Moriarty the Patriot is a pastiche (fan fiction) of the legendary detective novel series "Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle, focusing on James Moriarty, arguably Holmes' greatest rival of all time. It is a crime suspense story that crosses the lines of Moriarty, the mastermind behind the crimes he uses to eradicate the darkness within aristocratic society, and the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, who solves a variety of cases. We would like to introduce the two main characters of this work, William James Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes!
William James Moriarty: A Patriot Who Tries to Change the World Through Crime
The setting of Sherlock Holmes is the era of Pax Britannica in London, when upper-class aristocrats dominated society and discrimination against the working class intensified. William James Moriarty, a university professor and aristocrat from Durham during this time, had another side to him: a criminal consultant who counseled those who had fallen victim to the aristocracy's corruption, helping them to expose their injustices, and purging corrupt aristocrats through the perfect crime.
William James Moriarty: A University Professor on the Surface
The second son of the Moriarty family, he is a university professor on the surface. He entered university at the age of 16, published a paper on the binomial theorem, and became a professor at the age of 21. His public face is that of a mathematics professor at Durham University. He also accepts non-criminal consultations, and has successfully resolved most of them. These consultations date back to his childhood, and some involve crime. He is likely the one who proposed and successfully executed the idea of digging a tunnel underground to rob a bank. Incidentally, this incident is the inspiration for the original story, about Adam Worth, a real person.
Was he actually an orphan?! The impersonation of "William James Moriarty"
William was actually originally an orphan. However, despite being an orphan, Albert, the eldest son of the Moriarty family, took notice of William's exceptional intellect and ideas, and adopted him and his younger brother, Louis, into the Moriarty family. At the mansion, he is treated cruelly by the servants, his second son William, and his stepmother, and is almost framed for a crime he did not commit. However, Albert, who was disgusted by the discrimination typical of the aristocracy, plans to kill his stepmother and William, set fire to the mansion, and take on the identity of his second son William when he escapes. This means that he must have a real name, but it is currently unknown.
The Perfect Crime Plan of "William James Moriarty"
William's crimes are essentially the actions of a mastermind, either exposing his targets and leading them to ruin, or investigating people he hates so much he wants to kill them, then giving them a criminal plan and putting it into action. His character is similar to other characters in the works, such as Shogo Makishima from Psychopath and Yoichi Takato from The Kindaichi Case Files. However, he may be the inspiration for these two characters.
Meeting His Fated Rival, Sherlock Holmes
William meets his fateful rival, Sherlock Holmes, on the luxury cruise ship Noatic. For his plan, he targets Count Blitz Enders, who has been murdering working-class people under the guise of human hunting, and destroys him. In the process, he meets the future great detective Sherlock Holmes, who instantly sees through William's profession as a mathematician and is the only person to realize that there is a mastermind behind what was supposed to be a perfect crime. This worries William, but he decides to use him as a detective to expose the corruption of the aristocracy.
The World's Most Famous Detective: Sherlock Holmes
He is the protagonist of the world-famous detective novel and the other main character of this work. He is one of the few people who can rival William in intelligence, and in addition to his outstanding intellect, he is also a genius with a background in forensic science and scientific investigation. He uncovers the truth through logical thinking, believing that "if you eliminate each impossibility one by one, you will arrive at the truth." He lives in an apartment at B221 Baker Street and later shares a room with his assistant, John H. Watson, also known as Conan Doyle.
The Eccentric Detective "Sherlock Holmes"
He's an undeniable genius in the field of detective deduction, but he's also eccentric. He doesn't care much about anything outside of his own interests, and he's not interested in things like status or honor. He's willing to commit some illegal acts to uncover the truth, but that doesn't mean he's willing to commit murder. He has a strong sense of justice and chooses his methods carefully. This sense of justice attracts the attention of William James Moriarty, who becomes his detective, uncovering the crimes of aristocrats. As in the original work, he's also a drug addict and sometimes appears mentally unstable.
Sherlock Holmes: Pursuing the Crime Lord
He realizes that there is a mastermind behind the incidents he is involved in, and he begins to pursue the person pulling the strings behind the Noatic incident and the murder of Count Drepper, naming him the Crime Lord. As a detective, he can only act after a case has occurred, and is often at William's mercy. However, he quickly senses that the only person who could be the Crime Lord is William James Moriarty.
Sherlock Holmes: A Specialist in Crime
Holmes is skilled at uncovering crimes and uncovering the truth, but he also has the ability to plan and carry out planned crimes if he so chooses. However, even so, he only commits crimes under very special circumstances. When he does commit a crime, there is always a good reason for it. Furthermore, while Holmes in this work is not a character who willingly commits murder, he is also the type of Holmes who will pull the trigger when he must.
[Moriarty the Patriot] Summary of the Two Protagonists
This work focuses on Professor Moriarty, a character from Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, portraying him as a political prisoner who seeks to change the aristocratic class system through crime. It is notable for its skillful interweaving of real events and fiction set in the same era, and for its unique interpretations of various characters. Even for those unfamiliar with Holmes, a little research will reveal many plot developments that will resonate with you, making it a fascinating read. The Moriarty the Patriot anime will begin airing in October 2020.
