The piano represents William, the violin Sherlock.

"The wind" is a metaphor William uses in his songs to qualify Sherlock.

Nishimori Hide (the musical director) had tweeted his feelings regarding chapter 55 : I'm still reeling from the excitement after reading Moriarty the Patriot's new chapter. The lonely soul of a genius. The words that moved that soul. The bond shared solely between the two, found in no one else. Sherlock's cry is a message to every living person in this world. I definitely want to depict this scene in the musical. It is my earnest wish to do so.

He also tweeted this : I'm writing the script for Moriarty The Patriot musical. I think about William's loneliness. Imagine him behind the walls housing his lonesome heart, refusing to let his comrades in out of love for them... Imagine him in that room all alone, when a single man came in like a gentle breeze... That's the kind of thing I dream about.

Hirano Ryo (Sherlock actor) said that the "Catch me if you can" scene was erotic.

From Op3 report "The sad and beautiful relationship between Sherlock and William" : Those who are obsessed with finding the truth and arresting the criminal are the 'pursuers', while those who conceal their sins and hide in the darkness are the 'pursueds'. The relationship between the two is sometimes akin to love. The pursuer's mind is constantly occupied with the criminal, and he scrambles to catch a glimpse of him. The pursued's crime is like a coded love letter to the pursuer, a seductive invitation to grab his hand if he can. The relationship between William James Moriarty (Shogo Suzuki) and Sherlock Holmes (Hirano Ryo), which is depicted in this series, seems to have reached a level that only the two of them could share. [...]It also deepened the relationship between William and Sherlock. This time, the two do not speak directly to each other until the end of the piece. However, they were constantly on each other's minds. William, who was determined not to bring the truth about Jack the Ripper to light, however, believed that only Sherlock would understand everything, and he did. Sherlock discovered the true intentions of the Lord of Crime behind the case. From that point on, their reunion had a special feeling that made one want to call it 'fate'. In this piece, the two have not met directly up to this scene. Even I, as the spectator, was slow to realize the fact that all the time, the presence of one could be felt near the other. The music by Tadasuke and the actors' acting made their relationship even more dramatic. One of William's solos particularly caught my ear, a song about his lonely heart. "The wind blows in my lonely room". That sentence, repeated so many times, speaks volumes about William's true feelings. That heart that bore such a noble mission was, however, lonely. Despite having such a wonderful family and friends, William was lonely because he was a genius. But then came Sherlock, the wind. The relationship between the two is inaccessible to anyone else. Only a genius can understand another genius. The lyrics, which sound like a love song, were sung by Shogo Suzuki with great passion. [...] What made my blood boil with excitement was the Rondo performed by the end of the piece. Sherlock dances on William's palm. When the relationship between the two is so vividly visualised one can't help but groan. The three beats of Rondo fit perfectly with the worldview of the series and the drama of William and Sherlock, colored by sin and mission, was beautifully highlighted. [...]

Interview with Shogo Suzuki (William actor) and Hirano Ryo (Sherlock actor), before Op2 :

Ryo said that he sees their relationship like "Romeo and Juliet" because of how much they love/yearn for each-other.

The interviewer answered that Sherlock seems particularly interested in William to what Ryo said : I think it's a bit like love at first sight. William has his own purpose and is thinking about how to use Sherlock in that purpose, but Sherlock just "likes" him (laughs). Of course, "I like mysteries = I like William" but I think the very thick arrow from Sherlock to William is one-sided. For example, William is like a proud and good-looking woman. Sherlock, a working-class guy, would come with a bouquet of flowers and say "Will you go out with me ?" but he would always get passed over.

Shogo added to this that it would be nice if William could be more honest.

Interview regarding Op2 with Mr.Nishimori Hide, the musical director :

He laughed at William, because he took that train only to meet with Sherlock and then played the "It's only a coincidence" card.

He said he has always had this kind of "unspoken bond between men" as his life-long theme. He was particular about the fact that William and Sherlock could understand each-others because they are both lonely geniuses.

He said that during a meeting with the editor of the manga, in addition to "Catch me if you can", the sentence "Catch me you can do it" came up. He thought it was great because it would create a "the greater the gap between our positions is, the more we seek each other out" atmosphere between these two. [Song in question is I Hope I Will]

Interview regarding Op3 with Mr. Nishimori Hide, the musical director :

He changed the order of events in "One Student". In the manga it ended with Bill's drama while he made it ending with Sherlock and William's drama. For him, "One student" was the heart of Op3 and the most important one, because of the future (The Final Problem).

