List of Lupin III characters

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The main cast of Lupin III, as drawn by Monkey Punch. Clockwise from upper right: Lupin, Jigen, Zenigata, Goemon, Fujiko. Lupin III cast.jpg
The main cast of Lupin III, as drawn by Monkey Punch. Clockwise from upper right: Lupin, Jigen, Zenigata, Goemon, Fujiko.

This is a list of characters from the Lupin the Third franchise, created by Monkey Punch.

Contents

Monkey Punch's original manga differs significantly in both characterization and content compared to most anime adaptations. While the manga features explicit depictions of sex and violence, anime iterations tend to be more family-friendly.

Main characters

Lupin III

Lupin III (Japanese: ルパン三世, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei) is the grandson of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. He is the world's most wanted thief and a genius criminal mastermind. He is an expert in making schemes and plots to steal precious objects that are heavily guarded and seemingly impossible to be stolen. He sometimes appears incompetent, but mostly as a charade to catch his opponents off guard. While he has been arrested and thrown in jail on a number of occasions, he has always managed to break out. He also has a fondness for fancy gadgets from time to time. His infatuation with women, and Fujiko Mine in particular, is perhaps his biggest weakness, as it often lands him in undesirable situations. [1] [2]

Daisuke Jigen

Daisuke Jigen (次元 大介, Jigen Daisuke) is Lupin's marksman. He can perform a 0.3-second quick-draw and shoots with amazing accuracy. He is often seen having a used cigarette clenched in between his teeth. His weapons of choice are revolvers and pistols, but he is also proficient in the use of other firearms, such as machine guns, sniper rifles, and anti-tank rifles. In the opening of the PlayStation 2 video game, Treasure of the Sorcerer King , Jigen assembles his handgun from composite parts and fires a shot through a door with 100% accuracy before an enemy can finish turning the doorknob. [2] [3]

Goemon Ishikawa XIII

Goemon Ishikawa XIII (十三代目 石川 五ェ門, Jūsan-daime Ishikawa Goemon) is a thirteenth generation descendant of the renegade samurai Ishikawa Goemon. He has a sword called Ryusei (流星, Ryūsei), known in the anime as Zantetsuken (斬鉄剣), which can cut through almost anything. The Zantetsuken is usually used to cut inanimate objects, which Goemon considers unworthy of his blade. Objects cut by Zantetsuken will fall apart a couple of seconds after he sweeps through them with his blade. He is usually quiet and participates in Lupin's exploits less frequently than Jigen. [2] [4]

Fujiko Mine

Fujiko Mine (峰 不二子, Mine Fujiko) is an intelligent and crafty thief who will use her feminine charms to get what she wants from any man. She is also an expert when it comes to firearms and even rivals Lupin when it comes to her burglary and disguise skills. Fujiko is sometimes an associate in his schemes, sometimes a rival, knowing full well that his infatuation with her will mean that he will forgive her for double-crossing him at times. She will also routinely make deals with Zenigata or Lupin's current enemy in an attempt to gain her freedom or to hopefully gain a piece of the loot he is after. [2] [5]

Inspector Koichi Zenigata

Inspector Zenigata (銭形警部, Zenigata-keibu), full name Koichi Zenigata (銭形 幸一, Zenigata Kōichi), is a police inspector working for the ICPO. He has made it his mission in life to arrest Lupin. Zenigata is based on a famous Japanese crime fighting character named Zenigata Heiji. While usually portrayed as competent but slow at deductions in the various anime, Zenigata's character in the manga is a very clever and crafty adversary to Lupin. In addition, despite trying to kill each other in the manga on numerous occasions, Lupin and Zenigata never take these opportunities in the anime, even saving each other's life on more than one occasion. [2] [6]

Main Japanese cast timeline

The following shows the timeline of current actors for each character, either live or animated.

Note: Two versions of the pilot were produced circa 1969 and 1971 but released only decades later.

