「What Is RUM’s Left-Eye Ability?」
RUM—No. 2 of the Black Organization and Conan’s arch-enemy—is first introduced with one striking detail: one of his eyes is artificial.
But why does he wear an artificial eye, and did that eye once possess a special power?
This article focuses on everything we know about RUM’s mysterious eyesight.
RUM’s Artificial Eye Is Revealed in Volume 86
At the start of the “RUM Arc,” Conan asks Haibara for intel.
She replies that RUM’s appearance varies—“a burly man, an effeminate man, or an elderly gentleman”—and that an accident left one eye as a prosthetic.
From that point on, any character with an injured or non-functioning eye becomes a prime suspect.
So…who is RUM, really?
The three main candidates are Rumi Wakasa, Kanenori Wakita, and Heiji Hyoue Kuroda.
RUM’s true identity is confirmed in Volume 100.
RUM’s true identity was Kanenori Wakita.
RUM’s Left Eye Once Held a Special Ability
In Volume 104, flashbacks to the 17-year-old “Kohji Haneda Murder Case” show a younger RUM with both eyes intact—and the left eye exhibits a photographic-memory–like skill: anything seen once is never forgotten.
RUM exploited this talent to uncover people’s secrets, blackmail them, and outwit opponents.
During the Haneda case, he memorized all 17 bodyguards on a security feed, knocked them out, and captured them. He even noticed a tiny misaligned bookshelf while confronting Kohji Haneda—proof of near-superhuman observation.
Although the manga implies both eyes once had this power, today only his right eye remains—and the left is an artificial eye, stripped of its ability.
How did RUM lose his eye in the first place?
In the present timeline, RUM’s left eye is prosthetic, devoid of the “photographic memory.”
On the night of the Haneda case he was unharmed, so the injury likely occurred later—most plausibly in a clash with Tsutomu Akai or Asaka (the bodyguard who fled with Akai).
Given how dangerous RUM’s eye could be, they may have deliberately damaged it.
RUM Wants to Restore His Ocular Power
Now limited to one aging eye, RUM finds it hard to match Asaka without his ability.
He theorizes that reversing aging—via APTX 4869—could reactivate the dormant power in his right eye:
RUM: “It seems the only option is… to turn back time in this right eye.”
Since RUM is already considering the drug in Volume 104, it’s entirely possible he’ll take it and regain his eyesight—and his dreadful ability—in future chapters.
Quick Look at the Other “RUM Candidates” and Their Eyes
- Kanenori Wakita (true RUM): wears an artificial eye, probably injured by Tsutomu Akai.
- Hyoue Kuroda: lost vision in his right eye during a car crash while fleeing the Organization with Asaka.
- Rumi Wakasa: suffers intermittent vision loss in her left eye due to glaucoma-like symptoms—not a prosthetic so far.
Summary & Thoughts on RUM’s Eye
We’ve explored RUM’s once-formidable “photographic-memory” ability, the mystery of his lost eye, and the eye-related clues surrounding other suspects.
Few readers expected his prosthetic eye to hide a past super-ability, but that detail raises the stakes: if RUM regains his power, Conan’s side could be in serious trouble.
Keep a close watch on how this eye-focused storyline develops—Detective Conan’s future conflicts may hinge on whether RUM’s vision (and memory) return.
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