Inspector Zenigata
This article possibly contains original research. (January 2010) |
Inspector Zenigata | |
---|---|
Weekly Manga Action) | |
Created by | Monkey Punch |
Portrayed by | Shirō Itō (1974)[nb 1] Tadanobu Asano (2014)[nb 2] Ryohei Suzuki (2017)[nb 3] |
Voiced by (Japanese) |
Other:
|
Voiced by (English) |
Other:
|
In-universe information | |
Alias | Heiji Zenigata VII[nb 16] Detective Ed Scott[nb 17] Detective Ed Cott[nb 18] Keibu Zenigata[nb 19] Detective Zenigata[nb 20] |
Nickname | Japanese: Tottsan English: Old Man[nb 21] Pops[nb 22] Gramps[nb 23] |
Title | Inspector |
Weapon | M1911 Handcuffs |
Relatives | Zenigata Heiji (ancestor) |
Nationality | Japanese[1] |
Affiliations | Interpol[1] Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department |
Koichi Zenigata (
He is the star of the live action Inspector Zenigata TV series and portrayed by Ryohei Suzuki, making it the second Lupin III-based property not to star Lupin as the protagonist.
Creation
Inspector Zenigata was conceived as Lupin's arch rival to create a "human Tom and Jerry".[2]
Monkey Punch said that he believed the Lupin III story could never end but that if he had to, both Zenigata and Lupin would have to end as equals. They would either both fail, both win or both get very old.[3]
Personality
Inspector Zenigata hails from Japan, city of origin unknown. According to
Zenigata has made it his life's mission to arrest Lupin. The other members of Lupin's gang are targeted for apprehension as well, but Zenigata usually ignores them when Lupin himself is present. Lupin and Zenigata appear to be the worst of enemies, but in the anime they are, in a manner of speaking, friends; something Lupin shows openly (often by greeting Zenigata with mock affection), but it is an idea Zenigata is extremely reluctant to entertain. For example, in Part 2, Episode 30, Zenigata initially refused to work with Lupin to escape despite both of them being held prisoner.
Similarly, he is often awed by Lupin's genius. Zenigata has an attachment to Lupin with the belief that no one should kill him or worse, capture him, besides Zenigata himself.[4] Lupin's opinion of Zenigata is a little less caring, but still filled with respect. He often seems amazed that Zenigata can keep up with him. At times he's overwhelmed by how much thought Zenigata has put into his traps for Lupin. In instances where Zenigata has been injured in the field or believed dead, Lupin avenges the Inspector by hunting down his attacker.
While he has some interest in capturing Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko, he is really after only Lupin, and as such shows little interest in them when Lupin himself is involved. During the course of his hunt for Lupin, Zenigata has revealed and arrested a large number of criminals from all walks of life, sometimes unintentionally and with help from Lupin. This is a major reason why ICPO tolerates his repeated failures to capture Lupin: the "collateral damage" from his lifelong quest has made him a highly rewarded and respected officer of the law.
At the beginning of Part 1, he was far from a nice person. He was corrupt, opportunistic, self-serving, dangerous, obsessive and violent, and was only redeemed by his grudging respect for Lupin, who he still didn't hesitate to shoot at whenever the thief pulled off a heist. By Part 1 Episode 14, he mellows out a great deal, and becomes more lovable, endearingly awkward and upbeat.
In
Zenigata is a quite sensitive person who often weeps uncontrollably, particularly when Lupin has done him an act of consideration, or when relieved to discover Lupin is OK after assuming his death.
At times he can be surprisingly affectionate, even towards his sworn enemy. In Seven Days Rhapsody, Zenigata captures Lupin in a rough hug after he leaps from a helicopter, nuzzles him with his face and declares that they were destined to be together. In the post credits scene, Lupin is standing out in the rain and Zenigata kindly offers that they eat katsudon together in a warm interrogation room. These examples are a reference to a running joke where other characters accuse him of having a secret crush on Lupin, something he denies repeatedly, despite signs that he might actually have feelings for the thief.
On occasions when Lupin appears to be dead, he mourns him more expressively than anyone else; partly from genuine grief, partly because he no longer has a goal in life. In the 1987
The origin of Zenigata's and Lupin's mutual regard was based early in the series. The earliest example in production order is Part 1 Episode 4, stated above. Since then, an unwritten understanding exists between the pair where neither will attempt to cause the death of the other. Further, the two are best referred as unacknowledged friends; several occasions have occurred where Lupin and gang aided Zenigata out of a life-threatening situation. In Part 2 Episode 98, when a French superintendent tries to have Zenigata killed and frame Lupin for the crime, Lupin first tries to avenge the Inspector's supposed death, then when he finds out Zenigata is alive he helps him to avenge the shooter, who had spared Zenigata's life and had only hit him with a tranquilizer to make him appear dead. In Island of Assassins, when an old enemy of Lupin's shot Zenigata point blank while he helplessly watched, a wild motorcycle chase began to apprehend the killer, partly for Lupin to conclude affairs with the adversary, partly to avenge the (supposed) death of the Inspector, who would have certainly died if the ICPO chief hadn't casually mentioned Lupin's name after the Inspector flatlined.
Physical skills
Zenigata appears to be in good physical shape for his age; his proficiency in
Zenigata's subconscious appears to be somewhat in control of his body. During chases he can perform outlandish physical feats such as jumping over huge obstacles and beating down a dozen attackers without thinking, simply because of his preoccupation with Lupin. For example, in 1997's
The Inspector's appearance has stayed consistent through both the manga and anime series; around 6 feet, Pops has a long face ending in a bulky chin. Much like Lupin, he has extended sideburns that reach to the lower part of his cheeks. Dressed modestly in a brown business suit with white shirt and brown trench coat, he as well wears a standard flat-brim fedora. He occasionally smokes and drinks. His preferred cigarette is the Japanese made Shinsei, and enjoys hard liquor of various designs, usually bourbon or sake.