List of Lupin III characters

Supporting characters

Melon Cop

Melon Kiichi (メロン奇一, Meron Kiichi), usually referred to as "Melon Cop" (刑事メロン, Keiji Meron), is Zenigata's assistant in the manga series Shin Lupin III (known in English as Lupin III: World's Most Wanted). His skills include decryption and handcuff-tossing. [9] Unlike Zenigata, Melon prefers using deadly force to stop Lupin and his gang. [10] By the end of the series he is largely reduced to secondary character status, appearing only rarely, and simply to help Zenigata fight Lupin. Melon also seems to be capable of facing Lupin without Zenigata's help, fully defeating him on several occasions, only to have Lupin escape with the help of Jigen or Fujiko. Episode 28 of the second anime series adapts Melon Cop's first appearance, albeit with key differences. Zenigata goes to France to capture Lupin where he is assigned a partner, Melon Ganimard (ガニマール・メロン, Ganimāru Meron), a female detective and the granddaughter of Inspector Ganimard, rival of the original Arsène Lupin. [11] She also appears in episode 23 of Lupin the 3rd Part V .

Clarisse d'Cagliostro

Lady Clarisse d'Cagliostro (クラリス・ド・カリオストロ, Kurarisu do Kariosutoro) is the last princess of the small grand duchy of Cagliostro in the anime film The Castle of Cagliostro . She is a good friend to Lupin, for whom she first encountered during his thieving career when she was a child. Her parents, the previous Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Cagliostro, were killed in a fire which destroyed her original home the grand ducal palace. The last surviving member of the country's ruling family, Clarisse is a rightful heiress to the throne but has been forced by the country's regent, Count Lazare d'Calgiostro, to marry him. During the car chase, she meets up with Lupin who discovers that her signet ring is the key to the legendary lost treasure of Cagliostro, which is the only reason the count wants to take her as his wife with his own ring. While uncovering the secret of the Goat bills, Lupin has to expose the count's evil plan and rescue Clarisse from his clutches. [12] Clarisse also makes a brief cameo in the first episode of Lupin the 3rd Part V . She is named after Clarisse d'Etigues, who was the wife of the original Arsène Lupin but died in 1899 after giving birth to their son Jean in The Countess of Cagliostro.

Lieutenant Oscar

Lieutenant Oscar (オスカー警部補, Osukā Keibuho) is Zenigata's young assistant in The Woman Called Fujiko Mine anime series. Born in France, Oscar has an androgynous appearance drawing comparisons to the character of the same name from the shōjo manga The Rose of Versailles . [13] [14] He is not only extremely loyal to Zenigata, but fosters romantic feelings for him as well. [14]

Rebecca Rossellini

Rebecca Rossellini (レベッカ・ロッセリーニ, Rebekka Rosserīni), also known as Rebecca Lupin, is a major protagonist in the Lupin the 3rd Part IV anime series. She is a wealthy Sammarinese businesswoman, heiress, model, actress, and athlete from San Marino who legally marries Lupin after meeting him at a party. She secretly leads a double life as a thief, committing daring heists for the sheer adrenaline rush. The marriage is revealed to be a mere ruse, with Rebecca tricking Lupin in order to use him as a distraction while she steals a valuable crown for her own thrill and entertainment. Later in the series she starts to actually fall in love with him and asks to keep the Mrs. Lupin name as a secret code between them. Rebecca also appears in the final episode of Lupin the 3rd Part V , helping Lupin against the shady IT conglomerate Shake Handz. She is voiced by Yukiyo Fujii in Japanese and by Cassandra Lee Morris in English.

Ami Enan

Ami Enan (アミ・エナン, Ami Enan) is a young computer expert and a major protagonist in the Lupin the 3rd Part V anime series. Her main gadget is a cybernetic computer link-up system called "Underworld" which she wears in place of earrings. Ami was kidnapped at the age of 6 by child pornographers; but after they discovered her tech skills when she created a computer game by herself, they realized that using those skills would be more lucrative than pornography for them. She created the payment system for the darknet market site Marco Polo, but at the age of 14 escaped and hid in the Twin Towers, a complex with one tower above ground and one deep below water.

She is recruited initially by Lupin to steal digital currency from Marco Polo, but her computer and hacking skills become useful to his team when Marco Polo initiates a vicious online manhunt for Lupin in revenge. After they survive the manhunt, Lupin and Zenigata have Ami enroll in an all girls' school to restart her life where she befriends Dolma, the crown princess of an East Asian country called Padar. Ami remains close to Zenigata, who can be considered a father figure who continues to care for her well-being despite her affiliation with Lupin.

