BO Boss Theory

[Chekhov MacGuffin]

This is a repost of mine, but this sums up all the important appearances of Vermouth up until Red vs. Black and clarifies the whole Ariade Vermouth timeline. I don't think this constitutes spoilers because the anime has already progressed past this point. One wall of text coming up...

Dr. Ariade and Vermouth Timeline
234 – 237: This is the Araide family murder case, where Tomoaki Araide’s father was killed in his bathtub via electrocution by Araide Yoko, Araide Sr’s second wife. Mouri visits Ariade clinic. Ran is looking for the bathroom when she meets Araide Tomoaki, 25 years old, temporarily working for his father’s clinic until he moves to Baker hospital
Takagi, Inspector Megure, and other nameless policemen investigate the murder.
Dr. Araide’s mom, Chiaki died four years ago, while drunk driving, although she is supposed to have hated alcohol. She left a message to Yoko Araide to “Please take care of Tomoaki. Don’t let him follow his dad.” A journal Yoko found later indicates that Araide Sr. was a flirtatious guy who drove Chiaki to drink. Meanwhile, Ariade becomes very upset that his family is suspected by the police and that a trap was laid (by Conan) to catch the murderer (Yoko Araide). Araide rushes to the bathroom and overhears “Mouri’s” offer to conceal some of the details of the crime to protect the maid Hikari’s conscience. This offer proves crucial as Vermouth does not know this detail because the records of investigation were altered to protect the maid’s conscience. In any case, Dr. Araide doesn’t hear the part about his mother.
Araide went to Tokyo University. At the time of this case he clearly knows details about his family past like that the father changed the bathtub which made his biological Grandmom upset. These sorts of details would be difficult for an imposter to know. Proof comes later that Araide at this time is the genuine article. Araide is currently the basketball couch substituting in for the other coach. He used to play basketball. Araide treated the appendix of the maid Hikari while still a medical student in university, so she stayed as a maid in the house. Ran borrows Araide’s sweater to copy the knit for a present for Shinichi.

