Topic Battle

Holmes remains the most portrayed literary character in film and television history, with over 250 actors taking the role across more than 25,000 adaptations. The character receives genuine correspondence at 221B Baker Street, now a museum attracting 500,000 annual visitors. Holmes invented the modern detective genre, influenced police methodology worldwide, and created the archetype of the consulting detective that persists across all media.

Holmes demonstrates impressive nocturnal capability when cases demand it. His vigils in "The Speckled Band" and "The Red-Headed League" showcase remarkable patience and alertness during unsociable hours. However, Holmes's nocturnal activities remain case-dependent rather than habitual. He is equally capable of daytime investigation and, indeed, spends considerable evening hours playing violin and irritating Mrs Hudson.

Holmes's defensive capabilities are considerably more cerebral. His mastery of baritsu (or bartitsu, depending on Dr Watson's spelling on the day) proved sufficient to survive the Reichenbach Falls encounter. However, his defences require active engagement, considerable physical exertion, and occasionally the intervention of his brother Mycroft. Unlike the hedgehog, Holmes cannot simply curl into a ball and wait for danger to pass, though one suspects he would find such a strategy intellectually beneath him.

Holmes's investigative methodology represents the gold standard of analytical reasoning. His ability to determine a man's profession from his thumb calluses, or trace a criminal's movements through 243 distinct varieties of tobacco ash, remains unparalleled. The science of deduction, as codified by Holmes, has influenced genuine forensic investigation for over a century. Where the hedgehog sniffs for beetles, Holmes sniffs out the darkest corners of human nature.

Holmes's problem-solving capabilities span the full spectrum of human criminality. From decoding dancing men ciphers to unravelling international espionage, from recovering stolen jewels to exposing blackmailers, no puzzle proves beyond his considerable intellect. His versatility extends to chemistry, disguise, boxing, and extensive knowledge of sensational literature. The only problems Holmes struggles to solve are those of his own making, primarily his relationship with emotional regulation.