Mystery Poll: Poll #37

[SilverBullet-sama]

Sera saw her dead brother appearing in front of her on the train. I assume Akai wanted to clear things up so she won't search for that persona (scar Akai) and won't look into it. Not telling her would be cruel and dangerous.

Shouldn't the same apply to Jodie and Camel?
+Additional Inquiry: If indeed Akai is the brother Sera is talking about, why did he ask her, in his e-mail, if she met the magician? He saw them both together as Okiya (during the Kudo Yusaku's Cold Case) and his question thus is pointless because he knows the answer.

Please note that I am just analyzing, and not seeking to prove my point as I do not have the full answer to this mystery yet ==> So I will raise another troublesome issue that might favor Akai being the only brother (in spite of me doubting it).
According to the manga, Okiya is 27 years old, so is Shuukichi. The twin theory will not work based on the older/middle description Sera mentioned. I don't know if we can safely assume that Akai is 27 based on the age assigned to Okiya (Since he might be posing as a younger person, and not only as a different person). However, according to a recent interview, Gosho Aoyama-sensei did not want to explicitly give Akai's age. Could it be that this has something to do with our mystery?
If Akai is indeed 27, Shuukichi cannot be the middle brother. We will be left with the other possibilities in the Poll.

[Kor]

Shouldn't the same apply to Jodie and Camel?

In their case, it was enough for Conan to let Jodie know the Akai with the burn is a disguise Bourbon (and one time Vermouth's). Hence Conan didn't have to reveal anything more than that.
There was no one to let Sera know. Even though we've known Sera is Akai's sister from the very beginning, Conan has still not made note of that. He obviously knows by now (pretty sure at least), but he doesn't reveal it to Sera that he knows, and Akai and Conan keep secrets from each other.
Quite obviously Akai doesn't seem as concerned anymore to let his status be known (for some reason). Now Jodie, Camel, Amuro and 10-20 officers know he's alive. If Akai is acting under that mindset, I'd say Akai would be okay with letting his sister know his wellbeing so she won't get herself in unneeded trouble.

If indeed Akai is the brother Sera is talking about, why did he ask her, in his e-mail, if she met the magician? He saw them both together as Okiya and his question thus is pointless because he knows the answer.

The wizard refers to Shinichi more than Conan (mind you, this has not been cleared completely as of yet, but I'd say it's the correct conclusion). So if we go with the theory that Sera has been in contact with Akai, Akai basically asked if she met Shinichi. This might mean he was asking if Sera figured out yet who Conan is (Akai can't tell her Conan is Shinichi after all), or Akai doesn't know who Sera used to refer to as "the wizard" and was just interested out of curiosity.

(note: again, the above is assuming Shinichi is the wizard and Sera has been in contact with Akai)

[SilverBullet-sama]

In their case, it was enough for Conan to let Jodie know the Akai with the burn is a disguise Bourbon (and one time Vermouth's). Hence Conan didn't have to reveal anything more than that.
There was no one to let Sera know. Even though we've known Sera is Akai's sister from the very beginning, Conan has still not made note of that. He obviously knows by now (pretty sure at least), but he doesn't reveal it to Sera that he knows, and Akai and Conan keep secrets from each other.
Quite obviously Akai doesn't seem as concerned anymore to let his status be known (for some reason). Now Jodie, Camel, Amuro and 10-20 officers know he's alive. If Akai is acting under that mindset, I'd say Akai would be okay with letting his sister know his wellbeing so she won't get herself in unneeded trouble.

Conan let Jodie know a long while after she met the Scar Akai, and after the Mystery Train case, which left her a time to possibly dig stuff on her own.
Akai having to reveal himself to Jodie, Camel, Amuro and other officers was forced upon him following the mistake Camel and Jodie did (concerning Kusuda Rikumichi). Technically, he did not have a saying in this. However, if he had notified them beforehand, his identity would have remained a secret from Bourbon (Okay this is not our discussion and not that I am dissatisfied with the way Aoyama handled this).

