Not to be confused with the original name for Mister X.
The Commissioner is a character of Lupin the 3rd Part 1.
Character history[]
The Commissioner is Koichi Zenigata's boss and works at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. When he's in the office, he read magazines with topless women and according to Part 1 Episode 23, and also plays golf.
In his first appearance in Part 1 Episode 15, the Commissioner is pleased that Koichi Zenigata is invited to go to France to attend the "World Police Conference" (Interpol) but all Zenigata cares about is arresting Lupin. He pleaded him to go otherwise someone else gets the Lupin case, instead Zenigata decided to do both that gave him a big smile. When Zenigata arrested Lupin, he is excited about the good news and came with him to the airport to give him good luck.
He got brief roles in Part 1 Episode 18 where he tells Zenigata that he has no idea where he went and Part 1 Episode 19 where he asked Zenigata to help Ganimard III regarding the Lupin file but Zenigata refused.
In Part 1 Episode 22, he had a larger role and his relationship with Zenigata started to break down. The Commissioner and Gordon who was a FBI computer engineer shook hands as they were concerned that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police would lose its reputation over Lupin, Gordon donated them a computer that was able to predict crime. The Commissioner tells Zenigata that with the computer, they are able to catch Lupin. While both the Commissioner and Gordon have faith in the machine, Zenigata has doubts and thinks that it is too risky.
Lupin gave the Commissioner a letter saying that he will take the armored train that leaves Tokyo Station via the Hagetaka line to steal 800 million yen. Gordon smoked and expected the letter, he was asked by the Commissioner to predict what Lupin was going to do and flipped a few switches on the machine. The outcome was that at 6PM after leaving Tokyo Station, Lupin will change the traffic lights to red by making the train look like an accident on why it stopped. Then Lupin will tie up the engineers as they come to check on the light in the bushes and run towards the train in disguise. He will detach the first car worth 800 million yen from the second car that has the security guards inside to getaway.
Gordon's solution from the computer's predictions was that the security guards would move the money to the second car before Lupin gets in and arrests him as he reaches inside the train. Zenigata shouts that he think he would catch Lupin with a simple trick and proposes that he gets Lupin at the scene of the crime by the lights. The Commissioner then says that his ideas are why Lupin gets away and told him to trust the computer.
Despite that Zenigata managed to catch Daisuke Jigen and Goemon Ishikawa XIII, he got told off by the Commissioner. He reminded Zenigata that Lupin would have been caught had it gone to plan. The computer gave out a prediction and he read that Lupin will disguise himself as Gordon and sneak into the computer room to give a false prediction. He flips some switches that gave out another prediction that he will transfer Jigen and Goemon from the basement to Room 405 on the top floor to escape. The Commissioner wondered why that room and Gordon tells him that Lupin will secretly contact Jigen and Goemon to prepare a truck with a trampoline, Lupin will run to the truck as Gordon while Jigen and Goemon jump out to get away. Yet he also adds that there will be an ambush surrounding the truck and claims that the prediction is "perfect".
Lupin disguised himself as Gordon and went into the computer where the Commissioner and Zenigata were in. Unaware of the disguise, he tells Lupin that he will come to save his friends. Even though Zenigata knew that it was Lupin in disguise and was ready to arrest him, the Commissioner just put his hands up as Lupin gave them a false prediction and freed Jigen and Goemon from the basement cell to Room 405 to escape. As Lupin walked away from the basement, Zenigata was ready to arrest him but again, the Commissioner prevented it by covering his mouth. Zenigata however had enough and ordered his men to go after Lupin.
As Lupin, Jigen and Goemon freed themselves out of the police station on a homemade kite, the Commissioner looked dumb and wondered why the computer did not predict the outcome. Lupin laughed by saying it was a blindspot for people who rely on computers.
By the time of The Great Gold Showdown!, the Commissioner has had enough of Zenigata and his failure to catch Lupin. He yelled at Zenigata while having his tea break since he wants him to go to the bank but Zenigata refused. Out of fury, he played golf and broke his chandelier. It got to the point where the Commissioner and Zenigata clashed over their failures regarding Lupin breaking the office as they do so. After threatening to demote him to traffic duty, Zenigata having enough handed his resignation notice.
The Commissioner got worried and Zenigata explained his plan that involved destroying all of Lupin's hideouts. If he fails, he will quit the force. After being informed, both the Commissioner and Zenigata go to one of his hideouts however the Commissioner did not attend the raid until Lupin left the building. They watched a video of Lupin explaining that he went to the Bank of Japan to steal the gold coins.
He sat down with Zenigata and ate a ricebox each at the bank however unlike Zenigata who fell asleep while eating the drugged ricebox, the Commissioner was unaffected. Zenigata explains to him that a third of the gold coins that Lupin stole were fake and had transmitters inside with a smile coming from the Commissioner.
When the plan went wrong with Lupin putting the fakes in the garbage trucks, he is worried about his job and begging Zenigata to come up with something. The lights on the map were getting closer together and found out why. The Commissioner decided not to go with Zenigata to the landfill.
He later reappeared 40 years later in the TV Special Another Page where he got promoted to Secretary-General of Interpol and having a better relationship with Zenigata. Zenigata shouts at him and rips off all the paperwork, they were accusations that Lupin was involved of the murder of Theo Argento without any evidence. He wiped the sweat from his head with a handkerchief and later phoned Zenigata at Hiraizumi to arrest Lupin.
The Commissioner also appeared in Lupin III H Chapter 4.
Notes[]
- This character has no official name and is referred to the title that Zenigata calls him. He is also called Chief of Police, Police Superintendent or Boss of the Metropolitan Police.
- The Commissioner appeared in five episodes that were directed by Hayao Miyazaki in Lupin the 3rd Part 1.
- When the Commissioner covered up Zenigata's mouth in Part 1 Episode 22, his hair was light gray.
- A character that resembles the Commissioner appeared in Part 2 Episode 155 however he has a different character design such as wearing a black toupee to hide his gray hairs and a dyed mustache.