Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo

Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo (工藤新一への挑戦状 ,Kudō Shin'ichi e no Chōsenjō) is a live-action drama series starring Junpei Mizobata as Shinichi Kudo that takes place before the events that begin the story of Detective Conan. The series began airing every Thursday at 23.58 JST - 0.38 JST the following day, from July 7, 2011 to September 29, 2011. Prior to the series three live-action specials were produced, with a fourth special produced afterwards.

Main cast

The following is a listing of the main cast of the drama series according to the Chart section of the official series website.

Character		Actors
Picture	Name	Picture	Name	Notes
	Conan Edogawa		Minami Takayama	Minami Takayama only provides the voice for Conan, since she already voices him in the main series.
		60px	Nao Fujisaki
	Shinichi Kudo	60px	Shun Oguri
			Junpei Mizobata	Mizobata is the 2nd actor to portray Shinichi in live-action following Shun Oguri.
			Kappei Yamaguchi	Yamaguchi voices Shinichi in the post credits' narration in A Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo ~Prologue Until Goodbye~.
	Ran Mouri	60px	Tomoka Kurokawa
			Shiori Kutsuna	Kutsuna is the 2nd actress to portray Ran in live-action following Tomoka Kurokawa.
	Kogoro Mouri		Takanori Jinnai	Jinnai has portrayed Kogoro in all live-action adaptations.
	Sonoko Suzuki	60px	Mayuko Iwasa
			Sayaka Akimoto	Akimoto is the 2nd actress to portray Sonoko in live-action following Mayuko Iwasa. She was also a member of the AKB48 idol group.
	Eri Kisaki		Nene Otsuka
	Miwako Sato		Natsuhi Ueno
	Wataru Takagi		Yuichi Tsuchiya
60px	Hajime Hirata	60px	Hironobu Nomura	Hironobu Nomura voices Hajime Hirata, the main villain in the 13-episode series.

Other notable cast

Character		Actors
Picture	Name	Picture	Name	Notes
	Ai Haibara		Megumi Hayashibara	Hayashibara does the voiceover for Haibara, just likes Takayama does for Conan.
		60px	Kyoka Shibata
	Heiji Hattori		Tori Matsuzaka
	Kazuha Toyama		Rei Okamoto
	Hiroshi Agasa	60px	Ryosei Tayama
	Gin	60px	Kuranosuke Sasaki
	Vodka	60px	Taro Okada
	Shiho Miyano	60px	Yu Kashii
	Juzo Megure	60px	Masahiko Nishimura
			Masato Ibu
	Yusaku Kudo	60px	[[|]]
	Yoko Okino	60px	Becky

