The Kindaichi Case Files is a Japanese mystery manga authored by Yōzaburō Kanari (earlier series) and Seimaru Amagi (later series) and illustrated by Fumiya Satō. The first two series (File and Case series) were serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1992 to 2000. The New series, which was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine between 2004 and 2011, was published at irregular intervals. The regular serialization resumed in 2012 to celebrate the 20th anniversary. In 2013 the series title changed to and the regular weekly serialization continues as before. A spin-off manga titled , which centred on the primary antagonist Yoichi Takato, was serialized in the webcomic mobile app Manga Box between December 4, 2013, and March 26, 2014. One volume of Takato Case Files was released in Japan on May 9, 2014. Another spin-off manga titled started serialization in the June 2014 issue of Magazine Special and it is illustrated by Yūki Satō.

The entire series is divided into (27 volumes), (10 volumes), (6 volumes), (2 volumes), (14 volumes), (5 volumes), The Kindaichi Case Files R (Returns) (8 volumes) and spin-off series (1 volume). As of January 15, 2016, 73 volumes in total have been released in Japan.

A manga omake titled is only included as a bonus feature in The Kindaichi Case Files DVD Collectors Box which was released in Japan in 2007.

In 1995, the manga received the 19th Kodansha Manga Award (shōnen section). The series is licensed for an English language release in North America by Tokyopop. The English volumes are published under separate titles which are different from the original Japanese titles. The chapters contained in the English volumes are also different from the Japanese counterparts. While many of the original Japanese volumes contain two mysteries in one book, the chapters in each English volume form a single mystery story and different mysteries are published in separate volumes. Various bilingual (Japanese-English) volumes have been released.

Volume list

File series (27 volumes/19 files)

Short File series (6 volumes/20 short files)

Case series (10 volumes/7 files/1 Akechi file)

Akechi File series (2 volumes/7 Akechi files)

New series (14 volumes/8 files/6 short files)

20th Anniversary series (5 volumes/3 files/1 short file)

R (Returns) series (14 volumes/10 files/1 short file/2 Akechi files)

Takato Case Files (1 volume/7 Takato cases)

Inspector Akechi Case Files (5 volumes/9 Akechi files)

Age 37 series (18 volumes/10 files)

30th Anniversary series (4 volumes/2 files/1 short file)

Papa series (4 volumes/2 files)

Chapters not yet collected into tankobon Papa series

Case summaries

The titles have more or less a literal translation. As of May 2008, Tokyopop has canceled the series. The volume that would have been released next, had it been continued, is Volume #18 "The Burial Francs".

