Spoilers Underappreciated Side Character Appreciation Thread (Freak of the Week & The Joe Chronicles)

[Bründelkärf]

shit now I want to learn German just to watch the dubs, tbh I grew up when they had the 4kids style dub for Cagliostro, german dubs sound so flipping based.

I think you mean the one where Lupin is called Hardyman and Goemon does not exist.
I think it is defenetly not good, it has one or two good lines, a terrible Jigen BUT despite all these faults, it still had the best German Zenigata. He was sadly only in this one.
But still, not a good Dub. XD

 

[lupingavemebrainrot]

I think you mean the one where Lupin is called Hardyman and Goemon does not exist.
I think it is defenetly not good, it has one or two good lines, a terrible Jigen BUT despite all these faults, it still had the best German Zenigata. He was sadly only in this one.
But still, not a good Dub. XD

it still sounds better than 4kids, like I am sorry but the earliest lupin dubs I saw prior to adult swim, they all sucked it felt like watching saturday morning cartoons.

 

[lupingavemebrainrot]

Side character from wfcm, fidel castro.
why did they make a dictator look like a chad in this anime episode? and why does japan over simplify communism as "poor people good, rich people bad."? ngl though I am sure this depiction of a dictator would make everybody feel an uprising in their lower classes if you get what I am saying.

 

[beardedangel]

IT IS TIME ​

Spoiler: CW for Teeth Stuff, Car Crashes, Death of Loved Ones, and Miscellaneous Bummers

Long time, no see. Y'know, I prefer to write these things whenever I'm feeling silly...

... but, there has been a severe lack of silliness the past couple of months...

I got a toothoid object surgically removed. My vehicle broke down in the middle of the highway and I ended up in a ditch. My grandmother passed away. I took a little mental health break from the Internet, and, during that time, I got locked out of this account because the email I use just decided on a whim it didn't like getting messages from the Lupin Club anymore... good times.

Nevertheless... I'm all healed up, the vehicle crud is sorted out, I've come to terms with grief and know my grandmother is at peace... and, I'm beginning to feel silly once more, slowly but surely. I've been trying to do better when it comes to remembering the importance of mental health. I tried to bounce back from the surgery, the wreck, and the death of a family member like everything was fine, but... much like my stupid crusty old clunker of a vehicle I bought second-hand, I, too, ended up breaking down.

In short... I write this to remind you to be gentle to yourself. 🩷

Today, I'd like to shine some light on King, from Lupin III, Part 5, Episode 3, "The Killers Gather in the Wasteland"! I'm also gonna discuss his manga appearance, in Lupin III, Volume 2, Chapter 11, "Lupin Empire in Good Health"/"Hail to the King", because I think it's buckwild. Please keep in mind, I'll be using the Tokyopop English translation--- let me know if there are differences in the original Japanese or other translations, though, I'd be curious to see!

Spoiler: Part 5, Episode 3 + Volume 2, Chapter 11

So, I'll start with his anime appearance, because there's a lot less going on here.

Long story short, Lupin and the gang are roped into a death game, where people on the Internet bet on which of the professional assassins competing will be the first to kill Lupin. King is one of the contestants there... and, that's about it.

What makes his appearance in Part 5 more interesting to me, however, is King's use in the manga. Like... the untapped potential for angst and drama in the Part 5 anime episode haunts me, y'all. Let me explain...

The Lupin Empire is NOT in Good Health, actually. Lupin gets himself injured in a train wreck. (And, I swear to God, I did NOT choose this chapter due to recent personal events, lol, I just wanted to talk about King and forgot the chapter begins like this.)

Okay, so, Lupin is in the hospital, and, some dude just, like, waltzes right in and tries to shoot him point blank right in front of the doctor and nurse like an absolute madman. UM??? SIR??? Unhinged behavior. But, like Han Solo, Lupin shot first in spite of his wounds. Some time later, he wakes up in Fujiko's house, who informs him that his father, Lupin II, is dead, and that everyone in the Lupin Empire is out to get him... even her. And, as she adds... even Jigen.