242: Meet Vermouth in the back of Gin’s car after Pisco incident. She’s at the party as Chris Vineyard. Pisco apparently made her fly over sometime before. After the incident in the storage room she saw Conan carrying away Haibara at that time. (How? She said she saw the look on Conan’s face as he carried away Haibara so she must have gotten a good view of Conan. She probably saw them as they exited, so she saw they were kids! She would have recognized Conan from when she and Yukiko worked together!) Gin saw that too only he had to look through flames and assumed with the voice that Conan was a man, not a boy.
251: Ariade will substitute for the role of the Knight in the school play who will kiss Ran. Araide and Vermouth likely switched at this point as Araide later confesses that he has no idea about what is going on at the school.
254: Conan gets a blood transfusion at Baker hospital. It is never mentioned but I wonder if Araide knows.
255 – 257: The play case which grown Shinichi appears in. Araide was supposed to be the knight, but traded places with Shinichi who already knew the script. Araide sees Shinichi in his teenager grown form. Araide may have already seen Heiji pretending to be Shinichi before and maybe also Haibara dressed as Conan. Vermouth knows that Shinichi is still alive although she might wonder whether Conan and he could not be the same person (due to Ai dressing up). Since she is a master of disguise, she probably knows it was a charade.
258: Shinichi wanders around as himself, although nothing happens to him. Jodie is a teacher by now. He gets on a case at a hotel restaurant he takes Ran to. Takagi and Megure are on the investigation team.
270: Meet Jodie at the arcade case. We also know that Araide and Vermouth have switched by now because Jodie tells a fellow agent she found “rotten apple.”
287: The bus hijack murder case. Shuiichi Akai appears and we know for sure Vermouth is Araide and knows Conan is Shinichi. Yet Akai at the end says the target never appeared, perhaps because he was looking for Ai instead.
325: Panda case - James Black Appears. Akai menaces Haibara and the poor kidnappers.
328: Sato’s marriage arrangement. Dr. Araide comes to a Japanese restaurant for an unknown reason. Akai is there too. Conan ruffles Araide’s hair, takes his glasses off, and uses his voice changer in front of Araide, so the Dr.’s silhouette looks like Takagi’s. Araide realizes the ploy of course.
336: Fallen flower vase case – Mouri’s records are stolen
338: Jodie warns Ran and Conan to be on the look out for any suspicious characters. She also helps in the case
340: Vermouth’s posterboard. She has pictures of Shiho, Conan, and Ran. The case files stolen by her earlier were also returned.
343: Jodie now has the pictures that Vermouth had with the exception of Shiho’s which Akai has in his truck. The FBI agents must have already raided her hideout by now. Jodie also added Dr. Araide, Shinichi in the prince outfit, and pictures of Teitan and Mouri detective agency.
355: Ran treated at Araide clinic by Dr. Araide after collapsing. Araide must give testimony on the case at his house still, something Vermouth does not know all the details of. Araide also appears to know some of the patients’ personal details, which means that Vermouth must have done a good job investigating for her role as the doctor.
380.13: "We can be both God and Devil since we are trying to raise the dead against the stream of time" Vermouth
419: Someone who looks like Ariade or James Black (glasses and smoking) and someone who looks like either Jodie or Vermouth (in a hat) in a black car stalks the children. I think they are Jodie and Blak though Conan in 420 thinks they are the BO. In 420, Akai has a picture of them with Yukiko so he must have taken it that day.
420: Ai is sick so Conan calls Dr. Araide. Araide initially said he was tied up with a court case due to him being present at a previous case (presumably the case at his parent’s house). The content of the call is unknown. Conan shows up on TV while Akai is driving and Akai swings around to get to where they are in a huge hurry. Conan thinks they are being tailed by the B.O. and wants to leave quickly. The four Porsche case begins.
422: Agasa calls Araide for Ai although he only mentions to Araide “sick girl”. We see Araide in a non-descript office. Akai is bugging either Araide’s phone or Agasa’s phone. That may mean Akai heard Conan’s message for Araide earlier. Araide, Agasa, and Jodie take Ai to Agasa’s house and they are treating her while there. Akai is dropping in on the conversation via some method (Agasa is on the phone at the time or perhaps through bugs that Conan finds in the house later)
423: Vermouth is listening in on bugs that have been planted in the house to Conan and Agasa’s discussion about an architect friend of Prof Miyano’s. It is dead clear that Vermouth knows that they know about the Org, and she probably figures out that Ai is Sherry for certain.
426: Vermouth tells Calvados to finish off that one person. (Jodie?)
428: Someone visited Conan’s house (Yukiko?), and Ran finds the pictures that Jodie and Vermouth took behind Jodie’s mirror.
429: Vermouth sends the off season Halloween party notice to Mouri and Agasa at Conan’s address. Agasa’s house is still bugged. Whether Vermouth heard the tapes of Akemi’s is one unknown thing (probably not). Conan says he knows one reason why Vermouth hasn’t just knocked them all off. (I don’t know the reason) Conan says that he has one more thing to solve while looking at his house, presumably why the meters have moved. (Yukiko is there.) Gin has been ordered to look into Vermouth’s movements related to the Halloween party. He has no idea what Vermouth is doing but tells Vodka to kill her if she does anything weird.
430: Dr. Araide calls Agasa’s while Conan and the crew are out and wants to pick Ai up.
431: Jodie picks up Conan disguised as Ai before Araide can get there. Jodie orchestrated a roadblock to buy time. Araide sees Jodie pulling away and he follows.
432: Araide and Jodie arrive at the wharf. Araide stays in character and Jodie catches him with the story about the murder at his house because fake Dr. Araide didn’t know that the maid was the one who flipped the switch that caused the electrocution. (although she wasn’t the plotter) Vermouth takes off the Araide mask
433: We find out that Vermouth visited Araide hospital with only a cold intending to kill Araide and impersonate him. The FBI faked Araide and his family’s deaths by having doubles drive his car off the road in front of Vermouth’s car to make it look like they died. It looks like the FBI suspected Chris Vineyard/Vermouth early on. Vermouth doesn’t explain why she protected Conan or why she doesn’t age. She also brings up the Araide case:
Vermouth: Still you’ve managed to surprise me twice… First that the girl from 20 years ago was you… And the other that you knew the details of the Dr. Ariade case. How did you get someone to tell you? That unspoken useless story.
Jodie: I didn’t make anyone tell me. I was asked to cross examine and if I can force out your identity, he’ll [Conan] trust me, this kid.
(which was probably the details of the murder case but I wonder if it means something more?)
434: Vermouth kidnaps Conan and calls the boss’s cell number/email which Conan records. Vermouth escapes via sleeping gas and shooting herself in the leg to keep herself awake while Conan dozes off. She destroys the recorder Conan has with him, but he remembers the boss’s email address by sound anyway. (Seven children) She rather kindly leaves her coat on Conan to prevent him from getting cold.
457: The real Dr. Araide returns and helps with a school ghost mystery case. He seems to only know the basic details of the impersonation he was the victim of. We find out he was in Japan two years ago when he treated a student who fell down some stairs.
458: Conan puzzles over why Vermouth disguised as Araide joined the primary/high school rather than a university when it is clear that Ai would have been too old to attend one. (I think it goes back to her seeing them as kids at the party when she first came.)
459: Araide attempts to examine “sleeping detective” Sonoko, and is waived off by Conan. Araide seems surprised when Ran says he is nice and in the end he gets a call from Jodie. Araide says he is surprised how well liked the disguised Vermouth’s Araide was based on student/teacher testimony and asks Jodie if Vermouth is really a bad person. Jodie becomes exceedingly grumpy and yells at Araide.
501: Vermouth sees Conan heading to intercept the DJ assassination, says nothing.
503: Vermouth’s inner dialogue makes it seem like Vermouth wants Conan to interfere with the DJ case.
504: Vermouth stands up for Mouri to quell further assassination attempts on him.
507: A missing girl caught in a hit and run leads the detective boys to Araide’s hospital. Araide then starts raising two stray kittens while looking for new owners for them.
554: Vermouth interrogates a kid present at Reina/Kir’s motorcycle wreck.
I haven’t done any more beyond this point

