Share

Monkey Punch, creator of megahit Japan comic Lupin III, dies

Share

TOKYO (AP) — Cartoonist Monkey Punch, best known as the creator of the Japanese megahit comic series Lupin III, has died at age of 81.

His office, MP Pictures, said Wednesday that Monkey Punch, whose real name is Kazuhiko Kato, died of pneumonia on April 11.

The story of master thief Lupin’s adventures with his gang — gunman Daisuke Jigen, sword master Goemon Ishikawa and sexy beauty Fujiko Mine, as well as a detective, Zenigata — started in 1967.

The cartoon also was adapted for TV animation and movies, some directed by renowned animators including Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.

Kato himself directed the 1996 animated film “Lupin III: Dead or Alive.” Miyazaki, who directed a 1971 Lupin animation for TV, made his feature-length film debut with “Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro” in 1997.

Trending:
Fani Willis Throws a Tantrum to Jim Jordan as Contempt Deadline Arrives

The hard-boiled, yet comical story with a bit of sexy content has quickly won adult comic fans and became a longtime best-seller. Kato’s intended readership was adults, and he reportedly has told younger fans to watch Lupin TV animation and read comic books when they become high school students.

The main character in his trademark red jacket is a grandson of famous Arsene Lupin in a Maurice Leblanc detective story.

The son of a fisherman in Hokkaido, in northern Japan, Kato debuted as a professional cartoonist in 1965 while working part time at a rental bookstore, and started using his penname Monkey Punch soon after the Lupin series started in the Weekly Manga Action magazine.

Despite his age, he quickly adapted to digital animation and studied animation on multimedia formats at a technical graduate school in Tokyo in the 2000s. Kato also taught animation at a university in Nishinomiya in western Japan.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation