# The Detective Is Already Dead

The Detective Is Already Dead (Japanese: 探偵はもう、死んでいる。, Hepburn: Tantei wa Mō, Shinde Iru.) is a Japanese light novel series written by Nigojū and illustrated by Umibōzu. Media Factory have published the series since November 2019 under their MF Bunko J imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Mugiko has been serialized in Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive since May 2020. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation by ENGI aired from July to September 2021. A second season has been announced.

## Premise

Ever since he was a child, Kimihiko Kimizuka has attracted trouble. According to him, he was born with a condition that naturally attracts him to troublesome situations, such as being forced to join a flash mob while taking a leisurely walk, accidentally stumbling across an underworld transaction between drug dealers, and being at the site of crime scenes often enough to sometimes be considered a suspect.
One particular day in his third year of junior high, he was kidnapped and forced to carry a suitcase onto an international flight; on that flight, he met Siesta, a beautiful young woman who proclaims herself to be a "legendary detective". Forcefully made into her sidekick, Kimihiko helped her stop the plane from being hijacked, but not before Kimihiko discovered the existence of underworld organizations. After being constantly pestered, Kimihiko agrees to be Siesta's sidekick and for three years, they worked together, finding and solving an innumerable number of cases.
Now in his last year of senior high, Kimihiko is once again confronted by the ghosts of the past as he tries to solve new cases that fall into his lap. He is extremely bothered by the fact that he is called a detective; after all, the detective is already dead.

## Characters
### Kimihiko Kimizuka (君塚 君彦, Kimizuka Kimihiko)

    Voiced by: Arata Nagai (Japanese); Austin Tindle (English)
    An 18-year-old high school student with a talent to attract criminals so that in his past he often witnessed various crimes and was even later questioned by the police as a suspect himself. This talent, which he himself calls a "trouble magnet", apparently also led to his encounter with the master detective Siesta, who wanted to recruit him as her assistant, which he initially refused due to his characteristic of always ending up in unpleasant situations. Author Nigojū initially planned to give him the alias "Kurokage" when creating the series of novels.

### Siesta (シエスタ, Shiesuta)

    Voiced by: Saki Miyashita (Japanese); Xanthe Huynh (English)
    A mysterious and beautiful young woman and self-proclaimed "master detective" who owns a musket and seven items with magical abilities. Her motto is to solve criminal cases before they happen. Until her death, Siesta was a member of the Twelve Tuners, an organization of twelve people who want to save the world from chaos. Originally, Siesta was just a minor character in the series. After Nigojūs manuscript won the top prize in the MF Bunko Newcomer Award, she eventually became one of the main characters in the novel series.

### Nagisa Natsunagi (夏凪 渚, Natsunagi Nagisa)

    Voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu (Japanese); Arryn Zech (English)
    An 18-year-old high school student. She has a strong and dominant personality. As a child, she suffered from a heart defect and was forced to stay in the hospital bed because of it. A year before the actual plot began, she received a donor heart from an unknown donor. Originally, according to the author's plans, Nagisa was to become the only main protagonist of the novel series.

### Yui Saikawa (斎川 唯, Saikawa Yui)

    Voiced by: Kanon Takao (Japanese); Jad Saxton (English)
    A middle school girl who is already a successful idol at the age of 14 and regularly appears in magazines or commercials. She hires Kimihiko and Nagisa to protect her and an heirloom from a thief. Although Yui is the youngest character in the novel series at 14, she is considered the most adult character. Originally, Nigojū planned in his manuscript to put Yui in the role of the detective, but later changed this.

### Charlotte Arisaka Anderson (シャーロット・有坂・アンダーソン, Shārotto Arisaka Andāson)

    Voiced by: Saho Shirasu (Japanese); Megan Shipman (English)
    A 17-year-old assassin who was originally set to assassinate Siesta. However, after losing a fight against Siesta, Charlotte began to idolize her. She is half-Japanese and was born in the United States. She becomes an assistant to Fūbi Kase.

### Hel (ヘル, Heru)

    Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori (Japanese); Jamie Marchi (English)
    Hel was Alicia's alter ego, who now "lives" in Nagisa's body. She was Siesta's archenemy. To save Alicia's life, Siesta sacrificed her own life, but after her death has the ability to take control of Hel's consciousness and suppress her evil side. Hel was known to "devour human hearts".

