Lupin III Character Blog

 Arséne Lupin III

“Great artists are like great thieves: they both know how to steal people’s souls.”


Background

Many years ago, back in the days where Sherlock Holmes was seen as the world’s greatest detective, there was a lesser known adversary Holmes faced off with every now and then known as Arséne Lupin. While not being as popular as the detective, Arséne would garner lots of attention and fame, so imagine the surprise when years later, Arséne was a lot more than just a man, he was a legend. His name inspired awe and fear amidst his allies and enemies alike. This legend would be passed down to his descendants and successors, the greatest of which was the third generation, formally known as “Lupin Sansei”, or “Lupin the Third”.


Lupin’s past has been told in many different ways. Sometimes, it is said the name is a title he earned. Often, he is the biological grandson of the original gentleman thief. Sometimes there is a blend of the two. Whether it is because he doesn’t remember, had the information hidden from him, or he simply wishes to keep the world guessing, there’s a multitude of things that remain the same, and he remains no less of a threat either way. Lupin is constantly on the run and is actively pursued by long-time nemesis Inspector Koichi Zenigata. He’s formed a gang of fellow gentleman criminals, such as expert gunslinger Daisuke Jigen, and Goemon Ishikawa XIII, descendant of the original rogue samurai. He has an on-and-off girlfriend, the quintessential femme fatale who is sometimes partner and sometimes rival, named Fujiko Mine. Often he values the thrill or experience of theft itself much more than the object he’s stealing, each caper being a matter of pride more than a matter of career. Despite his inherently criminal intentions, Lupin usually isn’t that bad a guy. Sure, he’s killed a lot of people, but this is usually a result of people way worse than him challenging him or threatening him and his friends. Truth be told, Lupin has saved far more lives than he has ended, and sometimes it even involves him losing his catch of the day. Even with that, thanks to his intellect and unpredictable nature, Lupin is still at large and is practically wanted worldwide. No one has ever been able to hold him down for good, and it’s very likely the only thing that could ever put an end to Lupin and his antics is old age. With his stories having been told for fifty years and still going strong, the reign of the Third isn’t ending anytime soon. He is always dynamite.


Arsenal

Walther P38

A nine millimeter semiautomatic pistol and Lupin’s go to firearm. It carries eight shots per magazine with a solid fifty meter range. May not be the most exciting weapon a person has ever used, but Lupin’s skills with it are absolutely nothing to scoff at. It is said that he had it modified to fire ten shots instead of eight, or is at least able to reload it fast enough where he exceeds the initial clip. (Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Episode 5.)


Gun Drone

When a notorious gun thief stole Jigen’s gun, Lupin took it upon himself to beat the thief with something that’s quite frankly ridiculous: taking a regular gun turning it into a flying explosive that tracks its victim down until it goes boom.


Electromagnetic Lightsaber Gun???

After meeting a fisherman who’s a diehard Star Wars fan, Lupin got his hands on a really weird gun. It seems to shoot out a plasma-like beam that can wrap around people and knock them out, likely by shocking them like a taser. It also cuts through glass and hooks jewelry like a magnet. The same technology has also shown to be able to create an honest to god lightsaber, thus the name I decided to give here.


Disguises

SO. MANY. DISGUISES. At this point it essentially being a superhuman power he has isn’t out of the question. Lupin has an absolutely absurd plethora of ways to hide his appearance or look like someone else, and they’re so detailed that he’s able to fool fingerprint and retina scans while disguised as someone else. Couple that with his wide vocal range (with occasional help from a voice changing device) and near Oscar worthy performances, and he might as well be the person he’s cosplaying as.


Watch

Straight out of a James Bond film, Lupin’s watch is more than just an outdated way of checking the time. It has a neat little trick up its non-existent sleeve: a grappling wire. It’s great for swinging around or wrapping up people. Is also loaded with several sedatives and poisons.


High Tech Monocle

A fancy piece of eyewear if Lupin ever wants to look like a distinguished gentleman… or hack into security systems. Also acts as a standard communicator.


Night Vision Monocle

Another monocle that lets Lupin see in the dark. It looks way goofier than his other Monocle. Good thing no one can see him wearing it.


