Yes, he did! The exhilarating chase for the Lord of Crime did come to an end, thanks to the great detective. Sherlock Holmes’ frustration and sleepless nights in thinking about who and how to catch William James Moriarty all became fruitful at the end of the series. However, their relationship was more than a detective catching a criminal because they were able to form a bond stronger than that.
William James Moriarty is the protagonist playing as a villain of the criminally underrated anime, Moriarty the Patriot. Sherlock Holmes is the formidable rival and enemy of the brilliant crime consultant. He is one of the main characters in the series and plays a vital role in the development of William’s character.
The consulting detective is also a brilliant strategist possessing immense intellectual abilities most likely similar to William. However, even with these abilities of his, he didn’t end up becoming the World’s Greatest Detective overnight. But instead needed a bit of help from his arch-enemy.
When Did Sherlock Holmes and William James Moriarty First Met?
The first meeting of Willaim James Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes is more suited to be called a fateful encounter rather than a mere coincidence. Sherlock’s first appearance in the series was during the Noahtic Arc in episode six.
As Wiliam and his crew were preparing the stage for their plan to put an end to a criminal aristocrat’s crime. William suddenly met Sherlock Holmes who is also one of the passengers on the cruise ship. Holmes was talking with a bunch of noble women and impressing them by guessing their line of work from simple observations.
William coincidentally walks into the lobby and caught the women’s attention. They asked Sherlock to guess William’s job. Willaim heard their conversation and gave them a glance, the women explained to him what they were doing. By observing William, Sherlock Holmes was on point in guessing because William is indeed a mathematician.
The detective went closer to William and explain how he got to that conclusion. In return, William compliments Sherlock’s keen observation and also guessed things about the man. However, compared to Holme’s observation, William’s was more detailed. He correctly guessed that Sherlock is not a musician but plays the violin, a man who has adept fighting skills, has an interest in scientific experiments, and a slight touch of chemical dependency. Yes, the great detective also uses drugs from time to time to ease off his mind. Not that good of an influence, huh?
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When asked how he did it, the crime consultant answered that all details were so obvious to the detective. The detailed observation of William surprised Sherlock. However, later on, Sherlock laughs about it as William was very intrigued by his observation and responses.
Without exchanging names, the two parted ways. But, met again after the ship when the cruise ended. The marvelous well-strategist stage play of William and his allies for the evil Blitz Enders did not escape the eye of the detective. Enders, a noble committing a senseless crime by murdering people from the lower ranks were targeted by William and his allies to end his wrongdoings. Their plan sailed smoothly and was well-executed up until the final stage.
However, a minor trepidation has risen during the said arc and this was when Sherlock and William met again after they got off the ship. Unaware of Willaim’s real identity, Sherlock admitted to searching for the crime consultant inside the ship to talk about what happened.
As a brilliant observant like William, Sherlock was able to tie all the strings together from William’s plan. He explained how Ender’s crime was revealed seemed a bit odd. He added that it is as if a third party who is behind all of it was involved. Sherlock Holmes truly made a mark on William after this conversation. Hence, he decided to make him part of his plan and eventually contribute to him becoming the greatest detective of all time.
The Making of Sherlock Holmes: World’s Greatest Detective
Trust me when I say that in the Japanese series, Moriarty the Patriot, Sherlock Holmes is not “the Sherlock Holmes” if not for William James Moriarty. Yes, Sherlock Holmes always had the potential to be a great detective. However, his path to becoming the most popular one was made possible by none other than his arch-enemy.
Sherlock Holmes works as the world’s foremost consulting detective for Scotland Yard. He might have been a detective from the beginning; however, his name was not that big. Sherlock is known to step in whenever the police have a case that is beyond their capabilities. Right after the Noahtic Arc, Sherlock was convicted of a crime he did not commit. Yes, it was again a plan organized by the Lord of Crime to test him. This is where the chasing started.
William James Moriarty wanted to get to know Sherlock more without actually meeting him. Hence, the best way for him was to write his name at the crime scene. Scotland Yard arrested Sherlock as a prime suspect in the death of a Welsh Earl. All of the shreds of evidence pointed at Sherlock. His name was written in blood beside the corpse, the footprints, the gun that was used, and other items. To clear his name, Sherlock asked Lestrade, an inspector of the Yard, to take him to the crime scene for him to have a look.
By pulling all the strings together, he quickly deduced that a mastermind helped the killer to commit the crime and pin it on him. Thrills and excitement were written all over the detective’s face. He then realized that the case is similar to what happened on the cruise ship and the same third party is most likely behind it.
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Sherlock was able to find the suspect and convinced him to surrender. However, even after solving the case, it was not his victory for he didn’t catch the mastermind behind it, William. On one hand, the crime consultant was convinced in giving him a major role in their so-called Moriarty Plan. By being the detective who solves the crimes they organize, Sherlock became the leading man of the stage play executed by the Lord of Crime.