He was asked why the "wind". He said it's because the editor of the manga told him that William is inspired by the figure of Jesus Christ. The editor said that the 12 apostles (the Moriartys) weren't able to see what's in Christ's mind and since William loves everyone so much, he created himself his cold room in his heart and he keeps everyone out of it. But only Sherlock, the wind, was able to come in [the lonely room in his heart].

He said if William is Christ, then Sherlock would be Mary Magdalene.

In Rondo, Sherlock is rather frustrated to be forced to dance on William's palm while William express very strong feelings for him "Do you now understand the flickering feelings in my heart" (which Sherlock has no idea of) Mr.Nishimori said he wanted to mark that difference since at that time Sherlock was always a bit behind William (because of their roles "criminal/detective") and that he consulted the editor of the manga to see how much of William's feelings should be expressed in this song.

The interviewer said that there was sadness in William's voice as he followed Sherlock to the station, as if he couldn't bear to part with him. Mr. Nishimori answered it's because of the very limited time and that's why every word they say to each other carries so much weight.

In the end comment he said : [..]Morimu is a work that I have created with a focus on the drama between these two (Sherlock and William) [...].

In this interview, Tadasuke (in charge of music) said that Sherlock and William meeting again at Durham was like a dream come true for the two of them.

Mr.Nishimori tweeted his feelings regarding chapter 74 : William begs his enemies to stop fighting. I'm sure William from back then wouldn't have said this. Behind those words, I could see Sherlock overlapping. William's once lonely soul now merges and cuddles with Sherlock's soul. Their souls are now together.

Off stage 63 interview Ryo and Shogo got asked the scenes that left the strongest impression on them from Op3. They answered the end of the second act, when William was about to cry. Ryo said he had never seen William smiling so innocently before, that that smile on his face reminded him of the one he had when he was a child.

In this Animage interview regarding Op3, Rei Fujita (Milverton's actor) got asked what he thought about Sherlock and William, he answered that they are in love with each-other which makes it frustrating to watch. He said he feels like watching one of those old romantic drama.

Shogo got asked how he feels about Sherlock being the 'wind' that sways William's hair and caresses his cheeks, he said William loves Sherlock so much.

The interviewer found it weird that one would want their friend to be a criminal, Ryo said it's not in the "I want you to be a bad guy" sense but rather that Sherlock, who was always lonely (even though he has John and Miss Hudson) found in William the only person who understands him, the only with whom he speaks the same language and shares the same ideas. It's like "I have no one but you, and I want you to be the great mystery that is the Lord of Crime" . So for him if William is the Lord of Crime it would be like a "yes" for them to be friends.

The interviewer said their relationship is like a life-or-death relationship. Ryo answered that of course it is. Sherlock even said he wouldn't mind giving up his life if he could catch the Lord of Crime. So William is a person he wants to pursue for the rest of his life.

Cecile Daigo (Bond's actress) shared this photo of Sherlock and William "The two best #Bond's hidden camera" and said she kept it dearly since Op3 as it's her favorite.

At the Jump Festa 2023, Miyoshi-Sensei said that William sometimes feels like the strongest hero and sometimes like a tragic heroine.

Shogo said that what he is the most conscious of when playing William is his sense of mission to change the society and how William didn't expect to have this kind of relationship with Sherlock, so he's trying to do what he has to do while the wind (Sherlock) is pulling him back.

In this Animage interview, it is revealed that Ryo and Shogo decided that Sherlock and William wouldn't point guns at each-other never.

One of the reasons why Sherlock shoot Milverton was because William wanted it. It was a suggestion from the manga side, as everyone know it's to save John, but it's also about taking into account William's feelings and incorporating that into his actions, it’s like Sherlock is lightening William's burden a little, from where the title ; "The Two Criminals".

Sherlock's character introduction is : He wants to see things from the same horizon as William. For that reason, he determined to unravel all the mysteries, capture him and his heart with his own hands.

In this show about Op5, Izawa Yuki (Moran's actor) said that Sherlock and William's relationship is basically love.

In this Animage interview, Nishimori Hide said that Sherlock and William's relationship is what one call "destined love" and "fated love"

They nickname each-other "Liam" and "Sherly".

The official anime account confirmed that Twisted Hearts song is about the feelings between Sherlock and William.

