After 32 years of serialization, the end of Detective Conan may finally be in sight. Creator Gosho Aoyama confirmed in a recent television appearance that the storyboard for the manga's final chapter has already been completed — and said the ending will be "very interesting."
Aoyama, who has been writing the mystery manga since 1994, made the revelation when singer Chanmina asked whether he had considered retirement. He confirmed the final chapter's storyboard was drawn, though he stopped short of announcing an official end date.
A Phenomenon He Never Expected
Aoyama admitted he had never anticipated Detective Conan becoming a global phenomenon. In the series' early years, he assumed it would wrap up fairly quickly. It was only after the release of the first theatrical film — Detective Conan: The Time-Bombed Skyscraper in 1997 — that he fully grasped the enormous scale of the franchise's popularity.
That realization marked a turning point. The series has since expanded into dozens of theatrical films, a long-running anime adaptation, and a loyal international fanbase spanning decades.
A Rare Feat Among Long-Running Manga
Aoyama also revealed he had spoken with Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, about the rarity of sustaining a long-running manga's anime adaptation over such an extended period. Both titles rank among the most successful in Japanese publishing history — and both have maintained continuous animated series, a feat Aoyama described as genuinely uncommon.
While no timeline has been set for the series' conclusion, Aoyama's confirmation that the final chapter is already mapped out signals that the ending, whenever it arrives, will be a deliberate and carefully planned close to one of manga's most enduring stories.