[Fenris]

Dammit... that's right. >.>

Well, I forgot. I'll rewatch the series soon. xD I'll take notes on possible candidates for Boss, too~

[H...Haibara]

Beika.

Also they're all anime episodes. Anything from the manga?

[Nyarl]

242: Meet Vermouth in the back of Gin’s car after Bisik incident. She’s at the party as Chris Vineyard. Bisik apparently made her fly over sometime before. After the incident in the storage room she saw Conan carrying away Haibara at that time. (How? She said she saw the look on Conan’s face as he carried away Haibara so she must have gotten a good view of Conan. She probably saw them as they exited, so she saw they were kids! She would have recognized Conan from when she and Yukiko worked together!) Gin saw that too only he had to look through flames and assumed with the voice that Conan was a man, not a boy.

This misconception is from a mistranslated scanslation. Vermouth was still talking about Shiho when she mentioned "the boy with the girl", and she never referred to a "boy", but to an "otoko"/"man". She was asking Gin whether he was interested in finding the man who saved Shiho. Kentaru's translation, the Case Closed translation, and, if I remember correctly, the fansubs get it right.

343: Jodie now has the pictures that Vermouth had with the exception of Shiho’s which Akai has in his truck. The FBI agents must have already raided her hideout by now. Jodie also added Dr. Araide, Shinichi in the prince outfit, and pictures of Teitan and Mouri detective agency.

Jodie calls Conan "Cool Guy" back in 272, so she'd seen the dart board pics by then. Also, in the manga, we get to see that Jodie's pictures of "Cool Guy" and "Angel" are pictures of pictures, there are subtle angular borders showing that she didn't have the camera perfectly aligned when she took the pictures of Vermouth's pictures. Alas, even the animators must have overlooked it or dismissed it as a drawing error (which it isn't, since Aoyama shows them again when Ran sees them, and the angular borders are still there).

355: Ran treated at Araide clinic by Dr. Araide after collapsing. Araide must give testimony on the case at his house still, something Vermouth does not know all the details of. Araide also appears to know some of the patients’ personal details, which means that Vermouth must have done a good job investigating for her role as the doctor.

One of the patients seems to say that Araide was acting like a stranger. Also Araide claims to have sent his grandmother and housekeeper ahead to Aomori, which is arguably strange since it was established in 235-236 that he didn't trust them (especially the maid) to take care of themselves.

380.13: "We can be both God and Devil since we are trying to raise the dead against the stream of time" Vermouth

It's an assumption it was Vermouth. Vermouth is a woman and thinks about religion, yes, but how does the cat mentioned in 398 fit in? Pure red herring?

420: Ai is sick so Conan calls Dr. Araide. Araide initially said he was tied up with a court case due to him being present at a previous case (presumably the case at his parent’s house). The content of the call is unknown. Conan shows up on TV while Akai is driving and Akai swings around to get to where they are in a huge hurry. Conan thinks they are being tailed by the B.O. and wants to leave quickly. The four Porsche case begins.

!Araide's surprise when Agasa mentions this supposed call in 422 implies Conan lied about making the call, because he really didn't want !Araide near Haibara.

426: Vermouth tells Calvados to finish off that one person. (Jodie?)

Minor error, 425. Oh, and learn to doubt all scanslation gender pronouns.

