Fans of Detective Conan have been given a tantalizing glimpse into the future of the legendary mystery manga after creator Gosho Aoyama revealed that he has already drawn a draft of the final chapter. The revelation has immediately sparked curiosity among fans who have followed Shinichi Kudo and his alter ego Conan Edogawa for more than three decades.
However, Aoyama has made it clear that having a draft does not mean the manga is about to end. The creator has not revealed when Detective Conan will officially conclude or provided any details about what happens in its final chapter.
Aoyama revealed the surprising information during a special interview featured on 24-Hour Television Latest Information SP. The legendary manga creator was interviewed at his workplace by singer Chanmina and Taiga Kyomoto, a member of the Japanese boy band SixTONES. Both interviewers are longtime fans of Detective Conan.
During the conversation, Chanmina asked Aoyama whether he had ever thought about when his own career and the story of Detective Conan might eventually come to an end. Aoyama responded by revealing that he had already personally created a draft of the manga’s final chapter. The creator even jokingly asked his interviewers whether they wanted to see the draft before commenting that he found the ending interesting.
Despite the exciting revelation, Aoyama kept the most important details to himself. He did not disclose the contents of the final chapter, explain how the story will ultimately resolve, or announce a specific publication date for the manga’s conclusion.
The existence of a final-chapter draft should not be interpreted as confirmation that Detective Conan will end in the near future. Long-running manga creators may prepare story outlines or drafts well before the actual conclusion, particularly for a series that has been running for more than 30 years.
Aoyama has not announced a timeline for the ending, meaning fans will likely have to continue following Conan’s adventures for the foreseeable future. The revelation is nevertheless significant because it confirms that the creator has already envisioned and put on paper his ultimate destination for the story.
For fans, that raises countless questions: Will Shinichi finally return to his original body? What will happen to Ran? Will Conan defeat the mysterious Black Organization? And, perhaps most importantly, what fate awaits the characters who have accompanied readers for decades? For now, Aoyama is keeping the answers secret.
During the same interview, Aoyama revealed that he never initially expected Detective Conan to become the enormous franchise it is today. When he first began working on the manga, the creator reportedly expected the story to end relatively quickly. It was only after the release of the first Detective Conan theatrical film that Aoyama realized just how popular the franchise had become. What began as a mystery manga that might have had a relatively short run instead developed into one of Japan’s most successful and enduring manga and anime franchises.
Aoyama also recalled conversations with Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece. The two manga creators have shared the unusual experience of watching stories they personally created continuously become weekly television anime episodes. Their experiences highlight just how extraordinary it is for a manga series to remain active and culturally relevant for several decades.
First serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday in January 1994, Detective Conan has now been running for more than three decades. The manga had reached 108 collected volumes as of April 2026, while the television anime first premiered in January 1996. Produced by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation and TMS Entertainment, the anime adaptation has become a staple of Japanese television. The franchise has also expanded far beyond the original manga and television series. By 2026, Detective Conan had spawned 29 theatrical films, along with numerous television specials, spin-offs, merchandise and other adaptations.
Detective Conan, also known internationally as Case Closed, follows Shinichi Kudo, a brilliant high school detective known for solving difficult cases. His life changes dramatically after he encounters a mysterious criminal organization. After being forced to take an experimental drug that causes his body to shrink, Shinichi assumes the identity of a young boy named Conan Edogawa. While hiding his true identity, Conan continues solving crimes and secretly investigates the organization responsible for his transformation.
The series has maintained its enormous popularity through a combination of intricate mysteries, carefully planted clues, recurring characters and Shinichi’s exceptional deductive abilities. At the same time, the long-running story has gradually expanded its overarching plot, particularly the conflict between Conan and the mysterious organization.
Aoyama’s revelation that the final chapter draft already exists is bound to fuel speculation among Detective Conan fans. It confirms that the creator has already thought seriously about how the decades-long story will ultimately conclude. But for now, there is no official indication that the ending is imminent. With the manga still ongoing and no conclusion date announced, Conan’s journey continues.
Still, knowing that Aoyama has already drawn a version of the final chapter gives the series’ eventual ending an intriguing sense of inevitability: the destination exists the world simply does not know when Conan will finally reach it.
Sources: GameK