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[[File:kindaichi_point.jpg|frame]]
 
Kindaichi Hajime, as the grandson of famous detective [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosuke_Kindaichi:Kosuke Kindaichi|Kindaichi Kosuke]], picked up the tricks of his trade from Grandpa and, after proving himself to the skeptical police in his first case, finds himself tangled up in the murder mystery from hell on a regular basis.
 
Though fairly obscure in the west, Kindaichi was Japan's most popular manga for much of its original run (1994-2001) and remains quite popular today. The series relies on a strong formula that mixes the horror and detective genres: the atmosphere is similar to a well-made [[Slasher Movies|slasher film]], with the killer usually taking the persona of a legendary monster. He then murders his victims in gruesome ways relating to the legend, thus providing a more violent version of a [[Scooby -Doo Hoax]]. He still leaves clues, though, which Kindaichi is inevitably the only person to notice. There's always some secret tragedy from the past (often surprisingly moving) motivating the killer as well. All of which leads up to the climax of each story where Kindachi [[The Reveal|unmasks the perpetrator]] in a dramatic [[Summation Gathering]]. Each story is also a rather challenging [[Fair Play Who DunnitWhodunnit]] so clever readers may be able to beat Kindaichi to the solution.
 
As of 2004, the series has restarted in Japan. The first series was distributed in the US by Tokyopop, but is now out of print.
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* [[Eureka Moment]] - If the change in Kindaichi's expression doesn't tell you he's had one, then the [[Catch Phrase]] drop certainly will.
* [[Everyone Knows Morse]] - Justified when Kindaichi finds himself among a group of war game enthusiasts.
* [[Fair Play Who DunnitWhodunnit]]: The translators have gone to great pains to make this true even in the English version. Though one story {{spoiler|arguably breaks the "no identical twins" rule.}}
** In the comic's heyday, figuring out the solutions to Kindaichi mysteries became something of a national craze for the Japanese. The storylines typically ran for two or three months, leaving plenty of time for fans to speculate. Later storylines have much tougher solutions as the authors strived to keep things challenging for fans who often collaborated on figuring out the answers.
** The animated adaption dealt with this by adapting the comic stories but often changing the solutions, with a different character turning out to be the killer than in the manga.
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* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: Most of the killers are on one of these.
* [[The Rival]] - Kindaichi occasionally faces off against arrogant pretty boy detective Akechi, and gets a Moriarity-esque recurring character who uses every opportunity to taunt Kindaichi on his uselessness.
* [[Serial Killings, Specific Target]]: Subverted. Supposedly a serial killer has gotten loose and is killing everyone trapped in the [[Closed Circle]], but Kindaichi figures out that they're all connected. While the murderer ''is'' looking for one specific person, he doesn't care that he's killing innocents in the process.
* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] - Kindaichi's reaction to many a Motive Rant and/or Suicide Attempt.
* [[Spanner in The Works]] - Kindaichi himself is this on occasions when the murderers try to factor in his reputation as a detective in their planning. Specifically, though, in ''House of Wax'', the murderer's otherwise well formulated plan, which required keeping the fireplace lit at all times, hit a snag when the air conditioning broke down.
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