Detective Conan Wiki - User contributions [en]

Mary Sera

2014-12-11T04:21:17Z

Lunar1412:

{{InfoBox Char
| name = ???
| japanese-name = ???
| english-name =
| image = Unknown_child_Profile.jpg
| age = Looks approximately middle school aged according to Conan
| gender = Female (assumed by Conan)
| date-of-birth =
| occupation =
| relatives = [[Masumi Sera]] (unknown relationship)
| nicknames =
| first-appearance = Manga: [[Volume_83#Red_Tragedy|File 875]]<br />Anime: [[The Tragedy of the Red Woman|Episode 756]]
| appearances = {{:Unknown child Appearances}}
| keyhole =
| japanese-voice = [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atsuko_Tanaka_(voice_actress) Atsuko Tanaka]
| cases-solved =
| footnotes =
}}
An unknown child of middle-school age who appears to be a girl with light hair was shown hiding in [[Masumi Sera]]'s room. The child's eyes have a remarkable resemblance to those of [[Shuichi Akai]] and [[Masumi Sera]].

==Appearance==
The child appears to be a female of middle school age (12-15) with light colored, curly, neck length hair. The child has eyes similar to those of [[Masumi Sera]] and [[Shuichi Akai]]. In her appearance in File 877, she was shown wearing a high-neck pleated top, hoodie jacket, and hat.

==Plot overview==
=== The Red Woman Murder Case (Manga: [[Volume 83|875]], Anime: [[The Tragedy of the Red Woman|756]])===
[[File:Another person with eye bags appears.png|thumb|right|The child on Sera's phone.]]
Masumi asks Conan to find her cellphone by calling it with his. He does so and Conan notices the call background screen is a child who looks like Masumi with eye bags similar to those of the [[Akai family]] members. Masumi never mentioned having a younger siblings earlier, so Conan suspects Masumi was intentionally trying to show him the child for some reason.

=== Romance Novelist Murder Case (Manga: [[Volume 83|876-878]], Anime: [[The Unexpected Result Of Romance Novel|759-760]]) ===
When Ran, Sonoko, and Conan visit Masumi's apartment, the child is shown opening Masumi's door as Conan, Sera, Sonoko, and Ran rush to investigate a crime. It is implied she was hiding in Masumi's bedroom while the other three were in the dining area because Masumi asks Conan not to enter her bedroom. The child later goes downstairs to the scene of the crime where she is seen by Conan. After the case is solved, the child is shown examining Conan's bug along with Masumi. She says that it is still early to trust him, and asks Masumi to introduce her as "her little sister from ''outside the territory''", should Conan question her in the future.

=== Shogi Tournament ([[Volume 85|899-902]]) ===
The child is interested in [[Shukichi Haneda|Shukichi]]'s Shogi match, and feeling happy once he won.

=== Poolside Case ([[Volume 85|903-905]]) ===
The child is waiting for [[Conan]] to visit her and [[Sera]] in their hotel room. She expresses her concern of trusting Conan, even though she thinks he is bright enough. Her talk with him alone is put on hold because Conan brought [[Ran]] and [[Sonoko]] along.

==Identity==
The child's relationship to Masumi Sera is unknown. Sera testifies that she has two older brothers: [[Shuichi Akai]] and an [[Akai family's middle brother|unknown middle brother]] living in Japan. She says her father is dead, and her mother lives overseas in America. Masumi says she doesn't have any more relatives close enough to depend on.<ref>Manga Volume 83, File 4 (876), pg 3: "The Romance Novelist"</ref> She is currently being financially supported by a friend of her father's. If Masumi has told the truth, that leaves relatively few options for the child's identity assuming the child is related by blood somehow to Masumi.

=== Fan speculation ===

====Akai family mother====
One possibility is that the child is the mother of Masumi Sera and Shuichi Akai, shrunk by a drug like [[APTX 4869]]. There are currently five known members of the Akai/Sera family: a deceased father, a mother, a son who resembles the father, and Masumi Sera and Shuichi Akai, who presumably resemble the mother. Her eyes and features are similar to those of Masumi Sera and Shuichi Akai, and so she presumably looks like the mother of the family. Sera seems to recognize Conan Edogawa to be Shinichi Kudo despite him having such a young appearance, and if she does indeed recognize him she is not surprised by his appearance, which could imply that she is aware of age regression and the drugs which cause it; and perhaps even looking into it because her mother was affected by such a regression.

