Lupin III

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Revision as of 08:15, 3 May 2021 by 185.93.228.10 (talk) (Allusions)
Arsène Lupin III

Lupin III Profile.jpg

Profile
Japanese name: Lupin III (Rupan Sansei)
English name: Arsène Lupin III
Age:
Gender: Male
Relatives: Arsène Lupin (paternal grandfather, deceased)
Occupation: Phantom thief
Nicknames: Lupin
Statistics
First appearance: Movie 11 (cameo)
TV Special 3
Appearances: Chapters: 0
Episodes: 0
Movies: 2
OVAs: 0
Specials: 1
Openings: 0
Closings: 0
Actors
Japanese voice: Nachi Nozawa
Taichirō Hirokawa
Yasuo Yamada
Toshio Furukawa
Kanichi Kurita
Drama actor: Yūki Meguro
Lou Oshiba
Shun Oguri
Seina Sagiri

Lupin III (ルパン三世 Rupan Sansei?), also known as Lupin the 3rd, is the main protagonist and titular character of a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato under the pen name of "Monkey Punch".

Character profile

Lupin III is the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of novels. Lupin and his gang - sharpshooter Daisuke Jigen and swordmaster Goemon Ishikawa - spend their time travelling throughout the world to steal treasures and escape from the law. As a result of his activities and usual success, he is considered the world's Number One master thief, and even has a dedicated international police force unit, the ICPO, headed by Koichi Zenigata (with whom Lupin entertains a fierce, yet mutually respectful, archrivalry) on his heels.

Lupin brandishing his gun

In the original mangas, Lupin III is far less scrupulous than his more popularized anime version, who is a goofy but highly mischievous, cocky trickster using every trick in the book (and beyond) to get what he wants. He is incredibly skilled in the art of disguise, able to impersonate a large variety of persons using rubber masks and some natural acting talent. Cunning and resourceful, he usually manages to snatch the prize, only to lose it due to unfortituous circumstances, sometimes by the hands of his love interest, Fujiko Mine. But beneath his thief's skin, Lupin does possess a heart of gold; as circumstances dictate, he will aid people in need and work for higher aims than money, not demanding a reward afterwards.

Lupin has a passion for sporty vintage cars, and he uses a Walther P38 automatic pistol as his weapon of choice. His one major weakness is his infatuation with pretty women, especially Fujiko, even though she regularly ends up competing with him for the same treasures as he and his gang.

Lupin III in Detective Conan

Lupin III was one of Gosho Aoyama's sources of inspiration when writing Detective Conan. Lupin has featured in two crossovers with Detective Conan:

  • A TV Special was released in 2009 titled Lupin III vs. Detective Conan. Lupin III encounters Conan in the country of Vespania as he attempts to steal the crown jewels, but ends up supporting Conan, Ran Mouri and the crown princess of Vespania against a traitor in the palace. It is revealed that he had done so once before, but returned the crown to remind then-Princess Sakura, the now deceased ruler of the country, of her duties when she wanted to run away from them. At the end of the episode, he and his associates profess a suprisingly depthful knowledge about Conan's true identity, although the exact origin of their information remains undisclosed.
  • A movie also titled Lupin III vs. Detective Conan was released December 7, 2013. The story envolves another clash between Conan and Lupin, which gradually turns into grudging cooperation as they strive to prevent a valuable mineral from falling into the wrong hands.

Allusions

Additional references between the two series are made in these examples:

  • In Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure, where two thieves mask themselves as Lupin and Fujiko, and Miwako Sato calling Lupin "her first love".
  • In Movie 14 the Episode 15 of the anime Lupin III, shares several similarities with this movie.
  • In Movie 6 Hiroki Sawada is possibly modeled after Doctor Zell, a former Nazi officer and mad experimental scientist in episode 50-51 of the anime Lupin III: Part II, a source of inspiration for Detective Conan. Indeed, before death, Zell uploaded his mind into a computer and created an artificial intelligence system.
  • In Movie 3 From Russia With Love, of the anime Lupin III, shares many common traits with this movie.
  • In The Beauty, The Lies, and The Secrets, the background music when Conan is in Misaki Takizawa car is one from his series and Misaki Takizawa is similar to Fujiko Mine.
  • The Criminal is just like the criminal costume wearing by Diabolik and Eva Kant in the 1999 animated series Diabolik: Track of the Panther, or also by Lupin III and his gang.

Appellations

See also