Lupin the Third 55th Anniversary Poll Reveals Each Series' Top Episode

The final results of the Lupin the Third 55th anniversary episode poll were announced on October 3, 2026, as Nippon Television prepared to begin its Best Selection broadcast that night in Japan. Fans chose one winner from each of the six numbered television series and the spinoff The Woman Called Fujiko Mine.

The seven episodes that finished first

The poll covered the television franchise from its original 1971 series through Part 6, along with the 2012 spinoff centered on Fujiko Mine. The top-ranked episode from each entry was:

Lupin the Third Part 1: “Is Lupin Burning...?!”

Lupin the Third Part 2: “Farewell, My Beloved Lupin”

Lupin the Third Part III: “The Gold Calls Lupin”

Lupin the Third Part 4: “Lupin the Third's Wedding”

Lupin the Third Part 5: “Lupin the Third Forever”

Lupin the Third Part 6: “Episode 0: The Times”

Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine: “The Great Thief vs. the Female Thief”

All seven had also occupied first place in the previously announced interim standings, so none of the individual series leaders changed by the final count. The lineup spans very different periods of Lupin television history, from the first episode of Part 1 to the retrospective opening chapter of Part 6.

The Part 2 winner, “Farewell, My Beloved Lupin,” comes from the end of that long-running series. Other choices include the opening episode of Part 4 and the concluding episode of Part 5. Together, the results place premieres, finales, and standalone adventures side by side rather than favoring one type of episode across every series.

How the Best Selection broadcast works

The seven winners are only part of the televised anniversary lineup. Lupin the Third Best Selection consists of 13 episodes: the first and second-place finishers from Parts 1 through 6, plus the first-place episode from The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. That structure gives each numbered series two slots while reserving one for the spinoff.

The six second-place episodes were not included in the final winners announcement. They are scheduled to be revealed during the broadcast, making those runner-up selections the remaining results still to come. The program begins October 3 on Nippon Television and affiliated stations, with episodes airing in a late-night Saturday slot.

Each installment also features narration recorded specifically for the Best Selection. The participating current main cast members are Kanichi Kurita as Lupin, Akio Otsuka as Daisuke Jigen, Daisuke Namikawa as Goemon Ishikawa, Miyuki Sawashiro as Fujiko Mine, and Koichi Yamadera as Inspector Zenigata. Their introductions provide a new element connecting episodes produced across several decades.

A poll spanning the television eras

Lupin the Third began television broadcasting in 1971, four years after Monkey Punch's original manga started serialization. The numbered anime later continued with Part 2 from 1977, Part III from 1984, Part 4 from 2015, Part 5 from 2018, and Part 6 from 2021. The Woman Called Fujiko Mine arrived between the earlier and modern numbered installments in 2012.

That chronology means the seven winners represent productions separated by more than five decades of broadcast history. The anniversary project turns those individual poll results into a compact television retrospective, while the 13-episode format extends the selection beyond the winners alone. The next confirmed milestone is the Best Selection premiere on October 3, when the broadcast begins revealing the six remaining second-place choices.