==== Middle brother ====
Along the same lines as the mother theory, another option for the child's identity is the [[Akai family's middle brother|middle brother of the Akai family]] shrunken by some drug such as APTX 4869. The child's appearance as a girl may be misleading similar to how Masumi is mistaken for a man, something the child is taking advantage of in order to conceal his true identity. Although the eyes are similar to Masumi's and Shuuichi's, the light colored curly hair sets the child apart from the other two in appearance. However, the child said to Sera that he\she is still a long way from trusting Conan<ref>Manga [[Volume 83]], File 6 (878), pg 16: "The Phone, the Sea, and I"</ref>, while the middle brother approves of Conan over the phone: "If it is him [Conan], there is no problem."<ref>Manga [[Volume 81]], File 10 (860), pg 16: "The Smell of Kerosine"</ref>.

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths=185px perrow=5>
File:2014-06-08 00.25.28.jpg|The unknown child in file 899
</gallery>

== See also ==
*[[Akai family]]
*[[Shuichi Akai]]
*[[Masumi Sera]]
*[[Akai family's middle brother]]

== References ==
<References/>
{{Characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]

Akai family's middle brother

2014-12-10T15:46:30Z

Lunar1412: /* Shukichi Haneda */

{{FeaturedArticle|24th September 2013}}
[[Masumi Sera]] reveals that she has a second brother whom she has been calling regarding case solutions.<ref name=859p6-7>Manga Volume 81, File 9 (859): pgs 6-7: "Jeet Kune Do vs. Karate"</ref>

== Description and known facts ==
[[File:Akai Middle Brother's hand.png|thumb|right|The middle brother's hand and cellphone]]
* He does not look like [[Shuichi Akai]] or [[Masumi Sera]], who presumably resemble their mother. The middle brother looks more like their father.<ref name=859p6-7/>
* The middle brother is older than Masumi, but younger than Shuichi.<ref name=859p6-7/> Neither of their ages have been revealed, but Masumi attends class with Ran and Shinichi who are 16-17, and [[Subaru Okiya]] claims to be 27. The brother's former high school classmates are currently 28 and 29 years old, suggesting that the brother is probably similarly aged. Although if that were the case, then Akai would be older than 27.
* He is apparently in the middle of an important job and won't tell Masumi where he is.<ref name=859p6-7/>
* He is very intelligent; note that Sera characterizes the already intelligent Akai as "strong" in contrast to the middle brother. He advises Masumi on cases via cellphone.<ref name=859p6-7/> He was able to correctly deduce over the phone that Masumi's deduction was unreliable in [[Volume_81#Steamy_Relations|a bathroom murder case]]. Masumi says that his high school friends report that he solved puzzles and mysteries very easily.<ref name=872p3>Manga [[Volume 82]], File 11 (872), pg 3: "The Red Woman"</ref>
* In one panel, we see the middle brother responding to Masumi's message using his right hand and a black cellphone. Unless the brother is disguised, this would imply he has light skin. The use of the phone with the right hand is not an absolute indicator of handedness because sometimes characters with known handedness will use phones with their off hands.<ref name=860p16>Manga [[Volume 81]], File 10 (860), pg 16: "The smell of kerosine"</ref>
* The middle brother recognizes Conan and knows he is a good detective.<ref name=860p16/> After an exchange of information regarding deductions, the brother asked Masumi who she was referring to. Masumi shows the brother Conan's picture thinking he will be surprised. The brother replies back that "if it's him, then there's no problem". Masumi is very surprised and wonders how her brother knows Conan. Her suspicion makes sense because Conan didn't exist prior to Shinichi shrinking.<ref name=861p4>Manga Volume 81, File 11 (861), pg 4: "Just like Magic"</ref> The brother later sends another text to Masumi, which makes Masumi react "Ah, I see. So ''that's'' how it is."<ref name=861p15-16>Manga Volume 81, File 11 (861), pg 15-16: "Just like Magic"</ref>
* While the middle brother is not a detective himself, his intelligence seems to be well-known among the students from his high school, as he apparently has solved some mysteries in his class during his time studying there.<ref name=872p3/>
* According to Masumi, the middle brother's surname had been "Sera", which he got from his mother's side, until he graduated from high school. His current surname in the present timeline is presumably something else.<ref name=872p3/>
{{clear}}

