Onihei Azumaya is a character from the New Lupin III (Manga) chapter Who Are You? and a character from Lupin the Third Part III.
Character History[]
Azumaya was a petty thief called Mamushidayu who between three to five years ago partnered up with Lupin III to get some treasure and split it 50-50 however Mamushidayu betrayed Lupin and decided to keep the treasure in Angel Island. Since then he had plastic surgery and became Azumaya who is a businessman. In both versions, he has lions inside his mansion, henchmen who work for him and he is also known to play sports.
Both the manga and the anime play the events differently.
Manga[]
In the manga, Onihei Azumaya is known as Kihei Azumaya. Lupin went to his mansion and asked him about the deal, Azumaya told him to leave however it made Lupin angry saying that they spent three years looking for the treasure and agreed to split 50-50. He grabbed Azumaya thinking that he was defying Lupin III and called him Mamushidayu, Azumaya denied the former name and informs him that he is a prominent businessman as well as saying his name. Azumaya's henchman grabbed Lupin's hand as he shouted that he visited a plastic surgeon and is really Mamushidayu however Lupin killed the henchman by breaking his neck and jumped towards the chandelier. Azumaya called him troublesome and asked why he thinks that he is Mamushidayu but Lupin asks what he did three years ago however he was informed that he developed amnesia, Lupin jumped off and laughed thinking it was a joke but Azumaya was serious. Lupin suggested to contact his doctor and he tells him that it was Dr. Seijo, he walked away still thinking that the amnesia is a joke but the phone rang and someone informed Azumaya that Dr. Seijo had died in a traffic accident. Lupin thought that he got one of his henchmen to kill him but Azumaya thought that it was an accusation, he got out his Walther P38 giving him the last resort but lions had entered the room and Lupin left.
Lupin shows Daisuke Jigen and Goemon Ishikawa XIII a photo of the former thief but they wonder whether it was really him. Jigen decided to go to Azumaya and shoots his bed linen but catches him in bed with a woman, Azumaya thought that he was a burglar and told him the location of his money in a safe. He asks his name and if it is Mamushidayu he will let him live but if he is Kihei Azumaya, he will kill him. Azumaya tells him that it was his birth name and Jigen was ready to fire from his magnum but Azumaya put bulletproof glass over him and trapped him inside a case as a henchman escorted him out, he tells Jigen not to return.
Azumaya was playing golf when Goemon using his sword sliced the ball in half, Goemon called him Dayu-san while he called himself his name as he hits another ball from his club. Goemon catches the ball with the sword and says that he isn't leaving until he confesses however Azumaya has contacted Koichi Zenigata and will continue playing golf when he arrives. As Zenigata had arrived, Goemon decided to flee and tells Azumaya in a sulk whether Lupin is around however he only saw Goemon as Zenigata wants all three of them. He asked Azumaya and tells him that according to his report he developed amnesia three years ago however he ignored this as he was ready to take his putter to putt the ball into the hole. Azumaya claims that he has no memory of his previous life but was shocked when Zenigata tells that he doesn't remember a murder, he got up and assures that he hasn't murdered anyone but Zenigata says that there was a murder five years ago and it had gone cold and showed him a picture of Azumaya killing someone with a sword while a woman was behind a tree. He was annoyed and wondered how it could be but claims that the photo was fake and tells him that five years ago, he didn't have this face and had surgery to change his identity. Zenigata asked who was the surgeon but was Dr. Seijo who had died in a traffic accident, he wondered who he looked like before. Turned out the amnesia alibi was a lie as Azumaya showed him a photo of Mamushidayu while sweating, Zenigata knew who he was but says that he will only get a few years instead of life. Zenigata was annoyed and says that Mamushidayu had turned himself in today, he was angry thinking that it was a fake. The inspector crossed his arms and wanted proof as Azumaya explains that he went to the South Sea with Lupin to find treasure and ask Lupin for more info, he doesn't believe it and asks for the location, Azumaya told him that it was in Angel Island. Lupin removed his Zenigata disguise walking away to get the treasure and Azumaya was furious banging on a tree.
Anime[]
Onihei Azumaya was formerly a thief called Mamushidayu (known as Viper the Swindler in some English subtitles). Five years ago on October 5 as Lupin was walking down a street in Japan, Mamushidayu grabbed hold of his arm and knew his name with Lupin asking what he wanted. He just wanted a chat and they went to an abandoned apartment to sit down, he explains that diamonds that means more than his life has been stolen by some crooks. The diamonds are in a safe inside the Yumi Jewelry Store in Ginza and since he felt that it was unsafe to keep it at home, he decided to let the shopkeeper look after it however he wouldn't let him have it back no matter how many times he begged. He had faith in Lupin to steal the diamonds and wanted it back as he was the only one who could do it, Lupin agreed and Mamushidayu thanked him but Lupin asked what he wanted in return and Mamushidayu was willing to give half of the diamonds. Mamushidayu gave Lupin a key to a locker at Tokyo Station's Yaesu exit and leave the diamonds in there. After Lupin stole the briefcase that had the diamond and pearls from the store[1], he put the briefcase into the locker and went at the rendezvous point. Lupin later found out that he had a spare key, opened the locker to get the briefcase and left, the sob story was a lie.
Since then he had plastic surgery however a portrait of him was hidden in a painting called Etude #3 by Rishi Kobayashi, an artist who died at a young age but had gained a reputation. Azumaya had become successful and became the elected president of the Federation of Economic Organizations. There were rumors of his past spread in the press such as The Yomiuri Shimbun and held a press conference to deny the rumors, he called them "an absolute nuisance" calling the press guilty of libel and wanted to prosecute them for those unfounded accusations. He didn't want anyone going to his past ever again. Fujiko Mine and his henchmen were present at the event. Since the painting is the only known evidence of his past, Fujiko asked Lupin to steal it from an exhibition that he did successfully and then gave the painting to her however Lupin had managed to use a 3D scanner beforehand as he was suspicious why Fujiko wanted him to steal a painting. Lupin kept the results from the 3D scanner on a tape.
At his mansion, Fujiko sat down opposite to Azumaya in a room. He thanked her and this "meddlesome business" regarding his past wouldn't trouble him anymore. Azumaya gave Fujiko a metal case and told her to thank Lupin for him as he was the only one who could have pulled the heist. Lupin was spying from above and had a flashback of Mamushidayu, it was enough to a scan a picture of Azumaya and compare the results with the 3D scanner of the painting and the Mamushidayu portrait, it was a match.
According to Lupin, Azumaya spends his weekends at a cliffside mansion and he was sat down next to Fujiko who put her arms around his shoulder and vice versa as they were having a glass of wine that was on the glass table. To make sure people couldn't get into his weekend mansion, Azumaya had electrified the surrounding area and in case people had sneaked from the chimney, he put lions by the fireplace as Lupin had tried to sneak in. Coming up and sat on his chair, Azumaya welcomed Lupin and asked whether he wanted any help. Lupin called him Mamushidayu (Viper in some English subtitles) but Azumaya wondered why he called him that name, Lupin didn't want to play dumb as he knew that he made him steal the diamond from a jewelry store and left. Azumaya apologised and tells him that he can't remember the event, Lupin said if it was up to him, he would have his tongue cut off for lying as he analysed the painting on a computer and shows him the tape. Lupin threatened him not wanting Azumaya's past being found out and wanted the diamond or his post as president of the Federation of Economic Organizations would be a memory that he never had, Azumaya told him that the painting was destroyed and nothing to support his accusation claiming that he has always been and will be Onihei Azumaya as the police are on his side telling Lupin to go home as he was wasting his time. Lupin was annoyed at "Onihei" as he still believes that he is Mamushidayu as he holds the tape willing to sell it to the press, Azumaya says do whatever you want but without evidence there wasn't much that he could do and told him so long as he put the metal shutters around Lupin and ejected him from a trap door out of the mansion.
Zenigata drove in his police car to Azumaya's mansion as he was playing golf, Azumaya greeted Zenigata as he heard that Lupin showed up and told the inspector that Lupin made up a story and is annoyed about it. Zenigata vows to arrest Lupin personally as Azumaya bent down ready to putt the ball into the hole with the putter, he asked Azumaya a question because he wanted a favor doing as it was an unpleasant topic. Azumaya had managed to putt the ball into the hole. Unlike the manga chapter where he continues, Azumaya decided to play tennis and wanted to go ahead as he served but Zenigata blocked the ball with the tennis racquet but then served a giant ball that he was unable to avoid and laughed with his giant tennis racquet. On the ground Zenigata informed him that an informant saw Azumaya committing a murder five years ago but shouted back thinking that it was a joke however Zenigata wanted to take him with an arrest warrant. Azumaya was ready to dive and says that next month, he is going to be president of the Federation of Economic Organizations and annoyed that Zenigata accused a man with his status of homicide, he then dived into the pool while Zenigata fell off the diving board into the pool. Sat down and dressed, Azumaya thinking that he was humiliated wanted the Commissioner however still wet, Zenigata had already informed the Commissioner and still holding the warrant for his arrest.