### Fūbi Kase (加瀬 風靡, Kase Fūbi)

    Voiced by: Mai Fuchigami (Japanese); Michelle Rojas (English)
    A senior police officer who has met Kimihiko several times. Because of his talent for being in the wrong place, she is particularly skeptical of him.

### Chameleon (カメレオン, Kamereon)

    Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese); Kellen Goff (English)
    A member of the secret organization SPES. He has the ability to transform into a chameleon, hence the name. In his human form he has white hair and purple eyes. In his chameleon form he is much larger, has sharp teeth and takes on a fearsome appearance.

### Bat (コウモリ, Kōmori)

    Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese); Kayleigh McKee (English)
    Bat is a former antagonist of the series. He was a member of the secret organization SPES and was behind the plane hijacking, but was confronted by Siesta and Kimihiko and defeated in a fight. Bat is a liar and a coward who only acts on his own whim.

### Cerberus (ケルベロス, Keruberosu)

    Voiced by: Jouji Nakata (Japanese); Steven Kelly (English)
    A member of the secret organization SPES and is an android, who also has genes of a Kerberos and a werewolf. He is Hel's guardian. Like Chameleon, he also has the ability to assume another form - that of a werewolf. He is smart, but follows his primitive instincts.

### Alicia (アリシア, Arishia)

    Voiced by: Maria Naganawa (Japanese); Tia Ballard (English)
    A girl with pink hair, which is tied into two ponytails. She wears a dress that is similar to Alice, the title character from the novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

## Production

The idea of The Detective Is Already Dead started from a random sentence the author, Nigojū, thought of one day. The sentence was "Is there a detective on the plane?", and later became the first sentence of the story.

## Media
### Light novel

The series is written by Nigojū and illustrated by Umibōzu. Media Factory has published twelve volumes since November 2019 under their MF Bunko J imprint. It is licensed in North America by Yen Press.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | November 25, 2019 | 978-4-04-064196-6 | June 29, 2021 | 978-1-97-532575-6 |
| 2 | January 24, 2020 | 978-4-04-064328-1 | October 26, 2021 | 978-1-97-532577-0 |
| 3 | June 25, 2020 | 978-4-04-064593-3 | April 5, 2022 | 978-1-97-532580-0 |
| 4 | November 25, 2020 | 978-4-04-680016-9 | October 4, 2022 | 978-1-97-534825-0 |
| 5 | May 25, 2021 | 978-4-04-680440-2 | January 17, 2023 | 978-1-97-536012-2 |
| 6 | November 25, 2021 | 978-4-04-680914-8 | August 22, 2023 | 978-1-97-536897-5 |
| 7 | August 25, 2022 | 978-4-04-681657-3 | March 19, 2024 | 978-1-97-537956-8 |
| 8 | January 25, 2023 | 978-4-04-682108-9 | July 23, 2024 | 978-1-97-538871-3 |
| 9 | May 25, 2023 | 978-4-04-682568-1 | November 19, 2024 | 979-8-85-540749-5 |
| 10 | October 25, 2023 | 978-4-04-682766-1 | April 15, 2025 | 979-8-85-540751-8 |
| 11 | March 25, 2024 | 978-4-04-682767-8 | — | — |
| 12 | November 25, 2024 | 978-4-04-684252-7 | — | — |

#### Spin-off

Its spin-off Nagisa Natsunagi Still Wants to Be a High School Girl. (夏凪渚はまだ、女子高生でいたい。, Natsunagi Nagisa wa Mada, Joshikōsei de Itai.) is written by Shusui Tsukimi, illustrated by Hanekoto, and supervised by Nigojū. Media Factory has published two volumes since August 2023 under their MF Bunko J imprint. On February 28, 2025, Yen Press announced they had licensed the spin-off series.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | August 25, 2023 | 978-4-04-682770-8 | August 12, 2025 | 979-8-85-540926-0 |
| 2 | February 24, 2024 | 978-4-04-683345-7 | — | — |
Another spin-off Charlotte wa Tada, Jiken wo Tokitai. (シャーロットはただ、事件を解きたい。, "Charlotte Just Wants Solve Cases.") is written by Hinachihoko, illustrated by Minori Chigusa, and supervised by Nigojū. Media Factory published the novel in May 2024 under their MF Bunko J imprint.
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
| 1 | May 24, 2024 | 978-4-04-683609-0 |
Another spin-off Saikawa Yui wa demo, aidoru de iru. (斎川唯はでも、アイドルでいる。, "But Yui Saikawa is still an idol.") is written by Shao Senlin, illustrated by Almic, and supervised by Nigojū. Media Factory published the novel in August 2024 under their MF Bunko J imprint.
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
| 1 | August 23, 2024 | 978-4-04-683917-6 |