== Plot Overview ==

=== Sera's phone call during Detective's Nocturne (Manga: [[Volume 76|798-800]], Anime: [[Detectives' Nocturne|672-674]])===
After Sera took down the kidnapper with her motorcycle she either made or received a call from an unknown person. Given her pattern of contacting her brother regarding cases, she may have called him concerning this one.

=== Bathroom murder case's failed deduction (Manga: [[Volume 81|856-858]], Anime: [[Bathroom Where Ran Collapsed As Well|740-741]])===
Sera had called her brother regarding the "adultery case" she was about to investigate and was overheard by Eri. After the murder was discovered, Sera relayed her brother the facts of the case and her deduction by phone call. He told Sera her deduction was unreliable.

=== Bowling Alley drowning murder (Manga: [[Volume 81|859-861]], Anime: [[The Suspect is Makoto Kyogoku|744-745]])===
Conan asks Sera who she called during the last case, and she tells Conan about the existence of her second oldest brother who is very smart. Confronted with another murder case, Sera texts her brother about the situation and her logic. Sera also informs her brother than Conan seems to have figured out the case, but she isn't sure of her answer since her confidence has been shaken as of late. Her brother texts Sera asking who she keeps talking about. Sera sends him a picture of Conan and the brother replies that "it is no problem" if it is Conan doing the deducing. Sera meanwhile wonders how her brother knows Conan. Sera later receives one final text from her brother to which Sera thinks "so '''that's''' how it is". At the end of the unseen message is a PS asking if she has "already met the wizard." Sera looks over at Conan and thinks "You could say so..." while sending a reply.

== Possible Suspects ==

Assuming the middle brother is between 16 (assumed lower range for Masumi's real age) and 35 (assumed upper range for Akai's age based on his appearance and reasonable full-blooding sibling age separation) the following characters could qualify as suspects in reverse order of their introduction date.

=== Minor or New Character ===
It's possible the middle brother is a minor character who was a suspect or witness in a case, but did not distinguish himself or demonstrate his intelligence. It's also possible for the middle brother to be a character who has not been introduced yet, but will be later in a flashback.

=== Characters introduced in the Bourbon Arc ===

*[[Shukichi Haneda]]: [[Yumi]]'s semi-ex-boyfriend (28)
*[[Wataru Date]]: Deceased Tokyo Metropolitan Criminal Investigation First Division police officer (would be ~29 if alive)
*[[Kogoro-san is a Good Man|Ryouhei Onda]]: Kogoro imposter (21)
*[[Tooru Amuro]]: [[Rei Furuya|Bourbon]] (29)
*[[Holmes' Revelation|Ashley Ares]]: Minerva's tennis coach (30)
*[[Taka'aki Morofushi|Taka'aki Morofushi (Koumei)]]: Nagano officer (35)
*[[A Present from the True Culprit|Sugihito Enomoto]]: Poirot waitress [[Azusa Enomoto]]'s brother (28)
*[[Subaru Okiya]]: Engineering student (27), revealed to be [[Shuichi Akai]] in disguise
*[[Kansuke Yamato]]: Nagano officer (35)

==== Unknown child ====
{{main|Unknown child}}
Some fans think the mysterious child who looks like a member of the Akai family might be the brother after being shrunken by [[APTX 4869]].

