Sherlock

Biodata

Appearance

Sherlock is tall and lean, with a composed, gentlemanly bearing 3 6.

• Deep-set blue eyes 3 5.
• Often wears a blue scarf; he also wears a dark blue coat 3 29.
• Presents himself formally in public, including in a suit aboard the Noah 39 44.

Personality

Sherlock is methodical and disciplined in daily life, but can be arrogant, cutting, and self-satisfied when solving cases. He is selective about investigations and welcomes unusual cases as relief from boredom 5 15 22.

He often teases Lanny and uses elaborate tactics to direct other people’s actions. His concern is less openly expressed: he pays Lanny’s hospital bill, shields Lanny from an aggressive suspect, and later offers reassurance after their disagreement over the Noah investigation 10 15 48.

Abilities & Skills

Deduction and observation

Sherlock draws conclusions from physical evidence and small changes in behavior, sometimes presenting them as demonstrations to others.

• Deduces that Sergeant Donovan’s car has caught fire after a cigarette ignited a ruptured perfume bottle 6.
• Uses surveillance footage, a driver’s license, and Rhodes’s testimony to expose Qiaosen as a killer 15.
• Identifies a rooftop’s location as the breakthrough in the investigation of Lily Schneider’s murder 29.
• Identifies tobacco variety, origin, and manufacturer from differences in cigarette butts after studying 140 kinds of ash 22.

Mind palace

The manga depicts Sherlock’s mind palace as a visual tool for reconstructing events and testing explanations.

• Replays Lanny’s escape from the Workhouse explosion and simulates hundreds of possible escape scenarios 18.
• Recalls a book well enough to mentally read it while sitting motionless 25.

Forensic research

Sherlock spends much of his time conducting laboratory experiments alongside his consulting work 22.

• Investigates whether bacteria and fungi on corpses can help establish time of death. Lanny assists by swabbing four corpses and recording data 19.
• Studies cigarette ash with Lanny’s assistance 22.

Violin

Sherlock plays the violin while thinking. His playing can be accomplished, though Lanny finds it unpleasant at other times and buys earplugs 26.

Equipment and possessions

• Blue scarf — Sherlock wears it early in the story and later wraps it around Lanny’s neck after the Noah incident 3 48.
• Violin — Used while thinking at 221B 26.
• Research website — Records his findings, despite receiving few views 25.

Relationships

• Lanny (He Xue) — Roommate and research assistant. Sherlock becomes interested in Lanny after the bombing, lends Lanny money, and offers paid work toward the debt. Their relationship includes teasing, suspicion, and quieter acts of care 1 10 22 48.
• John Watson — Fellow 221B resident and investigative companion. He and Sherlock solve the A Study in Scarlet case together 4 36.
• Mycroft Holmes — Sherlock’s older brother, who questions Lanny about Sherlock’s interest and warns Lanny not to take advantage of him 2 13.
• Mrs. Hudson — Landlady at 221B. Sherlock helped send her ex-husband to prison 2 26.
• Inspector Lestrade — Police officer who brings Sherlock cases and works with him despite Sherlock’s frequent criticism of Scotland Yard 5 14.
• Sally Donovan — Scotland Yard sergeant hostile to Sherlock and skeptical of his deductions 6 8.
• Professor Moriarty — A mathematics professor whom Sherlock questions about his secret relationship with Lanny. Sherlock later warns Lanny to keep his distance 31 32.

Story Role and Major Arcs

Workhouse investigation

Sherlock meets Lanny after an explosion and questions how Lanny escaped at precisely the right moment. When Lestrade brings news of human remains found at the Workhouse, Sherlock joins the investigation with Lanny and Watson 1 5.

Anticipating an attack on Lanny and Watson, Sherlock brings police to capture their pursuers and pays Lanny’s £2,118 hospital bill. He subsequently exposes Qiaosen as a killer using footage and Rhodes’s testimony 10 15.

University murder case

When Lanny is questioned over Lily Schneider’s murder, Sherlock helps bring the investigation to a quicker close. He identifies the significance of the rooftop and later confronts Moriarty about his connection to Lanny 29 32.

Noah incident

Sherlock accepts a case connected to passengers aboard the Noah and travels with Lanny, Watson, and Mrs. Hudson. With the Attwood family’s help, he hides a body to provoke a suspected group of criminal consultants into revealing itself 39 45.

Lanny takes precautions against a possible fire, disrupting Sherlock’s plan. After Maren Flynn and Valentine Butler are arrested for setting the ship on fire, Sherlock admits he is displeased but tells Lanny to act like himself 47 48.