Taro Ninten

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The seemingly nameless teenager, known in promotional materials as Taro Ninten, is the main protagonist of the Famicom Detective Club series from Nintendo.

Appearance

Taro Ninten is a teenager with short dark hair.

Biography

The Missing Heir

The game begins with Taro getting amnesia after falling from a seaside cliff. He is found by a person named Amachi who helps the young man recuperate and figure out what he should do next to regain his memories. Taro returns to the cliff where he meets a girl concerned for his welfare. She tells him that she is Ayumi Tachibana, his coworker at the Utsugi Detective Agency, and he previously came to the cliff to meet with someone about a case he is involved in. He is shown a note that suggests he was inquiring into the Ayashiro Family, one of the richest and most prestigious families in Japan, before taking a train to their mansion in Myoujin Village so he can learn more about his investigation.

Taro meets with the Ayashiro Family butler, Zenzo Tanabe, who revealed that he earlier hired him to find out more about the demise of Kiku Ayashiro, head of the family. Kiku died in her bedroom after making a will which her nephews Kanji and Jiro Ayashiro, and her niece Azusa Kasuga, all stand to inherit from. It was reported by the village doctor that Kiku died from heart failure even though Zenzo believed she showed no signs of illness beforehand, raising his suspicions. Taro is also told of two other people acquainted with Kiku while looking around her bedroom, the housemaid Akane and the physician Doctor Kumada, both whom could provide more insight into her passing.

He decides to talk with Kumada at his clinic first but finds him in an appointment with Azusa Kasuga over a sore throat. Regardless, Kumada lets Taro ask his questions to them both and learns that Kiku was buried at the Kagura Temple where he is soon told about the Ayashiro family legend; If the head of the family died in vain, they would come back to murder anyone they held a grudge against. Taro returns to Ayashiro mansion and talks to the maid Akane about the day Kiku died. The girl was in a state of grieving, but remembers spotting Kanji Ayashiro's son, Akita Ayashiro, wandering just outside the mansion on that day. Taro also notices a suspicious reaction from Akane when he finds a burn mark on bedroom floor and decides to head back to the Utsugi Detective Agency to discuss the investigation with Ayumi Tachibana.

The Girl Who Stands Behind

Set before the events of the first game, Taro first appears trying to evade a pair of men pursuing him before Utsugi intervenes and takes him under his wing. The men, revealed to be cops, tell them to have a nice night before moving. Later, on after the next several months, Utsugi and Taro were summoned to investigate a girl's death which seemed to be an accident. Taro checked the river and found a piece of property that slipped from the girl's body that had her identity: Yoko Kojima. After the coroner arrives, Taro suggests removing the hair from around Yoko's neck and it's discovered that Yoko's death was not an accident, she was strangled to death. This revelation served to draw Ayumi Tachibana and Tatsuya Hibino to the site, which served to shock them both.

After Taro failed to get an answer from either of them, he and Utsugi returned to the detective agency where they hear of Yoko dying at an estimate time around 9-10 PM last night. Ayumi arrives with Taro learning from her that she used to be part of a detective club with Yoko with no clue on why she was killed with Yoko doing a solo investigation and seemed like a different person than before. Ayumi takes Taro to Ayumi's home and learn about Yoko being involved with a ghost story from her mother which lead to Ayumi taking Taro to her school so he can learn more about the ghost story. At the school, Taro hears from a couple female students about the Girl Who Stands Behind story where they talk about a ghastly girl who appears covered in blood in the hallway where she calls for someone from all directions until the individual finds her while alone, the spirit of a student who died in the past.

Taro proceeds to visit Mr. Komada and inquire him on the details regarding the ghost story. The art teacher explains that it had been recurrent for at least 15 years and around the time, a schoolgirl vanished in November and rumored to still be alive in the school and Yoko was inquiring about her. Back at the agency, Taro explains that the ghost story might be connected to Yoko and learns Utsugi is preoccupied with a murder case that is going to expire after it occurred 15 years ago. The next day, Taro returns to the school and visits an old building where he checks a plastered wall before Tazaki stops him from touching it. Taro inquires on him before the old janitor vanishes from his sight. Taro later visits Ayumi at a mirror and finds Yoko was investigating the rumor and peaked into a mirror in the past few days before before Yoko crept up to her and left before she could hear more.