Episodes

#	Title	Original airdate	English airdate	Plot
1	File. 1 - The High School Detective Before Becoming Conan, Uncovering the Murder Affair Mystery!	July 7, 2011	-
Yuuhei Tsubouchi, a professional cameraman, strangles Momoko Aida after thinking she was going to leave him for another guy and covers up his murderous act by ransacking her apartment to look like a robbery. Will Shinichi Kudo be able to prove Tsubouchi's guilt? First appearance of Shinichi Kudo, Ran Mouri, Kogoro Mouri, Miwako Sato, and Wataru Takagi. Ran Mouri comments that she longs to have wedding photos like the one's from Tsubouchi's wedding and Shinichi agrees. Meanwhile, Miwako Sato comments she'd rather not have any, surprising Wataru Takagi and causing him to stumble over his next few words to her.
2	File. 2 - The Live Broadcast Locked Room Murder! Expose the Secret of the Psychic's Curse	July 14, 2011	-
Shinichi Kudo is a guest on a live TV program called "The Showdown" where he tests his deductive abilities against the psychic abilities of Jiro Washimi. The TV program goes horribly wrong however when Washimi seems to kill the show's host, Takayuki Harada, using his psychic powers. Are psychic powers really to blame or was it simply a trick by the real murderer? When Shinichi Kudo explains how the shape-memory alloy in Harada's bandana works and is the same as the shape-memory alloy found in the materials of Ran Mouri's brassiere, Shinichi Kudo gets closer towards Ran Mouri and comments that the materials are "Excellent, aren't they?". Ran Mouri in embarrassment asks how Shinichi Kudo could possibly know something like that. Kogoro Mouri freaks out and asks if Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri are really in that kind of relationship. Ran Mouri then hits him in embarrassment. Later on when the group makes it to the third white room, Ran Mouri is startled by the gunshot sounds so Shinichi Kudo grabs her hand to help calm her down.
3	File. 3 - The Court Murder Case Behind Closed Doors! Expose the Hostess' Murder Trick	July 21, 2011	-
Shinichi Kudo, Ran Mouri, and Kogoro Mouri attend a trial at which Eri Kisaki is a witness for the defendant Reika Saito's alibi. Things get out of hand though when Reika begins insulting Eri Kisaki and Eri Kisaki threatens to kill her, pointing at Reika with her hand in the shape of a gun. Much to everyone's surprise, a gunshot is heard when Eri Kisaki says "bang" and Reika drops to the floor dead. Can Shinichi Kudo prove Eri Kisaki's innocence? First appearance of Eri Kisaki. When Shinichi Kudo is looking at flowers on his phone to possibly give Ran as a gift, Eri Kisaki catches him and suggests buying underwear instead, saying it's a popular present in foreign countries for lovers. Eri Kisaki then continues to give Shinichi Kudo romance advice.
4	File. 4 - Perfect Crime! The Notice of a Murder at a Wedding, Reveal the Mystery of the Locked Room Poisoning Trick!	July 28, 2011	-
Shinichi Kudo loses a game against Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki during lunch so now he must play a penalty game: he must accept every request for a favor for the rest of the day. Before Ran Mouri can ask for Shinichi Kudo to take her out to a restaurant, Kogoro Mouri calls Shinichi Kudo and asks for him to assist with the wedding party of Kensuke Motoki and Kanon Shimabara. Later on, one of the guests, Nana Matsumoto, drops dead from what seems to be poison. Kensuke asks for Shinichi Kudo to prove his innocence, but is this one favor Shinichi Kudo can't complete? First appearance of Sonoko Suzuki. Ran Mouri's reason for getting Shinichi Kudo to do the penalty game in the first place was a roundabout method of getting him to go on a date to a restaurant with her. Ran Mouri is relieved when she discovers that Shinichi Kudo hasn't had his first kiss yet. While leaving the fourth white room, Ran Mouri wants to keep the dress. Shinichi Kudo asks if it wouldn't just be better to get a new one, confusing Ran Mouri and causing Kogoro Mouri to tell Ran Mouri she's not a bride yet.
5	File. 5 - The Amnesiac Actress's Magnificent Murder Trick - The Perfect Crime at the Summer Villa	August 4, 2011	-
Shinichi Kudo, Ran Mouri, and Sonoko Suzuki are at movie director Akihiro Nagata's villa where Shinichi Kudo is practicing for a possible role in one of Nagata's films. Nagata's wife and famous actress Chisato becomes jealous and enraged when she catches Nagata "demonstrating" a kiss on rising actress Saori Kisaragi and even threatens her with a knife. Nagata calms Chisato down as villa manager Kana Ishihara prepares tea for the group. Suddenly, Nagata collapses from poison in his tea and Chisato suffers a shock so great that she loses her memory! It's up to Shinichi Kudo to reveal the truth, find Nagata's murderer, and prove whether or not Chisato has truly lost her memory. Ran Mouri is clearly jealous of Saori when she discovers Shinichi Kudo is supposed to do a kissing scene with her. Nagata, catching on to Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri's actions around each other, suggests that Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri should do the love scene instead, embarrassing both of them.
6	File. 6 - The Twenty Ladies' Magnificent Killing Kiss! The Killing Intent Hidden in the Murder Equation!	August 11, 2011	-
Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri in disguise, accompanied by Inspector Takagi, spy on Kogoro Mouri flirting with the hostesses at the Cristiano cabaret club. Kogoro Mouri and variety show educator Masato Mine are invited to participate in one of the club's games in which the men receive kisses on the cheek from 19 of the hostesses while a decanter of wine is filled and the grand prize is a kiss from lead hostess Kumi Amagi. Mine wins the game, so Kumi drinks his decanter of wine and prepares to kiss him, only to collapse to the floor dead instead. How did the murderer ensure Kumi would end up with the poison? Was the game truly luck, or can Shinichi Kudo reveal the secret behind winning the game and catch the murderer? When Kazuyo asks Ran Mouri if she loves Shinichi Kudo, Ran Mouri gets very embarrassed and claims Shinichi Kudo is just a mystery geek. After the murderer's motive is revealed, Ran Mouri asks Shinichi Kudo if he would ever kill somebody for the sake of someone he loved. Shinichi Kudo replies that no matter what a murder is still a murder. However, when Shinichi Kudo gives Ran the antidote in present day he adds on that although he wouldn't kill somebody for Ran Mouri, he would never let the one he loves die.
7	File. 7 - The Blood Smeared Kin's Inheritance Murder! Reveal the Mystery Behind the Kidnapping Trick!	August 18, 2011	-
