Moriarty the Patriot

Moriarty the Patriot (憂国のモリアーティ) is a Japanese mystery manga series with storyboards by Ryosuke Takeuchi and illustrated by Hikaru Miyoshi, based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series. It focuses on Holmes' nemesis, William James Moriarty. It has been serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Jump Square since August 2016, with its chapters collected in 19  volumes as of February 2023.

An anime television series adaptation produced by Production I.G aired from October 2020 to June 2021.

A manga adaptation of the novel adaptations by Yōsuke Saita, titled Moriarty the Patriot: The Remains, was serialized in Jump Square from March 2023 to July 2024.

Plot
In the late 19th century, the British Empire has become a global power. Due to the strict class stratification, the average citizen has little chance of successfully rising up to the top, where the despicable nobility rules over them all.

The first son of Earl Moriarty, Albert Moriarty finds two orphans, Louis and his unnamed brother, that share a common hatred for the corrupt British nobility and adopts them as his brothers. They scheme together to kill Albert's cruel biological brother William, burn down the family estate, and start a new life together using illegal means to destroy the class system and Louis's elder brother takes William's name and identity.

While enacting an elaborate scheme to murder a noble who was hunting commoners, William encounters Sherlock Holmes, who deduces a third party was involved in the murder. This piques William's interest in Sherlock, leading him to test his abilities by framing Sherlock for murder.

Thus ensues a battle of wits between two of the greatest minds the world has ever seen as William relentlessly pursues a better world and Sherlock pursues the reason why he was chosen by the infamous Lord of Crime to play a part in his murders.

Characters

 * William James Moriarty (ウィリアム・ジェームズ・モリアーティ)
 * The middle Moriarty brother and a crime consultant. He possesses great intelligence and uses it to come up with perfect crimes in hopes of ending the class system and reforming society. He helps victims of class-influenced crimes get their revenge by setting up a crime scene where their victims do the killing without leaving any evidence of their involvement behind. William was originally raised in an orphanage before being adopted by Albert and assumed the identity of the real William after murdering him.
 * The middle Moriarty brother and a crime consultant. He possesses great intelligence and uses it to come up with perfect crimes in hopes of ending the class system and reforming society. He helps victims of class-influenced crimes get their revenge by setting up a crime scene where their victims do the killing without leaving any evidence of their involvement behind. William was originally raised in an orphanage before being adopted by Albert and assumed the identity of the real William after murdering him.


 * Albert James Moriarty (アルバート・ジェームズ・モリアーティ)
 * The oldest of the Moriarty brothers. He is the only member of the original Moriarty family of the brothers. He adopted William and Louis after witnessing how broken his real family is and came to believe in William's dreams of remaking society. He serves as a lieutenant colonel in the British army before retiring to head MI6 under Mycroft Holmes's watchful eye.
 * The oldest of the Moriarty brothers. He is the only member of the original Moriarty family of the brothers. He adopted William and Louis after witnessing how broken his real family is and came to believe in William's dreams of remaking society. He serves as a lieutenant colonel in the British army before retiring to head MI6 under Mycroft Holmes's watchful eye.


 * Louis James Moriarty (ルイス・ジェームズ・モリアーティ)
 * The youngest of the Moriarty brothers and William's younger biological brother. As a child, he suffered from an unknown illness until Albert's father was manipulated into getting him life-saving surgery. He is devoted to William, and eventually takes over the leadership roles of both his brothers'.
 * The youngest of the Moriarty brothers and William's younger biological brother. As a child, he suffered from an unknown illness until Albert's father was manipulated into getting him life-saving surgery. He is devoted to William, and eventually takes over the leadership roles of both his brothers'.


 * Sherlock Holmes (シャーロック・ホームズ)
 * William's friend and rival. He works as a consulting detective who helps Scotland Yard and other clients with cases they can't solve. William takes an interest in him after realizing Sherlock's brilliance during their first meeting and proceeds to "cast" him in the role of a hero in his plan to remake society, but Sherlock has no interest in being manipulated or left behind by the one person he feels understands him.
 * William's friend and rival. He works as a consulting detective who helps Scotland Yard and other clients with cases they can't solve. William takes an interest in him after realizing Sherlock's brilliance during their first meeting and proceeds to "cast" him in the role of a hero in his plan to remake society, but Sherlock has no interest in being manipulated or left behind by the one person he feels understands him.