In one of Saito Soma radio episodes, he was talking about William's "Sherly". He was very stressed about this since this word is extremely important. He didn't want to mess it up but, at the recording "before I could think about it, William's feelings actually came out in words.. so, it's not logic, but sensitivity, that's how I felt".

Summarize of what the Japanese voice actors said about their relationship in this series of interviews :

Furukawa Makoto (Sherlock's voice actor) said that "One Student" was very important for Sherlock and William's relationship and that it deserved an OVA (instead of a drama CD). He thinks they could’ve been good friends if the circumstances were different.

Ono Yuki (John's voice actor) said that their relationship is different from that of rivals who clash with each other. To what Furukawa Makoto said that it's a kind of a mysterious friendship. It's like people with rare hobbies meeting for the first time someone who understands what they are talking about and he thinks it's cool that these two geniuses met by chance and immediately understand each other.

He also said that he thinks they see the same things, and that their feelings and ideas are similar, but the means and paths they take to achieve their goals are different and he thinks that's why they will be inspired by each other in some ways.

Saito Soma (William's voice actor) thinks that, somehow, Sherlock exists to save William, as a human being.

He thinks that there is no doubt that William has special feelings for Sherlock. He said that when they are talking to each other, (such as in the train scene) he feels that William enjoys the dialogue, even though he is trying to keep his composure. He thinks their interactions show a kind of feeling that can only be understood by the two of them, something that cannot be explained by logic.

He said that Sherlock and John's relationship feels like a friendship between men, while Sherlock and William have the relationship of two souls so close that they graze one another, but that it's still frank.

Chiaki Kobayashi (Louis's voice actor) said that since when Sherlock caught William's eye, Louis, who until then had been performing his job in an indifferent manner, became more emotional and jealous of Sherlock.

He also said that until Sherlock came along, William was only executing the plan, though we did see glimpses of other emotions in him.

When he was asked about Louis's character development, he used a metaphor where he called Louis a father who finally gives off his daughter (William) to Sherlock.

Ryosuke Takeuchi (co-author of part1) thought about making a story where Sherlock and William would play tennis.

On her Twitter, Miyoshi Hikaru (the author) said that she chose the Blue color for Sherlock to match with William's Red.

At the Jump Festa 2021 Live Stream, Miyoshi-Sensei affirmed that she created Sherlock and William to be the perfect opposites.Their personalities and chosen colors but also with more subtle details like the speech, the way of dressing, walking and even of standing.

They are the same height : 185cm and age : 24 years old (27 after time skip). They were also the same weight : 68kg. After timeskip, Sherlock is 69kg while William is 65kg.

In this interview, Miyoshi-Sensei revealed that once William's character was decided as being inspired from Jesus Christ, she decided to make of Sherlock the person who is going to save him from his tragic ending.

In this official art, William is holding a bouquet of 11 red roses with a blue ribbon, while Sherlock is holding a bouquet of blue roses with a red ribbon.

This is an official art. (Vol 17 bonus illustration)

They have already done each-other's iconic "thinking pose". Sherlock did William's in chapter 45 when he was thinking about commiting a crime (theft from Milverton's manor). William did Sherlock's on this bonus illustration.

Their official emojis are 🌹(for William) and 🎻(for Sherlock).

In chapter 18, Sherlock said that he is not interested by women.

In vol3 omake, John ask Miss Hudson what is Sherlock's weakness and she answers that he is a women hater.

In his character profile, Sherlock's dislikes are women.

His likes are mysteries and William is said to be "his life's greatest mystery".

In his character profile, it’s stated in Louis's worries that he is thankful to Sherlock for saving his brother but he feels like they are acting "maybe too friendly".

In the anime, Sherlock is represented as a white dove in William's eyes. White Doves are symbols of Love, Peace and Hope.

In chapter 59, Billy thinks of giving them two swan-shaped apples. A Swan is a symbol of grace, devotion, love, fidelity, purity, peace, protection and transformation.

In the Abema Live from the 7th December 2020, Furukawa Makoto had presented a relationship chart. Sherlock and William were "Special Interest".

In one of his Live Streams, Takeuchi-Sensei said that "The mystery is you, Lord of Crime" (chapter 52 tagline) is like a confession from Sherlock to William.

The Noahtic ship was inspired by the Titanic.

In the Jump SQ Master Bible, Takeuchi-Sensei said "In fact, William got on that train with the knowledge that Sherlock was going to be on it as well !". Which means that his surprise was fully played and him saying "Our reunion here might have been a coincidence [...]" is a lie.

