Lupin III

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the escapades of master thief Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of novels. Lupin III began serialization in Weekly Manga Action in August 1967 and has spawned a media franchise that includes several manga, seven animated television series, six theatrically-released animated films, two live-action films, twenty-six animated television specials, two musicals, and numerous music CDs and video games. The manga was released in North America by Tokyopop between 2002 and 2004. Premise The predominately episodic chapters of the manga follow the crimes of Lupin III, grandson of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. Considered the world's greatest thief, Lupin is known for announcing his intentions to steal valuable objects by sending a calling card to the owners of his desired items. A master of disguise and ruthless killer who is often hired to work as a mercenary or bodyguard, Lupin is typically pursued across the globe by Inspector Koichi Zenigata. Lupin often runs into Fujiko Mine, a beautiful female thief who typically uses her body to get what she wants or to make her targets easier to kill. The character Daisuke Jigen often works as a bodyguard or hitman, and is the person Lupin teams up with most frequently. Another recurring character is Goemon Ishikawa XIII, a master swordsman. Due to the episodic nature of the series, Lupin might work with Fujiko, Jigen or Goemon in one chapter, and then try to kill them in another. Although this mainly applies to the earlier chapters, as they work together much more frequently as the series goes on.