Ranpo Edogawa/Synopsis

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The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency
Ranpo was the only child of a famed detective known as 'The Clairvoyant', and an unnamed housewife who were both exceptional geniuses in their own rights. Because of their genius, they could keep up with their son and raise him without trouble, however, the two of them died in an accident and Ranpo was left alone with no one to rely on.

Ranpo's father once told him that if anything were to happen to him, then Ranpo should go to Yokohama and visit the police academy there, as the principle was a friend of his. Ranpo was enrolled in the academy, but due to finding the rules troublesome and the classes too easy, he was inevitably kicked out after getting into an argument with the dorm master and exposing all of his exploits with women.

After being kicked out of the police academy, Ranpo moved from job to job due to losing them or quitting. He worked and lived at a military post, but was expelled after telling others about the chief's embezzlement; later, at a construction site, but grew sick of corporate hierarchy and ran away; lastly, at postal delivery, but he was fired when throwing away letters he deemed unnecessary without even opening them. Eventually, he was given an interview for the president of a company, which is when he first meets Yukichi Fukuzawa.

The president of the company was originally a client of Fukuzawa's, but was supposedly murdered by an assassin who was apprehended during their escape. Ranpo appears upon the scene, bewildering Fukuzawa with his energy and disobedience towards the president's secretary who is with Fukuzawa organizing documents. Despite seeming to know right away what had happened, Ranpo quickly shrugs off the situation, stating it's none of his business and requesting some documents required for him to continue receiving aid from the government with securing a job. The secretary does not cooperate with him, making Ranpo decide to find the paper on his own as he opens a window, and papers go flying everywhere. His documents, due to their thickness, remain still and are located with ease.

His actions cause the secretary great distress for the mess he creates, to which Ranpo points out that nothing was lost, and everything was a cover-up created by the assistant to hide the fact he was the true murderer of the president. The secretary denies this, but the more Ranpo spoke, the more Fukuzawa found the secretary suspicious and told Ranpo to explain his reasoning. Ranpo quickly exposes the secretary's plot - hiring an assassin, killing the president herself, and framing the assassin while faking evidence - but before Fukuzawa could properly arrest him, the secretary is killed by the assassin he framed, Sakunosuke Oda. Fukuzawa renders Oda unconscious, telling Ranpo to call an ambulance and the police. Ranpo says the police is enough because the secretary is already dead, which frustrates Fukuzawa.

Having promised to buy Ranpo lunch if he explained his deductions in the secretary is the true culprit, Fukuzawa takes Ranpo to a tea house. Ranpo eats eight bowls of red bean porridge - even consuming a ninth as they talk - but he does not eat the mochi, claiming it isn't sweet enough.

Fukuzawa begins to interrogate Ranpo about the incident from before and asks Ranpo when he knew the secretary was the killer, to which Ranpo replies that he knew from the beginning. As he talks, Fukuzawa comes to the realization that due to living life alongside genius parents, Ranpo had come to believe that all adults were like his parents, long since noticing the things he did, and therefore he had no reason to state it himself.

Because of Fukuzawa's fear of getting involved with others, he does not know how to properly explain to Ranpo that he's far more than a normal child and decides to part ways. Ranpo stops him, expecting something more from him, and asking if Fukuzawa feels anything towards a lone fourteen-year-old with no parents, money, or place to go. Fukuzawa acquiesces to his pestering and eventually gives him his business card, saying that Ranpo can call him the next time he needs help. Ranpo gets up immediately after being given the business card to use the phone in the back of the tea shop to ask for Fukuzawa's help, or else he will die. He repeats this multiple times, and Fukuzawa gives in once more and decides to bring Ranpo along to his next job at a theater.

Arriving at the theater, Ranpo is told that Fukuzawa was hired by the owner of the theater over a death threat to one of the actors. While the owner, Egawa, is annoyed over the threat, Ranpo states that he's looking forward to someone being killed. Fukuzawa tells Egawa, once she inquires as to who Ranpo is, that he heard the theater was looking for more staff members and brought Ranpo along for an interview. Egawa tells Ranpo to submit his resumé for it to be examined later, but Ranpo says he'll never get hired if he does it that way and tells her to decide then and there. He goes on to expose her secrets and true feelings towards Fukuzawa and the police hired to help protect the theater, causing her to get upset and leave Fukuzawa to question the other actors before the play starts.

