When you think of Detective Conan's high school detective, you think of Kudo Shinichi, but did you know there's another high school detective? ...That's right! It's Hattori Heiji, the Great Detective of the West, who has recently been playing a major role in the movies! Compared to Shinichi, who can be cool and pretentious, Heiji, being from Kansai, often tries to get laughs. In this article, we'll introduce you to the Great Detective of the West, Hattori Heiji!
Characteristic #1: Like he grew up in a tropical country? Dark-skinned Heiji
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
The first noticeable features of Hattori Heiji's appearance are his thick eyebrows and tanned skin! Both of his parents are Japanese, and they aren't as dark-skinned as Heiji, so perhaps his dark skin is due to tanning? Heiji seems like the kind of guy who would rush to any crime scene. Perhaps his tan is due to investigating outside when the incident occurred? ...One might think so, but it turns out Heiji inherited his dark skin from his grandfather.
Extremely rare! Pale-Skinned Heiji
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Heiji once disguised himself as Shinichi and attended Teitan High School's cultural festival to clear the suspicion that Shinichi was Conan. He changed his hairstyle and smeared powder on his face to whiten his skin, but his thick eyebrows and tone of voice remained the same, so his true identity was immediately revealed. His deductive reasoning skills are top-notch, but his disguise skills seem to be second-rate.
Characteristic #2: He's always with his childhood friend, Kazuha Toyama
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Whenever Heiji appears, Kazuha Toyama accompanies him. The two of them are always arguing like children, and their relationship is like the Kansai version of Shinichi and Ran. If you just look at them, you can tell how they feel about each other... Kazuha in particular has made it clear that she likes Heiji, and when Heiji often mentions the name "Kudou," she even suspects that "Kudou" is a woman.
He will definitely protect Kazuha in the most critical moment!
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Just as Conan rushes to the rescue of Ran in times of need, Heiji also always appears and rescues Kazuha when she's in trouble. One of the most memorable scenes is when Kazuha nearly falls off a cliff. Heiji tries to grab her hand and pull her up, but to no avail, and realizing they'll both fall if they continue like this, Kazuha stabs Heiji's hand with an arrow to make him let go. However, Heiji doesn't let go, and rescues Kazuha, bleeding out.
Characteristic #3: His Swordsmanship is Top-Notch
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Heiji was a member of the kendo club in high school and was a highly skilled kendo player. He displayed his skills not only with a kendo bamboo sword, but also when fighting criminals with real swords. In the movie, he fights multiple enemies with his sword, and even manages to repel a sword-wielding opponent using only the sheath of his sword.
An unexpected special skill?! Heiji is also fluent in English.
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Heiji has many talents, but by far the most surprising is the scene where he speaks English to Jodie. When Jodie suspects Heiji's English proficiency, Heiji responds in English, a scene that's hard to imagine coming from Heiji, who speaks native-level English and only speaks Kansai dialect.
Characteristic #4: His Father is a Big Shot in the Osaka Prefectural Police
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
His father, Heizo Hattori, is the chief of the Osaka Prefectural Police and holds the rank of Superintendent General. He's a career-oriented character who, unlike Heiji, gives off a strong image of being calm and collected. Here too, the setting is similar to that of the Kudo family, and like Shinichi, Heiji still can't match his father in terms of deductive ability and observation skills. Incidentally, he is also Kazuha's father's childhood friend and best friend.
More frightening than her father? His mother, Shizuka
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Heiji's mother, Shizuka, is a quintessential Kyoto beauty. She's also a highly skilled character, rivaling Heizo in every respect. Like Heiji, she's skilled in kendo, holds a black belt, and has extensive legal knowledge. She also showed off her karuta skills in "Kara Kurenai no Koiuta." She has a very forthright personality, and even her husband, Heizo, is no match for Shizuka. Incidentally, she was defeated in a kendo tournament in her second year of junior high school, but the opponent at that time was the mother of the protagonist who appears in "YAIBA."
Characteristic #5: He Knows Conan's True Identity
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Conan knows that Heiji is Shinichi, but the reason he found out was because Conan put Heiji to sleep with a tranquilizer gun. Heiji wakes up in the middle of a deduction, but pretends to be asleep and observes the situation. Then, after the case was solved, he confronted Conan and made him reveal his true identity...and it's impressive how he was able to see through it in an instant, despite the unrealistic situation of Shinichi in the form of a child.