Taser

Good for making unwanted guards go night night.


Fiat 500

Small. Compact. Packing WAY more horsepower than it reasonably should. Lupin’s set of wheels is as iconic as it is prone to getting abused by the guy thanks to being caught in the middle of so many car chases. If Lupin had a nickel for every time he was in a chase, he could probably bribe every police department into getting pardoned. Despite the many, MANY times it’s been damaged or outright lost, it always seems to find its way back in Lupin’s driveway by the next movie or episode. That’s probably where all his money goes. It’s not even the only vehicle he can drive up walls, and this one was a typical combat vehicle provided by the villain!


Hearsecopter

Yeah, you read that right.

Wingsuit


Metal Suit

A giant, metallic, bulletproof armor that comes from a lighter and dynamite. Where else but Part 3?


Bat Hangglider

Fun fact, in this movie there’s a guard reading a DC comic where Lupin’s chilling with the Justice League. That’s cool, right?


Portable Airbag


Balloons

Like a depressed old man who just wants to go to Paradise Falls, Lupin has an utterly ridiculous amount of balloons. So many in fact that they can lift the Statue of Liberty.


Bubblegum Ball

Tasty and safe! Just make a bubble and your trap problems are all gone! No refunds.


Amnesia Bubbles

Bubbles that cause short term memory loss to whoever pops them. Yes, I just said that. You’re just gonna have to live with it. The sooner you accept how crazy this series can get, the sooner we can learn from this experience.


Explosives

Lupin has a good chunk of ways to go out or in with a bang. Whether they’re the traditional cartoon bomb, sticks of dynamite, sticky bombs, time bombs, RPGs, flashbangs, smoke bombs, ducks, or even homemade, Lupin is in no shortage of literal firepower. He’s even created explosives that resemble his own hair if he’s feeling silly. 


Knockout Gas

Whether it’s a small ball full of gas that makes people pass out after a couple whiffs, a grenade or even a giant balloon full of the stuff, Lupin is one rather gassy fellow. He even keeps up the bird thing with a penguin shaped canister. (We won’t talk about the time he hid one in his pants to ward off a ninja dog.)


High Frequency Wave Generator

A silly little guy Lupin made to combat against the super spy Nyx to take advantage of his oversensitive sense of sound. It emits a piercing noise as long as it's active.


Phone

Lupin’s very own phone isn’t safe from some form of tomfoolery. It can create a blindingly bright flash of light to act as a flashbang and scan faces to print to use as masks.


Shoes

Yes, even Lupin’s shoes are full of surprises, favoring both style AND substance! Huh? Huh?... ok, tough crowd. Anyway, his shoes can act like bombs, turn into a phone, hold blades and hidden wires, or even let him fly. It even has a transmitter that when used, contacts a biplane that flies to his location and drops a bomb on it.


Dummies

Just when people think they got Lupin right where they want him, leave it to his many, MANY fakes to take the fall for him. Some grow to be absolutely massive, others help Lupin get ahead (you can’t stop my puns). Some become a smokescreen once they’re destroyed, while others like to fly south for the winter. And of course, it’s not Lupin if they don’t explode at some point. This seems to be his favorite variant of dummy, given just how plentiful this version is.


U Turn Sign

In what is probably the most bullshit thing Lupin has ever done, Lupin can pull a literal “no U” with inanimate objects with nothing but a road sign. Again, where else but Part 3?


Ultra High Performance Electricity Collecting Device

(Just call it a Shock Absorber or something.)

To break open a lock that required his body placed inside, and a million volts of electricity run through his body (the makers were kind of crazy) Lupin created a device overnight that absorbed all of the electricity inside, and could be shot back out as lightning bolts. I’m not kidding, the entire sequence is here.


Time Machine

Every now and then, one of Lupin’s old foes just so happens to come along and mess with time itself, and as a thief does, Lupin steals the contraption possible. On some occasions, the contraption was destroyed, but in one particular revenge scheme by several of his earliest enemies to erase him from history, Lupin came out in possession of the time machine itself! (Source: Is Lupin Still Burning!? OVA)


Abilities

Thief

Living up to the family name, Lupin is unmatched in the art of making things disappear right under the nose of anyone or anything foolish enough to keep something from him. He can steal bullets from a gun without the wielder noticing, stole a ring while looking directly at the person he stole it from, and one time robbed every single bank in Italy in a single night just to win a bet. He even stole his signature Walther in a duel against his father (Part ZERO, episode 6) without him realizing it.


