Gosho Aoyama (Japanese:青山 剛昌,Hepburn:Aoyama Gōshō; born June 21, 1963,[2] real nameYoshimasa Aoyama[1] (samekanji but different reading)) is a Japanesemanga artist best known for hismanga seriesCase Closed (Detective Conan, 1994–present). As of 2017, his various manga series had a combined 250 million copies in print worldwide.[3]
Aoyama was talented indrawing even at an early age. In elementary school, his painting of "Yukiai War" won a competition and was displayed at the TottoriDaimaru Department Store. He has an older brother who is a scientist and helps him out with the "gimmicks" inCase Closed.[4] He has another brother who is a doctor.[5]
Aoyama graduated from Yuraikuei High School, before going on to study atNihon University College of Art inTokyo. In winter of 1986, Aoyama won a comic contest for freshmen students. When he was an art student, Aoyama had a part-time job working atTokyo Disneyland, where he painted backgrounds forPirates of the Caribbean.[6]
Aoyama made his debut as a manga artist withChotto Mattete, which was published in the magazineWeekly Shōnen Sunday in 1987. Shortly after that, he beganMagic Kaito in the same magazine.
Between 1988 and 1993, Aoyama created the seriesYaiba, which ran for 24 volumes. Later, he would release other manga series in single volumes, such asThird Baseman No.4 andGosho Aoyama's Collection of Short Stories. Aoyama also designed the characters for the "Twilight of Edo Japan" chapter in the 1994 video gameLive A Live.[7]
Aoyama began serializingCase Closed inWeekly Shōnen Sunday in January 1994.
Aoyama has won two awards for his work as a manga artist. In 1992, he won theShogakukan Manga Award forshōnen forYaiba. He would go on to win the same award for a second time in 2001, this time forCase Closed.[8]
Additionally, his hometownHokuei has undertaken severalmachi okoshi (town revitalization) projects in honor of his contribution as a manga artist and resident. The first projects were the Conan Bridge across the Yura River andCase Closed statues.[9] On March 18, 2007, the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory, a museum that celebrates Aoyama's career as a manga artist, was opened.[10]
On May 5, 2005, Aoyama marriedMinami Takayama, the singer ofTwo-Mix and voice actress for Conan in the anime adaptation ofCase Closed.[11] On December 10, 2007, the two divorced.[12]
A five-volume manga series that tells the adventures of Kaito Kid, a mysteriousgentleman thief who uses his skills as illusionist and master of disguise to commit robberies; his secret identity is that of high school studentKaito Kuroba. The first two volumes of the manga series were released in 1988, the third in 1994, the fourth in 2007, and the fifth in 2017; three more chapters were published in 2024. Although the series is currently on hiatus, Kaito Kid still appears regularly inCase Closed.
A 24-volume manga series about the adventures of a young samurai named Yaiba Kurogane. It was adapted into a 52-episode anime series which aired between 1993 and 1994.
A one-volume manga that tells the story of a boy named Shigeo Nagashima, a mediocre baseball player on his high school team. One day, he buys a magical bat from a sporting goods store that allows him to hit every pitch. However, he has to pay the mysterious store for each pitch he hits.
Gosho Aoyama's Collection of Short Stories (青山剛昌短編集,Aoyama Gōshō Tanpenshū)
Various short works written over the years:
Play It Again (プレイ イット アゲイン,Purei Itto Agein)
Excalibur (えくすかりばぁ,Ekusukaribā)
Santa Claus in the Summer (夏のサンタクロース,Natsu no Santa Claus)
The Detective George's Job (Detective George's Little Little & Great Operations) (探偵ジョージのミニミニ大作戦,Tantei Jōji no Minimini Daisakusen)
Wait a Minute (ちょっとまってて,Chotto Mattete)
Shōnen Sunday 19 (Talk) Show "The Wandering Red Butterfly" (サンデー19show さまよえる赤い蝶,Shōnen Sandē 19(Tō-ku) Show "Samayoeru Akai Chō")
Case Closed/Detective Conan (名探偵コナン,Meitantei Konan)(1994–present)
Ongoing series that tells the story of genius high school detectiveShinichi Kudo, who one day is turned into a child by mysterious men and assumes the alias of Conan Edogawa. While trying to track down these men, he often encounters complicated mysteries, most of which only he can solve. This series is Aoyama's most well-known creation, and has been collected in 107 volumes as of April 18, 2025.
Tell Me a Lie (〜私にウソをついて〜,~Watashi ni Uso o Tsuite~) (2007)
A one-shot about a girl named Terumi Arai (新井輝海,Arai Terumi), who can read people's minds when she looks them in the eyes.
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