Taro then hears from Komada that she asked the art teacher on the ghost story when she was still alive and Tazaki used to plaster the wall and fixed it up when it collapsed. Komada also revealed the missing student was Shinobu Asakawa who got mixed into the ghost stories after she vanished. Taro returns to Utsugi and learns that the murder his mentor investigated was that of a bar owner who was killed 15 years ago and the closest man to a prime suspect committed suicide before the murder and Shinobu Asakawa vanished around the time of the murder.

At the police station, Taro meets Chief Inspector Maruyama who explains that the victim, Genjirō Kaneda, was stabbed multiple times until he no longer had enough blood to live with a sign of it being done out of hatred for the man. Many people despised him due to his actions as a loan shark and con artist under his bar front. After Genjiro was killed, all of his money was inherited by his son Goro who had a rep of picking of girls and taking them to his father's bar. At the time of Genjirō's murder, Shinobu stayed while two other girls left which resulted in her being disappearing after having witnessed Genjirō's murder.

Teruhiko Uchida was suspected of the murder due to the loss of the factory as a result of the shenanigans with Genjirō, but that was debunked as he committed suicide before the murder and no new leads emerged and the hatedom Kaneda had made it difficult to find a definite suspect. Shinobu was also believed to be struck by a big black car with blood and skid marks pointing to it. The case for Genjirō's murder is due to meet its expiration date in a week. After Maruyama gets on with his day, Taro returns to the agency where he ponders about the murder of Genjirō and the potential death of Shinobu.

Taro heads to the school to try and inquire more about the connections between the murders, Shinobu's disappearance, and the ghost story where he witnesses an art student forming her painting and learns she was a baby back when Genjirō was killed. Taro realizes Yoko might have been looking into the death of Genjirō and learns gets her old schoolbag from her mother where he finds a newspaper on the murder of Kaneda which confirms Taro's suspicions that Yoko was investigating it and went back to school to inquire this information more. He also learns of a creepy man who was prowling around the school after Yoko's murder which disturbed the students. Komada also acknowledges that Shinobu's vanishing might be connected to Kaneda's murder and was killed when she knew too much and that the killer is still on the loose.

Taro also hears that Ms. Hayama was the source of the ghost story and used to be a student at the school and Komada introduces Taro to the teacher who explains that she she found Goro to be a man of shoddy quality and Shinobu was in a different class from Hayama before Hayama left. She returns after Komada left to find his wallet as Taro was about to leave when Hayama admits to starting the rumor of the Girl in the Back and was not very proud of it and remembered the day she saw the girl when she was a schoolgirl who snuck out for her missing homework when a bloody girl, whom Hayama sworn was Shinobu, screamed for help on the night of Kaneda's murder before the sight caused her to run back home. She then plead for the protagonist not to talk about this incident and explained Yoko was in a dispute with Tazaki when she was alive. Taro tries to talk with Tazaki, but the old janitor was infuriated with the questions before Ayumi was attracted by the shouting from the argument and explained a 60-year-old man was that age before he throws both of them out before they could learn of anything.

Ayumi explained that she needed to be at the school in regards to her homework and heads to talk with Hibino who nervously talked with Taro, but does not say anything regarding these crimes before Principal Urabe arrives and found it a pleasure to see Taro before Ayumi gets done with her homework and decides to help Taro with the investigation of the murders but he finds it dangerous for her to get involved. Back at the agency, Taro estimates that Shinobu was abducted after Kaneda's murder and learns that another suspect is working in the school, Tazaki but he had a solid alibi. Urabe was believed to have been an acquaintance with the Kanedas, but does not confirm if he was the murderer.

