The 25 Best Lupin III Episodes! (1971-2022)

Thanks for making lupin content

You cant watch Lupin III here in Denmark🇩🇰, so i never watched it. But this series actully made me buy a VPN, and I saw Part 1, 2 & 4. It seems like a very fun series.

I've been looking forward to this! I think that this is a pretty great list that I agree most of the choices. I wonder if you could maybe make a worst Lupin stories list. I'm a huge fan and yet I can say that, especially in the first 3 parts, there are plenty of stories that I think are extremely weak.

Solid list, I have to agree completely on the Part 5 finale being so high up. Were there any episodes you wanted to squeeze in but couldn't?

I love that you made this video cause I definitely would have liked to know your ranking. Also congrats on the move and hope it went smoothly! Appreciate the content as always and sending you only the best vibes!

I haven't finished all of Part 2, so instead of my top 25 I'll give you my favorite episode from each series.

Part 1: Episode 17, "Lupin Caught in a Trap". There's huge competition here from episodes like 2, 9, 13 and many more, but I always loved this one in particular, classic Lupin episode with great humor and a very fun antagonist and plot.

Part 2: Episode 145, "Albatross Wings Of Death". Haven't finished Part 2 so far, but from what I've seen this one's a no brainer, it's not a coincidence it's considered to be the best Lupin episode ever.

Part 3: Episode 30, "A Cocktail Named Revenge". I love Part 3 overall but it has very few standout episodes. My favorite has to be episode 30 cause I love its vibe and it's based on my favorite chapter from possibly my all time favorite Lupin manga, Sexy Lupin (though they did cut the multi page sex scene out lol).

TWCFM: Episode 10, "Dead City". My favorite Lupin episode of all time, simply amazing in every regard, the best of "serious" Lupin content. Though episode 1 is also a worthy shootout and my favorite first episode of any series by far.

Part 4: Episode 20, "To Hear You Sing Again". Probably the saddest Lupin episode to date, just beautiful. Though almost all Part 4 one off episodes are contenders here, as much as I mostly dislike the Part 4 story, they absolutely nailed the non plot related stuff.

Part 5: Episode 3, "The Killers Gather in the Wasteland". Part 5 is my favorite series and I love almost every single episode soo I don't even know, I picked this one cause I love all the manga references and action (this episode alone has more action than most of Part 6 as a whole) but in truth I don't have a favorite Part 5 episode, with very few exceptions they're all sensational.

Part 6: Episode 23, "The Memories of a Beloved Witch". This episode is what Part 6 should have been and what the teasers had promised it would be, period. Amazing episode in an extremely lackluster and disappointing series, though episode 10 is a notable close second.

Lupin Zero: Episode 3, "The Grandson of the First Vies for Succession". Incredible episode from top to bottom and surprisingly close to the manga! Definitely the highlight of Zero, though all episodes are good.

Amazing vid, one of my fav episodes is the Zeppelin one of Red Jacket, I asked Lex Lang about that episode with the voice actors playing new characters as disguises for Lupin and Gang

It's perceptive how there is so few Jigen episodes, but everyone of them is a banger

the… uh… hayao miyazaki part 2 episode with nausica. I hope its in here

As someone who (oddly) is consistently bored on every rewatch of Cagliostro I cant deny 'Albatross' is PERFECT Lupin.

Glad to see 'Darwin's Bird' on the list as well. It feels a truncated verions of Oishii's aborted Lupin film.

The only episode I was surprised to NOT see was Season 5, Episode 18 'Fujiko's Gift' – certainly a favorite.

Last, and most important, congrats on the move! Best of luck settling in!

Lovesick Pig I thought was great because it showed the fujiko and Rebecca are smart ladies, at or close to Lupins level. And it was fun to boot!
Love this retrospective and showed my wife your DKC one. Looking forward to more as you get settled in. Thanks for all the hard work!

In regards to that mask scene in Part 5, I do want to talk about it in an in-universe sense. As a metanarrative element, I think it's worth talking about but I believe a good metanarrative should function both in-universe for the story, as well as in a meta sense.

So when Lupin reveals his face, we can only see a silhouette of it. When has this occurred before in Part 5? Well, in the credit sequence where Lupin and Fujiko are on a sort of honeymoon. This is specifically during the shot of both of them in the rain. The whole credit sequence itself is very dream-like so it's hard to really say what's real and what's not, but that shot is one of the only ones I can draw parallels to. I think others like when they were facing the seaside and when they were in bed together also counts.

What am I getting at here? Well, I think what Lupin showed Fujiko was a facial expression. The same one he had, during their honeymoon. Come to think of it, we never really see Lupin's face whenever it was only him and Fujiko in the same shot. We only see his face when he hung out with the rest of the guys in the bar area.

But why did Lupin had to be so dramatic about it? Well, in episode 2, Lupin doesn't like to express his thoughts and feelings explicitly. In fact, he thinks it's super lame. This is specifically when Ami questions Lupin's motivation for keeping her around. He hides behind flowery language when questioned. Fujiko does the same but uses mysterious language. Like in episode 22, when she meets with Lupin, she says she will be his final heist or something like that. But Ami chimes in to say what Fujiko meant was that she truly does love him.

I think they have always loved each other. They kept it exciting and exploit their love for each other by using betrayals, their battles of wit and sex appeal to keep each other guessing. It's a mirror to Monkey Punch's relationship with his wife, where they would fight. Sure it's odd, but it's what's fun for them.

I think their marriage is what sowed doubt in Fujiko. She explains there really isn't any tension or excitement in their marriage but when Ami asked what is suitable for them, Fujiko is uncertain. As if her previous dynamic with Lupin has also been called into question. I believe that's why in episode 24, Fujiko Han Solo-ed Lupin when the conventional ways of expressing his love doesn't work. As if going back to the status quo with their dynamic wasn't enough for her. I think even going back to their previous dynamic won't give her that answer either because how Lupin acted before might've been a facade or an act to her.

So what is the meaning behind that facial expression we can never see? Well, I think it's Lupin's way of saying, "I have always loved you, Fujiko. This is the face that's reserved for you and only you. This is the same face I showed you when we spent time together. When we were happy together. Can you recognize it?"

But what did Ami and Enzo see? Well, I think they were led to believe that Lupin had an entirely different face, but didn't see it. I don't think they can because Lupin is facing his back towards them the whole time. It's a little flakey I know, but this is the best I can come up with.

But that's my interpretation of it. I don't know whether if it's right or wrong. I'm happy to hear other people's interpretations of it.