Lupin the Third Part 6: the fiftieth anniversary

Part 6 premiered on October 10, 2021, fifty years after Part I, running 24 episodes plus an Episode 0 to March 27, 2022. The first half pits Lupin against Sherlock Holmes in London, with Lupin the suspect in Dr. Watson’s murder and a shadow organization called the Raven holding the board. The second half turns inward, following a woman named Tomoe who may be Lupin’s mother. Guest writers included Mamoru Oshii, and series composition passed from Takahiro Ōkura to Shigeru Murakoshi at the midpoint.

Episode 0 carries the era’s real farewell: it is the final performance of Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Jigen, a role he had held since the 1969 Pilot Film, 52 years. Akio Ōtsuka took over from episode 1. And the anniversary wardrobe told the story at a glance: the jacket on the posters was green again.