You’ve seen the kid in the blue suit. Maybe you saw him on a stray TikTok clip or remember a dubbed version from years ago on Adult Swim. But looking at the detective conan watch series landscape today is, frankly, terrifying. We are talking about over 1,100 episodes. That’s not a hobby; that’s a lifestyle commitment. Most people see that number and sprint in the opposite direction, which is a shame because Gosho Aoyama’s masterpiece is arguably the greatest procedural ever written.
It’s about Shinichi Kudo, a high school detective turned into a first-grader by a mysterious syndicate. He takes the name Conan Edogawa. He lives with his childhood friend Ran and her bumbling detective father, Kogoro Mouri. He solves murders while secretly hunting the men who poisoned him. Simple, right? Except the "Black Organization" plot moves at the speed of a tectonic plate.
If you try to watch every single episode, you will burn out. I've seen it happen. You’ll hit a stretch of 15 filler episodes about a lost cat or a stolen bicycle and wonder why you’re doing this to yourself. The secret to enjoying this show is knowing what to skip and what to savor.
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The Filler Problem and the Canon Solution
Let’s get real. About 40% of the detective conan watch series is "Anime Original" content. This means it wasn't in the original manga. While some of these standalone mysteries are clever, many are repetitive. If you want the "real" story—the stuff that actually matters for the overarching plot involving Gin, Vodka, and the mysterious Boss—you have to be ruthless with your remote.
The Japanese broadcast has been running since 1996. Think about that. When Conan started, flip phones were high-tech. Now, Conan uses a smartphone, yet in the show's timeline, only about six to eight months have actually passed. It’s a "sliding timeline" that requires a bit of mental gymnastics, but once you accept it, the logic holds up surprisingly well.
How to Identify What Matters
You generally want to look for episodes labeled "Manga Canon." These are the ones where the stakes feel higher. You'll notice a shift in the art quality usually, and the deductions feel tighter. Websites like Anime Filler List or the Detective Conan World wiki are literal lifesavers here. They color-code everything so you don't accidentally spend twenty minutes watching Conan find a missing grocery bag when you could be watching him dodge sniper fire from Chianti and Korn.
The Movies: Are They Part of the Series?
Every year, like clockwork, a new Detective Conan movie hits theaters in Japan. They are massive. In fact, they regularly outperform Avengers or Star Wars at the Japanese box office. But here’s the kicker: they aren't strictly canon.
Wait. Don't skip them yet.
While the events of the movies usually don't affect the main TV show’s plot, they are often where the biggest budget and coolest stunts happen. For example, The Bride of Halloween or Black Iron Submarine are technical marvels. They give you high-octane action that the weekly TV show just can't afford. If you're following the detective conan watch series in order, you should ideally watch the movies roughly when they were released relative to the episodes. It helps keep the character introductions consistent. If you watch Movie 20 before meeting certain FBI agents in the show, you’re going to be very confused about why everyone is pointing guns at each other on a ferris wheel.
Why the "Clash of Red and Black" is Peak Fiction
If you need one reason to stick with the show, it's the "Clash of Red and Black" arc. It spans episodes 491 to 504. It’s a masterpiece of tension. You have the FBI, the CIA, and the Black Organization all converging on a single hospital.
This isn't just a "whodunit." It's a tactical chess match. Shuichi Akai, the enigmatic FBI sniper, becomes a central figure here. His rivalry with the Black Organization’s Gin is legendary. Most long-running shonen series rely on "power levels" or who can scream the loudest to win a fight. Conan is different. It relies on information. Who knows what? Who is double-crossing whom? The tension comes from the fear of being "found out."
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Honestly, the series is at its best when it leans into the thriller genre. The murder mysteries are the bread and butter, but the cat-and-mouse game with the Syndicate is the steak.
