Renya Karasuma
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| Renya Karasuma | |
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| Japanese name: | 烏丸 蓮耶 (Karasuma Ren'ya) |
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| Age: | over 140 (thought to be dead) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Date of birth: | unknown |
| Relatives: | Mrs. Karasuma (mother, deceased) |
| Occupation: | Aristocrat (formerly) Black Organization boss |
| First appearance: | Manga: File 300 Anime: Episode 219 |
| Appearances: | Chapters: 5 Chapters: 1 Episodes: 7 Movies: 1 Openings: 2 |
Renya Karasuma (烏丸 蓮耶 Karasuma Ren'ya) is the mysterious boss behind the Black Organization, who is respectfully called as Ano kata (あの方 lit. "That Person") by his subordinates, and the primary antagonist in the entire manga and anime franchise Detective Conan.
Contents
Background
Renya Karasuma was a wealthy and influential multi-millionaire who is the most powerful person in Japan, with a lot of famous, powerful and political people contacts. He is the very best richer than Suzuki plutocrats and Ooka family.[1] He is said to have died over 100 years old between forty and twenty years prior to the current timeline, during the Showa period, under mysterious circumstances. During his lifetime, he had collected over three hundred pieces of antique priceless art. When his mother had died, he inherited the Sunset Manor from her and over time filled his vacation home with his silver crest which depicts a rolled-up crow. Below are several examples about that logo:
Forty years ago, he had found a clue leading to a vast fortune left by his mother and supposedly hidden in that beautiful western-style manor house, but he was unable to solve it himself. Consumed by his own greed for the treasure, he came to hire people to solve the riddle for him, such as the archaeologist Kyosuke Senma, and then began killing them as motivation for the others to work faster. The Karasuma family had died out, and the house had fallen into other hands. Hardly anything has been touched since the incident and those murders were the cause behind the numerous old bloodstains all over in the house.
He founded the shady Karasuma Group, a big company in Shinjuku that pay well as a sponsor but there are a lot of bad rumors going around about them, so directs illegal activities and plans crimes to protect and advance interests of those Conan calls "the Black Organization" as well. While mysteriously operating behind the scenes, he communicates with his subordinates only through text messages. His phone number, encoded as the famous children song Nanatsu no Ko, is #969#6261. He is responsible for promoting agents deem worthy and deciding on their alcoholic code names, but he doesn't have one own.
Personality
Though not much is known about his personality, Renya Karasuma is described by the famous detective Furuyo Senma, who hasn't never met him[1], as a greedy, cruel and impatient man. He appears to be materialistic as he was driven by his own greed while searching for the hidden treasure inside the Sunset Manor. Furthermore, he seems not to value the cost of human life as he brutally killed numerous people that he invited just as motivation to find the treasure faster, a decision made by himself who was driven by his own insanity.
Intelligent and manipulator, he is fairly ruthless, willing to dispatch senior agents who have been loyal to him for many years for a single mistake. Vermouth says that he is always careful to the extreme, the type to ruin the plan by overthinking it. The FBI believed he was hoping to nip a potential obstacle in the bud because Yasuteru Domon, who is a politician hard on crime and not part of the Diet yet, may have a chance of becoming the next Prime Minister. He thought Shuichi Akai could become a Silver Bullet, someone who is especially dangerous to the entire Black Organization. Unless he bring Conan back alive, Irish should think his true identity is something the boss would find hard to believe.
Appearance
Renya Karasuma is a crow-like man who only appeared as an ominous silhouette: the hair extended to the neck, a large nose shaped like a beak, and a somewhat obese body shape. He dressed in black with a white scarf, held a walking stick with a ball handle on his right hand with long nails like a bird's leg, and on his left shoulder there is a pet crow, the creepy bird which is also depicted on his crest. He is right-handed.
Plot overview
Kaitou Kid and the Murder (Manga: 299-302, Anime: 219)
The six world greatest detectives were invited to an old mansion covered in blood in the isolated Shizuoka Prefecture mountains, 2 km from Okuno Dam. The host told that this huge mansion belonged to Renya Karasuma and that there is a treasure hidden inside. That name seems to trigger the guests attention.
Conan solved the riddle: using the hands of the only clock in the dining room, which is the switch, as the combination for a lock, a layer peels off the entire outer walls of the building, revealing solid gold underneath. Only Karasuma could do something on such a scale, and it must be worth a hundred billion yen.
