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| Lupin the 3rd Episode 0: First Contact | |
 DVD cover | |
| ルパン三世 EPISODE:0 ファーストコンタクト (Rupan Sansei Episōdo Zero Faasuto Kontakuto) | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Monkey Punch |
| Anime television film | |
| Directed by | Minoru Ōhara |
| Produced by | Hiromichi Ohishi Keiko Konori Yasumichi Ozaki |
| Written by | Shōji Yonemura Osamu Dezaki |
| Music by | Yuji Ohno |
| Studio | TMS Entertainment |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | NNS (NTV) |
| Released | July 26, 2002 |
| Runtime | 92 minutes |
Lupin the 3rd: Episode 0: First Contact (ルパン三世 EPISODE:0 ファーストコンタクト,Rupan Sansei Episōdo Zero Faasuto Kontakuto) is the fourteenthLupin IIItelevision special. It premiered onNippon Television in 2002, as part of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of theLupin IIITV series. The special depicts the first meeting of Lupin and the rest of his gang.
Daisuke Jigen is asked by a reporter to tell the story of how he metArsène Lupin III and the rest of the gang. He tells about the time he was hired by a millionaire named Galvez to help guard the Clam of Helmeth, a green cylinder made of unbreakable metal. The cylinder contained instructions on how to forge a metal similar to the one that composed it. The Clam has also gained the attentions of both Lupin, a fellow thief named Brad, and Brad's partner,Fujiko Mine.
Brad manages to steal the Clam, but is murdered by Galves' henchman, Shade. Lupin and Fujiko now have possession of it, but no means to open it. Meanwhile,Inspector Koichi Zenigata has been dispatched by the Japanese police to hunt down and arrest Fujiko. He is paired with George McFly, an American detective who is his only resource. And on the other side of the world,Goemon Ishikawa XIII is seeking a sword worthy of his skills.
The key to opening the Clam of Helmeth is now the focus of everyone's efforts, but who will come across it first? And, more importantly, how much of Jigen's story is the truth?
| Character | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Arsène Lupin III | Kanichi Kurita | Tony Oliver |
| Fujiko Mine | Eiko Masuyama | Michelle Ruff |
| Daisuke Jigen | Kiyoshi Kobayashi | Richard Epcar |
| Goemon Ishikawa XIII | Makio Inoue | Lex Lang |
| Inspector Koichi Zenigata | Gorō Naya | Doug Erholtz |
| Brad | Jūrōta Kosugi | Erik Kimerer |
| Erina | Romi Park | Amber Lee Connors |
| Shade | Shunsuke Sakuya | Todd Haberkorn |
| Galvez | Shūichirō Moriyama | Jamieson Price |
| Detective George McFly | Ichirō Nagai | Paul St. Peter |
| Commissioner Crawford | Masaru Ikeda | Derek Stephen Prince |
| Hans Dolarhyde | Tamio Ōki | Kyle Hebert |
