Zenigata Catch ‘Em all
Do you know how hard it was coming up with a pun that hadn’t been used in a dub episode title?
(Please don’t sue us, Nintendo)
According to the TV special Bye-Bye Lady Liberty, outside of being from the Saitama prefecture, Inspector Kochi Zenigata was born on Christmas Day! So let’s take some holiday time to celebrate Lupin the Third’s lifelong rival.
One Chance for a Prison Break (Part 1, Episode 4)
(Available subtitled and dubbed)
Content Warning: This episode depicts flashing lights, several methods of death/execution, and implied references to suicidal ideation.
Inspector Koichi Zenigata is a man with one purpose: to catch and bring to justice the master thief Lupin The Third.
So what happens when…well, that actually happens?
Based on one of the first issues of the manga (which, in itself, was based directly on an Arsène Lupin story — thanks, granddad!), “One Chance for a Prison Break” explores what happens when Zenigata gets what he most wanted… and what Lupin does when he’s left for a year alone in a jail cell.
(Grows a beard, mostly.)
This episode explores the psychological side to Zenigata’s obsession with Lupin, as well as Lupin’s relationship to Zenigata, and what the two men are to one another. Due to its earliness in the series and heavy manga influence, it’s also more hardboiled than a lot of Lupin cartoons.
Tooru Sawaki, who wrote this episode, also wrote two other Part 1 episodes: “A Hitman Sings the Blues,” which featured Fujiko and her former partner-in-crime, and "Hunt Down the Counterfeiter!,” which was originally going to be the fourth episode in the series and is often credited as being the precursor to The Castle of Cagliostro. He wrote several unaired, unanimated episodes of Part 1, as well.
The recent dub translates the script very well, keeping the balanced-on-a-wire tension that permeates the episode tight. A highly recommended watch!
Red Jacket Shenanigans
Content Warning: These episodes depict Part 2-typical violence (guns, assault, bodily harm), violence against women, and suicidal ideation.
Being the main opponent in the show — it’s hard to be a true antagonist when the main character sees you mostly as a challenge (and sometimes as someone who will actually help him, depending on the situation) — Zenigata got a lot of love during Part 2. Here’s a few episodes where Inspector Zenigata shines:
Renowned Detectives in the Sky
(Also Known As “The Case of the Risible Dirigible”) (Part 2 Episode 15)
(Available subtitled and dubbed)
Written by Yutaka Kaneko, who was responsible for a large chunk of Part 2, as well as the Lupin VIII pilot and a number of pink movies. More about his work can be read over in You’re A Good Man, Daisuke Jigen!
An Austrian noble with a thing for blimps invites Lupin III and four well-known detectives — one being Zenigata, of course! — on his airship, taunting the master thief to steal a rare jewel from him. This episode is a rare one because of the 5 main characters, Zenigata is the only one we see for the majority of the episode… as far as we know, anyway.
The Woman Pops Fell in Love With
(Also Known As “Zenigata Getcha into My Life”) (Part 2 Episode 69) (Nice)
(Available subtitled and dubbed)
Written by Noboru Sugimura, who also wrote for the video game Resident Evil 2, as well as a number of Tokusatsu (live action TV shows with fantasy elements, like giant monsters or superheroes) shows like Kamen Rider. A very different take on Inspector Zenigata, and a look at the tiny sliver of love life a man like him is allowed when chasing after a thief like Lupin the Third. Rescues, destruction, heart-stopping threats… being interested in Koichi Zenigata is dangerous!
This episode is notable, animation-wise, because it was where Yuzo Aoki took the reins for some of the animation. His style is much looser and more cartoony (a good standout episode showing his work was “1999: A Popcorn Odyssey,” episode 124 of Part 2, where he did the character designs for the non-Lupin gang characters), and he would go on to be the chief director for Part 3!
Pops Hostage Rescue Operation
(Also known as “Rescuing Pops,” “Hostage Rescue Operation: Daddio”) (Part 2 Episode 82)
(Available subtitled only)
When Inspector Zenigata is taken hostage by a group of Napoleonic terrorists, it’s up to Lupin and the gang to save him. But what if Pops doesn’t want to be saved by the man he’s been trying to catch for so many years?
This episode was written by Mitsuo Aimono, who gave us a few other great Part 2 episodes where Zenigata and Lupin’s rivalry is explored. This episode is a charming look into what makes these two men tick, where their loyalties lie, and learning that justice might just be a little on the odd side.