==== Shukichi Haneda ====
Shukichi is very intelligent and noticed Conan was an excellent detective on their first meeting. However, Shukichi is famous and recognizable which contradicts Sera not knowing where he is or what he is up to. He has the right age range for the brother. Also the unknown child and Okiya (Shuichi) were very interested in the news that he had won his 7th shogi title. Also if you remove the letter K in Shukichi you get Shuichi it's possible that that their parents wanted them to have similar names. Both [[Subaru Okiya]] and the [[Unknown child]] are happy to know that the Shukichi has attained all 7 Shogi titles.

==== Taka'aki Morofushi ====
Taka'aki Morofushi is intelligent and has light skin. He was still working in Nagano as a police officer though, so Sera should be able to find out where he was and what he was doing. Sera also lacks a Nagano accent, something that might be expected learning Japanese with a family who lived in Nagano for a period of time. (Koumei's lived in Nagano as a child.) Koumei's most recently seen phone is a white clamshell phone. It is improbable that the middle brother is Morofushi though, given that he appeared in front of the middle brother's classmates without being recognised - and that the brother was supposedly unable to help them in investigating the Red Woman occurrences, but Morofushi was there to apprehend the killer. Also, Morofushi is 35 years old, much older than the middle brother.

==== Subaru Okiya ====
Although Subaru Okiya was revealed to be Shuichi Akai, it is possible Akai disguised as his middle brother for some reason. However, Sera would not have wondered how he knew Conan because she was with Subaru and Conan earlier during a case. Okiya's most recently seen phone is black and similar to the one the older brother holds.

==== Tooru Amuro ====
[[File:Amuro674.png|thumb|150px]]
Amuro's intelligence matches the middle brother's expected level; however, Amuro's dark skin contradicts the light-colored hand holding the phone when texting Masumi. Amuro has a white iPhone lookalike. However, on page 15 of Chapter 800, his thoughts (i.e., "Why [is Sera Masumi] here..." suggests he knows Sera. Sera doesn't see Amuro, so it is unclear if she knows him or not. Also, Bourbon, like Vermouth, is often in disguise, and either Amuro's dark skin or the light-colored hand holding the cell phone can be makeup or a disguise. However, since Amuro actually wanted the fact that his "older brother" or Shuichi Akai to be dead, it somehow contradicts the fact that he's the middle brother.
{{clear}}

== See also ==
*[[Akai family]]
*[[Shuichi Akai]]
*[[Masumi Sera]]
*[[Unknown child]]

== References ==
<References/>
[[Category:Theories]]
[[Category:Characters]]

Akai family's middle brother

2014-12-10T15:45:50Z

Lunar1412: /* Shukichi Haneda */

{{FeaturedArticle|24th September 2013}}
[[Masumi Sera]] reveals that she has a second brother whom she has been calling regarding case solutions.<ref name=859p6-7>Manga Volume 81, File 9 (859): pgs 6-7: "Jeet Kune Do vs. Karate"</ref>

