When it comes to some of the longest, most recognizable anime franchises in the medium, many fans might immediately think of the story of the Gentleman Thief. Lupin The Third first hit the scene thanks to its creator Monkey Punch in 1967 and has remained a part of the anime world ever since. Despite the mangaka’s tragic passing in 2019, Lupin’s story has continued in both its manga and anime adaptation ever since as the anime figures are sure to receive stories for years to come. Case in point, a new Lupin The Third movie has been announced for next year that not only will create a new original story for the anime thief, but will bring back a legendary director.
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To help hype the next film in Lupin The Third’s vast film library, TMS Entertainment has confirmed that anime director Takeshi Koike will be returning to the franchise. In terms of this anime franchise, Koike has quite the history as the director has helped bring to like entries including Lupin The Third: Fujiko Mine’s Lie, Lupin The Third: Goemon’s Blood Spray, Lupin The Third: The Gravestone of Saisuke Jigen, and Lupin The Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. Takeshi Koike isn’t just known for Lupin The Third however, as the anime creator also had a hand in the likes of Trigun: Badlands Rumble, Afro Samurai, Samurai Champloo, The Animatrix, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Ninja Scroll.
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Lupin The Third’s Big Comeback Trailer
As of the writing of this article, the new Lupin The Third movie has yet to reveal its official title or release date, simply confirming that it will arrive in Japan next year. The story of the film is billed as an entirely new work, meaning that this won’t be a remake of any previous films and/or won’t rely on any past manga stories to help in bringing Lupin back to the screen. Alongside the announcement, the next movie for the Gentleman Thief revealed a brand new trailer that shows what the animation from TMS Entertainment will look like while hinting at what is to come.
Lupin The Third’s 2-D Return
While Lupin has appeared quite frequently on the small screen, and even recently released an anime film using CG-animation to create a wild new take on the Gentleman Thief, this upcoming film marks for quite the comeback. The 2025 release will be the first time that a 2-D drawn Lupin The Third film has been released into Japanese theaters in thirty years, with the previous entry being Lupin The Third: Dead Or Alive. The feature-length film hasn’t been confirmed for a North American release as of yet, though it’s a safe bet that even if it doesn’t hit Western theaters, the movie will come to streaming in some shape or form.
The upcoming film’s story remains a mystery though there is one fairly big clue that is given to fans in the new trailer. The tagline at the end of the new footage is “You Don’t Know The Real Lupin Yet,” which certainly might have anime fans speculating as to what they don’t know about anime’s most recognizable thief. Whatever questions surround this new film, we’re sure to have them answered next year when Lupin returns to the silver screen.
Want to see what the future holds for the Gentleman Thief and his merry band of anime heavyweights? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Lupin The Third and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.