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A gentleman thief, gentleman burglar, lady thief, or phantom thief is a
stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a type of character in a narrative (e.g. a novel, play, television show, or film) whom audiences recognize across many narratives or as part of a storytelling tradition or convention. Th ...
in fiction. A gentleman or lady thief is characterised by impeccable manners, charm, courtesy, and the avoidance of physical force or
intimidation Intimidation is a behaviour and legal wrong which usually involves deterring or coercing an individual by threat of violence. It is in various jurisdictions a crime and a civil wrong (tort). Intimidation is similar to menacing, coercion, terro ...
to steal, and often has inherited wealth. They steal not only to gain material wealth but also for the thrill of the act itself, which is often combined in fiction with correcting a moral wrong, selecting wealthy targets, or stealing only particularly rare or challenging objects.


In fiction

In fiction, the gentleman thief is typically superb at stealing while maintaining a gentleman's manners and a code of honour. For example, A. J. Raffles steals only from other gentlemen (and occasionally gives the object away to a good cause);
Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...
steals from the rich who do not appreciate their art or treasures and redistributes it; Saint Tail steals back what was stolen or taken dishonestly or rights the wrongs done to the innocent by implicating the real criminals; Sly Cooper and his gang steal from other thieves and criminals. Another example would be Kaito Kuroba who only steals to amuse the audience, to find the Pandora Gem and find the people who killed his father.


Gentlemen/lady thieves

Notable gentlemen thieves and lady thieves in Western popular culture include the following: * Rocambole, thief, adventurer, and later hero created by Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail in 1857. * A. J. Raffles, and his accomplice Bunny Manders, from the ''Raffles'' stories by E. W. Hornung, created in 1898. *
Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...
, created by Maurice Leblanc in 1905. * Hercule Flambeau from the Father Brown short stories by G. K. Chesterton, introduced in 1910. * Jimmie Dale, also known as The Gray Seal, from the series of stories by Frank L. Packard, created in 1914. * Filibus, an air pirate in the 1915 adventure film '' Filibus'', is a phantom thief in the tradition of Arsène Lupin, carrying out heists for the thrill of it. * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint" from the novels and short stories by Leslie Charteris, created in 1928. * The Robber (unnamed) in Jewel Robbery (1932). *
Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...
in
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
, introduced in 1940. * Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, from the Batman comic books, introduced in 1940. * Oswald Cobblepot, also known as The Penguin, from the Batman comic books, introduced in 1941. * Rick Blaine from ''Casablanca'' in 1942. * Jim Craddock, also known as Gentleman Ghost, from the DC Comics universe, introduced in 1947. * John Robie in Alfred Hitchcock's '' To Catch a Thief'' (1955). * Danny Ocean from the film '' Ocean's 11'' (1960) and the '' Ocean's Trilogy'' (2001–2007). * Jimmy Bourne in '' The Happy Thieves'' (1961). * Sir Charles Litton, also known as "The Phantom" in ''
The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...
'' (1963). * Thomas Hewett Edward Cat from the TV series '' T.H.E. Cat'' (1966–1967). * Thomas Crown from '' The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968). * Sir Oliver from the Alan Ford comics, created in 1969. * Captain Feeney in ''
Barry Lyndon ''Barry Lyndon'' is a 1975 epic historical drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel '' The Luck of Barry Lyndon'' by William Makepeace Thackeray. Narrated by Michael Hordern, and starring Ryan O'N ...
'' (1975). * Edward Pierce from '' The Great Train Robbery'' (1975). * Miss Eula Goodnight from '' Rooster Cogburn'' (1975). * Bernie Rhodenbarr, narrator of a novel series by Lawrence Block, created in 1977. *
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, also known as Black Cat, from the Spider-Man comics, introduced in 1979. * René Belloq in ''
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'' (1981). *
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, the title character from the ''Carmen Sandiego'' franchise, created in 1985. * Walter Donovan in ''
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'' (1989). * Remy Etienne LeBeau, also known as Gambit, from the X-Men comics, introduced in 1990. * Garrett, the Master Thief in '' Thief'' series of games (1998–2004). * Scipio Massimo in Cornelia Funke's '' The Thief Lord'' (2000). * Viper and also Valmont from the animated '' Jackie Chan Adventures'' (2000–2005). * The Toy Taker, aka Mr. Cuddles from '' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys'' (2001). * Sly Cooper, created in 2002. * Jack Sparrow from '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' franchise (2003). * Moist von Lipwig from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels; he is the main character of ''Going Postal'' (2004), ''Making Money'' (2007), and ''Raising Steam'' (2015). * RJ in '' Over the Hedge'' (2006). * Locke Lamora from Scott Lynch's '' The Gentleman Bastard Sequence'', created in 2006. * Irina Spalko in ''
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'' (2008). * Neal Caffrey in the television series ''White Collar'' (2009–2014). * David Goldman in '' An Education'' (2009). * Lady Christina de Souza from the ''Doctor Who'' episode " Planet of the Dead" (2009). * Pierre Despereaux, a recurring character in the television series ''
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'', portrayed by
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, introduced in its fourth season in 2009. * Kasumi Goto from the ''Mass Effect'' video game series, introduced in 2010. Her name approximately translates to "phantom thief." * Flynn Rider in ''Tangled'' (2010). *
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in '' Despicable Me'' (2010). * Megamind in '' Megamind'' (2010). * Michael De Santa and Devin Weston in ''
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'' (2013). * The Four Horsemen; Dylan Rhodes, Henley Reeves, J. Daniel Atlas, Jack Wilder, Lula, and Merrit McKinney in '' Now You See Me'' duology (2013–2016) * Surly Squirrel in '' The Nut Job'' (2014). * Constantine the Frog in '' Muppets Most Wanted'' (2014). * Josiah Trelawny in '' Red Dead Redemption II'' (2018). * Nolan Booth in '' Red Notice'' (2021). * Loba Andrade, a playable character from the game ''
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'', introduced in its fifth season in Spring 2021. * Diane Foxington, Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Shark and Mr. Wolf in '' The Bad Guys'' (2022). * Nathan Drake of the
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franchise. * Andrés de Fonollosa (Berlin) of the Money Heist franchise. * Freddie "The Frog" Robdal, biological father of Rodney Trotter in Only Fools And Horses. * Puss In Boots in the
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franchise. Introduced in 2004 in
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Phantom thieves

