The Kindaichi Case Files

The Kindaichi Case Files
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Hajime Kindaichi
金田一少年の事件簿
(Kindaichi Shōnen no Jikenbo)
GenreMystery
Manga
Written by
Illustrated byFumiya Satō
Published byKodansha
English publisher
Imprint
  • Shōnen Magazine Comics (1992–2017)
  • Evening KC (2018–)
Magazine
DemographicShōnen, seinen
Original runOctober 28, 1992 – present
Volumes99
Series titles
  1. File (1992–1997, 27 volumes)
  2. Short File (1997–2000, 6 volumes)
  3. Case (1998–2001, 10 volumes)
  4. New (2004–2011, 14 volumes)
  5. 20th Anniversary (2012–2013, 5 volumes)
  6. Return (2013–2017, 14 volumes)
  7. Age 37 (2018–2024, 18 volumes)
  8. 30th (2022–2023, 4 volumes)
  9. Papa (2025–present, 1 volume)
Further information
Light novel
Written bySeimaru Amagi
Illustrated byFumiya Satō
Published byKodansha
Original runSeptember 22, 1994April 20, 2001
Volumes9
Television drama
Directed by
Written by
  • Tetsuya Oishi
  • Manabu Kato
  • Akihiro Tago
  • Hajime Narita
  • Masaki Fukasawa
Studio
Original networkNNS (NTV)
Original run July 15, 1995 September 16, 1995
Episodes8
Anime film
Operazakan – Aratanaru Satsujin
Directed byDaisuke Nishio
Written byMichiru Shimada
Music byKaoru Wada
StudioToei Animation
ReleasedDecember 14, 1996
Runtime94 minutes
Anime television series
The File of Young Kindaichi
Directed byDaisuke Nishio
Music byKaoru Wada
StudioToei Animation
Original networkNNS (YTV, NTV)
English network
Original run TV series
April 7, 1997
September 11, 2000
TV specials
November 12, 2007 –
November 19, 2007
Episodes148 + 3 (TV specials)
Live-action film
Directed byYukihiko Tsutsumi
ReleasedDecember 13, 1997
Manga
Akechi Case Files
Written bySeimaru Amagi
Illustrated byFumiya Satō
Published byKodansha
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original runAugust 13, 1997May 17, 2000
Volumes2
Anime film
Satsuriku no Deep Blue
Music byKaoru Wada
StudioToei Animation
ReleasedAugust 21, 1999
Runtime91 minutes
Original video animation
The Black Magic Murders
Directed byToshiaki Komura
Written byIsao Murayama
Music byKaoru Wada
StudioToei Animation
Released December 17, 2012 March 15, 2013
Episodes2
Manga
Takato Case Files
Written bySeimaru Amagi
Illustrated byFumiya Satō
Published byKodansha
MagazineManga Box
DemographicShōnen
Original runDecember 4, 2013April 2, 2014
Volumes1
Anime television series
The Kindaichi Case Files R
Directed by
  • Yutaka Tsuchida (season 1)
  • Yoko Ikeda (season 2)
Produced by
  • Michihiko Suwa
  • Shinji Shimizu
Written by
Music byKaoru Wada
StudioToei Animation
Original networkNNS (ytv, Nippon TV)
English network
  • SEA: Animax Asia
Original run April 5, 2014 March 26, 2016
Episodes47 + 1 (TV specials)
Television drama
The File of Young Kindaichi Neo
Directed by
  • Hisashi Kimura
  • Shunsuke Kariyama
Written byYuya Takahashi
StudioNippon Television
Original networkNNS (Nippon TV)
Original run July 19, 2014 September 20, 2014
Episodes9
Manga
Kinnyaichi Shōnen no Jikenbo
Written byYuki Sato
Published byKodansha
MagazineEvening
DemographicSeinen
Original runDecember 28, 2021February 28, 2023
Volumes4
Television drama
The File of Young Kindaichi
Directed by
  • Hisashi Kimura
  • Shunpei Maruya
  • Ryuichi Inomata
Written by
  • Yuko Kawabe
  • Tetsuya Oishi
StudioNippon Television
Original networkNNS (Nippon TV)
Original run April 24, 2022 July 3, 2022
Episodes10

The Kindaichi Case Files (Japanese: 金田一少年の事件簿, Hepburn: Kindaichi Shōnen no Jikenbo) is a Japanese mystery manga series about the crime solving adventures of a high school student, Hajime Kindaichi, the supposed grandson of the famous (fictional) private detective Kosuke Kindaichi. Written by Yōzaburō Kanari or Seimaru Amagi (depending on series) and illustrated by Fumiya Satō, the Kindaichi series was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from October 1992 to October 2017, spanning a total of 76 tankōbon volumes. It is one of the earliest works in the mystery manga genre. In North America, the series was published in English by Tokyopop with the title The Kindaichi Case Files. Only the first 17 volumes (the first series) were released by Tokyopop.

The series was adapted by Toei Animation into a feature film in 1996 and a 148-episode anime television series broadcast from 1997 to 2000. The series was also adapted into a live-action film, five live-action drama series, three live-action television specials and further animated features for cinema and television. A second 47-episode anime television series adaptation, titled The Kindaichi Case Files R (Returns), was broadcast from 2014 to 2016.

Another manga series, The Case File of Kindaichi Age 37, was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Evening from January 2018 to February 2023 and continued on the Comic Days manga app from April 2023 to November 2024. It is set 20 years later, in which Hajime graduates high school, and becomes a manager of a PR firm, but is swung back into mysteries, despite quitting detective work. It was followed by The Case Files of Kindaichi Papa, started on Comic Days in January 2025.

In 1995, The Kindaichi Case Files won the 19th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category. By June 2019, the manga had over 100 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.