The Strange Person Hunt Murder Case

Chronology
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Episode 13 (Int. Episode {{{int-episode}}})
Information
Title:	The Strange Person Hunt Murder Case
Japanese title:	奇妙な人捜し殺人事件 (Kimyō na Hito Sagashi Satsujin Jiken)
Original airdate:	April 22, 1996
Season:	1
Manga source:	Volume 2: Files 4-8 (013-016) (h.a.)
English version
English title:	Mystery Mastermind
Dubbed episode:	Episode 14
English airdate:	June 15, 2004
Case
Cast:	Conan Edogawa Kogoro Mouri Ran Mouri Inspector Megure Professor Agasa
Case solved by:	Conan Edogawa
Next Conan's Hint:	Calculator
Staff
Director:	Kenji Kodama
Screenplay:	Yuuichi Higurashi
Storyboard:	Johei Matsuura
Episode director:	Johei Matsuura
Animation director:	Atsushi Aono
Voice Cast: Minami Takayama as Conan Edogawa Wakana Yamazaki as Ran Mouri Akira Kamiya as Kogoro Mouri Kenichi Ogata as Professor Agasa Chafurin as Inspector Megure Masako Katsuki as Masami Hirota Hideaki Tezuka as Akira Hirota Kan Tokumaru as Mystery Man A Ryuzaburo Otomo as Mystery Man B Rin Mizuhara as Landlady Isshin Chiba as Cloak checker Takumi Yamazaki as TV Announcer Wataru Takagi as Next Conan's Hint
Music
Opening song:	Mune ga Dokidoki
Closing song:	STEP BY STEP

Characters introduced

Akemi Miyano/ Masami Hirota
	Mysterious client

Gadgets introduced

Criminal Tracking Glasses
	Uses radar to locate transmitters (e.g. location of the Detective Boys' badges)

Cast

Characters
Conan Edogawa Kogoro Mouri Ran Mouri Inspector Megure Professor Agasa

Gadgets

Gadgets
Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes

Case

Situation

A woman named Masami Hirota shows up at Kogoro's Detective Agency and asks him to find her father, Kenzou Hirota. She is reunited with her father when they located him in a horse racing track. The next day, Kenzou is found dead and Masami missing. Meanwhile, another detective is tracking Kenzou down for his client, Akira Hirota.

Missing Person - Murder
	Location: Apartment Victim: Kenzou Hirota Cause of death: Strangulation via hanging Suspects: Akira Hirota

Murder
	Location: Hotel Victim: Akira Hirota Cause of death: Cyanide poisoning

People

Kenzou Hirota
	Victim (strangled) Believed to be Masami's father and Akira's brother

Landlady
	Kenzou's apartment landlady

Detective
	Hired by Akira Hirota to find Kenzou Hirota

Akira Hirota
	Victim (poison) Believed to be Kenzou's brother and Masami's uncle

Resolution

  Show spoilers »

Conan found the criminal mastermind, Okita.

]

• Evidence
  • Masami had make-up on and looked mature when reunited with Kenzou
  • Every night, Kenzou would run the same taxi route over and over, even without customers, and at high speed
  • Judging from the bruises from Kenzou's neck, the killer was a large man
  • Masami's glasses were found in the crime scene
  • Because of Conan's tracking button believed to be in Masami's watch, Akira was found dead due to cyanide poisoning in the hotel

• Resolution

The Hirotas were the criminals involved in the 1 Billion Yen Robbery Case. The route Kenzou drove at night was the practice route of the getaway. But Kenzou betrayed his partners, he ran and took the money for himself. In order to find him, his partners made fake identities - Masami and Akira. When found, Akira killed Kenzou and made it look like suicide. He broke his watch while doing so that's why Masami gave him hers. But the real mastermind of the 1 Billion Yen Robbery Case was Okita. The poison that killed Akira was originally intended for Masami.

• Motive

Okita planned to kill the three from the very beginning. Kenzou realized this so he ran away with the money.

Dub changes

• The names of the characters in the Funimation Dub are:

• Kenzou Hirota - Kent Hamlin
• Kenzou's cats: Kai, Tei, Gou & Ou - Kent's cats: Tea, Pair, Eyes & Prose
• Akira Hirota - Aaron Hamlin
• Okita - O'Brien

Manga to anime changes

In the manga version of the story Gin and Vodka are the masterminds of the case (rather than Okita), and they end up killing Masami Hirota/Akemi Miyano who informs Conan of the organization's existence and that they dress in black. Her death is the motive of Shiho Miyano's defection which leads to Ai Haibara's appearance later in the series. Furthermore, Shiho makes a silhouetted appearance when Akemi is demanding for herself and her sister to be free of the organization, which is also omitted. To repair the storyline, Episode 128 The Black Organization: One Billion Yen Robbery Case was written with a similar ending to the manga version.

Trivia

• This episode marks the introduction of a new image for the "next episode" preview. The image features the Detective Boys looking at a painting hanging on the wall, which has the title of the next episode written on it.

See also

• Season 1