Lieutenant Ninzaburo Furuhata

Épisode 1 - Message From the Dead

13 avril 1994

Popular comic writer Chinami Koishikawa (Akina Nakamori) suffocates her editor Hatano (Narushi Ikeda) in the underground safe room of their shared villa. Furuhata and Imaizumi, who happen to be stuck in the rain because their car ran out of gas, make a visit.

Épisode 2 - Moving Corpse

20 avril 1994

Preserving his innocence from a prior incident, kabuki actor Ukon Nakamura (Masaaki Sakai) killed a security guard (Kitaro) by accident and makes it look like a fall from the catwalk. As it is investigated by Inspector Furuhata, the real story of death and cover-up begins to unfold.

Épisode 3 - Funny Corpse

27 avril 1994

Psychiatrist Ali Sasayama (Yuko Kotegawa) kills her former lover Shingo Tashiro (Yuichi Haba) under the guise of self-defense. Furuhata arrives at the scene to see a strange corpse in stockings and finds Ali's testimony full of contradictions.

Épisode 4 - Killing Fax

4 mai 1994

Mystery novelist Banzuin Dai (Shofutei Tsurube) strangles his wife Fusako (Takayanagi Yoko) after having an affair with his secretary. Using a fax machine, Dai makes it look like a kidnapping was done by a third party. However, Furuhata has doubts about the unprecedented threat by fax and the unnatural behavior of Banzuin as the pages continue to arrive on a strange timeline.

Épisode 5 - Dirty King

11 mai 1994

During a shogi game called "Ryujin-sen," 8-dan Tonezawa (Yasosuke Bando) attempts to cheat. When one of the overseers, Oishi (Shoji Kobayashi) confronts him about the ploy, Yonezawa kills him and fakes it as an accident. The game later continues as a memorial to Oishi, but Furuhata, who came to inspect the scene, begins to suspect murderous intent in the unnatural scene.

Épisode 6 - Piano Lesson

18 mai 1994

World-renowned composer Ichiro Shiobara has passed away, and a musical funeral will be held. The memorial song was scheduled to be performed by Ken Kawai (Shinsho Nakamaru), the president of Shiobara Music Academy. Kaoru Iguchi (Nana Kinomi), who was Shiobara's student and lover, cannot forgive Kawai for corrupting the school that Shiobara built, and kills him with a stun gun. Thought that due to his bad heart, he died from an illness, but Furuhata can hear the telltale signs of foul play among the music played in the memorial.

Épisode 7 - Murder Rehearsal

25 mai 1994

Veteran historical drama star Jushiro Omiya (Noshimura Kobayashi) harbors murderous intentions towards Haruhiko Shirota (Hasunori Hasegawa), the president of the company who is trying to close down his studio and build a supermarket. During a fight rehearsal, Omiya cuts Shirota to death, making it look like a mistake. Though he admits to Furuhata the death was an accident on his part, the detective sees there are some contradictions to his admission of guilt.

Épisode 8 - Murder on the Limited Express

1 juin 1994

On a bullet train, surgeon Junichi Nakagawa (Takeshi Kaga) poisons Takashi Shishido (Sabu Kawahara), the head of the health insurance agency who was investigating his affair. Furuhata, who happens to be in the same car, asks Nakagawa for his medical expertise in the investigation, but finds his words and actions contradictory.

Épisode 9 - Public Broadcast Murder

8 juin 1994

Kiyoshi Kuroda (Ken Ishiguro), a self-proclaimed psychic person, is witnessed setting a seed of "psychic powers" by street thug Nakajima (Tsutomu Okabe), who is immediately beaten to death for his intrusion. Later, when caught in a lie about his abilities during a live broadcast, Kuroda tells the audience about the dead man in an effort to prove his psychic powers.

Épisode 10 - A Corpse Full Of Contradictions

15 juin 1994

Political secretary Shigeo Sakomizu (Kazuki Kosakai) impulsively bludgeons his boss Uno Tadakuni (Shuichiro Moriyama) when Shigeo learns after killing and staging a suicide on Uno's lover (Noriko Izumoto) Shigeo won't succeed Uno and the blame will befall him. The scene now set as a murder-suicide, Shigeo is further troubled when he learns from Furuhata that one of the victims is still alive.

Épisode 11 - Goodbye DJ

22 juin 1994

Takako Nakaura (Kaori Momoi), a popular late-night radio DJ, makes a mad dash to escape from the studio during the live broadcast of the radio program she's appearing on in order to murder the woman responsible for stealing her lover away from her, Eriko Sawamura (Kaori Sawamura). Takako returns to the studio with a grinning face and continues her live broadcast as usual.