== Description and known facts ==
[[File:Akai Middle Brother's hand.png|thumb|right|The middle brother's hand and cellphone]]
* He does not look like [[Shuichi Akai]] or [[Masumi Sera]], who presumably resemble their mother. The middle brother looks more like their father.<ref name=859p6-7/>
* The middle brother is older than Masumi, but younger than Shuichi.<ref name=859p6-7/> Neither of their ages have been revealed, but Masumi attends class with Ran and Shinichi who are 16-17, and [[Subaru Okiya]] claims to be 27. The brother's former high school classmates are currently 28 and 29 years old, suggesting that the brother is probably similarly aged. Although if that were the case, then Akai would be older than 27.
* He is apparently in the middle of an important job and won't tell Masumi where he is.<ref name=859p6-7/>
* He is very intelligent; note that Sera characterizes the already intelligent Akai as "strong" in contrast to the middle brother. He advises Masumi on cases via cellphone.<ref name=859p6-7/> He was able to correctly deduce over the phone that Masumi's deduction was unreliable in [[Volume_81#Steamy_Relations|a bathroom murder case]]. Masumi says that his high school friends report that he solved puzzles and mysteries very easily.<ref name=872p3>Manga [[Volume 82]], File 11 (872), pg 3: "The Red Woman"</ref>
* In one panel, we see the middle brother responding to Masumi's message using his right hand and a black cellphone. Unless the brother is disguised, this would imply he has light skin. The use of the phone with the right hand is not an absolute indicator of handedness because sometimes characters with known handedness will use phones with their off hands.<ref name=860p16>Manga [[Volume 81]], File 10 (860), pg 16: "The smell of kerosine"</ref>
* The middle brother recognizes Conan and knows he is a good detective.<ref name=860p16/> After an exchange of information regarding deductions, the brother asked Masumi who she was referring to. Masumi shows the brother Conan's picture thinking he will be surprised. The brother replies back that "if it's him, then there's no problem". Masumi is very surprised and wonders how her brother knows Conan. Her suspicion makes sense because Conan didn't exist prior to Shinichi shrinking.<ref name=861p4>Manga Volume 81, File 11 (861), pg 4: "Just like Magic"</ref> The brother later sends another text to Masumi, which makes Masumi react "Ah, I see. So ''that's'' how it is."<ref name=861p15-16>Manga Volume 81, File 11 (861), pg 15-16: "Just like Magic"</ref>
* While the middle brother is not a detective himself, his intelligence seems to be well-known among the students from his high school, as he apparently has solved some mysteries in his class during his time studying there.<ref name=872p3/>
* According to Masumi, the middle brother's surname had been "Sera", which he got from his mother's side, until he graduated from high school. His current surname in the present timeline is presumably something else.<ref name=872p3/>
{{clear}}

== Plot Overview ==

=== Sera's phone call during Detective's Nocturne (Manga: [[Volume 76|798-800]], Anime: [[Detectives' Nocturne|672-674]])===
After Sera took down the kidnapper with her motorcycle she either made or received a call from an unknown person. Given her pattern of contacting her brother regarding cases, she may have called him concerning this one.

=== Bathroom murder case's failed deduction (Manga: [[Volume 81|856-858]], Anime: [[Bathroom Where Ran Collapsed As Well|740-741]])===
Sera had called her brother regarding the "adultery case" she was about to investigate and was overheard by Eri. After the murder was discovered, Sera relayed her brother the facts of the case and her deduction by phone call. He told Sera her deduction was unreliable.

=== Bowling Alley drowning murder (Manga: [[Volume 81|859-861]], Anime: [[The Suspect is Makoto Kyogoku|744-745]])===
Conan asks Sera who she called during the last case, and she tells Conan about the existence of her second oldest brother who is very smart. Confronted with another murder case, Sera texts her brother about the situation and her logic. Sera also informs her brother than Conan seems to have figured out the case, but she isn't sure of her answer since her confidence has been shaken as of late. Her brother texts Sera asking who she keeps talking about. Sera sends him a picture of Conan and the brother replies that "it is no problem" if it is Conan doing the deducing. Sera meanwhile wonders how her brother knows Conan. Sera later receives one final text from her brother to which Sera thinks "so '''that's''' how it is". At the end of the unseen message is a PS asking if she has "already met the wizard." Sera looks over at Conan and thinks "You could say so..." while sending a reply.

== Possible Suspects ==

Assuming the middle brother is between 16 (assumed lower range for Masumi's real age) and 35 (assumed upper range for Akai's age based on his appearance and reasonable full-blooding sibling age separation) the following characters could qualify as suspects in reverse order of their introduction date.

=== Minor or New Character ===
It's possible the middle brother is a minor character who was a suspect or witness in a case, but did not distinguish himself or demonstrate his intelligence. It's also possible for the middle brother to be a character who has not been introduced yet, but will be later in a flashback.

