As the episode title indicates, we start on a rainy day. And not a great one. Lupin and Jigen are, let's say, forcibly encouraged to assist with a job. (The forcible encouragement is issued by a fella who goes by the code name "Kid's Meal," which Lupin absolutely will not let go, nor should he.) Three guesses as to who's involved in today's heist. That's right, it's Fujiko.

She's currently playing caretaker to a dude who, frankly, looks like he's seen better days. No name, no memory, no animation. He just sits there looking a bit fishy. There's a lot of mystery around this guy, too. Apparently a highly-regarded doctor went missing in his general vicinity.

Lupin's attempts to get to the bottom of what's going on lead to him nearly getting killed, but the story finally cracks open. This guy is Kamaitachi, a once high-ranking mob boss who inflicted temporary amnesia on himself to guard some big secret. That big secret involved the aforementioned doctor who, when refusing to get into the amnesia machine (an actual thing—maybe Goemon's mentor's story wasn't so wild after all), was shot and killed.

Unfortunately, Kamaitachi died mere days before his amnesia was due to wear off. His secret, as it turns out, is that he had a precious diamond called the Star of Kilimanjaro surgically implanted in him to hide it. The self-inflicted amnesia kept it extra safe... but he didn't live long enough to benefit. Lupin rallies the troops to intercept the car (guarded by Zenigata) taking Kamaitachi's body to the morgue, ousting an imposter Jigen in the process.

In the end... well. In the end, Fujiko gets her diamond.

I've talked before about the presence of the Lupin Syndicate in the manga and early anime, and how it eventually faded away. It's weird to look back on the earliest days of Green Jacket era and see Lupin with a reputation that's closer to mafioso than gentleman thief. His syndicate has its own motto, a bunch of members, and is relatively feared. We see this organization hat-tipped in Strange Psychokinetic Strategy, the extremely weird live-action film (and the first-ever Lupin the Third film), with Lupin not particularly wanting to take up the reins Because Fujiko.

The decision to veer away from the Syndicate, with the group eventually consisting primarily of the main four (five if you count Zenigata, which I do whether he likes it or not), has served the series well. Lupin clearly has connections; but they're more peers than underlings, which allows for far more interesting story beats. Having him as an authority figure takes a little of the intrigue out of his dealings with these one-and-done characters. This is played with a bit in this episode, where Lupin tests the impostor Jigen with a series of ridiculous passwords. But knowing that any ally could turn enemy (or vice-versa) for the right amount of money/prestige/spite keeps the arc story relatively mobile.

Well, that and the fact that it's more fun to root for Lupin when his list of allies is small and scrappy.

Lupin the 3rd Part I Blu-ray - $52.46
from: Right Stuf, Inc.

As with previous episodes, this one is based on stories from Monkey Punch's original manga. And, as with previous episodes, one of the major changes is the role of Fujiko. Which is to say, she's there in the manga... sort of. Specifically, she's a Fujiko: one with amnesia. Because, up until a certain point, "Fujiko" was the stock name for The Girl in different manga episodes. They were confirmed to be different people, with different family ties and backgrounds. Over time, though, she became the single character we know.

Turning Fujiko into one character changes Lupin's entire vibe, and frankly in a good way. When every woman is Fujiko no matter who she is, that kind of sends a message about Lupin and his relationship with women. Then again, Monkey Punch did not attempt to hide this. Early Lupin was a character who wanted what he wanted and could absolutely have it. The Japanese economic miracle, as I have said before, hit the late Kazuhiko Kato like a freight train.

But with a single Fujiko, we go from Lupin viewing women as a sort of nebulous Hot Female Hivemind to an almost Twelfth Doctor-ish divide between "everyone else" and "the one who could break my heart and I'd thank her for it." Granted, on the surface he still appears to treat her like he treats every woman (a jacket-dependent behavior as time goes on), and she still appears to treat him like she treats every man. But scratch the surface, and you get moments like Fujiko's tearful monologue on the cliff in "One Chance for a Prison Break." Or Blue Jacket Era. Like anything in the series, how that relationship is treated will depend on who's at the helm. But solidifying her as a single person was a damn good start.

Lupin the 3rd Greatest Heists The Classic Manga Collection (Hardcover) - $19.19
from: Right Stuf, Inc.

The next episode is a biggie—as it marks Hayao Miyazaki's first (albeit uncredited) directorial work, and thus the beginning of his influence on the series.