Sandbox / Magnificent Bastard Lupin III

So here he comes, right on time
And he has class, and quite a style
All of his own
And they all know him
He's Lupin the Third!
He walks the line, one fine line
Though danger lies, he'll be just fine
He's here today
But gone tomorrow
He's Lupin the Third!

— "Lupin the Third" on the eponymous character, LUPIN THE THIRD JAZZ (Another "Jazz")

Over the 50 years which the franchise has been pumping out works, Arsène Lupin III and his crew are a group of brilliant thieves who nearly always get their nigh-impossible mark before a daring escape. Sharing their world however, are a plethora of witty rogues, hitmen and even untrustworthy Love Interests out to give the gang a run for their money.

Sections listed by release date.

All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!

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Franchise-Wide

Examples

• Arsène Lupin III himself, grandson of the literary burgaler and the eponymous thief, is a debonair rogue always ready with a plan for a brand new caper, whether he is its hero or its villain. A thief who savors the rush and thrill of the theft far more than any monetary value, Lupin also delights in paying karmic justice to deserving victims. Often cloaking himself behind a facade of stupidity, Lupin is almost always capable of convincing his opponents he is a mere fool to disguise his true intellect, when not using a disguise outright. Throughout multiple anime incarnations, Lupin is characterized by choosing seemingly impossible ventures or being thrust into inescapable situations, only to execute a cunning plan—be they pre-arranged or adapted on the fly—and escape completely free, whether outwitting a giant brain beyond human capacity, defeating a wicked count and stealing a Princess's heart, or even preventing a Nazi world-conquering scheme. Also a brilliant Escape Artist, Lupin gets himself away from daring situations with literally hundreds of cops chasing for him and on the odd time he is arrested, proves himself able to either sneak his way out of his holding cell or psychologically wear down his captors until they compromise their hold on him for Lupin to break free. Rarely ever losing his playful grin, and always ready with witty repartee, Lupin remains one of Japanese media's most successful examples of a Gentleman Thief who is constantly capable of twisting a situation to his advantage, be it for the good of others or just the thrills he lives for.
• Daisuke Jigen is a calm, collected gunman and member of Lupin's crew who matches his boss for brilliance. Frequently helping his friend escape Interpol and steal priceless marks, Jigen is a tactical genius with an encyclopedic knowledge of guns and bullets, at one point following up faking his own death by taking advantage of his opponent's lighter ballistic to allow their bullets to collide, with himself only taking a minor scrape while Jigen cripples his enemy. At another point, Jigen tricks a mobster into having his men surround and fire upon him, dodging such that they all kill each other. Seemingly betraying the crew in one film, Jigen does so only to protect a little girl he knows and later pays back her captor by finding him alone to easily gun him down. When captured and faced with torture by government agents, Jigen merely snarks at them, refusing to give up any intel and prepared to die or suffer with just a glare and a quip in response, always ready to prove his skill and loyalty that make him a trusted companion of the world's best thief.
• Goemon Ishikawa XIII is a samurai whose philosophical nature meshes with his deadly sword fighting to create the world's greatest assassin. Directly descended from the famous thief Ishikawa Goemon himself, Goemon was originally ordered to kill Lupin by his master, but following a series of clashes that neither of them won, Goemon joined the crew and quickly became one of Lupin's most trusted allies and friends. Armed with an unknown past and his trusty sword Zantetsuken, for decades Goemon has served as the group's voice of reason, often the first of them to work on getting themselves out of the messes they find themselves in. Along the way, he proves himself to be far more than the mindless brute many believe him to be: whether by singlehandedly preventing a man from becoming a dictator, helping to arrange a peace treaty between two warring nations, or coming up against other hitmen and ultimately beating them in battles of wits, Goemon's trademark stoicism and spiritual connection to the world set him apart from the rest of the gang, with his swordsmanship giving him the one skill of the group that Lupin could not ever replicate without him.
• Fujiko Mine, Lupin's occasional lover, constant rival, and frequent ally, is his equal in brilliance and audaciousness. A skilled thief who lives for the rush of the theft, Fujiko is able to perform as many complex schemes as Lupin while constantly outwitting him and everyone around her to get her next big score, no matter what it is. Never afraid to weaponize her sexuality yet also a capable fighter when put in a corner, Fujiko proves capable of ruthlessness and kindness alike. Fujiko always gets her way in the end, whether by stealing counterfeit plates under Lupin's nose, seducing a guard and substituting him to evade her own execution, using her own capture to force Lupin's true feelings for her out of him, or making off with a boatload of Nazi gold. In the end, Fujiko allows nobody but her to define herself and stops at nothing to achieve her goals, no matter who she has to manipulate or fool, while always maintaining the same charismatic style as Lupin himself.

