Junior Detective

Junior Detective
Species	Theet
First appearance	Princess Peach: Showtime! (2024)

Junior Detective, occasionally also referred to as Junior, is a side character in Princess Peach: Showtime! in the levels where Peach uses the Detective Peach transformation. He shows up as himself in The Case of the Missing Mural and The Case of the Rainy-Day Plot, and is used as a fake disguise by a Sour Bunch member in The Dark Museum & the Purple Mystery.

While he is considered by other Theets to be young and inexperienced for his profession, he makes up for it with his strong enthusiasm for his cases. He follows and advises Detective Peach on their cases, becoming a duo team.

He has top billing on the posters of the two theater plays he performs in, giving him main protagonist status comparable to a Sparkla in those two plays.

The Case of the Missing Mural

He is first seen hiding behind a billboard, saying he can help solve the situation. However, two police officer Theets who are keeping the nearby museum's front door closed, tell him that they think he is too inexperienced and young for such a case.

Feeling sad that he cannot solve it on his own, Peach cheers him up with Sparkle, who leads her into a detective office nearby. The office is owned by a main detective (later known to be Detective Sparkla) who was out at the time, with Junior Detective struggling to solve a mystery inside the office involving touching four stone bricks in a visible order.

Junior Detective's hiding attempt during the detective test he had set up.

While Peach was in another room and became Detective Peach, Junior Detective had in the meantime set up a test for her, where he left a note on the floor signed by him, footprints on the floor, and his nose peeking out between three pillows on a nearby couch.

Being amazed by Peach's detective skills, he heads back to the museum, and is allowed to go inside by virtue of Detective Peach being taken for being the main detective by the police. Once inside, Junior Detective heads off to the right towards the Theepota mural.

Upon the mural going missing, he wanders around the room in a thinking pose. Seeing Peach crawling through an air vent, he runs after her and into it. Noticing that the Masks of Disguise had been stolen, he concludes that the culprits could be anyone in the room on the right.

After the culprits had been found, Junior Detective heads into the mural room. If Peach chooses to talk to him, he states that fresh air helps clear his mind when he is stumped on a case, incidentally hinting Peach onto opening a nearby window. The mural is eventually found either way.

The Case of the Rainy-Day Plot

Junior Detective spotting the suspect from a bench.

Junior Detective stands ready near a bench, arriving five minutes early according to him. He has taken note of a suspect walking down the same street each day, and sits patiently on the bench for a short while until a Sour Bunch member walks by.

He tells Peach to sneak near the suspect and spy on him, but he will insistently tell Peach if she is walking too close to him, forcing her to take a few steps back.

With the suspect eventually running away from them, they find a note on the ground about a secretive plan at "our" hideout. If Peach chooses to read the note, he points out that the use of "our" indicates that there are multiple suspects.

Finding their way through a back alley, they catch up with the main suspect again, who runs into an apartment district that Junior Detective too runs towards. Having eventually found the correct apartment, they sneak their way inside the hallway. He listens in on the suspects' plans, but gets so startled by the mention of a planned bomb, that he accidentally alerts the suspects, who then jump out the window before he could catch up to them.

Making his way to the clock tower to alert the police and to head inside, he instructs Peach to find the correct key to operate the lift. After riding the lift to the next floor, he decides to head out a nearby door quickly. As the main culprit runs toward Junior Detective to attack him, the culprit gets arrested by the police. As the police fails to realize the culprit has accidentally given them a complete clue to them about the bomb being on the top floor, Junior Detective and Peach heads alone into the higher floors.

Junior Detective in the midst of his throw fumble.

In their efforts to reach the top floor, Junior Detective analyze the surroundings while standing still, leaving the work to Peach to get them there.

Having found the bomb on the top floor, and with less than 10 seconds on the clock, Junior Detective spots a river nearby below, and attempts a very long throw. However, he fumbles with three seconds on the clock, leaving Peach to pick up the bomb and make the throw. As a massive explosion occurs below, the case is declared solved.

The Dark Museum & the Purple Mystery

After the museum exhibition puzzle and the resulting portal, Junior Detective shows up on a balcony ahead of Peach, seeking to find Detective Sparkla, shining light on four boxes on the floor beneath, and hopes to figure out which of the four that are the real Sparkla.

Junior Detective retreats back inside the building, to Stella's perplexment. After Detective Sparkla has been freed and is partway through their escape, Junior Detective shows up again, telling the others to hurry up with him through an exit (that later turned out to be fake). Detective Sparkla wants to ask him some control questions just to be sure.

The fake Junior Detective in the immediate aftermath of having been called on the bluff.

Detective Sparkla starts with a trick question, claiming there are no cushions in the office couch, and asking Junior Detective which color he would choose to buy a cushion for the couch. Although perplexed by the situation, Junior Detective answers purple.

Detective Sparkla then asks what time Junior Detective would arrive to a nine o'clock meeting, to which he answers to show up precisely on time.

Laughing a little bit and sensing he is onto something, Detective Sparkla then asks what Junior Detective thinks about Grape. As Junior Detective refers to her as "Madame Grape", his gig is up, and Peach uses Strike of Intuition to call his bluff, revealing the Junior Detective of this level to have been a Sour Bunch member in disguise.

