Conan Edogawa and Ai Haibara

Conan and Haibara have an interesting relationship. Initially, Conan scorned Haibara for being part of the Black Organization and the inventor of murderous APTX 4869, but he has since warmed up to her as a valuable teammate and someone to confide his true thoughts with when they conflict with his child cover. On her part, Haibara expresses a lot of interest in Conan's personality, intelligence, and sense of justice. This has led to the theory that Haibara is in love with Conan.

Relationship analysis

Conan rescues Haibara from the explosion.

It is shown in several manga chapters and anime episodes that Haibara gives hints about liking Conan. However, whenever Conan asks her about it, she always claims to be joking. Fans think she is trying to hide her pain on the fact that he likes Ran. Conan watches out for Haibara's safety and tries to protect and save Haibara if anything happens to her. He also worried about her mentally when the Organization is involved.

Moments

(Episode 129) The Girl from the Black Organization and the University Professor Murder Case - Volume 18 File 6 ~ Volume 19 File 1

• Upon Ai's arrival at Teitan Elementary School, Genta eagerly offers the seat next to him for her to sit in. But as Ai walks towards the desks, she brushes right past Genta and takes the empty seat next to Conan, and in monotone says to him: "Nice to meet you." Shocking Conan, the only thing he can manage to say is: "Yeah..."

• After class is over, the Detective Boys try to catch up with Ai in the hallway, wanting to ask her to walk home with them. Ai ignores all of Ayumi's attempts to talk to her until she inquires about her address, to which she replies: "22 Beika Block, Second Street." Conan regards the address as familiar and remarks to himself that her house can't be too far away from where his is. Ai then looks over her shoulder and smirks at him, again shocking Conan and causing a small blush to appear right above his nose. Genta notices and asks him if he "likes that stuck-up woman". Which Conan quickly denies.

• When Ayumi and Mitsuhiko are telling Ai about the Detective Boys, she asks, "Edogawa-kun is in it too?". Shortly after, the Detective Boys come across a case, where a fellow classmate's older brother has been missing and wants to find him.

• After solving said case, and Ai fires a gun through a window, causing her to get a scolding from Megure-keibu, and starts fake-crying (impressively well) to get out of it. Conan walks Ai back home to her house, while she is still crying. When Conan drops her off nearby her home, Ai immediatley stops crying and then starts talking about a drug called "APTX 4869". Conan is confused, as Ai continues to ramble about the drug, how he took it, and how she did too. It is apparent that Ai isn't just your average little girl. It is not until Ai tells Conan that she's occupied the Professor's house and that he's "not in this world anymore", that Conan begins to freak out. He tries to call the Professor but does not get an answer, while Ai smirks evily in the background (she's got the upperhand, at the moment). Conan then leaves Ai behind and sprints to the Professor's house, hoping to find him safe.

• Later on, Conan, Ai and the Professor come across another case. One involving the locked-room-murder of a University Professor. After Conan solves the case, the Professor and Conan decide to head back home. When Conan gestures for Ai to come along, we see a tear roll down her face as she asks why he didn't help her sister. To answer a confused Conan's face, Ai explains (still in tears) that Hirota Misami was a fake name her sister took from the now-deceased University Professor, and Conan realizes that the same girl (from the previous episode) who died during the one-billion-yen robbery case. Ai continues to shout at a stunned Conan, with all his deducing skills, he should've been able to see right through her sister's case. Ai breaks down and falls on her knees in front of Conan and clutches his shirt and continues to cry into it. The unfeeling boy, unlike a normal sympathetic human being, denies the very-teary Ai Haibara clutching onto him like she was his only life line (in a way, he was) the hug she very well deserved. But Conan silently thinks to himself: "This is probably the first true face she's ever showed me."

(Episode 130-131) The Stadium Indiscriminate Threatening Case - Volume 19 File 9 ~ Volume 20 File 1

Near the end of the second part of this case, Ai stares off into the distance after Conan made a joke about her being 84 years old. She tells him "I'm only eighteen, about a year older than you. Maybe someday..." before she stares off into the distance again. In the manga version she says "I'm 18, just perfect for you" but quickly said "I'm kidding".

