History Main / BornDetective

[[folder:Film]]

** Shuichi Saihara from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', whose uncle was a private investigator which Shuichi often helped to [[ParentalAbandonment show gratitude for taking care of him.]] He worked on several cases before solving the homicide that granted him the title of Ultimate Detective.

* The protagonist of ''Film/KidDetective2020'' was a former child sleuth who grew up to become a private detective. Unfortunately rather than solving any worthwhile mysteries he deals with the same petty crimes and odd jobs that he worked on as a child and is still haunted by the case of his missing childhood friend from years ago. The film has him investigating an actual murder case as his way of truly becoming a proper detective.

* ''Literature/TheHardyBoys'': Joe and Frank Hardy, who helped their PI father solve cases. Or, in some cases ([[MoneyDearBoy especially where a reward was involved]]) ''competed'' with their PI father.

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'': Although not a detective himself, Shinichi Kudo's father is a mystery writer, thus giving Shinichi his detective streak and easy access to the books of Conan Doyle. The fact that he and Shinichi's mother are able to put on a performance that baffles even Shinichi early on, they both clearly have the background to qualify Conan for this trope. To help further the cause, Yusaku Kudo is BrilliantButLazy. Megure and Kogoro have both tried on several occasion in his {{Backstory}} to recruit him to being a police detective... just for Yusaku to catch on and prove smarter.

* Franchise/SherlockHolmes, in the single story where he talks about his family ("The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter"), acknowledges that his observational skills are a family trait, and that his elder brother Mycroft has an even greater share of them than he himself.

KidDetective who grows up to be a PrivateDetective, with the help of his/her BadassFamily. In short, a parent was a PI (or other profession) and raised their child from a young age to help Mommy/Daddy spy on other people, etc.

* ''Series/VeronicaMars'', raised by her sheriff-turned-PI dad, was already running her own PI business in HighSchool (it was well-known that the girls loos doubled as "her office" during school hours). A lawyer-friend of the family would leave cases open on the desk she had at her father's office while he was with clients in case she decided to "take a look".

** [[spoiler:Kyoko Kirigiri]] from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc''. [[spoiler:Her family, the Kirigiri, are a family of top detectives, and even before she realized her title being "Super High-School Level Detective", she tremendously helped out the protagonist Naegi with her deductive and investigation skills befitting of a detective.]]
** Shuichi Saihara from ''VisualNovel/NewDanganRonpaV3'', whose uncle was a private investigator which Shuichi often helped to [[ParentalAbandonment show gratitude for taking care of him.]] He worked on several cases before solving the homicide that granted him the title of Ultimate Detective.

For heroes instead of detectives, see KidHeroAllGrownUp

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'': Although not a detective himself, Shinichi Kudo's father is a mystery writer, thus giving Shinichi his detective streak and easy access to the books of Conan Doyle. The fact that he and Shinichi's mother are able to put on a performance that baffles even Shinichi early on, they both clearly have the background to qualify Conan for this trope.
** To help further the cause, Yusaku Kudo is BrilliantButLazy. Megure and Kogoro have both tried on several occasion in his {{Backstory}} to recruit him to being a police detective...just for Yusaku to catch on and prove smarter.

* [[Literature/TheHardyBoys Joe & Frank Hardy]], who helped their PI father solve cases.
** Or, in some cases ([[MoneyDearBoy especially where a reward was involved]]) ''competed'' with their PI father.

** In the pastiche series, ''Literature/EnolaHolmes'', the title character, who is the far younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, runs away and finds that she is no less talented as a detective as her brothers.

*** There's a new series called ''The Sherlock Files'' which feature the great-great-great grandchildren.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/VeronicaMars'', raised by her sheriff-turned-PI dad, was already running her own PI business in HighSchool (it was well-known that the girls loos doubled as 'her office' during school hours). A lawyer-friend of the family would leave cases open on the desk she had at her father's office while he was with clients in case she decided to 'take a look'.
* Emerson Cod of ''Series/PushingDaisies'' (who started out so early, he was being used in stings as a baby)

** Detective [=McNulty=] uses his preteen sons trail a drug kingpin through a market, and judging by their skill at it, he's taught a few things about tailing a suspect. While he is a loving father, this is an example of how terrible a person [=McNulty=] is at everything but being a detective. His ex-wife is pissed when she finds out and tries to take away his custody rights.
** While not necessarily used about people who actually ''have'' been detectives since childhood, the Baltimore cops call anyone whose instincts for policework ''seem'' like they've been doing it since they've been in diapers "natural police." [=McNulty=] is regularly termed "a natural police" (''sic''--a Baltimore cop is almost always called "a police"), as is Lester Freamon (after he's allowed to show what he can do).
* He wasn't raised to be a detective, but ''Series/{{Monk}}'''s neurotic mother probably caused him at least in part to develop the OCD that makes him such a skilled investigator, and the episode "Mr. Monk and Little Monk" revealed that he solved his first (admittedly minor) crime in middle school.
** A mini series called ''Little Monk'' was created during its eighth season which shows Adrian and his brother Ambrose serving as his [[TheWatson Watson]] solving several cases in school.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ComicStrip/DickTracy
** Dick's adopted son Junior accompanies Dick on cases during his childhood and grows up to be, a police forensic artist.
** Dick Jr's HalfHumanHybrid daughter Honeymoon is still in the preteen/teen range, but she's helped the Tracy family on cases too.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}''´s Naoto Shirogane, who is the fifth generation in a family of professional detectives.

* WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget's niece Penny would likely have grown up to be one of these, after all the practice she had "helping" her uncle solve his cases. Subverted, in that Gadget was chiefly useless and Penny did most of the work.

** Naoto's successor Goro Akechi, the "second coming of the Detective Prince" plays with this. [[spoiler: Akechi is legitimately brilliant, but his actual detective skills are a sham. All of his cases were actually perpetrated by him in the Metaverse causing mental shutdowns that made it appear that the victims were actually the culprits.]]

* [[spoiler:Kyoko Kirigiri]] from ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa''. [[spoiler:Her family, the Kirigiri, are a family of top detectives, and even before she realized her title being "Super High-School Level Detective", she tremendously helped out the protagonist Naegi with her deductive and investigation skills befitting of a detective.]]
* Also Shuichi Saihara from ''VisualNovel/NewDanganRonpaV3'', whose uncle was a private investigator which Shuichi often helped to [[ParentalAbandonment show gratitude for taking care of him.]] He worked on several cases before solving the homicide that granted him the title of Ultimate Detective.

* The ''TouchDetective'' series shows Mackenzie as this, but still in the KidDetective phase.

* [[spoiler:Kirigiri Kyouko]] from ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa''. [[spoiler:Her family, the Kirigiri, are a family of top detectives, and even before she realized her title being "Super High-School Level Detective", she tremendously helped out the protagonist Naegi with her deductive and investigation skills befitting of a detective.]]

* On ''Series/TheWire'', Detective [=McNulty=] uses his preteen sons trail a drug kingpin through the supermarket, and judging by their skill at it, he's taught a few things about tailing a suspect. While he is a loving father, this is an example of how terrible a person [=McNulty=] is at everything but being a detective. His ex-wife is pissed when she finds out and tries to take away his custody rights.

* [[TheHardyBoys Joe & Frank Hardy]], who helped their PI father solve cases.

* DistaffCounterpart NancyDrew also started this way, although her father was a lawyer, not a detective. She started by doing some low-level work to help him, but slowly evolved into a full-fledged detective (and like Frank and Joe, occasionally went against him when she thought the case didn't all add up.)

* InspectorGadget's niece Penny would likely have grown up to be one of these, after all the practice she had "helping" her uncle solve his cases. Subverted, in that Gadget was chiefly useless and Penny did most of the work.

* Both Deb and ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' are cops, as was their father, Harry. Played with, in that Dexter is actually Harry's adopted son (and a [[VillainProtagonist serial killer]]).

* Isabel and Rae Spellman of the ''SpellmanFiles'' book series. (David appears to have been brought up to be a PI as well, but he rebelled.)

* ''VeronicaMars'', raised by her sheriff-turned-PI dad, was already running her own PI business in HighSchool (it was well-known that the girls loos doubled as 'her office' during school hours). A lawyer-friend of the family would leave cases open on the desk she had at her father's office while he was with clients in case she decided to 'take a look'.
* Emerson Cod of ''PushingDaisies'' (who started out so early, he was being used in stings as a baby)
* Shawn Spencer of ''{{Psych}}'' was trained by his police officer father to have observational skills on the Sherlock Holmes level. He uses them to pretend he's psychic.
* On ''TheWire'', Detective [=McNulty=] uses his preteen sons trail a drug kingpin through the supermarket, and judging by their skill at it, he's taught a few things about tailing a suspect. While he is a loving father, this is an example of how terrible a person [=McNulty=] is at everything but being a detective. His ex-wife is pissed when she finds out and tries to take away his custody rights.
* He wasn't raised to be a detective, but ''{{Monk}}'''s neurotic mother probably caused him at least in part to develop the OCD that makes him such a skilled investigator, and the episode "Mr. Monk and Little Monk" revealed that he solved his first (admittedly minor) crime in middle school.

* ComicStrip/DickTracy's adopted son Junior accompanies Dick on cases during his childhood and grows up to be, a police forensic artist.

* ComicStrip/DickTracy's adopted son Junior accompanies Dick on cases during his childhood and grows up to be, er, a police photographer.

* Walter "Ramses" Emerson is the son of AmeliaPeabody and Radcliffe Emerson, both archeologists and both [[AmateurSleuth Amateur Sleuths]]. He has been detecting with them since he was six or so. Whether they want him to or not. He follows them in both careers, with a side-order of secret agent.