50 Years Of Lupin: Breaking Down The Iconic Franchise

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Lupin III is one of Japan's most enduring anime franchises, with a history stretching back to the 1960s. This series stars the half-Japanese grandson of the legendary Arsene Lupin, who travels the world hunting rare and unique treasures. He is a master of disguise, as well as a skilled marksman and inventor. While he is an unrepentant criminal with a penchant for cockiness, he has a heart of gold that belies his mischievous demeanor.

While the series initially started as a manga, the franchise is more well-known for its various animated series and film adaptations. With multiple television series, specials, and even live-action films, Lupin III has grown to a massive franchise, so much so that it can be hard to figure out how best to get into the series. With the 50th anniversary of Lupin III's first animated series having occurred just last year, it's a good time to look back on the franchise as a whole and see how it grew into the mammoth it is today.

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The original manga, written by mangaka Monkey Punch, was published in Weekly Manga Action between the years 1967 and 1969, spanning fourteen volumes. Along with the main character Arsene Lupin III, the manga introduces many of the series' iconic characters, including the persistent Inspector Koichi Zenigata, sharpshooter Daisuke Jigen, master samurai Goemon Ishikawa XIII, and sometimes friend, sometimes enemy Fujiko Mine. While these characters would not appear as often in the manga as they would in the animated adaptations, they are still fairly frequent characters.

While the manga serves as the source material for the anime adaptation, it is quite different in atmosphere, featuring a darker and grittier story with graphic depictions