File series The Opera House Murders is the first Kindaichi mystery, and the story on which the first anime movie is based. Miyuki corrals Kindaichi into assisting the school drama club in rehearsing The Phantom of the Opera at an isolated island hotel. But a killer stalks the high school group, one who can walk across mud without leaving footprints, and it's up to Kindaichi to solve the case, fighting time, weather, and Police Inspector Kenmochi, who fails to take the young man seriously (for the last time). The Mummy's Curse sees Kindaichi and Miyuki visit a classmate about to get married, accompanied by a teacher, who was a boyfriend of the bride. The small hexagram-shaped village in which the classmate lives is packed with wealthy aristocrats who keep mysterious, cut-up mummies in their luxurious homes. But things turn serious when a murder is committed in a locked chapel, and the aristocrats start dying one by one. For Kindaichi, this case is more than the mummies' curse. After finding a connection between the victims and the tragic accident involving the burned church 27 years ago, Kindaichi finally reveals the murderer and the village's dark past! Death TV follows Kindaichi and Kenmochi as they assist in the production of Shock TV, a prank-pulling reality show. Fun turns to fright when one of the show's victims is slaughtered by someone dressed up as a legendary snow demon called the "Yukiyasha", while the crew (including pop star Reika Hayami) watches in horror via TV broadcast. The trouble is, how was the murder committed when all the suspects were a twenty-minute drive away from the crime scene? Smoke and Mirrors hits Kindaichi's high school when he and Miyuki are asked to join the school's Mystery Club and attempt to track down a series of urban legends called "The Seven Mysteries of Fudo High." It seems the school has been receiving threatening letters from someone who calls himself "The Afterschool Magician" stating that his home in the old campus area must not be destroyed. But the school's legendary bogeyman turns out to be all too real, a shadowy figure who is able to make himself, and the corpse of one of Kindaichi's classmates, vanish in less than two minutes from a locked room. With Miyuki nearly killed, this case may be too much for Hajime Kindaichi... Treasure Isle is rumored to hide a vast bounty of gold said to be guarded by the legendary beast "Yamawara", which Kindaichi and other treasure hunters gather to search for. But the host is killed before the group even arrives, and a bloody slaying takes place during a time in which none of the people on the island could have done it. Will the island's mythical monster-guardian claim more victims? The Legend of Lake Hiren involves a legend about a pair of lovers who drowned themselves in a lake, but the lake itself now houses an exclusive resort whose shares could be worth millions. Kindaichi and Miyuki join a focus group evaluating the resort. But the group is soon stalked by an escaped killer who fashioned his slaying after those of Jason Voorhees, and wouldn't you know it, the only bridge to civilization has been cut off... The Santa Slayings revolve around an exclusive hotel and one of its most unusual guests, a red-bearded man whose dress resembles that of Santa Claus. His very mythos is a shadow hanging over a prominent acting guild staying at the hotel, putting on a murder mystery weekend game. But the murders turn all too real, and Kindaichi becomes personally involved when one of his friends becomes a victim, and the only other person found in the locked room... is him! No Noose is Good Noose, or so they say at an exclusive college prep school that Kindaichi is conned into attending by his mother. But the high-pressure school is known for driving its students to suicide by hanging. It's in this atmosphere that a teacher begs Kindaichi's help in finding a mysterious vandal who seems to be targeting her. But the vandal soon graduates to murder, and seems to have the ability to evaporate from locked rooms. Can Kindaichi make the grade? The Headless Samurai is a legend in a small town, warning of betrayal and blood. A childhood friend of Kenmochi asks him for help when this myth comes to life and begins threatening her. Then a mysterious stranger is killed in a sealed room, and Kindaichi has to deal with headless corpses, greedy heirs, and an entire village too scared to talk. Kindaichi the Killer!? (In the American series this book is found split into both books 10 and 11, changing the number order of the books following.) Kindaichi is invited by an old acquaintance to help his publishing editor acquire the rights to a new book by a famous writer. The eccentric, arrogant author throws a code breaking contest at his villa to determine the lucky recipient. Unfortunately, the writer is murdered, and it's impossible for anyone to have committed the crime except one person: Hajime Kindaichi! Soon Kindaichi is in a race against the police and the killer to break the code and clear his name. Playing the Fool is something Kindaichi is loath to do, especially when it comes to women. Pop star Reika Hayami invites Kindaichi and Miyuki to the Tarot Lodge, high in the snowy mountains, which immediately sets off a rivalry between the two women. Joining them is a motley crew including Reika's manager, a lost skier, and an obsessed fan. But the weekend turns tragic when Reika's father's darkest secret threatens to reveal itself, and terrifying murders occur. Can Kindaichi protect Reika, and figure out how a killer slipped in and out of a room under constant observation? The House of Wax is holding a murder mystery weekend, which Kindaichi and Miyuki are invited to by Superintendent Akechi. There they find numerous wax figures, including replicas of each participant. However, they soon find out that this is more than a mere game: the mysterious host, "Mr. Redrum", uses the wax figures to show a murder scene before actually killing the victim with the same method under seemingly impossible circumstances. Now Kindaichi must find the host that calls himself a murderer before the body count rises. The Gentleman Thief is a famous thief who steals famous artworks, as well as their "themes", by destroying or mutilating the object featured in the artwork. However, it seems that this time he has gone too far, by killing the father of one of Kindaichi's friends. But solving this case will be difficult, since all the suspects apparently have perfect alibis... Graveyard Isle is one of the remnants of the US's island hopping in World War II, where Japanese soldiers committed harakiri. Not exactly the place Kindaichi and his friends wanted to spend a week's vacation, especially with a group of college wargamers. But all too soon, they have violent death to deal with, including a murder that could only have been committed by a ghost... The Magical Express is where the mystery starts, a train that runs between Tokyo and a remote town, featuring magic shows put on by a group of prominent magicians. Drawn there by a threat by the mysterious "Puppetmaster", Kindaichi, Miyuki, Kenmochi, and Ryuji Saki witness a corpse vanish from a locked cabin. The murders continue at an isolated hotel, and the detectives are faced with serious questions. Who is the "Puppetmaster"? And what's his relation to the late head of the magic troupe, Reiko Chikayama? Was Reiko's death really an accident? The Undying Butterflies are no beautiful insects, but a harbinger of disease and death. Kindachi and Miyuki infiltrate the estate of a wealthy butterfly collector in pursuit of a killer from the past who should be dead. But then people start dying, pinned like butterflies, murdered when no one could possibly have done it. Has the resurrected killer started another bloody rampage? Or is there something more sinister afoot? Burial Francs is a burial practice in a small French village, where a franc is buried with the dead. For one of Kindaichi's childhood schoolmates, however, it was an omen of death for her and her colleagues! Amidst trying to enjoy the bridal competition show and to protect the innocent lives from getting involved, will Kindaichi figure out this "Burial Francs" who is killing off people one by one? What's his connection to Kindaichi's friend? The Devil's Artifacts is the nickname given to four artifacts that were said to be cursed – but Kindaichi, who was hired to dig them up, didn't believe in the old tale... until people started dying because of it. Now, with people's lives (and his salary!) at stake, Kindaichi must find out the identity of the artifacts' "guardian" and where they are hidden. Reika's Kidnapping is exactly what it sounds like, the kidnapping of pop idol and Kindaichi's friend, Reika Hayami. After escaping from a villa, she claims that her kidnapper was a clown. Kindaichi soon deduces that the mystery clown has to be one of the crew working the movie Reika was appearing in. But which?

Short File series Murderous Intent of Below Freezing 15 Degrees Who Killed the Goddess?