The wizard refers to Shinichi more than Conan (mind you, this has not been cleared completely as of yet, but I'd say it's the correct conclusion). So if we go with the theory that Sera has been in contact with Akai, Akai basically asked if she met Shinichi. This might mean he was asking if Sera figured out yet who Conan is (Akai can't tell her Conan is Shinichi after all), or Akai doesn't know who Sera used to refer to as "the wizard" and was just interested out of curiosity.

(note: again, the above is assuming Shinichi is the wizard and Sera has been in contact with Akai)

Thank you for this. This is actually an interesting way to look at it.
One more thing (please don't hate me). Back during the Red Woman case, if Akai is dead, how can his "high school friends" send him a request? Should we assume that Akai is leading a double (more like triple/ quadruple) life: Akai Shuichi and Sera Shuichi? If the request came to "Sera-kun", we now have an issue with a person called Sera-kun (supposedly Akai if Akai is the only brother).

I have many concerns regarding Akai being the only brother (even though I would favor it story-wise). I think I should review all cases and list all my concerns in one post, instead of showering you with them each reply.
Thank you Kor.

[Kor]

One more thing (please don't hate me).

lol, no worry. I don't mind explaining my thoughts.

Back during the Red Woman case, if Akai is dead, how can his "high school friends" send him a request? Should we assume that Akai is leading a double (more like triple/ quadruple) life: Akai Shuichi and Sera Shuichi? If the request came to "Sera-kun", we now have an issue with a person called Sera-kun (supposedly Akai if Akai is the only brother).

You know, on this front, I can't shoot an answer right away because you're raising an issue I've failed to consider as of yet. I'll have to reread the relevant parts of that case again and see if I can come up with an answer to this one.

Perhaps jimmy_kud0_tv2 thought on this issue and has a decent explanation for this one too.

[k11chi]

Sera: "Well I came here because I was asked to"
Ran: As a detective?"
Sera: "Well, to be honest, my brother was the one who was asked to come... His friends from highschool asked him to solve mystery at the holiday villa where we're headed, but since my brother was too busy to come himself... He asked me, the female highschool detective to come in his stead. So here I am!"
Ran: "Then your brother is also a detective?"
Sera: "Nope... but he often solved mysteries and puzzles that occurred in class like they were nothing back when he was in high school, it seems..."
Ran: "Wait a sec, I thought you said your brother was dead?"
Sera: "That's my oldest brother! The one who asked me to come is the second oldest!
We're 3 siblings: My two older brothers and me, their little sister! Although we all have different last names..."
Conan: "Why are they different?"
Sera: "Various things happened, our father dying being one of them... I took my mother's last name, Sera... My second-oldest brother was also called Sera until he graduated from high school"
*Sera's (Masumi) last name before she became Sera could have possibly been Akai*

Minegishi Tamami (holiday villa guest, 28) : Could it be that you're Sera-kun's sister and her friends?
/
Hakuya Masaie (holiday villa guest, 28) : I heard that Sera's sister would be bringing some female friends along..." (they call the second oldest brother still Sera, probably just a habit though).

Also the other holiday villa guests are:
Ninda Jinsuke (29)
Kawana Sumika (28)

And they all knew Sera's second oldest brother from high school. Their past is related to the 5th person called Satoko in their childhood group dying 12 years ago after being drown in swamp nearby another villa not far from where the group is now (and they are in the villas every year for like a week), which was related to the red woman from 15 years ago.

Also this is the case where Sera decides to tell Conan to go and pick up her phone after calling it so that he will see the Mystery Girl's face (took away case spoilers from scans).

Spoiler:

[jimmy_kud0_tv2]

The way I see it, maybe she is in contact with Akai and knows that he is alive, but for her, this is only recent knowledge. This would explain why she is never shown talking to any "brother" on the phone before Train case. On top of that, she doesn't know his current location or that he is in disguise. Someone had to have originally told her that Akai was dead, and because of that she would know not to mention who she was talking with. For that reason, in the Adultery case where she is very first shown contacting someone on the outside by phone, she does not say who she is talking with.