Kaitou Kid had come for Karasuma's treasure, but it was too big for him to carry away. Shukuzen Ogami, who wanted to kill all the others once the treasure was found, and Furuyo Senma, who killed him and almost created another same tragedy to decipher that riddle her father left for her, were all along possessed by Renya Karasuma.
Stradivarius Murder Case (Manga: 470, Anime: 385)
Conan visualized the boss as a big criminal silhouette behind Gin, Vodka, and Vermouth, with evil aura in the anime version to distinguish him from minor criminals.
Suspicious Cellphone Case (Manga: 479, Anime: 398)
Conan visualized the boss as a criminal silhouette behind Gin, Vodka, and naked Vermouth in the anime version. It'd be a bad idea to send a message to that address, but Conan is calm down sure he'll get his chance one day and he'll contact the boss.
Missing Maria Higashio Case (Manga: 1008, Anime: TBD)
Yusaku Kudo and Subaru Okiya have come to the conclusion that "ASACA" and "RUM", the dying message left at the scene of Kohji Haneda's murder, is actually one single name: "CARASUMA". When Yusaku reveals it to his son, Conan visualized Renya Karasuma as a silhouette before Gin, Vodka, naked Vermouth, Chianti, and Korn, as also his crest and the pet crow on his left shoulder.
TV Drama Filming Site Murder Case (Manga: 1025, Anime: TBD)
When she reminds that the thing his group made her parents create at the lab they went to, which was the drug that shrunk Shinichi's and her body, Haibara visualized Renya Karasuma as a silhouette behind her parents, as also the pet crow on his left shoulder.
Non-canon plot overview
The Black Organization...Revealed (Special Manga: 294, Anime: TBD)
When she reveals to Conan the Black Organization's plan to use Generic's memory erasure drug in order to have complete control of the world, Haibara visualized the boss as a criminal silhouette clutching a globe.
Appellations
Relationships analysis
Black Organization
Rum
Rum is the second-in-command in the organization, meaning that he must trust him/her the most.
Gin
He trusts Gin enough to make him an executive agent in the general oversight division, and for good reason: Gin is among the most loyal of the high-ranking Black Organization members. Gin follows his orders closely and virtually never acts against the organization's greater interests, and in return he entrusts Gin to direct critical missions and key assassinations. He often issues orders to Gin directly by text message for him to disseminate to the others, and the two are implied to contact each other fairly often about instructions and suspicions. Although Gin follows all orders from the boss, he acts on his own initiative on more than one occasion, as deciding to poison Shinichi Kudo with the recently approved APTX 4869 or to kill Vermouth if she does anything weird even if she is his favorite. For this reason the FBI thought Gin would be able to lead them to the boss if they captured him.
Vodka
Vodka fears consequence to act without his permission, but being only the general oversight division secretary, Gin takes full responsibility.
Vermouth
Vermouth is known as his favorite member by the other members although the reason for the favoritism is unknown, to the point of giving her limited independence and protecting her from other members who hates, mistrusts and wishes to kill her. Bourbon reveals that there is some sort of connection between Vermouth and the boss, implying that her relationship with the boss goes further than merely being his favorite member. Bourbon also notes that he has arranged for her secret to be revealed to the whole Black Organization in case something happens to him, and points out that the other members would be quite surprised if they knew the nature of the relationship. However, even then, he still willingly sends her into deadly missions. He has also unintentionally allowed Vermouth to undermine the organization by protecting someone she thinks is especially dangerous: Silver Bullet. During an off-season Halloween party aboard a ship, discovered that Vermouth was up to something without the Black Organization's knowledge, he ordered Gin and Vodka to investigate. At the party, a man that Vermouth blackmailed to murder a director began screaming someone called Vermouth was to blame. Later, he sends a text message to Vermouth's cellphone informing her that her freedom was now being restricted and she was to return: "It looks like I have given you too much freedom. Come back to my side, Vermouth." Conan forced Vermouth to surrender and take him to find the boss, but failed.
Chianti
Chianti fears him and, being a direct order from him, she must also work with Vermouth. For avenge Calvados' death, she would've killed Vermouth a long time ago for real, if she wasn't his favorite, but swears she'll definitely kill her. She seems envious for what Kir has used to make him let her join their four years ago.
