Ask John: Which Lupin TV Series is the Cartoon Network Airing?

Question:
I heard that Lupin the III started on Adult Swim during its second season and they didn’t show the first season. Why is that?

Answer:
The first Lupin the 3rd television series premiered on Japanese television in 1971 and aired only 23 episodes. Highly respect by fans, the mature and dramatic tone (for its time) of the first series did not find popularity with mainstream Japanese television viewers. Lupin the 3rd was revived for a second television series in 1977. This second series that placed a greater emphasis on adventure and globe trotting than the first series’ focus on hardboiled crime achieved massive success and eventually broadcast 155 episodes. Lupin was brought back to television a third time in 1984, for a 50 episode long series that’s generally considered to be the weakest of the three.

There’s a great likelihood that Pioneer chose to license and release the second Lupin TV series in America because it’s the longest and most popular of the three series. The first series, while excellent, has extremely dated animation quality and is relatively very short. The third series is long enough to allow for an extended American broadcast television run, but given the nature of American television, if something becomes popular, it’s always better to have more than enough than not enough episodes.