I agree with your overall analysis, but I still have some concerns. Why would Akai do this? Akai hid his personality in order to not endanger the people around him (+ pursuit of BO). So why would he let Sera be in contact, ESPECIALLY after the Mystery Train thing? BO obviously know about Sera and now Bourbon is suspicious of Akai's survival. The possibility that BO will recheck Sera's reaction (and FBI Co) is still possible and I am sure Akai will take that into consideration. This is a question I have a problem answering.
PS: the only way to solve this mystery is to go on and dig stuff from tangents, but I am trying to minimize them too.

What I was going with is the same thing that is already happening in the series on a regular basis. Conan contacts Ran to tell her that everything is alright and to prove he is alive, even though there are rumors going around that he is dead. During Yusaku's Cold Case, Shuuichi/ Subaru observed Conan doing this. He figured out that "Conan is really Shinichi, who contacts his loved ones by phone despite his dangerous situation to prove that he is alive". He knows that Masumi is there and is digging to deep into things by her appearance in Detective's Nocturne with Bourbon. On the Mystery Train, after she is attacked with a stun gun, he carried her to a separate room in the back and borrowed her hat so that he could face Bourbon himself. I am thinking that somewhere in this time he either found a way to get her phone number from her phone.

[DCUniverseAficionado]

...has anyone compared Subaru's/Shuichi's phone in File 898 to Middle Brother's phone in File 860?

Think they're the same? Without knowing what Shukichi's phone looks like and his handedness (if someone's seen the former or indications of the latter, feel free to correct me), and with Scarlet Epilogue not made into anime to get a comparison between Middle Brother's phone and Shuichi's/Subaru's phone (since it provides the best view of the latter), its tough for me to say whether there is no Middle Brother and its actually Shuichi/Subaru or whether Shukichi is the Middle Brother.

[Kor]

Links to mangareader sites aren't allowed.

Think they're the same? Without knowing what Shukichi's phone looks like and his handedness (if someone's seen the former or indications of the latter, feel free to correct me), and with Scarlet Epilogue not made into anime to get a comparison between Middle Brother's phone and Shuichi's/Subaru's phone (since it provides the best view of the latter), its tough for me to say whether there is no Middle Brother and its actually Shuichi/Subaru or whether Shukichi is the Middle Brother.

There's no need to make that comparison. As I've noted in an earlier post:

Delivery Service: We see Okiya's phone very clearly.

Suspect Makoto: Sera has more contact with her brother. Brother has the same phone as Okiya. Also she mentions the mid bro for the first time.

Also, you should ignore the anime. They screwed up with Okiya's phone. In the manga it's black (and hence similar to the one the brother has), and in the anime it's white (in both Mystery Train and the Delivery Service case) for some reason.

[Jd-]

I'm not sure what my answer to this poll is. On the one hand, I very much so want this to all be a series of unnecessary red herrings in that there is no second brother, at least not in the way Sera is saying (as I was posting for the past year or two). She's misled everyone and lied about so much that it seems only natural she'd be lying about this too. On the other hand, I don't know if Gosho has it in him to make Shuukichi "only a love interest for Yumi". I think Kor is right that it's obvious in an "Okiya drinking bourbon" kind of way, too.

Ultimately, I'm just hoping there is no second brother because--to this day--I still have no idea how the story in any way will benefit from more sibling mysteries.

[jimmy_kud0_tv2]

...has anyone compared Subaru's/Shuichi's phone in File 898 to Middle Brother's phone in File 860?

Think they're the same? Without knowing what Shukichi's phone looks like and his handedness (if someone's seen the former or indications of the latter, feel free to correct me), and with Scarlet Epilogue not made into anime to get a comparison between Middle Brother's phone and Shuichi's/Subaru's phone (since it provides the best view of the latter), its tough for me to say whether there is no Middle Brother and its actually Shuichi/Subaru or whether Shukichi is the Middle Brother.

