Kouichi Zenigata

About Zenigata, Kouichi

Zenigata's obsession with Lupin III defines his entire life. Originally a Tokyo Police Inspector hunting Fujiko Mine, he first encountered Lupin in New York and was so rattled by the thief's cocky brilliance that he ditched the Japanese Police Force to join Interpol. That's where his singular mission began: arrest Arsene Lupin III, no matter what. The weird thing about these two is that they're basically enemies who act like friends—or maybe friends pretending to be enemies. Lupin openly teases him with mock affection, while Zenigata refuses to acknowledge they're anything but adversaries. Yet the inspector openly marvels at Lupin's genius, and when he thinks Lupin's dead, he falls apart completely. He's even cryogenically frozen himself just to keep chasing Lupin into the future (though that plan backfired). There's an unspoken rule between them: neither will try to actually kill the other. It started early when Lupin had a clear shot at Zenigata but chose mercy instead. Lupin respects him back, genuinely amazed that anyone can keep up with him or put that much thought into traps. When Zenigata was supposedly killed once, Lupin hunted down his supposed murderer for payback. The other gang members barely register for Zenigata—he ignores them entirely when Lupin's in the picture. Jigen actually fears him. As for settling down, forget it. He's mentioned having a daughter named Toshiko, but the job consumed him long ago. His romantic life is basically nonexistent because he can't commit to anything but the hunt. What makes anime Zenigata interesting is how openly emotional he gets. He cries in genuine grief when he thinks Lupin's gone, mourning harder than anyone else because suddenly his whole life has no meaning. In The Fuma Conspiracy, he actually became a monk, hoping prayer might make Lupin lawful in the next life. Oddly enough, he's never truly frustrated when Lupin escapes—that means the hunt continues. When he once actually managed to lock Lupin up, Zenigata got so frustrated waiting for an escape that he wished Jigen would break him out already. Beyond all the chasing, these two have quietly helped each other through impossible situations. When a woman Zenigata loved was murdered, Lupin helped avenge her. That unacknowledged friendship is the real story here.

Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.

Details

Birthday

5 April (The Castle of Cagliostro); 25 December 1938 (Bye Bye Lady Liberty)

Age

Late 40s - mid-50s

Height

181 cm

Weight

73 kg

Anime Appearances60

Kouichi Zenigata

Details

Lupin III: Pilot Film

Lupin III

Lupin III: Part II

Lupin III: Lupin vs. Fukusei-ningen

Lupin III: Pilot Film (1978)

Lupin III: Cagliostro no Shiro

Lupin III: Part III

Lupin III: Babylon no Ougon Densetsu

Lupin III: Fuuma Ichizoku no Inbou

Lupin III: Bye Bye Liberty - Kiki Ippatsu!

Lupin III: Hemingway Paper no Nazo

Lupin III: Napoleon no Jisho wo Ubae

Lupin III

Shin Lupin III

Lupin III Y

Lupin III M

Keibu Zenigata

Lupin III vs. Meitantei Conan

Lupin III vs. Meitantei Conan: The Movie

Lupin III (2015)

Lupin III: Neighbor World Princess

Chikaishi, Shinsuke

Katou, Seizou

Naya, Gorou

Otsuka, Chikao

Yamadera, Kouichi

Barrett, Sean

Kouichi Zenigata

Details

Lupin III: Pilot Film

Lupin III

Lupin III: Part II

Lupin III: Lupin vs. Fukusei-ningen

Lupin III: Pilot Film (1978)

Lupin III: Cagliostro no Shiro

Lupin III: Part III

Lupin III: Babylon no Ougon Densetsu

Lupin III: Fuuma Ichizoku no Inbou

Lupin III: Bye Bye Liberty - Kiki Ippatsu!

Lupin III: Hemingway Paper no Nazo

Lupin III: Napoleon no Jisho wo Ubae

Lupin III

Shin Lupin III

Lupin III Y

Lupin III M

Keibu Zenigata

Lupin III vs. Meitantei Conan

Lupin III vs. Meitantei Conan: The Movie

Lupin III (2015)

Lupin III: Neighbor World Princess

Chikaishi, Shinsuke

Katou, Seizou

Naya, Gorou

Otsuka, Chikao

Yamadera, Kouichi

Barrett, Sean