Recap / The Kindaichi Case Files Amakusa Treasure Legend Murder Case

"Amakusa Treasure Legend Murder Case" is the third case arc in the Case series of The Kindaichi Case Files. This also marks the debut of Souta Murakami, who would serve as the resident Recurring Extra in this franchise.

Itsuki visits the Kindaichi household one day, bringing with him the news of an upcoming treasure-hunting expedition, and Kidaichi and Miyuki are both recruited into the quest alongside several others. Instead of finding buried treasure, however, the participants find themselves involved in a serial murder case.

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Tropes include:

• All for Nothing: The reason the culprit has committed murders in this case arc is actually to eliminate potential competitions as the rightful heir in getting the inheritance for his daughter, who turns out to be the granddaughter of a famous company's CEO. Unfortunately, it's revealed near the end of the case arc that the inheritance the culprit has sought is no more since the CEO has been broke the entire time, meaning the culprit has wasted all the time and effort in the serial murders for nothing.
• Break the Haughty: The detective who's in charge of the case is an arrogant Jerkass who doesn't take kindly to civilians questioning or contradicting his words. Late in the case arc, he's forced to cooperate with Kindaichi after Akechi gives him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech (it helps that Akechi is higher up in rank than he is), and he looks like all colors have been drained out of him after Akechi hangs up.
  Kindaichi: Impressive! That Akechi is pretty formidable! Even this hard head has got to obey him.
• Bridal Carry: Itsuki carries Hazuki in front in his arms at one point while looking for treasure at a spot with receding tide.
  Itsuki: Well, it's been a while since I held you like this. You've gained some weight, haven't you?
  Hazuki: [with Luminescent Blush] Idiot!
• Buried Alive: This was the fate that befell the treasure hunter who died in a previous expedition that Ituski and co. also participated in after being caught in a landslide the treasure hunter in question couldn't escape. Since Itsuki and the other participants couldn't call for help, all they could manage was to spend an entire night digging their way in to get the trapped treasure hunter out. Unfortunately, the trapped treasure hunter had already died by the time the others managed to reach him.
  Itsuki: Problems started cropping up since then... and on some days, I even get nightmares when I think about that!
• The Cake Is a Lie: The organizer of the treasure-hunting event actually intends to use it as a front to kill the intended targets instead.
• Catapult Nightmare: The case arc begins with Kindaichi waking up screaming after having a nightmare while being (again) Asleep in Class. What the nightmare was is never revealed, but his disruptive screaming only earns him some Corporal Punishment from the teacher in the class at the time for his trouble.
• Clock Tampering: Kindaichi comes to the realization that the culprit had caused Clock Discrepancy by manipulating the wristwatches worn by the intended victims^note  (in this case arc, everyone wears a wristwatch) late in the case arc and gets Itsuki to privately alter the indicated time in the cabin clocks in order to get the culprit Lured into a Trap.
• Compliment Backfire: Early on in the case arc, Itsuki brings Kindaichi and Miyuki to meet with a magazine editor. The editor gushes over the appearance of the grandchild of Kosuke Kindaichi, the legendary detective... under the mistaken belief that the grandchild in question was MIYUKI. A moment of awkward silence ensues when Itsuki sets the record straight.
  Editor: Mr. Itsuki, Kosuke Kindaichi's granddaughter is so pretty! Just like Miss Universe!
  Itsuki: Huh? Oh, no, no! *points to Hajime* This one here is the grandchild!
  [Hajime and the editor stare at each other in awkward silence]
  Editor: [sweating profusely] Ah! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, Mr. Itsuki! He looked s-so plain, so I...
  [Itsuki says nothing in embarrassment]
  Hajime: [thinks to himself] T-This guy... What was your opinion about me, anyway? Stupid? Moron?
• Connected All Along: The murder victims in this case are actually heirs of a CEO, who was born from the lineage of a famous treasure hunter who lived long ago. Due to the CEO's arrangements of having them raised by their respective foster families, they grew up with a strong drive for treasure-hunting ingrained into them without knowing they were actually related to one another. As Kindaichi reveals during Summation Gathering, the culprit has a lesser connection to a heir as well, being married to one before said heir passed away two years ago.