In the anime 1st episode Live Broadcast, the anime director, Nomura Kazuya, said that Sherlock is a character that will be gradually completed by interacting with William. Saito Soma added "They are mutually drawn to each other. It’s a complex relationship where both parties are intricately intertwined!”

In chapter 71, Helena is looking for a box wrapped in Red paper with a Blue ribbon. Sherlock and William's colors.

In the special ova interview, the anime director was asked what was the most memorable scene throughout the whole story, he answered it was the scene on the bridge in the last episode when William and Sherlock confront each other. "As William falls, the flames rise below him; an image of the world in which he sees himself finally at peace, only after succumbing to the pits of hell. The flames of the city were extinguished by the cooperation of the nobles and citizens through William's plan, but the flames in William's heart could only be extinguished by Sherlock. [..]"

Sherlock says he doesn't care about credit [for the cases he solved] but when William compliments Lestrade on it, he couldn't help but say it was all him.

In the chapter 71 tagline and the vol19 preview, Sherlock is called William's 大切な人.

In chapter 64, John asks Sherlock if he "got closer" to William over in America. The Japanese sentence he used was 宜しくやってた which is more often used in a sarcastic/ innuendo-filled way.

In chapter 75, they promised to struggle together and to live together. Billy, who was watching, asked them if they were done with their "marriage vows", and they didn't deny it.

Again in chapter 75, William's answer, the japanese sentence of "If you'll have me" is commonly added when someone ask another person to date them or marry them. In the japanese culture, marriage proposals are about wanting to share life with another person rather than kneeling and great declarations of love.

Jump SQ part1 end annoucement's taglines are "Together, they live in the present" and "Together, they walk the same path"

Chapter 55 tagline is "🌹Catch me, don't leave me alone 🎻I finally caught you, I won't leave you alone" while the Japanese line says "🌹Catch me, don't let me go".

Chapter 54 tagline is "Your hand is now in my grasp and I will never let it go" (From Sherlock to William)

The tagline of the JumpSQ cover they are on is "Together they can change the future itself."

On the piano, the apple and the lily in the Karma MV represent Sherlock and William.

There is a novel named "Forbidden Games" where Sherlock and William work together to find a missing young man. It takes place in chapter 31, before William sees Sherlock off.

There is a scene at the end of the novel "John's Adventures" where Sherlock (who was walking at night) and William (who was riding in a carriage) coincidently pass by and, somehow, "sense" each other. The two of them wanted to keep the encounter to themselves.

Their ability to understand each other is impressive, so much so that Lestrade commented "It's almost as if there are /two/ Holmeses!" in chapter 16. They also have shown an almost telepathy-like ability to communicate with each-other in the "Forbidden Games" novel : "Strangely enough, there was no need for words or gestures. Just by meeting his gaze, Sherlock sensed that William had devised a way out of this situation."

In chapter 16, Lestrade said : Moriarty ... to think, in this age we live in, there are two with Holmes' level of intellect. Is it destiny ?

They are said to be "bonded by fate" in the Vol17 synopsis.

William went from "I hate this world" (chapter 1) to "That day when you'd [Sherlock] saved me, my world became filled with colors. [..] This world is truly beautiful isn't it ?" (chapter 67) => "I hated this world but now everything is beautiful" (New York arc tagline)

The official JumpSQ account used to follow DailySherLiam on Twitter

In the "One Student" Drama CD, we learn that William knew right away that Bill was the mysterious student. And when Sherlock asked why William asked him to solve the case, William answered in a very evasive way "It's not like that, Mr.Holmes, I wanted you to solve that case."

There is a rather popular mystery solving game 'William VS Sherlock' held in Japan. The story is about Sherlock, who has got a mysterious letter with a cipher. Some of the codes contain numbers, so Sherlock travelled to Durham University to enlist the help of William, a mathematician. Together, they are going to try to solve the mystery of that letter. Translation

The lines "It even crossed my mind that I would leave everything behind, to engross myself in the delight of solving mysteries with you, for always", "I hope that this time, I could take your hand" and "It was strange to have such feelings for a detective like you" were cut from William's letter in the anime.

Crunchyroll put the series under "Enemies to Lovers" and "Falling in Love on the job" sections.

The English dubs director and Sherlock's English dubs actor ships them.

Barnes & Nobles about Moriarty the Patriot.

In Sherlock's new character profile, it’s stated that he "feels that his bond with William is more than just friendship".