With its two-episode premiere, Lupin Zero really set the bar high. Fans weren’t quite sure what to expect from the prequel at first, but it’s proven to have all the same heart as the original Lupin anime that everyone is familiar with. The first two episodes gave viewers a more in-depth look into Lupin’s (voiced by Tasuku Hatanaka) upbringing while showing just how he and Jigen’s (voiced by Shunsuke Takeuchi) infamous relationship started. We always knew he was talented, but seeing Lupin succeed at high-level heists, even at sixteen, is crazy! So far, this series has been nothing but laughs and pure entertainment, and with four episodes left, it’s sure to get better from here.
- The episode opens with Lupin surprising Jigen as he looks at a photo of a necklace. He tries to get Jigen to engage him in a playful sandwich-buying competition, and when Jigen refuses, Lupin reveals he stole the photo. After getting it back, Jigen still refuses to entertain Lupin, saying he doesn’t have time for these childish things.
- On a train, Jigen meets his client, an old man traveling with two henchmen. They show him the necklace, and Jigen departs to check the other train cars for potential threats.
- A cart salesman tries to sell Jigen sweets, only for him to realize it is actually Lupin. Lupin tells Jigen he intends to steal the very necklace he is protecting before distracting Jigen and running away.
- In another car, Lupin meets a young girl named Marinal, who appears to be a shaman. She seems to be searching for something, which he soon learns is the exact necklace he plans to steal. He offers to help, and she says no at first until Lupin informs her that someone is protecting the necklace.
- Back in the train car, the old man and his henchmen discuss whether or not the necklace is cursed. Just then, Marinal and Lupin enter the car in disguise. She immediately recognizes the necklace and throws a cloud of ashes to distract the men.
- They escape with the necklace, only to find themselves face-to-face with Jigen in another train car. Despite pulling out his gun, he hesitates to shoot Lupin, giving him and Marinal a chance to escape at the next train stop.
- Lupin and Marinal sneak onto another train, where he asks her why she’s so interested in the necklace. She tells him it was stolen from her king’s grave, and Lupin wonders if Jigen knew that when he took this job.
- The old man and his henchman find Lupin and Marinal, throwing him off the train before stealing it and driving away.
- Jigen is in charge of watching Marinal, who informs him that the necklace is stolen. This upsets him, as he thought he was doing honest work for a university professor.
- Lupin sneaks back onto the train and finds Jigen and Marinal in a train car filled with chicken coops. The old man and one of his henchmen find them, taking Marinal hostage with a gun. They threaten to shoot her if Lupin doesn’t jump off, but Jigen manages to shoot the gun out of the older man’s hands first.
- After tossing the old man and the henchman off the train, the other henchman jumps off as well, leaving no one to drive the train. In an attempt to keep the train from driving into town, they end up derailing it entirely. However, the accident is a lot better than it could’ve been.
- Lupin and Jigen go to see Marinal off. She thanks them for helping her and gives them her earrings in return.
- At school, Lupin gives Jigen half of the money made from selling Marinal’s earrings. Again Lupin asks Jigen to engage in a friendly lunch-buying competition with him, and although he says no, he runs off to purchase a sandwich anyway.
Lupin Zero season 1, episode 3 release date
Episode 3 is scheduled to release on HiDive on Friday, December 23rd, 2022. Episode 3 is titled “The Grandson of the First Vies for Succession” and will have a run time of approximately 25 minutes.
Where to watch online
Viewers worldwide can catch Lupin Zero season 1, episode 3, with a subscription to HiDive on the date mentioned above.
Predictions
If there’s one thing I know about Lupin, he’s always guaranteed to land himself in an unexpected dilemma. Predicting just what his next heist is going to be almost feels impossible, but let’s see if we can’t get a few guesses right!
- The preview for next week showed Lupin’s grandfather, who he is named after. This isn’t his first time appearing animated, but it will be one of the first times viewers see him interact with Lupin, as he’s already deceased in the original anime. Lupin didn’t seem to speak fondly of him, so I assume they are going to butt heads or not get along at all.
- Despite the fact I don’t think they’ll get along, I think Lupin’s grandfather will have a heist for him. Lupin says his grandfather wants him to compete in a competition, in fact. Considering Lupin’s father doesn’t seem to want him taking up a life of crime, this may create tension between all three of them.
- If we’re meeting Lupin’s grandfather for the first time, I wouldn’t be surprised if we met his father in the same episode. It’ll be halfway through the season by then, so there’s only so much time left. He may even be competing in the same contest as Lupin, as it sounds like a family competition.
