Kaito is Kid, Akako disguises herself as Kaitou Kid to protect her friend's secret. In the Magic Kaito TV Specials, she tries to fend off Spider as well in which she fails to do so but is able to trick the police and Saguru that Kaito is not Kaitou Kid.

Yaiba vs. Kaito! (MK Manga: 18, OVA: 1)

At the end of the chapter, Akako can be seen in the background of the classroom behind Kaito Kuroba in one panel, talking with Keiko Momoi.

In the OVA adaptation, her role is greatly expanded: She is sitting on the street with her crystal ball, hidden under a robe, with the Detective Boys thinking that she's an old witch from their Kamen Yaiba game. Enraged by this, she throws away the cloth and reveals herself to be a "spunky" 17-year-old girl, before directly talking to Conan Edogawa about meeting a tiger, a vulture and a frog soon. This appearance of her is later revealed to be part of a dream of Conan.

Black Star (MK Manga: 23-24, Anime: 219, MK1412: 6)

Later on, she tries to use her magic to prevent the police and Shinichi Kudo from arresting Kid, but her assistant stops her before using her powers publicly. Kaitou Kid still manages to escape.

Omake Manga (Magic Kaito Manga: Volume 4 Omake)

Gosho Aoyama returns as the director, now in his eggplant form, finishing the shooting of "Dark Knight". Kenta Connery's actor redresses, with Akako explaining that he's still got some shoots to do for "another series", which is revealed to be Detective Conan, with the role of Kenta's actor being that of Conan Edogawa. Gosho and everyone else - including Akako - leave to go get eat something and completely forget Kaitou Kid still hanging from the wires at the ceiling.

Omake Manga (Magic Kaito Manga: Volume 5 Omake)

Gosho Aoyama remodeled Akako's house for use as the Kudo residence.

Gosho Aoyama as director finishes the shooting of "Sun Halo", with Kaito Kuroba telling Akako afterwards that her red magic was as well received as ever, making her blush. Gosho then tells his assistants to get "the gate for the other series" for a remodeling of Akako Koizumi's residence into the Kudo residence. Kaito Kuroba is flabbergasted that Gosho's just recycling settings.

Detective Conan plot overview

Kaitou Kid and the Ocean's Miracle (Manga: 455)

Inspector Ginzo Nakamori mentions that Kaitou Kid has "at least one" assistant, with rumors of an "old man or a young woman", with the first pointing to Konosuke Jii and the latter referring to the moment from chapter 17 of his own series, indirectly talking about Akako Koizumi, who disguised as Kid to clear Kaito Kuroba of suspicion and confused Ginzo and his subordinates when she was screaming like a girl. Considering that Akako is not canon to Detective Conan, this was probably more of an easter egg.

Relationships analysis

Family and friends

Kaito Kuroba/Kaitou Kid

Kaito and Akako.

Akako's relationship with Kaito is a complex one. Though she despises him for being the only man that can defy her many charms and potions, she also finds his independence and confidence to be attractive. Thus, her interactions with him often alternate between schemes to control him (and on one occasion, kill him) and genuine attempts to keep him away from particularly dangerous heists.

Aoko Nakamori

Akako sees Aoko as a rival for Kaito's affections, and will sometimes belittle her looks and (lack of) maturity. Despite this, she is often caught off-guard by Aoko's overwhelmingly friendly demeanor.

Others

Servant

Akako is often assisted in her spellwork by a hideous, unnamed servant who seems to be the closest thing she has to an adult guardian. The servant usually lavishes praise on Akako, who in turn often insults him for his ugly appearance and empty compliments. For his part, the servant seems to genuinely adore Akako, though he will also comfort her in times of distress, and once warned her against using magic in public, a warning that Akako immediately obeyed, despite the fact that Kaito's freedom (and possibly life) were at stake.

Lucufer

When she desires knowledge, Akako will sometimes perform a ritual to summon a demon named Lucufer. It is not known if this deity is, in fact, identical to the Biblical Lucifer and ruler of the Judeo-Christian Hell, though it should be noted that Akako treats Lucufer with little respect and is quick to dismiss him once he answers her questions.

Name origin

The name "Akako" means "red child". This contrasts with Aoko Nakamori's first name, which means "blue child".

Different looks

Detective Conan (episode 219).

Magic Kaito Special (episode 4).

Magic Kaito 1412 (episode 5).

Trivia

Akako and the Evil Queen's poster (TV Special 4).

• Besides her magic skills and being in contact with Japanese mythological beings, Akako is also knowledable about other mythologies, explaining the symbolic meaning of crows in Norse and Greek Mythology in chapter 32. She's mentioning both Odin and Apollo as "Kami" though, which could imply that they are real entities in the Magic Kaito universe she is acquainted with as she is with the Kami Lucufer (who in turn seems to be an allusion to Lucifer and Amatsumikaboshi), which is certainly in tune with the syncretistic qualities of Japanese belief systems and Akako's magic (combining elements of at least Egyptian, Middle Eastern, European and Japanese cultures with sorcery like Voodoo dolls).
• She is modeled after the Evil Queen, the main antagonist in the fairy tale Snow White.
• Her name was taken from Kyoko Koizumi (小泉 今日子), a famous pop idol from back at the time Gosho Aoyama started drawing Magic Kaito and rival to Akina Nakamori, who served as name giver for Aoko Nakamori. It's conceivable that their rivalry inspired Gosho's depiction of Akako's hidden rivalry with Aoko for Kaito Kuroba's heart.
• Akako's anime voice actress for appearance in Detective Conan, Megumi Hayashibara, also provides the voice for Ai Haibara, and with the similarities between Magic Kaito and Detective Conan this serves to reinforce the love triangle theme revolving around the central character.
• In both the manga and TV Special, the three cobras attached to Akako's headband and magical costume are able to adjust their emotional expressions by themselves to match with Akako's. However, this is not the case in the anime series Magic Kaito 1412.

Gallery

• 

  Akako as Kaitou Kid.

• 

  Akako in her Egyptian-looking magic outfit from OVA 1.

See also

• Characters