Death of Yukiko Nikaido, the very first voice of Fujiko Mine in Lupin III

The seiyū Yukiko Nikaido, who voiced Fujiko Mine in the very first TV series of Lupin III (1971-1972), has passed away at the age of 87. A look back at what this role represents in the history of Japanese animation.

The Announcement

Anime News Network reports the passing of Yukiko Nikaido (二階堂 有希子) at the age of 87. Nikaido belongs to the founding generation of Japanese animation dubbing - that handful of actors who, in the 1960s-70s, built the school of vocal performance that still defines today what is called a seiyū (声優 - professional voice actor in Japan).

Why This Role Matters

Her claim to fame is Fujiko Mine (峰 不二子) in the first TV series of Lupin III, broadcast in 1971-1972 by Tokyo Movie Shinsha. This first season - often called "Lupin III Part I" or "the green series" because of the iconic green costume worn by Lupin - is foundational in several ways:

• It is the initial adaptation of the manga by Monkey Punch (Kazuhiko Katō) published in Weekly Manga Action starting in 1967.
• It bears, from its last episodes, the signature of two directors who will mark the industry: Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, who take over the series midway.
• It establishes for the next fifty years the archetype of the Fujiko character: a cunning, dangerous thief, Lupin's lover-adversary, never relegated to a simple role of love interest.

Nikaido is therefore the first voice that defined Fujiko. The great seiyū who took over the role later - Eiko Masuyama (the longest holder, from Part II to 2011) and then Miyuki Sawashiro since 2011 - built on the foundations she had laid: a Fujiko who is both feline and tough, never completely on one side or the other.

A Long Career Beyond Lupin

Nikaido was also active in dubbing foreign films for Japanese television, a tradition fukikae (吹き替え - local dubbing of foreign works) that trained most of the great seiyū of her generation. It is there, often, that the voices were polished that were later found in anime.

What It Leaves Behind

The passing of a member of the founding generation is never anecdotal: it is a piece of the living memory of Japanese animation that fades away. For a Lupin fan, it is also an opportunity to revisit Part I - often snubbed in favor of the more cult yellow Part II - and to hear the first tone of Fujiko, the one before the role was established.

No spoilers in this article; just a tribute to a founding seiyū.