Last Saturday, June 17th, an interview took place as part of a press conference at the Comic-Salon in Erlangen with special guest Gosho Aoyama (creator of Detective Conan). The questions and, more importantly, the answers are of course not meant to be kept secret, so you can read the most important ones here.

How many volumes will Detective Conan have in total?

- It hasn’t been decided yet how many volumes there will be in total.

Has the ending of the series already been decided?

- Gosho Aoyama already has the final scene in mind, but he naturally won’t reveal it yet.

Will there be a happy ending?

- Gosho Aoyama won’t reveal that either.

When is Heiji’s birthday?

- That hasn’t been decided yet, but he was probably born in July or August.

Will Conan grow older during the series, for example, will he move up to the second grade?

- No, Conan won’t grow older. Except maybe at the end, but as mentioned, that’s still a secret.

In one of the movies, Sonoko gets a different hairstyle. Will she also get this hairstyle in the manga?

- The movies and the manga are completely separate. So, in the manga, Sonoko will keep her old hairstyle.

Doesn’t Gosho Aoyama want to write the final volume already and lock it in a safe?

- No, he won’t do that.

Does the antidote for the shrinking poison have something to do with necrosis?

- That’s still unclear.

Will more children join the Detective Boys?

- At the moment, no additional members are planned.

Can Japanese fans expect any big surprises soon?

- Yes, there will be some surprises. The name Haibara will play a role in them.

Does Gosho Aoyama want to have children?

- At the moment, no offspring is planned.

How does Gosho Aoyama like Germany? Will Conan maybe solve a case in Germany?

- Gosho Aoyama finds Germany very beautiful, especially the sausages have won him over. However, there probably won’t be a case for Conan abroad, because where would the little detective get a passport?

But in one of the movies, Conan solved a case in London?

- He wasn’t actually in London. But maybe he’ll get a fake passport... At this point, Steffen Hautog chimes in, saying how much he likes that fans travel to Japan especially for the movies, since they haven’t been released in Germany yet.

Where does Gosho Aoyama get the ideas for Conan’s cases?

- He gets this question often. He often finds inspiration in everyday life, for example, with a toilet: If the seat is up, a man used it last. If it’s down, it was a woman. Such small details can flow into the cases.

In the manga, there are often small extra comics.

- Are these just gags, or do his assistants sometimes use them to tease their boss?

They’re just gag strips.

Can Gosho Aoyama imagine making a cameo appearance in Conan?

- No, he won’t appear in Conan himself.

What score does Gosho Aoyama predict for the World Cup match between Japan and Croatia?

- He’s hoping for a 2-0 win for Japan. But the Croatians are very strong, so the Japanese team will have a hard time.

Gosho Aoyama is active in sports, such as kendo. Does he also play soccer?

- With soccer, he’s just a spectator. His favorite team, by the way, is Juventus Turin.

How tall is Conan?

- Gosho Aoyama gestures with his hand to about 1.30 meters. Steffen Hautog throws in the terms "first-grader height" and "shrimp."

Why are all members of the Black Organization named after alcoholic drinks?

- Because it’s cool.

Why did Gosho Aoyama put a detective in the body of an elementary school child?

- The series is meant for children, so the main character should also be a child.

Why are almost all characters in Conan blue-eyed, even though few people in Japan have blue eyes?

- Blue is more colorful.

Does Gosho Aoyama want to continue Kaitou Kid?

- He’d like to, but he doesn’t have the time for it right now. So, the master thief will have to limit himself to occasional appearances in Conan for now. In Japan, a volume has just been released that tells the origin of Kid’s name.

Will Conan find out who’s behind Kid? Will Kid be caught, by Conan or by the police?

- That hasn’t been decided yet.

Will Yusaku Kudo make another appearance?

- Gosho Aoyama is currently working on a story set about ten years ago. Conan’s father will also appear in it.

When Gosho Aoyama started Conan, did he expect this overwhelming success?

- No, he didn’t expect such huge success. He would have guessed that the series might run for about three months in the Japanese magazine.