The anime makes errors when it comes to phones. Amuro's phone is white in the manga and black in the anime. Vermouth's phone is black in the manga and white in the anime. Okiya's phone is black in the manga and white in the anime. The "middle brother"'s phone is black in the manga but a sort of black-ish blue in the anime. Also they changed the models of many of the phones. They may not be aware that the phones may serve a purpose, but the anime does make a pretty good number of mistakes and add-ons that change from the story in the manga.

[jimmy_kud0_tv2]

Back during the Red Woman case, if Akai is dead, how can his "high school friends" send him a request? Should we assume that Akai is leading a double (more like triple/ quadruple) life: Akai Shuichi and Sera Shuichi? If the request came to "Sera-kun", we now have an issue with a person called Sera-kun (supposedly Akai if Akai is the only brother).

You know, on this front, I can't shoot an answer right away because you're raising an issue I've failed to consider as of yet. I'll have to reread the relevant parts of that case again and see if I can come up with an answer to this one.

Perhaps jimmy_kud0_tv2 thought on this issue and has a decent explanation for this one too.

I haven't considered that, I will go back through the case either later today or early tomorrow.

[AICHAN]

Back during the Red Woman case, if Akai is dead, how can his "high school friends" send him a request? Should we assume that Akai is leading a double (more like triple/ quadruple) life: Akai Shuichi and Sera Shuichi? If the request came to "Sera-kun", we now have an issue with a person called Sera-kun (supposedly Akai if Akai is the only brother).

Yeah that's a good question...

[ThatLee4]

Back during the Red Woman case, if Akai is dead, how can his "high school friends" send him a request? Should we assume that Akai is leading a double (more like triple/ quadruple) life: Akai Shuichi and Sera Shuichi? If the request came to "Sera-kun", we now have an issue with a person called Sera-kun (supposedly Akai if Akai is the only brother).

[/quote]

Yeah that's a good question...[/quote]

Tharmt is a real good point.

I still think it can be Sabaru Okiya.

But is it me or is the Subaru character finished with by Akai and Gosho will not use him again (which is a same) or is he an actual person too?

[jimmy_kud0_tv2]

Back during the Red Woman case, if Akai is dead, how can his "high school friends" send him a request? Should we assume that Akai is leading a double (more like triple/ quadruple) life: Akai Shuichi and Sera Shuichi? If the request came to "Sera-kun", we now have an issue with a person called Sera-kun (supposedly Akai if Akai is the only brother).

One possible reason mentioned in the spoiler cbox is that
The news media mentioned that "Akai Shuuichi" is dead. Maybe the high school friends don't know that he changed his name and do not know of his death. All they know is that they have a friend called "Sera-kun". If Shuuichi, in his line of work, keeps all of his previous lines of contact open, such as previously owned cell phones, then it is possible they simply called "Sera-kun" without knowing that he is supposed to be dead. Then, in order to keep his identity hidden, he merely sent his sister, who is also a "Sera" which would not connect him to this case.

[Touichi Kuroba]

Back during the Red Woman case, if Akai is dead, how can his "high school friends" send him a request? Should we assume that Akai is leading a double (more like triple/ quadruple) life: Akai Shuichi and Sera Shuichi? If the request came to "Sera-kun", we now have an issue with a person called Sera-kun (supposedly Akai if Akai is the only brother).

One possible reason mentioned in the spoiler cbox is that
The news media mentioned that "Akai Shuuichi" is dead. Maybe the high school friends don't know that he changed his name and do not know of his death. All they know is that they have a friend called "Sera-kun". If Shuuichi, in his line of work, keeps all of his previous lines of contact open, such as previously owned cell phones, then it is possible they simply called "Sera-kun" without knowing that he is supposed to be dead. Then, in order to keep his identity hidden, he merely sent his sister, who is also a "Sera" which would not connect him to this case.

I wanna argue against this point.Why would Akai's surname in college be Sera since he still has Akai as his surname, why did he have it as Sera in college, why did he change back?I also don't want Shukichi as the Middle brother, he doesn't seem as good at deductions as the mid bro(though he could be like Shuu and might be holding them back)he also seems very careless.Whatever, I just hope that the mid bro is somebody else.