• Continuity Nod: One of the participants, an avid treasure hunter herself, brings up Kindaichi's involvement in the Hihou Island treasure-hunting incident.
  Treasure Hunter: I've heard many rumors about you, Mr. Kindaichi! Weren't you the one who found the treasure in Hihou Island? But then... you don't look like one of the high-class types...
  Kindaichi: That's because not a single yen went to my pocket!
• Death Seeker: Once the reality sinks in for the culprit that he committed serial murders for a motive that turns out to be nonexistent, he becomes more than willing to embrace death, as demonstrated by him begging Itsuki to kill him, if only so that his daughter will be able to inherit the life insurance he has on himself in order to afford the surgery treatment that is needed to keep her alive. And that's without mentioning him literally trying to get himself killed, like jumping in front of an incoming truck.
• Deceased Fall-Guy Gambit: The culprit imposes this on two people: The first person is a fellow treasure hunter who perished in a previous expedition all of the treasure-hunting participants knew (in fact, the "ghost" in this murder case is based on this deceased treasure hunter), and the second one is Hazuki, the assistant archeology professor who ends up as the intended final murder victim.
• Determinator: None of the participants in the treasure-hunting expedition wants to call off the event, even as the serial murder is ongoing.
• Double Take: Hajime and Miyuki's encounter with Itsuki in this case arc starts out with them passing the dining room in the Kindaichi house without paying any heed to it, before they turn back to the room in utter surprise a moment after Itsuki greets them, not having anticipated him appearing at the Kindaichi house.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: The tour guide for this expedition is a Long-Haired Pretty Boy whose initial appearance causes Miyuki and Kindaichi to react with Luminescent Blush, and Kindaichi also nearly tells him to bathe in the girls-only section upon seeing him approaching the hot-spring before realizing it's him instead of an actual girl.
• Entertainingly Wrong: After Kindaichi dispels the notion of a vengeful ghost being behind the serial murder, the detective wonders whether the Amakusa treasure, whose existence is still hitherto in doubt and the main focus of the treasure-hunting expedition for the participants this whole time, is the real motive. Kindaichi's response is that, while the detective is not entirely right in this regard, he's actually right in insinuating that the motive is money-driven, as the treasure that the culprit has been aiming for is one that was found long ago and passed down through the generations into the CEO of a famous company in the present day.
• Hypocritical Humor: Miyuki tries to get Kindaichi to get ready and be out of the cottage, but Kindaichi is reluctant because it's early in the morning. Miyuki then says that he won't be able to have breakfast if he's late, and Kindaichi is out of his cottage a bare minute later, fully clothed — well, almost fully clothed, since he's wearing slippers. Right at that moment, Itsuki appears and pokes fun at Kindaichi's clothing "choice", only for Kindaichi to retort with a "Not So Different" Remark at Itsuki's expense.
  Ituski: Hey, Kindaichi, what's the matter? Sleep too much and you'll become a moron, you know!
  Kindaichi: You're one to talk! All your buttons are done up wrong!
  [The panel shows the buttons on Itsuki's shirt being done slightly off]
  Miyuki: *thinks to herself* They're really birds of a feather...
• Inheritance Murder: The motive for the serial murders in this case turns out to be because the culprit desires to gain the estate of a famous company from its CEO as the CEO's sole inheritor.
• Jump Scare:
  • After Itsuki finishes recounting the story of the deceased treasure hunter that is the basis of the "ghost" in the present-day murder case, a pair of hands suddenly grab Kindaichi from behind, causing him to scream in horror and hide behind Miyuki. It turns out to be Emily, who has just managed to catch up to Kindaichi, Miyuki, and Itsuki due to waking up late.
  • While Hazuki watches the scene of a place with receding tide, a figure suddenly shows up behind her and claims to be the "ghost". Since two people have already fallen victim to the "ghost" at that point, Hazuki whips around and delivers a slap to fight off the intruder... only to open her eyes and see Itsuki reeling from the pain on his cheek, having done a prank on her and gotten slapped for his trouble.
