Lupin III - Media - Anime - Television Series

Television Series

See also: List of Lupin III episodes, Lupin III Part II, List of Lupin III Part III episodes, and List of Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine episodes

On October 24, 1971, YTV began airing the first Lupin III television series. The series, which featured Lupin wearing a green jacket, was broadcast for 23 episodes, with the last one airing on March 26, 1972. The first seven episodes of the series, along with episodes nine and twelve, were directed by Masaaki Ōsumi, while the remaining episodes were directed jointly by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. The music was composed by Takeo Yamashita with many songs performed by Charlie Kosei. On July 12, 2011, Discotek Media announced they licensed the first series for a North American DVD release on June 26, 2012.

The second Lupin III television series began airing on NTV on October 3, 1977. This series, in which Lupin wears a red jacket, was broadcast for 155 episodes, with the last one airing on October 6, 1980. Episodes 145 and 155 were directed by Hayao Miyazaki under the pseudonym Teruki Tsutomu, and they marked his final involvement with the Lupin franchise. The music for the series was composed by Yuji Ohno. On September 3, 1979, Episode 99 was the first ever anime television episode to be broadcast in stereo. Geneon Entertainment, which was at the time was called Pioneer Entertainment, began distributing the second television series in North America in 2003. Streamline released episodes 145 and 155 of the second television series to VHS as "Lupin III's Greatest Capers". Geneon hired Phuuz Entertainment Inc. to adapt and translate the series. The first 79 episodes were released on 15 DVDs and the first 26 episodes aired numerous times on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

The third Lupin III television series, called Lupin III Part III, began airing on YTV on March 3, 1984. This series, in which Lupin wore a pink jacket, was broadcast for 50 episodes and ended on December 24, 1985. In 2009, the Southern California based "United Television Broadcasting" network began airing subtitled episodes from all three series. It appears to be the only broadcast of the first and third show in America.

In 1982, an animated television series called Lupin VIII was planned as a French-Japanese co-production, featuring the descendants of Lupin, Goemon, Jigen, and Zenigata, but was never completed. Two scripts were written, and one episode, entitled "The Man From the Past", was fully animated with a music and sound effects track, but the voice-overs were never recorded.

In April 2011, it was reported that a new Lupin animated television series would air in the fall on NTV. However, NTV then said the project was only a TV special (Blood Seal - Eternal Mermaid which aired in December), not a series. In March 2012, Toho Cinemas announced that a promotional video for a "new television series premiering in April" will be shown at a Lupin 40th Anniversary event. The series, titled Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (LUPIN the Third -峰不二子という女-, Rupan Sansei Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna?), aired on NTV between April 4, 2012 and June 27, 2012. The 13 episode series depicts Fujiko meeting the rest of the Lupin III cast for the first time, and was created to capture the "sensuality" present in Monkey Punch's original manga in its "daring interpretation" of the franchise. On April 7, Funimation Entertainment announced they would simulcast the series on their website and Nico Nico. They later confirmed that they have additional home video rights to the series.