Lupin III/Recap/S2/E20

"Lupin Up Against the Wall", with the English title "Hell Toupee". Released in 2003 by Geneon on Volume 4: Thieves' Paradise.

A grim-faced Zenigata rides in a tank with a group of soldiers to an abandoned castle surrounded by soldiers and artillery in the middle of a dark forest. There, he confronts the general in command, Hess, calling himself the leading authority on Lupin. The general will give him one chance...and if that doesn't work, Hess and the Gehenian army at his command will do things his way.

Meanwhile, a searchlight shines through a window of the castle, where Lupin and Fujiko are apparently holed up. Lupin has been wounded in the arm, and the two thieves have two submachine guns and Lupin's Walther to take on the army outside. Zenigata uses a bullhorn to try and talk Lupin out of the castle peacefully; however, Lupin and Fujiko are aware that even if they surrender, Hess will execute them on sight. Lupin recalls the situation that got them into this mess in the first place...

At a rally, the Supreme Leader of Gehenia, Hutler, is ranting of the country's genetic supremacy. He is unaware that amidst the helicopters covering the event is one containing Lupin and his gang, intent on stealing the giant ruby mounted in a medal Hutler is wearing. Lupin pulls out a fishing rod and directs Jigen to fly lower; however, a gust of wind causes Lupin's hook to miss the medal and instead pull off Hutler's toupee, revealing him to be totally bald before his people. A humiliated Hutler orders Hess and the army to fire on Lupin's copter; they're hit and crash down in a field. Jigen is injured in the crash, and Lupin orders Goemon and Fujiko to take him to safety while he single-handedly holds the pursuing soldiers off. Just as Lupin is wounded and runs out of bullets, a storm of fire suddenly comes from behind and takes out the remaining soldiers; Fujiko has come back to save him.

Back in the present, Lupin speculates if Jigen and Goemon are okay, Fujiko teasing him over concern for his friends; Lupin claims it's only because he wants them to come back and rescue them. Luckily, the gunman and samurai have eluded the army, hiding in back alleys, and making their way into the sewers, where they begin to dig a tunnel. However, they have aimed poorly, ending up breaking into a jail cell instead.

At the castle, Zenigata expresses concern over the way Hess is handling things, and asks for four soldiers to accompany him on a mission to attempt to capture Lupin. He and his forces burst into Lupin and Fujiko's hiding place to find them sitting silently on a sofa. The soldiers go after the two thieves, only to find the figures are really dummies. Lupin and Fujiko, hiding in the rafters, get the drop on Zenigata and his men, beating them all and throwing them out the window. Hess, watching from the other side of the moat, declares Zenigata is done, and it is his turn to try. He orders his commando squad after the thieves, and reports to Hutler that he is about to capture them. Hutler, frustrated, takes some "me-time" and dances with his globe.

Lupin decides that Fujiko isn't going to die in cold blood with him, and tries to negotiate with Zenigata to let her leave safely. Unaware that Zenigata is no longer involved since he is now a prisoner of Hess, Lupin tries to get Fujiko to leave; she adamantly refuses. Desperate, Lupin then threatens to shoot her if she doesn't leave; she reluctantly heads out of the room, only to fall straight into the hands of Hess' commandos and be wounded herself. The two retreat to the castle tower, where the commandos come after them. Lupin is wounded in the leg, and the submachine guns are out of ammo; there's only two shots left in his Walther. The tanks are sent in. Hess gives the two one last opportunity to surrender before dawn, when the bombardment will start. Fujiko asks Lupin to be the one to end it for her when the time comes.

Unbeknownst to Lupin, Jigen and Goemon have spent the night working on a new plan; going around town and stealing curtains and laundry off the lines, they sew the fabric into a gigantic balloon, which Goemon then paints something on.

Dawn comes, and the tanks begin firing on the castle. Lupin takes one of his remaining bullets and shoots the hat off of Hess' head. He's down to the last two in the gun, and asks Fujiko if she's sure about her choice. As the two share a last moment, a rose on a rope descends out of nowhere. The two look up to see Jigen and Goemon waving from their balloon. As Hess orders his tanks to fire on the balloon, it turns, revealing what Goemon has painted on the other side: a badly done picture of Hutler. As Hess cannot fire on an image of his supreme leader, no matter how goofy, he and his men are forced to salute the balloon as Lupin and Fujiko climb aboard and the gang flies to safety. Zenigata is set free, and Hess is left to deal with a furious Hutler, who orders the firing squad for the general.

A couple of days later, Lupin recovers from his wounds at a hospital. Taking a walk with Fujiko, he offers to examine her flesh wound; a slap for being fresh sends Lupin, in his wheelchair, careening down the hill. Watching from a nearby tree, Jigen and Goemon glibly remark that Lupin is on his own this time as Zenigata appears just in time to meet with Lupin and his out-of-control wheelchair.

This episode features examples of:

 * A Nazi By Any Other Name: So thinly disguised as to be downright libellous.
 * Antagonist in Mourning: Zenigata genuinely fears for Lupin's life.
 * Aw Look They Really Do Love Each Other: A very rare episode where Fujiko never actively tries to screw Lupin or his gang out of anything.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Jigen and Goemon.
 * For the Evulz: Hess. Lupin mentions he executed his own sister as a suspected traitor.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: The English episode title ("Hell to pay.")
 * Just in Time: Lupin is preparing to shoot Fujiko and himself when the balloon arrives.
 * Last Stand: Lupin is willing to turn the situation into one.
 * The Napoleon: Hutler, though he doesn't want anyone to know about the short part.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Hutler just might be a caricature of Adolf Hitler.
 * Ruritania: Gehenia
 * Shout Out: Hutler's dance with the globe is a reference to a similar scene in Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator.
 * Those Wacky Nazis: They're not Nazis! Really!