Since the 1960s, Lupin The 3rd has been a heavy part of the medium of anime, spawning countless television series and feature-length films over the decades that have followed the Gentleman Thief. First created by deceased mangaka Monkey Punch, the series has recently hit its fiftieth anniversary and a number of major names in both the anime and manga industry have taken the opportunity to honor the franchise. Currently, Lupin The Third Part 6 is the latest season in the long-running franchise which pits the anime thief against none other than Sherlock Holmes, as Lupin is framed for the murder of Dr. Watson.
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To kick off the celebration, the creator of the Detective series, Case Closed, Gosho Aoyama shared a new picture of Fujiko Mine, the femme fatale who has appeared more times than we can count over the history of the series. In the past, Lupin and Conan have faced off as two movies were released that crossed the two universes over with one another via Lupin The Third Vs. Detective Conan. Hilariously, Gosho notes that he expects the franchise to see “Lupin The Eight Vs Detective Conan The Third” make an appearance fifty years into the future if both franchises are still going strong:
Animator and Director Kazuhide Tomonaga, who has been a part of several Lupin The Third projects over the years including movies and television series, took the opportunity to not only share his love of the franchise but also film a live drawing of Lupin and Jigen to help celebrate the fiftieth birthday of the Gentleman Thief:
Finally, the screenwriter of the Great Pretender series, Ryota Kosawa, and the actor who portrayed a live-action version of Lupin character Zenigata, shared artwork of their own to help celebrate the many decades of history for the anime franchise:
If you haven’t had the chance to catch up on the latest Lupin series, TMS Entertainment has released an official description of the series that pits the world’s greatest detective against the world’s greatest thief:
“His name is Lupin III. He is a gentleman thief whose grandfather was the renowned phantom thief Arsène Lupin. When it comes to the art of thievery, there is nothing Lupin III cannot steal; whether it be jewels, works of art, hidden treasures, the secret to immortality, or the heart of a pretty girl.
Lupin’s partners are Daisuke Jigen, a great gunman; Goemon Ishikawa, a master swordsman; Fujiko Mine, a devilishly clever femme fatale. There is Inspector Zenigata, a relentless ICPO officer, consumed with an obsessive desire to apprehend the masterful thief.”
