Case Closed (TV series)

Case Closed, also officially known as Detective Conan (名探偵コナン), is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga series Case Closed by Gosho Aoyama. It was localized in English as Case Closed by Funimation due to unspecified legal problems.[2] The anime is produced by TMS Entertainment and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation with the directors being Kenji Kodama, Yasuichiro Yamamoto, Masato Satō, Kōjin Ochi, and Nobuharu Kamanaka.[3] The series follows the teenage detective Jimmy Kudo, who transforms into a child after being poisoned with APTX 4869 by the Black Organization. Now named Conan Edogawa and living with the Moores, Conan solves murders during his daily life as he awaits the day to defeat the Black Organization.

The anime premiered in January 1996. It resulted in animated feature films, original video animations, video games, audio disc releases and live action episodes. Funimation licensed the anime series for North American broadcast in 2003 under the name Case Closed with the characters given Americanized names. The anime premiered on Adult Swim but was discontinued due to low ratings.

In March 2013, Funimation began streaming their licensed episodes of Case Closed; Crunchyroll simulcast them in 2014. Funimation also localized the first six Case Closed films, while Discotek Media localized the Lupin the 3rd crossover special, its film sequel, and select films and specials, starting with Case Closed Episode One. A localization of select episodes streamed on Tubi in 2023. Another localization of select episodes began streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix in 2025, using the original Detective Conan title for the first time in English-speaking markets.

Seasons overview

Cast and characters

Production

Yomiuri TV producer Michihiko Suwa had plans with Shogakukan's editorial department regarding the possibility of producing an anime adaptation of Case Closed as early as the 5th or 6th chapter of the manga was released. However, at the time, no broadcast slot was available. By around February–March 1995, it was decided that an adaptation would air at 7:30 on Monday nights, the slot last held by the anime of Magic Knight Rayearth, which Suwa also worked on as a producer. Although there were initial plans to schedule it at 7:00, the currently-airing Crayon Shin-chan on rival broadcaster TV Asahi led to a last-minute adjustment to 7:30. It would later be moved to 7:00 from October 20, 2008 to March 16, 2009, then to Saturday nights at 6:00 from April 4, 2009 onward. Kenji Kodama was approached to serve as the anime's first director.[4]

With Case Closed, the producers wanted to create an anime with a sense of familiarity to viewers similar to that of Sazae-san by thoroughly developing a recognizable and engaging format. As a result, Kodama implemented many unique devices, such as Conan's narration of the opening, post-credit scenes, a "Next Conan's Hint", and the cast's dialogue during the end card.[4] Katsuo Ōno, a composer of live-action mystery dramas, was brought on to create the underscore.

Release

The anime version of Case Closed was announced by Weekly Shōnen Sunday in November 1995. It is produced by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation and TMS Entertainment.[5][6] Over 1150 episodes have aired in Japan since the anime's premiere on January 8, 1996, making it the fifteenth longest anime series to date.[7][8] Initially, Shogakukan collected and released the episodes on VHS video cassettes from June 1996 to October 2006.[9][10] Four hundred and twenty-six episodes were released on VHS until Shogakukan abandoned the format and switched over to DVDs, starting over from the first episode.[11] For the fifteenth anniversary of the anime series, the series was made available for video on demand.[12][13] The series celebrated its 25th anniversary in January 2021, and the "Moonlight Sonata Murder Case" episode (11th episode of the series) was given the remake treatment as the first part of its celebration, which featured the latest staff and production techniques, and classical pianist Aimi Kobayashi performed Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 for the episode. It aired on March 6, 2021.[14][15]

As of 2018, the Detective Conan anime has been broadcast in 40 countries around the world.[16] The Canadian channel YTV picked up the Case Closed series and broadcast 22 episodes between April 7, 2006, and September 2, 2006, before taking it off the air.[17][18][19] Case Closed was later broadcast in North America on NHK's cable network TV Japan.[20] Hanabee Entertainment licensed the series for distribution in Australia.[21]

In 2003, the first 104 episodes, as well as the first six movies were licensed by Funimation for distribution in North America, under the title Case Closed because of legal considerations.[2][22] The Case Closed anime has also been released in other languages such as French, German and Italian.[23][24][25] Case Closed debuted on Cartoon Network as part of their Adult Swim programming block on May 24, 2004;[26] no more than 50 episodes were licensed from Funimation due to low ratings.[27] Funimation made the series available with the launch of the Funimation Channel in November 2005; it was temporary available on Colours TV during its syndication with the Funimation Channel.[28][29] Funimation also released DVDs of their dubbed series beginning August 24, 2004.[30] Initially, the releases were done in single DVDs and future episodes were released in seasonal boxes; 130 episodes have been released in total.[31] The seasonal boxes were later re-released in redesigned boxes called Viridian edition.[32][33] Funimation began streaming Case Closed episodes in March 2013.[34] Finally, in 2018, Funimation lost the rights to the series.[35]

A separate English adaptation of the series was made by Voiceovers Unlimited Pte Ltd. in Singapore.[36] Another one by Animax Asia premiered in the Philippines on January 18, 2006, under the name Detective Conan.[37][38] Because Animax were unable to obtain further TV broadcast rights, their version comprised only 52 episodes.[39] The series continued with reruns until August 7, 2006, when it was removed from the station.[40] Both the Singapore and Philippines versions used Japanese character names.[36] The California-based channel United Television Broadcasting (UTB) aired it with English subtitles from 2011 to 2014, until episode 421.[41][42]

Crunchyroll began simulcasting the series in October 2014, starting with episode 754.[43] In September 2020, Crunchyroll began streaming the first 42 episodes, later adding episodes 42–123 in August 2021 (with any special episodes with an extended runtime that were previously split into multiple parts being presented as they were originally broadcast in Japan).[44][45] In August 2024, Crunchyroll removed the first 123 episodes. In January 2016, 52 episodes of the anime appeared on Netflix, initially under its original title Detective Conan before changing to its English moniker Case Closed. The episodes were listed as "season one", although in reality they are episodes 748 to 799. The episodes were only available in Japanese, but were subtitled. The availability was likely part of Netflix's efforts to expand its anime catalog.[46] In January 2021, Netflix removed the episodes.

It was revealed in February 2023 that TMS Entertainment commissioned a new English dub of Case Closed, with episodes of the anime beginning streaming on Tubi that same month, starting at episode 965.[47][48] This marked the first English dub for the series since 2010.[49] The dub is produced by Florida-based studio Macias Group with a new dub cast (except for the voices of Shinichi, Conan, Ran, Kogoro, and Kaito Kid, whose voice actors were retained from the Bang Zoom! Entertainment home video dubs).[50] However, it is no longer streaming as of February 2025.[51]

On June 26, 2025, TMS revealed that a new English dub of select episodes would launch on Netflix and Crunchyroll in selected territories, including North America under the international title Detective Conan, beginning on July 3 of the same year. The first batch of episodes, Conan vs. The Black Organization, will be followed by four films, also released as Detective Conan on TMS' "Anime! on TMS" YouTube channel in North America within the month for a limited period of time.[52][53]

Music

Reception

External links

• Official TMS anime website (North America)
• Official TMS anime website
• Official TMS global anime website
• Official Crunchyroll anime website
• Official Yomiuri TV anime web site
• Official Case Closed movies web site