OOC: Canon history

[flashyaudacity]

Kuroba Kaito, the only child of the magician Kuroba Toichi, grew up in the town of Ekoda, on the western side of Tokyo.
[Note: It's never actually stated where Ekoda is in the series, but it is ostensibly part of Tokyo: Tokyo Tower has appeared a couple of times, Magic Kaito characters are seen in Shibuya during Detective Conan, and there is a real "Ekoda, Tokyo"…]

Ever since childhood, Kaito showed a talent for magic, learning it and the art of disguise from his father. Kaito loved his father very much, always tagging along with the man when he was allowed. When he was seven, he briefly met the actress Kudo Yukiko when his father went to meet with her. Around that same age, he met the girl who would become his best friend: Nakamori Aoko.

[We see very little of Kaito's childhood in the series. My assumption that Kaito and his father were close is based on his shown adoration for his father, his love of magic, and his attendance at a poker game with his father and his appearance at a meeting between Toichi and Yukiko—both places where a parent might not have usually taken a child. Assuming that Shinichi and Kaito are the same age places Kaito at seven when he met Yukiko. That Kaito met Aoko at seven is speculation; it's certain that he met her before he was nine, and he doesn't look any older or younger during his meeting with Aoko than he does when he meets Yukiko.]

Aoko and Kaito had both been waiting for their parents outside of a clock tower in Ekoda when they met. Kaito cheered up Aoko, who had been worried that her father wouldn't come because of his job, with a magic trick: producing a rose from thin air. The two have been friends ever since, and are often teased for their close friendship.

Tragedy struck the Kuroba household when Kaito was nine. Kuroba Toichi died in an accident during a magic show, leaving his wife and son behind.

Eight years later after Toichi's death, when the mysterious thief "Kaitou Kid" reappeared after a long absence, Kaito stumbled upon a secret room in his house. There, he found a tape containing a message from his father, which was unfortunately damaged from time, along with the costume worn by Kid. Curious about his findings, particularly when coupled with the fact that Kaitou Kid had disappeared the same year as his father's death, Kaito dressed in the clothes he'd found and set out to meet the thief.

After his theft, Kid threw down a dummy and climbed to the roof, where Kaito confronted him, berating him for using such a simple tricks. Kid's imposter mistook Kaito for his father, Toichi, expressing joy at seeing the man alive and well. The imposter revealed himself as Kounousuke Jii, Toichi's assistant when he'd been alive, explaining that he'd dressed as Kid to lure out the men he thought had murdered Toichi eight years ago. Kaito, shocked at the news that his father had been murdered, asked Jii if it was true, and realized his mistake. He was reluctant to answer when Kaito asked if his father was really Kaitou Kid, but finally answered that yes, he was.

Armed with his newfound knowledge, Kaito made a decision: he would be Kaitou Kid, to find the men who'd killed his father in place of Jii.

As Kid, he met with little luck in his quest to find his father's killers until he received a phone call after stealing a jewel that September; the caller warned him not to get in their way again. Thinking little of the call, Kid announced his next target: a large sapphire called "Blue Birthday."

While escaping from the scene of the crime after the theft, Kid was stopped by the man who had been on the phone the previous day. The man, Snake, mistook Kaito for his father, saying that he thought they'd gotten rid of Toichi eight years ago when he'd gotten in their way. He demanded the jewel, and Kaito tossed him a fake. Snake shot him once the fake jewel was in his hands, but the bullet hit the real jewel, which had been tucked away safely in his suit. Thinking Kid to be dead, Snake returned to his boss; Kaito followed, listening from a tree while the boss told Snake what they were really looking for: a gem called Pandora, which was hidden inside a larger jewel. Pandora held the power to grant immortality, and would be recognized by glowing red in the moonlight. Kaito then revealed himself, vowing to put a stop to their plans by finding Pandora before them and destroying it.

Afterwards, Kid's targets have been large jewels almost exclusively, with the occasional exception. One such exception was when he made the clock tower where he and Aoko had met a target; the tower was being sold to a theme park, which was going to dismantle and move it to their park. By leaving a riddle on the clock during the crime, Kaito prevented the tower from being moved, thereby protecting the place that was so important to himself and Aoko.

