What is the age difference between Kaito and Shinichi?

[Shiromi]

So, it's a common element in fan-theories and fanfictions that Kaito and Shinichi are the same age. But, I don't think so.

Let's pretend for a while that time has some meaning in the DCMK universe, and that the protagonists aren't eternally in the second year of highschool.

Kuroba Kaito is at least a year older than Kudou Shinichi.

When Kaito's story starts out, he's in his 2nd-to-last year of highschool. In the MK manga, he takes a break from being KID for exams (and a cold), so Kaito is probably in or about to enter his final year of highschool at the end of the MK manga.

After the events into the manga, (an unknown amount of time) the clock tower heist happens. It happens before the events in Shinichi's manga. From how everyone is dressed, the it was in the summer.

At the beginning of Shinichi's story, Shinichi and Ran are wearing light coats, and winter school uniforms at school, and there's no snow, which means it's either spring or fall. Since it was a big championship that Shinichi was congratulating Ran for, it was probably toward the end of the school year, beginning of the next, which would make it spring. Since this outing was planned, they probably put it off 'til after exams were over. So, we meet them probably at the beginning of their 2nd year of highschool. Also, Shinichi is able to transfer into the 1st-grade class as a child with very little trouble, and they're only just starting to learn addition. That makes it the beginning of school year.

Therefore, Shinichi is at least one year behind Kaito in school, and at least 11 months younger than him. Though, because we don't know how much time is between the MK storyline and the DC storyline, Kaito could be out of highschool by the time that they faceoff at the clocktower, and he could be as much as 3 years older than Shinichi.

[Serinox]

The maximum he could older than Shinichi would be one year, since we see Kaito still wearing his high school uniform twice in Detective Conan (Ch. 159 and Ch. 965). Plus, in the Childhood Adventure case Kaito seems to be the same age as Shinichi. I'd say they are the same age and currently both in their second year of high school.

All these observations with clothes and stuff don't make much sense in two series' that both operate on a floating timeline.

[Shiromi]

Of course in the floating timeline, they are eternally Juniors in highschool, but logically, they couldn't be. Kaito should be a year older than Shinichi, because of the clock tower heist.

Looking through your examples - the first one does prove that Kaito's still in highscool, but in 965, the scene with Kaito in his uniform is a flashback. Kaito refers to it as "a while ago".

[eros1607]

The clock tower heist never happened in DC universe. In file 156, Conan didn't care about Kaitou Kid at all. In file 157, Conan is shocked by Kid's abilities like disappearing instantly. If Shinichi really confronted Kaito Kid before, Conan wouldn't be shocked by that.

[Serinox]

Of course in the floating timeline, they are eternally Juniors in highschool, but logically, they couldn't be. Kaito should be a year older than Shinichi, because of the clock tower heist.

Looking through your examples - the first one does prove that Kaito's still in highscool, but in 965, the scene with Kaito in his uniform is a flashback. Kaito refers to it as "a while ago".

But the wife in the case says that her husband died very recently, so the flashback can't be too far back and certainly not an entire year.

Now, as for the clock tower heist: when Kaito thinks back to the clock tower heist, he is in present day on his way to steal the Black Star (aka the Kid introduction case in Detective Conan), which means that they are the same age, since Kaito is currently in his second year of high school and is about to meet Conan at the Black Star heist, who is also in his second year of high school. So, unless you want to say that the present day scenes during the clock tower heist take place a year in the future and all other heist don't (since Kaito is in his second year of high school before and after these chapters), I don't see why Kaito would be or would even need to be a year older. And no, basing things off of the seasons is not an argument, since the series doesn't make sense at all if you argue with the season changes, even if you pull out the old argument that the cases in DC are not in chronological order, no, it doesn't work out.

Ahh, that damn clock tower heist ... sigh, I doubt its canonicity in Detective Conan as well. It probably never happened in the DC universe and only in the MK universe (yes, the are seperate universes according to Gosho), since it also had Akako magic.

[DCUniverseAficionado]

Akako magic.

Ah, yes—the character causing all this mess...

I guess Gosho considers scientific magic (a.k.a., science so advanced and unbelievable, one would think it's magic (i.e., Star Trek's transporter and warp drive, Star Wars' hyperdrives)) completely different from literal magic.

As long as Black Star – Shinichi Kudo Vs. Kaitou Kid (MK, File 23–File 24) is never referenced in the manga version of DC, then yes, it might as well be just an MK universe thing (though without Akako, it could fit in the DC timeline, since Gosho went out of his way to make it look like Shinichi never found out who he was up against, there, and it seems Kaito had no idea who he was up against, either).

[taijimana]

It is a sound theory but remember the detective Koshien with Hakuba Saguru. In DC ch563 it introduces Hakuba Saguru (17) detective of the East.
We know Kaito and Hakuba are the same age so Kaito must be 17 the same age as Shinichi.

[fancyunicorn2016]

The clock tower heist never happened in DC universe. In file 156, Conan didn't care about Kaitou Kid at all. In file 157, Conan is shocked by Kid's abilities like disappearing instantly. If Shinichi really confronted Kaito Kid before, Conan wouldn't be shocked by that.

Nope. That is because....

1. In Shinichi's point of view, he never even saw Kaito in his first encounter, let alone know his name because Megure Kebu didn't tell him in that episode.

2. In that exact heist, MK didn't even disappear nor re-appear for his act ( or at least how I remember it ) He escaped by falling onto a tree along with the projector sheet.

[Serinox]

The clock tower heist never happened in DC universe. In file 156, Conan didn't care about Kaitou Kid at all. In file 157, Conan is shocked by Kid's abilities like disappearing instantly. If Shinichi really confronted Kaito Kid before, Conan wouldn't be shocked by that.

Nope. That is because....

1. In Shinichi's point of view, he never even saw Kaito in his first encounter, let alone know his name because Megure Kebu didn't tell him in that episode.

2. In that exact heist, MK didn't even disappear nor re-appear for his act ( or at least how I remember it ) He escaped by falling onto a tree along with the projector sheet.

Still doesn't mean that the Clocktower Heist ever happened in the DC universe, since there is nothing to indicate that it did.