Épisode 12 - Last Greeting

29 juin 1994

Superintendent Otojiro Kogure (Bunta Sugawara), a veteran detective at he Metropolitan Police Department, shoots and kills his granddaughter's killer, Osamu Ikuhara (Takahito Suzuki). Furuhata, who was put in charge of the murder case, has doubts about Kogure's alibi of being on a stakeout, but what can one do when the prime suspect is a veteran police detective?

Épisode 1 - The Man Who Talks Too Much

10 janvier 1996

Talented lawyer Kiyoshi Koshimizu (Sanma Akashiya) murders his girlfriend, Hinako Mukai (Naomi Akimoto), whom he won't break up with even though he has decided to marry someone else for convenience. Staging the scene as if her other boyfriend did it, Imaizumi is caught and arrested for Mukai's murder. Asking Koshimizu for help in his defense since they were former classmates, Koshimizu recommends Imaizumi plead to manslaughter to lighten the prison time. However, Furuhata is suspicious of Koshimizu's statements, and discovers evidence in the court records that may prove Imaizumi's innocence.

Épisode 2 - The Woman Who Never Laughs

17 janvier 1996

Yorie Usami (Yasuko Sawaguchi), a teacher at Priory Girls' Academy, strictly follows the school's precepts. One day, Usami kills Tetsuya Abe (Kazuyuki Aijima), a free-spirited teacher and fakes the death as an accident. Furuhata is suspicious of the various things left in Abe's room and suspects Usami to be the culprit, but does not understand their motive, which may be hidden among the school's strict rules.

Épisode 3 - The Game Master

24 janvier 1996

Doctor Kenichiro Inui (Masao Kusakari) visits mystery writer Rokusuke Hanami (Shunji Fujimura) for a house call. There, Hanami tells him that his wife Tsuneko (Isshikiko) is having an affair. The doctor is the one whom Tsuneko is having the affair with, and decides to kill the Hanami couple; staging it as a forced murder-suicide in the Kyogen theater. Inui's plan seems to have gone well with the suicide note left in the room and a testimonial from another person in the theater, but Furuhata notices something is wrong when Imaizumi causes a power outage.

Épisode 4 - Red or Blue

31 janvier 1996

Electrical engineering assistant Isao Hayashi (Takuya Kimura), breaks into an amusement park late at night and plants a time bomb on the Ferris Wheel. On his way home, security guard Shigeru Manabe (Kanai Dai) beats Hayashi to death. While Furuhata investigates the murder, Imaizumi becomes trapped in the Ferris Wheel with the timer on the bomb slowly ticking down to detonation.

Épisode 5 - The Reward of Hypocrisy

7 février 1996

Screenwriter Takashiro Sasaki (Haruko Kato) murders her younger sister Kazuko (Moeko Ezawa) whom she had a long-standing feud, and makes it look like a robbery gone wrong. Furuhata suspects his favorite screenwriter, but they wouldn't have been able to throw away the weapon. To prove her guilt, Furuhata enlists Imaizumi as Sasaki's newest assistant.

Épisode 6 - The Quiz King

14 février 1996

Popular quiz show champion Kenkichi Sendo (Toshoiaki Karasawa) is undefeated only thanks to the program staff helping him cheat before each game. When a weekly magazine reveals his secret, he attempts to look up the answers on his own in a panic. Costumer Numata (Hikaru Ijuin) discovers what Sendo is doing and a scuffle ensues leading to Numata's death. Furuhata suspects who killed the costumer in the locked room and decides to challenge the undefeated champion.

Épisode 7 - Appraisal of Motive

21 février 1996

Antiquities dealer Shunpodo (Tojuro Sawamura) makes a living selling counterfeit antiques with museum director Nagai Kaoru (Takuzo Kadono). When potter Hyakukan Kawakita (Itoshi Yumeji) tries to reveal the scheme, he's shot dead and the scene made to look like theft. As Furuhata begins to investigate, Nagai becomes scared and plans to turn himself in, only for him to be killed by Shunpodo as well.

Épisode 8 - The Magician's Choice

28 février 1996

Renowned magician Masao Nandaimon (Shingo Yamashiro) doesn't like that his disciples, Katsuo Kurata (Shigeshi Ikeda), a notorious playboy, and Saki Mori (Takako Matsu) are dating. Nandamon kills Kurata during his performance, which so happens to include Furuhata and Imaizumi in the crowd.