Anime Series

Examples

• Part I:
  • "The All-Together Playing-Card Operation": Joker is the Anthropomorphic Personification of the "Napoleon cards", a special deck of cards believed to bring good luck to its holder. Having previously been in the possession of Napoléon Bonaparte, Joker eventually made his way Mr. Gold, who used the cards to enrich himself. Desiring escape, Joker manifests himself to Fujiko to entice her into stealing the deck, which she persuades Lupin to do. After providing the crew the good luck they need to escape Zenigata, Joker thanks her for her help in his escape before leaving in the wind, continuing to spread his good luck elsewhere.
  • "Killer Sings the Blues": Poon is Fujiko's former partner who wants to recreate their glory days together. In the past, the two were known as the "Golden Pair", with no one able to stop them from stealing anything they wanted or stand in their way, but when Fujiko made a mistake and their organization outed them, Poon helped fake her death before going underground. Disappointed that she never tried to contact him for three years, Poon tracks her down and kidnaps her in front of Lupin, refusing to let him help save her life only because he knows Lupin's reputation and will never trust him. When Lupin rescues her anyway, Poon simply tries to shoot him in the back, and when Fujiko kills him first, he quietly realizes that she's in love with Lupin and reflects that he just wanted his partner back.
  • "Who Had The Last Laugh?": The Elder of the village is a surprisingly crafty man taken hostage by Hayate before the episode begins. During his time as a captive, the Elder refuses to be cowed, openly laughing at his captors' incompetence when Fujiko escapes his grasp. When released on a deal with Hayate, the Elder proves himself a capable Con Man, scamming Lupin out of all of his possessions, including his money and the clothes off of his back. He then helps betray and attempt to kill Lupin, acknowledging that the plan most likely didn't work out because Hayate began to smugly gloat. After being betrayed and freed by Fujiko, the Elder then swaps out her treasure maps for a set of fakes, taking off with his money and maps as a newly rich man.
• Part II's "But Your Brother Was Such a Nice Guy": Camilla was born two thousand years ago to Mary and Joseph, the twin sister of Jesus Christ and a vampire from birth. Enraged by the deaths of her brother and mother, Camilla wishes to see humankind pay. Awakening the vampires through the world, Camilla outwits Lupin to seemingly vampirize him and then lures Fujiko Mine into a trap. Heading off the gang, Camilla then reveals her scheme to send her vampire minions out to overrun and defeat humanity so she might make the world pay for the loss of her family.
• The Italian Adventure:
  • The clone of Leonardo da Vinci created by MI6 escapes their custody to become the philosophical ultimate villain of the series. Quickly adapting to the present day, Leonardo seeks to create an evolved and harmonized humanity with his plan to "redesign the world", manipulating terrorists and even MI6 themselves to see his goal come to fruition. Hypnotizing all of Italy into engaging him in a world of dreams where they must overcome him in a contest using their best talent, Leonardo implants his own personality into those who fail while gracefully letting those who win live on as themselves. Assimilating all but the main cast, Leonardo faces down against Lupin in his dream world to decide the fate of all mankind, coming within mere moments of victory, before finally accepting his defeat with quiet grace even as he lies dying.
  • "Until the Full Moon Passes": Elena Gotti is the seemingly-innocent widow of corrupt media mogul Roberto, swearing that she knows nothing of her late husband's stash of dirty money even as the world hounds her about it. Truthfully having found the fortune with her own wits long before the abusive Roberto's death, Elena manipulates Inspector Zenigata into fooling the whole public that the fortune was robbed, thereby removing the reports and attempted thieves from Elena's path. Elena then goes about using the fortune to fight local mafia and prostitution rings like the ones she grew up in, swearing to save any crying woman and daring their oppressors to cross her on live television.