Zenigata is usually presented in the anime as clumsy and drawing hasty conclusions, but equally he is depicted with extremely efficient detective skills. As a first class manhunter, Lupin's upcoming capers are usually predicted by Zenigata based on his prey's behavior, habits, and information about Lupin's research.
Nicknames
Lupin often refers to Zenigata as tottsan (とっつぁん), a form of address that is usually translated as "Old Man" or "Pops", with "Pops" being used most frequently in the English dub. Other translations have the used the terms "daddy", "daddy-o", and "papa". He is named after a famous fictional Japanese detective, Zenigata Heiji. Zenigata's ability to handcuff criminals at a distance also comes from Zenigata Heiji, who threw coins with great force and accuracy and used them as weapons to disable criminals; Koichi once himself displayed this ability when he cut a rope with gold coins in a Part 2 episode. In Japanese, the title of inspector is keibu (警部), although the Streamline dub Castle of Cagliostro erroneously stated Keibu as Zenigata's first name, as did his passport in the Part III episode Steal the Pyramid of Insurance Money. In the Filipino dub of the series, Lupin refers to Zenigata as "depektib", a play on the words "detective" and "defective". In "Lupin III: Burning Memory - Tokyo Crisis", the landlady nicknames him "Kou-chan" when he comes home to find his apartment burned down. He has been nicknamed "Zeni" by various characters, including Fujiko, Jasmin and even at times Lupin himself.
Actors
Animation
Japanese
Inspector Zenigata was first voiced by Shinsuke Chikaishi in the
The 2011 TV special
English
Live-Action
Shirō Itō portrayed the Inspector in Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974). Tadanobu Asano starred as Zenigata in the 2014 film Lupin the 3rd.
Japan's NTV broadcast network featured a live action Inspector Zenigata TV special and subsequent series with
Reception
Zenigata was voted the eighth best supporting character in anime by Mania.com.[18] Mania.com also put Zenigata as the 9th greatest anime detective.[19]
Mike Crandoll of Anime News Network compared Zenigata's pursuit of Lupin to Wile E. Coyote.[20]
Notes
- ^ Strange Psychokinetic Strategy
- ^ Lupin the 3rd
- ^ Inspector Zenigata
- ^ Pilot Film (CinemaScope version)
- ^ Pilot Film (TV version)
- ^ The Fuma Conspiracy
- ^ Lupin III D2 Manga
- The Mystery of Mamo
- Lupin the Third Part IIeps. 145 and 155, The Mystery of Mamo
- ^ The Fuma Conspiracy
- ^ The Mystery of Mamo, Bye Bye, Lady Liberty
- ^ The Castle of Cagliostro
- Island of Assassins, Missed by a Dollar
- The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
- Fujiko's Lie
- ^ Used in pre-1978 manga and anime iterations
- ^ Used in Frontier Enterprises/Toho International's dub of The Mystery of Mamo
- ^ Used in TMS' subtitled print of The Castle of Cagliostro
- ^ Used in Streamline Pictures' dub of The Castle of Cagliostro
- ^ Used in various English dubs
- ^ Used in pre-2002 English dubs
- ^ Used in post-2002 English dubs
- ^ Used in subtitles for Lupin the 3rd film
References
- ^ a b "Lupin World ルパン三世NETWORK" (in Japanese). Lupin the Third Network. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ Lupin the Third Dead or Alive – Interview with Monkey Punch (DVD). Funimation.
- ISBN 978-1-85828-561-0.
- ^ "Happy Betrayals to You". Lupin III. Episode 38 (in Japanese). June 26, 1978. Event occurs at 15:00.
- ^ "The Famous Painting Theft Ultra Operation". Lupin III. Episode 100 (in Japanese). September 10, 1979. Event occurs at 12:51.
- ^ "One Chance for a Prison Break". Lupin III. Episode 4 (in Japanese). November 14, 1971. Event occurs at 13:15.
- Lupin III vs Detective Conan
- Lupin the 3rd The Complete First TV Series (Disc 4) (DVD). Discotek Media.
- ^ Reed Nelson. Lupin the 3rd The Complete First TV Series (Disc 1) (DVD). Discotek Media.
- ^ "So, Which Lupin the Third Anime Should You Watch Next?". Otaku USA. Sovereign Media. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
- ^ "Lupin III's Voice Cast Changed for 1st Time in 16 Years". Anime News Network. October 8, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Lupin III Master File BD/DVD to Include New Anime Short". Anime News Network. January 19, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ The Mystery of Mamo. Discotek Media. 2012.
- ^ a b "Discotek Licenses Lupin III: Part IV for 2017 Release With English Dub". Anime News Network. November 1, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Funimation Reveals Dub Casts for Fujiko Mine, Eureka 7 AO, Michiko & Hatchin Anime". Anime News Network. May 16, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Live-Action Zenigata Keibu Project Unveils Poster Visual for WOWOW Series". Anime News Network. January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "Live-Action Zenigata Keibu Show's Visual Previews Ryohei Suzuki in Title Role". Anime News Network. December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Thomas, Mark. "10 Best Supporting Characters in Anime". Mania.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ Joseph Dexter (March 23, 2010). "10 Greatest Anime Detectives". Mania.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ Crandoll, Mike (January 28, 2003). "Lupin III DVD 1: The World's Most Wanted". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 20, 2016.