is the term for the gentleman/lady thief in Japanese media such as
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
,
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
, and JRPGs. It draws inspiration from Arsène Lupin and elements in other
crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
s and
detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...
s. Notable phantom thieves in Japanese popular culture include the following: *
Lupin III , also written as ''Lupin the Third'', ''Lupin the 3rd'', or ''Lupin the IIIrd'', is a Japanese media franchise created by Monkey Punch. The series follows the endeavors of master thief Lupin III (character), Lupin III, grandson of gentleman t ...
(the grandson of Arsène Lupin, according to his creator, Monkey Punch) and Fujiko Mine, from '' Lupin the Third'', created in 1967. * The Kisugi sisters (Hitomi, Rui and Ai) from the manga and anime series '' Cat's Eye'', introduced in 1981. * Tuxedo Mask, also known as Mamoru Chiba, and later the husband of
Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...
, was at the start of the manga a thief searching for the Silver Crystal. * Kaito Kuroba, also known as the "Kaitō Kid", the main character of ''Magic Kaito'' and a recurring character in ''Detective Conan'' by Gosho Aoyama, created in 1987. * Kaitō Shinshi, the lady thief in '' The Kindaichi Case Files'', introduced in 1992. * Meimi Haneoka, who transforms into Saint Tail, a phantom thief with acrobatic and magician skills, from ''Saint Tail'' by Megumi Tachikawa; created in 1995. * The Mysterious Thief Dorapin from ''
The Doraemons is a Japanese manga series that is a spin-off of the long-running ''Doraemon'' series. The subseries includes two versions of the manga by and from 1995 to 2003, as well as a series of animated short films from 1996 to 2002. Synopsis Th ...
'', a spin-off of ''
Doraemon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. First serialized in 1969, the manga's chapters were collected in 45 volumes published by Shogakukan from 1974 to 1996. The story revolves around an earless robotic ...
'', introduced in 1997. * Dark Mousy the angel-like phantom thief from ''D.N.Angel'' by Yukiru Sugisaki, introduced in 1997. * Henry Agata (Hikaru Agata) A.K.A. Phantom Renegade (Kaito Retort) from '' Medabots'', introduced in 1997. * Kamikaze Kaitō Jeanne, the title character in '' Phantom Thief Jeanne'', created in 1998. * Ada Wong, from ''
Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...
'' (''Biohazard'' in Japan), a supporting and playable character originally appearing in 1998. * Clara, better known as the phantom thief Psiren, an exclusive character from the anime adaptation of the manga ''
Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga, manga anthology magazine ''Gangan Comics#Monthly Shōnen Gangan, Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 2001 and June ...
'', created in 2003. * Keith Harcourt / Black Rose, from '' Ashita no Nadja'', created in 2003. * Bleublanc, also known as Phantom Thief B, from the '' Trails'' series, introduced in 2004. * Mask☆DeMasque, an '' Ace Attorney'' character, from the third game, '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations''. * Jack, also known as Joker, the title character from the anime and manga '' Mysterious Joker'' who sometimes works with other phantom thieves in the series, created in 2007. * Riko Mine Lupin IV of '' Aria the Scarlet Ammo'', the great-granddaughter of Arsène Lupin. Allegedly, she is the child of Lupin III and Fujiko Mine, whom her surnames are derived from; introduced in 2008. * Daiki Kaitō, portrayed by Kimito Totani, a character who can transform into Kamen Rider Diend from 2009 ''Kamen Rider Decade''. * Arsène, Rat, Twenty, and Stone River comprise the Thieves' Empire (Kaitou Teikoku) in '' Tantei Opera Milky Holmes'', created in 2010. * Loser, from '' Dimension W'', introduced in 2011. * Raphael/Ralph, also known as the Phantom R, the main character of '' Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure'', created in 2012. * Danjuro Tobita, also known as the "Gentle Criminal", from the anime and manga series ''
My Hero Academia is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from July 2014 to August 2024, with its chapters collected in 42 volumes. Set in a wor ...
'', introduced in 2014. * Joker and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, from '' Persona 5'', created in 2016. * Count Night from '' Beyblade Burst Cho-Z'' created in 2018. * The Lupinrangers in '' Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger'', created in 2018. * The Phantomirage in '' Secret × Warrior Phantomirage!'', created in 2019. * Laurent Thierry, a con artist in '' Great Pretender'', introduced in 2020. * The , the main antagonists of '' Delicious Party Pretty Cure''. * The Red Dozer gang from '' Drill Dozer''. Introduced in 2005.