Épisode 9 - The Wrong Man

6 mars 1996

Magazine editor Jin Wakabayashi (Mori Kazama) shoots the man with whom his wife was having an affair at his mountain villa. On the way back, his car gets a flat and hitches a ride from Iwao Kamota (Takehiko Ono), but Wakabayashi is worried the chatty Kamota will reveal he was in the area. Bad luck continues for Wakabayashi after he kills Kamota, as Furuhata is on the way to Kamota's house; where a voicemail message would lead the detective to the deadly string of unfortunate circumstances.

Épisode 10 - What Happened in New York

13 mars 1996

While on a bus to New York, Furuhata meets Noriko Kendall (Honami Suzuki). After learning he is a police officer, Kendall talks to Furuhata about her perfect crime that she has been already acquitted of. Calling it an "incident caused by a friend," Furuhata tries to deduce the method of how she committed murder and got away with it.

Épisode 11 - The Flower Arrangement Murder

27 mars 1996

Avant-garde flower arranger Futaba Fusui (Yamaguchi Tomoko) breaks away from her master Futaba Hosui's (Osanai Minako) style and establishes a school mixing dance and flower arranging. However, due to the harassment the school's survival is in jeopardy. During the school's recital, Fusui poisons the invited Hosui. As Furuhata was in attendance, he can't quite figure out how the killer found her victim in the dark auditorium.

Épisode 12 - The Missing Furuhata Ninzaburo

9 avril 1996

Épisode 15 - Furuhata Ninzaburo Vs. SMAP

3 janvier 1999

Épisode 16 - 黒岩博士の恐怖

6 avril 1999

Épisode 1 - The Young Master's Crime

13 avril 1999

Rakugo storyteller Gagaku (Somegoro Ichikawa) is popular, talented, and brilliant, but cannot write stories well. His easy-going brother Yuraku (Moro Morioka) notices Gagaku stealing his stories and becomes enraged. In a fight, Yuraku is killed with Gagaku fleeing and using a prepared alibi for Furuhata. However, the detective notices Gagaku's unnatural behavior on stage and discovers evidence linking him to the fratricide.

Épisode 2 - The Too Busy Murderer

20 avril 1999

Diet member Daisuke Iwata (Minoro Sado) is found dead in a hotel room with a pistol in his hand. Presumed suicide, Furuhata has doubts about the initial conclusion due to the clues found in the room. After discovering the victim dialed a wrong number several times, Furuhata believes Iwata was trying to contact media planner Kazuo Yura (Hiroyuki Sanada), who claims he was on the phone with his secretary during the time of death.

Épisode 3 - The Gray Village (Furuhata Catches a Cold)

27 avril 1999

Returning from a business trip, Furuhata catches a cold and stays overnight in a village to recuperate. While there, a woman named Kusakabe Kaoruko (Ameku Michiko) is recognized by the village as the woman who defrauded them of a large sum of money. The village chief Kaemon Araki (Tatsuo Matsumura) kills her with a katana and the rest of the villagers erase Kaoruko's existence to protect him. Imaizumi, who had fallen in love with Kaoruko the night before, desperately searches for her

Épisode 4 - Furuhata Goes to the Dentist

4 mai 1999

Dealing with a toothache, Furuhata visits dentist Haruko Kanamori (Mao Daichi) by a friend for treatment. While there, Kanamori's ex-boyfriend Junichi Yamamura (Yasu Kageyama), who had dumped her for her dental assistant Segawa Eri (Yuko Ito), is receiving treatment. Later, Yamamura is found shot dead in an office building nearby, with Furuhata sensing something amiss, including a smell of peppermint from Kanamori's mouth.

Épisode 5 - Reunion with an Old Friend

11 mai 1999

Erotic novelist Toru Anzai (Masahiko Tsugawa) knows his young wife Kaori (Rieko Miura) is having an affair with his editor Hideki Saito (Shigeki Hosokawa), but pretends not to notice. Anzai continues to train his golden retriever Mangoro that was entrusted to him by Furuhata in the meantime. Furuhata later arrives at Anzai's cabin after receiving a faxed invitation, but neither Anzai nor Kaori recall ever sending Furuhata a fax.

Épisode 6 - The Perfect Pitch Murder

18 mai 1999

Famous conductor Kisashi Kuroikawa (Masachika Ichimura), beats viola player Takigawa Rumi (Machida Shion) to death after breaking up with her. Sensing he will be caught by Furuhata, Kuroikawa plans to have clarinet player Ishimori, who had feelings for Rumi, take the fall. When Furuhata visits the recording site for a new album, he will need to use perfect pitch to discover the true culprit.