Ranpo accompanies Fukuzawa to interrogate the actors. They speak to the leading actor, a man named Murakami. Murakami arrogantly dismisses the death threat, and eventually, Ranpo speaks up to grasp the actor's attention. He asks what the play is about, and when Murakami says to read the script, Ranpo says it was too boring by the first page and demands to simply be told it right there. Murakami says that if Ranpo believes it to be boring, then it is, as the viewers decide whether a play is good or bad. He asks Ranpo what would make the play interesting, and Ranpo answers "It would be interesting if someone were to die, like the death threat said."

The other actors they interrogate have the same dismissive approach to the death threat, saying that it's expected to have enemies in such a small industry. Fukuzawa asks Ranpo for his thoughts on the situation, to which Ranpo says he hasn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. He complains over not being able to get a job at the theater, saying that it would soon be going out of business due to the murder declared to happen. Fukuzawa says he won't let anyone get hurt because of the threat, while Ranpo corrects him, stressing it was not a threat, but a declaration.

Having the teachings of his parents drilled into his head, Ranpo is convinced that he was just a normal, clueless child, and the adults around him were smarter than him, which is why he states he cannot understand their actions. While this way may have been true for when Ranpo had his parents, left alone in the world, this only ended up being detrimental to Ranpo's worldview and his ability to communicate with the average person who could not keep up with his intellect. Finally aware of how deep the issue of Ranpo and his skills of deduction go, Fukuzawa tells Ranpo to list everything he knows about him since they met. Despite saying that he would only the bare minimum anyone would know, Ranpo gives a deduction so personal and thorough he causes Fukuzawa to snap at him. This startles Ranpo, and after Fukuzawa apologizes for his behavior, the play begins.

Some time into the play, Ranpo asks Fukuzawa why people are paying to watch the play, as it is incredibly predictable. Even though Fukuzawa tells him not to talk during the performance, Ranpo continues, getting more and more frustrated with the play while shouting what happens right before it does. This causes the crowd to start speaking among each other in surprise, while Ranpo makes a scene and snaps at Fukuzawa. Lashing out he says, "I don't understand what anyone is thinking! I'm scared! It feels like I'm surrounded by monsters! No matter what I say, nobody understands me! My parents were the only ones who did, and they're dead!". To get Ranpo to stop yelling and calm down, Fukuzawa tells Ranpo he will tell Ranpo what he wants to know if he will be quiet. At that same moment, the first part of the play comes to a close and allows a fifteen-minute intermission, and Fukuzawa drags Ranpo out into the lobby.

Ranpo tells Fukuzawa to scold him, as he's dealt with it plenty of times already to know where the conversation is heading. Instead, Fukuzawa decides to ask Ranpo about his parents and if they told him of his gift, which Ranpo outright denies having. Pursuing the topic of Ranpo's parents, Fukuzawa then asks if either of them said anything about Ranpo's future. Ranpo recalls his father telling him that he would one day grow to surpass both his parents, but until then, he had to be modest, humble, keep silent, and not hurt others with what he saw. The intentions of Ranpo's parents were that of unconditional love, wanting to raise him as a normal child who could understand virtue and what was right, with good judgment skills to accompany the amazing intelligence he possessed — However, before Ranpo could fully mature and grow into these traits and cultivate his skills properly. Fukuzawa continues to press the idea that Ranpo is gifted, but Ranpo continues to deny the claim without any doubt or hesitation due to his faith in his parent's teachings.

Running out of ways to convince Ranpo and the play starting again soon, Fukuzawa impulsively lies to convince Ranpo, whose view of the world was collapsing out of fear of being misunderstood due to his capabilities, that he is an ability user, and that is why he is suffering — for not every ability made its user happy. It's at this moment he presents Ranpo with a pair of glasses he declares will control his ability.

Fukuzawa explains that the glasses had accepted Ranpo, and using them to control his ability, he could become the greatest detective in the world; no one was a monster, they were simply fools in comparison to Ranpo.

Seeming to accept this reason, Ranpo is relieved that all the pain he suffered seems to have some sort of meaning, and no one actually hated him after all. His personality seems to take a complete 180 after this as he declares that the world isn't scary, and merely just stupid. Saying that it's his job as an ability user to protect stupid babies like those around him, he runs off telling Fukuzawa to return to the play while he aims to stop the murder from taking place.

After this, Ranpo would go on to track a criminal down by himself and get kidnapped. However, before anything unfortunate could befall him, he was saved by Fukuzawa. The latter realized that in his own, the genius would be in constant danger, his intelligence would become the target of many.

For Ranpo's sake, Fukuzawa created the Armed Detective Agency, where ability users can utilize their abilities for good. The ability users of the agency provide combat power, while Ranpo's intellect provides a means for the agency to investigate criminal activities and thus continue operating.

