#lupin VIII

[foone]

So in 1981, DIC (a French television company) partnered with TMS Entertainment (a Japanese entertainment company), and they went on to work together on many projects. One of the first was Lupin VIII.

The idea was to make a new Lupin the 3rd series set in the future, featuring descendants of the Lupin the 3rd characters (who are of course very much like their ancestors).

This fell through after completely animating the first episode, because the estate of Maurice Leblanc (who created the character of Arsène Lupin) demanded royalties too large for the series to justify.

So the show fell through. Lots of work had been put into the show, scripts had been finished, many characters designed... And DIC decided to not let it go. They removed the Lupin the 3rd elements and refocused the show on the character who had been the descendant of Zenigata, the policeman. This character was a bumbling policeman with lots of gadgets wearing a trenchcoat...

So they named him Inspector Gadget.

[thesandlorde]

did a little lupin VIII art trade with @jeypawlik since i've never drawn this funky little guy before and i think he looks cute with a pompadour sometimes

[ssserf]

[rowanberrypop]

cutie patootie space guy

[jeypawlik]

We're Gay

Sketchpage inspired by a gifset on tumblr that I cannot for the life of me find now but it seemed so in character I couldn't help myself. And some Lupin VIII soft boys! [Image ID: Sketch page with three drawings done in blue ballpoint pen. The first is Lupin and Jigen in a small bathtub together, they're not wearing clothes but you can only see them from the waist up and their knees above the water of the tub, Lupin looks at Jigen concerned and says "This is gay." Jigen has an indifferent expression on. The next drawing is similar to the first, except Jigen responds "We're gay." The last drawing is Lupin and Jigen from Lupin VIII, the space alternate reality. The two of them are in a huddle together looking at one another with concerned expressions. A handwritten note above them reads "Some soft boys". /end ID]

[prismmxrose]

Fun fact

Inspector Gadget wouldn't exist without the failed Lupin the 8th pilot. They even had their own proto-Penny called Alice who Goemon babysits for most of the pilot.

Since the Leblanc estate forced to pull the plug on Lupin VIII, the animators and staff were moved to create Inspector Gadget instead!

[katskan1994]

Zenigata VI is a short king!!

[bestoflupiniiipoll]

Best of Lupin III Poll

[galactica7071]

this motherfucker is in one full anime episode and 8 manga chapters bro I'm cooked

[walks-the-ages]

okay, nice, I didn't know the pilot for this had ever been released! Doesn't have voice acting lol, but from what I've read on another post this is what eventually became Inspector Gadget.....? don't quote me on that lol.

Lupin VIII / Lupin the Seventh / Arsene et Cie / Arsene & Co.

He's a detective instead of a thief, like the plot of The Barnett & Co. Agency / l"Agence Barnett et Cie

[decodium]

arsene lupin, eighth of his name

[southernbaphomet]

my own take on Lupi VIII! this boy is surrounded by sapphics...

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

This is Inspector Zenigata from the over-50-year-old Lupin III franchise (1967–present); these stills/subs are from the blu-ray release of The Mystery of Mamo (1978). However, you're not entirely wrong! Inspector Gadget came about because of a scrapped Lupin III spinoff show: Lupin VIII, a futuristic, five-generations-later, decidedly more kid-friendly version of the franchise proper. The studios involved (TMS and DiC) ran into copyright issues with Maurice LeBlanc's original Arsène Lupin character (this frequently happened with overseas dubs of Lupin III as well), but they wanted to recoup their investment and created Inspector Gadget (1983) to fill the timeslot instead.

This is the part where I admit I'm not terribly familiar with Gadget outside of this deep lore; other than the space setting and visual resemblance to Zenigata (and to another inspector, The Pink Panther (1963)’s Clouseau), I'm not sure how far the similarities go.

Gadget aside, I need you all to know that Zenigata and the titular Lupin III (the man he's yelling after above) are this batshit insane/homoerotic about each other in all the best installments and have been since the beginning.

INTRICATE RITUALS

[zenigatacaps]

[jeypawlik]

Lupin VIII Art Trade

A Lupin VIII related art trade that I did with my good bud Amiel (go follow him)! Here’s the one he did too~

[prismmxrose]

At this point there's should be no doubt Inspector Gadget has its origin on a scrapped Lupin project.