Series
Detective! Knight Scoop
The Osaka TV show where viewers write in with a request, and a detective is sent out to settle it.
The show
This program is an entertainment program in which, acting on requests sent in by viewers, the Chief of the Detective Agency sets the detectives under their command loose upon the world, to investigate and pursue, thoroughly, every matter under the sun — for the good of society, for the good of the people, and in defense of public decency, peace and order.
この番組は、視聴者から寄せられた依頼にもとづいて、探偵局長が部下の探偵たちを野に放ち、世のため、人のため、公序良俗・安寧秩序を守るべく、この世のあらゆる事どもを徹底的に調査追求する娯楽番組である。
Every episode opens
Taking a sharp scalpel to the tangled complexity of modern society, and getting to the bottom of every mystery and question: Detective! Knight Scoop. Acting on requests from you, our viewers, our finest detectives go in search of the truth.
複雑に入り組んだ現代社会に鋭いメスをいれ、様々な謎や疑問を徹底的に究明する、探偵ナイトスクープ。テレビをご覧の皆さんからの依頼に基づき優秀な探偵が真相の追究に当たります。
Why it's here
Knight Scoop has been on ABC TV in Osaka since 1988. The requests range from the absurd to the quietly moving, and the comedians who play the detectives take every one of them seriously. ABC TV posts clips on its official YouTube channel; these are the ones we've translated, with what Japanese viewers said about them.
He Can't Beat His Wife's 74-Year-Old Grandmother at Table Tennis
A 25-year-old asks a TV show to train him to beat his wife's 74-year-old grandmother at table tennis.
A 100 kg Dad, a Nippon Kempo Rival, and 25 Years Since the Last Match
Forty kilos heavier and a quarter-century out of practice, an Osaka dad steps back in against his old rival.
Two Sisters Wanted a One Piece-Style Send-Off for the Family Minivan. Their Dad Wasn't Ready.
An 18-year-old minivan named Rappy-chan sat wrapped in weeds because Dad couldn't say goodbye, so his daughters called in the TV detectives.
He Thinks He Has the Worst Breath in Japan, So He Entered 'Breath Sumo' to Prove It
A man already known on TV for his smelly ears suspects his breath is even worse, and challenges fellow contenders to face-to-face combat to settle it.
Before Her Surgery, a Trans Woman Comes Out to Her Mom — From Inside a Rabbit Head
A 28-year-old trans woman wanted to thank the single mom who raised her as a boy before her gender-affirming surgery, and viewers couldn't get over how gently her mom listened.
A Solid Gold Ring Fell Into a Pit Toilet, So the Show Sent a Comedian In After It
A man drops his pure gold ring down a non-flush toilet, and Japan's most durable variety show treats it as a case worth solving.
She Asked a TV Show to Let Her Smell Insects She'd Never Met
A 42-year-old with a bug-smell fetish, a professional insect hunter, and tasting notes nobody saw coming.
The Carpet That Never Stops Producing Cat Hair
A Nara man's living room carpet seems to generate an endless supply of cat fur, so a (cat-allergic) detective and a small army of friends launch an all-out lint-roller offensive.
Reviving a 30-Year-Old 'Java Ring' Became a Full-Blown Java Reunion
A college student's obsession with a 1998 wearable computer brought a legendary crew of veteran engineers back together to bring it to life.
Can You Buy a Famous Cake Roll Before the Light Turns Green?
A postpartum mom's daydream game gets put to the test: sprint out during a red light, grab Osaka's famous Dojima Roll, and make it back before traffic moves.
The Woman Who Couldn't Walk Down Stairs Without a Handrail
A simple request to a Japanese TV show reveals just how many people quietly struggle with the exact same fear.
A 5-Year-Old's Cardboard Lion Dance Becomes the Real Thing
A boy's homemade lion costume turns into real training with a Himeji lion dance troupe — and a performance in the shadow of the castle.
Does Kissing 550 Times Really Burn 1kg? A Japanese TV Show Actually Tested It
A man who compiled 8 years of trivia convinced a detective to kiss him 550 times in the name of science.
They Made a Duvet Stuffed With Men's Body Hair. It Worked.
A 28-year-old asked Japan's most unhinged TV show to make a blanket filled with human body hair.
Japan's Most Prestigious Stink Competition
A TV show spent an entire episode doing nothing but smelling things, and honestly, it peaked.
A Man Challenged the World Wasabi-Don Speed-Eating Championship (and Quit Halfway)
A 44-year-old man from Shizuoka dreamed of becoming world champion at something — and wasabi happened to be the thing.
A College Student Training to Be a PE Teacher Can't Do a Back Hip Circle — and Might Not Graduate
She wants to teach gym class, but she can't pass gym class.
She Can't Hear the Punchline — So She Became the Microphone
A nearly-deaf comedy fan asks her favorite duo to help her laugh along with everyone else.
A Shy 42-Year-Old Finally Gets to Play Baseball — With a Little Help From Some Kids
He'd been swinging a bat alone every day for years. Then he finally asked for a real game.
A 6-Year-Old Girl's Quest to Obtain a Kintama
She did the math. There are two, so one should be available.
Can a Full Bladder Take Down a Pro Baseball Player? Japan Finds Out
An amateur pitcher hatches the most desperate strategy imaginable: wait until a former pro can barely walk, then throw.
What's in Your Notes App? Knight Scoop Asks — and Finds Something Unexpectedly Moving
A notes app nobody intended to share turned out to be the most honest self-portrait of all.
"If I Eat You, We'll All Live Together": A 9-Year-Old's Farewell to Her Pet Crayfish
She raised a crayfish that ate all her other pets. When it died, she had one request: let's cook and eat it together.
Finding Dad in a Sea of Bald Strangers
A daughter's recurring nightmare — that she couldn't identify her bald father in a crowd — somehow became one of the year's most unexpectedly moving TV segments.
The Boy Who Won't Back Down
A first-grader on a one-kid crusade against evil gets the lesson of his life — from his mom.
Japan's Powerlifting Champion Has One Weakness: Balloons
The nation's strongest woman faces her biggest challenge — and it's not a 230kg deadlift.
Japan's "Instant Poop Method": Dumb Title, Surprisingly Real Results
A college student's self-taught constipation trick gets the variety show treatment — and the comment section turns into a live clinical trial.