This episode has far too many different titles because of Lupin’s nickname for Zenigata. In Japanese, Lupin calls him “とっつぁん” (“tottsan”), an outdated form of a word that means “old man” or “gramps” — making fun of his age, but in an affectionate way. Inspector Zenigata became “Pops” thanks to the Geneon English dub in 2003, where director Richard Epcar scripted the name because it matched the number of mouth flaps the characters would use when they called him by the nickname. Zenigata has been Pops ever since!
Blue Jacket Development
Zenigata’s Pride and the Desert Dust (Part 5, Episode 4)
(Available subtitled and dubbed)
When faced with threats to his life from some of the world’s worst assassins, Lupin can count on Jigen and Goemon to back him up. But who can he count on when the one who has him in their sights is his beloved Fujiko Mine?
Why, Koichi Zenigata, of course.
Written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, who has worked on anime such as Azumanga Daioh and Devilman Crybaby, as well as created the series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, this episode explores a much more modern take on Lupin and Zenigata’s relationship in comparison to the more deeply psychological look in “One Chance for a Prison Break.” The new character introduced in Part 5, Ami, observes the possible romantic implications of Zenigata’s obsession, something that fans have been enthusing over for years.
A fun, slightly silly — to a degree, considering how the episode ends — look into how Lupin and Zenigata are when they’re forced to work together, even if it’s just to get Lupin to the border so Zenigata can arrest him properly.
Zenigata, Gentleman Thief (Part 5, Episode 20)
(Available subtitled and dubbed)
What happens when heists get too easy, and Lupin starts to wonder what happened to the man who’s always on his tail? That’s the plot of this episode, a throwback to the silliness of Part 2 (yeah, this is technically a red jacket episode!), and written by Shatner Nishida, who also did the script for the fantastic TV special that was very in the spirit of the red jacket series, Prison of the Past.
Set in Russia, a little while after the last time the gang saw Pops, they come across a man called who calls himself Moneta…and looks remarkably like a certain police inspector. It turns out, a little too much alcohol and a bonk on the head have given Zenigata amnesia… and all he can remember is the expert moves of a certain thief. So, he takes up thievery!
A wonderful look at the other side of Lupin and Zenigata’s relationship — from Lupin’s point of view (with some teasing from Jigen and Goemon, of course).
Inspector Zenigata Live-Action Series
(Subtitled only)
Kanichi Kurita (Lupin III) does the opening narration for the series
Having been around so long in manga and anime form, Lupin III and his gang have dipped their toes into the live action world three times: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy, the first ever Lupin III movie from 1974; Lupin III, an adventure drama from 2014; and Inspector Zenigata, a series from 2017, and in my personal opinion, the best live action interpretation of the Lupin gang ever, even though the only member we ever really see is Inspector Zenigata.
This series is absolutely brilliant, but also much more violent and bloody than most of the cartoon, and includes murder, threats, hostage holding, violence, and gore. However, if you don’t mind a show similar to Law & Order, but with our favorite police inspector as the main character, it is well worth a watch!
Ryohei Suzuki nails it as Inspector Zenigata, taking his extreme enthusiasm and making it work in live action. Scenarios that seem like they should be ridiculous — jumping off balconies, running up the stairs of most of a skyscraper, shouting in a way that seems like it should blow out your vocal chords; normality for a cartoon character but a bit absurd for an actual person (with slight apologies to Zenigata’s voice actors, who do a wonderful job screaming) — flow beautifully, never breaking that sense of disbelief that cartoon remakes so often butt up against.
Making a guest appearance in the pilot episode as one of the suspects, and shown here eating Cup Noodle, Koichi Yamadera — the current voice actor for Inspector Zenigata in Japan.
The series is divided into three parts: the pilot, featuring two assistants to help with the case, and two spin-off series, each 4-episode series featuring one of the two assistants featured in the pilot. The “Jet Black Crime File” and “Crimson Investigation File” explore what Inspector Zenigata does when he’s not chasing Lupin The Third, as well as aspects of his personal life that the anime and manga don’t go into, ranging from peeks at his love life and friendships, to Zenigata being a bit of a foodie, to his old-fashioned ways working with modern technology.
It’s one of the best takes on Inspector Zenigata’s character, and highly recommended viewing!
Whether the hardboiled cop he was portrayed as in the manga, the goofier Tom to Lupin’s Jerry he was seen as in Parts 1 through 3 and several of the TV specials, or the very confident (but still very obsessed) detective he tends to embody today, Koichi Zenigata will always be a part of the Lupin III gang…even if he’s not usually on the same side of the law as the rest of it.
So, here’s to another year being chased (and sometimes helped!) by the amazing, outrageous, and ever vigilant Inspector Zenigata!
