Hi all.
I did just realise that it was quiet some time since I did write something here.

So now I'm going to tell you all about one of my all time favourite anime characters:
Lupin Th 3rd



It all started in Weekly Manga Action 1967, and it has after that been over 30 films with Lupin and his gang. Both theatrical films like: The Castle of Cagliostro,Farewell to Nostradamus and Dead or Alive.
But also Television specials (23-24 of them) and a animated series that lasted 3 seasons ( season 1 1971-72, with 23 eps. S 2 1977-80, with 155 eps and S 3 1984-86 with 50 eps). They are still doing films and I can feel that this one of the characters that will out live use all.

I'm not going to go crazy about all the fact about this marvellous character, but I would be a fool not to give the Lupin gang a proper introduction .

Arsène Lupin III


Also knowns as Rupan Sansei and Lupin the Third
Master thief, womaniser and the man with the coolest gadgets. Lupin th 3rd is the grandson of French master thief Arsène Lupin.

Daisuke Jigen

Lupin may have 3 companions, but Jigen is the
one that almost always is with him, no matter what.
he is also the best shooter in the gang, and with his Smith & Wesson Model 19 Combat revolve in his hand, practically nobody can out shoot him.

Goemon Ishikawa XIII

Goemon is the calm and the spiritual in the gang.
With his magical sword Zantetsu he is an unstoppable force, but is sense of pride and Lupins never ending antics, has at some points made him ignore Lupin, when he is asked to join yet another robbery.

Fujiko Mine

The women that over and over again tricks Lupin in to stealing odd things and then take the money the make from it. But deep down she loves him and Lupin loves her too.She is a golddigger and Lupin always know that she will trick him at some point of the way.


Koichi Zenigata

More often called Inspector Zenigata , but Lupin likes to call him "Old Man" or "Pops".
A normal Japanese police inspector at the start, that later joined the ICPO/Interpol so he could chase Lupin and his gang all over the world.


Why I like Lupins so much

With that out of the way, let me tell you why I love this guy and his friend. If I where to describe Lupin, I would say he is like James Bond, add more humour, much much more awesome gadgets and even more impossibles missions then any Bond has ever seen. That is Lupin to me. Even when it looks like he is going to lose, he pulls something out and manages save the day.

One of the fun things is also that many time, they don't get what they where after and in others films, they get it prize, but is value is non-existing. This might sounds odd, "If he is such a great Master thief, how can he not get what he wants?" You might ask. That is not the point, Lupin is after the chase, the challenge to take it, not to own it. He love to tell the people/rich person is going to rob " I, Lupin th 3rd is going to steal [Insert thing here] at midnight. See you then" or something like that. That is what he want. If somebody says " You can't break in there, Nobody has ever done that!" I would probably say "Nobody.... yet" and smile.

Another thing I like is how the films are evolving. Since he has been around on the big screen and the small screen since the 70´s, the look has gone from okay, to fantastic. Like this:

How Fujiko look the first time we saw her.This is from the Pilot episode of Lupin from 1969


The horror!


Lupin and Fujiko 1978


To this in the theatrical film The Legend Of The Gold Of Babylon



To this in 1996, from the film Dead Or Alive


And then like this in Lupin The 3rd Vs Detective Conan2009


Small improvement , isn't it?

The films are so full of action, drama, comedy, sometimes science fiction, magic, Secret organisations ect that it is mind candy of the best kind. You are never quit sure what is going to happen or how the will get that treasure or rare artefact hidden in the strangest places.

You thing that Zenigata is a real bad ass, that hates Lupin with a hate deeper then the pits of hell, why else would he hunt I'm witch such passion?
He and Lupin are like so much alike, but at the same time not. They live for the hunt. In some films Lupin "dies" and Zenigata is the one that mourn him the most. He has from time to time captured Lupin, witch makes him as happy, but he also feel sad that the fight, the endless cat and mouse game is over. Lupin has the same feeling. He like to have Zenigata chasing after him.
They have even from time to time worked together to save one another or just to make it out of a bad situation.

I could go on like this for so many pages, so I'm going to leave it at that. One final thing. If you did find my article interesting and you want to see a great Lupin film, go for the 1996 film "Dead or Alive". It looks great, has a amazing story, a tone of action, but some funny moments as well.

Well that's it for me. I might write more about him, if people like this one.