Detective Conan Manga Chapter 1131 Spoilers, Theories & Review | Case Closed

The new arc that kicked off in File 1129 has already claimed a second victim, and the pace of the mystery is clearly accelerating.

How will the investigation unfold in File 1131?

This post delivers spoiler-heavy commentary and early theories on Detective Conan (Case Closed) File 1131, “The Bluish Gray Middle Act” published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday issue 40 (28 Aug 2024).

Spoilers ahead—read at your own risk.

Detective Conan File 1131 “The Bluish Gray Middle Act” – Spoilers

The third chapter of the arc opens as Ayari Kakiwaki—the actress who had just been switched from Rieko Mouri to Ochiba Toyama—lies dead on the ground.

Like the first victim, Miku Narazawa, her body is twisted into a marionette-like pose.

Inspector Otaki finds a phone at the scene displaying the message:

“Two remain. —The Devil Puppet-Master.”

In other words, the killer promises more deaths.

File 1131 Spoiler ① – Cast Reactions

Seeing the corpse, actress Youka Kuraishi (playing Kaede Otsuka) sobs,

Youka Kuraishi「Director Kabumoto’s curse is killing us all!」

Co-star Tenma Anzaka (alternate Heiichi Hattori) tries to comfort her, while actors Nobuya Nagakubo (Suruga Iori) and Toshikata Yoshiura (alternate Daigoro Mouri) note that the puppet-like pose matches a gesture they used in the previous stage version.

The prime suspects are now narrowed to Kuraishi, Nagakubo, Yoshiura, and Anzaka.

File 1131 Spoiler ② – Heiji’s Confession Plans

Heiji notices his cap is missing; Kazuha places hers on his head.

He invites her to watch the sunset that evening on the Abeno Harukas observatory deck.

Conan and Ran decline to tag along.

Nagakubo and Yoshiura warn Heiji that the deck closes tomorrow for renovations—and that rain is on the way—casting more doubt on Heiji’s long-delayed confession.

File 1131 Spoiler ③ – Re-Interviewing Anzaka & Kuraishi

Tenma Anzaka (Anzaka): Claims he was asleep when the second murder occurred; Kuraishi can confirm she spoke with him in the nap room.

He says the victim’s strange arm angle resembles the railroad “semaphore” code they used in a previous play.

Youka Kuraishi (Kuraishi): Nearly faints when shown photos of the two puppet-posed corpses and cannot finish her statement.

File 1131 Spoiler ④ – Nagakubo’s Statement

Nagakubo also recalls the “semaphore” pose and says a prop signal is stored in a car.

Anzaka volunteers to fetch it but winces in stomach pain as he leaves; Yoshiura eyes him suspiciously.

Security footage places Nagakubo at a convenience store during the second murder, giving him a solid alibi. He steps onto the veranda for a cigarette.

File 1131 Spoiler ⑤ – Yoshiura Under Scrutiny

Because detectives never saw Yoshiura’s face while questioning him through the restroom door earlier, he becomes a person of interest.

He again claims stomach trouble and hurries back to the toilet.

File 1131 Spoiler ⑥ – A Third Fall & a Sinister Message

While Ran and Kazuha discuss Kazuha’s mother—an elite former Osaka firearms-control officer—they search the roof for Kuraishi.

They instead find her climbing over the ledge, apparently intent on jumping.

A scream rings out below: Nobuya Nagakubo has fallen to his death. Anzaka stands nearby.

Like the prior victims, Nagakubo’s limbs form a stiff puppet pose. Combining the semaphore-style arm angles from all three bodies spells out:

“EVIL”—the devil.

To be continued in File 1132…

Detective Conan File 1131 “The Bluish Gray Middle Act” – Review & Theories

We’re only on the third installment of this arc, and yet another murder has already rattled the cast.

Below are the key moments that caught our eye—and the theories that seem most plausible so far.

File 1131 Review & Theories ① – Will Kazuha’s Mother Finally Appear?

The big new talking point in this chapter is Kazuha Toyama’s mother.

While we’ve already met Kazuha’s father and both of Heiji’s parents, her mother has never shown up in the manga.

According to the story, she’s a former ace in the Osaka Prefectural Police Firearms Control Unit—an impressive résumé by any measure.

In File 1131 she calls Kazuha and snaps,

Kazuha Toyama’s mother「Quit talking nonsense!」

a cameo that all but telegraphs her on-page debut in a future chapter.

When she finally does appear, watch closely to see how she interacts with Heiji and whether her law-enforcement skills tip the scales in the ongoing case.

File 1131 Review & Theories ② – Can Heiji Actually Confess?

Once again the side-plot everyone cares about: Heiji’s long-planned confession.

Today is the only window—Abeno Harukas closes for renovations tomorrow, and rain clouds are gathering.

Piling on the tension are potential obstacles: Momiji Ooka hasn’t appeared yet, and Kazuha’s formidable mother may show up at the worst moment.

All signs still point to another comedic failure… but could that string of negatives flip into a miracle?

File 1131 Review & Theories ③ – The Ponytail Motif Is the Central Clue

Every victim so far has worn a ponytail or single hair tie.

Even the latest casualty, Nagakubo, had his hair bunched up in one elastic.

That detail likely isn’t cosmetic; it may be required for the killer’s marionette pose or for manipulating the bodies as “signal arms” in the semaphore-style code.

With Nagakubo dying just steps outside the interview room, unraveling how the ponytail factors into the trick is crucial to uncovering the murderer behind the “Devil Puppet-Master” killings.