Magical Express Muder Case is the thirteenth case in the File Series of The Kindaichi Case Files. This is also Yoichi Takato the Hell's Puppeteer's debut appearance.
Kenmochi receives a box that, once Kindaichi opens it, reveals an oddly-shaped marionette and a threatening letter warning of a disaster to come upon a troupe of traveling stage magicians. Kindaichi, Miyuki, Kenmochi, and Akechi attend a scheduled performance taking place in Hokkaido in the hope of forestalling anything dangerous from derailing the show, only to find themselves engaging in a serial murder being done with seeming sleight of hand.
Tropes include:
- All Part of the Show: Played with. The audience is at first not feeling entirely sure whether it's for show or real as the last intended murder victim is burning within a burning makeshift container, though Kindaichi himself feels that the performer's tone of voice makes it sound like he's in trouble. All doubt is extinguished when the man is shown being vividly immolated for real when the container finally opens, much to the shock and horror of everyone who bears witness to his Cruel and Unusual Death.
- Asshole Victim: It's hard to feel bad about the last victim since out of all four he's shown to be the most unrepentant about murdering his former master and he capitalizes his status as the survivor of the troupe's killing. It's also all but outright stated he's the one who was directly responsible for killing her, as the other victims discussed that they had only planned to intimidate Reiko when she fell to her death.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: The flawed trick Reiko Chikamiya included in her magic trick book was designed so that whoever replicates it burns to death inside a makeshift container akin to the brazen bull torture.
- Deceptive Disciple: Each and every one of Reiko Chikamiya's disciples conspired against her due to being Driven by Envy and coveting her secret magician's trick book.
- Driven by Envy: What drives Reiko Chikamiya's disciples to conspire against her and take her secret magician's trick book.
- Full-Name Ultimatum: Miyuki calls Kindaichi by his full name early on in the case arc after busting him fondling lady cops in the party Kenmochi hosts for him.
- Hanging Around: The corpse of one of the victims is found hanged.
- Hero Killer: Almost. Yoichi tries to drown Kindaichi in a bottomless pit because he knows Kindaichi is in the way of his murder plan.
- In the Blood: Discussed. Hajime remarks that Yoichi's interest in magic comes from his mother. He agrees and says that it goes the same for Hajime's sense of justice and deductive power as well. Let's also say Yoichi also inherits his mother's cunning mind, if the fake trick is any indication.
- Malevolent Mutilation: The first victim is mutilated by his major limb joints and reshaped into resembling broken marionette figure sent to the police headquarter. It's to hide the fact that he was killed and then brought to the hotel in pieces for convenience's sake.
- Man on Fire: Reiko Chikamiya designed her flawed trick to subject whomever trying to replicate it to a Cruel and Unusual Death via being immolated inside an enclosed container, which happens to the last intended target when he does it in his grand comeback performance.
- Missing Mom: Takato was told by his father that his mother died when he was born. However, Reiko Chikamiya is pretty much alive until her disciples decide to kill her.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Hoo boy, Yoichi plays this role to the max, fake glasses and all.
- Police Are Useless: Played for Laughs. Early in the case arc, Kenmochi enlists Kindaichi's help in opening a box that arrived at the police station, informing Kindaichi that he sent the box to the forensics lab earlier but no one there could open it, and that he didn't ask Akechi for help because his vacation just started that day. Feeling at his wits' end, he asks help from Kindaichi, who opens it within bare seconds — by sliding the lid open, much to Kenmochi's shock.Kenmochi: What the Hell did the forensics lab do?!
- Right in Front of Me: Kindaichi's game of guessing which lady he's touching by feeling her body while blindfolded ends with him taking off his blindfold and discovering, to his horror, that it was Miyuki he had been fondling all along.Miyuki: So, I have big leg muscles, huh?!
- Stage Magician: The case centers around a troupe of this.
- Xanatos Gambit: Reiko Chikamiya created a duplicate of her notebook containing an extra dummy trick that would kill whoever tried to replicate it. Yoichi, after reading the content, understands right away and leaves his surviving target to be judged by his mother's hands. Sure enough, said target dies onstage trying to replicate the trick on his grand comeback.