Over time, Ami's trust in Lupin turns into love, and she begins to regard Fujiko, Lupin's off-and-on love interest, as a rival for his heart. Later, it is revealed that Ami is the daughter of Enzo Bron, CEO of the Shake Handz Corporation and inventor of PeopleLog, a program capable of flawlessly identifying people and providing any publicized information about them, which quickly pitches all sorts of malevolent people against Lupin. When Lupin tries to take down PeopleLog and free Fujiko, who has been taken prisoner by Enzo, he ends up outmaneuvered and wounded by Enzo's machinations. After making a full recovery, however, Lupin turns PeopleLog against his creator by publicizing every political scandal he can get his hands on, branding Shake Handz a terror organisation. On his second try against Enzo, he ends up outsmarting PeopleLog, inspiring Enzo with his unpredictability and heroism into reconciling with Ami. At the end of the series' finale, Ami concludes that while she still loves Lupin, she chooses not to get too close to him in order to preserve his heroic image in her heart. After the fall of Shake Handz, she and Enzo are sheltered by Zenigata. She is voiced by Inori Minase in Japanese and by Cristina Vee in English. [15]

Albert d'Andrésy

Albert d'Andrésy (アルベール・ダンドレジー), introduced in Lupin the 3rd Part V , is member of France's Central Directorate of the Judicial Police who was originally Lupin's partner in crime. Albert is referenced by Lupin as the "man who abandoned Lupin" since Albert left thievery for a more lucrative path in the government with ambitions of controlling France. Posing as their mentor Gaston, Albert tricks Lupin in acquiring a copy of black notebook detailing corruption and scandals in the French government. However, he is forced to side with Lupin when the notebook fell into the hands of assassins working for presidential candidate Calvess. He would play a role in taking down ShakeHands by convincing the world governments declare it a terrorist organization and recruits Enzo's partner Ling to aid him in his rise to power. Albert is shown to be gay, depicted in his debut episode alongside his boyfriend, a photographer named Tickey Pasco. He is voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda in Japanese, [15] and by Kaiser Johnson in English.

Antagonists

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <i>The Castle of Cagliostro</i> 1979 Japanese animated film by Hayao Miyazaki

    Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is a 1979 Japanese animated action adventure comedy film co-written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is the second animated feature film based on the 1967–69 manga series Lupin III by Monkey Punch. The film was Miyazaki's feature directorial debut after having previously worked as an animator for Toei Animation and Telecom Animation Film, and directing several animated television series, including Lupin III Part I.

    Lupin III, also written as Lupin the Third, Lupin the 3rd, or Lupin the IIIrd, is a Japanese media franchise created by Monkey Punch. The series follows the endeavors of master thief Lupin III, grandson of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, joined by his criminal gang. The original Lupin III manga began in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Fujiko Mine</span> Lupin III universe character

    Fujiko Mine is a fictional character created by Monkey Punch for his manga series Lupin III, which debuted in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967. She is a professional criminal and spy who regularly uses her attractiveness to fool her targets. Unlike the rest of the Lupin III cast, Fujiko's physical appearance changes for most installments in the franchise. She is the star of the fourth Lupin III anime television series, 2012's The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, making it the first to not star Arsène Lupin III as the protagonist.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Goemon Ishikawa XIII</span> Fictional character from manga series Lupin III

    Goemon Ishikawa XIII is a fictional character created by Monkey Punch for his manga series Lupin III, which debuted in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967. Goemon is a thirteenth generation descendant of the renegade samurai Ishikawa Goemon. He is famous for a reticent personality coupled by apparent unlimited skill in martial arts and swordsmanship with his sword Ryusei (流星), known in the anime as Zantetsuken (斬鉄剣). A partner with Arsène Lupin III and Daisuke Jigen, he tends to join their exploits only on a when-interested basis.

