TMS Entertainment and Wright Film have announced that the Japanese manga series Lupin III will be getting a new anime, titled LUPIN ZERO, in December, and it will launch on a streaming service to be revealed at a later date. The world premiere will happen at the Anime NYC event, scheduled for November 18-20, and the full anime will consist of six episodes in total.

LUPIN Zero depicts the youth and growth of the titular protagonist Lupin III in 1960s Japan, the same period of high economic growth as when the original Lupin the Third was serialized. In conjunction with the announcement of the anime, producer Koji Nozaki and director Daisuke Sakamukai have commented on the production and explained how they came up with the ideas and the main themes of the story.

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Sakamukai crafted this story from the memories and references of Lupin's adult self in the original manga, as the story of Lupin's boyhood has never before been revealed or adapted before in animation. Lupin III's age and nationality are unknown, but there is no doubt that he was once a boy, and since he appeared first in the story in 1971 at the Hida Speedway, it made sense to start from there and explore the motivations that led him to become the enigmatic adult thief — and the inspiration for Persona 5's Joker — we all know today.

LUPIN ZERO LUPIN III's Younger Self On Top of the School Roof with the Sky Behind Him

Sakamukai also adds that fans will be able to witness a new side of Lupin that was underexplored in the original series. In the main story, he is an adult with an air of mystery, but he could bend the rules and achieve what he wanted easily, unlike his child self, who is weaker and less experienced. The new anime will portray more of Lupin's wits and ingenuity to compensate for that lack of strength, and even those who are already familiar with Lupin the Third may enjoy seeing him in this new light.

Many of the production members are veterans who have worked before on the Lupin the Third: Part 5 movie and many other prominent anime works, such as Sakamukai (Animation Director of Yokai Watch), series composition director Ichiro Okochi (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress), setting designer Haruichi Shirado (Jormungand), and character designer Asami Taguchi (Chain Chronicle). Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist Otomo Yoshihide (Inu-Oh) will be handling the music and soundtracks.

Lupin the Third is a popular Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato, better known under the pen name Monkey Punch. The manga portrays the witty adventures of the master thief Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of the famous fictional gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. It has received seven different anime adaptions so far, and the same number of movie adaptions, produced by TMS entertainment.

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