Fantômas, who starred in a series of novels and was an evil version of Lupin.Lupin is the Trope Namer and Trope Codifier for the Gentleman Thief, a significant influence on those who followed in his footsteps.

He has had his own films/series, and is the principal character of Night Hood, a Canadian-French animated collaboration that aired on YTV in the 1990s, a 1970s French live-action show, a Filipino TV series (more inspired by his grandson but still using the original Lupin). Is he the victim's guest? The Detective's assistant? The narrator himself? Lupin's status as a criminal is balanced by his trademark gentlemanly behavior, allowing him to come off as heroic rather than a villain, though his actions do often earn him a fair share of What the Hell, Hero?. Part of the books' success is due to Lupin's status as a Master of Disguise: When opening a book, one is never sure who is Lupin in this story. Other stories even have Lupin looking for lost treasures. Stories tend to vary from following various detectives in their attempts to stop Lupin or figure out what he did, to Lupin facing other villains. The Lupin stories were meant as a reversal of the detective stories that were massively popular at the time - Lupin is instead the criminal.

Maurice Leblanc's ' Gentleman Thief' who is part crime-solving (and crime-committing) mastermind, part prince of romance and the Trope Codifier of Phantom Thief, first appearing in novels and short stories, starting in 1905. Odds are he sent them a copy of the letter. Calling police after reading is heavily disadvised.

Arsene lupin stories