Azure Messenger Arc
Ranpo is not present within Yokohama at the beginning of the Azure King case, as he is in Kyuushuu solving a case the government requested him to deal with. However, he returns after solving the case with approximately two hours left before a bomb created by the Azure Messenger is detonated. He scolds his coworkers for being so helpless without him, and needing him to rush back before he could indulge himself in sightseeing and the local food.

Kunikida apologizes to him for this, but requests his assistance in locating the bomb. Ranpo generously agrees to his request, but not without ensuring to boast of his own prowess and how coveted his special ability is throughout the country.

Ranpo is given the documents regarding the case by Dazai, who is the newest member of the agency. Finally seeing Dazai for the first time, he says he's heard good things about Dazai, and expects him to find good cases for him to solve. While accepting the documents from Dazai, Ranpo's expression fades as he studies Dazai. He asks what Dazai did before joining the agency, to which Dazai vaguely replies that he simply hung around after graduating high school.

Ranpo continues to stare at Dazai for a few more moments after this, and ultimately accepts Dazai's lackluster answer while welcoming him to the agency. He returns to the documents regarding the bombing case, much to the confusion of both Kunikida and Dazai for his strange behavior.

Ranpo tells Dazai to give him his glasses that seem to be sitting elsewhere, and puts them on to activate his ability, Super Deduction. After a brief moment, Ranpo declares he knows the location of the bomb, and gestures for Kunikida to retrieve a map. When it is brought over, Ranpo points to a spot on the map where a fishing-gear spot is located.

Dazai, after a few moments, revels in Ranpo's talent and begins to enthusiastically praise him as an extraordinary detective with an amazing ability, which Ranpo gladly accepts. After this, Dazai quickly leaves to the location of the bomb with Kunikida.

Armed Detective Agency vs. Port Mafia Arc
Ranpo first appeared along with Kenji, Yosano, and Kunikida, arriving as the reinforcements Dazai asked to secure the perimeter of the warehouse where he planned to capture the Man-Eating tiger. He praises Dazai for managing to secure the tiger, though not without claiming he could have solved the case himself. While the other members of the agency, save for the laid-back Kenji, express shock regarding Dazai's sudden decision to recruit Atsushi into the agency, Ranpo doesn't look particularly shocked over Dazai's decision. Instead, he folds his arms and looks away with a displeased look, claiming that Dazai is an idiot, after all. His phrasing implies that he may have known what Dazai intended to do with Atsushi before it was even said.

Ranpo makes a brief appearance when the agency was raided by the Port Mafia's Black Lizard. He seems to have remained idle during the entire raid, simply sitting through it while drinking from his ramune.

Ranpo showed no concern for the raid of the Black Lizard, doing nothing to help defeat the assailants nor to clean up in the aftermath. He then stated that he had to assist the police with a murder case, proudly claiming that his deduction skills were the best in the agency if not the entire nation, however, taking Atsushi along with him as an assistant anyway because he did not know how to take the train.

He arrived at the scene of the murder and was greeted by Minoura, who showed him the body of Yamagiwa, who was found floating in the river after having been shot thrice in the chest. Minoura admitted that the police couldn't find any evidence regarding the case, prompting them to string a net across the river to capture any evidence that may have gone in it. The net, however, captured Dazai instead, who ended up helping with the case.

Minoura continued to decline Ranpo's assistance, stating that all of his subordinates are superior to any private detective the agency may have to offer. Upon hearing this, Ranpo requested Sergeant Sugimoto - Minoura's and Yamagiwa's (former) subordinate - to solve the case within sixty seconds. He failed, and Ranpo activated his Super Deduction to conclude that the murderer was, in fact, Sugimoto himself.

Atsushi managed to prevent the sergeant's escape, and he was brought to the police station for questioning. There, he revealed that he was a mole put in by the politician whom Yamagiwa was investigating. He was tasked to get rid of the evidence and shot Yamagiwa by accident. Ranpo then guessed her last words correctly ("I love you"), proving that he indeed knew everything about the murder.

On the way back to the agency, Dazai revealed to Atsushi that Ranpo was not an ability user. He knew this for certain, as when Ranpo was using his "ability", he pinched a bit of his hair, which should have neutralized the effect of Super deduction if it really was an ability.

Ranpo was inside the agency building when Tanizaki reported Atsushi's abduction. While Tanizaki thought that the agency should save Atsushi, Ranpo, and Kunikida both seemed to share the opinion that they should not. Ranpo stated that the agency was not his foster home, nor did Atsushi come to the agency for protection.