 * John H. Watson (ジョン・H・ワトソン)
 * Watson is a veteran who was a combat medic in the First Anglo-Afghan War as well as Sherlock's flatmate who helps him solve cases and chronicles them with heavy fictionalizations to suit his and Sherlock's purposes.
 * Watson is a veteran who was a combat medic in the First Anglo-Afghan War as well as Sherlock's flatmate who helps him solve cases and chronicles them with heavy fictionalizations to suit his and Sherlock's purposes.


 * Fred Porlock (フレッド・ポーロック)
 * An associate of William's who is a master of disguise and martial arts, including the deadly use of knives and firearms. He acts as William's spy and information broker and rarely speaks unless delivering the information he has gathered. Despite his withdrawn personality, at heart he is quite gentle and kind, especially around children and hates when children are the victims of crimes.
 * An associate of William's who is a master of disguise and martial arts, including the deadly use of knives and firearms. He acts as William's spy and information broker and rarely speaks unless delivering the information he has gathered. Despite his withdrawn personality, at heart he is quite gentle and kind, especially around children and hates when children are the victims of crimes.


 * Sebastian Moran (セバスチャン・モラン)
 * A veteran who began working for William after returning home from India marked Killed in Action after the death of his entire squad and promoted up to his rank as Colonel. He is an expert sniper and acts as William's soldier, bodyguard, and assassin. He has sworn his life to William.
 * A veteran who began working for William after returning home from India marked Killed in Action after the death of his entire squad and promoted up to his rank as Colonel. He is an expert sniper and acts as William's soldier, bodyguard, and assassin. He has sworn his life to William.


 * Mycroft Holmes (マイクロフト・ホームズ)
 * Sherlock's older brother and the director of the UK's War Office. He also serves as M's boss and Albert's close friend. He is very stoic but equally sentimental, though he hides this under layers of denial.
 * Sherlock's older brother and the director of the UK's War Office. He also serves as M's boss and Albert's close friend. He is very stoic but equally sentimental, though he hides this under layers of denial.


 * Irene Adler (アイリーンアドラー) / James Bonde (ジェームズ・ボンド)
 * They befriended Sherlock Holmes briefly and then began working alongside the Moriartys after being forced to fake their death. While working for Moriarty, they operate under the name "James Bonde" and wholeheartedly embrace their identity as a man.
 * They befriended Sherlock Holmes briefly and then began working alongside the Moriartys after being forced to fake their death. While working for Moriarty, they operate under the name "James Bonde" and wholeheartedly embrace their identity as a man.


 * Jack Renfield (ジャック・レンフィールド)
 * A old veteran, he worked as the Rockwell's butler while the Moriarty brothers were young after they were taken in by the Rockwells following the murder of the rest of the Moriarty family. He taught them how to fight, kill, and cook, and is rehired by them as adults.
 * A old veteran, he worked as the Rockwell's butler while the Moriarty brothers were young after they were taken in by the Rockwells following the murder of the rest of the Moriarty family. He taught them how to fight, kill, and cook, and is rehired by them as adults.


 * Von Herder (フォン・ヘルダー)
 * An expert mechanic from Germany despite his blindness, Herder serves as William's inventor and in MI6 as "Q," designing weapons and gadgets well ahead of their time. He is an excitable man who is easily frustrated and reacts strongly to teasing.
 * An expert mechanic from Germany despite his blindness, Herder serves as William's inventor and in MI6 as "Q," designing weapons and gadgets well ahead of their time. He is an excitable man who is easily frustrated and reacts strongly to teasing.


 * Zach Patterson (ザック・パターソン)
 * He is the chief of police in Scotland Yard, serving as a mole for Moriarty and keeping the police as corruption free as he can.
 * He is the chief of police in Scotland Yard, serving as a mole for Moriarty and keeping the police as corruption free as he can.


 * Charles Augustus Milverton (チャールズ・オーガスタス・ミルヴァートン)
 * A corrupt journalist, self-styled as the "King of Blackmail," who enjoys forcing people into despair and leading them to their own sin and ruin.
 * A corrupt journalist, self-styled as the "King of Blackmail," who enjoys forcing people into despair and leading them to their own sin and ruin.


 * Billy the Kid (ビリー・ザ・キッド)
 * A Pinkerton agent working for the US government. He rescues Sherlock and William following The Final Problem and brings them to New York City to recover and work alongside him.


 * Miss Moneypenny
 * She works as a secretary for MI6, while also being a close associate of the Moriartys. She is very attached to her colleagues, and shows her combat skills on multiple occasions.