Taro then heads to the school to hear what Urabe and Tazaki need to say before he heads to the Janitor room to confront Tazaki who knew of the incident regarding Kaneda. After hearing that Tazaki's alibi during Genjiro's murder was when he plastered the wall until midnight, he heads to the janitor room before he tries to stop the protagonist from touching his bag before leaving. At the old building, he learns Hayama never saw anyone at the building which leads to him going to the staff room to see her. Taro hears that every person had their take on the ghost story. The protagonist then takes Hayama out to the old building to show her the wall to ask her on the wall Tazaki supposedly plastered 15 years ago shortly before he spots Tazaki spying on the two as he learns from her that the wall was still broken.

As Tazaki runs after him only to lose him at the school building he then returns to the Utsugi detective agency when Ayumi gives him coffee laced with sleeping pills in an attempt to try and get more out of Tazaki despite how dangerous it was. After a phone ring woke the protagonist up, he rushed into town in an attempt to track down Ayumi out of fear for her safety when he finally crosses paths with Mrs. Kojima who gave him Ayumi's picture in order to find her. Once he gets where Tazaki went from one of the neighbors, Taro pursued Tazaki to his family home and soon found him holding Ayumi at knife point at a cliff. However, Tazaki let Ayumi go and admitted he was charged a huge sum by Kaneda that was impossible to pay off before that was rendered null by his murder 15 years ago and Urabe had him defended from being a suspect in the killing.

Taro and Ayumi return to the detective agency where he forgives her for the reckless actions she did out of desperation of not wanting to lose him. Here, Taro and Ayumi are suggested to have some intimate feelings for another. The next day, Ayumi suggests for Taro to talk with Hitomi who was one of Yoko's friends before the bell rings and she promises to meet him out at the old building. Taro then proceeds to speak with Tazaki on the Kaneda case and learns Ayui had been more than what she had seemed on the surface and admits there was another person around the time he had been plastering the wall and something wrong with the school. Outside, Hayama summoned him to Urabe's office where he informs the principle of the incident yesterday and no person was able to save Yoko from her death and must keep Ayumi safe. He also admits that Kaneda's presence in the past was a dark time for many people and calls himself powerless to keep students out of danger.

Taro also recalled that Urabe was with a strange man the other night when he was looking for Ayumi before the principle got a phone call leading to him sending Taro to the staff room while he takes the call. At the staff room, Taro hears more about the strange man at the school and Hibino was standing behind Urabe whom he was dedicated to. Taro heads back to the office to find that Urabe was gone and was spotted by Hibino in the room who asks him back to the staff room. Here, Taro realizes that Hibino knew something and a nameless old teacher mentions trying to get over recent events. Taro returns to Urabe's office and pulls the shades to find the strange man Urabe had been with was the man prowling at the school and went there only for Hitomi to confront him and take him to the old building where Ayumi arrived to stop the tension from building up.

Hitomi also mentions that the strange man had been visiting the school every now and then following Yoko's murder and wondered who would have killed Yoko in their right mind. Taro returns to the galleria in search of more information regarding Urabe's connection with the strange man when Mizuno stops him from entering the bar he owned. But he was willing to explain everything regarding Genjiro's murder and hardly knew about Shinobu. He was also friends with Goro in the past before he cut off ties and Goro was an adopted relative. When Mizuno saw Yoko's picture, he noticed something familiar about her and informed Taro that Goro exhausted his inheritance.

That night, Taro had been considering Goro a potential suspect for Genjiro's murder. The next day, the protagonist found Hitomi missing and considers that he might have heard wrong. At the front of the school, Taro talks with Ayumi and learns that a couple female students mighht have been talking on the ghost girl story. She then went to see Mr. Komada for a bit while Taro hears from the old teacher about the strange man and never knew much on Kaneda's murder. Taro also hears that Hibino was late before heading on his way once the teacher came. The old teacher soon comes back to tell Taro that Ayumi got in contact with Hitomi.