Since becoming Kid, Kaito has gained a few new allies and enemies. Foremost of these is Nakamori Ginzo, his friend Aoko's father, who has been trying to catch Kid since he was 20. Nakamori is not Kid's greatest threat, but he is always first in line, so to speak, when it comes to Kid.

Kaito's childhood friend, Aoko, is determined to hate Kid for making her father look foolish. Also, her father is so focused on catching Kid that he sometimes has no time left for Aoko, even forgetting her birthday because Kid held a theft on the same day. She doesn't know that Kaito is Kid, and has gone to lengths to prove that he isn't. When her father once saw Kid's face, she made sure that Kaito spent the day at an amusement park with her when Kid had an announced theft in order to prove that they were different people. However, Kaito slipped away during a film at the park, stole the crown, and returned before she would have realized he was gone.

Koizumi Akako, a sorceress and a classmate of Kaito's, learned Kaito's secret when he was the only boy not to fall victim to her charms. Although Kaito constantly denied her claims that he is Kid, she became a tentative ally to him, trying to help him whenever her fortunetelling reveals he'll be in great danger. However, despite Akako's assistance to Kid, she still desires to make Kaito her slave.
[Akako's sorcery is evidently real, and she once denounces tricks and illusions by saying that they're just lies. Kaito tells her that even though tricks aren't real, it's still magical for those who are watching.]

Shortly after Akako forced her way into Kaito's life, a new rival appeared in the form of a transfer student: Hakuba Saguru, a young detective who had been living in London. Hakuba was able quickly learn more information about Kid than the police had, including his information about his height, weight, vision, IQ, blood type, and approximate age. Using the data he'd gathered, Hakuba came to conclude that Kaito must be Kid, but was unable to prove his findings due to Akako's interference. Hakuba eventually returned to England, but came back to Japan once or twice when he was able in order to attempt to catch Kid again.

After Hakuba went back to England, Kid's attempted theft of the clock tower where he and Aoko had met provided him with a glimpse of another rival: Kudo Shinichi. Kid and Shinichi met again when Kid stole the pearl "Black Star," though Kaito did not realize it at the time, as Shinichi had already become Edogawa Conan.

Kid and Conan continued to face off again and again after their first meeting, and Kid discovered Conan's secret: the small detective was actually the high school Detective of the East, Kudo Shinichi.

[The details of how and when Kaito figures out that Conan is Shinichi are completely absent from the series. However, starting with movie 3 of the Detective Conan anime, Kid makes it clear that he knows Conan's true identity by disguising himself as Shinichi to help Conan hide his secret from Mouri Ran. It's unclear whether or not Kid knows the circumstances surrounding Conan's situation.]

A few thieves have also taken an interest in Kid, oftentimes discovering his identity. Chat Noir, a female thief, considered Kid an amateur until he defeated her at her challenged theft. However, Kid passed the targeted earrings to her because they had similar purposes for stealing: she was stealing fakes that her father had once been forced to make. A second thief, Nightmare, was an Interpol agent named Jack Connery. He had been blackmailing other thieves into stealing for him, trying to get money for his son's surgery. Nightmare's own actions led to his death, despite Kid's attempt to save him.

Recently, Suzuki Sonoko's uncle, Jirokichi, has taken to challenging Kid to steal treasures he's collected in hopes of upstaging the thief. Given Kid's targets, both of Jirokichi's challenges have had large jewels as the prize. It is during the second of Jirokichi's challenges to Kaitou Kid, in which he performs a "teleportation" trick to steal a pair of bejeweled shoes, that Kaito finds himself waking up in Landel's Institute...

[And a final note: I have attempted to construct the actual timeline using chapter order and dates, but both series have the annoying manga trend of keeping up with seasons and dates despite time never moving forward (much) within the story. My timeline for Kid follows Magic Kaito chapter order, with the exception of the meeting of Kid and Shinichi. That story is seen as a flashback, but the "present day" events framing it happen right before he sets his plans to steal the Black Star into motion. From there, my timeline follows the Detective Conan ordering, inserting the two newest Magic Kaito stories into the order based on their release dates vs. Detective Conan release dates.]