Arsène Lupin III
main character
SPECIAL
7.1
My TrackerPLANNING
Episode: 0 / 1
My Score:
Anime DetailsFINISHED
Estimated watch time
1h 30m
⚡ 1 days at 5 eps/day
Tags & Tropes
Crime79%Fugitive79%Male Protagonist73%Primarily Adult Cast73%Foreign60%Anti-Hero60%Police60%Detective60%Primarily Male Cast53%Shounen50%
SPECIALFINISHED2003 SUMMER7.1 / 10 AniList score
Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure
ルパン三世: お宝返却大作戦！！• Lupin III: Otakara Henkyaku Daisakusen!!
Synopsis & Story
Master criminal Lupin the 3rd is at it again! An elusive meteoric gemstone called the “Trick Diamond” was once hidden inside Spain’s Sagrada Familia cathedral. In pursuit of the diamond, Lupin receives a message from his recently-deceased rival thief, Mark Williams. Mark’s challenge: return the treasures! Five treasures—all stolen by Mark in his heyday—must be returned to their original homes within seven days, or Lupin will never find the diamond’s hiding place. And Lupin is never one to waste a diamond! But scoring the Trick Diamond only gets trickier as Mark’s lovely assistant Fujiko is keeping more than one closely-guarded secret, and Mafia boss Ivan “Rats” Crockovich is trying to both obliterate the Lupin Gang and swipe the diamond for himself! (Source: Discotek Media)
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Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure: should you watch it?
At a glance
Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure has been well received, with an average AniList score of 71/100 — 43% of 1,018 ratings are 8/10 or higher.
Of the 1.6K AniList users who started it, 2.8% dropped it, so it is rarely abandoned; 1.5K have finished it.
At about 1 h 30 min in total, it is a short commitment — a weekend binge.
Best for viewers who enjoy Adventure, Comedy — especially crime, fugitive, male protagonist, primarily adult cast.
Where it fits in the series
Main cast & creators
- Original creator
- Monkey Punch
- Director
- Jun Kawagoe
- Character design
- Satoshi Hirayama
- Character design
- Toshimitsu Kobayashi
- Music
- Yuuji Oono
Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure FAQ
- How many episodes does Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure have?
- Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure has 1 episodes of about 90 minutes each, roughly 1 h 30 min in total.
- Is Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure finished?
- Yes. Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure has finished airing — the final episode aired August 1, 2003.
- Is there a season 2 of Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure?
- No sequel is listed for Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure as of October 2026. You can continue the story in the original manga.
- Is Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure based on a manga?
- Yes. Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure adapts the manga by Monkey Punch.
- Who animated Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure?
- Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure was animated by Tokyo Movie and directed by Jun Kawagoe.
- Where can I watch Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure?
- Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure is listed on RetroCrush. Availability varies by region — check the streaming links on this page.