Lupin III/Recap/S2/E25

"The Coming of the Killer Iron Lizards", released in English as "Lair of the Land-Shark". Released in 2004 by Geneon on Volume 5: Mission Irresistible.

In the middle of Africa is an odd prison; prisoners roam the grounds freely, out of cells waiting our their sentence while guards relax and slack off. In the midst of this prison, the Warden makes continuing advances towards a certain prison, one Fujiko Mine. Taking refuge in her cell, she continues to spurn him. His attempts to woo her are interrupted with word that a prisoner, due to be executed tomorrow, has escaped. The Warden returns to his office and releases a sinister looking missle-on-wheels he calls a "land shark", chucking how some of the prisoners can't understand this is the fate they meet if they try to escape. The land shark zooms out of the prison and out into the African wilds.

A bit away, Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon are driving down a deserted highway when Lupin nearly hits a body in the road. The three get out of the car to check on the man, but he leaps up, punches Lupin and Jigen, and grabs the master thief's car. As he speeds away, the land shark, in hot pursuit, zooms by the confused gang. Both disappear over the horizon, followed by a loud explosion. The three follow it to find Lupin's car, blown to smithereens, and a note from Fujiko, carried by the prisoner, among the wreckage that begs Lupin to come and rescue her from prison and the lecherous Warden.

Deciding the fastest route is the direct one, the gang holds up a bank, but instead of stealing the money, politely asks them to point out the alarm. Soon after, they arrive at the prison, where they are introduced to the Warden. He has the guards yank out hair from each of the thieves, then places the hair in three land sharks, one each for Lupin, Goemon, and Jigen. The Warden explains each land shark uses DNA from the hair to track a prisoner anywhere, land or water, until it makes contact with them, upon which it explodes. He taunts the gang with the currently unarmed land sharks and tells them since he makes the rules, their punishment will be execution, whether they escape or not. Turned loose, Lupin quickly finds Fujiko in her cell. She (as well as Jigen and Goemon) is concerned that the rest of the gang are now prisoners to, but Lupin boasts he can come up with a plan to beat the land sharks.

Meanwhile, Inspector Zenigata has gotten word of Lupin's arrest. He demands the gang be released to his custody to be tried for their crimes elsewhere, but the Warden refuses, telling the detective they must follow the laws of his country instead and execute them all. As Zenigata tries to convince him, a guard comes in and alerts the Warden that Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon have escaped. The Warden gloats he must now send the land sharks after them, but offers Zenigata a chance to finish things since he's been chasing them for so long. Reluctantly, Zenigata pushes the button to send each land shark after their targets.

Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon run for their lives, the land sharks hot on their tails. They try everything they can think of to subvert the sharks. Jumping over large crevices reveals the sharks can easily climb down one side and out of the other. They are bulletproof, and they easily work underwater. Lupin finally gets the idea to shed their jackets. The land sharks are momentarily confused, since they can see the trace DNA, but not the people they belong to. Eventually, the sharks figure out where the gang really is, but it buys them enough time to escape. Stealing a boat, the gang heads off down a river, leaving behind their shirts (or kimonos) to distract the sharks while they jump on to an overhanging tree branch.

Lupin finally has an idea that might work. He finds a deep hole with a boulder perched precariously nearby. Using all but two of their bullets, he rigs them to explode and knock the boulder into the hole; when the sharks are lured in the hole, Jigen will shoot the explosive and set it off, covering the hole with the boulder, trapping the land sharks, and giving the gang a chance to escape the metal menaces. They throw their trousers down the hole as bait, but the land sharks outwit them, approaching from behind. They jump into the hole themselves; barely clinging to the edge, Jigen manages to shoot the bullets as planned, and the gang manages to crawl out before the boulder comes down, sealing off the sharks. The three agree to split up and meet back at the prison. By the time the sharks chew their way though, the gang is long gone.

Speaking of which, Zenigata is taking a small comfort that none of the sharks' confirmation signals have gone off yet. The Warden gloats it's only a matter of time. He decides to use said time to press himself on the unwilling Fujiko; she insults him and tells him Lupin will figure a way out. The Warden gloats that Lupin will never figure out the missles' only weakness; if you can get them to crash into each other, they will take themselves out. A guard bursts in just then, shouting that the Warden has given the secret of the land sharks away. The Warden laughs and asks what anyone could possibly do with that information. The guard brags he's figured that out and demonstrates a set up using a basket and a few large rubber bands. As the Warden wonders if the guard has gone mad, the guard leaps in the basket and pulls off his disguise, revealing Lupin. Jigen and Goemon were hidden in the basket, and Lupin's trap as been set. The land sharks burrow through the wall and converge on the basket. At the last second, Lupin grabs Fujiko as Goemon cuts the rope underneath, sending the basket through the ceiling and out of the way of the sharks, which meet in a fiery ball underneath. The explosion triggers the other land sharks, destroying the prison.

The parachute on Lupin's basket deploys, and the thieves drift along through the air, looking at the smouldering ruins of the prison below them. Luckily, Zenigata was blown clear and spots Lupin as the thief shouts a cheerful greeting. Annoyed at the escape, Zenigata confesses he is happy that at least his rival is alive. Just then, the Warden runs by, a land shark on his tail. Fujiko cheerfully notes she snuck a sample of the Warden's hair into a land shark, which was triggered by the explosion. The thieves enjoy the view as the Warden runs off over the hills.

This episode features examples of:

 * Adaptation Expansion: This episode is based on two chapters from the second manga series; the original doesn't explain how Lupin's gang was captured, however.
 * Arc Number: Lupin's inmate number is naturally "3333". Also a Genius Bonus; Goemon gets "3335"; the first character in his first name is "go", which means "five".
 * Bank Robbery: Of a decidedly slacking nature.
 * Decoy Getaway: Employed via their shirts to let the boys escape from the boat.
 * Engrish: A sign reading "Bank of Aflica".
 * Indy Ploy: The Lupin gang's escape becomes one big one.
 * I See London: Reluctantly, for one of Lupin's plans.
 * Reed Snorkel: Employed by the gang to try and hide from the land sharks.
 * Shout Out: References to Jaws abound during the boat escape sequence.
 * Trick Bullet: Bullets are set off exploding by another bullet!