What is the order of the Lupin the Third movies?

By Alex Wiggan

In 1969, popular manga series, Lupin III, was adapted for film, via the animated short, Lupin the Third. This 12-minute film – directed by Masaaki Ōsumi – was conceived as a mini-movie that would hopefully pave the way for a much longer feature.

Sadly, that feature film didn’t quite happen, as the short movie went unsold. However, the short was then adapted for television, which kick-started a Lupin the Third anime TV series, which in turn produced a feature-length spin-off movie of its own.

Then, as the years rolled on, more Lupin the Third movies followed, both in animation and live-action, creating a huge Lupin the Third film franchise in the process. But how many Lupin the Third movies are there and what is the correct viewing order?

For all the details (including a list of the Lupin III television shows) keep reading!

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The Lupin III TV series in order

First up, let’s take a look at the Lupin III television shows, which first hit screens back in 1971. To date, there are seven shows which aired in the following order:

Lupin the 3rd: Part I (1971 – 1972) – 23 episodes
Lupin the 3rd: Part II (1977 – 1980) – 155 episodes
Lupin the 3rd: Part III (1984 – 1985) – 50 episodes
Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (2012) – 13 episodes
Lupin the 3rd: Part IV: The Italian Adventure (2015) – 26 episodes
Lupin the 3rd: Part 5 (2018) – 24 episodes
Lupin the 3rd: Part 6 (2021 – 2022) – 25 episodes

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The animated Lupin III movies in order

Next up, let’s look at the animated movie series, which began in 1969 with the short pilot film, before continuing in 1978 with The Mystery of Mamo.

To date, and including the 12-minute pilot short, there are twelve entries in the animated Lupin III movie series. The movies appear in the following order:

Lupin the Third: Pilot Film (1969)
Lupin the III: The Mystery of Mamo (1978) (aka Lupin III)
Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
Lupin the III: Legend of the Gold Babylon (1985)
Lupin the III: The Fuma Conspiracy (1987)
Lupin the III: Farewell to Nostradamus (1995)
Lupin III: Dead or Alive (1996)
Lupin the III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie (2013)
Lupin the III: Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone (2014)
Lupin the III: Goemon’s Blood Spray (2017)
Lupin the III: Fujiko’s Lie (2019)
Lupin III: The First (2019)

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The Lupin the Third OVAs/ONAs in order

In addition to the shows and movies listed above, Lupin III has also been featured in a collection of OVAs (original video animations) and ONAs (original net animations). The Lupin III OVAs/ONAs were released in the following order:

Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy (1987)
Lupin III: Return of Pycal (2002)
Lupin III: Green vs. Red (2008)
Lupin III vs. Cat’s Eye (2023)

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The live-action Lupin III movies in order

As well as the TV series, the animated films, and the OVAs/ONAs, there are three live-action Lupin the Third movies. The live-action films were released in the following order:

Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974)
Lupin the 3^rd (aka Lupin III) (2014)
Daisuke Jigen (2023)

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The Lupin III television specials in order

And if all of the above wasn’t enough, the popular franchise has also produced a long-running series of feature-length television specials, which date back to the late ‘80s. Each Lupin the Third TV special runs around 90-minutes in length, with entries appearing in the following order:

01) Bye-Bye, Lady Liberty (1989)
02) The Mystery of the Hemingway Papers (1990)
03) Steal Napoleon’s Dictionary! (1991)
04) From Russia with Love / Bank of Liberty (1992) (aka From Siberia with Love)
05) Orders to Assassinate Lupin / Voyage to Danger (1993)
06) Burn, Zantetsuken! / Dragon of Doom (1994)
07) The Pursuit of Harimao’s Treasure (1995)
08) The Secret of Twilight Gemini (1996)
09) Walther P-38 (In Memory of the Walther P38) / Island of Assassins (1997)
10) Memories of the Flame: Tokyo Crisis (1998)
11) Da Capo of Love: Fujiko’s Unlucky Days / The Columbus Files (1999)
12) $1 Money Wars / Missed by a Dollar (2000)
13) Alcatraz Connection (2001)
14) Episode 0: First Contact (2002)
15) Operation Return the Treasure (2003)
16) Stolen Lupin: The Copy Cat is a Midsummer’s Butterfly (2004)
17) An Angel’s Tactics – Fragments of a Dream Are the Scent of Murder (2005)
18) Seven Days Rhapsody (2006)
19) Elusiveness of the Fog (2007)
20) Sweet Lost Night – Magic Lamp’s Nightmare Premonition (2008)
–) Lupin III vs. Detective Conan (2009)*
21) The Last Job (2010)
22) Blood Seal – Eternal Mermaid (2011)
23) Record of Observations of the East – Another Page (2012)
24) Princess of the Breeze – Hidden City in the Sky (2013)
25) Italian Game (2016)
26) Goodbye Partner (2019)
27) Prison of the Past (2019)

*Lupin III vs. Detective Conan is a crossover between Lupin III and the Detective Conan franchise.

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Writer/Editor/Anime Character

Alex Wiggan

Alex is a writer, editor, and blogger specialising in movies, TV, comics, retro toys, and general geekery. He is a championing voice in nerd content, an expert in pop culture, and a trusted movie critic who publishes new reviews on a weekly basis. After graduating with a degree in film & television studies from the University of Derby in the UK, Alex went on to study journalism in Sheffield, before acquiring NCTJ accreditation. Prior to a career in blogging, Alex was a magazine editor, a senior copywriter, a features writer, and a freelancer.

Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about the Lupin the Third movie series. For more movie posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.