10 Fun Facts About Kaitou Kid, the Witch of the Last Century
If you're a big fan of Detective Conan, you'll want to know all about Kaitou Kid, a master of disguise and trickery who often shows up in the Detective Conan series, either as Conan's rival or his ally.
Also Read: Meet the 22 Characters in the Detective Conan Series
Kaitou's presence definitely adds a twist to the stories. He's known for his incredible ability to impersonate well-known characters from the series. In this article, Showpoiler will share some fascinating details about who Kaitou Kid really is.
Did you know the name Kaitou Kid has been passed down through generations? It was first used by Toichi Kuroba, a famous magician and notorious jewel thief in Japan. After Toichi's death, the name was inherited.
Toichi entrusted his close friend, Konosuke Jii, with the Kaitou Kid persona to help uncover who murdered him. However, when Toichi's murder remained unsolved, Konosuke eventually retired the name—only for it to be taken up again by Toichi's son, Kaito Kuroba.
Following in his father's footsteps, Kaito discovered his father's secret identity and learned about the theft ring his father was once involved with. Toichi's former partners didn't agree with his quitting, leading to his murder.
Determined for justice, Kaito vowed to outsmart his father's killers and beat them to their next target as the new Kaitou Kid, dubbed the wizard of the century. His signature look includes a white tuxedo, a Victorian top hat, and single-lens chain glasses, which always make a splash.
Outside of his Kaitou Kid persona, Kaito is a normal 17-year-old high school sophomore. He's smart and maintains a close friendship with Aoko Nakamori, his childhood buddy, mirroring the relationship between Shinichi and Ran. Kaito is good at keeping his real identity a secret from everyone around him.
Stay tuned for more interesting insights about Kaitou Kid, compiled here by Showpoiler!
1. A Family of Thieves

Kaitou Kid was a name first used by Toichi Kuroba for his heists. However, thievery was not new in the Kuroba family—Toichi's wife, Chikage Kuroba, was also a skilled thief known as The Phantom Lady. This knack for theft was passed down to their son, Kaitou Kuroba.
To find out the mystery behind his father's suspicious death, Kaitou followed in his parents' footsteps, becoming a master thief while trying to uncover the truth about what happened to Toichi.
2. Kaitou 1412

The name Kaitou Kid actually comes from "Kaitou 1412," a police file number summarizing all information about Kaitou. Yusaku Kudo, Shinichi's father and a famed mystery novelist in Japan, misunderstood the number 1412 as "KID," which led to the moniker Kaitou Kid.
The public, fans of Yusaku's mystery stories, came to believe the skilled magician and thief in his novels was called Kaitou Kid, although his real name is simply Kaitou or Magic Kaitou. Ironically, Kaitou's fame grew from this mix-up.
3. Number of Thefts

Kaitou Kid is a notorious thief and a major target for law enforcement. Not only the police but also the FBI and CIA are on his trail, given his extensive criminal record. Kaitou Kid is notoriously elusive, making him hard to catch.
In the third Detective Conan movie, "The Last of The Century" (1999), Kaitou was responsible for 134 thefts, with 15 of these heists occurring internationally in places like America, Germany, and France. The total value of the stolen gems today amounts to approximately 38,725,000,000 yen!
4. Signature

Like many notable figures, Kaitou Kid has a unique signature that cannot be easily replicated, helping the police distinguish real from fake as many fans try to imitate this high-class thief.
His signature always features an image of his head with a tall hat and single-lens glasses at the bottom right corner of his heist announcements. Additionally, he is always depicted with a smile in each of his signature images.
5. A Woman's Dream

With his good looks, athletic build, and captivating charm, Kaitou Kid isn’t hated despite being a thief. In fact, he has many fans, both men and especially women. Instead of wanting to catch him and send him to jail, they’re more interested in 'catching' him for themselves.
Among his many admirers, Sonoko Suzuki is his biggest fan. She never gets tired of joining the operations to capture him, just so she can be close to him. This has even made Sonoko’s boyfriend, Makoto Kyogoku, jealous enough to want to catch and crush Kaitou Kid himself!
6. Relationship with Shinichi Kudo

Kaitou Kid’s connection to the Kudo family goes way back. Shinichi’s mother, Yukiko Kudo, learned disguise techniques from Toichi Kuroba, the original Kaitou Kid, to improve her acting skills as a famous actress. Toichi was happy to teach her.
When the Kaitou Kid identity passed to Kaito Kuroba, the relationship shifted to Shinichi Kudo, also known as Conan Edogawa. Shinichi became determined to catch Kaitou Kid, seeing it as a challenge because of his clever escapes. But over time, Kaitou Kid occasionally becomes more of a friend than a rival to him.
7. Has Advanced Gadgets

Like Conan, Kaitou Kid has several high-tech gadgets that help him travel, fight, and escape. Some of them are even similar to Conan’s! For example, he has a Turbo Engine Scooter and Turbo Engine Skates, which are a lot like Conan’s Turbo Electric Skateboard.
He also uses a Card Gun, which shoots playing cards to fight or slow down enemies during a chase. And, of course, his favorite gadget is the Hang Glider Cape, which he uses to fly from place to place.
8. Master of Disguise

One of Kaitou Kid's standout skills is his ability to disguise himself, often using it to fool his enemies. His disguise techniques are on another level—he can even pass as a child! Over the years, he's disguised himself as various characters like Ran, Sonoko, Genta, Kogoro Mouri, and even Shinichi.
One memorable moment is when Kaitou Kid disguised himself as Kazuha and flirted with Heiji. Not realizing it was really Kaitou, Heiji got upset and tried to shut her up by kissing her! Luckily, Ran and Conan, who figured out it wasn’t Kazuha, stopped Heiji just in time.
9. Kaitou Kid's Enemies

As a famous thief, it’s no surprise that Kaitou Kid has made plenty of enemies. His biggest rival is the police, especially Inspector Nakamori, who handles the Tokyo district. Inspector Nakamori is fed up with Kaitou Kid’s antics and is determined to catch him one day.
Another enemy is Jirokichi Suzuki, Sonoko’s uncle and an advisor to the Suzuki Family Company. Jirokichi, a wealthy collector of antiques and rare gems, loves to challenge Kaitou Kid by daring him to steal his treasures. Jirokichi wants to catch Kaitou Kid once and for all.
10. Doppelgänger to Shinichi

Kaitou Kid and Shinichi Kudo share a striking resemblance, not just in looks but also in height and voice! This allows Kid to effortlessly impersonate Shinichi without the need for makeup or masks.
This similarity sometimes even helps Shinichi, who has asked Kid to impersonate him in emergencies to protect his secret identity as Conan. Kaitou Kid seems to have no trouble with this arrangement, hinting at times that he and Shinichi might even consider each other allies.
That’s a brief look at the clever and charismatic thief, Kaitou Kid. If you know more interesting tidbits about him, feel free to share them in the comments! Also, there might be a special series coming up focusing on Kid—let's keep our eyes peeled!