Anime lateral thinking puzzles

After my previous post, which garnered a lot of discussion and more extensive comments than any post I’ve written in the past couple of years, I’m taking it easy today with something fun…

I’ve enjoyed lateral thinking puzzles for quite a few years, ever since I bought a book of them back in middle school. They’re basically riddles as short as one sentence or as long as a few paragraphs, that challenge you to use all your logical and imaginative powers to solve while putting all preconceptions aside. Some require math skills while some simply require you to pay close attention to every word of the puzzle and not make any assumptions.

Today I’ll be sharing some lateral thinking puzzles that I’ve reworded to include anime characters (’cause that just makes theme easier to relate to XD) For each one, the hints and the solution can be viewed by selecting the text that follows.

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There are four chocolate cornets in a box. Konata, Kagami, Miyuki, and Tsukasa decide to share the cornets between them. The four of them each take one. How can it be that one cornet is left in the box?

Hint: Like many puzzles, if you can’t get this one right away you’re probably making a false assumption without even knowing it. Imagine the scenario playing out in your head and that should help.
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Solution: The fourth to take a cornet (doesn’t matter who) took the box with the last cornet still inside.

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Kirino is organizing her otaku collection. There are three boxes in front of her. One is labeled “Anime DVDs,” another is labeled “Erogames.” The last one is labeled “Anime DVDs and Erogames.” Each one is labeled incorrectly. Knowing this, and if she only takes ONE item from ONE of the boxes, how can she then label them all correctly?

Hint: Drawing a diagram really helps with this one. If you do it right, you should be able to get it easily. Try to answer the question “Which box should she pick from in order to be able to correctly label each one?”
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Solution: She should pick from the box labeled “Anime DVDs and Erogames.” Since they’re all labeled incorrectly, this box must contain either only anime DVDs or only erogames. For example, if the item she picks is an erogame, label the box “Erogames.” It then follows that the only choice left for the box labeled “Anime DVDs” must be “Anime DVDs and Erogames” (it can’t be “Erogames” because we’ve already found that one). Then lastly, the box incorrectly labeled “Erogames” must be the “Anime DVDs” box.

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Chi and the Yamada family are going on vacation and are staying on the tenth floor of a 10-story hotel. Chi is staring through the open window of their room, when suddenly, she’s overcome by an impulse and leaps through it. It was a sheer drop outside the building to the ground. She didn’t land in water or any special soft surface, nor did anyone or anything catch her. Yet, she was completely unharmed when she landed. How could this be so?

Hint: There was no rope or anything tied around her and others could have done what she did. Although she did indeed jump through the window, she did not fall ten floors and land on the ground outside the building.
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Solution: She started off on the ledge outside the window and leaped into the hotel room. Why was she outside? Chasing a flying insect or bird, or just being very curious. Take your pick.

Now their vacation is over and the Yamada family is getting ready to leave the hotel. Suddenly, Chi sees a butterfly outside and leaps through the open window. How did she survive jumping out the window of this 10-story hotel?

Hint: Unlike the previous puzzles, she actually did land on the ground outside the hotel. But it had nothing to do with luck and nothing touched her as she fell, nor did she land on anything special. Just remember, the Yamada family was getting ready to leave the hotel.
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Solution: She leaped out the window of the lobby on the ground floor, not the 10th floor. As the Yamadas were in the lobby checking out, she jumped out the window but only fell a few feet to the ground. They really need to keep a better eye on her!

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Ash and Gary had five Pokemon battles. Each won the same number of battles and lost the same number of battles. They were normal Pokemon battles and there were no draws or forfeits in any of the battles. How could this be so?

Hint: If you can’t get this one right off the bat, you’re making a false initial assumption.
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Solution: Who said they were battling each other? Perhaps they were in a tournament and would eventually go head to head, but not yet =P

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Acting on gathered clues and anonymous tips, Kujou and Victorique burst into the house of a suspected murderer. They don’t know what he looks like or anything else about him besides the fact that his name is George and that he is inside the house. Once inside the house they find a painter, a carpenter, and an accountant all playing poker. Without hesitation or communication of any kind, they immediately know that the carpenter is the murderer. They’re right, but how do they know they’ve got their man?

Hint: Another puzzle that relies on casting out false preconceptions in order to solve. The profession of each of the three was not immediately apparent, nor were they wearing name tags of any sort. It also would have been obvious to most people who the murderer was.
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Solution: The suspect’s name is George, and since the painter and accountant are women, the carpenter must be who they’re looking for!

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Yukari and Nyamo walked home after having been out drinking. They walked down the middle of a deserted road. There were no street lights to illuminate the road and there was no moonlight. They had been feeling somewhat melancholic and were dressed in dark colors. Suddenly a car that did not have its headlights on came racing down the road. At the last moment, the driver of the car saw them and swerved to avoid them. How had the driver managed to see them?

Hint: They were not carrying any source of illumination nor was there any starlight. Yet the driver of the car did indeed see them, and so could anyone else.
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Solution: It was broad daylight! But they went for another drink later that evening XD

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Kyon was pushing a car and stopped outside a hotel. As soon as he got there, he knew all his money was gone. Why?

Hint: He had to push the car yet it was a car that could never be driven. Also, the hotel was on a famous road. His loss of money had to do with the hotel, not Haruhi!
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Solution: He was playing Monopoly with Itsuki. They got tired of Othello.

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Well, hope you guys found these puzzles entertaining. Feel free to discuss them or ask for further hints in the comments, but please do not reveal the answers! If I find your comment too revealing, I may have to edit or delete it. Don’t spoil the fun for others XD If I see that people enjoyed them, maybe I’ll do more again sometime.