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Japanese manga series and its adaptations

Magic Kaito
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Kaito Kuroba
まじっく快斗
(Majikku Kaito)
GenreAction, mystery[1]
Manga
Written byGosho Aoyama
Published byShogakukan
ImprintShōnen Sunday Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Sunday
Original runJune 10, 1987 – present
Volumes5
Anime television series
Directed byToshiki Hirano
Produced by
  • Mitomu Asai
  • Masahito Yoshioka (1)
  • Shuichi Kitada (2–8)
  • Takeshi Mizogami (2–8)
  • Isato Yonekura (9–12)
  • Takeshi Mizogami (9–12)
Written by
  • Junichi Miyashita
  • Aya Yoshinaga
Music byAtsushi Umebori
StudioTMS Entertainment
Original networkNNS (ytv)
Original run April 17, 2010 – December 29, 2012
Episodes12
Anime television series
Magic Kaito 1412
Directed bySusumu Kudo
Produced by
  • Koji Nagai
  • Tomonori Ochikoshi
Written by
  • Kunihiko Okada
  • Toshiya Ono
Music byTaku Iwasaki
StudioA-1 Pictures
Licensed byCrunchyroll
Original networkNNS (ytv)
Original run October 4, 2014 – March 28, 2015
Episodes24
icon Anime and manga portal

Magic Kaito (Japanese: まじっく快斗, Hepburn: Majikku Kaito) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It premiered in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday in June 1987. It is Aoyama's first serialized manga. The story depicts the adventures of Kaito Kuroba, a teenage magician who secretly operates as the internationally wanted phantom thief Kaito Kid.

Though the series was popular in its initial run, Aoyama placed it on hiatus in late 1988—after two tankōbon volumes had been published—in order to focus on Yaiba and later Case Closed. Since then, new installments have been produced very sporadically, often years apart; a third volume was compiled in 1994, a fourth in 2007, and a fifth in 2017; three more chapters were published in 2024. Notwithstanding this, Kaito Kid has (along with several associated characters) made numerous appearances in Case Closed and various spinoff media, achieving much wider recognition through them.

12 animated television specials based on the series have been produced by TMS Entertainment and aired between 2010 and 2012. A 24-episode anime series titled Magic Kaito 1412 was produced by A-1 Pictures and aired from October 2014 to March 2015.

Synopsis

[edit]

High-school class clown Kaito Kuroba, son of world-famous—and deceased—magician Toichi Kuroba, leads a carefree life in Tokyo with his childhood friend Aoko Nakamori. However, on the eighth anniversary of his father's death, he stumbles across a hidden section of his home that reveals his father's double life: that of the internationally notorious thief Kaito Kid. Shortly after, he finds his father's elderly aide Konosuke Jii masquerading as Kid in a new series of burglaries; when cornered, Jii admits the "accident" which had killed the elder Kuroba in his final show was actually murder, and the culprits remain at large.

Vowing to avenge his father, Kaito personally assumes Kaito Kid's mantle, and continues the heists for the same reason as Jii: to draw out his father's killers. By day, he maintains the guise of an ordinary high-schooler and his friendship with Aoko, all while knowing her father is a police inspector long-obsessed with capturing Kid.[2]

After many outlandish adventures, Kaito eventually discovers that the killers belong to a mysterious crime syndicate pursuing a legendary jewel known as Pandora. Per the legend, Pandora is a doublet—a gem hidden within a larger gem—that glows red under moonlight and sheds "tears" during the passing of the Volley Comet, every 10,000 years. These tears, if drunk, will bestow immortality.[3]

With the comet's next pass fast approaching, Kaito sets out to find—and destroy—Pandora first, turning his focus exclusively to large, long-storied gemstones.