• Part 5:
  • Albert D'Andresy is Lupin's former partner, a chief director of French police, and Lupin's greatest rival. Beginning his machinations by tricking Lupin into giving him a Black Book of government secrets to aid his rise to power through France and outwitting Lupin in his attempt to retrieve the Black Book by predicting Lupin's every action, Albert is just as quick to ally with Lupin to successfully retrieve the Black Book from their new enemy Jose, using Lupin as bait and tricking Jose by mimicking the voice of one of their assassins. When Lupin eventually steals the Book from him, Albert simply laughs due to a genuine sense of respect for Lupin. Working his way up through the French government and gaining more power, Albert covertly allies with the Shake Hands corporation and its head Enzo Bron, who opposes Lupin. Decrying Shake Hands in public and secretly aiding Lupin's gang, Albert betrays Shake Hands and has them declared a terrorist organization as Lupin begins his assault on their headquarters, and kidnaps Shake Hands' chief consultant, declaring his intent to take over France, ultimately escaping and coming out completely triumphant.
  • "A 7.62mm Mirage": Mirage is an assassin hired to kill Lupin during a chess game, and the daughter of expert sniper and Jigen's old flame, the first Mirage. Non-fatally shooting two people with special bullets to lure Lupin to the chess game, Mirage engages Jigen in a Sniper Duel across a canyon. She opens with a dummy trap, which Jigen falls for, then uses a drone to track him and special ammunition to blow away his cover and draw him out. After a heated and even duel, Mirage corners Jigen and shoots a collapsing structure, bringing rubble down onto him and nearly killing him, before turning her attention to Lupin. After barely failing to slay Lupin, Mirage reveals that she had only chosen to take up her mother's rifle so as to pay for her mother's medical treatment, and is convinced to change her ways by Jigen, getting the chess game's million-euro reward and leaving to live a happy life with her mother. Once away from her, Jigen admits he convinced her to change because she would have surpassed her mother.
  • "Zenigata, Gentleman Thief: "Monety" is a master thief, acknowledged by Lupin himself as a Worthy Opponent, who is in reality Inspector Kōichi Zenigata. After being hit by a car, Zenigata is struck with amnesia and becomes a thief to uncover his own true identity. Flawlessly copying Lupin's tactics, Monety steals a number of precious items, outwitting both the police and Lupin's gang. Successfully disguising himself and stealing some jewels, Monety cleverly uses an alarm to delay Lupin and his gang. Later, Monety again beats Lupin and his gang to the punch by digging out a museum floor and stealing a statue before Lupin can and escaping. Sending a Calling Card and stealing the Eyes of the Romanovs, Monety relishes having finally beaten Lupin before regaining his memories. As Lupin drives away, knowing that the old Zenigata has returned, Lupin admits his rival made just as good a thief as himself.
• Part 6's "Two Terrible Ladies": Amelia is a thieving friend of Fujiko's. Traumatized seeing her friends die thanks to the child-trafficking Grayson, Amelia plots to expose his deeds, though he nearly catches her. Scarring him and escaping his clutches, Amelia later infiltrates his cult, utterly outsmarting him and robbing him of his precious necklace before finishing him off with Fujiko and Lupin and escaping her past to give birth to a son.
• Zero's "That Man Secretly Dances" & "Young Lupin Claims the Title of the Third": El Gaucho the Wolf Hunter is a famed revolutionary who had previously toppled several governments using his cunningness, strength, and great leadership skills. Hoping to change the world with his own hands, Gaucho pays Lupin II to steal an atomic cannon from a U.S. military base so that he can fire it at Tokyo unless the Prime Minister surrenders all political power. Having saved the singer Yoko’s life many years ago during a war out of sincere love for her, Gaucho poses as her abusive boyfriend to cover up his plans. His plans foiled by the young Lupin III, Gaucho chooses to die by his own hands, going out with a smile as he falls to his death.