(Episode 136-137) The Old Blue Castle Investigation Case - Volume 20 File 10 ~ Volume 21 File 3

Conan Edogawa gets lost in a castle where the Detective Boys are staying at and when every one tries to look for him it starts raining. Ai tells Ayumi to stop crying and that "Edogawa-kun isn't the type to make you worry. He'll come back himself." then comments on Ayumi's bag and about not letting her tears enter it. Ayumi replies, "Hey how do you know Conan-kun so well..." Ai replies, "Come on. Why do you ask?" "Is it because you like him, right?" Ai, surprised but recovers, asks, "What if I do?" Ayumi replies, "Then...I'm in trouble..." implying that there will be a love triangle if she does. Ai sees Ayumi is worried and does not want to mess with her anymore and plainly states she does not have those kinds of feelings for him.

(Episode 138-139) The Final Screening Murder Case - Volume 23 File 1 ~ File 3

At the start of the second Gomera movie, Ayumi falls asleep and puts her head on Conan's shoulder. When Conan turns to Ai saying he needs to use the restroom and asks her if she would switch seats, she puts her head on Conan's shoulder too, having fallen asleep as well.

(Episode 156) Metropolitan Police Detective Love Story 2 - Volume 23 File 10 ~ Volume 24 File 2

• The episodes opens with Ai and Conan in what looks to be an abandonned and empty room. Ai tells him that she (possibly referring to Ran) has found out about his identity, when he asks her why she's telling him all this, she tells him that she can see into the hearts of the wicked, but he couldn't understand a woman's heart, then tells him she's been in love with him since she met him. We see Conan's face, but it doesn't appear to be at all surprised, and Ai continues with: "I guess you didn't even notice.. . Kamen Yaiba-san." After Mitsuhiko yells out "CUT!", it is revealed that both Conan and Ai were merely acting, and practicing lines for Teitan Elementary School's play, with Mitsuhiko as the director.

(Episode 176-178) Reunion with the Black Organization - Volume 24 File 7 ~ File 11

Conan puts his glasses on Haibara.

• Conan and Ai go to the Haido City Hotel to catch Pisco, a Black Organization member, before he kills someone using the drug that shrunk them, as ordered by Gin. During the entire episode, Haibara is seriously frightened of Gin because the night before she dreamed that he discovered her true identity and killed everyone she had contact with. She made a point to also confide to Conan that she dreamed that he was shot first, which symbolizes a great fear over any harm done to him.

• Also, while they are in Professor Agasa's car following Gin and Vodka to the Haido City Hotel. She seems to be pleased by Conan's decision to stop Pisco from murdering someone (rather than just concentrating on Gin, Vodka and the drug.) and says, "Oh, what a strong sense of justice you have." with a proud smile. Because of his decision to do the right thing, she follows him into harms way knowing that she could be murdered immediately (because Gin can recognize her using only a strand of her hair) and enters Haido City Hotel against her premonitions.

• After Haibara says, "Maybe if I had been killed by the Organization back there. There would be less hassle for everyone," Conan cuts her off by giving up his glasses (the only thing preventing people from recognizing him) and putting them on her to make her feel safer. After they have a conversation about his action's relevance to Superman/Clark Kent, Haibara turns away bashfully and thanks him and he looks at her for a while, a small smile growing on to his face, and he says, "You really are adorable."

• Haibara is shot multiple times by Gin on the roof of the Haido City Hotel and Conan, on the first floor, is running as fast as he can, screaming her name all the way there.

• After Haibara shrinks back to child size, Conan puts his jacket on her naked body and carries her from the fire before Pisco and Gin can discover them.

Haibara fires a gun of roses at Conan to encourage him to avoid telling Ran his secret identity.

(Episode 190) The Desperate Revival ~The Third Choice~ - Volume 26 File 2

While Conan was lying in a hospital bed after a blood transfusion, Ai snuck into his room and held a gun at him. She told him that the Organization would accept her back if she killed him and everyone else related to him. She then pulled the trigger, but it turned out that it was a fake gun that shot red roses from the barrel. Symbolically, red roses represent love or passion, suggesting that Ai might have romantic feelings towards Conan.

(Episode 231) The Mysterious Passenger - Volume 29 File 3 ~ File 5

Ai was petrified because she felt a familiar and scary presence from Black Organization around. (She was right because Vermouth was disguised as Dr. Araide at that time) When Jodie asked Conan for her name, she grabbed onto his hand desperately and he understood her fear, simply saying she was a random girl he happened to sit next to.

For example, during The Mysterious Passenger episodes, Haibara chose to stay on the bus (which contained a bomb) in an attempt to suicide so she wouldn't have to worry about her future or the Black Organization anymore. Conan rushed back into the bus at risk of his own life and saved her, telling her to not run away from her destiny. Conan was injured in the process and used his blood to give the police a reason to send Haibara to the hospital, possibly as a way to keep an eye on her. It is also noted that Conan may have thought a Black Organization member was onboard the bus, so he tried to send her away.

