Suguro Takeru is a Japanese detective who is the lead character in a series of TV film adaptations of Agatha Christie novels by Fuji TV. He is intended to be a close parallel of Hercule Poirot (Suguro, his surname, is designed to resemble Poirot). Like Poirot, Suguro has has quirks in food preferences and style of dress. He sports a moustache and was a former member of the police in Tokyo. Above all, one of the running gags in the series (often with light-hearted and slapstick elements) is his vanity. He is usually reluctant to take part in the cases which come his way but becomes willing when someone pleads with him to help because he is the best detective in Japan, Suguro will respond, no, best in the world and he would relent and offer to help.
Quirks as depicted in the various films:
- Food: He appears to appreciate all good food. In Kuroido Goroshi (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), whatever the latest tasty dish is served to him becomes his favourite.
- Hobbies: In Kuroido Goroshi (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), he has retired to the village of Tonosato to grow cube-shaped pumpkins with a moustache on them (these are done by keeping the pumpkins in a box as they grow--it is not clear how the moustaches were achieved).
He is portrayed by actor Mansai Nomura.