| Phantom Thief Kid | |
|---|---|
| Case Closed character | |
 Phantom Thief Kid by Gosho Aoyama | |
| First appearance | Detective Conan Episode 76 Case Closed Episode 78 |
| Voiced by | Kappei Yamaguchi (Japanese) Jerry Jewell (English) |
| Profile | |
| Nicknames | Phantom Thief Kid 1412 Kaitou Kid International Criminal 1412 |
| Age | 17 |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | July 21st |
Character Outline
Character Information
The Phantom Thief Kid is a world-renowned thief who steals treasure and gems. He is sometimes known as the Kaitou Kid or International Criminal 1412. He was named Kid when a journalist hastily scrawled "1412" and Booker (Yusaku) Kudo read it as "KID" (14 = KI, 12 = D)[1]. The Japanese word "Kaitou" means "mysterious thief," often translated "phantom thief."
The current Kaitou Kid is Toichi Kuroba's son Kaito Kuroba (黒羽 快斗 Kuroba Kaito?), a 17-year-old student and rather gifted magician who learned magic and the art of disguise from his father as a child. Besides Kaito, Kuroba Toichi also trained Vivian Kudo (工藤 有希子 Kudō Yukiko?), (Shinichi's mother) in the art of disguise for her acting job[2]. Chris Vineyard (Vermouth) was also one of his students, who at the time went by the name of Sharon[3].
The first Kaitou was originally the world famous magician Toichi Kuroba (黒羽 盗一 Kuroba Tōichi?). Eight years before the story begins, Toichi was hired by a[4] criminal organization[5] ( Now called "The Black Organization" from Aoyama's later series Meitantei Conan,the members seen in Magic Kaito did not wear black) to find and steal a specific and supposedly a magical jewel called "Pandora Gem". After finding out the reason they are after the gem and realizing how dangerous the organization is to the world, he decided to back out of the deal. The organization later murdered Toichi during a magic show, and his death was framed as an accident.
As Kaito Kuroba
As a person, Kaito is very intelligent, and a class clown at his school. He loves pulling harmless pranks on people, often involving magic, to get a laugh. He blends in as a normal student and has never received a compliment in his life. Aoko Nakamori is Kaito's love interest in the manga Magic Kaito.Whenever he plays a trick on Aoko, she chases him around with whatever she can find but she secretly likes him. She is also unaware that Kaito is the "Kaitou Kid" and hates the "Kid" because, not only does he steal things, which she believes is wrong but her father is always off chasing him and not spending any time with her. Akako Koizumi a witch, has also expressed interests in him, and tries to cast spells on him to win his love, which strangely for her, don't work.
After learning about his father's alter ego, Kaito picks up where his father left off and assumes his identity in order to investigate his mysterious death. He finds out that his father was in fact murdered by a mysterious crime syndicate for refusing to assist them in their search for the Pandora gem. He then vows to find it before they do and destroy it- to deny immortality to his father's murderers. In addition, he tries to lure them out with his incredibly publicized and flamboyant heists. He even goes to such lengths as to announce the time and place of his heists in the form of riddles that he sends to Nakamori beforehand, which drive the inspector crazy.
Kaito's only clue about his father's death was the request his father was given about a gem. The Pandora Gem was said to ooze liquid "tears" during the passing of a particular comet, and when consumed, would grant immortality. Apparently the gem glows red under the full moon and that it is a doublet: a gem hidden within a larger gem. Thus, it would have to be a relatively large one with a bizarre history, and always stored in a place that never receives moonlight. This is why he researches and steals famous priceless gems with odd histories from incredibly well-defended areas, and always returns them after the very next full moon if they are not what he is looking for. During his thievery, he always vows to do his best to never let anyone get hurt.
Kaito has an odd fear of fish even though he does not fear going to jail, as most criminals seem to. He has often stated he cannot be caught, and that Conan is on "the wrong side". He also has the common fear of his secret identity becoming public knowledge.
The name "Kaito" has no special meaning, but is a pun off the word "Kaitou" which means "Phantom thief." "Kuroba" means "Black Feather;" it is also a pun on the English word "clover," which Kid sports on his monocle. Shinichi Kudo from Aoyama's Detective Conan physically resembles Kaito. The only major difference in their appearance are their hairstyles. In the Detective Conan anime Kaito and Shinichi are voiced by the same seiyū. In English, he is known as the Phantom Thief Kid.
Kaitou Kid Life
Kaito's skills, and intelligence prevent him from getting caught. He uses multiple gadgets to help with his thievery. He is also very skilled at performing magic tricks and illusions. KID is also known for their acrobatic and daredevil-like antics (jumping off buildings, climbing through narrow places like air vents and sewers, etc). Kaito can also imitate practically any voice without the aid of a special device. His costumes and disguises are top notch as well. Kaito can even make someone believe he is their husband, son, or family member [6]. There is one thing he can not do though, and that is ice skating.
Kaitou Kid uses a number of gadgets to help with his thievery. Most notable are the sharp, thin metal playing cards shot by a card gun, a cape that can unfold into a hang glider, pink smoke bombs, and blow-up mannequins that act as decoys to distract the inspector. He also has an assistant who had previously worked for his father-- an older man named Jii. No one other than Jii and Kaito's mother know of his identity as Kid.
Inspector Nakamori has always pursued KID where he had failed many time and made to look like a fool. Although Inspector Nakamori always tries to catch him, he has a respect for the man. Oddly enough, the inspector and Toichi Kuroba were good friends. The inspector is unaware that the current Kaitou Kid is not the original.
Saguru Hakuba, the son of a high police official, is a famous high school detective. He is Kaito's love rival for Aoko. He also attempts to catch the Phantom Thief Kid. Saguru believes that Kaito might be Kaitou Kid, but can never prove it. Sagura has also made appearances in the anime and manga of Case Closed, though there are times Kaito uses him as a disguise.
Throughout the anime and manga of Case Closed, Kaitou Kid and Conan Edogawa have crossed paths, but Kaitou has always managed to elude Conan's clutches by using his skills. In the anime, Kaito also finds out that Conan is really Shinichi Kudo after the events of the 3rd Detective Conan movie. However, in the manga he does not appear to know of Conan's real identity. He also seems to like to challenge Conan in addition to teasing him. The majority of fans of the series have decided that Conan and Kid are both after the same people[citation needed], though this is not stated in either manga or the Case Closed anime.
Father & Son
Shinichi Kudo's father and Phantom Thief Kid's father seemed to have a history in which they "clashed". This seems to be repeated when both Shinichi and The Kid clash multiple times. The extent of which their parents know each other, or how they were involved with each other, is not well known at this time. Toichi Kuroba referred to Shinichi as technically a brother; Phantom Thief Kid's father once said "I'm your sibling...or should I say, your younger brother," talking to Jimmy when he was a child but meaning it as a secret message for Shinichi's father. However, this is a reference to the fact that Yuusaku was the one who named him "Kid".
Anime Appearances
- Appears in Episodes: 76, 132-134, 219, 356, 394-396, 420-421, 469-470, 473,515
- Appears in Opening Sequences: 5, 6, 18, 23
- Appears in Movies: 3, 8, 10
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