Ah, early Lupin manga, you and your cheeky little quirks... it's interesting to look back on concepts MP was experimenting with. Lupin specifies that Jigen is an old friend, though Lupin does mention how he and Jigen "didn't always get along". However, Jigen is now working under King, the new head of the Lupin Empire. Granted, much like how modern Jigen would never even think to double-cross Lupin, Jigen is only serving King because...

... and, get this horseshit...

... King is holding his sister hostage.

EXCUSE THE FUCK ME, WHOMST???

JIGEN HAD A SISTER??? APPARENTLY???

To those of you who live in the alternate universe where MP decided to explore this concept further, please tell me what it's like living in the best timeline.

In all seriousness, we do see shreds of Jigen's devotion to Lupin, where, even though he is forced to help someone else, he still apologizes to Lupin for the shitty circumstances and even defends Lupin when both Fujiko and King underestimate Lupin's skills... I feel this sort of works as a better Goodbye Partner proto-Goodbye Partner. Jigen is, for the most part, a passive character. Shit happens to him, and he's just like, "welp, I guess this is my life now " --- King is a pompous jerkass, but Jigen still back-talks and sasses him when he gets the chance. King throws a little bitch fit whenever Jigen reminds him of how pissed Lupin will be once he discovers King is the one responsible for killing Lupin II, but Jigen does not retaliate whenever King shatters a vase on his head. To me, it shows he's just, in Lupin's oh-so-eloquent Tokyopop translation words, "be[ing] bitch to the top dog" order to protect his sister--- yet his true loyalties lie with Lupin in the end. Though, we do never get closure on whether or not Jigen's sister is alive in the end, which is unfortunate. I guess she exists in the same shadow realm MP banished Jigen's brother to.

King is an asshole, plain and simple. He's the one responsible for the train wreck, which resulted in the deaths of 53 people, including Lupin II. He usurps the title of the leader of the Lupin Empire for himself. He and orders his unnamed henchman and Jigen to kill Lupin in order to tie off the loose ends. Speaking of Jigen, King holds his sister hostage in order to secure his cooperation. He also wins over Fujiko to his side, and ends up sleeping with her. THIS GUY KILLED LUPIN'S DAD AND HE STOLE LUPIN'S WOMAN, HIS MAN, AND HIS WHOLE ASS CRIMINAL EMPIRE... YET, HE APPEARS AS A SINGLE ONE-OFF CAMEO IN THE ANIME??? Someone please explain this to me, the math is not mathing. This man won. He literally won. He's accomplished more than what most other villains in this series could ever hope for, and managed to steal everything of worth to Lupin.

Hell, Jigen is even on the verge of executing Lupin once Fujiko lures him over and subdues him, but... Lupin snuck a bomb under Fujiko's shoe, and both she and King explode in the middle of their premature copulatio--- er, I mean, celebration.

I need a melodramatic re-write of Episode 3 where King is depicted as the true menace he is. I need this so bad.

 

[jojosuibhne]

I need a melodramatic re-write of Episode 3 where King is depicted as the true menace he is. I need this so bad.

suddenly the single gear in my head is turning. ever so slowly......the fanfic potential is insane....girl his haircut and outfit though i'm this poor despicable man deserves better

(*hugs* glad you're around and taking care of yourself 🩷 it's good to have your brand of silliness on the site again!)

 

[beardedangel]

suddenly the single gear in my head is turning. ever so slowly......the fanfic potential is insane....girl his haircut and outfit though i'm this poor despicable man deserves better

(*hugs* glad you're around and taking care of yourself 🩷 it's good to have your brand of silliness on the site again!)

His goofy ass got the Pycal emo cut with the Zenigata butt-chin combo.

I forgot to mention in the post, but this is what King looks like in the manga.
... they really said "( |:C⊐ (≗⌉ ∋ ∑/:^\≻", huh?

(And, thank you very much. 🩷 It's good to be, at the very least, back in small doses. I missed y'all.)

 

[Giovanni]

JIGEN HAD A SISTER??? APPARENTLY???

She also (maybe) almost appeared in Part 1! Since the unproduced episode 26 would have adapted 3 manga chapters, including this one.

I guess she exists in the same shadow realm MP banished Jigen's brother to.

