"Lupin III: Part 1" 55th anniversary campaign announced
Wow, how time flies!
2026 will mark a whopping milestone for the 1971 animated television series, Lupin III: Part 1 - with it celebrating the 55th year since its initial television broadcast. To mark the occasion, TMS have revealed a brand-new logo featuring a Part 1 style Lupin leaping out of an old-fashioned CRT TV.
Editor’s note: Hey - CRT TVs aren’t that old, are they?! I guess I am aging rapidly in real-time here…
The original green jacket animated show had a turbulent initial run, with only twenty-three episodes broadcast and a changing of key staff members part way through. This resulted in a shift in the shows direction and tone, switching from a thrilling adaptation of original Monkey Punch manga for adults, into a more family-friendly romp. While it was no doubt stressful for the people at the television network back in the 1970s, in my opinion, in 2026, it helps to make the show feel more unique, interesting, and exciting.
It is currently unclear whether TMS will be posting anything else to celebrate the shows 55th anniversary - but seeing as though they have gone through the effort to create a logo, I would expect something later in the year. The shows first episode, "Is Lupin Burning...?!", first aired on October 24th, 1971, so it would be cool to get something around that date in 2026 to help celebrate! Previously, the 50th anniversary was met with celebrity messages, artwork, and making of videos that are still worth checking out, if you haven’t seen them already.
If you are yet to catch Part 1 and don’t mind jumping in at random points, you can have a read of our Top Picks feature article from a couple of years ago. There are so many fantastic episodes in the original TV series, it is absolutely worth watching them all - but hey, in today’s busy society, not everyone may have the time! If you are living in the United States, you can pick the series up on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, and there is even an English language audio dub featuring Tony Oliver and the rest of the current English cast.