Connections with Case Closed

[edit]

While Magic Kaito has always shared a number of elements with Aoyama's later series Case Closed (such as the Tropical Land amusement park), Aoyama did not originally view them as a serious shared universe. When planning a Case Closed storyline in 1997 guest-starring Kaito Kid and Inspector Nakamori (with cameo appearances from Kaito Kuroba in his civilian identity and Aoko Nakamori), he intended for it to be a standalone, with no impact on either series' continuity besides a retroactive origin for Kid's alias.[4][5] However, the story's unexpected popularity inspired many more Kid appearances throughout Case Closed, and even a Magic Kaito storyline guest-starring a full-grown Jimmy Kudo.[6]

In 2006, Aoyama explicitly tied Kaito's backstory into that of Case Closed, revealing that Toichi Kuroba had not only maintained a rivalry with Booker Kudo as the first Kaito Kid, but tutored both Vivian Kudo and Sharon Vineyard in disguise arts.[7] A 2010 storyline tied the two series closer still, with a Case Closed story introducing Chikage Kuroba's identity as the Phantom Lady immediately followed by a Magic Kaito story explaining her past (as well as the context of Kaito's actions in the present-day).[8]

Despite this, Aoyama has repeatedly stated that the two series exist in separate continuities, in particular citing Akako's sorcery as an element that cannot coexist with Case Closed.[9][10] He has also denied longstanding fan theories that Snake belongs to the "Black Organization" serving as Case Closed's main antagonists, and maintained that—with the one-time exception of 2012's "Mystery Train" arc—Kaito Kid would not have any story involvement with the latter.[11]