• Locked into Strangeness: The deceased treasure hunter who perished in a previous expedition ended up with white hair due to the trauma of being trapped in a landslide all night.
• Manly Tears: This marks the first time Itsuki is actually seen shedding tears, after the demise of the assistant professor, with whom Itsuki shares Belligerent Sexual Tension with due to them having once been a couple in the past and signs point to them still harboring romantic feelings for one another back when she was alive.
• Mirthless Laughter: Kindaichi gives a nervous laugh after the tour guide stops him Just in Time before he tries to cross a marsh that turns out to be a quicksand, sweating profusely for good measure.
• Nap-Inducing Speak: This case arc illustrates how little Kindaichi care about history. Not only does he fall asleep during the Japanese history class (to be fair, he's an Apathetic Student who tends to be Asleep in Class anyway, whether the subject at the time is history or some other topic), he also dozes off when the editor Itsuki takes him and Miyuki to meet talks about the history behind the buried treasure which the treasure-hunting quest is based on — twice, at that, with Miyuki having to wake him up both times, much to her annoyance.
  Itsuki: When it comes to HISTORY, that's just how he is... When it comes to MYSTERY, though, he'll bring even the police down on their knees!
  Editor: W-Well, if you say so, Mr. Itsuki...
• Nightmare Fuel: The treasure hunter who died in a previous expedition provides an In-Universe example of this trope. Due to the trauma of being trapped in a landslide all night and his subsequent attempts of getting himself out to no avail, his appearance in death was unsettling, as Ituski recounts to Kindaichi and Miyuki when prodded by Kindaichi about the "ghost" that is responsible for the present-day serial murder case after Kindaichi himself has a close encounter with the "ghost" in question during the previous night. Moreover, the burial of said treasure hunter itself didn't go smoothly, as it was done in a hurry while a heavy storm was in place, and a lightning bolt strike at an inopportune moment made his deceased appearance appear even more unpleasant than before. When Itsuki describes the entire incident in full details, his demeanor gets nervous with each passing sentence and sweat drops start falling from his face.
  Itsuki: The trauma of being Buried Alive had turned his hair white in a single night. His hair was long to begin with, and it was a frightful thing to behold. There were scratch marks on the rocks surrounding his corpse. Can you even believe that? Scratch marks on the rock... his fingers were bloody and the skin on his fingers was completely peeled off.[...] There was a fearful storm raging back then, so we couldn't take his corpse anywhere. He had no relatives, so we decided to bury him there. With heavy hearts, we started the burial, and right then, Hazuki placed the cross she was always carrying around on his chest. And at that moment... a gigantic bolt of lightning came down and struck squarely on the cross! And the force of the lightning bolt was so much that the cross was incinerated and left behind a long, bloody gash in the shape of a cross on his chest. And what was much more terrifying than that... after the lightning struck, his eyes, which we'd shut closed earlier... were SHOT OPEN! Just as though he had been resurrected... obviously, that was impossible. He hadn't come back to life, so we buried his corpse. But within my heart, I still carry the memory with me.
• Not What It Looks Like: Late in the case arc, Kindaichi leans onto Miyuki's lap after spending some time trying to deduce the truth about the supposed "confession" and "suicide" of the "culprit" without success (and getting smacked on the head by Miyuki when he starts acting perverted) while they're alone in a room, Emily walks in the room in question to tell Kindaichi that there's a phone call for him — and then runs off screaming, her face red with embarrassment. Miyuki is unsure why she behaves like that... before realizing she's sitting on top of Kindaichi's pelvis. While Kindaichi enjoys such an occasion, Miyuki doesn't, and she makes it clear by beating Kindaichi up. When Kindaichi takes the phone call, which comes from Fumi^note  (this would be the first call coming from her), he's bruised, swollen, and throbbing all over the face.
• Outdoor Bath Peeping: Attempted but ultimately subverted, as Hajime's two attempts at taking a peek at the girl(s) bathing at a hot spring both end in failure.
