Source : LNA illustration
KUALA LUMPUR, November 1, 2026 – With Netflix’s Lupin back for a fourth part and Phantom Thief Kid still stealing scenes in Detective Conan, fans of clever heists have two very different gentleman thieves to choose from. Both trace their family tree to the same Frenchman, Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin, yet they take that legacy in opposite directions.
Same legendary ancestor
Lupin, created by George Kay and François Uzan, premiered on Netflix on January 8, 2021. Omar Sy plays Assane Diop, a Parisian who treats Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin novels as a playbook while seeking justice for his late father, who was wrongly accused of stealing a necklace. Part 2 followed on June 11, 2021, Part 3 on October 5, 2023, and the eight-episode Part 4 arrived on October 23, 2026.
Kaito Kid is older. Gosho Aoyama introduced him in the manga Magic Kaito, which began in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1987, years before Aoyama started Detective Conan, known in English as Case Closed, in 1994. Aoyama’s prototype story, Nonchalant Lupin, even named its hero Kaito Lupin. Fan references note that Kid’s white suit, top hat and monocle began as a stage costume honouring Arsène Lupin.
Grounded thriller versus magic show
The clearest difference is tone. Assane works in the real streets of modern Paris, relying on patience, research, disguises and an eye for people who underestimate him. Kaito Kuroba is a teenage magician who becomes Kid after learning that his father, the magician Toichi Kuroba, was the original thief. He sends advance notices before each heist, escapes by hang glider and uses stage magic to fool crowds.
Their motives also differ. Assane’s story is driven by family and by exposing the powerful men who wronged his father. Kaito steals jewels mainly to draw out the criminal syndicate behind his father’s death, and to find a legendary gem called Pandora before they do.
The detectives on their trail
Every great thief needs a rival. In Lupin, that is Youssef Guédira, played by Soufiane Guerrab, a police officer whose deep knowledge of the Leblanc books helps him spot the similarities between Assane and the famous burglar. Kid has a crowded list of pursuers: the boy detective Conan Edogawa, the teenage sleuth Saguru Hakuba and Inspector Ginzo Nakamori, who has spent years trying to catch him.
Which one should you watch?
In LNA’s view, Lupin suits viewers who enjoy grown-up crime dramas with layered characters and flashbacks. It carries a mature age rating in some markets, so parents may want to check before a family viewing. All four parts are on Netflix, with episodes running roughly 41 to 53 minutes.
Kid’s adventures, on the other hand, are lighter and more playful. Newcomers can start with Magic Kaito 1412, a 24-episode anime that aired in Japan from October 2014 to March 2015, before meeting him again in the long-running Detective Conan anime and films. Availability on streaming services differs by country.
LNA’s verdict, again our opinion: if you like realistic suspense and a hero fighting injustice, pick Assane. If you prefer magic tricks, moonlit rooftops and a cat-and-mouse game with a young detective, pick Kid. Either way, the gentleman thief Leblanc created more than a century ago is still in fine form.
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