With over 50 years of animation & dubbing, it is inevitable that examples of replacements without In-Universe explanation occur.
- The Japanese cast for Lupin is remarkable for its extreme consistency over many decades. However, even it has had its shakeups...
- Lupin III <Pilot Film>, the original 1969 pilot film (shot and recorded twice) Other Darrin'ed itself, by having two completely different voice casts. Strangely, Gorō Naya (Zenigata's long-time VA) played Goemon and Chikao Ohtsuka (Goemon in the first series) played Zenigata. The only other actors from these recordings retained for future Lupin projects were Eiko Masuyama as Fujiko and Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Jigen.
- Lupin III: Part 1 replaced Lupin, Goemon, and Fujiko, with Yasuo Yamada, Chikao Ohtsuka, and Yukiko Nikaido, respectively. Masuyama (one of the voice actresses for Fujiko in the Pilot) still appears in this series as an incidental character.
- Lupin III: Part II created the initial standard arrangement, with Yasuo Yamada as Lupin, Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Jigen, Makio Inoue as Goemon, Eiko Masuyama as Fujiko, and Gorō Naya as Inspector Zenigata.
- In 1987, The Fuma Conspiracy was produced on a tight budget, so TMS decided to replace the principal cast (at the time, the highest-paid voice actors in Japan) with cheaper actors. Thus, Lupin is played here by Toshio Furukawa, Jigen by Banjo Ginga, Goemon by Kaneto Shiozawa, Fujiko by Mami Koyama, and Inspector Zenigata by Seizō Katō. Fan reaction was extremely negative, and TMS switched back to the original actors for the annual TV specials that started not long after. Contrary to rumors at the time, Monkey Punch had nothing to do with this one; however, Yasuo Yamada never quite forgave him for that perceived slight.
- Lupin's longtime voice actor, Yasuo Yamada, was smart enough to know that he wouldn't be sticking around forever, so he personally trained and handpicked a friend of his, comedian Kanichi Kurita, to succeed him as the voice of Lupin should anything happen to him. Prescient, as Yamada unexpectedly passed away shortly after this, in early 1995. Kurita has voiced Lupin in everything since.
- In 1998, Daiki released four of the original manga, all animated and in color on a PS1 disc. This time, the cast was chosen by Monkey Punch himself compared to what happened with the Fuma Conspiracy. Lupin was voiced by Keiichi Nanba, Jigen by Daisuke Gōri, Goemon by Shingo Horii, Fujiko by Chisa Yokoyama, and Zenigata by Yukimasa Kishino. Given that this was a live read of the manga and not the anime itself, it would be easy to think that the cast of the anime would forgive Monkey Punch for this slight recast for a one-off project.
- In 2011, TMS retired Makio Inoue, Eiko Masuyama, and Goro Naya (Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata, respectively), replacing them with (much) younger actors from the 2011 special onwards – Daisuke Namikawa as Goemon, Miyuki Sawashiro as Fujiko, and Kōichi Yamadera as Zenigata.note This left Jigen as the only character of the main cast whose seiyuu remained consistent since the 1969 pilot short film (not counting The Fuma Conspiracy) until 2021, when it was announced that Akio Ōtsuka would be taking over the role beginning in Lupin III: Part 6 due to Kiyoshi Kobayashi's retirement at age 88.
- Lupin III: Part 5 is notable for featuring cameos from a large number of characters from throughout the franchise's history. When Detective Melon from the Red Jacket series appears in episode 23, she's voiced by Yumiko Matsura, as her original seiyu, Michiko Hirai, passed away in 1984. This also applies to the English dub, where Karen Strassman replaces Emily Brown as the voice of Melon. Meanwhile, another of Hirai’s roles, Mama from Part III, was taken over by Eriko Uchino for the character’s appearance in Part 5. Similarly, when Diana Archer from Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure appears in the finale, her English voice is provided by Stephanie Sheh rather than Cynthia Cranz.
- Lupin III Vs Cat's Eye brought back Keiko Toda and Chika Sakamoto as Hitomi and Ai Kisugi from the 1983 Cat's Eye anime, but the remaining Kisugi sister, Rui, had to be recast with Rika Fukami due to the 2018 death of Toshiko Fujita. Similarly, Mugihito took over for the late Tamio Ohki as Mr. Nagaishi.
- Lupin's English cast has never been consistent with several media being dubbed and redubbed multiple times, due to several failed attempts to successfully market the franchise in the English-speaking world over the years. The Mystery of Mamo film in particular was dubbed four times with completely different casts, and at least eight English Lupin casts are known to exist:
- Toho dubbed the Mamo film in 1979 with a mostly unknown voice cast of English speakers in Japan. Tom Clark was Lupin.
- Streamline Pictures dubbed Cagliostro, Mamo, and 2 Red Jacket episodes (the ones directed by Hayao Miyazaki) in Los Angeles from 1992-1995. Bob Bergen was Lupin.