  • The first time he does so, Miyuki and Emily are in the midst of their argument. Too bad for him they're not too busy arguing with each other to notice him trying to peep at him, which results in one of them throwing a wooden bucket at him and striking him in the face with it.
  • Miyuki takes a private bath the next morning, voicing her confidence that Hajime wouldn't be around to peep at her since he normally doesn't wake up so early in the morning, unaware that he's already waiting outside the fence and prepared to peep at her. The reason his attempt fails this time is because Miyuki finds a corpse, who's the first murder victim in this serial murder case, right as she's about to undress.
• Overly Long Scream: The second time Hajime talks to Fumi over the phone starts with Fumi screaming at Hajime for giving her false information, resulting in Fumi being made fun of in school — however, to be fair, Hajime himself has been hitherto unaware that said bit of information is actually false.
  Fumi: YOOOOU LIAAAAAARRRRR!!!! Because of you, the entire school's making fun of me!
• Overly-Nervous Flop Sweat:
  • After meeting Itsuki at the dining room inside the Kindaichi house, Hajime prepares to have supper, only to complain to Mrs. Kindaichi that no matsutake mushrooms remain, at which point Mrs. Kindaichi explains that she gave them all to Itsuki due to him praising the taste of said mushrooms. Itsuki promptly offers one last slice of the mushroom to Kindaichi, but, due to the mushroom having been in the bowl Itsuki himself ate out of, Hajime reacts to the offer with a grossed-out expression as sweat oozes and drops from his face.
  • When Itsuki introduces Kindaichi and Miyuki to the magazine editor regarding a treasure-hunting expedition, the editor tries to praise the grandchild of the great detective Kosuke Kindaichi... unfortunately, the editor thought the grandchild in question was MIYUKI by mistake. By the time Itsuki clarifies, the damage has already been done, and the editor sweats profusely over the Compliment Backfire that ends up flattering no one.
  • One example that is not Played for Laughs involves Itsuki giving a detailed account of the previous treasure-hunting quest where a fellow hunter died after being trapped in a landslide for a night. Itsuki himself sweats more and more as his expression remains unnerved while he recounts the scene of the fellow treasure hunter's appearance in death and the incident taking place while the rest of them buried the dead guy.
  • While looking for a potential shortcut between various paths late in the case arc, Kindaichi decides to attempt to cross what appears to be a short gap on a map, but the tour guide stops him at once before tossing a stone unto the ground in the marsh ahead, which promptly sinks into the marsh, leaving Kindaichi sweating profusely and laughing nervously at having avoided a natural Death Trap in time.
  • The detective in charge of this case goes through an episode of profuse sweating as he's forced to listen to Akechi chewing him out with a "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
• Police Are Useless: The detective in charge of this case is pathetically ineffective, as he not only takes the fake evidence the culprit leaves behind at face value but also refuses to entertain the idea that his assessment about the crime scenes might be wrong or to believe in Kindaichi's deduction, going so far to decide to have Kindaichi arrested on the charge of insulting a police officer when Kindaichi calls him out on his obstinacy. It takes a stern "The Reason You Suck" Speech Akechi gives him over the phone to make him back down and cooperate with Kindaichi.
• Powerful Pick: The culprit's murder weapon of choice toward the intended targets except Hazuki, for whom the culprit employs a different murder method for the Deceased Fall-Guy Gambit.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Akechi's debut in the Case series involves him giving a thoroughly harsh but effective one at the detective who's in charge of the murder case.
  Akechi: [over the phone] How disappointing... that in such an important case... you were defeated by a little punk! Listen well, you! Compared to this kid, the difference between your abilities... is like day and night! What you should do right now is to shut up and listen to what he has to say, understand? Just follow his instructions and you'll catch the murderer! Is that clear? *click*
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: A tragic example. The reason the culprit has committed murders in this case arc is actually to eliminate potential competitions as the rightful heir in getting the inheritance for his daughter, who turns out to be the granddaughter of a famous company's CEO. After it's revealed near the end of the case arc that the inheritance the culprit has sought is no more since the CEO has been broke the entire time, the killer falls down on the knees, muttering that those four people have been killed for nothing.
