Due to budget issues, Tokyo Movie Shinsha decided not to employ the original "Lupin III" voice cast for this title but use a less expensive but still well-known cast (Toshio Furukawa, Banjô Ginga, Mami Koyama, Kaneto Shiozawa, Seizô Katô). Yasuo Yamada, the original voice of Lupin, was not happy with the change, and he felt creator Monkey Punch had lobbied the producers for his replacement. Monkey Punch stated he was happy with Yamada's portrayal of Lupin, but felt he had no business telling the TMS staff what to do. Despite assurance by Monkey Punch that he had nothing to do with the cast change, his friendship with Yamada was permanently strained.
So far this is the only Lupin anime to ever feature Zenigata's family.
The name of the Fuma Clan's Boss was never revealed.
For the U.S. release, the anime was re-titled "Rupan III" due to legal issues between Maurice Leblanc's estate (owners of the original Arsène Lupin name) and Monkey Punch (Lupin III's creator). Despite the Lupin name going into public domain in the 1990s, AnimEigo retained the Rupan title due to their original licensing contract. When Discotek Media re-released the film on DVD, it was reverted back to "Lupin III".
This is Kôichi Yamadera's first "Lupin III" feature, where he played a cop. He would later take over as the voice of Inspector Zenigata in 2011.