    <i>Lupin the 3rd: The Mystery of Mamo</i> 1978 Japanese animated film by Sōji Yoshikawa

    Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo, also known as Lupin III: The Secret of Mamo, is a 1978 Japanese animated science fiction action adventure comedy film. It is the first animated feature film based on the 1967–69 manga series Lupin III by Monkey Punch. The film was originally released in Japan as Lupin III, but was later retitled to Lupin III: Lupin vs. the Clone. Directed by Sōji Yoshikawa, who co-wrote the screenplay with Atsushi Yamatoya, the film was produced by animation studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha and distributed by Toho. The film's plot follows master thief Lupin III, who attempts to foil Mamo ― a wealthy and powerful recluse seeking immortality ― while trying to win the affections of his rival and would-be lover, Fujiko Mine.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisuke Jigen</span> Fictional character from manga series Lupin III

    Daisuke Jigen is a fictional character created by Monkey Punch for his manga series Lupin III, which debuted in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967. Jigen is the marksman, aide-de-camp and best friend of Arsène Lupin III. Along with colleague Goemon Ishikawa XIII, he joins Lupin in pursuit of riches acquired typically by theft. Traveling across the globe, Jigen has garnered fame as a gunman with a wildly capable speed and accuracy.

    <i>The Fuma Conspiracy</i> 1987 Japanese animated film

    Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy is a 1987 Japanese animated action adventure comedy film. It is the fourth animated feature film based on the 1967–69 manga series Lupin III by Monkey Punch. Although classified as an original video animation by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, it was first given a theatrical release on December 26, 1987, by Toho. Due to budgetary reasons, it utilized a different voice cast from previous animated entries, with Toshio Furukawa as Lupin III, Banjō Ginga as Daisuke Jigen, Mami Koyama as Fujiko Mine, Kaneto Shiozawa as Goemon Ishikawa XIII, and Seizō Katō as Inspector Koichi Zenigata. It was the first Lupin III animation since 1969's Pilot Film to not feature Yasuo Yamada as Lupin and the only one not to feature Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Jigen until the 2021's animated television series Lupin III Part 6.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Inspector Zenigata</span> Fictional human from Lupin III

    Koichi Zenigata, usually called Inspector Zenigata and formerly Heiji Zenigata VII, is a fictional character created by Monkey Punch for his manga series Lupin III, which debuted in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967. He is named after the famous fictional Japanese detective Zenigata Heiji, of whom he is a descendant.

    <i>Legend of the Gold of Babylon</i> 1985 Japanese animated film

    Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon is a 1985 Japanese animated heist comedy film directed by Seijun Suzuki and Shigetsugu Yoshida from a screenplay by Yoshio Urasawa and Atsushi Yamatoya. It is the third animated feature film based on the 1967–69 manga series Lupin III by Monkey Punch.

    <i>Lupin III: Dead or Alive</i> 1996 Japanese animated film by Monkey Punch

    Lupin III: Dead or Alive is a 1996 Japanese animated thriller action comedy film directed by Monkey Punch. It is the sixth animated feature film based on the 1967–69 manga series Lupin III by Punch and the first Lupin III production to make use of computer-generated animation.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupin III (character)</span> Fictional character created by Monkey Punch

    Lupin III, referred to in some English adaptations as Arsène Lupin III, is a fictional character created by Kazuhiko Kato aka Monkey Punch as the protagonist for his manga series Lupin the Third, which debuted in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967.

    <i>Lupin the 3rd Part III</i> Japanese anime television series

    Lupin the 3rd Part III is a Japanese anime television series produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha. Part of the Lupin III franchise, it is the third anime television adaptation of the Lupin III manga series created by Monkey Punch. The series aired on Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation between March 3, 1984 and November 6, 1985.

    <i>Lupin III</i> (manga) Japanese manga series by Monkey Punch

    Lupin III is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the escapades of master thief Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of novels.

    <i>Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine</i> Japanese anime television series

    Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine is a Japanese anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment. Part of the Lupin III franchise, it is the fourth anime television adaptation of the Lupin III manga series created by Monkey Punch. Directed by Sayo Yamamoto, it aired on Nippon TV from April to June 2012. It focuses on the franchise's heroine, Fujiko Mine, as she undergoes various missions and encounters the rest of the Lupin III cast for the first time. Unlike the franchise's previous three televised anime, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine is more sexually oriented in order to capture the "sensuality" present in the original manga, as well as darker and more serious. It is also the only installment in the franchise to be directed by a woman and the first in which Lupin III is not the protagonist.

