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Lupin Part 3 Ending Explained
Image via Netflix.

Lupin Part 3’s Surprising Ending, Explained

The third part of the French crime series Lupin topped Netflix’s Most Popular Non-English TV List in late 2023. The finale has many twists and hints at a renewal. Let’s discuss what happened during the ending of Lupin Part 3 and discuss what it might mean.

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What Happened At The End of Lupin Part 3

The show has featured two timelines running in parallel. The main story features Assane Diop in the 2020s trying to avenge his parents while maintaining his relationship with his own family. Alongside that is a story set in the late 1990s, showing what happened to his parents and how he began his life of thievery. We’ll start with the flashbacks and then jump to the present.

1998

The flashbacks in the finale of Lupin Part 3 take place during the 1998 FIFA World Cup Grand Final, which saw France facing off against Brazil. Taking advantage of the excitement, Assane’s mentor, Jean Luc Keller, who is a black market dealer and boxing instructor, forces Assane and his friend Bruno to rob a jewelry store. While they succeed, Keller’s erratic getaway driving attracts police attention, and after a tense chase sequence, Keller forces Bruno to shoot and kill the pursuing officer while Assane pleads with him not to.

However, in his distraction, Keller drives into a parked vehicle, flipping the car they’re in. All three occupants survive. Assane helps Bruno from the wreckage before placing the gun into Keller’s hand, framing him for the killing. Assane and Bruno escape, while Keller is arrested, with an officer stating that he will get 25 years in prison. This explains the lingering question of why Keller waited so long to take his revenge on Assane. Keller had taken advantage of vulnerable kids, forcing them into illegal activities.

2021

In the present, Assane cons his way into an event to find evidence that he can use to blackmail the Minister of the Interior, which he then leverages to get Manon (Keller’s girlfriend) out of prison. Assane’s mother, Mariama, plays a significant role in retrieving the incriminating evidence, disguising herself to help her son. He persuades her of Keller’s wrongdoing, leading her to help him set up Keller.

Later that night, Assane meets Keller at the Arc de Triomphe and persuades him to hand over the Black Pearl (an artifact that Assane stole much earlier in the season) by telling Keller that he will let him go free. In typical Lupin fashion, it’s a double-cross, and Keller runs headlong into the waiting arms of Captain Sofia Belkacem. Assane then performs one more sleight-of-hand by getting the Black Pearl into the hands of one of their friends using a fake rose handed to an innocent bystander. Bruno retrieves the pearl by pretending to be the date who was stood up and later sells it, sharing the money with Manon and investing in Keller’s boxing gym. Then, as promised, he turns himself over to Detective Youssef Guédira to face justice for his crimes. Meanwhile, his family — wife Claire, son Raoul, mother Mariama, and friend Ben — meet on a train platform, preparing to leave Paris for a new life, unexpectedly without Assane.

Related: Lupin Part 3 Is About How Stories Never End

The Twist Ending of Lupin Part 3, Explained

That should be the end of things, but the Lupin ending has one final twist that needs to be explained. As Assane settles into life in prison, he receives a letter from someone in a neighboring cell. Opening it, he finds a picture of himself as a teenager holding a copy of the Arséne Lupin book The Revenge of the Countess of Cagliostro. The voiceover that accompanies this scene strongly suggests that Mariama isn’t actually Assane’s mother and that he is, in fact, in the middle of a plot much larger than the one orchestrated by Keller. The letter is sent by Hubert Pellegrini, Assane’s long-time enemy, implying a new plot for revenge involving someone close to Assane​.

Finally, it is revealed that the benefactor is none other than Hubert Pellegrini. While Pellegrini did not otherwise appear in Lupin Part 3, he has been a significant figure throughout the series. He once employed Assane’s father but later framed him for theft and arranged for his murder in prison. The first two parts of the series focused on Assane’s attempts to uncover the truth and make Pellegrini pay for his crimes, which evidently succeeded.

Nevertheless, these final moments lay the groundwork for more convoluted plotting in further parts, with Assane possibly having to find a way to protect his family from the continuing machinations of Pellegrini and his accomplices. Whether that comes from Pellegrini himself, Mariama, or someone else entirely is a question that only another part of the saga will confirm – if and when it arrives. 

Will There Be a Season 4 of Lupin?

While we would have been satisfied with Lupin ending with Part 3, we’re now looking forward to confirmation of a Part 4 and will keep you updated if it comes to pass. Given the unresolved plotlines and the show’s popularity, a new season seems likely. Until then, we’re all eagerly waiting to see how Assane will handle the events that happened at the end of Lupin part 3.

Lupin is streaming now on Netflix.

The above article was updated on 5/23/2024 by Davi Braid to clarify information about Lupin Part 3.


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Damien Lawardorn
Editor and Contributor of The Escapist: Damien Lawardorn has been writing about video games since 2010, including a 1.5 year period as Editor-in-Chief of Only Single Player. He’s also an emerging fiction writer, with a Bachelor of Arts with Media & Writing and English majors. His coverage ranges from news to feature interviews to analysis of video games, literature, and sometimes wider industry trends and other media. His particular interest lies in narrative, so it should come as little surprise that his favorite genres include adventures and RPGs, though he’ll readily dabble in anything that sounds interesting.