Kiyonaga Matsumoto
(Matsumoto Kiyonaga)
Sayuri Matsumoto (daughter)
Toshihiko Takasugi (son-in-law)
Kiyonaga Matsumoto (松本 清長 Matsumoto Kiyonaga), known as Kristopher McLaughlin in the Funimation dub, is a character in the manga and anime franchise Detective Conan.
Background
At the beginning of the series, Matsumoto was a superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department[1][2], and Juzo Megure's superior, often giving him specific instructions on very dangerous cases. Sometimes, Megure puts his plan through to Matsumoto first, and then sees what he has to say about it. He has a scar over his left eye.
Matsumoto was a minor character and only made limited appearances. His main appearances were his first appearance in the Poisoned Bride Case and in the Scar and Ginger Case when the story behind his scar was explored. In Poisoned Bride Case, Matsumoto's only daughter Sayuri gets poisoned during her wedding. The culprit was the groom, who was attempting to avenge his mother's death by Matsumoto's negligence. They reconciliated and Sayuri recovered. In the Scar and Ginger Case, we learn that Matsumoto got the scar 15 years ago from a katana slash from a serial killer he was chasing. The case was finally closed when the connection between the victims was discovered and the serial killer was identified.
In storyline, he was promoted to Senior Superintendent, and replaced by Hyoue Kuroda although his last appearance was much earlier in the Overnight Deadline case. Unlike Matsumoto, Kuroda has a deeper involvement with the plot with a complicated past and a connection with the Black Organization.
Personality
Although Matsumoto looks to be a stern, harsh, brute man, he can be a very kind and gentle person, only getting very angry when a loved one is put in danger. However, his demeanor changes to complete seriousness and professionalism while at work. When one of his people is put in danger, he gets very serious on getting them back.
Appellations
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Plot overview
Shortly before Sayuri's wedding, Matsumoto, accompanied by Inspector Megure, enters the family room where his daughter Ran, Sonoko, and Conan are also present. Ran and Sonoko accuse him of being a pervert, an accusation immediately refuted by Sayuri, Megure, and Matsumoto himself.
Matsumoto recognizes Ran as the daughter of former police officer Kogoro and explains that his superiors often ask him how he could have dismissed such a genius. A few seconds later, he turns to Sayuri and tries to dissuade her from the wedding, remarking that she has grown into a beautiful woman.
When his daughter is poisoned, he does not accompany her to the hospital. He insists that he is a police officer first and foremost, and that a hospital visit would not save her life. After the suspects are identified, Conan argues that Matsumoto should also be a suspect due to his presence in the victim's room, which Matsumoto admits. He was just as suspicious as anyone else.
Nevertheless, Matsumoto and Megure began their investigation, and a forensic report confirmed their suspicions. According to the analysis, the poison had entered the lemon tea 15 to 16 minutes earlier, which corresponded to the time Matsumoto had spent in the victim's room.
Shortly afterward, Conan managed to solve Sonoko's case and convict Toshihiko Takasugi. During Matsumoto's interrogation, Takasugi explained that he had wanted to inflict the same pain on Sayuri that he himself had suffered 20 years prior. Despite the poisoning, the doctors were able to save Sayuri's life.
Matsumoto reveals a past case that explains Megure's anxiety and reluctance to use bait, as well as the origin of the scar he covers with his ever-present hat: the case Kogoro and Matsumoto were discussing. Twenty years earlier, a man attacked schoolgirls wearing long skirts after being driven mad by bullying at the hands of some sukeban, whose trademark in Japan is wearing long skirts. He began by simply trying to scare the girls, but then became increasingly violent and killed at least one by running her over with his car.
After the schoolgirls in the area stopped wearing said long skirts, the crimes stopped; but some time later, a sukeban volunteered to the police, claiming she wanted to act as bait because she was the murdered girl's best friend and wanted the culprit caught. The police didn't like the idea, but she refused to give in. She was very rebellious and determined to get what she wanted, so Matsumoto assigned the rookie Megure to be her bodyguard.
One rainy night, the culprit attempted to hit the decoy girl and Megure with his car. Both were seriously injured, especially the girl, who took the brunt of the impact despite Megure's efforts. However, she managed to identify the culprit's license plate, which was "新宿-57, と 66-12" (Shinjuku-57, To 66-12), leading to his capture.
Ran and Sonoko are in tears, convinced that the decoy girl is dead. Matsumoto laughs and says he never said she was dead... and then a dark-haired woman appears. As she and Matsumoto talk, Conan notices a rather large scar on her forehead; then they hear Megure's voice calling for help from a certain Midori, and the woman answers her call. They deduce that, after the charade, Midori married Megure, and that he not only covers his scar with his hat so others won't see it, but also to avoid being mocked for marrying a woman much younger than him and with such a rebellious past.
Following the attack on Ninzaburo Shiratori, Matsumoto joined the investigation. He radioed all police stations and instructed them to locate the two explosive devices planted by the perpetrator. He explicitly warned all officers to take the warning seriously and maintain the highest level of alert.
Five hours before the suspected explosion, Matsumoto radioed again, reiterating his instructions. All red trains were to be stopped and searched for the bombs. Initially, he spoke of a full five hours, but then corrected Megure, clarifying that it was indeed only five hours.
Matsumoto has a scar under his left eye, which he got while chasing a serial killer. The latter spotted him and attacked him with a sword. Although Matsumoto managed to disarm the serial killer, the latter escaped.
Matsumoto leads an investigation on a serial killer case, in which the suspect gave Matsumoto a scar fifteen years ago.
Non-canon plot overview
The Raven Chaser (Movie: 13)
While the organization member Irish is impersonating Matsumoto, the chief inspector is held captive, bound and gagged, in a cabin in the woods. Desperate, he manages to tie the wings of beetles to draw attention to his plight.
The Detective Boys find the beetles with the bound wings and, with the help of Sato and Takagi, free him.
The Bride of Halloween (Movie: 25)
Name origin
His name, Kiyonaga Matsumoto (松本 清長) comes from Seichō Matsumoto (松本 清張, his real given name is Kiyoharu), a Japanese mystery writer.
Different looks
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Quotes
| “ | Being a detective is a line of work in which one is constantly resented. One never knows where the resentment come from. | „ |
— File 805 | ||