The Lupin The Third franchise is legendary. Since its debut in 1967, the series has spawned tons of manga, TV shows and movies. Of course, just as with any long-running franchise, it has its ups and downs, with some parts of the franchise being adored, others disliked and some decidedly mediocre. Now, fans are debating how the new Lupin series will be received, with many saying that the popularity of Lupin III: Part 5 will lead to Lupin III: Part 6 failing to impress audiences.
Lupin The Third Part 5: Misadventures in France was a 24-episode OVA released in 2018. The series followed the dashing thief Lupin as he wound up in modern-day France with his gang of friends, including Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Fujiko Mine and Daisuke Jigen. However, the group soon gets involved in a massive criminal conspiracy. When they steal digital currency from the dark web site Marco Polo, several shadowy figures set their sights on Lupin and his friends. On top of this, his old adversary Inspector Kouichi Zenigata is still hot on his tail, keen to bring him down. The series also introduced the new character of Ami Enan, a teenage hacker who finds herself tangled up in the gang's antics and the grander conspiracy.
Fans adored Part 5, as it did everything they wanted a Lupin The Third show to do. It brought the gang into the modern world while retaining their dynamics and natural chemistry. It had a fun overarching plot arc that perfectly balanced comedy, thrills and mystery, and the new character fit the story perfectly, feeling like she had been there for years while at the same time serving a specific purpose within the plot. On top of this, the series ended perfectly, with many fans saying they thought it could be the perfect ending for the franchise as a whole, as every single thread was wrapped up with a nice, tight bow.
When the plot of Lupin The III: Part 6 was announced, fans were instantly interested that a character introduced in Part 5 was said to be returning, making this into a sequel to the previous part rather than a new, unconnected story. Part 6 follows Lupin and his gang as they attempt to find a strange treasure. However, this treasure has been hidden by a secretive group called The Raven. Their search hits a snag when Lupin becomes a suspect in the murder of Dr. Watson, the long-time partner of famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes.
While the format of Part 6 is similar to that of Part 5, the main hurdle it has to overcome is audience expectations. Part 5 was a fantastic show that was lauded as 2018's best anime by many critics. In fact, it was near-universally praised, even by viewers who otherwise had little interest in the Lupin franchise. Because of this, Part 6 has to be as good as Part 5 at a bare minimum. Simply being decent won't cut it. Fans expect greatness, and Part 6 will need a fantastic story and many memorable moments to even get close to the glory of the last series. Of course, due to the nature of Lupin's mystery and intrigue-based plots, we likely won't be able to tell how well it has done until the end, when the mystery's solution is revealed and all of the plot threads have been tied up.
Will Part 6 be as popular as Part 5? Only time will tell. Anime history shows how hard it is to deliver a satisfying sequel, and Part 5 left some big shoes to fill. Still, having to live up to past glories is a good problem to have. It is better to fail by not reaching past greatness than to disappoint out of simple mediocrity (or worse). And no matter how well Part 6 does, it is clear that this won't be Lupin's final adventure -- after all, the character is one of the most enduring and iconic in the history of Japanese media.
