Inspector Zenigata

Koichi Zenigata
Lupin III character
Zenigata drawn by Monkey Punch
First appearance	Lupin III chapter 1: "Dashing Appearance of Lupin III"
Created by	Monkey Punch
Voiced by	See Voice actors
Portrayed by	Shirō Itō (1974) Tadanobu Asano (2014) Ryohei Suzuki (2017)
Profile
Nickname(s)	Japanese: Tottsan English: Old Man Pops Gramps
Aliases	Heiji Zenigata VII (early manga and anime iterations) Detective Ed Scott (Toho/Frontier dub of The Mystery of Mamo) Detective Ed Cott (TMS subtitled print of The Castle of Cagliostro) Keibu Zenigata (Streamline dub of The Castle of Cagliostro) Detective Zenigata (Streamline/Manga UK dubs of The Mystery of Mamo, FUNimation dubs of TV specials)
Title	Inspector
Relatives	Zenigata Heiji (ancestor)
Nationality	Japanese
Affiliations	Interpol Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

Koichi Zenigata (Japanese: 銭形 幸一, Hepburn: Zenigata Kōichi^?), usually called Inspector Zenigata (銭形警部, Zenigata-keibu), is a fictional character created by Monkey Punch for his manga series Lupin III, which debuted in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967. He is named after the famous fictional Japanese detective Zenigata Heiji, whose descendant he is implied to be.

Inspector Zenigata was conceived as Lupin's arch rival to create a "human Tom and Jerry".

Monkey Punch has said that he believes the Lupin III story can never end but that if he had to, both Zenigata and Lupin would have to end as equals. They would either both fail, both win or both get very old.

Inspector Zenigata hails from Japan, city of origin unknown. According to Episode 0: First Contact, his original title was Tokyo Police Inspector whose original interest was the capture of Fujiko Mine and her then partner. His pursuit took him to New York where he met Arsene Lupin III for the first time. He left the Japanese Police Force in favor of enlisting in ICPO (Interpol) for the sake of specifically bringing Lupin to justice. For a brief period between the first and second TV series, Zenigata was demoted to a beat cop in an unknown location of Japan.

Zenigata has made it his life's mission to arrest Lupin. The other members of Lupin's gang are targeted for apprehension as well, but Zenigata usually ignores them when Lupin himself is present. Lupin and Zenigata appear to be the worst of enemies, but in the anime they are, in a manner of speaking, friends; something Lupin shows openly (often by greeting Zenigata with mock affection), but it is an idea Zenigata is extremely reluctant to entertain. Similarly, he is often awed by Lupin's genius. Zenigata has an attachment to Lupin with the belief that no one should kill him or worse, capture him, besides Zenigata himself. Lupin's opinion of Zenigata is a little less caring, but still filled with respect. He often seems amazed that Zenigata can keep up with him. At times he's overwhelmed by how much thought Zenigata has put into his traps for Lupin. In instances where Zenigata has been injured in the field or believed dead, Lupin avenges the Inspector by hunting down his attacker.