### Manga

A manga adaptation by Mugiko was serialized in Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive from May 27, 2020 to October 27, 2023. It has been collected in six tankōbon volumes so far. Yen Press also licensed the manga adaptation. The manga series covers Vol. 1 and Vol. 3 of the novel series.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | November 21, 2020 | 978-4-04-680007-7 | December 14, 2021 | 978-1-97-533741-4 |
| An Encounter with a DetectiveThe Detective Is OutWhose Heart Is This? I'll Blow Your Head OffHeart, BatThe Detective on the Plane |||||
| 2 | May 21, 2021 | 978-4-04-680379-5 | July 12, 2022 | 978-1-97-534198-5 |
| Pseudohuman: BatMystery Meets Sci-Fi/FantasyEven Now, I Remember Reunion with the DetectiveA Simple Job: Protect a Three-Billion-Yen Family Treasure |||||
| 3 | July 21, 2021 | 978-4-04-680634-5 | October 18, 2022 | 978-1-97-534530-3 |
| That's the "Yui-niya Quality"Thus Spoke the Super-Idol What That Eyes SeeBecause You Said "Let's Go to the Beach" |||||
| 4 | December 23, 2021 | 978-4-04-680987-2 | February 21, 2023 | 978-1-97-536019-1 |
| Cinderella Before MidnightThe Worst HappensBuenos Días Those Dazzling Three Years I Spent with YouStill Too Soon for an Epilogue |||||
| 5 | May 23, 2023 | 978-4-04-681737-2 | June 18, 2024 | 978-1-97-538039-7 |
| Because You Said to Wear a Maid UniformThe Tale of a Day No One Knows The Real EnemyI Start Producing |||||
| 6 | October 23, 2023 | 978-4-04-681737-2 | December 10, 2024 | 979-8-85-540548-4 |
A second manga adaptation by Poni titled The Detective Is Already Dead: The Lost Memory (探偵はもう、死んでいる。-the lost memory-, Tantei wa Mō, Shinde Iru. -The Lost Memory-) was serialized in Monthly Comic Alive from January 27, 2021 to September 27, 2022. It has been collected in four tankōbon volumes. The manga series covers Vol. 2 of the novel series.
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
| 1 | May 21, 2021 | 978-4-04-680505-8 |
| 2 | October 21, 2021 | 978-4-04-680939-1 |
| 3 | April 21, 2022 | 978-4-04-681317-6 |
| 4 | November 22, 2022 | 978-4-04-681970-3 |

#### Spin-off

Its spin-off Toaru Meitantei to Joshū no Love Com-deki Nichijō (とある名探偵と助手のラブコメ的日常), illustrated by Moyashi Itame, has been collected in two volumes so far.
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
| 1 | February 25, 2022 | 978-4-04-681181-3 |
| 2 | June 23, 2023 | 978-4-04-682569-8 |

### Others

An art book Tantei wa mō, shinde iru. Umi bōzu ātowākusu (探偵はもう、死んでいる。　うみぼうずアートワークス, The detective is already dead. Umibōzu Artworks) is published by Kadokawa.
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
| 1 | March 25, 2024 | 978-4-04-683154-5 |

### Anime

The 12-episode anime television series adaptation was announced on January 20, 2021. The series is animated by ENGI and directed by Manabu Kurihara, with Deko Akao handling the series' scripts, and Yōsuke Itō designing the characters. Yuuyu, Naoki Tani, and Tatsuya Yano composed the series' music. It aired from July 4 to September 19, 2021 on AT-X and other channels, with the first episode airing as a one-hour special. Mary × jon-Yakitory performed the opening theme song, "Koko de Ikiteru." (ここで生きてる) (lit. "I Am Alive Right Here"), while Kagura Nana performed the ending theme song, "Kodō" (鼓動) (lit. "Heartbeat"). Funimation licensed the series outside of Asia. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll. Muse Communication licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia, and streams the series on its YouTube channel (has been removed), iQIYI, and Bilibili and aired on Animax Asia.
It was announced that the VTubers Shirakami Fubuki and Natsuiro Matsuri of Hololive will have a cameo in the third episode of the anime. On July 14, 2021, it was announced that the anime would receive a German dub with the first dubbed episode airing on July 18 the same year. On October 2, 2021, Funimation announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered the following day.
On July 24, 2022, it was announced that the series would be receiving a second season.

#### Episodes

The first part of Ep.1, Ep.2 to Ep. 4, Ep. 10, and part of Ep. 11 to Ep. 12 cover the story of Vol.1 of the light novel series. The second part of Ep.1, Ep.5 to Ep.9, and part of Ep. 11 to Ep. 12 cover Vol.2 of the series.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Attention Passengers: Is There A Detective on Board?" Transliteration: "Okyaku-sama no Naka ni, Tantei no Kata wa Irasshaimasen ka?" (Japanese: お客様の中に、探偵の方はいらっしゃいませんか?) | Shin'ichi Fukumoto Marina Maki | Deko Akao | Manabu Kurihara Rin Teraoka | July 4, 2021 (2021-7-4) |
| 1 | "Commence Adolescent Romantic Comedy" Transliteration: "Kaimaku, Seishun Rabukome-hen" (Japanese: 開幕、青春ラブコメ編) | Shin'ichi Fukumoto Marina Maki | Deko Akao | Manabu Kurihara Rin Teraoka | July 4, 2021 (2021-7-4) |
| An airplane flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters was hijacked. A teenage boy, Kimihiko Kimizuka, was appointed as an assistant by a mysterious girl, Siesta, who called herself a detective, and went to the cockpit. There, a man codenamed "Bat" took the captain of the plane hostage. "Bat" demanded that Siesta deduce "why they hijacked the plane" as a condition for releasing the hostages. ||||||
| 2 | "I Still Remember, After all this Time" Transliteration: "Ima mo, Zutto, Oboeteru" (Japanese: 今も、ずっと、憶えてる) | Fumio Itō | Deko Akao | Fumio Itō | July 11, 2021 (2021-7-11) |
| It's been a year since Siesta died, Kimizuka goes about his daily life as a high school student. His classmate, Nagisa Natsunagi, approaches Kimizuka and asks him to find an unknown person nicknamed "X". Kimizuka enlists the help of police officer Fūbi Kase to fulfill Natsunagi's wish. Kase takes them to a maximum security prison and Kimizuka is reunited with "Bat" who once fought a deadly battle. ||||||
| 3 | "That's Yui-nya Quality" Transliteration: "Sore ga, Yui-nya Kuoriti" (Japanese: それが、唯にゃクオリティ) | Sōta Yokote | Hiroaki Nagashima | Ichizō Kobayashi | July 18, 2021 (2021-7-18) |
| Yui Saikawa, a middle school idol, suddenly appears in front of Kimizuka and Natsunagi. Saikawa receives a letter that said, "I will receive a sapphire with a market value of 3 billion yen on the day of the concert at the dome." Kimizuka and Natsunagi accept Saikawa's request to inherit Siesta's wish. However, during rehearsal the day before the concert, a mysterious man approaches Saikawa on stage. ||||||
| 4 | "What I See in That Eye" Transliteration: "Sono Hitomi ni Miete Iru Mono" (Japanese: その瞳に視えているもの) | Ryūta Yamamoto | Nanto Teranishi | Toshihiko Masuda | July 25, 2021 (2021-7-25) |
| Saikawa turns out to be lying. Kimizuka, who sees that the criminal's target is not the sapphire in her private house, but Saikawa's sapphire-fixed left eye, rushes to the concert with Natsunagi on the day of the concert in the dome. Kimizuka and Natsunagi look for criminals hiding in the crowded seats, but it's hard to find their whereabouts. While only impatience is requested, the time draws closer every moment. ||||||
| 5 | "That Was Directed at One Year in the Future" Transliteration: "Sore wa Ichinen-go no Mirai e Muketa" (Japanese: それは一年後の未来へ向けた) | Yuki Kanezawa | Deko Akao | Rin Teraoka | August 1, 2021 (2021-8-1) |
| A year ago while Siesta was still alive, a series of mysterious incidents occurred in which the human heart was severed. Siesta and Kimizuka realized that the incident was the work of Cerberus, a member of the secret organization SPES, and planned an ambush operation. Kimizuka, who was the bait, chased the figure that invaded the pitch-dark room. However, the figure who appeared was Hel, a girl who missed Siesta. ||||||
| 6 | "Crimson Devil, Ice Queen" Transliteration: "Guren no Akuma, Kōri no Joō" (Japanese: 紅蓮の悪魔、氷の女王) | Fumio Itō | Hiroaki Nagashima | Fumio Itō | August 8, 2021 (2021-8-8) |