Characters

[edit]
Kaito Kuroba (黒羽 快斗, Kuroba Kaito)
A smart, quirky and arrogant 17-year-old master illusionist. As Kaito Kid, he occasionally appears in the Case Closed series as an antagonist, but slowly develops a Lupin-esque complex. He has some feelings for his childhood friend Aoko Nakamori who he teases constantly. His alter ego is Kaito Kid, a gentleman thief who publicly announces his heists; after his heists, he returns the stolen items to their owners. Throughout his escapades he has made many enemies, from semi-friendly detectives (such as Saguru Hakuba and Conan Edogawa/Jimmy Kudo) and policemen to rival phantom thieves and vicious professional gangsters. His Japanese voice actor is Kappei Yamaguchi and his English voice actors are Jerry Jewell for Funimation and Griffin Burns for Bang Zoom and Macias Group.
Aoko Nakamori (中森 青子, Nakamori Aoko)
Kaito's best friend since childhood and love interest. She is an obstinate, impulsive and lighthearted girl. She often bickers with Kaito at school. She has feelings for Kaito, although she is afraid of admitting to him. She gets along well with Akako, but unknown to her, Akako envies her. Both girls vie for Kaito's affections. As the daughter of Inspector Nakamori, she despises Kaito Kid, though she is unaware of the irony. Her Japanese voice actresses are Ayumi Fujimura in the specials, Mao Ichimichi in Magic Kaito 1412, Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram, and episode 1187 of Case Closed, Yukiko Iwai in episode 76 of Case Closed, Minami Takayama in episode 219 and the fourth OVA of Case Closed.
Ginzo Nakamori (中森 銀三, Nakamori Ginzō)
Aoko's father (known as Mace Fuller in Funimation's Case Closed dub), a loud, aggressive Tokyo Metropolitan Police inspector assigned to capture Kaito Kid.[5] Tirelessly devoted to his work, he is (much to Aoko's dismay) frequently absent-minded at home. His Japanese voice actors are Unshō Ishizuka (1997–2018) and Kōji Ishii (2019–present) and his English voice actor is Jay Jones.[12][13]
Konosuke Jii (寺井 黄之助, Jii Kōnosuke)
An elderly man who assisted Toichi Kuroba as both a magician and thief. Eight years after his master's murder, he began a masquerade as Kaito Kid in hopes of luring out the killers; when confronted by Kaito, he confessed the truth and ceded the mantle, becoming Kaito's assistant.[2] By day he owns and operates the Blue Parrot billiards bar, an occasional hangout for Kaito and Aoko.[14]
Toichi Kuroba (黒羽 盗一, Kuroba Tōichi)
Kaito's (supposedly) deceased father. A world-famous magician, he originated the Kaito Kid costume as a gimmick for a Parisian performance, but became a genuine thief in order to divert attention from his wife Chikage's own criminal career, allowing her to retire in peace. Initially known as Phantom Thief 1412 (after his Interpol criminal code), he embraced Kaito Kid as a moniker after Booker Kudo publicly misread a journalist's scrawl of "1412" as KID.[5] Toichi was killed after impeding a criminal syndicate's pursuit of Pandora. His Japanese voice actor is Shūichi Ikeda.
Chikage Kuroba (黒羽 千影, Kuroba Chikage)
