James Black

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James Black

James Black Profile.jpg

Profile
Japanese name: ジェイムズ・ブラック
(Jeimuzu Burakku)
English name: James Black
Age: ?
Gender: Male
Occupation: FBI Agent
Statistics
First appearance: Manga: File 325
Anime: Episode 258
Appearances: Chapters: 41
Episodes: 31
Movies: 5
OVAs: 0
Specials: 0
Openings: 15
Closings: 1
Keyhole number: Volume 57
Actors
Japanese voice: Iemasa Kayumi

James Black (ジェイムズ・ブラック Jeimuzu Burakku?) is a character in the manga and anime franchise Detective Conan. He is a high ranking agent in the FBI.

Background

According to James Black's own account, he was born in London, England, in the Marylebone district of Westchester City (the same district where the original Baker Street is located), before he moved to Chicago, growing up as a naturalized American citizen.[1]

Black first met Conan, the Detective Boys, and Professor Agasa when he was visiting Japan to attend an animal show. They saved him from a crowd of reporters who mistook him for a famous American actor, the patron of the show. In fact, he was shortly afterwards kidnapped because of this, and it was thanks to Conan and the Tokyo police that Black was safely rescued from a dangerous hostage situation.[2] At this time, Black developed a deep respect for Conan's intellect, calling him "Cool Guy".

Conan didn't meet up with Black again until he encountered Jodie Starling again while trying to save a popular politician from an assassination attempt by the Black Organization. It was at this time that Black's allegiance with the FBI was revealed; Black is in fact the head of operations on the hunt for the Organization in Japan, and ever since this revelation, he and his colleagues have worked closely with Conan whenever their common cause would bring them together.[3]

Personality

Stoic and collected, James Black often lets his underlings - chiefly Jodie and Shuichi - take the initiative, knowing their capabilities, and for the same reason he listens to Conan's judgements as well. Black, like Starling, is deeply saddened when he learns of Akai's death, considering it a painful blow on not only the FBI, but on a personal level as well.

Plot overview

Kidnapped Tourist Case (Manga: 325-327, Anime: 258-259)

Valentine Chocolate Case (Manga: 331, Anime: 266)

Murderer's Car Case (Manga: 435, 437, Anime: 346-347)

Black Organization vs. FBI (Manga: 502-504, Anime: 425)

Giant Hammer Case (Manga: 550, Anime: 462)

Mysterious Job Case (Manga: 553-554, Anime: 464)

Fake Patient Case (Manga: 595-597, Anime: 495-496)

Kir Transport Case (Manga: 599-604, Anime: 497-500)

Foreign Suspect Case (Manga: 605-609, Anime: 501-504)

Red, White, and Yellow Case (Manga: 622, Anime: 509)

Bank Heist Case (Manga: 677, 679, Anime: 563-564)

East vs. West (Manga: 779-780, Anime: 651)

Scarlet Showdown (Manga: 898, Anime: 783)

Relationships analysis

Colleagues

Jodie Starling

Jodie and James hold a close subordinate relationship and James is shown to trust Jodie's judgement deeply and recognizes her strengths and weaknesses. He is close enough to Jodie to understand her thoughts, mainly as shown when he cautions Camel not to speak too much about Akai in front of her, understanding that Akai had been more than a mere FBI colleague to Jodie. The two have been acquainted prior to the series at least 20 years ago following the death of Jodie's father. Due to his respect for his deceased friend and concern for the girl's safety, James consistently tried persuading Jodie to join the Witness Protection Program, though the latter constantly refused over and over until a point at time in which she made a deal with James to join the Witness Protection Program under the promise that she be guaranteed a position in the FBI when she grew older. Despite often taking over the role of giving out orders, Jodie holds deep loyalty to James, whom she has shown to somewhat view as a father figure.

Shuichi Akai

While their relationship is not shown as much as Jodie's, it is shown that James holds high regard in Akai's abilities and respects and trusts him deeply and vice versa. James has also noted Akai's habit of performing missions on his own and planning things without informing him or Jodie, but does not appear to bear a grudge because of it. He also appears to be knowledgeable of Akai's loner personality coming from Akemi's death, showing that he understands Akai quite well despite not having interacted with him much. James had shown to have taken Akai's death hard (though not to the same extent as Jodie), but is still able to maintain his composure despite the obvious tragedy. Later on, it was revealed that Black was in on the ploy to fake Akai's death, which would explain his maintaining his composure. A major hint to this is provided in the movie Dimensional Sniper, where Subaru Okiya (apparently Shuichi's undercover identity) is shown to be in secret contact with Black.

Andre Camel

While their relationship is even less shown than Akai's, it is shown that James still trusted and respected Camel. The two were shown spending time as friends along with Jodie at a liquor store at one point, where Camel's less-than-sensitive personality causes Jodie to storm out of the store, with James later cautioning Camel to not mention Akai's name in front of Jodie, knowing that she had taken his death particularly hard, having viewed him as more than a mere FBI colleague.