=== Characters introduced in the Bourbon Arc ===

*[[Shukichi Haneda]]: [[Yumi]]'s semi-ex-boyfriend (28)
*[[Wataru Date]]: Deceased Tokyo Metropolitan Criminal Investigation First Division police officer (would be ~29 if alive)
*[[Kogoro-san is a Good Man|Ryouhei Onda]]: Kogoro imposter (21)
*[[Tooru Amuro]]: [[Rei Furuya|Bourbon]] (29)
*[[Holmes' Revelation|Ashley Ares]]: Minerva's tennis coach (30)
*[[Taka'aki Morofushi|Taka'aki Morofushi (Koumei)]]: Nagano officer (35)
*[[A Present from the True Culprit|Sugihito Enomoto]]: Poirot waitress [[Azusa Enomoto]]'s brother (28)
*[[Subaru Okiya]]: Engineering student (27), revealed to be [[Shuichi Akai]] in disguise
*[[Kansuke Yamato]]: Nagano officer (35)

==== Unknown child ====
{{main|Unknown child}}
Some fans think the mysterious child who looks like a member of the Akai family might be the brother after being shrunken by [[APTX 4869]].

==== Shukichi Haneda ====
Shukichi is very intelligent and noticed Conan was an excellent detective on their first meeting. However, Shukichi is famous and recognizable which contradicts Sera not knowing where he is or what he is up to. He has the right age range for the brother. Also the unknown child and Okiya (Shuichi) were very interested in the news that he had won his 7th shogi title. Also if you remove the letter K in Shukichi you get Shuichi it's possible that that their parents wanted them to have similar names. Both [[Subaru Okiya]] and [[The Unknown child]] are happy to know that the Shukichi has attained all 7 Shogi titles.

==== Taka'aki Morofushi ====
Taka'aki Morofushi is intelligent and has light skin. He was still working in Nagano as a police officer though, so Sera should be able to find out where he was and what he was doing. Sera also lacks a Nagano accent, something that might be expected learning Japanese with a family who lived in Nagano for a period of time. (Koumei's lived in Nagano as a child.) Koumei's most recently seen phone is a white clamshell phone. It is improbable that the middle brother is Morofushi though, given that he appeared in front of the middle brother's classmates without being recognised - and that the brother was supposedly unable to help them in investigating the Red Woman occurrences, but Morofushi was there to apprehend the killer. Also, Morofushi is 35 years old, much older than the middle brother.

==== Subaru Okiya ====
Although Subaru Okiya was revealed to be Shuichi Akai, it is possible Akai disguised as his middle brother for some reason. However, Sera would not have wondered how he knew Conan because she was with Subaru and Conan earlier during a case. Okiya's most recently seen phone is black and similar to the one the older brother holds.

==== Tooru Amuro ====
[[File:Amuro674.png|thumb|150px]]
Amuro's intelligence matches the middle brother's expected level; however, Amuro's dark skin contradicts the light-colored hand holding the phone when texting Masumi. Amuro has a white iPhone lookalike. However, on page 15 of Chapter 800, his thoughts (i.e., "Why [is Sera Masumi] here..." suggests he knows Sera. Sera doesn't see Amuro, so it is unclear if she knows him or not. Also, Bourbon, like Vermouth, is often in disguise, and either Amuro's dark skin or the light-colored hand holding the cell phone can be makeup or a disguise. However, since Amuro actually wanted the fact that his "older brother" or Shuichi Akai to be dead, it somehow contradicts the fact that he's the middle brother.
{{clear}}

== See also ==
*[[Akai family]]
*[[Shuichi Akai]]
*[[Masumi Sera]]
*[[Unknown child]]

== References ==
<References/>
[[Category:Theories]]
[[Category:Characters]]

Akai family's middle brother

2014-12-10T15:44:43Z

Lunar1412: /* Shukichi Haneda */

{{FeaturedArticle|24th September 2013}}
[[Masumi Sera]] reveals that she has a second brother whom she has been calling regarding case solutions.<ref name=859p6-7>Manga Volume 81, File 9 (859): pgs 6-7: "Jeet Kune Do vs. Karate"</ref>

