Roller Coaster Murder Case

The Roller Coaster Murder Case is the pilot episode of the series, and aired on January 8, 1996 in Japan. It begins in the middle of a case where a murder was committed during a party at a private mansion. This opening scene introduces both Inspector Megure and Shinichi Kudo for the very first time, as well as showcasing Shinichi's impressive deduction and soccer skills when he reveals the killer.

Characters introduced
Most of the main characters are introduced throughout the episode. It is interesting to note the presence of Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta, as their first manga appearance was not until Volume 2.

Situation
The episode starts in a mansion where a party has been interrupted by a murder: one of the guests, President Yamazaki of Yatsubishi Bank, was found dead with a bullet in his heart. The police, led by Inspector Megure, have been investigating the crime scene, but have no conclusive evidence as to who the killer is. However, Shinichi makes his grand entrance and claims that he has figured out the case.

Resolution
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Evidence

 * Shinichi states that the room Yamazaki was killed in was locked from the inside. The only possible entrance into the room was the window.
 * The mansion owner claims that there is at least a 10 meter gap between the two windows that Shinichi states the killer used. Shinichi points out, however, that if the killer used the roof to get closer to the other window, this gap is shortened to a mere 2 meters. Therefore, it could easily be jumped across.
 * Shinichi notes that there is an indentation on the balcony where the killer attached a rope with a piece of wood at the end, allowing the killer a way to get back across to the 3rd floor window, as it is impossible for the killer to have successfully landed on the 10 centimeter roof ledge coming back. By using a piece of wood rather than simply tying the rope to the balcony, the killer was able to remove evidence of his method of escape while on the other side of the building.
 * The lack of footprints below the window implies that it was an inside job.
 * Shinichi claims to have spoken with the killer's doctor.

Conclusion
Shinichi concludes that the murderer could only have been someone who knew the mansion very well and eventually points his finger at the landlord. The latter, being in a wheelchair, then starts to laugh, claiming that he's in no position to be able to commit such a crime. Shinichi then grabs a globe and throws it towards the owner who immediately jumps out of his chair to avoid it. The maid and guests are all in shock. Shinichi then says that he's been healed for a while now as reported by his doctor, which Megure confirms.

Motive
Although the episode does not clearly state the mansion owner's motive, it likely had something to do with the "under-the-table" financial dealings that the owner had with Yamazaki.

Case 2: Roller Coaster Murder Case
"Reiko" redirects here. For Eri Kisaki's rival, see Reiko Kujo.

Situation
Ran Mouri meets up with her friend Shinichi Kudo on their way to Teitan High School. After Shinichi explains to Ran why he quit the soccer team and tells her that he wants to become a detective like the fictional Sherlock Holmes, Ran reminds Shinichi of a promise he made with her: if Ran won the regional karate championship, Shinichi would go with her to the amusement park, Tropical Land. Shinichi had forgotten, however, and Ran tries to kick him as punishment.

After school, Shinichi fulfill his promise by going with Ran to Tropical Land. As they're in line for the Mystery Coaster, Shinichi demonstrates his deductive reasoning to Ran when he correctly deduces that a girl standing in line in front of them is a gymnast, since the wind accidentally raised her flowing skirt and, alongside her frilly panties, he could see some marks on her upper thighs that are typical of gym practitioners. Shinichi and Ran's date is cut short when a murder occurs while they're riding the roller coaster. Who is responsible for killing Kishida, and how did they do it?

Resolution
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Evidence

 * Shinichi examines the tunnel area of the Mystery Coaster and finds a wire with some pearls still strung onto it and a hook at the end of the wire.
 * The killer left a false piece of evidence, a bloodied knife, inside Aiko's purse with the intention of framing her. Shinichi explains that this is a fake piece of evidence, because it is impossible for a woman to have enough leverage and force to behead someone while on the ride.

