Lupin the Third

Lupin III, the grandson of the fictional gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin, is considered the world's greatest thief, known for announcing his intentions to steal valuable objects by sending a calling card to their owners. His right-hand man and best friend is Daisuke Jigen, an expert marksman who can accurately shoot a target in 0.3 seconds. Although Lupin and Jigen frequently work as a two-man team, they are often joined by Fujiko Mine, a femme fatale and Lupin's love interest, and Goemon Ishikawa XIII, a master swordsman whose sword can cut anything. Although Fujiko usually works together with the others, she occasionally exploits Lupin's interest in her to steal the treasure for herself. Lupin and his gang are constantly chased by Interpol Inspector Zenigata, who has made it his life's work to arrest the group, pursuing Lupin across the globe. ==Publication history==

The series was created in 1965 by Japanese manga artist Kazuhiko Katō under the pen name Monkey Punch. His inspiration for the series was the fictional gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, created by French writer Maurice Leblanc. Before creating the series, he read 15 of Leblanc's stories. The aim of the Lupin III series was to produce a comedy adventure series that reflected the traits of Leblanc's character. Originally, the intention was to keep the blood ties between the two fictional characters secret; however, he was convinced by others not to do so. Monkey Punch combined elements of Arsène Lupin with James Bond to develop the character of Lupin III and made him a "carefree fellow". Lupin was given a red jacket, which Monkey Punch believed was a flashy, sexually attractive color. As the series was to be published in a magazine targeted at adults, Fujiko Mine was created to add a female presence and to fulfill a "Bond girl" role. Her name was inspired by a picture of Mount Fuji, with Monkey Punch adding the -ko female suffix to create her first name, and he chose "Mine" for her family name because of its meaning "summit". At the beginning of the series, many of the women Lupin encounters are all named Fujiko, but are treated as different characters from chapter to chapter. Creating a new female character each week was too difficult for Monkey Punch, so she evolved into a single character who changed style frequently. Jigen was based on American actor James Coburn, especially his role in The Magnificent Seven, and his name was chosen to reflect his unconventional personality. Goemon was created to a Japanese element in an otherwise Western-influenced series. Despite Lupin and Goemon originally being enemies, Monkey Punch decided that they were on the same wavelength. While Lupin, Fujiko, Jigen and Goemon frequently worked together for their own goals, the author considered them not to be a true group as they had their own individual interests. He believed the characters of Lupin and Fujiko were similar to the characters of D'Artagnan and Milady de Winter, and described them as "Not necessarily lovers, not necessarily husband and wife, but more just having fun as man and woman with each other." Monkey Punch said the appeal of drawing Lupin came from the character being able to go anywhere without obstacles and being able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. However, this was contrasted with Zenigata's strict personality. Originally the series was only expected to last three months, but due to its popularity, Monkey Punch continued to write it. However, despite his happiness at its success, he expressed confusion over its popularity. ==Copyright issues==

Monkey Punch did not ask permission to use the Arsène Lupin name, and at the time, Japan did not enforce trade copyrights. By the time Leblanc's estate launched legal action in Japan, the name was considered to have entered into common usage. Monkey Punch stated that using the same character design, behavior, and face would be illegal, but using a name alone is not illegal. ==Media==

Manga . Lupin III was written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It was serialized by Futabasha in Weekly Manga Action, from August 10, 1967 to May 22, 1969, comprising 94 chapters. The series was then collected in 14 tankōbon volumes. Additional chapters known as Lupin III New Adventures were released from August 12, 1971. Tokyopop licensed the series in for publication in North America, and released all 14 volumes between December 10, 2002, and July 6, 2004. The Tokyopop edition is adapted from the Chuokoron Shinsha edition from 1989. While it hasn't been rescued since then, two anthology Lupin III manga published in Japan after Monkey Punch's death were published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment. Monkey Punch began publishing the second Lupin manga, Shin Lupin III, in Weekly Manga Action on June 23, 1977, until 1981. Tokyopop licensed the second series, and released the first nine volumes as ''Lupin III: World's Most Wanted'' between September 7, 2004, and July 10, 2007. Tokyopop later cancelled the series due to low sales. Yutaka Abe and Jirō Maruden produced a three chapter adaptation of the Lupin III vs. Detective Conan TV special. From August 25, they