Lupin, a thief on-the-rise in NYC, has acquired a mysterious treasure called the Clam of Helmeth -- originally stolen from a crime family by his now deceased friend. Jigen Daisuke, the fastest draw in the American underworld, has been hired to return the treasure to its owner, and quickly takes the idea of killing Lupin to a personal level. Also hot on Lupin's trail is the swordsman Ishikawa Goemon, who also has his own agenda of stealing the treasure. Chronologically, First Contact is the story of the Lupin gang's first encounter.
Follow interstellar bounty hunters Spike Spiegel and Jet Black as they scour the galaxy for criminals with prices on their heads. Hoping to escape their past, they live on the spaceship Bebop, but it's a dangerous business and old enemies don't forget easily. Allies come from unlikely sources, however, as they find comrades in the beautiful swindler Faye Valentine, the genius child hacker Ed and the genetically engineered 'data dog' Ein. Will they be able to help each other though their respective struggles, or is their fate really inevitable?
Bebop uses a lot of the same archetypes that can be traced back to the Lupin series. Lupin is just Spike as a wannabe womanizer and jokester. Faye is almost exactly like Fujiko. Jet and Jigen both are trustworthy friends and have black beards. There is action and excitement in both.
Kaitou Kuroba is a highly intelligent high school boy obsessed with magic, even going so far as to disrupt class with his latest trick and fool his best friend, Aoko, while sneaking a look at her panties. One night at home, the young teen accidentally stumbles into a hidden chamber created by his late father – the renowned magician, Touichi Kuroba – and gets the shock of his life when he discovers that his dad was the notorious thief Kaitou Kid! However, when Kid suddenly makes a re-appearance after an eight-year absence, Kaitou decides to don the hat and cape himself and meet this impostor to find some answers about his father’s identity...
Kaitou Kid is very much like Lupin in that they are both flambouyant thieves who send out letters stating their next target and when they will strike. Both Magic Kaito and Lupin III First Contact focus on the earlier parts of both thieves careers. In one case showing how Kaitou became Kid and the other showing the first meeting between Lupin and his comrades. If you liked one, it's well worth checking out the other.