So technically, in this version of their story, Sherlock Holmes was running in the palm of William’s hands. After solving the case arranged by Moriarty, Holmes rose to fame and his name as a great and trusted detective traveled across towns giving him more cases than he and Dr. John H. Watson can handle.
However, these cases cannot compare to the thrill of the ones behind William James Moriarty. Therefore, he made it his goal to capture the Lord of Crime and be the person who will unveil his identity and crimes to the public. This goal of his indeed turned into reality but in the most unexpected way.
How Did Sherlock Holmes Catch William James Moriarty?
A few encounters between Holmes and Moriarty happened in the middle of the chase for the Lord of Crime. As I said, our dear detective was unaware that William James Moriarty was the person whom he was looking for. Right after the capture of Sherlock and him solving of the case. The two men met coincidentally and had an encounter on a train.
When an unprecedented murder happened inside the train where Dr. Watson was caught in the middle of it. Moriarty and Holmes decided to make it a battle of the wits. These two brilliant men almost came to the same conclusion in solving the case, but of course, the Lord of Crime was again one step ahead by planting pieces of evidence that would reassure the capture of the suspect.
Even with these encounters, Sherlock was still unaware of the identity of the man he was befriending. He just assumed that Moriarty is a man blessed with intelligence like him allowing him to equal his skills as a detective. However, through the mischievous plan of the King of Blackmailers, Charles Augustus Milverton, Sherlock found out the real identity of the Lord of Crime.
By blackmailing both parties, Milverton was able to lure Holmes and Moriarty into the same place. The surprise on Sherlock’s face was very evident. But, it instantly recovered and he became more confident and delighted than ever. He even expressed his relief that the Lord of Crime is none other than William.
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Milverton’s plan was never going according to his way in the first place because he did not know one important thing. Milverton was not aware that the symbols of light and darkness of the British Empire actually knew each other.
After killing Milverton, Sherlock let William go because he wants to capture him in a manner based on his own. Sherlock did not want things to be as easy, for him or for William. The Lord of Crime escaped but left his infamous line insinuating a challenge for the great detective.
Catch me if you can, Sherlock.
William James Moriarty to Sherlock Holmes
After this, Wiliam decided to reveal his identity as the Lord of Crime to the people of London and set his final plan in motion. Willaim decided to sacrifice only his life in exchange for changing society. His allies went along with it and followed every single command. However, his biological brother, Louis, and Fred Porlock didn’t wish for him to die. Hence, they went to the man who they hope can change his mind.
Sherlock was glad when the two went to him for help. Louis and Fred were able to prove that they are not just some criminal organization. As someone who has watched the series, the family ties of William and his allies were evident all throughout the series. They are willing to suffer and offer their lives for one another which convinced Holmes to help them.
Yes, Sherlock Holmes was able to catch William James Moriarty. But as his friend and not as a detective. William left all the evidence to Sherlock that would prove that he is guilty of all the crimes together with a letter that reads:
Why did I choose you? It would be difficult to detail the reasons in a few brief words, but I found our [first] meeting to be enjoyable enough to forget all about my heinous plan for a moment. It felt as though I had found the one person who could understand me. If it weren’t for our respective positions, I would like have like to converse with you at a great length. For some reason, I have considered you to be long-standing friend. That is why I want you by my side when I meet my end.
As mentioned, their first-ever interaction is significant to their relationship. Sherlock was glad to know that William felt the same way, for he too considered him his friend. The two met on a tower bridge in front of a lot of witnesses. As a friend, Sherlock threw words convincing William to not chose death as a way to escape his crimes for he deserves to also witness the society he always longed for. However, it was too late for William because he cannot unsee the blood on his hands.
He jumped off the bridge but was shockingly followed by Sherlock who grabbed and hugged him. Both fell into the river and were never again found. Their story as the crime consultant and the consulting detective lived on through the book written by Dr. John H. Watson. Did they survive the fall? *with a huge sigh of relief* Yes! They’re alive! The chasing finally came to an end, but they were able to have a fresh start.
In the last few scenes of the series, without anyone’s knowledge, Sherlock and William were both still alive. They were seen in a pub somewhere in the countryside of Switzerland. Technically, Sherlock was able to catch William twice. The first one was as the Lord of Crime in a tower bridge in London and the second one was as his long-standing friend in Switzerland.
The relationship between William and Sherlock was a literal roller coaster ride. With them being enemies to becoming each other’s closest friends, fans even suspected that Moriarty the Patriot was another BL series. But, of course, that is far from it. It’s just a story of two brilliant men from the opposing side who were always meant to be friends, rather than enemies.