Épisode 7 - Sorrowful Perfect Crime

25 mai 1999

Husband-and-wife Go players Sakura Odashima (Misako Tanaka) and Sakichi (Fumiyo Kohinata) are not as happy as can be. Sakura feels restrained by Sakichi's imposition for her to be the perfect wife, and bludgeons him to death. Sakura reports her husband's murder after she returns from shopping to create an alibi, which the police believe an ardent fan was trying to steal Saionji's now missing trophy. Furuhata however, suspects Sakura's alibi is sketchy when he notices something amiss with Sakichi's mapo tofu.

Épisode 8 - The Too-Perfect Murder

1 juin 1999

Gaku Horii (Masaharu Fukuyama), a chemist confined to a wheelchair, decides to kill his colleague Todoroki (Itsuji Itao), when he becomes engaged to Horii's ex-girlfriend Megumi Katagiri (Naho Toda). Using a remote-controlled bomb to kill Todoroki and arranging for Megumi to be accused of the crime, all seems like a perfect murder. Furuhata though finds a clue within Todoroki's actions to solve the case of the cold-hearted Horii.

Épisode 9 - The Caught in the Clouds Murder

8 juin 1999

Heading to Japan by plane, Western art researcher Shuzo Tai (Koji Tamaki) is told by his wife Moeko (Masako Motai), to grab a magazine. Meeting his mistress Yumiko Ichikawa (Chiharu Kawai), they hide in the bathroom but the plane begins to shake, causing Yumiko to hit her head and dies. Tai now has to pretend to be the co-pilot to cover his tracks and ensure his wife doesn't find out about his affair.

Épisode 10 - The Most Dangerous Game (Part 1)

15 juin 1999

Épisode 11 - The Most Dangerous Game (Part 2)

22 juin 1999

Épisode 12 - The Spanish Embassy Murder

3 janvier 2004

Ambassador extraordinaire and plenipotentiary to a Latin American country Takechiyo Mayuzumi (Koshiro Matsumoto), kills counselor Ken Kawakita (Mitsuhiro Oikawa) after discovering his collusion with a local company. Mayuzumi makes the death look like a kidnapping by an anti-Japanese group, with the ransom note concerning Furuhata, who is staying at the embassy due to passport issues.

Épisode 13 - The Resurrection of Death

3 janvier 2006

When the president of Horibe Bread Co., is killed by a bear, his nephew Daikichi (Tetsuya Chiba) is promoted to president along with Daikichi's younger brother Otoya (Tatsuya Fujiwara) as vice president. The brothers are at odds about developing the land behind the factory, Daikichi wanting to turn it into a resort and Otoya against it outright. Otoya discovers a notebook with notes on "how to kill someone" when helping his friend Kyosuke Tenma (Koji Ishizaka). Daikichi is soon killed with Furuhata quickly figuring out the culprit, only the person responsible may be dead themselves already.

Épisode 14 - A Fair Murderer

4 janvier 2006

Furuhata's longtime friend Mukaijima retires from the police force and now works as a security guard at Baritone Hotel. While there, they meet MLB player Ichiro (Suzuki Ichiro), half-brother to Mukojima, who has returned to Japan. That night, Shigeru Koriyama (Tomohiko Imai), a freelance writer who had been threatening Mukaijima for a while visits the hotel. Ichiro, obsessed with fair play, takes measures into his own hands and poisons Koriyama. Furuhata investigates and notices some damp matches; suspecting the baseball player isn't playing by the same rules anymore.

Épisode 15 - Final Dance

5 janvier 2006

Momiji and Kaede Ohno (Nanako Matsushima) are identical twin screenwriters under the pen name "Kyoko Kagami." Furuhata has been the advisor for the drama series "Bulgari Sanshiro" which has concluded its final episode to great success. However, the sisters have been feuding, culminating with Kaede shooting Momiji, who wanted to split due to creative differences. Furuhata is in charge of investigating the death, only his unexpected feelings to the surviving sister are complicating his duty as a detective.

Épisode 16 - Young Furuhata Special

14 juin 2008

Épisode 1 - The Resurrection of Death

3 janvier 2006

Furuhata investigates a series of bizarre, seemingly random accidental deaths. He zeroes in on the suspected murderer but loses faith in his instincts when the suspect is himself killed. However, in the end, he ends up solving three murders and catching the real suspect.

Épisode 2 - A Fair Murder

4 janvier 2006

Ichiro Suzuki plays a fictional version of himself. Mukojima appears in this episode, revealing that he is Ichiro's older brother.

Épisode 3 - Final Dance

5 janvier 2006

The very last Furuhata episode with Tamura Masakazu as the lead. Nanako Matsushima plays a dual role (as twin sisters). Fumio Kohinata returns to the series, playing a different character. The character of the TV producer in this special is the same producer character of the Quiz Show in Episode 19.