When the live-action mystery thriller Lupin arrived on Netflix in 2021, many anime fans did a double-take as the show’s title and elevator pitch sounded similar to that of the beloved franchise Lupin III. In an era where many manga and anime stories are jumping to live-action, fans would be forgiven for thinking Lupin was a live-action take on the legendary Japanese franchise.
While Lupin and Lupin III share many similar story elements, they are not directly linked to one another. Lupin is not a live-action adaptation of Monkey Punch’s famous manga and anime series, nor is it based on it. However, the two shows do share one major connection. Both are inspired by the same source material: the legendary character Arsène Lupin, created by Maurice Leblanc.
How Lupin III and Netflix’s Live-Action Lupin Are Indirectly Connected
Arsène Lupin debuted in a short story published in Je sais tout magazine in 1905. He is a talented gentleman thief who, while working on the wrong side of the law, is a hero. The character soon became massively popular, with his adventures being collected into 24 best-selling books. Other writers took the thief and put their own spin on him by writing sequels to the original Leblanc stories, or creating other gentleman thief characters inspired by Lupin.
Netflix’s Lupin and the Lupin III anime both directly reference Leblanc’s character, though they do it differently. Lupin III’s lead and titular character is said to be the grandson of Arsène Lupin. However, this link caused legal issues for Monkey Punch when the franchise first came to North America and parts of Europe because Arsène Lupin was still under copyright, meaning the character had to be renamed in those territories. For instance, in France, the series was called Edgar, Detective Cambrioleur until 2012, when the original Lupin stories entered the public domain.
In Netflix’s live-action Lupin, the lead character Assane Diop is angry when his father is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, leaving him an orphan. However, the young Diop is inspired by a book of Arsène Lupin stories his father gave him. He becomes a modern version of the gentleman thief, teaching himself all the skills a modern-day Lupin needs. When he’s older, Diop works to get revenge on the family that framed his father, enacting several of Arsène Lupin’s most legendary heists and tricks in the process.
Should Lupin III Anime Fans Watch Netflix’s Live-Action Lupin?
The live-action Lupin and the animated Lupin III are very different shows, with one of the most noticeable differences being their tone. Lupin III is wacky and comedic, with its cast of misfits getting involved in many silly situations that often grow more chaotic as the story progresses. Lupin, however, has a far more serious tone as a dramatic thriller. While it does have its humorous moments, they are usually dry and witty as opposed to Lupin III’s slapstick and over-the-top style.
Netflix’s Lupin is also a much more grounded series. While viewers can debate the real-world practicality of some of Assane Diop’s schemes and methods, the show is based on real-world scenarios and physics. Lupin III takes things in a much more fantastical direction, with the gang frequently defying all laws of reality during their set pieces. Many of the animated stories — be it in the movies or the mainline anime — have supernatural or sci-fi elements, with Lupin frequently encountering magical treasures and villains attempting to pull off ludicrous world-domination schemes.
Despite their differences, Lupin III fans will likely enjoy Netflix’s live-action Lupin since both are character-driven gentleman-thief stories at the core. Both series feature a hyper-capable but down-on-their-luck hero getting one over on the rich and powerful by performing bold and complex heists with many moving parts and double-crosses. While they are differing characters, Lupin and Assane Diop share an unmatched audacity and an underdog quality that makes them easy to root for and makes their stories all the more fulfilling.
Lupin and Lupin III capture what made the original adventures of Arsène Lupin so gripping and memorable, using these elements to tell a new story that fits their respective genre and medium. Anime fans looking for something a little different can check out the first two parts of Lupin on Netflix while waiting for Japan’s take on the gentleman thief to once again land on screens.
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