Others

Conan Edogawa

James is one of the few adults that views Conan as an equal and the even fewer few that seemingly knows his true identity due to being part of the FBI. As such, James holds high regard in Conan's abilities and trusts him deeply. He also has the habit of calling Conan, "Cool-guy".

Name origin

Haibara notes that James Black's name is similar to James Bond, and both are British as well. Conan points out that there is another British man with a similar name: "James Moriarty".

Different looks

James' "Before" Appearance (Episode 258)
James' "Middle" Appearance (Episode 495)
James' "After" Appearance (Episode 563)

Quotes

As expected of the child that you have your eyes on. It almost makes me want to scout him for the bureau.

Episode 425

Trivia

  • In his first appearance, he was blond.

In other languages

Language Given Name Family Name
Flag of Japan Japanese ジェイムズ Jeimuzu ブラック Burakku
Flag of Italy Italian James Black
Flag of Arabic Arabic جيمز James بلاك Black
Flag of Thailand Thai เจมส์ James แบล็ค Black

See also

References

  1. ^ Manga Chapter 325: Something the Lion Dropped
  2. ^ Manga Chapters 325-327: Kidnapped Tourist Case
  3. ^ Manga Chapter 502: A New Objective
Main Characters
Protagonists Shinichi KudoConan EdogawaRan MouriKogoro Mouri
Detective Boys Ai HaibaraAyumi YoshidaMitsuhiko TsuburayaGenta Kojima
Family & Friends Hiroshi AgasaSonoko SuzukiEri KisakiYusaku KudoYukiko KudoHeiji HattoriKazuha ToyamaYoko OkinoSumiko KobayashiTomoaki AraideMakoto KyogokuShizuka HattoriJirokichi SuzukiEisuke HondouAzusa EnomotoSubaru OkiyaMasumi SeraShukichi HanedaSakurako YoneharaRumi WakasaMomiji OokaMuga Iori
Tokyo Metropolitan Police District Juzo MegureWataru TakagiMiwako SatoNinzaburo ShiratoriYumi MiyamotoKazunobu ChibaNaeko MiikeKiyonaga MatsumotoInspector YuminagaShintaro ChakiHyoue KurodaKenji HagiwaraJinpei MatsudaWataru Date
Osaka Police District Heizo HattoriGinshiro ToyamaGoro Otaki
Nagano Police District Kansuke YamatoYui UeharaTaka'aki Morofushi
Other police districts Sango YokomizoMisao YamamuraJugo YokomizoChihaya HagiwaraFumimaro Ayanokoji
NPA and Public Security Bureau Rei Furuya (Bourbon)Hiromitsu MorofushiYuya Kazami
FBI Shuichi AkaiJodie StarlingJames BlackAndre Camel
CIA Hidemi Hondou (Kir)Ethan Hondou
MI6 Mary SeraTsutomu Akai
Black Organization The BossRumGinVodkaVermouthChiantiKornShiho MiyanoAkemi MiyanoElena MiyanoAtsushi MiyanoTequilaPiscoCalvadosRikumichi KusudaKi'ichiro Numabuchi
Magic Kaito Kaito KurobaKaitou KidAoko NakamoriGinzo NakamoriMidoriko NakamoriToichi KurobaChikage KurobaKonosuke JiiKeiko MomoiAkako KoizumiSaguru HakubaSnakeKaitou Corbeau
Others "The Criminal"Hideo AkagiRyusuke HigoTakahiro SanadaScar AkaiKohji HanedaKamen YaibaAmanda Hughes
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Active Agents Shuichi Akai (Subaru Okiya) • Jodie StarlingJames BlackAndre Camel
Minor Agents TimBillJeffMeyerHodgesIshida
Related Articles Witness Protection ProgramCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA)Law EnforcementScar Akai
Manga Golden Apple CaseFootsteps of DarknessMeeting with VodkaHalloween Party CaseMurderer's Car CaseBlack Organization vs. FBIGiant Hammer CaseKir Transport CaseForeign Suspect CaseRed, White, and Yellow CaseBank Heist CaseDepartment Store Bomber CaseEast vs. WestA Shrine to RememberScarlet ShowdownGirls Band Murder CaseThe Clenched Scissors and the Clipped LettersA song named ASACAYusaku Kudo's TV Show CaseFBI Serial Murder Case
Anime Shinichi Kudo's New York CaseOn the Trail of a Silent WitnessContact with the Black OrganizationHead-to-Head Match with the Black Organization: A Dual Mystery on a Full Moon NightFind the Buttock's MarkBlack Impact! The Moment the Black Organization Reaches OutThe Shadow of the Black OrganizationClash of Red and BlackRed, White, Yellow, and the Detective BoysDetective Boys vs. Robber GroupThe Crisis Beckoned by the Red OmenConan vs. Heiji, Deduction Battle Between the Detectives of the East and WestJodie's Memories and the Cherry Blossom Viewing TrapThe Scarlet ReturnThe Unfriendly Girls BandJust Like a 17 Years Old Crime SceneThe Betrayal's StageYusaku Kudo's Detective ShowThe Black Organization's Scheme
Movies and Specials Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The MovieDimensional SniperThe Darkest NightmareThe Scarlet BulletBlack Iron Submarine