Holding a glass, Azumaya grunted as he claimed that he never laid a hand on anyone and thought that it was a fabrication, Zenigata thought that it was a cold case until he found some new evidence showing him a photo (the same one from the manga where Azumaya killed someone with a sword and a woman was behind a tree). He was surprised as he had a closer look and was shocked that he killed someone, Zenigata says that it happened five years ago on the 5th of October but he laughed as he didn't have that face five years ago and said that the photo is a composite, someone who was enviousness of his success.
Going back into the mansion, Zenigata asked what face he had five years ago and Azumaya told Fujiko to get the box out for him. Azumaya put the photo on the table and it was of Mamushidayu, he nodded saying that he would get 2-3 years for fraud but sighed that it couldn't be helped to clear a murder that he didn't commit and smirked. Zenigata was angry and claimed that he arrested Mamushidayu the other day and thought that he was lying. He confessed that he really is Mamushidayu but Zenigata wanted proof, Azumaya says that on October 5, five years ago he used Lupin to steal diamonds from the jewelry store. Zenigata wanted more evidence but Azumaya told him to ask Lupin who according to Zenigata was the least trustworthy person to back him up. Azumaya begged and saying that it was the truth, Zenigata asked about the diamonds thinking that Lupin had a part of it but he struggled to say as Zenigata demanded to know. The diamonds are located at Angel Island with Azumaya sulking causing Zenigata to cheer up and wanted a map of the location. Fujiko gave him the map but Azumaya started to panic, Lupin thanked Fujiko as he removed his Zenigata face mask. Azumaya screamed as Lupin and Fujiko laughed but then got up and called Lupin a "bastard".
Unlike the manga where Lupin walks off to go to Angel Island, Azumaya didn't want him alive as he pressed a button causing snakes to come out as Azumaya grinned and Lupin panicked. He wanted the vipers to feast on Lupin and Fujiko and laughed as Fujiko screamed then Lupin carried Fujiko going straight into the window to get away. Azumaya vowed that Lupin should not have the diamond as everything will be fine if he eliminates as he went down a lift directly towards a water vessel that was a secret undersea route directly to Angel Island as he built a tunnel and smiled that not even Lupin found this hidden route.
On Angel Island, Azumaya went to his temple and at the top floor looking out of the window as he was ready for Lupin. Within three floors, he put his henchmen to try to stop Lupin from taking his diamonds. He smiled as a plane was coming and sat down by the controls, he fired rockets and attack guns at the plane laughing as it served him right. Annoyed that Lupin avoided the bullet fire, he threw his headset onto the controls while Lupin was dealing with his henchmen. Afterwards he went down to the fourth floor steps and pointed his pistol at Lupin as he told him that he made it this far but it ends here. Azumaya fired his gun while Lupin was avoiding his bullets then threw the gun to the floor as it was out of ammo, he ran up to the top floor and Lupin jumped up from the stairs. He sat down by the controls and pressed a button as the top of the temple was a plane and flew from the rest of the temple upwards. Azumaya told Lupin that he could kill him if he wants but he was the only one who could fly the plane as if he dies, Lupin will also die and serves him right. Lupin knew that it was a custom job and looks at the briefcase, he says that he had no choice and used a rope to wrap Azumaya around it. Lupin got the briefcase that he wanted and as promised, he will get half of his share and would have said thanks to Azumaya if it wasn't for the trouble that he put him though and laughed, Azumaya shouted calling him a fool as he wondered where he was taking the briefcase as he couldn't walk off the rooftop plane, he screamed as he saw the plane and was struggling to free himself as Lupin left the plane holding onto a rope saying bye bye.
Azumaya was still tied up in the rooftop plane and wanted Lupin to free him as it was heading out to sea. It is unknown what happened afterwards.
[1] The animation shows some pearls in the briefcase making it a plothole.
Etymology[]
- The name Onihei means "demon, ogre, daemon" (鬼) (oni) and "soldier, warrior" (兵) (hei).
- Onihei's surname Azumaya means "pavilion, arbor/arboret, summer house, bower, alcove, garden house, pergola" (東屋).
Gallery[]