also created a manga adaptation of Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie for Shogakukans Shonen Super Sunday magazine. An isekai spin-off manga, Lupin the Third: Neighbor World Princess, written by Yōsuke Saeki and illustrated by Keyaki Uchi-Uchi, began serialization in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion on August 26, 2021. Anime series Part I On October 24, 1971, YTV began airing the first Lupin III television series. The series was broadcast for 23 episodes, with the last one airing on March 26, 1972. The series was initially directed by Masaaki Ōsumi, who was then replaced by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Discotek Media licensed and released the first series on DVD in North America on June 26, 2012. Part II The second Lupin III television series began airing on NTV on October 3, 1977. This series was broadcast for 155 episodes, with the last one airing on October 6, 1980. Pioneer Entertainment began distributing the first 79 episodes of the series in North America with an English dub on January 28, 2003. The first 79 episodes were released on 15 DVDs and 26 episodes (the first 27, excluding the third episode) aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. Voice director Richard Epcar stated in 2014 that the remainder of the series was not distributed by Pioneer because they had lost the license. In 2015, Discotek Media announced they had licensed the series for North America and released all 155 episodes across four DVDs from 2017 to 2020. The Discotek release utilized the existing Pioneer dub for the first 79 episodes and the Streamline dub for episodes 145 and 155; a new English dub was not created for the remaining episodes. Lupin VIII In 1982, an animated television series called Lupin VIII was planned as a French-Japanese co-production, featuring the descendants of Lupin, Goemon, Jigen, and Zenigata, but was never completed. Part III The third Lupin III television series, called Lupin the 3rd Part III, began airing on YTV on March 3, 1984. This series was broadcast for 50 episodes and ended on November 6, 1985. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine The fourth series, titled Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, aired on NTV for 13 episodes from April 4, 2012 and June 27, 2012. Funimation Entertainment simulcast the series on their website and Nico Nico with English subtitles, before releasing it on DVD and Blu-ray on August 20, 2013 with an English-language dub. Manga Entertainment released a similar set in the United Kingdom on September 16, while Hanabee released the series in a two-part combo set in Australasia, the first on October 16 and the second on November 20. Part IV: The Italian Adventure The fifth series, Lupin the 3rd Part IV: The Italian Adventure, was produced by Telecom Animation Film and is set in Italy and San Marino. It aired in Italy for 26 episodes on the Italia 1 channel between August 30, 2015 and November 30, 2015, while in Japan it aired for 24 episodes on NTV between October 1, 2015 and March 17, 2016. The series has been licensed by Anime Limited for the UK market and by Discotek for the US. It aired in the US on the Toonami block of Adult Swim starting in June 2017. Part 5 The sixth anime television series, Lupin the 3rd Part 5, aired in 2018. It is set in France, the home of the titular character's grandfather and namesake, and aired on NTV from April 4 to September 18, 2018. Like Part 4, the English dub was aired by Toonami. This included 24 episodes and an OVA. Part 6 The seventh series, Lupin the 3rd Part 6, premiered on October 10, 2021, coinciding with the 50th anniversary celebration of the first anime. Films Live action The first Lupin III theatrical feature, , was a live-action film and released on August 3, 1974. A second live-action film, titled simply Lupin III and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, was released on August 30, 2014. The cast features Shun Oguri as Lupin, Meisa Kuroki as Fujiko, Tetsuji Tamayama as Jigen, Gō Ayano as Goemon, and Tadanobu Asano as Zenigata. Tomoyasu Hotei composed the theme song for the film. A sequel was announced to be in development. A third live-action film, , was released internationally on Amazon Prime Video on October 13, 2023. The movie focuses on the character Jigen, portrayed by Tamayama, who reprises the role from the 2014 live-action adaptation. The film was produced by TMS Entertainment in co-production with Amazon MGM Studios. Animated Adapting the manga into an animated film was first suggested by animator Gisaburō Sugii to Yutaka Fujioka, the founder of TMS Entertainment. This led to the creation of Lupin the Third: Pilot Film, consisting of introductions to the manga series' five lead characters, intended to generate interest in the project and secure funding. The Pilot Film was created by Sugii, Yasuo Otsuka, Tsutomu Shibayama and Osamu Kobayashi, with supervision by Masaaki Ōsumi. Completed in 1969, the project was left unsold and the Pilot Film was adapted for television when Yomiuri Television agreed to broadcast and provide funding for a televised animated adaptation of the manga in 1971. Since then, several animated films based on Lupin III have been