The titular antagonist threatens Tokyo, but with the country's greatest detective Kogorō Akechi away on overseas business, it is up to his 10-year old assistant Kobayashi Yoshio and the Boy Detectives Club ( Shōnen Tantei-dan) to save the day. He makes his first appearance in The Fiend with Twenty Faces published in 1936, the first installment of Rampo's 'The Boy Detectives Club' series. 'Kaijin' ('Strange Person', 'Fiend') was approved, however, giving him his published name. He originally intended to name the character Kaitō Nijū Mensō ('The Phantom Thief with Twenty Faces'), as Lupin was referred to as a kaitō, but this was ruled out by his editors.

Rampo based his new character on Arsène Lupin, a gentleman thief. Rampo decided to create a villain related to his existing world and created a new rival for his detective character Kogoro Akechi.

Government regulations and societal norms meant that many of Rampo's normal plot elements were off the table, such as putting the protagonist children in direct danger. A gentleman thief and master of disguise, he is considered Akechi's archenemy or most famous adversary.Įdogawa Rampo, already known as a successful detective and horror writer, gained an assignment writing for Shōnen Club, a magazine aimed at young children. ' The Fiend with Twenty Faces' ( Japanese: 怪人二十面相, Hepburn: Kaijin Nijū Mensō) is a fictional character who serves as a recurring antagonist for Kogoro Akechi in Edogawa Rampo's mystery fiction. Kogoro Akechi/The Boy Detectives Club character Fictional character The Fiend with Twenty Faces

D坂の殺人事件〈乱歩傑作選〉 by Edogawa Rampo