After attending the funeral of a famous ramen chain owner, Sonoko Suzuki gets kidnapped along with Yuri Noguchi! Miki, Yuri's sister, receives a phone call from the kidnapper demanding a large amount of money in diamonds. Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri manage to get to Sonoko Suzuki and Yuri safely, only to find Miki was murdered when she was separated from them! Who killed Miki and why?
8	File. 8 - A Girl's Willpower, Revenge on the Molester! The Surveillance Camera's Hidden Murder Trick	August 25, 2011	-
Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri are riding a bus in Beika when Ran Mouri is suddenly touched on her butt by molester Osamu Sawada. After chasing the molester, Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri come across a case at the Beika Residence apartments where Katsuyo Miyano's respirator ceased working and she lies between life and death. Is Makoto Yamashita responsible for the respirator trouble through neglect or is there more to this case, and what does Sawada's obsession with Yukari Miyano's black underwear have to do with anything? After capturing the molester on the bridge, Shinichi Kudo comments that he's the only one allowed to touch Ran Mouri. Ran Mouri however isn't amused and threatens Shinichi Kudo with a kick.
9	File. 9 - Heiji Hattori and the Locked Room Unseen Weapon Murder Mystery! The East-West Detective Reasoning Battle	September 1, 2011	-
Osakan high school detective Heiji Hattori and his best friend Kazuha Toyama are on their way to visit Teitan High School when they witness a thief steal a purse. Heiji Hattori chases after the thief only to run past Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri on their way back from school. They capture the thief only to suddenly hear a woman scream in a nearby house. When owner Yoshino Fujimaru gets home and lets them in, the three are surprised to find Hideko Nakajima dead on a couch with a shard of glass protruding from her neck. First appearance of Heiji Hattori and Kazuha Toyama. Shinichi Kudo and Kazuha Toyama both notice Ran Mouri seeming to watch Heiji Hattori very closely. Shinichi Kudo comments on it making Ran Mouri ask if he's jealous. Shinichi Kudo quickly claims he's not, but then Kazuha Toyama asks to talk to Ran Mouri privately. A jealous Kazuha Toyama confronts Ran Mouri forcing Ran Mouri to explain herself. Ran Mouri was watching Heiji Hattori because he reminded her so much of the guy she thinks about. Kazuha explains the story to Ran Mouri about how she and Heiji Hattori were accidentally handcuffed to one another when they were little and shows Ran Mouri the piece of the chain she keeps as a lucky charm. Ran Mouri asks if she and Heiji Hattori are dating but Kazuha Toyama, embarrassed, remarks that she thinks of herself as more of an older sister to Heiji Hattori. Kazuha Toyama in turn asks if Ran is dating the "mystery-loving-nut" she was commenting on earlier and as Ran Mouri explains she isn't quite sure what their relationship is, Shinichi Kudo overhears the girls' conversation.
10	File. 10 - Mystery of the Corpse That Teleported 200 Kilometers! Reveal the Wicked Woman's Perfect Crime Plan	September 8, 2011	-
Ran video-chats with Yukino Mizutani, Kogoro Mouri's client who apparently is under domestic abuse and being stalked by her lover, Kensuke Kubo. In the middle of the conversation, Yukino seems to be attacked by Kubo and screams for help. Ran Mouri calls Shinichi Kudo to Beika Mansion where Yukino lives; rushing there, she bumps into Kubo and later deduces that he is the culprit. However, Yukino is nowhere to be found – her corpse is discovered six hours later at a weekly mansion in Saitama, which is 200 km far from Beika Mansion; therefore, it's impossible for Kubo to be the culprit..
11	File. 11 - A Kiss is the Reason for Killing, a 20-year-old Revenge Murder! The Mystery of the Perfect Alibi	September 15, 2011	-
Shinichi Kudo invites Ran Mouri to have dinner in the restaurant on the 38th floor of the Beika Center Building for a reason. Meanwhile, a murder occurs: the victim is Taiji Tatsumi, the president of the Games company. Shinichi Kudo suspects the director of Games, Satoru Oba, but he has been with the president's daughter, Sakurako Tatsumi, all the time. Can Shinichi Kudo solve the case and go back to confess his intention to the waiting Ran Mouri on time? Shinichi Kudo attempts to confess his feelings for Ran Mouri in the same location his father, Yusaku Kudo, proposed to his mother. Unfortunately the lights in the restaurant go out just before he manages to say anything, so he doesn't end up confessing.
12	File. 12 - I'm the Killer! Three Independent Murderers? Reveal the Mystery of the Disguised Murder!	September 22, 2011	-
Machiko Sonoda, Ran Mouri's computer school teacher and Kogoro Mouri's drinking buddy, is found lying still – presumably dead – behind the closed shutter of Beika City Bank's safe-deposit box floor. There is a warning – the moment the shutter is open or the police make a move, the bank will be exploded. When asked for the murder culprit, all three suspects – Yuzo Nimura, Yoko Sakai and Ryosuke Hasegawa – raise their hands. Can Shinichi Kudo find the true culprit and prevent the 'explosion'?
13	File. 13 - Ran Dies! Expose the Mystery of the Final White Room Challenge from the True Culprit to the Genius Detective	September 29, 2011	-
Right after Ran Mouri admits being the criminal behind everything, she and Shinichi Kudo are separated and put to sleep. Hearing Wataru Takagi's voice, Shinichi Kudo wakes up, finding himself at Beika Marina and Ran Mouri lying still nearby. However, Ran Mouri is declared dead by a Medical Examiner named Hajime Hirata, and will be dissected to find out the cause of death; Shinichi Kudo can't do anything, being taken to the police station as an important witness. He and Kogoro Mouri later deduce Ran Mouri is only in an "apparent death" condition and may be revived. Will Shinichi Kudo be able to locate the true culprit of the white room? More important, can he save Ran Mouri? Shocked and desperate to hear that Ran Mouri is dead and going to be dissected, Shinichi Kudo does all it takes to rush to Ran Mouri and has to be stopped by both Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi. Much later, after having suspended the criminal, Shinichi Kudo finds Ran Mouri in the morgue and try to wake her up – to no avail. Overwhelmed by agony, Shinichi Kudo cries, stating that he hasn't been in time to save her. When Ran Mouri comes to finally, both of them apologize to each other, and Shinichi Kudo says he is glad that Ran Mouri is safe. While piggy-backing Ran Mouri to the hospital, Shinichi Kudo offers to take Ran to an amusement park after she recovers and wins the city Karate Tournament. Several months later, Shinichi Kudo takes Ran Mouri to Tropical Land and gives her another phone strap as a present.