Kaito's mother, initially shown as a plain housewife but later revealed to have once been the international thief Phantom Lady. During a heist in Paris, she fell in love with Toichi Kuroba and quit her criminal career to marry him. Even in retirement, she remains a free-spirited globetrotter, and frequently leaves Kaito alone at the Kuroba home in Japan, periodically checking in via video calls. She once tried to persuade her son to give up robbery and start a new life as a magician in Las Vegas. It is strongly implied in the "Midnight Crow" Arc that she knows who is Kaito Corbeau, the mysterious rival of Kaito Kid, who had recently become active in Las Vegas. Her Japanese voice actress is Michie Tomizawa.
Akako Koizumi (小泉 紅子, Koizumi Akako)
A haughty teenage witch, the world's last practitioner of "Red" sorcery. She delights in magically charming men to worship her, and becomes obsessed with Kaito Kid upon learning that he is destined to be the only man on Earth immune to her. By happenstance she attends the same school as Kaito and Aoko, and realizes Kaito's secret identity when he defies her advances on Valentine's Day.[15] Initially, she acts with very few morals, regularly scheming to magically enslave (or even kill) him; in time, however, she grows into a genuine affection for him, and begins using her magical resources to warn and aid him against other perils. Her Japanese voice actresses are Miyuki Sawashiro in the Magic Kaito specials, Eri Kitamura in Magic Kaito 1412, and Megumi Hayashibara in Case Closed.
Saguru Hakuba (白馬探, Hakuba Saguru)
The half-British, half-Japanese son of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's Superintendent-General. Renowned across Europe as an amateur detective, he takes an interest in capturing Kaito Kid and resettles in Japan to do so, becoming a major school rival to Kaito.[16] He is highly sophisticated and arrogantly proud of his skills, suspecting Kaito's secret identity almost immediately after their first meeting.[16][17] However, he never succeeds in securing definitive proof.[18] His Japanese voice actors are Akira Ishida in the Magic Kaito specials and in Case Closed, and Mamoru Miyano in Magic Kaito 1412.
Snake (スネーク, Sunēku)
The main representative of the syndicate that killed Toichi Kuroba, and continues to pursue the Pandora gem. A vicious hitman, he possesses limited intelligence, but is always well-armed and often supported by several subordinates.[3]

Production

[edit]

In 1985, having been convinced by university friends to pursue a professional manga career, Aoyama drafted a 40-page one-shot titled Nonchalant Lupin (さりげなく ルパン, Sarigenaku Rupan). This story, inspired by Aoyama's childhood love of mystery and phantom-thief fiction in addition to Zoetrope Studios' The Escape Artist (1982), featured a mischievous teenage magician named Kaito Lupin trying to save his childhood friend Aoko Holmes from corrupt school officials.[19][20]

Aoyama initially sent Lupin to Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, where he met enough approval to win an honorable mention at the thirty-fifth New Manga Awards, but was warned by an editor that his art-style would need modification to "fit" the magazine's general aesthetic if he were hired. The following year, Aoyama approached Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday, which made no such stipulations; heartened, Aoyama quickly expanded Lupin into the basis for an ongoing series, renaming its lead characters Kaito Kuroba and Aoko Nakamori and converting its mostly-metaphorical Arsène Lupin motifs into an actual phantom thief identity.[21][10]

Media

[edit]

Manga

[edit]

