Suguru Itakura
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| Suguru Itakura | |
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| Japanese name: | 板倉 卓 (Itakura Suguru) |
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| Age: | 45 (deceased) |
| Gender: | Male |
| First appearance: | Manga: Chapter 377 Anime: Episode 307 |
| Appearances: | Chapters: 6 Episodes: 5 Openings: 1 |
| Japanese voice: | Ryuzaburo Ohtomo |
Suguru Itakura (板倉 卓 Itakura Suguru) is a character in the manga and anime franchise Detective Conan.
Contents
Background
Suguru Itakura was a very famous CG graphic designer and games system engineer when he was still alive. Twenty years ago, when Itakura was still an unknown game creator, he (together with Ryusuke Soma - an employee from a game company) had once dreamed to create the best shogi program, however, this project had been postponed for many years and was never completed.[1]
Later at some point in time, Suguru Itakura became very well-known with his work as a CG designer, especially to actresses like Yukiko Kudo and Sharon Vineyard. His studio often appears on movie credits for special visual effect.[2] However, due to the fact that his vision has begun to turn worse, he quit being a CG graphic designer three years prior to the current timeline, and has only focused on system developing since then.[2] Even as a game programmer, he was still very famous and was usually hired to cooperate with different game companies.
Itakura had serious heart disease and was required to take medicine thrice a day.[3] This is also the direct cause of his death.
Personality
Suguru Itakura was described as an extremely neat person, even to the point that when a pen on his desk was moved only for 10cm, he could become furious.[4] He was able to discover that there had been someone sneaked into his office just by noticing that his pen had been moved for 5cm.[5] He also hates having people around his workplace.[4]
Suguru Itakura was also interested in watches.
Appellations
Plot overview
Conflict with Sharon Vineyard
Yukiko Kudo stated that she heard a rumor from her actor friends, that at some point prior to three years ago when Suguru Itakura was still a CG graphic designer for films, he and the actress Sharon Vineyard had had a serious fight during a film set, and their relationship had been very tense ever since then.[11] However, the exact cause of this conflict was never revealed.
Request from the Black Organization
Two years prior to the current timeline, a giant man in black arrived at Suguru Itakura's office and asked him about an unknown system program that he had been working on in the past, however, Itakura had cancelled that program because his vision was getting worse. Some days later, he figured out that his working office and his home had been broken in by somebody, but nothing was stolen or damaged. Depressed and worrying about his own safety, Itakura had no choice but to agree with the Black Organization's request in order to avoid further intimidation. He followed the phone number left for him on a piece of paper and made a call. A mysterious woman (who is later revealed to be Vermouth[11]) answered the phone and demanded him to finish the project that he had given up on, with the deadline being one year from the time of the call. She also stated that she would pay a high price for it. Because of this, he came to the conclusion that this woman and the giant man were working together.
For some unknown reasons, Suguru Itakura stated in his diary that he didn't want to finish this program, not for the sake of his vision, but for the sake of humanity.[12] He then decided to the leave the disk with the incomplete program and the check at his cottage in the Gunma district, then took on as many game projects as possible to get enough money to escape to another country. However, he was murdered by an old acquaintance before he can do so. It hinted that the Black Organization intended to kill Itakura, once the program was finished and delivered.
Mysterious program
Not much is known about the program that Suguru Itakura was creating under the order of the Black Organization, except that it was something Itakura stated he wouldn't want to complete for the sake of humanity.[12] The incomplete program itself was stored inside a CD and left at Itakura's cottage, but was later acquired by Conan. However, the content of the CD and the reason why the organization ordered it was never discovered, as the program had been protected with password that only Itakura himself and the Black Organization know how to unlock. It was also programmed to block copying.[13]
Speculation
It is speculated that the program Itakura created had the purpose of raising the dead or a similar purpose, basing on a conversation with Vermouth he wrote about on his diary, where she says: “We can be both of God and The Devil, since we’re trying to raise the dead against the stream of time...”
