Raoul Diop

**Raoul Diop** is a major character in *Lupin*. He is portrayed by Etan Simon.

The son of Assane and Claire, Raoul was born on the 11th of December, also the birthday of Arsène Lupin creator Maurice Leblanc. He is a quiet boy who enjoys reading and playing video games.

## History

### Background

Raoul was an unplanned child, and when Claire found out that she was pregnant, she was terrified of what Assane's reaction would be. However, to her massive relief, he was overjoyed by the news and promised to commit to the new family. Raoul was born on December 11th, 2006. At some point during his childhood, Assane and Claire split up permanently, likely as a result of Assane's failure to honor his promise by stopping his criminal activity. From that point, Raoul lived with Claire, but maintained frequent contact with Assane, whom he saw on visit days.

### Part 1

On the day after the Louvre heist, Assane takes Raoul into the center of Paris and gives him the book of Arsène Lupin stories that his own father had given to him twenty-five years earlier. Raoul becomes enthralled with Lupin, even managing to largely stop playing video games (much to Claire’s amusement) due to his interest in the gentleman thief. During a later visitation with Assane, Raoul tells him that Claire is attempting to start a new relationship with a doctor named Marc.

On Raoul’s fourteenth birthday, Assane gives him a Lupin-style cape and top hat, and takes him and Claire to the scenic seaside town of Étretat, where a festival in honor of the birthday of Maurice Leblanc is being held. Raoul is amused by his parents’ playful banter on the train. When Assane asks about Claire’s love life and Claire replies that it is none of his business, Raoul reveals that her new relationship is progressing slowly, to Claire's embarrassment. After Claire takes a selfie with Assane and Raoul, Assane notices that Hubert Pellegrini's henchman Léonard Koné is also on the train, and loudly sings “Happy Birthday” to Raoul to alert Léonard that he is aware of his presence. At the end of the ride, after escaping from the storage closet that Assane had managed to lock him in, Léonard sits down next to Raoul and the two strike up a brief conversation about the Lupin festival. Léonard behaves in a purposefully unnerving manner, which makes Claire anxious. At Assane's encouragement, Claire and Raoul disembark ahead of him.

Although reluctant to put on the top hat and cape in Paris, Raoul enjoys wearing them in Étretat, where many people are dressed in similar outfits. After deciding to walk ahead on the beach in order to explore the Hollow Needle, a rock formation made famous in a Lupin story, Raoul is kidnapped by Léonard, released from custody after Assane had framed him for being "Paul Sernine", and driven away from the beach and his parents.

### Part 2

Léonard speeds out of Étretat with Raoul bound and gagged in the back of his BMW. He tries to call Hubert, but is unable to do so due to a lack of cell phone reception. Léonard decides to pull into the nearby town of Bourneville in order to place his call. To avoid attention, Léonard pre-emptively stuffs Raoul into the trunk of the car. In Bourneville, Léonard is forced to buy a drink in order to use the phone; he quietly gives it to Raoul as he returns to the vehicle. After Assane and Youssef Guédira, who have followed Léonard out of Étretat, arrive in town, Léonard speeds away. He brings Raoul to an abandoned hunting lodge and ties him to a chair, threatening to kill both him and Assane. When Raoul hears Assane pull up in front of the mansion, he begins yelling for his father. Léonard orders Raoul to be quiet.

Some time later, Léonard locks Raoul back into the trunk of the car. After Assane throws Léonard out of a window, the assassin struggles over to the vehicle, douses it in gasoline and sets it alight, with Raoul still inside. Raoul desperately yells for help as the heat inside the vehicle increases to unbearable levels. Before any serious harm can come to him, however, Raoul is rescued by Guédira, who manages to open the trunk and carry Raoul to safety. Raoul and Guédira race away from the mansion as Léonard shoots wildly at them with a hunting rifle. Upon reaching the car Assane had stolen in Étretat, they get in and drive off.

In the car, Guédira tells Raoul that he and Assane are both passionate fans of Arsène Lupin. Raoul asks Guédira who his favorite character is; Guédira responds that it is Inspector Ganimard, as they are both policemen. Raoul says that his favorite character is Lupin himself, since he reminds him of Assane. He tells Guédira that Assane is his favorite person in the world. Upon arriving back at Claire’s apartment, Raoul and Guédira are confronted by several undercover police officers waiting outside. One of the officers, Pascal Oblet, tells Guédira to bring Raoul to the Park Hyatt Hotel at Commissioner Dumont’s orders. Guédira is confused, but obliges.

When Guédira and Raoul arrive at the Hyatt, they are greeted by Dumont, who compliments Guédira for delivering Raoul to him. Raoul looks around as Guédira and Dumont discuss the plans that have been made for him. Although Guédira is suspicious of Dumont’s motivations, he leaves Raoul with him. Raoul says that he wants to return home to see his mother. Dumont smiles at Raoul, telling him that he will be able to do so soon. Raoul is allowed to make a call to Assane, and tells him where he is. Assane promises Raoul that he will come and get him.