== Description and known facts ==
[[File:Akai Middle Brother's hand.png|thumb|right|The middle brother's hand and cellphone]]
* He does not look like [[Shuichi Akai]] or [[Masumi Sera]], who presumably resemble their mother. The middle brother looks more like their father.<ref name=859p6-7/>
* The middle brother is older than Masumi, but younger than Shuichi.<ref name=859p6-7/> Neither of their ages have been revealed, but Masumi attends class with Ran and Shinichi who are 16-17, and [[Subaru Okiya]] claims to be 27. The brother's former high school classmates are currently 28 and 29 years old, suggesting that the brother is probably similarly aged. Although if that were the case, then Akai would be older than 27.
* He is apparently in the middle of an important job and won't tell Masumi where he is.<ref name=859p6-7/>
* He is very intelligent; note that Sera characterizes the already intelligent Akai as "strong" in contrast to the middle brother. He advises Masumi on cases via cellphone.<ref name=859p6-7/> He was able to correctly deduce over the phone that Masumi's deduction was unreliable in [[Volume_81#Steamy_Relations|a bathroom murder case]]. Masumi says that his high school friends report that he solved puzzles and mysteries very easily.<ref name=872p3>Manga [[Volume 82]], File 11 (872), pg 3: "The Red Woman"</ref>
* In one panel, we see the middle brother responding to Masumi's message using his right hand and a black cellphone. Unless the brother is disguised, this would imply he has light skin. The use of the phone with the right hand is not an absolute indicator of handedness because sometimes characters with known handedness will use phones with their off hands.<ref name=860p16>Manga [[Volume 81]], File 10 (860), pg 16: "The smell of kerosine"</ref>
* The middle brother recognizes Conan and knows he is a good detective.<ref name=860p16/> After an exchange of information regarding deductions, the brother asked Masumi who she was referring to. Masumi shows the brother Conan's picture thinking he will be surprised. The brother replies back that "if it's him, then there's no problem". Masumi is very surprised and wonders how her brother knows Conan. Her suspicion makes sense because Conan didn't exist prior to Shinichi shrinking.<ref name=861p4>Manga Volume 81, File 11 (861), pg 4: "Just like Magic"</ref> The brother later sends another text to Masumi, which makes Masumi react "Ah, I see. So ''that's'' how it is."<ref name=861p15-16>Manga Volume 81, File 11 (861), pg 15-16: "Just like Magic"</ref>
* While the middle brother is not a detective himself, his intelligence seems to be well-known among the students from his high school, as he apparently has solved some mysteries in his class during his time studying there.<ref name=872p3/>
* According to Masumi, the middle brother's surname had been "Sera", which he got from his mother's side, until he graduated from high school. His current surname in the present timeline is presumably something else.<ref name=872p3/>
{{clear}}

== Plot Overview ==

=== Sera's phone call during Detective's Nocturne (Manga: [[Volume 76|798-800]], Anime: [[Detectives' Nocturne|672-674]])===
After Sera took down the kidnapper with her motorcycle she either made or received a call from an unknown person. Given her pattern of contacting her brother regarding cases, she may have called him concerning this one.

=== Bathroom murder case's failed deduction (Manga: [[Volume 81|856-858]], Anime: [[Bathroom Where Ran Collapsed As Well|740-741]])===
Sera had called her brother regarding the "adultery case" she was about to investigate and was overheard by Eri. After the murder was discovered, Sera relayed her brother the facts of the case and her deduction by phone call. He told Sera her deduction was unreliable.

=== Bowling Alley drowning murder (Manga: [[Volume 81|859-861]], Anime: [[The Suspect is Makoto Kyogoku|744-745]])===
Conan asks Sera who she called during the last case, and she tells Conan about the existence of her second oldest brother who is very smart. Confronted with another murder case, Sera texts her brother about the situation and her logic. Sera also informs her brother than Conan seems to have figured out the case, but she isn't sure of her answer since her confidence has been shaken as of late. Her brother texts Sera asking who she keeps talking about. Sera sends him a picture of Conan and the brother replies that "it is no problem" if it is Conan doing the deducing. Sera meanwhile wonders how her brother knows Conan. Sera later receives one final text from her brother to which Sera thinks "so '''that's''' how it is". At the end of the unseen message is a PS asking if she has "already met the wizard." Sera looks over at Conan and thinks "You could say so..." while sending a reply.

== Possible Suspects ==

Assuming the middle brother is between 16 (assumed lower range for Masumi's real age) and 35 (assumed upper range for Akai's age based on his appearance and reasonable full-blooding sibling age separation) the following characters could qualify as suspects in reverse order of their introduction date.