    <i>Lupin the 3rd</i> (film) 2014 Japanese heist film by Ryuhei Kitamura

    Lupin III is a 2014 Japanese heist film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura and based on the 1967–69 manga series of the same name by Monkey Punch. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Shun Oguri, Jerry Yan, Tetsuji Tamayama, Gō Ayano, Meisa Kuroki and Tadanobu Asano. It is the second live action film adaptation of the manga, following Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974).

    <i>Lupin the 3rd Part I</i> Japanese anime television series

    Lupin the 3rd Part I is a Japanese anime television series produced by Tokyo Movie. Part of the Lupin III franchise, it is the first anime television adaptation of the Lupin III manga series created by Monkey Punch. The series was originally broadcast as simply Lupin III on Yomiuri TV between October 24, 1971 and March 26, 1972. Among English-speaking fans, this series was commonly known as the "Green Jacket" series in reference to Lupin's outfit, but more recently it is now known as "the first Green Jacket" series because of the outfit's return in Part 6.

    <i>Lupin the Third: Pilot Film</i> 1969 Japanese film

    Lupin the Third: Pilot Film is a Japanese animated short film directed by Masaaki Ōsumi, which was created around 1969. It is the first animated adaptation of the Lupin III manga series, created by Monkey Punch in 1967. The 12-minute film was created by Tokyo Movie and intended to generate interest and secure funding for a larger production. Around 1971 it was reworked as a television pilot with new voice actors and the series was picked up by Yomiuri Television, leading to Lupin the Third Part I.

    References

    1. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Lupin)". Giovanni Di Chiara. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 Monkey Punch Interview (DVD Extra). Lupin the 3rd: Dead or Alive (DVD). Funimation.
    3. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Jigen)". Giovanni Di Chiara. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
    4. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Goemon)". Giovanni Di Chiara. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
    5. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Fujiko)". Giovanni Di Chiara. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
    6. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Zenigata)". Giovanni Di Chiara. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
    7. ↑ Cayanan, Joanna (September 17, 2023). "Lupin III Manga Gets Kabuki Stage Play in December". Anime News Network .
    8. ↑ "新作歌舞伎 流白浪燦星" (in Japanese).
    9. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2004). "Melon Cop". Lupin III: World's Most Wanted. Vol. 1. Tokyopop. ISBN   1-59532-070-9.
    10. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2004). "Melon the Magician". Lupin III: World's Most Wanted. Vol. 2. Tokyopop. ISBN   1-59532-071-7.
    11. ↑ "Female Detective Melon". Lupin the Third Part II . Episode 28 (in Japanese). April 17, 1978.
    12. ↑ Creamer, Nick (June 29, 2015). "Lupin the Third: The Castle of Caglistro Blu-Ray". Anime News Network . Retrieved November 24, 2022.
    13. ↑ "Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine". Anime News Network. July 5, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
    14. 1 2 "Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine". Otaku USA. April 30, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
    15. 1 2 Chapman, Paul: Three New Characters Join the Cast of "Lupin the Third Part 5" TV Anime. Crunchyroll, March 6, 2018. Retrieved: May 2, 2018.
    16. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2003). "7: The Hand is Quicker than the Spy". Lupin III. Vol. 1. Tokyopop. ISBN   1-59182-252-1.
    17. ↑ "A Beginner's Guide to Lupin the 3rd". Crunchyroll. May 14, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    18. 1 2 ""Lupin the Third" 50th Anniversary Anime to be Bundled with First DVD/Blu-ray of "Part 5"". Crunchyroll. April 4, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
    19. 1 2 Punch, Monkey (2003). "31: You Dirty Rats, 32: Double the Pleasure". Lupin III. Vol. 4. Tokyopop. ISBN   1-59182-1223.
    20. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2003). "60: High Art". Lupin III. Vol. 7. Tokyopop. ISBN   1-59182-1258.
    21. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2003). "69: Straight Flush". Lupin III. Vol. 8. Tokyopop. ISBN   1-59182-1266.
    22. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2003). "80: Killing Time". Lupin III. Vol. 9. Tokyopop. ISBN   1-59182-1274.
    23. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2004). "108-109: The Funeral March of Lupin III (First Movement) and (Second Movement)". Lupin III. Vol. 14. Tokyopop. ISBN   1-5918-24923.
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