- AnimEigo dubbed The Fuma Conspiracy in Wilmington, NC in 1995. Robin Robinson was Lupin.
- Manga Entertainment's UK branch dubbed Mamo and Bye Bye Liberty Crisis in London in 1996. Bill Dufries was Lupin.
- Manga Entertainment's US branch redubbed Cagliostro with Animaze in Los Angeles using a brand new cast in 2000. David Hayter was Lupin.
- Geneon dubbed Mamo and the first 79 episodes of Red Jacket with Phuz in Los Angeles in 2002-2003 with another new cast. Tony Oliver was Lupin.
- FUNimation dubbed 8 TV specials and 2 movies from 2004-2006 in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX. Sonny Strait was Lupin.
- FUNimation returned to dub Lupin in 2013 with The Woman Called Fujiko Mine TV series mostly with their above cast. However, Michelle Ruff and Richard Epcar were brought on from the Phuz dub to voice Fujiko and Zenigata respectively (though Epcar had actually voiced Jigen in the Phuz dub).
- TMS and Discotek Media themselves dubbed the Jigen's Gravestone special in Los Angeles in 2015 with Bang Zoom! Entertainment and a brand new voice cast, except for Epcar, who returned as Zenigata. Keith Silverstein was Lupin, while Cristina Vee and Dan Woren took over as Fujiko and Jigen, respectively. Goemon Ishikawa's Spray of Blood had the same cast, but added Lex Lang, who dubbed Goemon in the Geneon dubs. This same cast returned for Fujiko Mine's Lie.
- TMS also dubbed the Part 4 and Part 5 TV series themselves, but this time with Epcar Productions, and most of the Red Jacket cast (including Tony Oliver) returning... except for Zenigata, where Dan Lorge was replaced with Doug Erholtz. They later did new dubs of Legend of the Gold of Babylon and Blood Seal ~Eternal Mermaid~. This cast has since dubbed several of the previously undubbed specials, as well as the entire original Part 1 anime. Lupin III: The First was dubbed by GKIDS with NYAV Post in Los Angeles and New York City with this same cast reprising.
- The Italian dub of the various series and movies had so many voice changes that isn't funny.
- Roberto Del Giudice as Lupin has been one of the very few things that was kept in almost every occasion, with the only exception being the first dub of Cagliostro, where he was replaced by Loris Loddi (actually, Loddi was replaced with Mauro Gravina in the last scenes of that dub) and the Milan dubs of Cagliostro e Mamo, where Luigi Rosa and Giorgio Melazzi voiced the character. After Del Giudice's death in 2007, the role went to Stefano Onofri, with a brief deviation for Lupin III: Part 6 where Luigi Rosa reprised the role.
- Jigen was voiced by Germano Longo in the first dub of the Green Jacket series, but in the Mamo film Sandro Pellegrini took the role and kept it for a very long period, excluding the first dub of Cagliostro where Raffaele Uzzi took the role and the Milan dubs of Cagliostro and Mamo, where Marco Balzarotti voiced him. Sandro Pellegrini died in 2013, so Alessandro D'Errico took the role in the latest productions.
- Goemon is another character with many voices: he was originally voiced by Enzo Consoli in the Green Jacket series, replaced with Massimo Rossi in the Red Jacket series, and then Vittorio Guerrieri took the role up until 1991, with Massimo Rossi coming back for a pair of videogame adaptations, Tonino Accolla voicing him in the first dub of Cagliostro, and Flavio Arras getting the role in the Milan dubs of Mamo and Cagliostro. Antonio Palumbo voiced Goemon since 1992, except for the Harimao special, where Enrico di Troia voiced him, and the 2021 redub of the Pink Jacket series, where Vittorio Guerrieri came back. Patrizio Prata took the role for Part 6, while Davide Perino voiced him in Lupin III Vs Cat's Eye.
- Zenigata was originally voiced by Enzo Consoli, except in the Red Jacket episodes where Marcello Prando took the role. Enzo Consoli kept the character for many years, being briefly replaced by Paolo Poiret in the first dub of Cagliostro and Maurizio Scattorin in the Milan dubs of Mamo and Cagliostro. In 1991 the role was taken by Sandro Iovino in the Hemingway special and Rodolfo Baldini in the Napoleon and From Siberia with Love specials. Rodolfo Bianchi took the role then, except when Enzo Consoli briefly came back in the dubs of the Nostradamus, Dragon of Doom and Tokyo Crisis specials. The role was then given to Mario Zucca in Part 6.
- Fujiko had a slightly easier life with voice changes: originally voiced by Piera Vidale, she was replaced with Alessandra Korompay in 1987 starting with the Legend of the Gold of Babylon film. Korompay kept voicing her until 2021, except for the first dub of Cagliostro where Germana Dominici took the role and the Milan dubs of Mamo and Cagliostro, where Jasmine Laurenti voiced her. In Part 6, Emanuela Pacotto took the role.