Quotes

The Case of the Missing Mural

• "I can pitch in too…" (First appearance)
• "This is urgent—there's been a threat! I'll be taking point on looking into it." (Talking to the Officer Theets)
  • "Guess it's no use…" (After the Officers told him to leave)
• "I can't do this on my own..."
  • "No! I won't give up yet! I just need a new plan." (After Peach used Sparkle on him)
  • "Will you come with me?"
  • "Quick—in here!" (Outside the Detective Office holding the door open)
• "The detective is out right now."
  • "And while I really want to help them..."
  • "I can't even solve the mystery of this office!"
• "Whoa!" (After Peach used Sparkle on the books in the right order)
  • "Wow! You solved it with such ease!"
• "Amazing! Nothing gets past you, Detective!"
  • "You really can detect things with your Strike of Intuition!
  • "Now come on—a mystery awaits us. Let's go!"
• "Wait for me!" (After Peach enters the hidden air duct)
• "Oh! The display case is broken..."
  • "The items on display here were the fandangled Masks of Disguise."
  • "It says, "Wearing one of these masks allows its wearer to alter their appearance.""
  • "Of course! The culprits must be using these masks to disguise themselves!"
• "I'm certain those fiends are in here somewhere." (looking at the main exhibit)
  • "Surely the culprits are in disguise. Let's collect clues and find them!"
• "We did it!" (After finding the Mural)
  • "Watching you unravel this mystery was truly inspiring. You are our new great detective! And now the case is really closed!"

The Case of the Rainy-Day Plot

• "DETECTIVE!" (calling to Peach at the start of the play)
  • "Detective!"
  • "A good assistant knows to arrive at least five minutes early! That's why I'm already here!"
  • "Anyway, I have a tip about a possible suspect wandering around the city. Apparently, he walks this path every day. So let's wait here and keep a sharp eye out."
• "Ah!" (Upon spotting the Sour Criminal)
  • "That's gotta be him! We might gain an idea about what he's up to if we keep out of sight while we follow him."
• "I think he's about to turn this way! Hide! Quick!" (When the Sour Criminal is about to turn around)
  • "Let's follow him!" (after the criminal continues walking)
    • "Detective, you’re standing too close!" (If Peach approaches the criminal)
• ""Everything's going according to plan. The you-know-what will be ready soon. Rendezvous at our hideout. Make sure you aren't followed."" (Reading the note with Peach the Sour Criminal dropped on the ground)
  • "So there's some kind of plan underway... But where do you think he went off to?"
• "Now where did he go..."
• "So that's where he went!" (after Peach moves a garbage can)
• "There he is again! Let's take care not to lose him this time!"
• "Quietly now... Quietly..." (inside the Criminal’s hideout)
• "B-b-bomb?!" (upon hearing the Sour Criminals completing a bomb)
• "Wait!" (Chasing the Sour Criminals before they escaped)
• "This is terrible! They're going to blow something up! But we can stop them if we know what their target is. Where do you think they're going to set their bomb off, Detective?"
• "The bomb…"
• "Ah! So they're going after the clock tower! I knew you'd figure it out, Detective. We need to tell the police. And we should hurry to the clock tower!"
• "Let's go!" (When telling Peach to board the lift with him and the Police Chief)
• "They must've gone this way."
• "Oh, he is definitely trying to trick us. I bet we'll find the bomb on the top floor!"
• "Wait, why are we happy about this?!" (when Peach uncovers the bomb)
  • "We're out of time! What should we... Oh! Good idea! There's a river right over there!"

The Dark Museum & the Purple Mystery

• "Detective! It is I!"
  • "Clearly I am seeking the Detective Sparkla, just as you are! And I've deduced that they are trapped in this very room! Alas, I have run into an issue. There appear to be four Detective Sparklas. I must ask you to find the real one! We shall meet again!"
• "Detective!"
  • "Detective! This way! Hurry!"
  • "Yes…"
  • "The exit is just this way! We must hurry!" (points to the exit door/the fake exit)
  • "What? I mean...sure?" (After Detective Sparkla tells him to answer some questions)
• "What a weird question to ask at a time like this. But...um... Purple would be nice." (answering the first question)
• "Seriously? Such odd questions... But at least this one is obvious. If you're meeting someone at nine o'clock, then you get there at nine o'clock!" (answering the second question)
  • "If you're meeting someone at nine o'clock, then you get there at nine o'clock!"
• "Ah, Madame Grape... Er, I mean..." (answering the last question)
  • "Enough with these silly questions— we need to hurry to the exit now!"
• "Heh heh... Hurry! Head through the exit!"
  • "The Detective Sparkla is really acting strange today. You've always put your faith in me, haven't you? Then why hesitate when the exit is right there!" (moments before Peach uses a Strike of Intrusion on him)

Gallery

• 

  Photo frames of Junior Detective (right) and Detective Sparkla at their office in The Case of the Missing Mural

• 

  The poster next to The Case of the Missing Mural's entrance door after 2F has been saved

• 

  The poster next to The Case of the Rainy-Day Plot's entrance door after 4F has been saved

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	助手じょしゅ Joshu	Assistant
Chinese	助手 Zhùshǒu	Assistant
Dutch	Hulpdetective	Assistant detective
French	Assistant du détective	Detective's assistant
German	Hilfsdetektiv	Assistant Detective
Italian	Assistente del detective[?]	Detective's assistant
	Assistente	Assistant
Korean	조수 Josu	Assistant
Portuguese	Estagiário	Trainee
Russian	Помощник детектива Pomoshchnik detektiva	Detective's assistant
Spanish	Ayudante del detective	Detective's assistant