in the mood for self-made samsara hamster wheel

Q. Please tell us some highlights of The Scarlet Bullet.

A. Akai's sniping scene. It was the screenwriter Sakurai's idea. It really fit well into the movie.

His one-liner after the scene was certainly memorable as well.

Originally, that was supposed to be the line in the teaser- "Let it reach far beyond the horizon." But I thought it was a little long, so I had them change it in the actual movie. That teaser line was actually my idea as well (haha).

I didn't realize that catchphrase was your idea as well!

Sera and Okiya's fight scene was my idea as well. If he were just fighting against Sera, Okiya would be stronger, but they're evenly matched with Mary in the mix. Also, I was the one to request they add the post-credits scene- I drew the keyframe for it as well. It's a real highlight, so please watch until the end. Don't leave during the end credits! (haha)

Q. It's been over two decades since Akai Shuuichi made his first appearance in the manga. How has the way you draw him changed over the years?

A. The lines under his eyes might've gotten more uniform. They were all over the place at first, but the design is a lot more solid now, so it may be that anyone can draw him (haha). Aside from that, nothing has really changed. Ikeda Shuuichi-san's voice reverberates within me, just as always (haha).

Q. It took a long seven years for Akai to revive after his death at Raiha Pass. How did you decide when to bring him back to life?

A. At first, I planned to reveal he was alive around two years after his death. But my readers seemed to genuinely believe he was dead, so while I was trying to calculate when to do the reveal, I ended up forgetting about it (haha). But I started getting more and more comments like "Isn't Okiya Akai?", so I figured, "I need to resurrect him soon." It took quite a bit of time for Holmes to resurrect after his apparent death at Reichenbach Pass as well, so I think the timing worked out in the end.

Q. How did fans react to his resurrection?

A. They were over the moon. I was happy to see everyone so excited. It was worth forgetting about the reveal for a little while (haha).

Q. How did you create the character of Okiya Subaru, Akai's other face?

A. My thought process was: "Shift bit by bit away from Akai. But leave a bit of Akai-ness within him." That's how he eventually settled into that character. Though in the end, he does sometimes just feel like Akai narrowing his eyes (haha).

When he's disguised as Okiya, he's even kind to children, isn't he?

Akai is kind too! (haha) But well, when he was younger he'd say things like, "Tch! These brats are in the way..." (haha) Though he wouldn't say anything like that anymore. Perhaps he's gotten kinder to children as well after spending time with the Detective Boys as Okiya.

Q. You've stated in the past that you consider Shinichi to be Conan, so you feel as though Shinichi has been showing up all this time. Do you feel the same with Akai and Okiya?

A. Of course! Occasionally, an illustration of Akai looms behind Okiya, right? But even when I don't explicitly draw it that way, he's always there just like that (haha). That's why when I write a story with Okiya, I feel like I've just drawn a story with Akai.

Q. Now, about his little sister Sera Masumi. She's super friendly to Conan, but when it comes to Shinichi, she's much colder...

A. A cold shoulder, right? (haha) That's intentional. She loves the little Shinichi-kun she met when she was a child. When he's big, she feels like, "Who the heck are you?" (haha) She keeps them separate in her mind. To Sera, that encounter a decade ago was her first love.

Q. How did you decide to create their mother Mary?

A. I was thinking I wanted to make another shrunken character, so I figured I might as well shrink Sera's mother and introduce them together. And since I was introducing them, I figured I might as well flesh out their character profiles as well. As you can see here, I have a lot of notes on them.

Woah! Don't tell me there's details there that still haven't been revealed...?

Yes. For example, Tsutomu... whoops, I almost let something slip (haha).

Q. Regarding the second son Haneda Shuukichi, in The Super Secret of the Road to School, which released quite a while before his first appearance, Yumi mentions her ex-boyfriend. Had you already thought of Shuukichi by then?

A. I had already decided that Yumi's ex-boyfriend was usually childish but actually pretty amazing. But him being a shogi player and a member of the Akai Family was something I decided later. I was thinking I wanted to have a shogi player character as a connection to Haneda Kouji, so I stuck that character backstory onto Shuukichi. But Yumi is in trouble. She's going to marry into that Akai Family (haha). Well, it's Yumi, I guess she'll be fine.

Q. Will Shuukichi and Yumi see any further development...?

A. Aren't they getting married? Though I don't know if I'll draw their ceremony (haha).

Q. Do you have any new information on the Akai Family...?

A. Tsutomu is cool! ...Though that's a given (haha). I can't wait for him to get a voice actor in the anime. Haneda Kouji is also cool! Though I don't know when I'll be able to show him... (haha)

Q. I can't wait for their secrets to be revealed. Please leave a message for all Akai Family fans!