Specials

Special	Title	Original airdate	English airdate	Plot
1	A Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo ~Prologue Until Goodbye~	October 2, 2006	-
The story takes place when Shinichi was still a high school student. A letter of challenge is sent to Shinichi, a high school detective who continues to successfully solve difficult cases! "I'm going to do a kidnapping during the Teitan High School field trip." The match with the life at stake between Shinichi & the culprit who bravely gave a warning before committing his crime begins!
2	Shinichi Kudo Returns! Confrontation with the Black Organization	December 17, 2007	-
Conan, Ran, Kogoro, Sonoko, Ai, & Agasa attends a party for the "Miss Japanesque" awards, where the strongest candidate to win gets a threatening letter!! Conan & Ai who came to the judging location temporarily transforms back to their original bodies after eating a cake!! While there, a murder takes place, & Shinichi must solve the case. Then, the Black Organization that was targeting the two jumped into action!! This life-threatening drama with the hotel as the stage has begun.
3	A Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo ~The Mystery of the Legendary Bird~	April 15, 2011	-
What is the legend of a mysterious bird that has been passed down from generation to generation in a remote village? Shinichi, Ran, Sonoko, Eri, & Kogoro are invited to a village by a leading fast food restaurant company owner. However, an impossible kill was successively happening before them!! Were the victims really sacrifices for the mysterious bird god!? Then, what is the meaning of the mirror shards left at each scene?
4	Shinichi Kudo and the Kyoto Shinsengumi Murder Case	April 12, 2012	-
Shinichi & Ran are invited to the set of a jidaigeki in Kyoto. On their airplane ride to Kyoto, a murder mystery arises. As well, when they finally reach the set in Kyoto, they become involved in another murder mystery, where the high school detectives of the East & West Shinichi & Heiji Hattori compete to solve a murder at the Kyoto film studio. Will Shinichi be able to solve the mystery?

Music

Theme songs

#	Episodes	Song name	Artist	Release date	Oricon chart peak
1	Special 3	To You...	Dream	April 13, 2011	-
2	TV series	Kimi to Zutto...	yu-yu	August 24, 2011	-
3	Special 4	Sakura Uta	yu-yu	April 4, 2012	-

Gallery

Correlation chart for Special 2

Correlation chart for Special 3

See also

• Official Japanese site