created by TMS Entertainment. In 2023, the Lupin III franchise had a crossover with City Hunter in the animated film City Hunter: Angel Dust. Kanichi Kurita and Akio Ōtsuka reprised their roles as Lupin III and Daisuke Jigen. In 2025, director Takeshi Koike returned to the franchise with the first traditionally-animated feature-length solo Lupin the 3rd film in nearly 30 years, Lupin the IIIrd the Movie: The Immortal Bloodline. Original video animations Several original video animations (OVAs) of Lupin III have been produced. Return of Pycal was released on April 3, 2002, as part of the 30th anniversary of the first television series and features the return of one of the original villains of the series, the magician Pycal. Green vs. Red was released on April 2, 2008, as part of the 40th anniversary of the manga series. A parody flash anime titled was produced by animator Frogman and his studio DLE Inc. in collaboration with TMS. The ten shorts were released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on December 19, 2012. A memorial episode titled was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the manga. It was directed by Jun Kawagoe, with Monkey Punch as general director and character designs by Hisao Horikoshi and Satoshi Hirayama. Its title is a reference to the debut episode of the first anime and as such this episode follows its story, but also features other adversaries such as Kyosuke Mamo, Sandayu Momochi, Pycal, and Stoneman. It was included in the first DVD/Blu-ray set of the Part V anime, released on July 25, 2018. An English dub of the episode aired on Toonami on December 14, 2019. Original net animations On October 24, 2022, TMS Entertainment announced a six-episode original net animation (ONA) prequel series titled Lupin Zero. The series was animated by Telecom Animation Film and directed by Daisuke Sakō, with Ichirō Ōkouchi overseeing series scripts, Asami Taguchi designing the characters, and Yoshihide Otomo composing the music. The series is centered around Lupin III's adolescent days and features stories from the manga along with new ones. The series premiered on December 16, 2022. The opening theme is "Afro 'Lupin '68'", while the ending theme is , performed by Tavito Nanao. Sentai Filmworks released the series on Blu-ray in North America on September 26, 2023. On September 22, 2022, TMS Entertainment announced a CGI crossover anime with ''Cat's Eye, Lupin the 3rd vs. Cat's Eye''. The anime was directed by Kōbun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita, with Keisuke Ide serving as assistant director, Shūji Kuzuhara writing the scripts, Yuji Ohno and Kazuo Otani composing the music, and Haruhisa Nakata and Junko Yamanaka designing the characters. The anime premiered on Amazon Prime Video as a worldwide exclusive on January 27, 2023. On May 1, 2025, an ONA by director Takeshi Koike, , was announced as a prequel to his then-upcoming Lupin the IIIrd the Movie: The Immortal Bloodline; it was released on June 20. Television specials Between 1989 and 2013, a new animated television special by TMS Entertainment aired on NTV every year. The tradition started with Bye Bye, Lady Liberty on April 4, 1989. The 2011 special Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid introduced new voice actors for Fujiko, Zenigata and Goemon, the first change in 16 years. Princess of the Breeze, the last of the yearly consecutive specials, features Yui Ishikawa as its heroine Yutika. On January 8, 2016, Italian Game, a special tie-in with the Part IV TV series aired. Two new television specials aired in 2019, Goodbye Partner and Prison of the Past. Stage musicals Multiple stage musical adaptations of the series have been produced. The first, ''I'm Lupin'', was performed by Troupe Something at the Sunshine Theater from November 5 to November 8, 1998. The musical was intended to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the manga series, although the anniversary was actually the year before. A kabuki play, , was performed at the Shinbashi Enbujō theater from December 5 to December 25, 2023. Spin-off television series A live action television series adaptation of the Inspector Zenigata spin-off manga aired in Japan in 2017. The project was a collaboration between NTV, Wowow and Hulu Japan and stars Ryohei Suzuki, Atsuko Maeda and Takahiro Miura. Video games The first Lupin video game, simply titled Lupin III, was a stealth game released on arcades in Japan by Taito in 1980. A Laserdisc video game entitled Cliff Hanger was released to arcades in North America in 1983 by Stern. While it used footage from The Mystery of Mamo and The Castle of Cagliostro to provide a gaming experience similar to ''Dragon's Lair'', it changes the characters' names and has an original plot. A range of Pachinko and slot machines have been produced by Heiwa since 1998. Soundtracks Columbia Music Entertainment and VAP have both released numerous Lupin III music CDs in Japan. These include over 50 soundtrack albums by and Yuji Ohno for the TV series, movies, and specials, as well as 15 collections of jazz arrangements by the Yuji Ohno trio, the Lupintic Five, and the Lupintic Sixteen. Geneon Entertainment has released two of the music CDs in the United States. Lupin the 3rd: Sideburn Club Mix is a collection of thirteen remixed themes from the first television series, which was released in conjunction with the first DVD volume on January 28, 2003. Lupin the 3rd Original Soundtrack, released on April 8, 2003, is a collection of fifteen themes from the second television series performed by Yuji Ohno with his jazz group You & the Explosion Band. