Lupin the Third
Lupin III, also written as Lupin the Third, Lupin the 3rd, or Lupin the IIIrd, is a Japanese media franchise created by Monkey Punch. The series follows the endeavors of master thief Lupin III, grandson of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, joined by his criminal gang. The original Lupin III manga debuted in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967.
Over fifty years after its creation, Lupin III remains popular, with a seventh anime series airing in 2021 and new original net animations released in 2023. Critical reception of the franchise has been largely positive across its various incarnations, with the appeal of the lead characters being noted as the primary factor of the series' success. The voice acting and soundtracks of the anime adaptations have also received similar acclaim; however, several of the franchise's installments, primarily the television specials, have been criticized for being formulaic. The manga has also been noted by critics and fans for its darker tone compared to anime adaptations, with its explicit depictions of sex and violence, as well as its dark, fourth wall-breaking humor, contrasting with the mostly family-friendly animated versions. For several years, issues relating to the copyright of Maurice Leblanc's intellectual property meant that the Lupin name was removed from its releases outside Japan, usually changed to "Rupan" or "Wolf". However, the copyright has since expired, allowing foreign releases to use the Lupin name.
Many different companies have owned the English-language distribution rights to various Lupin III properties at various times. Tokyopop acquired the license for the original manga in 2002, and later the second series in 2004. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed manga collections in 2020. The first English-language versions of the anime were licensed by Streamline Pictures, which dubbed and released two of the films and episodes of the second television series from 1991 to 1995. Funimation Entertainment dubbed and released several of the television specials and films from 2002 to 2006, and the fourth television series in 2013. Between 2003 and 2007, Geneon licensed and dubbed the first 79 episodes of the second television series, 26 of which were broadcast in the United States on Adult Swim in 2003 and 52 in Canada on G4techTV in 2007. Discotek Media licensed the first six television series in the franchise and the first live-action film; they also own the rights to numerous other Lupin titles, including several previously released by other companies.
Premise
, 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. In the manga they operated individually, but in the anime adaptations the group work together more often.
Inspector Zenigata was conceived as Lupin's arch-rival to create a "human Tom and Jerry" dynamic.
When Monkey Punch began Lupin III, he was already working on another series, Pinky Punky. Monkey Punch enjoyed writing outlaw characters, and both Lupin III and Pinky Punky made use of outlaws as central characters. According to him, this made it easy for him to write two series without much pressure. Monkey Punch enjoyed puzzles and mysteries works such as the television series Columbo and Agatha Christie novels, and was also inspired by The Three Musketeers and the films of Alfred Hitchcock. 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." Another influence on the manga was Mad magazine. 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.
Monkey Punch said that he believed the story could never end but that if it had to, both Zenigata and Lupin would have to end as equals. They would either both fail, both win, or both get very old.
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. However, this was not the case in North America and Europe and several foreign releases dropped the Lupin III title. The character himself was also renamed "Wolf" in the Streamline Pictures and Manga Entertainment English dubs and "Rupan" in the AnimEigo English dub. In France, the series was known as Edgar, Detective Cambrioleur with Lupin himself renamed "Edgar de la Cambriole". Monkey Punch stated that using the same character design, behavior, and face would be illegal, but using a name alone is not illegal. In 2012, Leblanc's original Arsène Lupin entered the public domain in France due to 70 years passing since his death in 1941, and is in the public domain for any country that enforces the rule of the shorter term.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. Three chapters were published in the British magazine Manga Mania between May and July 1996. 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. Like the first series, the Tokyopop release was based on the Chuokoron Shinsha edition from 1990.
Since 1997, a number of manga series have been created by several artists and released in several Futabasha magazines. On August 27, 2004, Futabasha launched Lupin III Official Magazine, a quarterly publication of Lupin III manga by various authors.
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.