Este filme do Lupin, o Terceiro, antecede a ele conhecer Daisuke Jigen, Goemon Ishikawa ou Fujiko Mine. Tudo começa com Lupin conhecendo uma linda garota, que está a caminho de ser presa. Lupin ajuda a sair da prisão, apenas para ser deixado para trás. Mais tarde, ele encontra Daisuke Jigen, que deseja desesperadamente que Lupin reconstrua o império Lupin. Lupin mais tarde reencontra Fujiko, que deseja joias caras e prometendo a Lupin um "prêmio digno". Ele deve fazer isso (bem, se ele quiser Fujiko) enquanto evita ser morto, e enquanto decide se ele realmente quer assumir o império Lupin ou não.
Sawaki is released from prison after serving eight years for murdering a rival gang leader in order to obtain the land rights to a landfill for the Kotaki clan and he discovers that the world has changed significantly in that time. The police have forced the disbanding of all yakuza groups in and around Tokyo and most of the former yakuza have moved on to legitimate jobs. Sawaki is disgusted that his yakuza brothers have abandoned their codes of honor and are abusing their newfound power in the legitimate business world to exploit the poor. Sawaki feels partly responsible for making them so powerful and enabling their corruption, so he decides to follow his traditional code of honor to save the residents of a small town where his former lover lives.