429: Vermouth sends the off season Halloween party notice to Mouri and Agasa at Conan’s address. Agasa’s house is still bugged. Whether Vermouth heard the tapes of Akemi’s is one unknown thing (probably not). Conan says he knows one reason why Vermouth hasn’t just knocked them all off. (I don’t know the reason) Conan says that he has one more thing to solve while looking at his house, presumably why the meters have moved. (Yukiko is there.) Gin has been ordered to look into Vermouth’s movements related to the Halloween party. He has no idea what Vermouth is doing but tells Vodka to kill her if she does anything weird.

Conan knows the place is bugged, so a lot of that conversation with Agasa is to make Vermouth think he's actually going to the Halloween Party. He doesn't know why Vermouth wouldn't just storm Agasa's to kill them, but figures she won't move against Haibara as long she thinks he's around. Conan later speculates that she doesn't want to hurt him because of her relationship with his mother, but he doesn't know that she was disguised as the serial killer in 354 and would have killed both him and Ran, even after Ran saved her. It was only the loss of the silencer that saved them, if she were grateful about being saved, it only developed later.

458: Conan puzzles over why Vermouth disguised as Araide joined the primary/high school rather than a university when it is clear that Ai would have been too old to attend one. (I think it goes back to her seeing them as kids at the party when she first came.)

Conan actually wondered why Vermouth was involved with both Teitan High and Teitan Elementary for so long. If she thought Shiho were an adult then it would be enough to just search high schools and universities. If she knew it were possible that Shiho looked like a kid then it took her way to long to find Haibara given that she was the obvious choice. Though the conversation with Gin in 242 didn't really imply that she noticed Conan and Haibara at the memorial, she did see though Conan very early on (before 272). Probably she had more use for !Araide than finding Haibara.

[Chekhov MacGuffin]

I appreciate that you took the time to write out all those points Nyarl! I'll revise my list to make sure it's all accurate and give you credit so next time someone needs the list, it will perfect!
Would anyone be interested in an Akai/Okiya/Bourbon list by the way? I'd cover from when Akai shows up to the present. With all the akai okiya bourbon debate it would be nice to have references of when events happen.

[Kite]

I appreciate that you took the time to write out all those points Nyarl! I'll revise my list to make sure it's all accurate and give you credit so next time someone needs the list, it will perfect!
Would anyone be interested in an Akai/Okiya/Bourbon list by the way? I'd cover from when Akai shows up to the present. With all the akai okiya bourbon debate it would be nice to have references of when events happen.

Sorry, I don't have the time for it, but I once made a list of attributes of those three people. Unfortunately I never really finished it, and many things don't have clear references because the case in which they appeared was a recent one at the time, or simply because they already were pretty well-known by the majority here. Hope it helps a bit.

Anyway, here it is: See next post, since I apparently can't quote myself or something like that ...

[Kite]

1) Bourbon
- is very skilled at inspection and information gathering and has keen insight
- target is probably Sherry aka Shiho aka Haibara ('though I disagree if he/she's sent by Gin, who was more interested in detective Mouri (and the kid Conan?))
- should already be active for 51 chapters and counting ...

2) Okiya Subaru
Facts:
- knows a lot about Sherlock Holmes (he can tell to which case a quoted saying belongs, and can quote things himself)
- is very skilled at inspection and information gathering and has keen insight, a lot like Shinichi (they're equal to each other here; cfr. the paper plane case ch. 638 -> 640)
- knows morse code
- can defend himself pretty well, as well as receive Ran's kick nicely
- can do home cooking :p
- should know a bit about engineering, otherwise he wouldn't propose to help Agasa's research
- lived in an apartment in the neighbourhood of Agasa's house, lives in Shinichi's old house now at the invitation of Shinichi/conan himself (claiming a Holmes fan can't be a "bad guy", although the BO already used some Holmes related things too)
- "takes care" of Shinichi's house (hidden meaning alert! ch. 624 p. 16)
- he took the job upon himself to frequently water the plants in the garden at his former apartment
- "smells" like a member of the BO
- Conan acts overly friendly and trusting with him (which is why we should check whether he was like that with Araide too or not ... it could be that Conan just tries to deceive Okiya and doesn't want Shiho to worry.)
- is heavily distrusted by Haibara
- is being trusted by professor Agasa, they regularly contact each other
- Ran doesn't want to talk about about Shinichi with him for some reason (ch. 639 p. 6)
- looks like someone Ran knows
- either helped Conan with a case once, or was spying on Conan & co (ch. 637 p. 15; I prefer the first explanation, who else could replace the fuel with water?)
- drinks bourbon (the drinking of cocktails can be some kind of "modus operandi" within this part of the FBI to show they're looking for that certain cocktail-nicknamed guy/gal of the BO (Jodie wanted to drink sherry earlier too)
Possibilities:
- says that he's a fan of Sherlock Holmes and that he had all of the novels until the apartment burned down
- says that he plans to get a doctoral degree in engineering because he likes it
- says he goes driving with his car to change his mood
- says he calms down when he sees green/plants
- says his favourite colour is black, because it covers things in himself that he doesn't want to be known
- says he hates the colour black for exactly the same reason
- 'manipulated' Ran and Sonoko to go to the bathroom so he could send a message or whatever he was doing with his mobile phone (ch. 638 p. 13)
- probably figured out that highschool detective Shinichi doesn't trust him completely, unless he's so stupid to believe the "Kinichi" story Ran obviously made up (ch. 639 pp. 4-5). How could the owner of the house, Shinichi, be a normal high schooler when he takes all his clothes, albums etc. with him and erase every trail of him ever having lived in that house, when he decides to suddenly "disappear"?

