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Lupin Gang[]
While Goemon might be considered one of Lupin's friends, it starts off more of a professional relationship than a friendship. By Lupin the 3rd Part 2, Goemon has developed a true loyalty to Lupin, refusing to give away Lupin's secrets when tortured in the one-second series episodes, for example. However, he easily gets annoyed by Lupin's antics, especially Lupin's infatuation with women, especially Fujiko. He will occasionally oppose Lupin directly when the job or actions do not agree with his morals. He has even promised that the last act he will take with Lupin is delivering his deathblow. However, Goemon doesn't hesitate to help Lupin in serious situations, and readily assists him any time Lupin works for a just cause. Many theorize that Goemon associates with Lupin out of admiration for his profession, as Goemon's ancestor was a master thief himself. In the English dub of Part 2, he's not above playful teasing; in Part 2 Episode 10 he jokes about pressing the bomb on Lupin's belt.
Goemon has a much more amicable relationship with Jigen. Goemon sees Jigen as a fellow honorable warrior, while Jigen sees Goemon as a trustworthy "foxhole buddy," and the two are frequently paired together during jobs, and usually help keep Lupin in check.
At the start, Goemon was one of Fujiko's boyfriends, but his relationship with her worsens over time. In the Geneon dub of "The Mystery of Mamo", when Fujiko arrives in a Mini, Goemon's reaction is "Not her." On the odd occasion and increasingly in recent years, Goemon will ally himself with Fujiko, in spite of his distrust of her. As long as their goal is the same and Fujiko makes no attempts to betray him, the two work well together and usually achieve what they seek. In Part 2 Episode 75 he assures Lupin that Fujiko was aware of the risk she was taking in marrying Hafner and then having her own death faked to break into his mansion.
In the manga, Goemon first appears as a very dangerous enemy of Lupin. Lupin attempts to steal Goemon's master's alchemic formula through infiltrating Goemon's clan, but his cover is blown by Fujiko, who happens to be Goemon's girlfriend at the time. Goemon makes many attempts to kill Lupin over the next several volumes, ranging from hiring assassins as skilled as Jigen himself, to entering the service of three martial arts masters, to planting bombs in Lupin's belongings. Eventually, however, he is convinced that he could learn much more working with Lupin than against him, and rather abruptly switches his allegiance. His position at Lupin's side is cemented when Lupin ruins the government's case against the man who killed Goemon's uncle, allowing Goemon to take his revenge as brutally and publicly as he wants without having to break into prison to do so.
By the events of the second manga series, Lupin trusts Goemon implicitly, and Goemon reciprocates. When a rival of Lupin captures and hideously tortures Goemon, Goemon refuses to even respond to his interrogation, except to say that Lupin would find him and allow him to take revenge.
Koichi Zenigata[]
Goemon doesn't have much of a relationship with Zenigata, at least compared to the rest of the gang. It is implied that Goemon doesn't view him as an equal threat, as he is the most comfortable out of Lupin's gang to be near him, though he will protect the others from him if needed. While being chased by the inspector, he is largely despondent unless there is a reason he needs to step in.
Despite this, there are also moments where he is shown to care for the inspector. In Part 2 Episode 1, when he thinks that the Inspector was killed in a shipwreck, he prays for his soul. He is outraged when he thinks that Lupin killed him in Part 2 Episode 98 and seeks vengeance for his supposed death. He saves Lupin and Jigen from an attack helicopter later on because he couldn't stop thinking about how badly he felt for Zenigata, going so far as to wipe his blade with disgust after slicing the helicopter in two. He assists Jigen in saving Zenigata from drowning after it is revealed that the inspector was only shot with a narcotic and ultimately saves his life by slicing Duffaut's gun before he can shoot him. Similarly, in Part III Episode 39, under the false narrative that Lupin only tried to kill Zenigata, Goemon is so angry that he slices a table in half. In Part 2 Episode 69, he agrees to help Zenigata protect Laura without rebuttal, whereas Lupin and Jigen are dubious at first. When he and Jigen steal Cabane's safe, Goemon uncharacteristically taunts Cabane and his gang, giving the impression that he would not feel such vindication towards them if he didn't know the harm they'd caused Laura and Zenigata. A couple of times he has faced Zenigata and lost or the fight ended in a draw, thanks to some clever tricks the Inspector pulled. For example, in Part III Episode 37 Zenigata glued the Zantetsuken to the inside of its scabbard.
Other relationships[]
Goemon has two members of his clan appear, but both use their talents to "satisfy their greed" as he once said, Kikyo and Sadachiyo the Scorpion.
In The Legend of the Gold of Babylon he had a love interest named Qinxiao, who was a member of Zenigata's all-female Lupin-catching task force, but because she's a cop and he's a robber, the relationship is forbidden by her peers.
ix, so he forgot about her.He had a brief alliance with Nezumi Kozō Jirokichi IV (Rat Boy in the English dub) due to the fact that their ancestors Goemon X and Nezumi Kozō Jirokichi I had collaborated in the First International Thieving Championship, but were beaten by Arsène Lupin; he also gave him his grandfather's pillbox, as his ancestor also knew Goemon XI. They teamed up to get the award document from the police station.
In Burn, Zantetsuken!, Kikyo was once a childhood friend of Goemon. When she returned to aid Goemon, she was all grown up. She eventually became his love interest in the movie and traveled with him to get a small dragon figurine, which Lupin found from the wreckage of the Titanic. Later, Kikyo faked her death so she could turn on Goemon, steal the dragon figurine, and side with Chin Chin Chao. Kikyo helped Chao to uncover the secret of the dragon figurine, and used its alloy to make an unstoppable stealth fighter. However, Goemon used his sword to slice the fighter three times in the same spot. It was destroyed, and Kikyo fell into the very same spot the Titanic sunk, resting with her grandfather, who stole the dragon figurine in the first place.
Sadachiyo the Scorpion appears in Secret of the Twilight Gemini. He was a highly-trained assassin hired by a rogue faction within the Geltic tribe. Causing problems for both Lupin and Goemon throughout the special, Sadachiyo dueled Goemon to the death in the end. Sadachiyo's sword broke the tip of Goemon's Zantetsuken, only for the tip to land in Sadachiyo's back and pierce his heart.
In The Plot of the Fuma Clan, Goemon nearly marries into the Suminawa clan by marrying Murasaki Suminawa, the daughter of one of his instructors. The engagement eventually falls through because Goemon feels he is unworthy of being her husband, though he and Murasaki part on friendly terms.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lupin World. lupin-3rd.net (in Japanese)