Info in Movie News | The Detective Conan long running franchise is set to have one of its biggest years of the series ever as it gets ready to celebrate its 30th anniversary with a new theatrical entry. The 29th movie, formally known as Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi, Fallen Angel of the Highway, will be premiered on April 10, 2026, in Japan. Such a highly awaited release will focus almost entirely on Chihaya Hagiwara, a character who by nature has been very much in the background, but who, due to her memorable appearances in the manga and the anime, has garnered a strong fanbase.
According to Anime News Network, the announcement was accompanied by a fresh visual from the original creator Gosho Aoyama, showing characters Conan Edogawa, Chihaya Hagiwara, Masumi Sera, Inspector Jugo Yokomizo, Kenji Hagiwara, and Jinpei Matsuda.The visual features a sentimental story from the Hagiwara siblings' past, thus there is a lot of speculation that the new movie will explore the intricate background of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police in greater depth.
Chihaya Hagiwara is a member of the Kanagawa Traffic Mobile Unit, the division that is responsible for high-speed respose, patrol work, and handling of major highway incidents. Within the story’s universe, she is known for her sharp instincts and her signature motorcycle skills, traits that make her a perfect focal point for a movie centered around action and high stakes highway cases. Alongside Conan, she is expected to lead a tense investigation involving old wounds from the police force, especially surrounding the death of her younger brother, Kenji Hagiwara.
A major update for this movie is the casting change for Chihaya. With the sad demise of the voice of Atsuko Tanaka, Miyuki Sawashiro, who, arguably, can be referred to as the best Japanese voice actress of her generation, has taken over the role. Miyuki Sawashiro was very impressed with the work of the late and she went through Aoyama’s original chapters several times in order to get the character right. Sawashiro in a public statement said that she was so obsessed with the character that she even considered getting a motorcycle licensing course just so that she can better understand her but at the same time she joked that first, she has to do some strength training so that she can lift a falling bike.
Highway no Datenshi's release couldn’t be any better timed than this, as the Detective Conan series is going to celebrate its 30th anniversary on the 8th of January, 2026. To celebrate the occasion, a massive exhibition will be held at Tokyo Dome City Prism Hall from February 20 to March 29 2026 and after that, it will be touring different cities in Japan until 2027. The franchise keeps on getting bigger beyond the Japanese borders and it is this anniversary that will then be the biggest year long events in its history.
The anime series on television has, at present, 1,100 episodes under its belt and, hence, it ranks among the longest running Japanese anime series worldwide. What makes the series so lovable and, eventually, evergreen is the combination of the elements: mystery, humor, and the character-driven stories while the main character is Conan Edogawa, the pen name of teenage detective Shinichi Kudo. After being forcibly administered a poison by an unknown group of black-clad criminals, Shinichi’s body was rapidly transformed into that of a child and, therefore, he had to assume a child’s identity in order to continue working on complex cases. This has been the story that has been holding the franchise together over the years and this is how Conan keeps on getting help from Kogoro Mouri, Ran Mouri, and different regional police officers including the Kanagawa division who have a prominent role in the new movie.
TMS Entertainment is committed to broadening the fan base of the Detective Conan series by breaking down geographical barriers in preparation for the long-awaited anniversary movie besides the upcoming anniversary movie. Crunchyroll and Netflix started streaming the selective episodes which were curated under the theme "Conan vs. The Black Organization" in July 2025. These episodes are also available in a brand new English dub. For many fans in the United States, several of these episodes had never been legally available before. The studio also continues its Cinema Saturdays project on YouTube, where classic Detective Conan movies are made available for limited time viewing.
The previous movie, Detective Conan: One Eyed Flashback, premiered in April and became a massive box office success, opening at number one in Japan and eventually becoming the 18th highest grossing movie in Japanese history with over 14.66 billion yen. That achievement set high expectations for Highway no Datenshi, especially since this new entry promises a more emotionally heavy plot tied to loss, duty, and the legacy of fallen officers.
With its blend of highway focused action, deep character exploration, and anniversary level fan service, Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi is poised to become one of the franchise’s most defining releases. Long time fans, as well as new viewers introduced through streaming platforms, have plenty to look forward to as the series enters its historic third decade on screen.
Source Anime News Network, us.oricon-group
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