Kir
He promoted Kir because she had uncovered a spy and confronted him. The spy, Ethan Hondou, overpowered and tortured her for information, but Rena Mizunashi remained silent. Although completely crippled, Rena bit Ethan's wrist to force him to drop his gun, and then killed him. The bite marks and Ethan's recording device coincided with her story, so he promoted her to the codename Kir in recognition of her loyalty and sheer savageness. In truth, he was fooled. Ethan Hondou was Kir's father and they both are CIA spies infiltrating the Black Organization. Rena had made a mistake and was about to be uncovered as a spy. Ethan, who had prepared appropriately ahead of time in case this happened, told Rena to tell the organization she discovered he was a spy and tried to confront him. Ethan then committed suicide after maiming himself and his daughter to make it appear like the story Ethan had just explained. He orders Kir to assassinate the politician Yasuteru Domon while holding an interview. However, his assassinate plot was averted by the combined efforts of the FBI and Conan. The injured Kir was then captured by the FBI and was hospitalized in Haido Central Hospital for weeks. After the Black Organization easily retrieved Kir from the FBI, Gin became suspicious of how ineffective the FBI's plan was and that Shuichi Akai did not made a strong move. Gin thought that Shuichi is hiding something and relays his doubt to him, who also agrees. He and Gin plan a test of Kir's loyalty. Meanwhile, Andre Camel becomes a suspect in a coincidental murder case. The Black Organization hears about it, and taking advantage of the FBI's distraction, Gin calls out Kir and tells her his order. In order to regain his trust, she is to call Akai out to meet with her and kill him. Kir meets with Akai at Raiha Pass and apparently kills him. However, he was fooled again. Akai and Kir conspired to fake Akai's death.
Bourbon
He dispatches Bourbon to search for the escaped scientist Shiho Miyano. However, Bourbon received his permission to execute a second, secret mission: verified Shuichi Akai's death by disguising as Akai and approaching his FBI colleagues. In truth, with the indirect support of the NPA, Rei has been persevering to turn in Shuichi to the organization to earn higher ranks to approach more closely to him.
Shiho Miyano/Ai Haibara
He orders the execution of Shiho Miyano after she boycotted the development of APTX 4869 and rebelled against the Black Organization. Before she could be even executed, Shiho manages to escape and he ordered the Black Organization to hunt her down and murder her. Conan later uncovers his phone number, but Ai Haibara warns him of the danger of calling it, likening it to Pandora's Box. Of course she knows all this from the start: the email address and the person behind it.
Miyano family
Atsushi Miyano and his wife Elena were two biochemists in his organization. Twenty-five years ago, he wanted to buy the Shirohato Pharmaceutical where Atsushi worked, but it went badly and that company was suddenly shut down. During the time Atsushi and Elena were running their private clinic, they received invitations from him many times, but Atsushi had always refused his offer. However, as nineteen years ago they went to his group's lab after all, he sponsored their research to make APTX 4869.
Pisco
Pisco is a big auto manufacturer chairman who had served him for many years. Gin relayed his orders to Pisco, and that discussion revealed to Conan his existence: silence Shigehiko Nomiguchi, a politician who was going to be arrested for bribery, and use APTX 4869 if it was necessary. Pisco successfully assassinated the target, but he was accidentally caught on camera in the act of murder, showing him holding his gun in the newspaper. As Conan before, he notices it. Fearing that Pisco may expose the existence and goals of the Black Organization to the public, he direct ordered Gin to kill Pisco and burn to the ground his house, which the latter does even though Pisco knew where Sherry is.
Rikumichi Kusuda
For assurance, he sends Rikumichi Kusuda to Haido Central Hospital to act as a patient while searching for Kir, who is currently held captive by the FBI. Kusuda continues to write to his e-mail address every day, until he was cornered to death by Shuichi Akai.
Irish
He orders Irish to infiltrate into the police and retrieve a memory card with the personal information of all the Black Organization agents that have infiltrated various organizations, before the police catch the serial killer, who took it from their agent Masaaki Okakura he murdered before them without knowing what is on it, and find the card. When he discovers Conan's true identity, Irish plans to capture and bring the boy before him to discredit Gin, who killed Pisco, whom Irish respected like a father. Irish believes that he would definitely demote or have Gin killed for carelessly leaving Shinichi alive. However, because his cover was blown, Irish was killed by Chianti under Gin's orders before Conan can force him to reveal the boss' true identity.