Perceptions of real historical figures

* Charles Earl Boles (b. 1829; d. after 1888), known as Black Bart, was an English-born
outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...
noted for the poetic messages he left behind after two of his robberies. Considered a gentlemanly bandit with a reputation for style and sophistication, he was one of the most notorious
stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
robbers to operate in and around
Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...
and southern
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
during the 1870s and 1880s. * Willie Sutton, a gentleman bank robber of the 1920s who never harmed a person during his robberies and carried only unloaded weapons during the heists. * D. B. Cooper, the only unidentified hijacker in American aviation history, who, in 1971, extorted $200,000 from an airline before parachuting out of a plane during the cover of night. A flight attendant described him as calm, polite, and well-spoken, not at all consistent with the stereotypes (enraged, hardened criminals or "take-me-to-Cuba" political dissidents) popularly associated with air piracy at the time. Another flight attendant agreed: "He wasn't nervous," she told investigators. "He seemed rather nice. He was never cruel or nasty. He was thoughtful and calm all the time." He ordered a bourbon and 7 Up, paid his drink tab (and attempted to give a flight attendant the change), and offered to request meals for the flight crew during the stop in Seattle. * Bạch Hải Đường was known as the ''phantom thief'' () in
southern Vietnam Southern Vietnam () is one of the three geographical regions of Vietnam, the other two being Northern and Central Vietnam. It includes 2 administrative subregions, which in turn are divided into 19 ''First Tier units'', of which 17 are provi ...
from 1970 to 1982. He was wanted by both the pre-1975 National Police and the later Public Security Forces. Bạch Hải Đường was believed to have never killed anyone and that he had only actually used his gun once in a gold robbery, which was also the reason the police started to use lethal force on him. During one of his arrest, he confessed that he used all stolen money for himself. However, since Bạch Hải Đường wasn’t known to be a wasteful spender, there were rumours that he donated his money to
charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
.


See also

* Gentleman detective *
Wuxia ( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...
, a genre often with secret societies of outlaws who value honor * Xianxia, a wuxia offshoot that is a fantasy genre with some popular works that value
radical politics Radical politics denotes the intent to transform or replace the principles of a society or political system, often through social change, structural change, revolution or radical reform. The process of adopting radical views is termed radic ...
often of a traditionalist Chinese religious bent, and often have brutal thief characters who steal and lie but still have a sense of honor


References


Works cited

*


Further reading

*


External links


The Saint and Leslie Charteris
{{Animation industry in Japan Anime and manga terminology Stock characters Film genres Mystery novels Gentry