Lupin’s money plot-hole accidentally makes Assane Diop a terrible father. In Lupin, Assane, influenced by Maurice Leblanc’s gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, plots to clear his late father’s name following his false imprisonment. Accused of stealing Marie Antoinette’s multi-million dollar necklace by the wealthy and powerful Hubert Pellegrini, Assane plans heists and becomes a master of disguise to get closer to the truth. His activities, however, keep him away from his son Raoul, who is primarily being raised by Assane’s ex-wife Claire. Due to an egregious oversight in the plot, Assane is presented as somewhat of a neglectful father.
In Lupin, Assane struggles with balancing the responsibilities of fatherhood with that of his extracurricular activities taking down Pellegrini. He’s always late to see Raoul and is admonished by Claire for making promises he can’t keep. More importantly, Assane’s thieving brings in a good amount of money. He’s able to invest in high-end gadgets, technology, and systems that allow him to hack security systems. He’s also able to afford expensive clothing, a plethora of disguises, and a whole other apartment, but somehow struggles to pay alimony to Claire.
The series is first and foremost focused on Assane’s revenge, which occupies a lot of his time and keeps him away from Raoul a lot. The pair aren’t exceptionally close, but they do get to deepen their bond after Assane buys him an Arsène Lupin book to read. Of course, Assane keeps the details of his job a secret for the most part, though it does seem that Claire is at least aware that he steals for money. However, despite Assane’s attempts to be a part of his son’s life, it’s kind of shocking that he doesn’t hand over the money he obviously makes so that he can provide Raoul with a better life and so Claire doesn’t have to stress as much.
The exhilarating thrills and mystery that Lupin presents doesn’t cover up the fact that the series ignores the most important person in his life. If Lupin was always going to lean into the stakes and high-stakes missions, then it certainly could have done without mentioning that Assane fails to pay Claire alimony. That just makes him look pretty bad regardless of the writers’ intention. Perhaps it’s because Assane is so caught up with avenging his father that he neglects providing his own son with the attention and lifestyle that he deserves.
Whatever the case, however, the plot-hole certainly changes the way viewers might look at Assane. This isn’t to say that it can’t be addressed in Lupin part 2, as there are still very many details to be sorted out. As it stands, Assane needs to level up if he wants to be considered a good father who pays attention to his responsibilities and doesn’t leave his family hanging. He’s certainly trying to be, though his mind is obviously elsewhere. If he doesn’t start paying up, though, then the fact that he struggles to pay alimony suggests that he’d rather keep the money for himself and that’s not exactly a good look for Lupin to have.