Anime Movies (Both Theatrical and OVA)

Examples

• Legend of the Gold of Babylon: Rosetta is an alien who disguises herself as a drunken old woman to hunt for a treasure her people left on Earth. Falling in love with Lupin, Rosetta assists the brilliant thief and together they find the fabled Tower of Babel as he makes his way through enemies and traps. Able to return home after completing her mission, Rosetta bids Lupin farewell and accepts his decision to fight to keep the fabled treasure on Earth.
• Goemon Ishikawa's Spray of Blood: Hawk is a legendary hitman who proves his mettle by refusing to let anything stop him. Hired to hunt down Lupin and his crew, Hawk simultaneously performs another job by destroying a casino ship, then escapes from Goemon on a boat. Tracking the gang down and blowing up their hideout, Hawk then confronts Goemon head-on and wins handily, crushing the swordsman's spirits before being arrested. Breaking out easily, Hawk then confronts Lupin and gunslinger Jigen, once again rendering them both useless within seconds before Goemon arrives. After an intense battle that ends with him losing his arm, Hawk simply lights a cigar and accepts defeat, admitting that it's been a long time since he had such a fierce battle and after complimenting Goemon's skills walks away peacefully, refusing to seek unnecessary vengeance.

Yearly Specials

Examples

• From Siberia with Love: Judy Scott is an enigmatic woman who turns out to be the last descendant of the Romanovs. Just as good as a thief and a manipulator as Lupin's crew, Judy allies with Lupin and his gang to steel five-hundred tons of gold belonging to the Romanov family, only to betray them to ally with Fujiko. Judy then proceeds to backstab Fujiko as well so thoroughly even Fujiko herself can do nothing but whine impotently. Judy resists the perverted advances of the Big Bad, charms Goemon into falling for her so she has back-up when she leaves with the goal, and comes out completely on top on the end, bidding a sincere farewell to Lupin and co. as she makes off with the gold to use it for the benefit of the less fortunate in Russia.
• Elusiveness of the Fog (2007): Ofumi is an ancestor of the great Fujiko Mine herself and proves just where she gets her talent from. Introduced when she steals the Queen of the Shine's necklace right off of her neck, Ofumi proves herself to be a determined thief even when going up against Lupin, never ceasing her efforts to reclaim the necklace for herself. When the team make a plan to break into the Norse nation, Ofumi goes off-script and uses Lupin and Jigen as bait for the guards, giving Goemon easy access to the King. After easily sneaking through the guards to reach Inspector Zenigata, Ofumi prevents Tayaka from assassinating Obitaki, allowing the final battle to come to a peaceful resolution, and even when Kyosuke Mamo holds her hostage, she simply lectures him on his naivety and gets herself out. When the gang returns to the present, it's revealed that she had pickpocketed the necklace she wanted from Goemon's pocket, passing it down as a "family heirloom" for generations and proving herself worthy of her more famous descendent.
• The Last Job: Asuka Kagurazaka is a mysterious woman whose life's purpose is to protect the Fujin at all costs. After hiring Lupin to steal the Buddha avatar, Asuka poses as a reporter to keep herself near the action and fake Zenigata's death to keep him safe from harm. Intending to steal the avatar back from him, Asuka confronts Lupin multiple times alongside her dog Koutarou, keeping up with him at every turn. After successfully stealing the hexagonal crystal from Morgana, Asuka then allies with Lupin to locate Fujin and protect it together, simultaneously encouraging her sister Maya to flee Morgana's service now that the weapon is almost safe. Despite being captured by Morgana, Asuka refuses to give him what he wants even as he tries to invoke her clan's honor and when he responds by torturing her, Asuka refuses to scream, knowing that doing so will activate Fujin. When Morgana is finally defeated, Asuka repays Lupin by attempting to arrest him, beginning the game and chase all over again.

