
But no there is actually canonical precedent for this. During a memorable heist sequence in Code: Realize, Lupin comes face-to-face with a rival character called “Herlock Sholmes”, which at first glance you might assume to just be a bad joke. But I digress.Ĭode: Realize’s Lupin, in accordance with his original depiction in French author Maurice Leblanc’s stories, is an immaculately mannered individual who never comes across as aloof or superior to anyone else his politeness has a warmth to it that makes people feel at ease, which makes him an ideal “canonical” love interest for Cardia Code: Realize’s “true” ending corresponds to Lupin’s narrative route, and can only be explored after you have seen all the other routes through to their respective conclusions.


Indeed, Arsène Lupin is regarded as the inspiration for the entire “phantom thief” or “kaitou” genre in Japanese popular media, which Persona 5, in turn, draws heavy inspiration from. Looking at things superficially, the depiction of Lupin in Code: Realize is pretty authentic to how he is usually presented in other forms of media: well-dressed, typically wearing a top hat (only outdoors, mind, because this is the 19th century and it is, of course, improper to wear a hat indoors) and often clad in a mask which obscures the upper half of his face.Īs an aside, Persona 5 fans will doubtless notice that protagonist Joker from that game bears more than a passing resemblance to typical representations of Lupin and this is, of course, deliberate - Joker’s default Persona is literally a manifestation of Arsène Lupin. Take leading man Arsène Lupin, for example. It becomes very clear that despite the fact this game can be looked upon as a “literature fanservice” visual novel, it has a great deal of respect for its original source material, and makes good use of the characters in a surprisingly plausible way.
#Code zero otome series
It’s not anything particularly unusual to see a work of Japanese popular fiction draw influences (or outright lift characters) from world mythology and history - Type-Moon’s Fate series has thrived on it for nearly two decades at this point - but there’s something particularly special about Code: Realize in this regard. You’ll doubtless notice a few things from that description: firstly, a gleeful commitment to absurdity - a commitment which the game never seems ashamed of, or attempts to “apologise” for with ironic self-referential or self-deprecating humour - and secondly… gosh, that’s a lot of figures drawn from both history and period fiction!

Through various circumstances, Cardia also encounters Victor Frankenstein, an alchemist on the run, and Abraham Van Helsing, a veteran of the Vampire War and a master of rather creative gunplay. In short order, legendary gentleman thief Arsène Lupin and noted engineer Impey Barbicane rescue her from a kidnapping attempt by Queen Victoria’s Royal Guards, and they take her to their hideout, the mansion of the eccentric philosopher Count Saint-Germain in London.

#Code zero otome skin
She has a weird gem in her chest and believes she’s a monster - oh, and her skin is so toxic that it burns and melts anything she touches. For the unfamiliar, in Code: Realize we follow the story of Cardia, a young woman who awoke alone in a mansion with no memories from longer than two years ago.
