The standard Kochikame plot revolves around Ryou-san devising a profitable venture by creating an innovative gadget or capitalizing on a popular trend. Despite their initial success, things take a turn for the worse when they require Nakagawas assistance. Eventually, the entire scheme falls apart as the trend fades away or becomes unmanageable. Although the humor in these stories comes from the contrast between ordinary characters and their extraordinary circumstances, such as Nakagawas wealth, Maria's allure, and everyone's lack of police work, which are never fully explained or justified.
Kochikame had been the longest-running manga in the history of Weekly Shounen Jump and won the Guinness World Record for "Most volumes published for a single manga series". The series had two chapters published in English in the educational publication Mangajins issues #55 and #56 (May to June 1996).