Lupin III is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato under the pen name of "Monkey Punch". The story follows the adventures of a gang of thieves led by Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of novels. Lupin and his gang travel throughout the world to steal treasures and escape from the law.
The first Lupin III manga, which first appeared in Weekly Manga Action beginning on August 10, 1967, spawned a media franchise that includes numerous manga, various animated television series, feature films, direct-to-video releases, television specials, music CDs, video games, and a musical. In addition, WhiteLight Entertainment, a production company owned by Gerald R. Molen, purchased the live action theatrical rights to Lupin III in 2003 and the Hollywood production is scheduled to be released in 2009.
Several different companies own the North American distribution rights to many Lupin III properties, including Geneon, which provided the television broadcast rights for 26 episodes of the second television series to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim during 2003.