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the series, a live concert was held on September 8, 2007, performed by Yuji Ohno and the Lupintic Sixteen; a concert DVD was released in Japan on December 21, 2007. Play the Lupin clips x parts, a compilation of Lupin animation clips set to music from the series, as well as the opening and ending credits from a number of Lupin III productions, was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Japan on May 22, 2009. Music from the series has been covered by a range of artists, including Double, Ego-Wrappin' and The Ventures. ==Reception==

The Lupin III franchise has enjoyed lasting popularity in Japan; the manga was 38th place on Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs' 2007 list of the top 50 manga series. In 2000, satellite TV channel Animax, together with Brutus, a men's lifestyle magazine, and Tsutaya, Japan's largest video rental chain, conducted a poll among 200,000 fans on the top anime series, with Lupin III coming in second. TV Asahi conducted two polls in 2005 on the Top 100 Anime, with Lupin III coming in fifth in the nationwide survey conducted with multiple age-groups and twelfth in the online poll. The Castle of Cagliostro was fifth place on the Agency for Cultural Affairs' list of the best anime, while the original television series was 50th place on the same list. In 2001, the magazine Animage listed the original Lupin III TV series as the ninth best anime production of all time. In 2012, 38.7% of people polled by Tokyo Polytechnic University named Lupin III as part of Cool Japan. In Manga: The Complete Guide, Jason Thompson described Monkey Punch's original manga as "a crazy, groovy 1960s world of dynamite and backstabbing, hippies and gangsters", and considered it "a fascinating homage to Mad magazine and a four star example of comics as pure comedy." He rated the series four out of four stars. Allen Divers of Anime News Network (ANN) praised the strong writing and action; however, he felt that the art was too primitive. Otaku USAs Daryl Surat was also put off by the art, saying he couldn't tell most characters apart and had a hard time figuring out what he was looking at. In The Rough Guide to Manga, Jason S. Yadao highlighted the example of how Lupin wearing a hat looks exactly like Zenigata. However, he considered it a successful plot device that may take several attempts to understand but eventually pays off. He included the series in his list of 50 essential manga. In Anime Classics Zettai!, Brian Clamp and Julie Davis compare the first two anime adaptions. They note that the first series is of a serious style, closer to the original manga with a dark tone and that it focuses on disputes between Lupin and other criminals. In contrast, they sum up the second series as a caper comedy with a more comedic tone and style. Both Chris Beveridge of Mania.com and Mike Crandol of ANN disliked the dub of the second television series because Pioneer Entertainment used many modern references and updated dialogue for a series that was released in the late 1970s, although the series itself received a positive overall review from both critics. Rob Lineberger of DVD Verdict wrote, "Lupin the Third is James Bond meets ''Charlie's Angels with Scooby-Doo sensibilities." Monkey Punch believed that the voice work of Yasuo Yamada was a major factor in the popularity of the anime series. While the film was not initially a box-office success, it gained popularity through numerous re-releases and was even voted as "the best anime in history" by the readers of Animage. The film was the best-selling anime DVD in May 2001, and the third best selling in June. Some fans maintain that it is not a "true" Lupin'' title, due to Miyazaki's altering of the titular character into a family-friendly hero, rather than his original ruthless criminal self. The Lupin III television specials released by Funimation have received reviews varying from positive to mixed. The most well-received is considered to be Island of Assassins, with Beveridge describing it as "the best non-TV Lupin experience ... since The Castle of Cagliostro". Missed by a Dollar received an eight out of ten rating from IGN's Jeremy Mullin, who stated it starts off as seemingly a simple heist film, but turns out to have plenty of twists. The least well-received of Funimation's releases is Secret of the Twilight Gemini, which received mixed reviews due to its poor animation and B movie-style plot. Mania.com gave 2002's Episode 0: First Contact an A+ and hailed it as the best TV special made to date. In 500 Essential Anime Movies, Helen McCarthy names Liberty her personal favourite of the Lupin TV specials. She describes it as "light, funny and entertaining" and "terrific entertainment". Critical reception of the 2014 live-action film was generally negative among Japanese and