Hitomi explains that the strange man was appearing a day after Yoko was murdered and found him troublesome and swore on Yoko's tomb that he will not let this incident remain unsolved. Taro visited Komada again and learned of the possibility that Hibino was once a student. As the protagonist was feeling watched, he spotted a portrait just as Ayumi arrived and noticed the girl's resemblance to Yoko. Komada explains that the portrait was of Shinobu which was given to him by Ryoko many years ago.

Taro arrives at Ryoko's home to learn more about the portrait and Shinobu, the latter having changed drastically into a flashy and loud person after interacting with Goro. Two weeks prior, she saw Yoko standing outside her door and mistook her for Shinobu due to her resemblance and behaviour as she claimed Shinobu was in the school, making Ryoko feel uneasy about this and Yoko's killer might have thought the same. Before Taro left, Ryoko knew no Hibino, but Shinobu was friends with a boy called Uchida who had the last name as the man who committed suicide before Genjiro's murder. The next day, Taro learns that the case for Genjiro's murder is set to expire in the next couple days and went out.

He then crosses paths with a female student with brown hair tied short and learns from her on how disgusting the strange man was and informed Ayumi of what he learned regarding Shinobu and the Uchida boy. Ayumi revealed Yoko and Shinobu were cousins hence their resemblance and Shinobu's spirit was transferred to potentially Yoko before her death. As Ayumi goes to investigate, the same student from before guessed that Uchida was the name of the strange man before and Ayumi was seeming like a different person from before Taro heads out to talk with a couple teachers where he learned about the widowed Urabe selling his house along with how terrified they have been. He heard from Hayama about a student being hospitalized after she fell down the stairs from a sighting of the ghost girl. He then meets a disguised Hitomi at the school building and went to the Sambora where he heard of Hitomi once being a member of the owner's gang.

Following a tip from the owner, Taro went to the apartment complex Goro was at and not long after hearing a scream, Taro witnessed Goro being stabbed to death and rushed to his apartment to find that the killer already fled and after calling the cops, found that a pen the deceased Goro was holding had the initials T.U. on it. After failing to find a great eyewitness, Taro spends the night pondering who the person with the initials T.U. could be. He rules out Teruhiko as he was dead for 15 years and the only other person with T.U. was Urabe. As for the Uchida boy, Taro never knew his last name and after visiting the Sambora again, was called by Ryoko before Sayaka arrived.

Here, Sayaka shows Taro her yearbook where he recognizes the Uchida boy as Hibino. Taro visits Uchida who changed his last name into that of his deceased mother's maiden name to rid himself of the stigma that came from his father being a suspect and his subsequent suicide. Hibino also revealed he is not going to take it so kindly to see Urabe's name get insulted by being accused of murder. Later on the last day remaining on Genjiro's murder case, Taro received a tip about Urabe supposedly being a murderer and broke into the principle's office with Ayumi and Hibino to find he committed suicide, claiming that he was the murderer. This caused Hibino to snap and reveal himself the true murderer who went on this series of murder after his father committed suicide and lamented not killing Goro sooner.

Cornering Taro and Ayumi at a mirror, Hibino went into how he strangled Yoko to death as he was about to stab both of them. However, he ended up stabbing the mirror and unveiling the carcass of Shinobu. Following Hibino's arrest, Utsugi prayed for his wellbeing and recruited Ayumi as a new member.

Emio - The Smiling Man

Taro, retaining his name from the promo material of the Nintendo Switch remakes of the first two titles, returns in Emio - The Smiling Man alongside Shunsuke and Ayumi to investigate the murder of a middle school student named Eisuke which was believed to be connected to the urban legend of Emio the Smiling Man. When Taro does investigate where Eisuke was murdered, he expresses paranoia of being watched by Emio.

Gallery

NES

SNES

Nintendo Switch

External Links

• The protagonist at the Nintendo Detective Club Wiki.
• The protagonist at the Nintendo Wiki