Does Gosho Aoyama teach aspiring artists in Japan?

- No, he doesn’t teach.

Which part of the work on Conan does Gosho Aoyama do himself, and which part do his assistants handle?

- Gosho Aoyama himself draws the characters, while his assistants take care of the backgrounds and fill in larger areas.

Will Sonoko ever have a steady boyfriend?

- She already has a steady boyfriend, and she’ll stay with him.

Will there be further entanglements between Kaitou Kid and Conan?

- No, otherwise the story would become too hard to follow.

Why does Makoto Kyogoku always wear a bandage?

Because it’s cool.

Why are there so many couples in Conan who come from childhood romances?

- A childhood romance is a simple motif that everyone can relate to, so it’s often used.

How many hours a week does Gosho Aoyama work, and what does he do in his free time?

- Gosho Aoyama claims that he sleeps three hours a day. In his free time, he plays video games, watches TV and movies, enjoys reading crime novels, and of course also watches soccer.

How does Kogoro manage to sober up from one second to the next?

- Gosho Aoyama hasn’t even noticed that yet.

In one of the movies, the separation of Kogoro and his wife is shown. Will this also happen in the manga?

- Gosho Aoyama is currently working on an episode where the two are still together.

What is Professor Agasa’s first love’s first name?

- Her name is Fusae.

Why is Ran so violent?

You’d have to ask Ran herself.

Who is Gosho Aoyama’s favorite character from Conan?

- The little master detective himself.

Why does Shuichi hate Gin so much?

- That will become clear soon in the manga.

Does Gosho Aoyama plan to start a new series after Conan?

- A new series isn’t planned at the moment.

How old is Gosho Aoyama?

- He’ll turn 43 on June 21st.

How long has work been done on Conan in total?

- Gosho Aoyama has to ask his editor who came along. Work on Conan has been ongoing since 1993.

Who is the boss of the Black Organization?

- That’s already been decided, and the boss will also be revealed.

What kind of music does Gosho Aoyama like to listen to?

- He hardly listens to music and doesn’t prefer any particular genre.

Does Gosho Aoyama still have role models among other mangaka?

- Yes, for example, the famous film director Kurosawa is one of his role models.

At what age did he publish his first manga?

- Here, too, the editor has to help out. Gosho Aoyama was about 24 years old at the time.

When did Gosho Aoyama buy his first manga?

- When he was in kindergarten, he bought a manga that probably no one here knows. By the way, his father gave him "Peter Pan" as a gift.

Does Gosho Aoyama have contact with other mangaka?

- He attends parties where he meets his colleagues.

Would he visit Germany again, even if the Japanese national team isn’t playing here?

- Gosho Aoyama is so enthusiastic about German sausages that he’d love to come back.

Which manga does Gosho Aoyama read?

- He’s a fan of Vagabond, for example.

Which crime authors are the biggest source of inspiration for Gosho Aoyama?

- He’s a big fan of Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes.

At what age did Gosho Aoyama start drawing manga?

- He started drawing at around the age of three, but that was more like scribbling.

There’s a rumor on the internet that Gosho Aoyama is planning a two-month break. Is that true?

- No, that’s not true. If someone offered him such a long vacation, he’d gladly take it, but unfortunately, no one does.

Is Gosho Aoyama also interested in European and US comics?

- Yes, among his favorites are Superman and Batman, as well as the works of Moebius.

How many people work on the manga?

- Gosho Aoyama works with six assistants.

Would Gosho Aoyama also read and answer fan letters from Germany written in Japanese?

- He’d read them, but instead of an individual answer, you’d more likely get a New Year’s card.

To what extent is Conan autobiographical?

- There are always events from Gosho Aoyama’s daily life that find their way into the manga.

Can Gosho Aoyama imagine a day for Conan without murder?

- He’d like to write such a story someday.

Are there really as many murders in Japan as in Conan?

- No, thankfully not.

It’s said that the Japanese police once used Conan in an anti-drug campaign. Is that true?

- That’s true. The campaign was aimed at children. Many children enjoy watching Conan and then get the message along with it.