Raoul is eventually brought to a meeting with Hubert, who tells him that he is organizing a foundation that will help children like Raoul whose parents are criminals. Enraged, Raoul asserts that his parents are not criminals. Hubert asks Raoul what his father does for a living; when Raoul is unable to respond, Hubert states that Assane is a thief, like Babakar before him. Raoul yells that this is not true, but Hubert goes further, asserting that Assane is an arrogant man who does not care about Raoul or Claire. When Raoul again shouts that Hubert is lying, the businessman takes on a menacing air, telling Raoul that he is in fact correct, as Assane is currently on his way to the hotel. Hubert then leaves Raoul alone with Dumont.

Several hours later, Dumont receives a phone call from Assane, with his voice disguised to sound like Hubert’s, telling him to remove Raoul from the building. Dumont is confused, but does as he is told, bringing Raoul to the front of the hotel, where a large black van with tinted windows is waiting for them. When Raoul enters alone, he realizes that his “captor” is actually Assane. The two enjoy a happy reunion after they have safely left the Hyatt behind.

Raoul asks Assane if he is really a thief, and if this was the reason for his kidnapping. Assane grows somber and reveals the truth about Babakar’s death and the Diop family's history with Hubert. Raoul asks Assane how far he will go to get revenge, telling him that Claire has said that he will never change. Assane promises that he will, once he has sorted out everything with the Pellegrinis. After pausing for a moment, Assane tells Raoul that if he wants him to, he will stop all of his criminal activity. However, Raoul urges Assane to see it through. Assane is elated by his son’s reaction, and drives him home to Claire.

Upon arriving at his apartment building with Assane, Raoul waves to his mother, who is watching him intently from the window with an overjoyed expression. After Claire lets them into the building, Raoul runs up the stairs, calling to her, while Assane follows him. When he reaches the landing, Claire dashes out of their apartment and grabs him, hugging him tightly and kissing him repeatedly. Raoul is confused when Claire tells Assane to run away. Seconds later, the undercover police officers who had greeted him and Guédira earlier burst through the doors and run down the stairs, searching for Assane, who has managed to hide in the ceiling.

When the police have gone, Claire drags Raoul back into the apartment and breathlessly asks him if he was hurt. Raoul states that he is fine, and compliments Assane’s actions in rescuing him. To Raoul's confusion, Claire grows distressed, asserting that Assane is a dangerous man who cannot be trusted, and that everything that happened to Raoul was his fault. She clings to Raoul, telling him between sobs that she doesn't want Assane coming near them, and that she will not let him be put in danger ever again.

Claire cuts off all of Assane's contact with Raoul, and makes an attempt to pursue her relationship with Marc, the doctor, more seriously. Despite this embargo, Assane continues to call Raoul and offers him more Arsène Lupin books. During one phone call shortly before Léonard's murder, Raoul exhibits apprehension at Assane’s continuing criminal life, asking him if he will ever finish his plans. Assane laughs and tells Raoul that it sounds as though Claire is feeding him lines, but Raoul responds that his opinion is his own. Later, Raoul attempts to explain the plot of *La Dame Blonde*, an Arsène Lupin story, to Marc, who questions whether he is too old for the series.

At 9:30 PM on the night of Juliette Pellegrini’s benefit concert at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Claire is helping Raoul study history when they suddenly begin to hear a repetitive high-pitched noise coming from another room. The two search through their apartment looking for its source; eventually, Claire finds a small beeper underneath her bed. Raoul turns off the device's sound, at which point it reveals a message telling them to come to “Raoul’s Bridge” at 10:00. Raoul asks what this means, and Claire sheepishly explains that it is where she and Assane chose Raoul’s name in 2006. Raoul is excited by the notion of a visit with Assane, but Claire rules it out. Raoul scoffs and states that he will go anyway, and Claire reluctantly follows him.

The two reach the bridge at 10:00 exactly. Soon afterward, they begin to hear the sound of a motor; turning in its direction, they see Assane sailing up the Bassin de l'Arsenal in a speedboat, beaming and waving. Assane gets out of the boat and walks onto the bridge, and Raoul runs into his arms, with Claire following behind more slowly. Assane tells Claire and Raoul that he is glad both of them are there, and explains that he has finished with the Pellegrinis, but that Claire was right about his being a danger to them. Claire, however, has a change of heart and tearfully tells Assane that she doesn’t care, as the only thing that matters to her is that they don’t lose him. Assane hugs them again, promising that he will watch over them from afar and that he will return. Smiling, he assures them that he loves them, and runs off as police sirens grow louder in the background. Claire and Raoul watch as he disappears into the night, chased shortly afterward by a disorderly line of police officers.