The whole Jigen's brother thing is kinda... debatable. because i'm pretty sure the word Jigen uses is kyōdai, which while it COULD be refering to a biological brother, it's most commonly used as a term of respect for another member as an equal, like the yakuza.
It all depends on what MP's thought process was when writing that dialogue...

 

[beardedangel]

She also (maybe) almost appeared in Part 1! Since the unproduced episode 26 would have adapted 3 manga chapters, including this one.

The whole Jigen's brother thing is kinda... debatable. because i'm pretty sure the word Jigen uses is kyōdai, which while it COULD be refering to a biological brother, it's most commonly used as a term of respect for another member as an equal, like the yakuza.
It all depends on what MP's thought process was when writing that dialogue...

That's super interesting, thank you so much for contributing this, Giovanni!

I love Part 1 so, so, so much, but I always wished it was longer. I never knew there were more episodes planned, that's so cool! I wonder if the scripts are floating around out there, somewhere. If so... I'm not saying we as a community should make a multi-editor project to bring them to life or anything... unless... Ican'tanimateforshitbutI'dtotallybedowntocontributepoorlyexecutedliveactionsegmentsinmygodawfulcosplay...

Yeah, The Tokyopop translation does not seem to get across these subtle intricacies, which is a little unfortunate. I mean, I appreciate it's existence because I wouldn't be able to read the manga otherwise (aside from fan translations ), but... yeeeaaah, there's some room for improvement. But, I imagine that's just an issue with most translations as a whole, things tend to... for a lack of better words... get lost in translation lol.

 

[Giovanni]

I never knew there were more episodes planned, that's so cool!

From what i've seen, there were 6 scrapped episodes for Part 1, the 3 i mentioned previously (one of them got an adaptation in a untranslated manga called Lupin III H) that were scrapped after the low ratings. And 3 more that got axed when the directors changed, but the script for these episodes were actually re-used for Part 2 episodes! They became eps 29, 46 and 97.
As for the scripts still floating around, i've never seen them, but i know there's actually the full script for a unproduced Part 2 episode, the title was gonna be "The Great Breakthrough of the Berlin Wall", even including some reference maps (for what i assume would be the layout for the location in the episode).


On the topic of King again, his chapter was actually adapted again in the manga i mentioned previously, Lupin III H, i like how the Jigen design in this chapter is based on the og manga.

 

[beardedangel]

From what i've seen, there were 6 scrapped episodes for Part 1, the 3 i mentioned previously (one of them got an adaptation in a untranslated manga called Lupin III H) that were scrapped after the low ratings. And 3 more that got axed when the directors changed, but the script for these episodes were actually re-used for Part 2 episodes! They became eps 29, 46 and 97.
As for the scripts still floating around, i've never seen them, but i know there's actually the full script for a unproduced Part 2 episode, the title was gonna be "The Great Breakthrough of the Berlin Wall", even including some reference maps (for what i assume would be the layout for the location in the episode).
View attachment 4200View attachment 4201View attachment 4203

On the topic of King again, his chapter was actually adapted again in the manga i mentioned previously, Lupin III H, i like how the Jigen design in this chapter is based on the og manga.
View attachment 4204View attachment 4205

GIOVANNI, back at it YET AGAIN with the coolest content I've ever seen in my entire life OMG!!! I'm so excited to see more King content exists, thank you so much for sharing this! This is the type of stuff I live for, you've just made my day.

I love the designs here, too, the art overall is very striking! Not to sound like I'm dunking on MP, I absolutely adore the original manga style with all my heart. It's so scrunkly, I love it. But the artwork you've shared here, I enjoy it, too. It's faithful, with the pointier isosceles triangle manga Jigen, while also doing its own thing. And, King, with the eye patch??? To me, this version of him is the best of the three I've seen (Lupin III, Lupin III H, and Part 5) in terms of design, hands down.

I spy a familiar cutie patootie in that crowd!

Actually, I see another character who looks similar to someone I've covered on here before:

He kinda reminds me of good ol' Flinch! Specifically, the one from Part 1, where he was a henchie to Baron Ukraine.

Now, it's probably just a coincidence, bald men in turtlenecks are allowed to exist independent of one another... but, in beardedangel land, it's Flinch, and he ended up working for King after Baron Ukraine died. King is just collecting henchmen to notorious criminal underworld bosses like Pokémon.