The Character Evolution (Or Lack Thereof)
People complain that the characters don't age. Ran Mouri has been seventeen for nearly thirty years. It’s a valid gripe, but it misses the point of the series' structure. It's a procedural. Like Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie’s Poirot, the joy isn't necessarily in seeing the protagonist grow old; it's in seeing how their mind tackles a new puzzle.
However, the side characters do change. The romance between the police officers at Tokyo MPD—Takagi and Sato—actually progresses. They go from awkward glances to a legitimate, series-long relationship. This is rare for the detective conan watch series. Usually, romance is a slow burn that makes a snail look like a sprinter. Look at Heiji Hattori and Kazuha. They’ve been "almost confessing" for two decades. It’s frustrating. It’s charming. It’s classic Conan.
Essential Characters to Track
- Ai Haibara: A former member of the Black Organization (Sherry) who took the same drug as Shinichi. She brings a much-needed cynical edge to the "Detective Boys" group.
- Toru Amuro / Bourbon: A triple agent. He’s in the Black Organization, he’s in the Public Security Bureau (Japanese FBI equivalent), and he works at a cafe. The man never sleeps.
- Masumi Sera: A high school detective who knows way more about Conan’s secret than she lets on.
Where to Actually Watch It
This is where it gets tricky. Depending on where you live, the licensing is a mess.
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- Crunchyroll: They have a huge chunk of the recent episodes, usually starting from episode 750 onwards. They also have the early "Case Closed" era episodes for nostalgia.
- Netflix: In some regions, Netflix has specific "seasons" or the spin-offs like Zero’s Tea Time and The Culprit Hanzawa.
- Tubi: Surprisingly, Tubi often carries a selection of the movies and older episodes for free (with ads).
If you’re starting from scratch, you’ll likely need to hop between services or look into physical media. The "Case Closed" branding was used in the US for years due to trademark issues with the name "Conan" (thanks, Conan the Barbarian), but it's the same show.
Surprising Details You Might Have Missed
The gadgets aren't just toys. The Voice-Changing Bowtie and the Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes are iconic, but did you know Gosho Aoyama consults with actual scientists and mystery writers to ensure the tricks are (mostly) physically possible?
The "Limescale murder" or the "Locked room bathroom" tricks aren't just made up. They are based on chemical reactions or mechanical principles. Sure, some are a bit far-fetched—nobody is actually going to use a series of strings and a coat hanger to kill someone in a moving car—but the effort is there.
Also, pay attention to the music. Katsuo Ono’s main theme is one of the most recognizable pieces of music in Japan. It gets rearranged for every single movie to fit the theme (jazz, rock, orchestral). It’s the "James Bond" theme of anime.
The Best Way to Start Now
Don't look at the mountain. Just look at the first few steps.
Start with the "Episode One: The Great Detective Turned Small" special. It’s a modern remake of the first two episodes but with better animation and added scenes that link to later plot points. It’s the perfect entry point. From there, follow a "Canon Only" guide.
Your Actionable Roadmap
- Step 1: Watch the Episode One special (2016).
- Step 2: Follow the manga-canon episodes until you hit the "Desperate Revival" arc (Episodes 188-193). This is where the status quo gets shaken up for the first time.
- Step 3: Introduce the movies every 50 episodes or so. Movie 4 (Captured in Her Eyes) and Movie 6 (The Phantom of Baker Street) are the gold standards for early fans.
- Step 4: Accept that you won't finish it in a month. Treat it like a nightly ritual. One case before bed.
The detective conan watch series isn't a race. It’s a marathon where the scenery is made of murder mysteries and international espionage. Even if you only watch the "Black Organization" episodes, you’re looking at a world-class thriller. Just keep a notebook handy. You’re going to need it to keep track of the aliases.
Once you get past the first hundred episodes, you'll stop seeing the "kid in the suit" and start seeing the cleverest detective in fiction. Just watch out for the needles; Conan hits Kogoro with enough tranquilizers to put down a rhino, and honestly, it’s a miracle the man hasn't developed a permanent immunity by now. Enjoy the ride.