Live-Action Works

Examples

• 2014 film: The gang operate meticulously as per usual.
  • Arsène Lupin III here is a member of "the Works" who swears revenge when his mentor is killed. With the charm and brilliance to pull off any heist like his original counterpart, Lupin begins the film by outplaying even fellow master thief Fujiko and later manages to evade dozens of cops before finally being caught, even then managing to break free with the arresting inspector caught in his own handcuffs. Discovering the depth of the treachery in his guild, Lupin sets in motion a plan to steal back his fallen mentor's most prized possession. Disabling his mark's security, Lupin later breaks free of his enemies' clutches by contacting the police, swindling both parties to make off with his treasure. A charismatically diabolical rogue as always, Lupin's scheming leaves his rivals with no option but to scream in frustration while he runs circles around them.
  • Daisuke Jigen is a member of the Works who, after the death of his mentor and the dissolution of The Works, becomes a master thief and a member of Lupin's crew. A stoic, charismatic gunman able to keep up toe-to-toe with the unparalleled samurai Goemon, Jigen is just as proficient a thief as his boss, while likewise matching Lupin's sense of honor when he refuses to kill an unarmed and suicidally repentant Michael Lee. Jigen's greatest feat of marksmanship in the film is when he shoots the trigger of a fallen enemy's gun to have it fire upon one of the villain's Co-Dragons, brushing off his foe's taunts with a cool-headed "keep it up, twerp."
  • Goemon Ishikawa XIII is the quiet, reserved samurai of Lupin's group. A meditative mastermind able to hone his focus at will, Goemon manages to duel the genius gunslinger Jigen to a standstill and later dismantles a pursuing armored car using just his blade and quick wits. Assaulting the villain's headquarters, Goemon easily dispatches his minions by the dozens and when they try to close in on him is able to take hostages to force the rest down, a thoroughly pragmatic fighter when required despite his code of honor and in his on final fight against one of the villain's elites, simply cuts him down with a single stroke so precise even his dying enemy just smiles impressed.
  • Fujiko Mine is Lupin's wily, on-again/off-again lover who introduces herself nabbing the Olympic Medal of Zeus in a masterful breakout, then sneaking it back into her clutches after she initially loses it to Lupin and Michael. After Michael betrays The Works, Fujiko teams up with Lupin for the sake of personal revenge, cheerfully abandoning Lupin to the cops more than once with the knowledge Lupin will make it out. When one of the Big Bad's henchwoman tries to engage her in a fistfight in the end, Fujiko cuts the knot and just shoots her. As crafty as she ever is, Lupin admits Fujiko's complete lack of any real loyalty to anyone but herself is one of her most "endearing" traits.
• Inspector Zenigata:
  • "Pilot": Ozu Yuichi is a businessman determined to help solve world hunger no matter the cost. When his former business went bankrupt, Ozu began a short-selling scheme to get the company back, forming an alliance with Toshisaburo Fuchigami for this goal. Taking on the identity of Mr. Question, Ozu plants bombs in buildings owned by a rival company, knowing that when they inevitably explode, the business will tank and he can profit from the stocks. Leading the police on a wild goose chase around the city to disarm them and using trickery to ensure that all of them go off, Ozu betrays and kills his partner to cover his tracks, talking his way out of the police confrontation when they find him as well. Although Zenigata tracks him down with evidence of his wrongdoing, Ozu analyzes his opponents and successfully takes them all down, maintaining to the very end that he was only interested in helping humanity.
  • "Sleep Peacefully, My Friend": Park Yun Jin is a former Korean spy who went MIA on a mission, turning up in Japan after allying with Seto Kazuma. In order to obtain the xenon hydrate they're looking for, she takes up the identity of Omori Miki and forces a Meet Cute with both Kurashina and Takasugi, playing the two of them against each other in order to present Takasugi as a Stalker with a Crush. After helping Seto lure Kurashina to his death and then framing Takasugi for his murder, Omori lures Takasugi to her and then kills him while making it look like an accident, having already set up his apartment as a shrine to her so as to further implicate him. Immediately intending to flee the country once her role in the plan is done, Omori only stays to confront Zenigata about the password to the data, keeping up with him in a fight until Seto backstabs her.

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