 

[beardedangel]

I'd like to discuss Amelia, from
Part 6, Episode 20, "Two Terrible Ladies".

Spoiler: Part 6, Episode 20, "Two Terrible Ladies"

THIS IS SO SAD!!! GIVE FUJIKO MORE LADY FRIENDS

... please

I like it when Fujiko hangs out with the girlies. I especially like it when she has supportive, non-toxic relationships with the girlies. I need an episode where Fujiko goes on a road trip with Ginko from Part 1 (who I discussed on, like, page 3 of this thread), Gretchen from Part 3, and Amelia from Part 6. It is not a want, but a need. YOU CAN DO IT, LUPIN III THE ANIME, YOU CAN PASS THE BECHDEL TEST MORE OFTEN, I BELIEVE IN YOU

We first see Amelia when she interrupts Fujiko in the middle shopping for a new dress for a date night with Lupin (who's getting himself gussied up for their date while hacking into some top secret dark web network). She and Fujiko used to be partners-in-crime in the past, and, she's come to ask Fujiko for her help stealing an expensive necklace off of an up-and-coming leader of a cult called the Church of Ayon, for old times sake. Fujiko isn't so enthusiastic about the whole thing, recounting how their heists together were often amateurish and slapdash (which she attributes to Amelia)--- through flashback, we see the events of a heist where Fujiko and Amelia attempt to steal from some rich AI tech bro () named Grayson. Because of Amelia's more carefree and forgetful demeanor, she and Fujiko get caught in the act--- Grayson then attempts to brand Fujiko??? With a glowing, red hot iron??? In order to "lay claim" to her and "make her his property"??? () But, Amelia kicks one of his guards in the head in the knick of time, resulting in enough of a distraction for Fujiko to shove Grayson, so the brand lands square on his face. As he deserves.

Anyways, Fujiko does agree to help Amelia, and notices how she's changed during their time apart from one another--- Amelia is shown to be a cheerful, happy-go-lucky, optimistic woman in the flashback, yet, she demonstrates she's been trying to put an end to some of her more negative habits, like smoking. Of course, she's still fun-loving, positive and upbeat, in contrast to Fujiko, who's on the more focused, realistic, and serious end of the spectrum.

The two arrive on the island of Atlas where the Church of Ayon is hidden. Amelia devised a scheme for the two of them to infiltrate in to the cult, disguised as nuns. Buuut, it just to happens that the cult leader is none other than Grayson himself, who still is pissed off about the whole "accidental branding on the face" thing. Amelia pulls a Fujiko, and pretends to sell out her bestie. Then, Grayson pulls a Mister X, and captures her, stripping Fujiko down and strapping her down to a device so he can brand her ()...

However, like I mentioned, Amelia and Fujiko planned the whole thing to go down like this. Although left to believe the heist is for the necklace, Amelia reveals to the viewer that, because of Grayson, she was one of countless girls stolen from her home and sold into child labor--- and, it turns out the dark web network Lupin was hacking into belongs to Grayson, too. So, Lupin robs him for all he's worth, before the scumbucket dies a miserable death where an extra crispy place is reserved for him to rot in hell.

Likewise, it is also revealed to the viewer that the reason Fujiko agreed to the heist was not due to the promise of treasure... but, because she wanted to help Amelia, who is pregnant (as foreshadowed with her cravings for food and her choice to quit cigarettes).



Okay, TMS, you can have this one for free: an episode where Fujiko, Ginko, Gretchen, and Amelia go on a fun girl's trip together. It could be a cool treasure-hunting adventure, or, it could just be them bar crawling in New Orleans during Mardi Gras or something. Then, the B plot revolves around Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon stuck at the hideout, baby-sitting Amelia's son. Boom. We get another awesome Fujiko-centric episode with a little bit of domestic slice-of-life Lupgang on the side, as a treat. It's a win-win.

... please let Amelia return, I love her so much.

 

[Tsushi]

We love Amelia and Gretchen in the Ladies of Lupin zine, I think we'll be seeing both of them in the final zine! We need more female friends for Fujiko or do bring back one of her previous ones! It's great to see a Fujiko team up!

I would love your episode idea! All ladies heist!