Kazuha Toyama

Kazuha Toyama
Profile
Japanese name:	遠山 和葉 (Tooyama Kazuha)
English name:	Kirsten Thomas
Age:	17
Gender:	Female
Relatives:	Detective Toyama (father)
Statistics
First appearance:	Manga: Chapter 185 Anime: Episode 118
Appearances:	Chapters: 172 Chapters: 5 Episodes: 90 Movies: 8 OVAs: 5 Specials: 2 Openings: 36 Closings: 7
Keyhole number:	Volume 19
Actors
Japanese voice:	Yuko Miyamura
English voice:	Gwendolyn Lau

Kazuha Toyama (遠山 和葉 ,Tooyama Kazuha), also known as Kirsten Thomas in the Funimation dub, is character in the manga and anime Detective Conan. She is a childhood friend of Heiji Hattori.

Background

Kazuha and Heiji have been close friends since childhood. Their fathers work together at the Osaka Police station, where Kazuha's father, Chief Detective Toyama is a subordinate and close friend of Heiji's father, Police Chief Hanzo Hattori.

At one time in their youth, Heiji had had the unfortunate idea of locking themselves together with a set of old handcuffs which had no key to unlock it; as a result they involuntarily had to spend time together even on some rather intimate occasions (i.e., bathroom visits) before the cuffs could be removed. As a reminder of this 'closeness' and for good luck, Kazuha fashioned two identical lucky charms, each incorporating a chain link from the cuffs, which she and Heiji have been wearing ever since. At some later point, Kazuha added a picture of Heiji into her own charm pouch.

Personality and Skills

Kazuha has a hot temper. However, she is not one to sulk, but instead is unafraid to let others know of her anger. This trait leads to frequent shouting matches with Heiji, but it also allowed her and Ran to forge a strong friendship despite the fact that Kazuha, believing that Ran was Heiji's new girlfriend, took an initial deep dislike to Ran out of jealousy.

She also has a marked belief in spirits, good-luck charms, and other superstitions. Right from her first experience, she displayed her belief in the importance of hers and Heiji's omamori, charms which Kazuha made to protect her and Heiji from harm. And indeed, during the same case, Heiji lent Conan his omamori, and the metal inside the charm stopped a knife blade that would have killed Conan. On subsequent cases, Kazuha is quick to attribute mysterious shadows and strange events to ghosts and other malignant spirits, which usually sends Ran into a panic as well.

Despite her fearfulness, Kazuha is also a 2-dan in aikido, and has exhibited her skills in taking down several criminals, including Ki'ichiro Numabuchi.

Plot overview

After Heiji had met Conan and discovered his true identity, he talked about him so frequently and enthusiastically to Kazuha that she became convinced that Heiji was in love with a Tokyo girl named 'Kudo.' When Heiji invited Conan, Ran and Kogoro to Osaka, Kazuha spied on them, believing Ran to be 'Kudo.' At an okonomiyaki restaurant, when Heiji got up for a moment, Kazuha sat down in his seat and warned Ran to back off him, at which point Heiji returned, the misunderstanding was cleared up, and Heiji laughed at Kazuha's behavior.

In her next appearance, Kazuha continued to treat Ran coldly, pointing out that Ran and Heiji's clothes had matched the last few times they had been together. Ran immediately took off her shirt (they were sitting together in the back of a car at the time) and changed clothes, after which point the girls became much friendlier.

Since that time, Kazuha has accompanied Heiji in the majority of his appearances. The two frequently visit Tokyo and stay at the Mouri residence, and Kazuha accompanies Heiji on several cases.

Because of this, she has from time to time been in great danger. She was almost killed by the Spider Mansion murderer because she found a BB gun bullet that the criminal had used in his setup; only Heiji's arrival chased the murderer away before Kazuha was strangled. Later, in the Mermaid Island case, Heiji nearly fell off a cliff during his investigation. Kazuha saved him, but overbalanced and fell off the cliff herself. Heiji jumped after her, managing to grab her wrist with his left hand and a jutting branch with his right. However, the branch began to bend, so Kazuha stabbed Heiji's hand in an attempt to make him let her go and save himself. Despite the wound, Heiji did not let go, and managed to save the both of them. He still bears the scar on his left hand, and has been known to mock Kazuha about it. In a later case, Heiji and Kazuha were kidnapped by a corrupt lawyer in an attempt to force Heiji to crack a code. When he wouldn't comply, the lawyer decided to kill them both. Heiji asked to be allowed to say a few last words to Kazuha, claiming he had to tell her something he had wanted to say for a long time. This, it turned out, was a ploy to distract the lawyer, but when it failed, Heiji, with a gun to his head, told Kazuha that "I meant it when I said my last words were for you" and promised, if they survived, to tell them to her "until you're sick of hearing it." Afterward, when she asked him what he was going to say, he panicked and insisted that he had wanted to tell her that her ponytail had been tickling him while they were handcuffed together.

Relationships analysis

• Heiji Hattori and Kazuha Toyama

Kazuha has been best friends with Heiji since they were very young. Often times they act more like a couple then like friends, though they both deny having any such relation with each other. Kazuha tends to be somewhat overbearing and extremely protective of Heiji, and has no problems in chasing off any potential female who may show some interest in him.

Trivia

• The name 'Toyama' comes from Edo period "police detective" Kagetomo Toyama, aka Toyama no Kin-san, while Kazuha comes from one of Gosho Aoyama's assistants.

See also

• Characters