3) Shuuhei Akai
- is a member of the FBI
- is very skilled at inspection and information gathering and has keen insight
- infiltrated the BO for some time
- is the arch enemy of the BO now
- met Ran two times before
- doesn't want to be seen (yet?) by Haibara/Shiho
- died in suspicious circumstances at the hands of Kir
- and a lot more, but boy, I really don't have the time to explore the manga starting from his first appearance ... I still got a thesis to finish you know ;_;

[ShinRan36]

Hey guys, the BO Boss Member has to be minimum 30 years old, right?

So we can exclude suspicios like Ran or Shinichi.
Or Goro the cat xD.

[kirhidemi]

come to think of it guys... im not saying that shiratori is the boss but it is possible that he can be a member of the organization... like in the story arc of clash of red and black Gin knows that FBI is somewhat busy about a case and it is not difficult for Kir to contact Shu meet and then kill him...

[ShinRan36]

I say Genta is the Boss, but shrunk himself with the APTX.

Genta as a boss? xD Lol, I cant immagine him to be shrunk himself with the aptx. xDD Because he is too fool, isnt he? xD

[kirite]

I say Genta is the Boss, but shrunk himself with the APTX.

Genta as a boss? xD Lol, I cant immagine him to be shrunk himself with the aptx. xDD Because he is too fool, isnt he? xD

Maybe he's pretending :O

HE HAS US ALL FOOLED D:!!

[ShinRan36]

I say Genta is the Boss, but shrunk himself with the APTX.

Genta as a boss? xD Lol, I cant immagine him to be shrunk himself with the aptx. xDD Because he is too fool, isnt he? xD

Maybe he's pretending :O

HE HAS US ALL FOOLED D:!!

Yes can be xD lol it would be really funny xD and I would be shocked 

[bluekaitou1412]

I say Genta is the Boss, but shrunk himself with the APTX.

Genta as a boss? xD Lol, I cant immagine him to be shrunk himself with the aptx. xDD Because he is too fool, isnt he? xD

Maybe he's pretending :O

HE HAS US ALL FOOLED D:!!

Yes can be xD lol it would be really funny xD and I would be shocked 

I'll kill AOyama if he ever made Genta as the boss.
Seriously. Why Genta? Can't imagine him revealing himself as the big boss. It's disgusting.
Although I can imagine him with a knife.

[ShinRan36]

I say Genta is the Boss, but shrunk himself with the APTX.

Genta as a boss? xD Lol, I cant immagine him to be shrunk himself with the aptx. xDD Because he is too fool, isnt he? xD

Maybe he's pretending :O

HE HAS US ALL FOOLED D:!!

Yes can be xD lol it would be really funny xD and I would be shocked 

I'll kill AOyama if he ever made Genta as the boss.
Seriously. Why Genta? Can't imagine him revealing himself as the big boss. It's disgusting.
Although I can imagine him with a knife.

xD I really dont think that he is the big boss. 99% not.. xD I can say 100%

[Kite]

I say Genta is the Boss, but shrunk himself with the APTX.

Genta as a boss? xD Lol, I cant immagine him to be shrunk himself with the aptx. xDD Because he is too fool, isnt he? xD

Maybe he's pretending :O

HE HAS US ALL FOOLED D:!!

Yes can be xD lol it would be really funny xD and I would be shocked 

I'll kill AOyama if he ever made Genta as the boss.
Seriously. Why Genta? Can't imagine him revealing himself as the big boss. It's disgusting.
Although I can imagine him with a knife.

xD I really dont think that he is the big boss. 99% not.. xD I can say 100%

I'll say it for you. Because before Gosho can publish that chapter, a leak will have gotten in hands of fans who'll lynch him for it. ^^