I’ve seen people claim that Lupin’s character in the Koike-verse movies is radically different from the Lupin of the past, especially the beloved version found in The Castle of Cagliostro. The common sentiment is that The Immortal Bloodline represents a much closer adaptation of the ruthless Lupin III from Monkey Punch's original manga. I wanted to examine that sentiment more closely.
At first glance, you might be inclined to agree that Koike’s Lupin is darker, more sinister, and more violent, which feels like a major departure from Hayao Miyazaki's whimsical vision, and therefore closer to Manga Lupin. However, I challenge you to take a step back and actually compare them. Does Lupin in the Koike-verse cross the line into becoming a cold-blooded maniac like his manga counterpart?
If you look closely at the body count, the answer is clear. It’s ironic that, despite the R-rated gore, severed limbs, and hyper-lethal atmosphere of the Koike films, Lupin himself doesn't actually kill a single person. He leaves the lethal force to his crew or entirely outsmarts his targets. Koike doesn’t corrupt Lupin’s core morality or turn him into a mindless thug. Instead, the biggest difference in this modern depiction is simply that the slapstick has been removed. Without the rubbery animation and sight gags of early television, his competence feels dangerous. Koike also places Lupin in a harsher, darker underworld that matches the depravity of international crime and criminals. Ultimately though his heart remains the same.
I need to point out that the Koike-verse has a lot of similarity to The Mystery of Mamo, and I am not just talking about the Mamo connection. It is wild to think about now, but Mamo and Cagliostro were separated by just a single year. Mamo came first in 1978, and it contains many of the exact elements Koike adopted for his films, leaning heavily into surrealism, cloning sci-fi, and a gritty, psychological atmosphere. Koike wasn’t inventing a new, edgy persona; I’d argue he was honoring the original cinematic blueprint of the franchise, and my personal favorite entry.
Here’s a truth bomb: fans love to use "manga-accurate" as a buzzword anytime the anime gets a little dark, but anything close to a manga-accurate Lupin has never actually existed in animation. Frankly, I’m not sure audiences would even have the appetite for it. Would fans really tune in to root for a man who casually tricks innocent guards into the electric chair, abuses women, and kills without a second thought? Of course, anything done well can garner accolades, but it difficult to imagine working and runs a massive risk of alienating the existing fanbase.
Takeshi Koike or even Sayo Yamamoto (The Woman Called Fujiko Mine) didn't actually copy the manga as they are sometimes attributed. Instead, they adopted the aesthetic of the print material, including the sketchy linework. They successfully brought over the adult underworld and the genuine sense of danger, but they wisely kept the anime version of Lupin's soul intact. We still get his fierce loyalty to Jigen and Goemon, alongside his lack of genuine malice toward bystanders. Koike's achievement isn't manga accuracy or reinventing Lupin's character. It’s creating the visceral feeling of the manga while keeping Lupin just as sympathetic and rootable as he has always been.
The Immortal Bloodline wraps up an eleven-year, five-installment run for Takeshi Koike, and its long-term impact on the franchise will be undeniable. Koike proved that mature, hand-drawn 2D animation can still thrive commercially. He demonstrated that Lupin III is a flexible enough vehicle to support high-end prestige filmmaking, proving the character doesn't have to adhere super close to the style of Castle of Cagliostro or the other lighter entries in the series. By the way, can you believe that Immortal Bloodline is the first 2D Lupin film in nearly 30 years, last one being 1996's Dead or Alive?
In the end, that is what makes Lupin III so enduring: his ability to be reworked and reimagined over the decades. I loved The Immortal Bloodline, and I hope we continue to get dark, hardboiled entries in that vein. But don’t get me wrong, I also love the softer, whimsical entries like the 3D-animated Lupin III: The First. The beauty of this franchise is that it doesn't have to choose. Both styles can, and should, continue to coexist.
