The IIIRD series (how do you pronounce that, anyways? "The eye-eye-eye-arr-dee"?), often referred to as the "Koike series" after director Takeshi Koike (they're written by Yuya Takahashi, who worked on parts 4 and 6) is a spinoff saga known for its distinctive style and tone. It consists of four short movies (structured into two parts each, with 50-60 minute runtimes) that connect to one feature-length movie. The four each highlight one character (these are sort-of prequels, featuring the characters "new to each other and still distant") going up against an enemy assassin; Lupin himself and classic heist action feature more as secondary elements; though minimally connected, they are serialized and should be watched in sequence. Their release format means the art and animation are even bolder, and infamously the IIIRD entries really push the envelope in terms of violence and titillation.
Takeshi Koike was the character designer for The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, and although early reporting suggested that the IIIRD series was a spinoff of that, Koike would later specify that he doesn't see these series as explicitly connected:
"I don't think of [THE IIIRD] as a spinoff of Fujiko Mine, although it is a spinoff of Lupin. Each Lupin is different, depending on the director, and The Woman Called Fujiko Mine exists as Sayao Yamamoto's Lupin. And I did the character design for that, and I've carried that on into a new Lupin spinoff. […] Lupin lends itself to being made in different worlds with different styles by different directors and I think of all of them as real."Even if not connected narratively, there's the thematic link that both are primarily riffing on the manga/Part I iterations of the characters – and, as always, don't get too hung up on canon!
Jigen's Gravestone shows how the unlikely duo of a solitary gunman and a master thief became inseparable partners. After his bodyguard principal is assassinated, Jigen is targeted by the same killer: Yael Okuzaki, a sniper with a signature of marking a gravestone for his targets as soon as they're assigned – since they're as good as dead! – and rolling a six-sided die to decide how many bullets he'll use to end their life.
There's a lot of great car-chase and gunfight action here – although there is an extended sequence where the villains toy with a captured Fujiko that many viewers may find excessive and off-putting.
Goemon's Blood Spray sees the samurai training to regain his honor and perfect his skill after the yakuza syndicate he was hired to protect is taken down by the monstrous killer Hawk, a hulking soldier seemingly back from the dead.
This story opens with a big, fun casino heist and introduces the IIIRD iteration of Zenigata (who is just a Japanese cop, not an ICPO agent, at this point) in a supporting role. It absolutely earns its name with heart-pounding swordfights and extreme (yet artfully done) gore, making for an unforgettable viewing experience.
Fujiko's Lie starts with her posing as a family's maid to con her way into an embezzled fortune. When her target is killed by accursed superhuman assassin Bincam, she goes on the run with the young song and sole survivor who holds the key to the half-billion. Jigen and Lupin are angling for the treasure as well. In the background, all three movies continue to weave together as familiar faces reemerge.
This is maybe the closest to a "traditional" Lupin story from this series, though that's not to imply it doesn't carry the usual tuned-up panache of the IIIRD. I know a lot of people don't dig this one as much, but I do and I'm the one writing this website!
Six years later (eleven after Jigen!), to the point where many were fearing we'd never get another entry, Zenigata gets his time to shine.
A cruel terrorist is setting off bombs in the Roviet Union (yes, that's what they called it)... and he has Lupin's face‽ This really digs into the Zenigata-Lupin interplay as we probe their senses of justice and what makes the real Lupin's freewheeling criminality different from a detestable mad bomber.
The Immortal Bloodline came hot on the heels of Two Lupins (and is notably the first traditionally-animated theatrical Lupin in over a decade – closer to three if you don't count the Detective Conan crossover). In uniting the four prior stories, we're shown the first time this iteration of all five characters is brought together by Lupin in search of treasure. It's an odd tale, stranding the gang on a supernatural island populated by killers with the inhuman Muom at its center. It also includes Mamo – maybe not a prequel but definitely a "lead in" to The Mystery of Mamo (the first movie, as you may recall).
Is it worth the decade-long journey? Hmm... well, it's certainly very interesting to see such a distinctive alternative take come together. Where it succeeds is more on the visceral sakuga thrill level akin to a flashy 90s OVA; it's so far afield from typical Lupin that, despite a fascinating depiction of Lupin where his personality and character shine through despite his back-foot desparation and the foreign setting, it doesn't quite satisfy on that front and generally feels a little less satisfying than such a feature-film finale should.
"Interview with Yu Kiyozono, Producer of Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko no Uso", Manga.Tokyo (2019, archive.org link)
"Takeshi Koike Talks 'Lupin the Third'", Animation World Network (2025)
"Lupin the IIIrd Director Takeshi Koike on His 10 Year Journey with Lupin", Crunchyroll News (2025)
"REDLINE, Lupin the IIIrd: The Immortal Bloodline Director Takeshi Koike", Anime News Network (2025)
"Q&A: Takeshi Koike (Scotland Loves Anime 2025)", Lupin Central (2025)