Sharpshooter

Lupin’s skill with guns is nothing short of insane, consistently being able to make near impossible shots like they’re nothing. He can hit a pin head on while suspended in the air, shoot a bullet into someone else’s gun barrel, juggled a magnum cylinder, and was able to shoot off a woman’s choker without even grazing her skin. He and Jigen have fought each other to a standstill and the two are comparable in skill when it comes to their precision, which is notable as Jigen is able to unscrew a bolt by shooting it while in a speeding car.


Feats

Overall

  • Has stolen billions of dollar’s worth of valuables

  • Took out an entire army of assassins in less than a day

  • Outsmarted Leonardo Da Vinci while inside a dream dimension Da Vinci created and controlled (yes, really)

  • Constantly gets the better of Sherlock Holmes (both of them. Yes there’s two in this universe)

  • Defeated Zenigata, Mamo, Leonardo Da Vinci (again, yes really), every other member of his gang, time traveler Kyousuke Mamou (no relation), criminal underworld leader Mr. X, and many, MANY more


Strength


Durability


Speed

  • Has consistently dodged gunfire for most of his career

  • Can run fast enough to run on air and water

  • Outran this explosion

  • Moved so fast that Jigen and Goemon thought he disappeared

  • Scales to Jigen, who shot hundreds of bullets from a 100mph train car in the same spot over the course of less than two minutes, having to reload every time his six-shooting Magnum ran out of ammo, in his youth. (Part ZERO, Episode 2)

  • Scales to Goemon, who intercepted a lightning bolt with his sword, slashed apart the Golden Gate Bridge in a single slice, and split a faraway falling meteorite in two just because he was upset. (Mentioning this again because WTF???)

  • Intercepted dozens of lasers at once (.94c)


Intelligence

  • Has constructed countless gadgets with high tech capabilities that outshine the stated top scientists of the world several times

  • Has created and utilized disguises of people after barely looking at them, including of their voices, several times

  • Has a natural IQ of 300, lost it via physical abuse that took him down to 1 IQ, recovered from it at will, hastened his IQ to recovery PAST 300 by eating bluefish (Part 5, episode 6)

  • Sent his mind simultaneously into the subconscious of 60 million people (the population of Italy at the time) to defeat a super-clone of Leonardo da Vinci who had transmitted a copy of his mind into each person to replace them with his own. This required him to match wits in a mind-maze built by da Vinci, find the remnants of the original person within the mind-maze, and restore the original person’s willpower to fight back against Da Vinci. He succeeded with the entire population of Italy. (Part 4, episode 24)


Weaknesses

The only thing Lupin lusts for more than treasure and artifacts is women. More specifically, Fujiko Mine. Despite playing him like a fool for over fifty years, Lupin can easily be manipulated by her, and by a lot of women, honestly. On occasions, he’s able to get back at them, but a lot of the time he’s easy to fool once his horniness takes over his common sense. He also has a bit of an Icarus Complex in general, often announcing his heists and crimes ahead of time, giving his opponents plenty of time to prepare for his scheme. (He does not have a weakness for ALL women, thankfully, and was not vulnerable to the charms of the woman who married him. No, it wasn’t Fujiko.)


Credits

Blog created by GumballViking with help from Morkez Marihser and YUNG. Calculations provided by Stars. Majority of the gifs sourced from Lupin respect threads on reddit posted by CalicoLime, Video clips are provided by WeaselHusband and TMS’s official channel. Lupin may be a thief, but that isn’t an excuse for us here at Untitled Blog Fellows to steal work without crediting it. If you’re interested in Lupin after reading this, the official TMS channel has a large portion of Part 2, all of Part 4 (barring one filler episode) and the Mystery of Mamo movie. The entire series, save for Part 3, is available for streaming as of this writing on HIDIVE. Please support the official release.

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