Itakura's diary
Suguru Itakura wrote his entries and stored them inside a floppy disk labelled "Diary" (日記 Nikki). Fearing that the disk would be brought back to the Police Headquarter for further examination, Conan (after having tranquilized Kogoro) tricked Megure and Takagi into copying the content of the disk and paste it into another empty floppy disk. He later read it using the copied version instead of the original one.[14]
Itakura's diary contains entries from the last 5 years.[15] Only some entries from 2 years ago (since Tequila first appeared at Itakura's office) to the present timeline were revealed to the readers.
Two years ago
March 7
A giant speaking Kansai-ben visited today without an appointment. He seemed very interested in the system program I was working on. When I told him I had stopped working on it since my vision was declining, he left. That man dressed all in black... I hope I never see him again.
March 20
The pen on my desk has been moved 5cm again... I’m almost positive someone has been sneaking into my office.
April 15
Now someone has broken into my house. The police won’t take me seriously... Likely because nothing was stolen or damaged.
June 11
I changed the lock and set up a security camera. It was no use...
July 6
Who are you? Show yourself!
December 19
A friend of mine gave me a call from my cottage for the first time in five years. It looked like he was with a woman. What a carefree life he’s having...[17]
I’m tired. At this rate, I will be killed in the near future...
Last year
January 6
To escape this fear, I left a message to the intruder in the desk drawer, saying: “I agreed to your demands.”
January 8
Much to my surprise, I’ve already gotten a reply. The intruder left a message on a piece of paper just like I did before. It only said: “OK.” in red and has a phone number written on it. This “red” is probably blood... I wonder if they’re trying to tell me that... I’ll lose my life if I let it out?
January 23
I finally decided on the matter. I decided to call the number without reporting it to the police. The one who answered was a woman. A woman who spoke as if she was a queen. Her only demand for me was to finish the computer program I had abandoned, and gave me one year to do it. She would pay a lot. This woman must be working with that giant from not too long ago.
February 13
They changed our method of communication to e-mails. I decided to agree to their demands under two conditions: They must pay me through a bank transfer in advance, and they don’t stalk me around.
December 22
I can’t. I refuse to finish it. I know this program mustn’t be completed, not because of my vision, but for the sake of humanity.
The present year
February 9
The due time is coming soon. I’ve decided to flee abroad. I’ll leave the incomplete software and their check near the computer at my cottage. They’ll send me an email at midnight 5 days from today to specify the time and location for handing over the program. I must get out of the country.
February 10
Today the hotel employee told me about a strange incident. Those three might have figured out that I'm staying here. Well, I can always switch hotel...[18]
I wonder... What are they planning to do with the program? I can’t stop thinking about the strange thing that the woman said over the phone. Yes... When I lost my temper for her extreme highhandedness and asked her who the hell did she think she was, she answered the following in English, laughing: “We can be both of God and The Devil, since we’re trying to raise the dead against the stream of time...” Cat’s cry in the background got louder when the woman said that. She hung up shortly after...[19]
See also
References
- ^ Volume 37, File 379
- ^ a b Volume 37, File 377
- ^ Volume 37, File 378, Page 4
- ^ a b Volume 37, File 378, Page 5
- ^ Volume 37, File 380, Page 9
- ^ a b c d e f Episode 309
- ^ a b c d Episode 308
- ^ a b Episode 307
- ^ File 378
- ^ a b Episode 310
- ^ a b Volume 78, File 823, Page 9
- ^ a b Volume 37, File 380, Page 10
- ^ Volume 37, File 381, Page 10
- ^ Volume 37, File 379
- ^ Volume 37, File 378, Page 12
- ^ Episode 307; Volume 37, File 377
- ^ This part hinted that the key to Itakara's cottage was hidden nearby because his friend could easily get inside the house.
- ^ This part was revealed much earlier in the murder case. In the entry of February 9, Itakura stated that the Black Organization would email him at "5 days from today at midnight" (about 12AM or 00:00 of February 14). This would put the day Itakura's body was found (and the day Conan retrieved the diary) at February 13, as Conan mentioned in File 380, Page 11 that the entry of February 9 had been written 4 days before. In the same page, Agasa also pointed out that February 10 was the last entry, which means no further content exists beyond this point.
- ^ This last line wasn't revealed until Volume 39, File 398
