Lupin III (manga)

Lupin III
First English-language volume of Lupin III released by Tokyopop.
ルパン三世 (Rupan Sansei)
Genre	Action, Comedy, Kaitō
Manga
Written by	Monkey Punch
Published by	Futabasha, Chuokoron-Shinsha
English publisher	NA Tokyopop
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Weekly Manga Action
Original run	August 10, 1967 – May 22, 1969
Volumes	14 (List of volumes)

Lupin III (Japanese: ルパン三世, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei^?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the escapades of master thief Arsène 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 on August 10, 1967 and has spawned a media franchise that includes several manga, five 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.

Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of the fictional gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin, is considered the world's greatest thief, known for announcing his intentions to steal valuable objects by sending a calling card to the owners of his desired items. His right-hand man and closest ally is Daisuke Jigen, an expert marksman who can accurately shoot a target in 0.3 seconds. Although Lupin and Jigen frequently work as a two-man team, they are often joined by Goemon Ishikawa XIII, a master swordsman whose sword can cut anything, or Fujiko Mine, a femme fatale and Lupin's love interest. Although Fujiko usually works together with the others, she occasionally exploits Lupin's interest in her to steal the treasure for herself. Lupin and his gang are constantly chased by Inspector Koichi Zenigata of the ICPO, who has made it his life's work to arrest them, pursuing Lupin across the globe.