Written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama, Magic Kaito has been sporadically serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday since June 10, 1987.[22] It was halted in 1988 after two tankōbon volumes, but new chapters have been occasionally released since then; a third volume was published in 1994, a fourth volume in 2007 and a fifth volume in 2017. In 2011 the first four volumes were republished in "Treasured Editions" from August 15 to December 16.[23][24] Two versions of each volume were released, one containing a DVD of one of the TV specials. Three more chapters, not yet collected in a volume, were published between April 10 and April 24, 2024.[25][26][27]

Volumes

[edit]
No. Release date ISBN
1April 15, 1988[28]978-4-09-122081-3
  1. "The Phantom Thief Reborn" (蘇る怪盗, Yomigaeru Kaitō)
  2. "The Police are Everywhere" (警官がいっぱい, Keikan ga Ippai)
  3. "A Clockwork Heart" (時計仕掛けのハート, Tokei Jikake no Hāto)
  4. "Kaito Kid's Busy Weekend" (怪盗キッドの忙しい休日, Kaitō Kiddo no Isogashii Kyūjitsu)
  5. "The Underwater Pirate Ship" (海賊船浮上せず, Kaizokusen Fujōsezu)
  6. "A Seduction in Scarlet" (緋色の誘惑, Hiiro no Yūwaku)
2October 15, 1988[29]978-4-09-122082-0
  1. "Stay Away From Him" (彼から手をひいて, Kare kara te o hiite)
  2. "Japan's Most Irresponsible Leader" (日本一の無責任総理, Nippon'ichi no Musekinin Sōri)
  3. "I Am The Master" (わたしが主人だ, Watashi ga Masutā Da)
  4. "Adults Don't Understand" (大人とわかってくれない, Otona to Wakattekurenai)
  5. "The Boy Who Bet on the Ball" (ボールにかける少年, Bōru ni Kakeru Shōnen)
  6. "Ghost Game" (ゴースト・ゲーム, Gōsuto Gēmu)
  7. "Hustler VS. Magician" (ハスラーvs.マジシャン, Hasurā vs Majishan)
Note: "Hustler VS. Magician" is actually the second chapter Aoyama created for the series, but it was never published in the magazine.
3September 15, 1994[30]978-4-09-122083-7
  1. "Star Wars" (スターウォーズ, Sutā Wōzu)
  2. "Enter the Great Detective!!" (名探偵登場!!, Meitantei Tōjō!!)
  3. "Nearby Enemy" (眼下の怪盗, Ganka no Kaitō)
  4. "Akako's Delivery Service" (紅子の宅配便, Akako no Takuhaibin)
  5. "Yaiba VS. Kaito!" (〈番外編〉刃vs.快斗!, (Bangaihen) Yaiba vs. Kaito!)
  6. "Blue Birthday" (ブルーバースデー, Burū Bāsudē)
  7. "Green Dream" (グリーンドリーム, Gurīn Dorīmu)
4February 16, 2007[31]978-4-09-121005-0
  1. "Crystal Mother (クリスタル・マザー, Kurisutaru mazā)
  2. "Red Tear" (レッド・ティアー, Reddo Tiā)
  3. "Black Star (Part 1)" (ブラック・スター(前編), Burakku Sutā (Zenpen))
  4. "Black Star (Part 2)" (ブラック・スター(後編), Burakku Sutā (Kōhen))
  5. "Golden Eye (Part 1)" (ゴールデン・アイ(前編), Gōruden Ai (Zenpen))
  6. "Golden Eye (Part 2)" (ゴールデン・アイ(後編), Gōruden Ai (Kōhen))
  7. "Dark Knight (Part 1)" (ダーク・ナイト(前編), Dāku Naito (Zenpen))
  8. "Dark Knight (Part 2)" (ダーク・ナイト(後編), Dāku Naito (Kōhen))
5July 18, 2017[32]978-4-09-121005-0
  1. "Phantom Lady (Part 1)" (ファントム・レディー(前編), Fantomu Redī (Zenpen))
  2. "Phantom Lady (Part 2)" (ファントム・レディー(後編), Fantomu Redī (Kōhen))
  3. "Midnight Crow (Part 1)" (真夜中の烏(ミッドナイト・クロウ)(前編), Mayonaka no Karasu (Middonaito Kurō) (Zenpen))
  4. "Midnight Crow (Part 2)" (真夜中の烏(ミッドナイト・クロウ)(中編), Mayonaka no Karasu (Middonaito Kurō) (Chūhen))
  5. "Midnight Crow (Part 3)" (真夜中の烏(ミッドナイト・クロウ)(後編), Mayonaka no Karasu (Middonaito Kurō) (Kōhen))
  6. "Sun Halo (Part 1)" (日輪の後光(サン・ヘイロー)(前編), Nichirin no Gokō (San Heirō) (Zenpen))
  7. "Sun Halo (Part 2)" (日輪の後光(サン・ヘイロー)(中編), Nichirin no Gokō (San Heirō) (Chūhen))
  8. "Sun Halo (Part 3)" (日輪の後光(サン・ヘイロー)(後編), Nichirin no Gokō (San Heirō) (Kōhen))
Note: "Nonchalant Lupin" (さりげなく ルパン, Sarigenaku Rupan) is published as a bonus story at the end of volume 5. This is a story created by Aoyama before starting Magic Kaito and featuring the characters Kaito Lupin, Aoko Holmes and Inspector Holmes, which are prototypes of Kaito Kuroba, Aoko Nakamori and Inspector Nakamori.
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
  1. "Green Dragon (Part 1)" (グリーン・ドラゴンの巻(前編), Gurīn Doragon no Maki (Zenpen)). Published on April 10, 2024.
  2. "Green Dragon (Part 2)" (グリーン・ドラゴンの巻(中編), Gurīn Doragon no Maki (Chūhen)). Published on April 17, 2024.
  3. "Green Dragon (Part 3)" (グリーン・ドラゴンの巻(後編), Gurīn Doragon no Maki (Kōhen)). Published on April 24, 2024.