| Siesta and Kimizuka won the battle with the leader of SPES, Hel, who suddenly appeared. Instead, Siesta suffered a leg injury for about two weeks. Kimizuka, asked to replace Siesta, met Alicia, a girl who slept in a cardboard box in a back alley. Kimizuka asked for help, but Alicia has lost her memory. ||||||
| 7 | "In Time, You Will Recall this Day" Transliteration: "Itsuka, Kono Hi o Omoidasu" (Japanese: いつか、この日を思い出す) | Shin'ichi Fukumoto | Nanto Teranishi | Namako Umino | August 15, 2021 (2021-8-15) |
| Kimizuka searched for "Sapphire Eye" with Alicia, who acted as a detective during Siesta's medical treatment. At one time, Kimizuka and Alicia visited a food stall to celebrate Siesta's complete recovery. Siesta offered Kimizuka a drink to replace apple pie she had given him before, but he realized that it was late. When Siesta returned to the room, she sat on the bed and called Kimizuka. ||||||
| 8 | "With That, We Set out on a Journey Once Again" Transliteration: "Sōshite Mō Ichido, Tabi ni Deru" (Japanese: そうしてもう一度、旅にでる) | Ryōhei Endō | Nanto Teranishi | Namako Umino | August 22, 2021 (2021-8-22) |
| Kimizuka and Siesta realized that Kase they met yesterday was a fake. The fifth victim died while they were upset. Siesta, who had no choice but to defeat Hel, and Kimizuka, who wanted to cherish the feelings of the bereaved family, passed each other. Three days later, Alicia was involved in the incident. Kimizuka was relieved by Alicia, but he began to realize an unacceptable reality. ||||||
| 9 | "SPES" Transliteration: "Supēsu" (Japanese: SPES) | Fumio Itō | Deko Akao | Namako Umino | August 29, 2021 (2021-8-29) |
| In order to got Alicia back, finally Siesta, Anderson and Kimizuka arrived at SPES headquarters. Kimizuka, separated from Siesta, confronted the "seed" of SPES and learned the true identity of SPES. Meanwhile, Siesta reunited with Hel and tried to get Alicia back. ||||||
| 10 | "So I Can't Become a Detective" Transliteration: "Da kara Ore wa, Tantei ni wa Narenai" (Japanese: だから俺は、探偵にはなれない) | Rin Teraoka | Hiroaki Nagashima | Rin Teraoka | September 5, 2021 (2021-9-5) |
| Kimizuka and Natsunagi are invited to Saikawa's luxury yacht due her scale difference, even though they were supposed to keep their promise to "go to the sea together". They enjoy the cruise, but Anderson, who was once Kimizuka's friend, appears. They will investigate the "legacy of Siesta", which is said to be sleeping on a passenger ship. In the evening, scary announcements start to spread on the cruise ship. ||||||
| 11 | "A Light in the Midst of Hope" Transliteration: "Kibō no Naka no Hikari" (Japanese: 希望の中の光) | Yuki Kanezawa | Hiroaki Nagashima | Hiroshi Kugimiya | September 12, 2021 (2021-9-12) |
| Kimizuka fights against Chameleon. Even though Saikawa manages to save Natsunagi, the battle continues. It seems that Kimizuka hunts Chameleon with Anderson's help, but Chameleon's attack splits the deck in half and Kimizuka falls to the ground floor. Memories of the day when Siesta died resurfaces in his hazy consciousness. ||||||
| 12 | "Those Dizzying Three Years I Spent with You" Transliteration: "Kimi to Sugoshita, Ano Me mo Kuramu Yō na San Nenkan wa" (Japanese: 君と過ごした、あの目も眩むような三年間は) | Marina Maki | Deko Akao | Toshihiko Masuda | September 19, 2021 (2021-9-19) |
| Just before the attack from Chameleon hits Kimizuka, a shot from the sky pierces through Chameleon. Siesta, in Natsunagi's body, appears carrying a weapon. Kimizuka recalls memories of the past 10,000 meters above the sky for the first time four years ago. Siesta and Kimihiko attempt to kill Chameleon while retelling their old story. ||||||

## Reception

The light novel series won the 15th MF Bunko J newcomer award in 2019.
The light novel series placed third and first in July and August 2021 respectively on the Oricon monthly light novel chart.
As of July 2022, the series has 1 million copies in circulation.