Generic
He orders Generic to leave Sherry alone with her experiments and to make a new drug that controls memories. He planned to use this drug on all the most important people in the world, in particular to make the US president think who is one of the organization members, ergo having complete control of the world. However, Generic escapes the Black Organization using the same method as Sherry.
Others
Shinichi Kudo/Conan Edogawa
Shinichi Kudo, now Conan Edogawa, is the arch-enemy of his organization, all for the sake of returning to his original form. He is indirectly responsible for Shinichi's whole life-threatening situation. From now on, until this comes to a close, Shinichi is in a do-or-die situation.
Shuichi Akai
Capturing a high ranking member of the Black Organization who could lead the FBI to the boss was the goal of Shuichi Akai's spy mission. After three years of infiltration, he gave the undercover FBI agent the codename "Rye" and ordered him to work under Gin. The FBI's plan to capture Gin fell apart when Akai's true allegiance was uncovered due to a mistake made by Andre Camel. In the two years since the mission failure, he came to regard Akai could become the Black Organization's silver bullet, the threat whom he fears the most, and is more like Vermouth than Gin.
Different looks
File:BossBlackshadow7.jpg The boss as a criminal silhouette (episode 398). |
Speculation
The fact that his supposed 'death' should have occurred forty years ago could fit with Haibara's thought that Shinichi had gotten involved in a project that the organization had worked on for a half century, and that there could be some unbelievable people, that are not supposed to be a part of this world.
It is clear that he, to be still alive, must have been rejuvenated and hide inside another known person, just like Shinichi.
Name origin
"Karasuma" is literally "crow circle", as his crest or a Tengu, that is also "Crow billed Tengu" and, like that bird, represents Karasuma Avenue in Kyoto.[2]
"Renya" is a name also used for women, written with the characters for "lotus" and "father".
Character inspiration
Gosho Aoyama was inspired by the fictional character Professor James Moriarty, the main antagonist in the Sherlock Holmes' series, to create the Black Organization boss.[3] Just like Moriarty, the boss doesn't show his face and works as a shadow behind the scenes, only pulling the strings on the crimes from far away, sort of like Al Capone did.[4] He is depicted as a cold-blooded person who doesn't leave a single scrap of evidence, while working and remains anonymous to the public, and the silhouette similar to Moriarty's in the novels.
Trivia
- The anime version big painting in his manor dining room is a Visita de la reina de Saba a Salomón replica, but with an inverted orientation. There is a possible parallel with Solomon's story, because he was also the most rich and powerful man in all of Japan in his time, but eventually turned into a devil for his own selfish reasons.
- Due his obese and aristocratic appearance, as well as his bird-like face, he bears a resemblance with Penguin, the famous Batman villain, one of the US comics favorited by the author.
- His role as Shinichi/Conan's arch-enemy is just like the alien boss of the evil organization Jocker in the children's show Kamen Yaiba.
In other languages
| Language | Given Name | Family Name |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
蓮耶 Renya | 烏丸 Karasuma |
 Chinese |
莲耶 Renya | 乌丸 Karasuma |
 English |
Renya | Karasuma |
 French |
Renya | Karasuma |
 Galician |
Renya | Karasumaru[5] |
 German |
Renya | Karasuma |
 Italian |
Renya | Karasumaru[5] |
 Spanish |
Renya | Karasuma |
See also
References
| Rum arc topics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main interest | Renya Karasuma • Rum • Case from 17 years ago | |
| Potential suspects | Hyoue Kuroda • Rumi Wakasa • Kanenori Wakita | |
| Connections | Kohji Haneda • Amanda Hughes • Tsutomu Akai • Asaka | |
| Related Articles | APTX 4869 • APTX 4869 Victim list • Rum arc timeline | |
| Cases of interest | The Scarlet Return • Three First Discoverers • Just Like a 17 Years Old Crime Scene • Soul Detective Murder Case • The Stage of Betrayal • Mystery of the Burning Tent • Search for Maria-chan! • The 36-Cell Perfect Game • The Spark That Fell on the Ranch • Yusaku Kudo's Detective Show • The Black Organization's Scheme • Akemi Miyano's Time Capsule • Kaitou Kid and the Siren Splash • Chess Tournament Murder Case | |
