Jigen is Lupin's right-hand man and the group's marksman—a smooth operator who can pull off a 0.3-second quick-draw with dead-eye accuracy. He's proficient with everything from handguns to sniper rifles to anti-tank weapons, and he's just as comfortable behind the wheel of a car or the controls of a plane. His wide-brimmed fedora isn't just for show; he uses it as part of his aiming technique and for the enigmatic edge it gives him.
What sets Jigen apart from the rest of the crew is his gruff pragmatism. He's the voice of reason, constantly reining in Lupin's more reckless impulses, though he's long since accepted that he'll be dragged along on increasingly crazy schemes anyway. Despite his cynical exterior and notoriously bad luck with women, he genuinely enjoys the heists and has an ironic sense of humor. Fans often note his quick temper—both Lupin and Goemon have been on the receiving end of his fists for poking fun at him. He's distrustful of Fujiko Mine and gets visibly irritated when Lupin falls for her schemes, but he sticks around because he and Lupin are genuinely close.
In the original manga, Jigen lurks more in the background, pulling out his gun when needed. The anime, though, leans into his unwavering loyalty, showing him as Lupin's constant partner.
His style is no-nonsense: dark suits, white or light blue dress shirts, black ties, and that ever-present fedora—his most prized possession aside from his guns. His thick, collar-length hair is unevenly cut, and he usually sports a scruffy chin curtain beard. He's a heavy smoker (usually Pall Mall or Marlboro, bent at odd angles) and a serious drinker with a high tolerance for alcohol. When not on a job, he's a homebody who enjoys target practice, his favorite bar, poker, boxing matches, Western films, and good hearty American food.
Jigen's background remains murky, but the popular story has him as an American mobster who fled to Japan and adopted a Japanese identity and name. He was once a famed bodyguard and assassin for various criminal outfits. Despite his willingness to use lethal force when threatened—regardless of who's in his way—he draws a line at killing women and children unless they pose a genuine threat.
Creator Monkey Punch has said he based Jigen's look and temperament on actor James Coburn, particularly Coburn's role in The Magnificent Seven, and modeled the Jigen-Lupin dynamic after the pairing of Alain Delon and Charles Bronson in the 1968 film Adieu l'ami.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