(Episode 233-234) The Evidence That Didn't Disappear - Volume 29 File 6 ~ File 8

Ai was in a miserable mood throughout the 2 episodes. However, Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko cheered her up and Ai was happy again. As she was smiling, Conan makes a comment saying that she should continue to smile like that because that makes her look like a child. She blushes from the comment until Conan says the wrong joke that she was 90 years old (she corrected him that she is 84 yrs old with scorn)

(Episode 269-270) The Forgotten Memento from the Crime - Volume 33 File 7 ~ File 9

Haibara seemed to pity herself for not being able to confess her love to Conan.

(Episode 279-280) Hooligan's Labyrinth - Volume 34 File 5 ~ File 7

At the end of the episode, Haibara asked Conan, "You'll protect me, right".

(Episode 295) The Smash of Determination and Love

After the case, Conan and Ai has to run laps for missing the semi-finals. When Conan has three laps to go, Haibara catches up to him and says, "I'll run with you." However, right after that, Ayumi and the rest comes up to them and runs the laps with them

(Episodes 335-336) Secret of the Tohto Film Development Studio - Volume 41 File 4 ~ File 6

• In Episode 335, Conan's mother, Yukiko, tells him that he seems to be popular with girls. Conan automatically assumes his mother is implying Ayumi likes him, and he was already aware of such, but Yukiko replies saying that not only Ayumi but Haibara too, saying: "She's looked your way about 10 times already," and continues: "There's only two reasons for a girl to look at a boy like that: he has something on his face or she likes him." Conan is shocked and insists she'd probably only been looking at him to see how the "test subject" for APTX 4869 was doing. Despite this, Conan later tests Haibara, otherwise.

• Before Yukiko left the Detective Boys, Conan and Haibara she's quick to remind Conan to: "never leave her side," before she drives off. To which Conan irritably replies: "I know, I know."

• 

  Conan and Haibara are sleeping side-by-side.
  Later that night, the Detective Boys, Conan and Haibara share a bed for sleeping. Conan and Haibara are sleeping side-by-side. When he is unable to go to sleep because of Genta and Mitsuhiko's loud, audible questions, Haibara calmly reminds him: "it can't be helped; they're just kids, not like us." Conan then takes this opportunity to ask her a question, as the scene grows quiet. Conan solemnly closes his eyes as the fringe on his hair shifts downward his forehead he asks if he can ask her something. She does not reply verbally but turns her head around, as she had her back to him before, to listen. Conan then asks: "Is there something on my face?" with something of an "Oi-Oi" face. Haibara responds with a similar look, but appears to be confused.

(Episode 509) Red, White, Yellow, and the Detective Boys - Volume 60 File 3 ~ File 5

In a scene, Haibara wants to know who Conan was talking to on his phone (she thinks it was the FBI). Conan says back, "It's not like a case (jiken) happened or something..." Ayumi eavesdrops and says surprisingly, "It's an affair (jiken)! An affair between Conan-kun and Ai-chan!?" Since jiken could also mean affair. They stared at Ayumi with bewildered and surprised faces.

(Movie 4) Captured in Her Eyes

Haibara admitted that she wanted to forget about everything and always be with Conan "forever, just like this", which shocked him. However, she immediately said she was joking to make Conan feel better.

(Movie 11) Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure

During the case Ai found a footprint around the back of the shop. Conan then asks her to take a picture of it for him. She replies "Since when did I become your assistant?" he then said "Not assistant, Partner."

(OVA 9) The Stranger from Ten Years Later

Conan drags Ai out of the class.

After Conan swallowed the antidote of APTX 4869, he ran over to Teitan High School, and found that everyone had grown ten years older. When he saw Haibara, he grabbed her hand, dragged her outside and pinned her down on a tree for questions.

See also

• Conan Edogawa
• Ai Haibara
• Shinichi Kudo

Trivia

• Conan is always there to support Haibara when she mentions about her sister and how Haibara misses her. He always tells her that she is never alone because she has friends who surround her all the time.

• Ai Haibara always have to remind Conan that he can't act like Shinichi in front of others or it would raise suspicion (usually during a murder case).

• Though Haibara makes occasional remarks that she likes Conan, it is uncertain if she does truly like Conan. Some fans say she does, but doesn't want to reveal her feelings since Conan (Shinichi) likes Ran.