Lupin III: Part III: A Grounded Lupin That Forgot to Be Wild There’s a strange identity crisis at the core of Lupin III Part 3, and it’s impossible to ignore once you see it. This is a series that feels like it wants to evolve, but never fully commits to what that evolution should look like. Visually, it’s the most immediate departure. The character designs are exaggerated, almost elastic at times, and if you’re coming straight from Part 2, the adjustment isn’t smooth. It feels off. But here’s where it gets interesting: while the characters can look inconsistent or even awkward, the background art is consistently excellent.Even in weaker episodes, there’s a level of environmental detail and atmosphere that quietly carries scenes that would otherwise fall flat. The world looks alive even when the writing doesn’t.

And that’s where the real issue lies.

Part 3 grounds itself far more than its predecessor. The formula becomes predictable:
Fujiko finds a rich target → target turns out corrupt → Lupin gets involved → mafia or hired guns chase them.

It’s not bad. In fact, at times, it’s solid. But it’s also safe. Too safe.

What’s missing is the chaotic edge that made Part 2 memorable, the bizarre, almost surreal episodes that broke the formula and gave the series personality. Here, that unpredictability is largely gone, replaced with more straightforward crime plots. The result is a series that’s easier to follow, but harder to remember.

Even the character focus reflects this shift. Jigen, one of the most compelling figures in the franchise when used properly, feels underutilized. His presence is still cool, still reliable but rarely central. And when you reduce Jigen to just “the guy who shoots well,” you’re wasting one of the strongest dynamics in the Lupin crew.

That said, the show isn’t devoid of strengths.

If anything, Part 3 might actually be funnier on average than its predecessors. The humor lands more consistently, the pacing is tighter in individual episodes, and there’s an undeniable sense that the creators understood how to keep things entertaining, even if they weren’t pushing boundaries.

And that’s the contradiction:
You’ll have a good time watching it but you won’t think about it much after.

The number of truly memorable episodes is noticeably lower. There are fewer standout moments, fewer risks taken, fewer instances where the series surprises you. It plays things straight, and while that works in the moment, it weakens the long-term impact.

7/10 - Lupin III Part 3 is a competent, often enjoyable entry that suffers from playing it too safe. It trades the wild creativity of Part 2 for grounded consistency and in doing so, loses a piece of what made Lupin feel special in the first place.