Western film critics, especially following the film's showing at LA EigaFest. Areas frequently targeted for criticism were Ryuhei Kitamura's direction, the film's supporting characters, screenplay, cinematography and editing (especially in the action scenes), costume design and soundtrack. The film was also criticized for having most of its dialogue performed in English (resulting in poor delivery and intonation of numerous lines by its Asian cast members), and for overall squandering its potential as an adaptation of the source material. Shun Oguri, Tetsuji Tamayama, Gō Ayano, Meisa Kuroki and Tadanobu Asano were, however, frequently seen as well-cast in their respective roles. Audience opinions were mixed, with some viewing the film as "an enjoyable time to be had to the whole family", while others viewed it as part of a "terrible live-action adaptation trend that has been going on through the years". Writing for The Fandom Post, Beveridge praised the Lupin Zero original net animation as a "thoroughly enjoyable experience" that had the hallmarks of the original manga with actual violence and blood and "lightly pervy" moments. Giving the series an "A" rating, he also praised the relationship between Lupin and Jigen. Gunawan of Anime News Network described the relationship between the two characters as reminiscent of classic buddy cop films, and also gave the six-episode series an "A" rating. They praised the "simple and engaging" story and action scenes, but noted some viewers might not enjoy the retro art style, although they personally did. ==Legacy==

Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo director Shinichirō Watanabe revealed during an interview with Newtype Japan that he was heavily influenced by the work of director Masaaki Ōsumi on the first Lupin television series. Animator Akihiro Kanayam cited the animation of the anime adaption as an inspiration. Numerous anime series have made reference to the series, including Magical Princess Minky Momo, ''Cat's Eye, Gunbuster, Urusei Yatsura, Cowboy Bebop, Here is Greenwood and FLCL. Video game designer Hideo Kojima compared the personality of Lupin with Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid, stating that in "MGS'', Snake became this sharp-tongued, Lupin III-like guy who flirted with women and told lots of jokes". Kojima would also partially base his character EVA on Fujiko Mine. On March 30, 1984, the series was the last animated work to be featured on the cover of the Japanese TV Guide magazine before the implementation of a policy limiting the cover to real life images. In the manga and anime Azumanga Daioh by Kiyohiko Azuma, Tomo Takino is a fan of the series and admires Fujiko Mine. She constantly makes references to herself as Fujiko, despite the fact the two are totally different in looks and personality. In 2006, Kanye West's "Touch the Sky" featured rapper Lupe Fiasco referencing Lupin III. In 2008, the Lupin III-themed attraction "Lupin III: Labyrinth Trap", which has visitors track down treasure in a maze-like layout, opened at the Tokyo Dome City Attractions amusement park. In 2009, Japanese-Canadian rock band Monkey Majik created an animated music video in which its members meet the Lupin III gang. The video, which is set to the band's version of the anime's theme song, promoted the Lupin the Third Dance & Drive official covers & remixes CD. A campaign titled "Lupin Steal Japan" was launched that same year by NTV, TMS Entertainment, Namco Bandai Games, and Heiwa, the latter a manufacturer of pachinko machines. The project's website took suggestions on real-life objects for Lupin to steal. One such example is the Moyai statue in Shibuya, which was taken elsewhere for cleaning on December 7, but was replaced by the calling card of the master thief that read "Thanks for the Moyai". In celebration of the anime's 40th anniversary, the "This is the World of Lupin III" event was held at the Matsuya store in Ginza. From August 10 to August 22, 2011, over 300 Lupin III-related were exhibited, including original manuscripts by Monkey Punch and animation cels from the feature films. The following year, a similar exhibit was held at the Kitakyushu museum from November 3 to December 28, and another at the Kawasaki City Museum from October to November 10, 2013. The exhibit then moved to Aomori's Sunroad shopping centre from December 21, 2013 to January 21, 2014. In 2012, the Hokkaido Railway Company unveiled Lupin III–themed trains on the Hanasaki Line between Kushiro and Nemuro station, in honor of Monkey Punch, who is a native of Hokkaido. The train was originally scheduled to run until March 2015, but was then extended until March 2017. From April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015, the city of Sakura in Chiba prefecture began accepting applications for Lupin III motorcycle and minicar license plates. Monkey Punch was a resident of the city (until his death in 2019) and the plates were commissioned for the 60th anniversary of being awarded city status. The plates were limited to 3,000 across four categories, with 2,500 plates reserved for 50 cc vehicles. In 2017, one of the fish in the American television series FishCenter Live was named Lupin the Third. == See also ==