Lupin III

Overview

Lupin III bagan as a manga series that was created by Kazuhiko Katou under the pen name Monkey Punch, and was first published from 1967 to 1972 in the Futabasha's seinen manga anthology Weekly Monthly Action. Monkey Punch notes that the original manga, in which Lupin was decidedly more lecherous than in later iterations, was influenced heavily by MAD Magazine.

Monkey Punch drew a second series in 1977, and a third manga series ran in 1997, but did not involve Monkey Punch; instead it was written by Satozumi Takaguchi and drawn by Shusay. A fourth series written by Monkey Punch but drawn by Manatsuki Yamakami ran from 1998 to 2004. Three different Lupin III TV anime series have been created, along with a number of OVAs, including Lupin III: Green VS Red) and six movies. The Lupin III movies have attracted a number of prominent directors, including Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki, who directed what is probably the most popular Lupin III anime to date-- Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro. Another OVA titled "Green VS Red", refers to Lupin's jackets. In the first Lupin III TV anime, the character wore a green jacket; the first season did poorly in its initial airing but experienced a huge popularity boom as a rerun show. The second TV anime, Shin Lupin III, featured a Lupin sporting a red jacket and a number of simplifications intended to make the series more accessible to children. (The third TV anime offered a pink-jacketed Lupin and mostly slapstick humor; it's often disregarded by fans.) The Green VS Red OVA is said to feature Green Jacket Lupin vs Red Jacket Lupin and is due out in April of 2008. A number of other Lupin adaptations exist, including a stage musical in 1998 and a handful of video games.

Plot

Arsène Lupin III is the world's most-wanted thief; grandson of the original Arsène Lupin, who starred in a series of novels by Maurice Leblanc in early 20th century France. Along with marksman Daisuke Jigen, the renegade samurai Goemon Ishikawa XIII, and his on-again-off-again rival and lover Fujiko Mine, Lupin III wanders the globe in search of new items to steal with the ICPO's Inspector Zenigata trailing behind. Although a thief himself, Lupin often foils the plots of harder criminals while making away with the goods.

Characters

Manga

Anime

Films