Lupin III

***Lupin III***, also written as ***Lupin the Third***, ***Lupin the 3rd*** or ***Lupin the IIIrd***, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the escapades of master thief Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of novels.

The *Lupin III* manga, which first appeared in *Weekly Manga Action* on August 10, 1967, spawned a media franchise that includes numerous manga, two versions of an animated pilot film, six animated television series, eleven theatrically-released animated films, two live-action films, five OVA works, twenty-seven animated television specials, two musicals, many music CDs, and several video games. Many different companies have owned the English-language distribution rights to various *Lupin III* properties at various times, with just the first two animated films having been released by over 10 companies alone. Tokyopop acquired the license to the original manga in 2002, and later the second series in 2004. Funimation Entertainment purchased the rights to several of the television specials and films in 2002, and the fourth television series in 2012. Geneon licensed and dubbed 79 episodes of the second television series, 26 of which were broadcast on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim during 2003. Discotek Media licensed the entire first, second, fourth and fifth television series and the first live-action film; they also own the rights to several other *Lupin* titles, including some previously released by other companies.

Over fifty years after its creation, *Lupin III* remains popular, with a sixth anime series airing in 2018. Critical reception of the franchise has been largely positive across its various incarnations, with the appeal of the lead characters being noted as the primary factor of the series' success. The voice acting (in both Japanese and English versions) and soundtracks (especially those composed by Yuji Ohno) of the anime adaptations have also received similar compliments; however, several of the franchise's installments, most specifically the television specials, have been criticized for being formulaic. The manga has also been noted by fans and critics for its darker tone compared to the anime, with its explicit depictions of sex and violence, as well as its black, fourth wall-breaking sense of humor, contrasting with the mostly family-friendly animated versions. For several years, issues relating to the copyright of Maurice Leblanc's intellectual property meant that the Lupin name was removed from its releases outside Japan, usually changed to "Rupan" or "Wolf". However, the copyright has since expired, allowing foreign releases to use the Lupin name.

### Anime series

#### *Part I*

On October 24, 1971, YTV began airing the first *Lupin III* television series. The series was broadcast for 23 episodes, with the last one airing on March 26, 1972. The series was initially directed by Masaaki Ōsumi, who was then replaced by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Discotek Media licensed and released the first series on DVD in North America on June 26, 2012.

#### *Part II*

The second *Lupin III* television series began airing on NTV on October 3, 1977. This series was broadcast for 155 episodes, with the last one airing on October 6, 1980. Pioneer Entertainment began distributing the second television series in North America on January 28, 2003. The first 79 episodes were released on 15 DVDs and the first 26 episodes aired numerous times on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. On December 20, 2015, Discotek Media announced they had licensed the series for North America and began releasing the series in 2017.

#### *Lupin VIII*

In 1982, an animated television series called *Lupin VIII* was planned as a French-Japanese co-production, featuring the descendants of Lupin, Goemon, Jigen, and Zenigata, but was never completed. Created by DiC Audiovisuel, with Rintaro directing, and character designs by Shingo Araki; two scripts were written, and one episode was fully animated with a music and sound effects track, but the voice-overs were never recorded. The project was cancelled due to Leblanc's estate wanting a large amount of money for use of the Arséne Lupin name in France. *Lupin VIII'*s single episode was later included in the 2012 *Lupin III Master File* box set.

#### *Part III*

The third *Lupin III* television series, called *Lupin III Part III*, began airing on YTV on March 3, 1984. This series was broadcast for 50 episodes and ended on November 6, 1985. In 2009, the Southern California-based United Television Broadcasting network began airing subtitled episodes from all three series on their UTBHollywood channel.

#### *The Woman Called Fujiko Mine*

The fourth series, titled *Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine*, aired on NTV for 13 episodes between April 4, 2012 and June 27, 2012. Funimation Entertainment simulcast the series on their website and Nico Nico with English subtitles, before releasing it on Blu-ray/DVD on August 20, 2013 with an English-language dub. Manga Entertainment released a similar set in the United Kingdom on September 16, while Hanabee released the series in a two-part combo set in Australasia, the first on October 16 and the second on November 20.

#### *Part IV: The Italian Adventure*

The fifth series, *Lupin the 3rd Part IV: The Italian Adventure*, was created by Telecom Animation Film and is set in Italy and San Marino. It aired in Italy for 26 episodes on the Italia 1 channel between August 30, 2015 and November 30, 2015, while in Japan it aired for 24 episodes on NTV between October 1, 2015 and March 17, 2016. The series has been licensed by Anime Limited for the UK market and by Discotek for the US. It aired in the US on the Toonami block of Adult Swim starting in June 2017.

#### *Part V*

The sixth anime television series, *Lupin the Third Part V*, aired in 2018. It is set in France, the home of the main character's grandfather and namesake, and aired on NTV from April 4 to September 18, 2018. Like *Part 4*, the English dub was aired by Toonami.