• Tempting Fate:
  • On the second day of the treasure-hunting expedition, Miyuki decides to bathe in the hot-spring early in the morning. She expresses belief that Kindaichi won't wake up this early to try to peek at her, not knowing that he's already waiting at a peephole to look at her while she bathes.
  • While the murder case is still ongoing, Itsuki is told by Hazuki during their private conversation that her wish for the treasure-hunting expedition is to simply see the treasure, not to claim it. Unfortunately for her, she won't ever get to see her wish fulfilled, as she ends up murdered not long afterwards.
  • Played for Laughs late in the case arc, in which Kindaichi decides to cross what appears to be a short gap on a map, but the tour guide stops him before tossing a stone unto the ground in the marsh ahead, which promptly sinks, leaving Kindaichi sweating profusely and laughing nervously at having dodged a natural Death Trap in time.
    Kindaichi: It's just a marsh, right?
    Tour Guide: That's no ordinary marsh... [tosses a stone into the marsh ahead, which sinks] As you can see, it's quicksand. It's impossible to pass.
  • Right after the aforementioned scenario, Kindaichi, Miyuki, and the tour guide decide to trek across a path to the tour guide's house. The tour guide cautions that it's a steep trek, but Kindaichi dismisses it, claiming that, in his own words, "a fit guy like me can do it blindfolded". Hilarity Ensues one hour later...
    Kindaichi: [panting repeatedly] Can we stop for a little rest...?
    Miyuki: It was your idea in the first place.
    Tour Guide: There's a cafe nearby. Shall we stop there?
• Thanks for the Mammary: As the result of a Jump Scare Emily causes to Kindaichi, he hides behind Miyuki for security. After they set the record straight, however, Miyuki hits him due to him grabbing her by the breasts from behind.
  Miyuki: HEY... HOW LONG ARE YOU GONNA KEEP GRABBING ME FOR?! [hits Kindaichi]
  Kindaichi: YOW!
• Theme Naming: As Kindaichi discloses during The Summation, all of the potential heirs who were born from the lineage of a famous treasure hunter who lived long ago, as well as everyone else who has been part of such a heritage, have "tsuki" ("moon" in Japanese) in their name(s) when written in kanji. The scroll with the family tree written on it even has a crescent moon in the family crest. The only reason the heirs are not aware that they share such a lineage is because they were brought up in different foster families, which the CEO had arranged on purpose beforehand, without their actual heritage being divulged to them, in the hope of minimizing Sibling Murder.
• Tragic Dream: Hazuki has harbored a dream of finding the Amakusa treasure, even if just to take a look at it, which she confides to Itsuki in their private conversation. It ends up forever unfulfilled as she falls victim to the culprit of the murder case.
  Hazuki: I have no wish to claim that old treasure. Since I was a little girl, I've dreamed about finding the Amakusa treasure... seeing its splendor before my eyes would be enough for me.
• What Does She See in Him?: Souta Murakami's debut, which takes place shortly before a Mystery Club meeting, includes a dialogue about Miyuki between Kindaichi and himself, with Sota himself wondering why a studious student like Miyuki keeps hanging around Kindaichi, much to Kindaichi's chagrin.
  Kindaichi: She's in two different clubs. How can she be so active in both? Man, I just can't understand it!
  Souta: Is that so? But, still... she always sticks with a weirdo like you. That's even harder to understand.
  Kindaichi: Huh? What did you say, Sota?
  Souta: He he he, nothing, nothing.
• Working with the Ex: One of the participants in this case arc is Hazuki, an assistant professor of archeology... and Itsuki's girlfriend for a time before they broke up after a previous treasure-hunting expedition.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: The development of the case arc shows that Itsuki and his ex-girlfriend still harbor romantic feelings towards each other despite arguing with each other a lot. Sadly nothing comes of it when she falls victim in the serial murder — and marked as the scapegoat behind the murders by the culprit, at that.