Is Renya Karasuma The Boss In The Black Organization? And Who Is He?

Anime
(c)青山剛昌/小学館
Anime

The true identity of the boss in Detective Conan has long been a mystery among fans. However, in the original work released in 2017, the boss’s identity was finally revealed.

This article will thoroughly explain the debut and basic information of the boss, Renya Karasuma!

The true identity of the boss of the Black Organization in Detective Conan is Renya Karasuma!

It has been revealed that the boss of the Black Organization, referred to by members as “that person,” is Renya Karasuma. Renya was a mysterious billionaire who died at the age of 99. There are various rumours about his true identity, such as the theory that he is Mitsuhiko, Hiroshi Dr. Agasa, or Reijiro Daikoku.

What was the foreshadowing for revealing that Kurokawa Renya is the boss of the Black Organization?

(c)青山剛昌/小学館 (c)CYBIRD

The first time Renya Karasuma appeared was in the murder case of Kouji Haneda, a genius chess player, and his fan, an American woman named Amanda, which happened 17 years ago.

Remembering that the name “Kouji Haneda” was on the list of victims of APTX 4869, Conan and the others decided to investigate the truth behind this case.

Conan noticed a dying message left by Haneda in a photo of a broken hand mirror found at the crime scene. The mirror had the words “PUT ON MASCARA” printed on it, but it was broken into pieces, leaving only the letters “U” and “MASCARA.”

Yusaku Kudo rearranged these eight letters and deduced that they spelled “CARASUMA,” leading him to Renya Karasuma.

In 2017, the author of Detective Conan, Gosho Aoyama, posted a video on the “Sunday Webry” app that depicted a critical scene. In that video, Aoyama himself stated that “the identity of that person is Renya Karasuma.”

In what episode does the identity of the boss of the Black Organization become clear?

It is revealed that the boss of the Black Organization is Kuroda Renya in the manga volume 95, in the files “File 1006: Stay Still!”, “File 1007: I’m in a Hurry!” and “File 1008: Look ♡”.

This is one of the most important events in the entire Detective Conan series, so it is recommended to read volume 95 if you haven’t already.

The foreshadowing comes from the words of Pisco and “The Seven Children.”

There were various foreshadowings that “that person” is the boss, who is Karasuma Renya. One of them is the push sound of the phone.

Conan notices that the push sound of the phone number that Vermouth was dialling to reach the boss was from a children’s song called “Nanatsu no Ko” (Seven Children) that features crows. There was also foreshadowing that evokes the name “Karasu” (crow) in Karasuma.

Furthermore, when Pisco was held at gunpoint by Gin, he mentioned that he had served “that person” for many years. The fact that Pisco, who was over 70 years old, “served for many years” also suggests that the mastermind is the elderly Renya Karasuma.

Who is Karasuma Renya? Is he already dead?

Karasuma is a character who appears in the 30th volume of the manga and in episode 219 of the anime, in the Twilight Mansion case. At this point, he owns a wealthy estate and died mysteriously over half a century ago at 99. However, it was revealed that he had already passed away and that the crow emblem seen throughout the mansion belonged to him.

During this appearance, he only appears as a silhouette, but it can be seen that he has a distinctively large nose. He is also seen with a crow perched on his shoulder, which leaves a lasting impression.

While it is known that he possessed vast wealth, many mysteries remain surrounding his true identity and age.

The incident that occurred 40 years ago involving Karasuma

Forty years ago, Karasuma caused a tragedy. It was said that the Twilight Mansion he inherited from his mother contained hidden treasures. Realizing that his death was near, he gathered many excellent archaeologists at the mansion to search for the glory and make it his own.

However, the archaeologists were unable to find the treasure. Enraged, Karasuma began to kill them one by one. This gruesome mass murder within the mansion was covered up, and Karasuma was never brought to justice.

From his actions, which were driven by his inability to have things go his way, it is evident that he had an abnormal fear of death and was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

Thoroughly examining the true mastermind, Karasuma’s identity: Mitsuhiko, Agasa, Daikoku?

In the story, it is stated that Karasuma has already passed away. However, it was he who ordered Gin to kill Pisco. Therefore, there are two possibilities regarding Karasuma’s existence: the possibility that he took APTX4869 and became a child or the chance that a second generation of Karasuma Renya inherited his will.

We will examine Karasuma’s true identity based on these two possibilities.