=== Minor or New Character ===
It's possible the middle brother is a minor character who was a suspect or witness in a case, but did not distinguish himself or demonstrate his intelligence. It's also possible for the middle brother to be a character who has not been introduced yet, but will be later in a flashback.

=== Characters introduced in the Bourbon Arc ===

*[[Shukichi Haneda]]: [[Yumi]]'s semi-ex-boyfriend (28)
*[[Wataru Date]]: Deceased Tokyo Metropolitan Criminal Investigation First Division police officer (would be ~29 if alive)
*[[Kogoro-san is a Good Man|Ryouhei Onda]]: Kogoro imposter (21)
*[[Tooru Amuro]]: [[Rei Furuya|Bourbon]] (29)
*[[Holmes' Revelation|Ashley Ares]]: Minerva's tennis coach (30)
*[[Taka'aki Morofushi|Taka'aki Morofushi (Koumei)]]: Nagano officer (35)
*[[A Present from the True Culprit|Sugihito Enomoto]]: Poirot waitress [[Azusa Enomoto]]'s brother (28)
*[[Subaru Okiya]]: Engineering student (27), revealed to be [[Shuichi Akai]] in disguise
*[[Kansuke Yamato]]: Nagano officer (35)

==== Unknown child ====
{{main|Unknown child}}
Some fans think the mysterious child who looks like a member of the Akai family might be the brother after being shrunken by [[APTX 4869]].

==== Shukichi Haneda ====
Shukichi is very intelligent and noticed Conan was an excellent detective on their first meeting. However, Shukichi is famous and recognizable which contradicts Sera not knowing where he is or what he is up to. He has the right age range for the brother. Also the unknown child and Okiya (Shuichi) were very interested in the news that he had won his 7th shogi title. Also if you remove the letter K in Shukichi you get Shuichi it's possible that that their parents wanted them to have similar names. Both Subaru Okiya and The Unknown child are happy to know that the Shukichi has attained all 7 Shogi titles.

==== Taka'aki Morofushi ====
Taka'aki Morofushi is intelligent and has light skin. He was still working in Nagano as a police officer though, so Sera should be able to find out where he was and what he was doing. Sera also lacks a Nagano accent, something that might be expected learning Japanese with a family who lived in Nagano for a period of time. (Koumei's lived in Nagano as a child.) Koumei's most recently seen phone is a white clamshell phone. It is improbable that the middle brother is Morofushi though, given that he appeared in front of the middle brother's classmates without being recognised - and that the brother was supposedly unable to help them in investigating the Red Woman occurrences, but Morofushi was there to apprehend the killer. Also, Morofushi is 35 years old, much older than the middle brother.

==== Subaru Okiya ====
Although Subaru Okiya was revealed to be Shuichi Akai, it is possible Akai disguised as his middle brother for some reason. However, Sera would not have wondered how he knew Conan because she was with Subaru and Conan earlier during a case. Okiya's most recently seen phone is black and similar to the one the older brother holds.

==== Tooru Amuro ====
[[File:Amuro674.png|thumb|150px]]
Amuro's intelligence matches the middle brother's expected level; however, Amuro's dark skin contradicts the light-colored hand holding the phone when texting Masumi. Amuro has a white iPhone lookalike. However, on page 15 of Chapter 800, his thoughts (i.e., "Why [is Sera Masumi] here..." suggests he knows Sera. Sera doesn't see Amuro, so it is unclear if she knows him or not. Also, Bourbon, like Vermouth, is often in disguise, and either Amuro's dark skin or the light-colored hand holding the cell phone can be makeup or a disguise. However, since Amuro actually wanted the fact that his "older brother" or Shuichi Akai to be dead, it somehow contradicts the fact that he's the middle brother.
{{clear}}

== See also ==
*[[Akai family]]
*[[Shuichi Akai]]
*[[Masumi Sera]]
*[[Unknown child]]

== References ==
<References/>
[[Category:Theories]]
[[Category:Characters]]