Production
Moriarty the Patriot began as a suggestion from Hikaru Miyoshi's editor to write about Sherlock Holmes after the end of Miyoshi's previous series and Ryosuke Takeuchi joined after the characters of William and Sherlock had already been established. The focus of the series wound up on Professor Moriarty instead, and Takeuchi has said despite liking heroes as a child, he began to empathize with villains as he grew older.

Miyoshi chose to subvert expectations of Sherlock and Professor Moriarty's personalities and create a "gentleman" criminal and a rough "detective" in order to create a story that stands out in a sea of adaptations. Takeuchi commented that every adaptation has a different "flavor" of Holmes, and hoped that the reader could think of Moriarty the Patriot's version as one of the many flavors of Holmes created. William and Sherlock were intentionally designed to be very similar and also contrast each other as opposites as much as possible in both physical design and behavior.

After the end of the first part of the series, Takeuchi posted a message of thanks to everyone involved in the project on his Twitter account, and updated his bio to indicate his involvement in the series was limited to the first part.

Manga
Moriarty the Patriot, storyboarded by Ryosuke Takeuchi and illustrated by Hikaru Miyoshi, began serialization in Shueisha's manga magazine Jump Square on August 4, 2016. The series ended its first part on December 2, 2022. As of February 2023, it has been collected in nineteen volumes. The manga is licensed in North America by Viz Media. It is also licensed in France by Kana, in Germany by Carlsen Verlag, and in Spain by Norma Editorial.

The second part is scheduled to begin serialization in Jump Square on December 4, 2024.

A manga adaptation of the spin-off novel series, written by Yōsuke Saita, titled Moriarty the Patriot: The Remains, started in Jump Square on March 3, 2023, and finished on July 4, 2024.

Musicals
The stage musical adaptation Musical "Moriarty the Patriot (ミュージカル『憂国のモリアーティ』) was first announced on December 22, 2018. The adaptation currently consists of five opus with the latest one having been performed in August and September, 2023. All opus were directed by Nishimori Hideyuki under Marvelous Co., with Tadasuke working as composer.

The musicals star Shogo Suzuki as William James Moriarty and Ryo Hirano as Sherlock Holmes. They also star Ikkei Yamamoto as Louis James Moriarty, Kubota Hidetoshi as Albert James Moriarty, Yūki Izawa as Sebastian Moran, Ryotaro Akazawa (Op.1-3) and Ryōki Nagae (Op.4-5) as Fred Porlock, Cecile Daigo as James Bonde, Kenta Kamakari as John H. Watson, Kanon Nanaki as Ms. Hudson and Shun Takagi as George Lestrade.

The first opus premiered on May 10, 2019, and the fifth opus premiered on August 24, 2023, and ended on September 10, 2023. The musicals follow the story chronologically with the fifth opus covering the complete "The Final Problem" arc.

Stage plays
The stage play adaptation Stage "Moriarty the Patriot (舞台「憂国のモリアーティ」) was first announced July 3, 2019. It currently consists of two parts with the first one premiering on January 10, 2020, and the second one premiering on July 23, 2021. It was directed by Daisuke Nishida. The stage play stars Yoshihiko Aramaki as William James Moriarty and Ryo Kitamura as Sherlock Holmes. It loosely follows the story with an altered order of events.

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced at the Jump Festa '20 event on December 22, 2019. The series was directed by Kazuya Nomura at Production I.G, with Tooru Ookubo designing the characters and serving as chief animation director. Gō Zappa and Taku Kishimoto were in charge of scripts, and Asami Tachibana composed the music. This was the first time Kazuya Nomura served as the director of an anime adaptation of a manga series.

While the first episode was pre-screened on September 21, 2020, the first half of the series officially aired from October 11 to December 20, 2020, on Tokyo MX, BS11, and MBS. The first opening theme, "DYING WISH", was performed by Tasuku Hatanaka, while first the ending theme, "ALPHA", was performed by STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION. The series ran for 24 episodes, with the second half of 13 episodes airing from April 4 to June 27, 2021. The second opening theme, "TWISTED HEARTS", was performed by Hatanaka, while the second ending theme, "OMEGA", was performed by STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION.

Muse Communication has licensed the anime in Southeast Asia and South Asia, which was streamed on its Muse Asia YouTube channel. Funimation also acquired the series to stream on its website in North America and the British Isles. On August 13, 2021, Funimation announced the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on August 15. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.

A two-episode OVA project was announced. It was released on April 27, 2022.