Conclusion
Shinichi states the killer used an object like a purse or a backpack to escape the ride restraints and wrap a wire around the victim's head while in the darkness of the Mystery Coaster's tunnel. After tying the wire around the victim's head the killer tossed a hook attached to the other end onto the roller coaster's track, beheading the victim using the coaster's speed and movement. Shinichi concludes the murderer is Hitomi, as her expertise as a gymnast makes this feat possible. He proves her guilt through two crucial pieces of evidence:
 * 1) Hitomi's necklace (the murder weapon) is missing after the end of the ride
 * 2) Hitomi has a tear-trail on her face that runs horizontally which is impossible unless she was crying during the course of the ride.

Motive
Hitomi's motive for murdering Kishida is because she used to go out with him long before she met Aiko and Reiko in college, until he dumped her. Hitomi planned to murder Kishida at the place they had their first date (Tropical Land) using the very necklace he had bought for her. Had Shinichi not proven the truth behind the murder, Hitomi would have committed suicide via poisoning herself after the visit to Tropical Land.

Episode Resolution: Chasing the Men in Black
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Shinichi, suspicious of the two men dressed in all black that rode the coaster, decides to follow them on their way to the outskirts of Tropical Land. He tells Ran to head home without him, and when she tries to follow her shoelace breaks, leaving her to watch him go with the strange feeling she'll never see him again. Shinichi gets caught up watching one of the men conduct a blackmail transaction with a company executive and doesn't notice the other man dressed in black sneaking up from behind until the man knocks Shinichi out with pipe. To avoid the attention of the police, they give Shinichi an un-tested poison in order to kill him without a trace, and leave him to die. However, rather than killing Shinichi, the poison shrinks him down to the size of a six year old.

Manga to anime changes
Main article: List of differences between the manga and anime


 * The first episode of the anime includes Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko (the future Detective Boys) trying to sneak into the Tropical Land rides without paying. They actually don't appear until many chapters later in the manga.
 * Hiroshi Agasa and Kogoro Mouri also appear in this episode, whereas in the manga they make their debut in the Company President's Daughter Kidnapping Case.
 * The mansion owner kills his wife in the manga. In the anime the owner kills his friend and business partner, Yamazaki.
 * In the manga, Shinichi is asked for the football by a group of small children. In the anime, the ball is from his school's soccer team; Shinichi also scores a goal with the ball, instead of merely kicking it back.
 * In the manga, when Ran is trying to kick Shinichi, he leaps out of the way instead of getting his face under her skirt and then being hit for that.
 * In the manga, Reiko points out that Gin and Vodka could have committed the murder as they were behind the victim. Shinichi acknowledges that they look suspicious, but if they pulled off the murder, they would have anticipated the arrival of the police (which they don't, as they are in a hurry to pull off their transaction).
 * In the manga, Shinichi uses a camera when spying on Vodka. In the anime, he simply eavesdrops on the deal going on.

Remastered version
On April 4, 2009, a remastered version of the case was aired. A few modifications were made in this new version: the victim's head doesn't land next to the Detective Boys and the scene where the viewer could see blood on the roller-coaster was cut.

TV Special
Main article: Episode One: The Great Detective Turned Small

On December 9, 2016, a 20th anniversary two-hour special complete remake of the first episode aired. It retold the events of the first episode and added in numerous backstory scenes for characters that would appear much later in the anime including Sherry, the FBI and Black Organization, Ran's schoolmates at Teitan high, the Suzuki family, and many others. It also included remakes of important scenes for later episodes

Trivia
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 * In Shinichi's deduction about the roller coaster murder case, he said that he felt a drop of liquid, the culprit's tear, hit his forehead as she leaned over him to place the loop around the victim's neck. However, Shinichi neglected to mention any change in the feeling or sound of the wind rushing past his face as the culprit leaned over him.
 * When Shinichi passed the TV shop on the way to school, you can see that the people viewing the program are in fact Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi.