Lupin III Part 6 Anime Teases Sherlock Holmes Plot, Writer Mamoru Oshii, October 9 Debut

The official Twitter account for the Lupin the 3rd anime franchise revealed more story details, more staff, a new key visual by character designer Hirotaka Marufuji, and the October 9 premiere for the Lupin the 3rd Part 6 television anime series on Wednesday.

The guest writers include director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, Vladlove), veteran scriptwriter Masaki Tsuji (Astro Boy, Kyojin no Hoshi, Umi no Triton), popular mystery novelist Taku Ashibe (Murder in the Red Chamber), adventure and science-fiction novelist Akio Higuchi (Zone), and mystery and suspense novelist Kanae Minato (Confession). Yumi Matsumiya, Kōichirō Bizen, Hiromasa Ogura, Wataru Nishizawa, Beom Seon Lee, and Yūsuke Takeda are directing the art, and Hiromi Miyawaki is the color key artist. Akemi Sasaki is the compositing director of photography, and Masato Yoshitake is editing. Youji Shimizu is directing the sound, and Hiromune Kurahashi is handling the sound effects.

The new series will center around two keywords, with "mystery" being the keyword of the "first cours" (quarter of a year). The thief Lupin is after a treasure hidden by The Raven, a mysterious organization that manipulates the British government in the shadows. However, the detective Sherlock Holmes appears before Lupin.

Oshii was once involved in the development of a Lupin the 3rd film project that never saw the light of day, and Tsuji and Higuchi have penned Lupin the 3rd novels. Oshii said that he never dreamed that he would get another chance at Lupin, and that series script supervisor Takahiro Ōkura told him, "Please write whatever you like." He is grateful that the production team will use his script.

Ōkura said that when he was asked to incorporate mystery into Lupin the 3rd, the name Sherlock Holmes came to mind. Okura added that Holmes is the only one who can go head-to-head with the Lupin family, who have confounded police in countries all over the world.

The series will premiere on the NTV channel in Japan on October 9 at 24:55 (effectively, October 10 at 12:55 a.m.), and it will also run on NTV's affiliates as well as on Hulu and other streaming services in Japan. Sentai Filmworks licensed the new series for home video and streaming in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavian countries, and all Nordic Countries.

The new anime's original soundtrack, featuring the latest new arrangement of the theme song by franchise veteran Yuji Ohno, will go on sale on November 3.

Sentai Filmworks describes the story of the new anime:

Gentleman thief Lupin III is back and ready for his next caper— unless legendary sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, has anything to say about it! When Holmes' longtime partner, Dr. Watson, is murdered, none other than Lupin tops the suspects list. With Holmes fast closing in, Lupin must prove his innocence and bring a shadowy organization called The Raven to heel if he wants to live to steal another day.

Maurice Leblanc's original French stories about the thief Arsène Lupin served as a loose inspiration for Monkey Punch's more boisterous Lupin the 3rd character, and some of the stories famously pitted the original Lupin against Sherlock Holmes (renamed "Herlock Sholmes" after objections by Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle). Toei Animation pitted the original Lupin against Holmes in the 1981 television special, Lupin vs. Holmes.

The new season will commemorate the original anime's 50th anniversary.

Eiji Suganama (Lupin III: Prison of the Past) is directing the series at TMS Entertainment. Takahiro Ōkura (Lupin the Third: Part 5) is in charge of the series scripts. Hirotaka Marufuji (Lupin III: Goodbye Partner) is designing the characters. Yuji Ohno (Lupin III) is composing the music. The late Monkey Punch is credited for the original work.

Monkey Punch's Lupin III manga about the titular thief's escapades inspired five previous main television anime series, the Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine television anime series, several theatrical anime films, and a near-annual string of television anime specials.

Lupin the Third: Part 5 is the most recent television anime in the franchise. The anime premiered on NTV's AnichU programming block in Japan in April 2018. Crunchyroll streamed the series in Japanese with English subtitles as it aired in Japan. TMS Entertainment USA offered the series' first 12 episodes for digital purchase in the U.S. on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Digital in November 2018. Adult Swim's Toonami block began airing the anime in June 2019.

Lupin III: Part IV was the first Lupin III television anime series in three decades to star the titular character, and it premiered in Japan in October 2015, after first premiering as Lupin III - L'avventura Italiana on Italian television in August 2015. The story took place in Italy and San Marino, and it featured a blue-jacketed Lupin in his 20s. Crunchyroll began streaming Lupin III: Part IV in January 2016. The television anime then premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami block in June 2017 with an English dub.