Lupin III is a series that requires no introduction. Stemming from a manga that debuted in 1967, its titular protagonist has appeared in everything from anime, movies to even video games. Spanning generations with continued iterations, including a franchise first CGI film that premiered last year, Lupin III has remained not only culturally iconic but relevant. The series is also incredibly influential, finding itself referenced in everything from Gintama to FLCL. Even outside of the anime community, one can finds nods to the master thief, like rapper Lupe Fiasco's line "Lupe steal like Lupin the Third" in Kanye West's 2005 awarding-winning hit "Touch the Sky."

But as widespread as Monkey Punch's classic is, far fewer are aware of Arsene Lupin and his adventures who directly inspired it. A series of stories by French author Maurice Leblanc, they were serialized at the turn of the 20th century and follow the exploits of the aforementioned Gentleman thief. The tales served as direct inspiration for Monkey Punch, who sought to create a comedic take on Leblanc's character. He even went as far as to make them blood related, hence the series namesake Lupin III.

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Leblanc's original creation still has some cultural relevance with occasional references, Persona 5 fans can find an obvious one in Joker's main persona who is named after the famous thief. But it pales in comparison to his anime grandson. Lupin's all-encompassing prominence among fictional Lupins was best exemplified when Netflix recently dropped a trailer for their new French series Lupin, a contemporary retelling of the original story. While some of the video's comments expressed excitement for a beloved classic receiving a modern take, the vast majority of comments consisted of viewers surprised at the original's existence and countless references to the anime counterpart.

This phenomenon is known as the "Weird Al effect," which is when a parody of a particular work becomes more popular than the original. Stemming from the work of the iconic parody artist Weird Al Yankovic, whose songs have, on several occasions, done just that. Due to his songs' outrageous nature and the equally hilarious music videos accompanying many of them, they have embedded themselves in culture and now stand alone outside their original parody context. For many, these titles reach a point where they are remembered while the work they're parodying is forgotten.

Lupin III is not just an instance of this phenomenon but an example of its peak. Beyond just public memory, the series has transcended any relation to Leblanc's original work and seen massive successive and icon status. As the series moves forward, many could argue that it has become more impactful than its inspiration.

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