Seeing the indecisiveness of the agency is taking an action, Naomi brought Fukuzawa, who immediately decided to save Atsushi. Ranpo seemed to disagree with this, however, he still chose to obey and respect the director's decision.

Later, he even helped locate Atsushi's whereabouts, using his Super Deduction to point out a sea vessel that was carrying the abducted agency member when Fukuzawa promised to praise him should he do the deed.

The Guild Arc
To prevent the possibility of being annihilated should an all-out raid should The Guild come to the agency, Fukuzawa ordered his subordinates to go into hiding. The agency members are then divided into three teams, Ranpo being in the defensive team along with the director, Yosano and Kenji.

Later on, in a plan to set the Armed Detective Agency and The Guild against each other, Mori sent Chūya as an envoy to deliver the Port Mafia's message. When Ranpo saw Chūya on the security cameras he looked terrified and suggested they bring back the other members. After watching the scuffle between Chūya, Yosano, and Kenji, Ranpo determined the mafia was luring The Guild with something and Chūya states that is is the agency's clerks, Naomi and Haruno.

Later on, he receives an invitation to a game of deduction and travels to the address alongside Yosano. After Ranpo solves a word problem in order to enter the room, they are greeted by the Guild's Edgar Allan Poe. He introduces himself as the one Ranpo defeated six years ago in a deduction battle, though Ranpo denies remembering him and quickly loses interest. Poe promises to divulge the Guild's weakness on the Moby Dick, their aerial fortress, if Ranpo solves the case in his mystery novel. As he also claims that Ranpo's Super Deduction is the most admirable thing compared to the Guild's violent pursuits, Ranpo's interest is piqued, compelling him and Yosano to partake in Poe's deduction game.

As they begin to read Poe's novel, they are soon transported into its setting as caused by Poe's ability. They soon find out that they are trapped inside a mansion in what appears to be an impossible serial murder case, which they should solve in order to return to the real world. Realizing that he has lost his glasses and that they cannot activate their abilities inside the mansion, Ranpo loses motivation and refuses to deduce the case like an ordinary detective.

Eventually, Yosano falls victim to the serial murder; in her final moments, she places her trust in the great detective for whom the Agency was established and thanks him for recruiting her to the organization. As Yosano "dies", Ranpo uses his deduction prowess and solves the case, causing him and Yosano to return to reality. Ranpo then explains his reasoning to Poe and states that he has never forgotten him after all. He then takes the file on Moby Dick and leaves with Yosano, who suggests to celebrate his acceptance of having no ability. Ranpo refuses to admit being a non-ability user, as he does not wish to be considered an "ordinary" person.

With their newfound intel, Ranpo and Dazai plan on their next action in the three-way conflict. After brainstorming a number of possible strategies, they mutually agree to let Atsushi, backed upon by Tanizaki's Light Snow, to solo infiltrate Moby Dick.

Later, Ranpo is among the other Agency members who proudly witness Kyōka pass her entrance exam. Eventually, Ranpo and the other Agency members welcome Kyōka as their newest member. Sometime during the party, Poe arrives in the office looking for Ranpo, for whom he has brought a new manuscript that the detective wished to see. Ranpo then urges him to come inside the room, much to Poe's timidness and apprehension given that he came from an enemy organization. Ranpo cuts him off, asking him to stay put and wait for him to finish his conversation with the others.

Plot
Ranpo is seen talking to Fukuzawa whether he is sure about giving his stamp of approval without any conditions. Fukuzawa responds yes and proceeds to stamp a certain card. At the agency office, the agency members ask Ranpo for help to look for someone. However, Ranpo refuses and says that it is too much work. Ranpo then loudly expresses his thoughts as to why the world is full of idiots and ignorance and misdirection and tells Akutagawa that despite him being the world's greatest detective, he does not investigate cases that do not interest him and it's Akutagawa's problem to find his sister.

Akutagawa firmly replies that Ranpo does not need to investigate and will find his sister on his own. Ranpo then brings out an approval card. He then tells Akutagawa that he heard that he looking for someone and knowing that, Akutagawa will eventually consult him. Ranpo reveals that he had already finished the investigation and already has an idea of where Akutagawa's sister is and tells him that his sister is alive. Akutagawa then grabs Ranpo's collar and asks where she is. Ranpo replies that that's the purpose of the approval card and Akutagawa should explain his situation to each agency member and have everyone's stamp of approval. The president's stamp is already on the card and the instructions are written on the back. Ranpo then informs that Akutagawa can only receive a stamp of approval in exchange for the agency members' requirements. Akutagawa then asks the reason why Fukuzawa already gave his approval. Ranpo says that it was the president's idea and he can't disobey it.