Trivia / The Kindaichi Case Files

• Recycled Script: A lot of tricks or key events were recycled from old cases. Justified since this is a long-running series. Interestingly, the author who has many pseudonyms used in producing lots of different manga also recycled each other's plot. Notable example include *WARNING FOR SPOILERS*:
  • Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo in Tantei Gakuen Q's Collector's murder is recycled in Kindaichi's Man-eater Laboratory Murder Case.
  • Using sound vibration to move objects based on sound wavelength has been used both in Kindaichi 20th's Anniversary Man-eater Laboratory Murder Case and Murder in Imaginary Music Hall
  • One trick in Kindaichi's Headless Samurai Murder Case is used again as a main trick in Kindaichi Return series' Doll Island Murder Case.
  • Pluto/Meiosei, a criminal organization which provides its clients a perfect crime in exchange for half of the client's wealth and will hypnotize or kill its client to prevent them from exposing the organization. This looks awfully similar to Takato Youichi's modus operandi: Providing his clients' perfect crime, manipulating them like puppets and killing the "puppets" when he thought "the string has ben cut", preventing them from exposing that Takato had provided the plan. The difference is that The organization works for money while Takato does this as a means of his rivalry with Kindaichi.
    • Moreover, Takato's current journey in discovering his heritage has similar shades to Ryu's. Both went to places their ancestors (father for Takato, great-grandfather for Ryu) created/renovated/owned and murders always happen in places related with the works.
  • Tantei Gakuen Q has one filler chapter involving looking for a stolen ring which turns out to be a crow's fault. Kindaichi's side story in his younger years also has the similar premise with a twist that Kindaichi diverts his true intention by making it look like a crow stole Miyuki's glowing watch while he did something else...
  • Kindaichi's way in determining who wore a disguise to scare his senior in Demon's Artifact Murder Case is used in one of Seimaru Amagi's work Remote to determine the killer.
  • "Kamikakushi" or "spirited away", a key event in Kamikakushi Village Murder Case is then used again as a key event in Kindaichi Returns Series' Snow Goblin Legend Murder Case.
  • One trick in Tantei Gakuen Q involves rigging a target's lots of habits into killing him basing it using "Chance and Probability" concept as shown here. Later cases in Kindaichi like House of Games Murder Case uses the same principle.
  • The main motive in Headless Samurai Murder Case and House of Games Murder Case. Both tried to kill a wealthy family member inheriting family wealth (House of Games) or position (Headless Samurai) so that the killer's child can inherit them.
  • Killer's backstory in Ijinkan Hotel Murder Case/Santa's Slaying and House of Games: both undergo a plastic surgery claiming another dead/missing person's identity.
  • One trick in Demon's Artifact Murder Case is recycled in Kindaichi Return Series' Ghost School Building Murder Case.
  • One major trick in Santa's Slaying misleading eyewitnesses into going to an iconic room based on the place's all red painting is used in Tantei Gakuen Q's early chapters.
  • Kindaichi smashing a vase to the floor to prove that plastic flowers found in one crime scene have shorter stems than normal to prove the whereabout of missing weapon on Alchemy Murder Case is a call back to Kyu smashing an ashtray on a wooden floor to prove that smashing things to a wooden floor will leave a mark whereas no mark can be seen in a crime scene where lots of broken vases were shown as if a struggle happened, disapproving everyone's alibi in Murder in Imaginary Music Hall.
  • Notice "Magician's select" used in Jailgate Private School Murder and Ghost School Building Murder?
  • Killing a person unknown to be the the killer's parent has been done in ''Murder in Séance'' and Headless Samurai Murder Case, with a twist on the latter.
  • A case where it happened in small time gap. In order to cheer up their now famous childhood friend, Kindaichi and Eiji (From Yuma Ando's Psychometrer Eiji) invited Masumi (appears in "French Silver Coin Murder Case") and Rie Akagi (Recurring character after her appearance since "Silent Stalker") to their class reunion after Masumi accidentally killed someone and was blackmailed to do another killings while Rie felt insecure after a rape incident that happened to her in her past career as an idol.
  • Psychometrer Eiji has one case called "Terrorist's Requiem". This and "Murders by Inspector Kenmochi" have similar plot points. Both have one girl who experienced sexual abuse by a group of teenage boys and then died, the group got away with light sentence because they were minors thus protected by laws, they were then targeted by one who had a close relationship with the girl, and the last target survived. Although in Kindaichi's case, the last target happened to be the killer themselves. He DID decide to end his life but was saved by Kindaichi and Akechi so it still counts.
  • Dropping a murder weapon using electromagnet. Look at Psychic murder and Black Spirit Hotel Murder Case.
  • Antlion Trench Murder Case can be considered a lesser version of House of Wax murder case. While isolated in a remote place with no means of escape until help arrives is one of Kindaichi's Strictly Formula, there are several other similarities: Characters coded by color/costume, rooms separated into 2 blocks, murder notice under announcement/vital sign stopping, the killer confronted when trying to do something related to their crime (killing the last target/retrieving evidence), and the trick being pretending to be dead body/victim's wax dummy, both in a closed room to escape said room with the first murder done to establish the second murder's trick, the third victim (or in the former case, was intended to be) being a scapegoat and the motive being revenge for killing the culprit's lover who was (accidentally in the former) killed out of jealousy/money.
  • Both Rozenkreuz Mansion and Kamikakushi Village from Tantei Gakuen Q use a certain trick to disorient the characters' sense of direction: a spiral staircase. This hides the secret of both locations: the mansion's two cross-shaped levels are not parallel to each other, and Kamikakushi Village has a much shorter, secret path to neighboring Hyotan Village. Both secrets are discovered by the characters using the sun to determine their true positions.