Anime

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Original video animations

[edit]

Magic Kaito received its first anime adaptation in 2000, with the launch of Case Closed's direct-to-video OVA series: the first of these OVAs adapted "Yaiba VS. Kaito!" (Vol. 3's fifth chapter, originally published in 1989). The fourth, released in 2004, adapted "Crystal Mother" (Vol. 4's first chapter, originally published in 1995).[33]

Between these two OVAs, the Case Closed anime also adapted "Black Star" (Vol. 4's third and fourth chapters, originally published in 1999) as part of its 219th episode, a two-hour special. This occupied roughly one-third of the episode, with the other two-thirds adapting an unrelated Kaito Kid story from the Case Closed manga.

Specials

[edit]

TMS Entertainment produced twelve animated Magic Kaito television specials between 2010 and 2012, all directed by Toshiki Hirano and adapting select stories from the manga.[34][35] Each aired on Yomiuri TV during Case Closed's regular time slot, and shared its contemporary opening and ending themes (the first three were billed as "Detective Conan Specials", despite minimal connection with the plot of Detective Conan / Case Closed). The first aired on April 17, 2010.[36]

Episodes
[edit]
Ep. no Title Original airdate
1"Detective Conan Special: The Secret Origin of Kaito Kid"
"Meitantei Konan Supesharu 「Kaitō Kiddo Tanjō no Himitsu」" (名探偵コナンスペシャル 「怪盗キッド誕生の秘密」)		April 17, 2010 (2010-04-17)[36]
2"Detective Conan Special: Kaito Kid's Summer Festival: Kaito Kid's Busy Date"
"Meitantei Konan Natsu no Kaitō Kiddo Matsuri "Kaitō Kiddo no Isogashii Dēto"" (名探偵コナン　夏の怪盗キッド祭り 「怪盗キッドの忙しいデート」)		August 6, 2011 (2011-08-06)[37]
3"Detective Conan Special: Kaito Kid's Summer Festival: The Princess Loves Magic"
"Meitantei Konan Natsu no Kaitō Kiddo Matsuri "Ōjosama wa Majikku ga Osuki"" (名探偵コナン　夏の怪盗キッド祭 「王女様はマジックがお好き」)		August 13, 2011 (2011-08-13)[37]
4"Kaito Kid Special: The Witch That Sheds no Tears"
"Kaitō Kiddo Supesharu "Majo wa Namida o Kobosanai"" (怪盗キッドスペシャル 「魔女は涙をこぼさない」)		September 24, 2011 (2011-09-24)[38]
5"Kaito Kid Special: The Fated Blue Birthday"
"Kaitō Kiddo Supesharu "Unmei no Burū Bāsudē"" (怪盗キッドスペシャル　「運命のブルーバースデー」)		October 29, 2011 (2011-10-29)[39]
6"Kaito Kid Special: Love on the Ski Slope on Christmas Eve"
"Kaitō Kiddo Supesharu "Ivu wa Koisuru Gerende de"" (怪盗キッドスペシャル　「聖夜は恋するゲレンデで」)		December 24, 2011 (2011-12-24)[40]
7"Kaito Kid's Summer Festival: Magic Kaito (The Brilliant Rivals)"
"Natsu no Kaitō Kiddo Matsuri Majikku Kaitō "Kareinaru Raibarutachi"" (夏の怪盗キッド祭り　まじっく快斗「華麗なるライバルたち」)		August 4, 2012 (2012-08-04)[41]
8"Kaito Kid's Summer Festival: The Secret of the Red Tear"
"Natsu no Kaitō Kiddo Matsuri "Reddo Tiā no Himitsu"" (夏の怪盗キッド祭り　「レッド・ティアーの秘密」)		August 11, 2012 (2012-08-11)[42]
9"Kaito Kid Special: The Witch, The Detective, and The Phantom Thief"
"Kaitō Kiddo Supesharu "Majo to Tantei to Kaitō to"" (怪盗キッドスペシャル 「魔女と探偵と怪盗と」)		September 29, 2012 (2012-09-29)[43]
10"Magic Kaito: The Reminiscent Golden Eye"
"Majikku Kaito "Tsuioku no Gōruden Ai"" (まじっく快斗　「追憶のゴールデン・アイ」)		November 3, 2012 (2012-11-03)[44]
11"Kaito Kid Winter Special: The Teary Crystal Mother"
"Fuyu no Kaitō Kiddo Supesharu "Namida no Kurisutaru Mazā"" (冬の怪盗キッドスペシャル　「涙のクリスタル・マザー」)		December 22, 2012 (2012-12-22)[45]
12"Kaito Kid Winter Special: Tears of Love for the Dark Knight"
"Fuyu no Kaitō Kiddo Supesharu "Dāku Naito ni Ai no Namida wo"" (冬の怪盗キッドスペシャル　「ダーク･ナイトに愛の涙を」)		December 29, 2012 (2012-12-29)[46]

Magic Kaito 1412

[edit]

A standalone 24-episode anime titled Magic Kaito 1412 (まじっく快斗1412) was produced by A-1 Pictures and aired on NNS from October 4, 2014, to March 28, 2015.[47] The series was independent of the TMS series, and re-adapted many of the same stories from the manga (along with several previously unadapted). Save a few roles such as Kappei Yamaguchi reprising Kaito Kuroba/Kaito Kid, the voice cast was all-new. For the first 12 episodes, the opening theme is "Kimi no Matsu Sekai" (君の待つ世界; 'The World You Await'), performed by Lagoon [ja], and the ending theme is "White of Crime", performed by Revalcy [ja]. For episodes 13–24, the opening theme is "Ai no Scenario" (アイのシナリオ), performed by CHiCO with HoneyWorks, and the ending theme is "Koi no Jumyō" (恋の寿命; 'The Lifespan of Love'), performed by Galileo Galilei.

Magic Kaito 1412 was the first Magic Kaito property to receive an official English release; in 2015, beginning with episode 13, Crunchyroll licensed it for simulcast for audiences in North America, with Japanese audio and English subtitles.[48] An English dub began streaming on ODK Media's Amasian TV streaming service on November 18, 2025.[49]

[edit]
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