Detective Conan is a fun shonen mystery series worth streaming.
However, the huge number of cases can be intimidating. This watch order guide can help you solve this series, and know the correct order to watch the Case Closed / Detective Conan series.
Detective Conan Watch Order
For the most part, Detective Conan’s watch order is straightforward. There is only one main series, with no reboots or remakes.
In some cases, the streaming service you choose will determine which episodes you watch.
For example, Crunchyroll has many episodes, including the latest episodes simulcast from Japan. But it also has a large gap of missing stories, covering episodes 124 to 753.
With a new mystery to solve almost every week, you don’t have to watch every episode to enjoy the series.
Detective Conan Story Arcs by Release Date Order
- Conan/ Introduction Arc, episodes 1-128 (1996-1998) — Major characters are introduced, including the Detective Boys; the Black Organization; and the legendary phantom thief, Kaito Kid (star of his own series, Magic Kaito).
- Haibara/ Sherry Arc, episodes 129-175 (1998-2000) — A Black Organization member escapes, shrinks into a little girl, and hides out at Conan’s school under the alias Ai Haibara.
- Vermouth Arc, episodes 176-345 (2000-2004) — The actress/ Black Organization member Vermouth, a master of disguise, stirs up trouble.
- Cell Phone Arc, episodes 346-424 (2004-2005) — Conan deciphers a clue about the Black Organization’s boss; cell phones play important roles in several cases.
- Kir Arc, episodes 425-508 (2006-2008) — Several stories revolve around Kir, a Black Organization agent.
- Bourbon and Akai Arc, episodes 509-783 (2008-2015) — Black Organization agent Bourbon is introduced. We also meet Rei Furuya, an undercover investigator (who also features in the spin-off series, Zero’s Tea Time).
- Rum Arc, episodes 784-present (2015-now) — This is the current story arc, which features more murders, mysteries, and Black Organization plots.
Movies
There have been a lot of Detective Conan movies. Like most TV anime films, none of these are canon. They don’t affect the main series:
- The Time Bombed Skyscraper, 1997
- The Fourteenth Target, 1998
- The Last Wizard of the Century, 1999
- Captured in Her Eyes, 2000
- Countdown to Heaven, 2001
- The Phantom of Baker Street, 2002
- Crossroad in the Ancient Capital, 2003
- Magician of the Silver Sky, 2004
- Strategy Above the Depths, 2005
- The Private Eyes’ Requiem, 2006
- Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure, 2007
- Full Score of Fear, 2008
- The Raven Chaser, 2009
- The Lost Ship in the Sky, 2010
- Quarter of Silence, 2011
- The Eleventh Striker, 2012
- Private Eye in the Distant Sea, 2013
- Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movie, 2013 — a crossover
- Dimensional Sniper, 2014
- Sunflowers of Inferno, 2015
- The Darkest Nightmare, 2016
- Crimson Love Letter, 2017
- Zero the Enforcer, 2018
- The Fist of Blue Sapphire, 2019
- The Scarlet Bullet, 2021
- The Bride of Halloween, 2022
- Black Iron Submarine, 2023
- The Million Dollar Pentagram, 2024
OVAs, TV Specials, and Spin-offs
Like with the movies, these are not required viewing.
- Conan vs. Kid vs. Yaiba – The Decisive Battle over the Treasured Sword!, OVA, 2000
- 16 Suspects!?, OVA, 2002
- Conan and Heiji and the Vanished Boy, OVA, 2003
- Conan and Kid and the Crystal Mother, OVA, 2004
- Time Travel of the Silver Sky, Special, 2004
- The Target is Kogoro Mori! The Detective Boys’ Secret Investigation, OVA, 2005
- Pursuit of the Vanished Diamond! Conan, Heiji vs. Kid, OVA, 2006
- A Written Challenge from Agasa! Agasa vs Conan & the Detective Boys, OVA, 2007
- Black History, Special, 2007
- Magic File, OVA, 2007
- High School Girl Detective Sonoko Suzuki’s Case Files, OVA, 2008
- Magic File 2, OVA, 2008
- Stranger in 10 Years, OVA, 2009
- Magic File 3, OVA, 2009
- Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan, Special, 2009 — separate from the movie crossover
- Kid in Trap Island, OVA, 2010
- Magic File 4, OVA, 2010
- The Secret Order from London, OVA, 2011
- Magic File 5, OVA, 2011
- The Miracle of Excalibur, OVA, 2012
- Fugitive: Kogoro Mori, Special, 2014
- The Disappearance of Conan Edogawa: The Worst Two Days in History, Special, 2014
- Detective Conan Episode “ONE” – The Great Detective Turned Small, Special, 2016
- Police Academy Arc, Spin-off, 2021-2023
- Zero’s Tea Time, Netflix Spin-off, 2022
- Love Story at Police Headquarters ~ Wedding Eve, Special, 2022
- The Culprit Hanzawa, Netflix Spin-off, 2022
- Police Academy Arc – Wild Police Story CASE. Rei Furuya, Special, 2023
Detective Conan Plot
Detective Conan is about a young detective who is older than he looks.
At the beginning of the series, teen sleuth Shinichi Kudo is poisoned by a criminal organization. Instead of dying, Kudo transforms into a little kid.
With his crime-fighting skills intact, Kudo continues to solve mysteries under the alias Conan Edogawa. He also tries to stop the Black Organization, the crime syndicate responsible for his de-aging.
Conan gets help from a lot of allies. These include Ran Mori, a childhood friend/ potential love interest of Kudo’s; “Sleeping Kogoro” Mori, Ran’s father and a private detective who draws attention away from Conan; and Ai Haibara, a de-aged woman on the run.
History and Arcs
Detective Conan started out in 1994 as a manga by Gosho Aoyama.
The first episode of the anime aired in 1996, and the anime currently stands at more than 1100 episodes. There have also been movies and OVAs.
In areas where anime distributors wanted to avoid potential legal conflicts with other Conans, the series is known as Case Closed.
The series is mostly episodic, with some two or three-part stories, but few overarching plotlines. To keep things organized, fans divided the series into loose arcs. However, because the arcs are mixed together with other crime stories, they don’t really fit the traditional definition of a story arc.
How to Watch
Detective Conan isn’t that hard to find online, but all 1,000+ episodes can be tough to find. Check out this guide to help you out: Watch Detective Conan Online
Final Thoughts
Detective Conan wouldn’t be a long runner if it wasn’t a fun and interesting series. The only real mystery is why more episodes aren’t available to stream online. Hopefully Crunchyroll and Netflix can solve these problems in the future!