Analysis 1: Karasuma = Mitsuhiko

One of the members of the Detective Boys and Conan’s elementary school friend, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, is also a candidate for the mastermind theory.

This is because Mitsuhiko’s reasoning abilities are outstanding for a first-grade elementary school student, leading to speculation that he might also be someone who has been de-aged with APTX 4869, like Conan.

Also, Mitsuhiko’s name, “Pikadoru,” is translated to Spanish as “picador,” which refers to a tequila from Mexico. Although it is said that the boss doesn’t have a code name based on an alcoholic beverage, it’s hard to ignore this coincidence.

Furthermore, the phone number for Tsuburaya, who is speculated to become the seventh member, starts with “0858,” an area code for a region in Tottori Prefecture. Furthermore, the surname “Tsuburaya” is said to come from the Tsuburaya village in Tottori Prefecture. These commonalities centred around Tottori Prefecture also seem to be foreshadowing.

However, the author has denied that Mitsuhiko is “that person,” leaving the truth a mystery.

Analysis 2: Karasuma = Dr. Agasa

The person in question here is Dr. Agasa, who was the first person to help Shinichi Kudo after he was shrunk into a child. He also created many of Conan’s detective gadgets and is a self-proclaimed genius scientist. As he lives next door to the Kudo family, he is also familiar with Shinichi.

There are some suspicious actions by Dr. Agasa, such as strongly warning Shinichi not to tell anyone else about his shrinking and seeming to imagine the culprit’s face in scenes where he should not know it. However, the author has also denied the theory that Agasa is the mastermind.

Analysis 3: Karasuma = Rentaro Daikoku

Rentaro Daikoku is also considered a candidate for the mastermind’s true identity.

In the episode “The Mermaid’s Island,” which was aired in episode 222 of the anime and appeared in volume 28 of the original manga, Conan discovers the name of Shiho Miyano (Haibara Ai’s actual name) on a list he obtained during the “Jurou Festival” held on a remote island where mermaids supposedly reside. Next to her name were the real names of Gin and Vodka, indicating that the Black Organization had been actively investigating the secret of eternal youth.

Although the list is an essential clue in the episode, the critical point is when Heiji Hattori, who accompanies Conan, opens the page and shows the reader the name “Daikokuren Taro,” revealing that he is either a former foreign minister, chief cabinet secretary, or governor of the Bank of Japan.

His name contains the word “koku,” which means black, and the same pronunciation as “ren,” as in Karasu, the Japanese word for crow. Furthermore, in the episode “The Game Company Murder Case” (episode 54 of the anime), there is a building called the “Daikoku Building,” which has a bar called “Cocktail” on the top floor that was used for Black Organization transactions.

Since the building is named after its owner, Rentaro Daikoku may be connected to the Black Organization. Based on these elements, the theory that Rentaro Daikoku is the mastermind has been circulating among fans.

Analysis 4: Karasuma = Akira Sakamaki

Another candidate for the identity of Karasuma is Akira Sakamaki. He was a film director who had already passed away, and his name appeared in volume 24 of the manga and episode 176 of the anime. Conan and Haibara, who participated in the “Memorial Service for Akira Sakamaki,” were involved in a black organization-related incident in this episode.

In disguise as Chris Vineyard, Vermouth infiltrated the same event and murdered a black organization member and politician, Nomi-guchi, to silence him. It is possible to infer that Akira Sakamaki had some connection with the black organization during his lifetime.

Furthermore, the character “酒(sake)” in his name reminds one of the black organization’s codename. It is also possible to connect his representative work, “Nijiiro no Hankachi,” and the push notification sound of the black organization’s boss’s email address, which is the melody of the children’s song “Nanatsu no Ko.”

Rainbows have “7” colours, and the song’s title also has “7.” So if Akio Shukumaki and Uramura are the same people, then the number “7” could also be a hint.

Who is Renya Karasuma?

The mastermind’s true identity, which could be considered the biggest mystery in Detective Conan, remains shrouded in secrecy despite the revelation of the name “Renya Karasuma.”

Since even Haibara refers to the mastermind as an “unexpected person,” it is possible that the person is someone close to Conan. So let’s eagerly await the moment when their true identity is revealed!

Living in Japan, I work as an Editor/Writer at 1ScreenMagazine. Self proclaimed King of the Funny.

Joshua Mosesをフォローする
1Screen Magazine
Copied title and URL