List of ''Lupin III'' characters

The main cast of Lupin III, as drawn by Monkey Punch. From top to bottom: Lupin, Fujiko, Jigen, Goemon, Zenigata.

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

Main characters

Arsène Lupin III

Arsène Lupin III (Japanese: ルパン三世, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei) is the grandson of Arsène Lupin. He is the world's most wanted thief and a genius mastermind. He is an expert in making schemes and plots to steal precious objects that are heavily guarded and seemingly impossible to be stolen. Often in his adventures, he takes it upon himself and his gang to foil other criminals engaged in more serious crimes. 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, such as in Castle of Cagliostro where his belt features many small gadgets. 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 PTRS 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 (石川 五ェ門, Ishikawa Goemon) is the thirteenth generation of renegade samurai, beginning with the legendary figure 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. In one episode during the TV series Goemon admitted that his sword cannot cut konnyaku, which is a starch-based jelly made from roots, because the blade just gets stuck in it. The Zantetsuken is usually used to cut inanimate objects, which Goemon considers unworthy of his blade and often mutters his catchphrase "once again, I have cut a worthless object" after doing so. 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 Lupin's love (or rather lust) interest. She 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. Fujiko is an extremely intelligent and crafty person and 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. 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. While Lupin often knows Fujiko is only using him, she usually makes off with most or all of his loot.[2][5]

Inspector Koichi Zenigata

Inspector Zenigata (銭形警部, Zenigata-keibu), full name Koichi Zenigata (銭形 幸一, Zenigata Kōichi), also known as "Pops", 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, best known for throwing coins as a weapon. Lupin and Zenigata appear to be the worst of enemies, but they are, in a manner of speaking, friends; in the television special Orders to Assassinate Lupin, Zenigata even teams up with Lupin after the chief of the ICPO takes him off the Lupin case. In addition, despite numerous opportunities for Lupin to kill or abandon Zenigata in dire situations, Lupin never takes these opportunities, even saving Zenigata's life on more than one occasion. While usually portrayed as competent but slow at deductions in most of the anime, Zenigata's character in the manga is a very clever and crafty adversary to Lupin.[2][6]

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 second manga series Shin Lupin III (known in English as Lupin III – World's Most Wanted). His skills include decryption and handcuff-tossing.[7] Unlike Zenigata, Melon prefers using deadly force to stop Lupin and his gang.[8] 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. The 27th episode 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, a female detective and the granddaughter of Inspector Garimard, rival of the original Arsène Lupin.[9]

Lieutenant Oscar

Lieutenant Oscar (オスカー警部補, Osukā Keibuho) is Zenigata's young assistant in the fourth 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.[10][11] He is not only extremely loyal to Zenigata, but fosters romantic feelings for him as well.[11]

Rebecca Rossillini

Rebecca Rossillini (レベッカ・ロッセリーニ, Rebekka Rosserīni), also known as Rebecca Lupin, is a major protagonist in the fifth anime series. She is a wealthy Sammarinese businesswoman, heiress, model, actress, and athlete from San Marino who married Lupin legally 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 was revealed to be a mere ruse, with Rebecca tricking Lupin III in order to use him as a distraction while she stole a valuable crown for her own thrill and entertainment. Despite this, she still legally has his last name, a fact that annoys Lupin greatly.

Villains

While the list of adversaries of Lupin III and his associates is almost as extense as the number of episodes, movies and issues of the franchise, a few have gained notoriety for different reasons, like appearing in more than one story.

References

  1. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Lupin)". Giovanni Di Chiara. 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. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  4. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Goemon)". Giovanni Di Chiara. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  5. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Fujiko)". Giovanni Di Chiara. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  6. ↑ "Lupin III European Page — Lupin III Character Profiles (Zenigata)". Giovanni Di Chiara. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  7. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2004). "Melon Cop". Lupin III – World's Most Wanted. 1. Tokyopop. ISBN 1-59532-070-9.
  8. ↑ Punch, Monkey (2004). "Melon the Magician". Lupin III – World's Most Wanted. 2. Tokyopop. ISBN 1-59532-071-7.
  9. ↑ "Female Detective Melon". Lupin the Third Part II. Episode 27 (in Japanese). April 17, 1978.
  10. ↑ "Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine". Anime News Network. July 5, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine". Otaku USA. April 30, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
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