How curious are you about Shinichi!? Heiji is completely attached to Conan
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Whenever Heiji sees Conan's face, he happily calls out "Kudo, Kudo." Whenever a case occurs, he runs around with Conan, ignoring Kazuha, who is with him, to gather information. When they first appeared, Heiji seemed to view him as a rival and an enemy, but after learning about the circumstances surrounding his childhood, they became friendly rivals. Ran often says, "The two of them are good friends."
Feature #6: A Future Bride Candidate Appears in the Movie
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
While Kazuha is a potential girlfriend for Heiji (and is practically his girlfriend already), a love rival appears in the movie, calling Heiji her "future husband." She comes from a wealthy family and travels around in a Rolls-Royce. When they first met and she clung to Heiji's arm, he was impressed by her great figure, which made him think, "Wow, what big boobs this girl has...", and Heiji even described her appearance as "There's no way you could forget someone as beautiful as her once you've seen her."
Not just in the movie! Momizi also appeared in the anime.
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
"Crimson Love Letter" is a movie based on the theme of karuta, and Momizi was thought to be a character exclusive to the movie. However, she later appeared in the TV anime, blushing and muttering, "My future husband," as she watched Heiji's exploits on her smartphone. We can't wait to see how she will become involved in the story going forward, and keep an eye on the battle between her and Kazuha for Heiji.
Feature #7: The Thick Osaka Dialect and the Voice Actor Who Plays It
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
While Heiji's parents sometimes speak standard Japanese depending on the situation, Heiji always speaks Osaka dialect, anywhere, and to anyone! And the voice actor who speaks that Osaka dialect is Ryo Horikawa, best known for his role as Vegeta in Dragon Ball! One of Heiji's most distinctive features is his unforgettable Osaka dialect.
Characteristic #8: It's not just the TV series. He also plays a major role in the movie version.
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Heiji first appeared as a rival character, filling in for Haibara, whose role was postponed shortly after the Detective Conan anime aired. However, due to his popularity, he also appeared as the main character in the movie version. He plays a major role in "Crossroads of the Labyrinth" and "Dark Crimson Love Song", and in "Dark Crimson Love Song" in particular, the catchphrase was "Wait for me, I'll protect you even if it means my death..." which was made with Heiji in mind.
Characteristic #9: He was involved in the same case as Shinichi when he was in middle school
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Although he himself is unaware of it, Heiji was once investigating the same case as Shinichi when he was in middle school. The setting was a murder case on a snowy slope. Heiji is getting closer to the truth with his accurate deductions, but he can't help but be bothered by the presence of a middle school student who is always one step ahead of his deductions. That middle school student who is always one step ahead of Heiji is Kudo Shinichi.
Heiji and Shinichi. The Father They Both Relied On
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
As they worked through the case, Heiji and Shinichi received clues from their fathers. Because of this, each of them believed they had lost, saying, "I solved the mystery with the help of my father's clue," while the other middle school student solved it on his own, and they refused to face each other. Later, in the present, Heiji reminisces with Conan about this, unaware that the person he was talking to was Shinichi.
Characteristic #10: His relationship with Kazuha doesn't progress very quickly
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama/Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
While the two clearly share feelings for each other, Heiji's timing is often awfully poor when Kazuha tries to convince him otherwise. When Kazuha came up to him and shouted, "I really love you!", he disappeared from her sight in the middle of the conversation and went to Conan. Incidentally, the reason he went to Conan was because "he wanted to know about Shinichi and Ran's love story."
Still, Heiji makes Kazuha fall in love with him at key moments
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
With all these untimely actions, one might worry that he'll eventually lose interest in her, but Heiji sometimes does and says things that make Kazuha fall in love with him. One particularly memorable scene was when Kazuha was almost taken away by a stranger. He shouts in front of Kazuha, "What are you doing to my Kazuha?", causing her to look all girly.
Summary of the Great Detective of the West, Heiji Hattori
Source: Detective Conan © Gosho Aoyama / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, TMS
Although he's often positioned as a comedic character, when it comes to deduction, he truly lives up to his reputation as the Great Detective of the West. What was surprising was that he can speak English fluently! Is he able to study as well as make brilliant deductions? I'm curious about his relationship with Kazuha, and also with Momiji, who will likely appear in the future!