## Personality

Raoul is an introverted and thoughtful teenager. Like many of those of his generation, he enjoys playing video games and listening to electronic music. Raoul is blunt in speech and has a sarcastic sense of humor; this can most clearly be seen in his trolling Assane about Claire’s new relationship with Marc. He is also quite perceptive, for instance quickly recognizing that Assane was jealous of Marc and telling him to stop pretending that he wasn’t. Like Assane, Raoul has become a huge fan of Arsène Lupin.

Raoul is shown to have an impressive degree of emotional resilience. Despite having undergone a highly traumatic experience with his kidnapping and near-murder, he largely maintained his composure while being driven back to Paris by Youssef Guédira, while being held hostage by Hubert Pellegrini, and while being rescued by Assane, and was subsequently confused by his mother’s hysterical reaction to the event after he returned home.  Raoul did become upset when Hubert insulted Assane, and was annoyed when Marc suggested that he was too old for the Arsène Lupin books; most of the time, however, he is unflappable.

Little is known about Raoul’s daily life outside of his interactions with Assane and Claire. Given the posters on the wall of his room, it appears that he has an interest in skateboarding. It is unclear whether Raoul maintains any significant friendships within his peer group.

## Relationships

### Assane

Raoul admires his father greatly, even stating outright that Assane is his favorite person in the world. The nature of Raoul’s relations with Assane while his parents were still together is unclear. Following their separation, Raoul saw Assane on visit days, which Assane apparently sometimes forgot about. Raoul took Assane's neglect of his paternal duties in stride, despite Claire’s worrying to the contrary. Their bond grew even stronger when Assane introduced Raoul to the world of Arsène Lupin. Raoul took to the books immediately, insightfully noting that the gentleman thief shared many similarities to Assane.

Raoul did not seem to blame Assane for his kidnapping, instead being enormously impressed with his father's rescue of him. After finding out about Assane’s criminal life, Raoul was not shocked or distressed, and even encouraged Assane to continue pursuing his quest for revenge against Hubert Pellegrini. Assane was overjoyed, as he had secretly longed for his son's approval. After Claire barred Assane from seeing Raoul, the two continued to make contact via phone. When Assane called his family to “Raoul’s Bridge,” Raoul was very eager to go, and was extremely glad to see his father again, but grew unhappy upon learning that Assane would be going on the run.

### Claire

Raoul spends the overwhelming majority of his time with Claire, as she has custody of him. This means that Claire is responsible for attending to the practical matters of Raoul’s upbringing, such as preparing meals for him and helping him with his homework. Claire has also been open with Raoul about her recent steps back into the world of dating. After Raoul trolled Assane with this knowledge, he commented that “mom talks.”

Following his kidnapping, Raoul was very eager to return home to Claire. It is unclear whether he is aware of the deal his terrified mother made in attempt to recover him. Later, Raoul was able to convince Claire to come to “Raoul’s bridge” with him, despite her initial negative reaction to the idea. Unlike Claire, who broke down in tears upon realizing that Assane was on the lam and pleaded with him to take care of himself, Raoul maintained a more stoic demeanor despite his own sadness.

### Other

After Youssef Guédira rescued Raoul from Léonard Koné's clutches, the two enjoyed a moment of bonding about their shared interest in Arsène Lupin. Raoul lightly mocked Guédira for choosing Inspector Ganimard as his favorite character, while Guédira in turn ribbed Raoul's lack of creativity in picking Lupin himself. Guédira, knowing the full extent of Assane's obsession with the character, was amused when Raoul declared that his father reminded him of Lupin.

Although Raoul’s interactions with Hubert Pellegrini were brief, they were enough to ensure that he disliked the businessman, who accused Assane of not caring about his family to Raoul’s face. Raoul was also irritated with Gabriel Dumont, and behaved in a standoffish and sullen manner around him.

Raoul was willing to share his interest in Arsène Lupin with Claire’s new partner Marc, but was insulted when Marc suggested that Raoul was too old for the books. The points in common between Raoul and Marc seem to be few, resulting in a somewhat awkward relationship.

## Quotes

> "He isn't late?"
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> ― Raoul is surprised when Assane arrives for a visit on time
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> "I like the Lupin books, but...I'm not sure about the outfit."
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> ― Raoul reacts upon seeing his birthday present from Assane
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> "My father is the person I like best."
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> ― Raoul on his relationship with Assane
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## Trivia

* When Claire told him she was pregnant, Assane proposed three potential names in addition to "Raoul" ("Maurice," "Assane Junior" and "Arsène"), all of which Claire rejected.
* Raoul is ranked as the 7th most popular character in the series on the online tracking platform TV Time.

## Appearances

Part One
* *Chapter 1*
* *Chapter 2*
* *Chapter 4*
* *Chapter 5*

Part Two
* *Chapter 6*
* *Chapter 7*
* *Chapter 8*
* *Chapter 9*
* *Chapter 10*