Age: Late 40s - mid-50s
Birthday: April 5 (The Castle of Cagliostro); December 25, 1938 (Bye Bye Lady Liberty)
Height: 181 cm
Weight: 73 kg
Inspector Zenigata is originally from Japan, though his specific city of origin remains unknown. According to Episode 0: First Contact, he initially served as a Tokyo Police Inspector with an initial focus on capturing Fujiko Mine and her partner. His pursuit led him to New York, where he first encountered Arsene Lupin III. The thief's audacious demeanor and skills infuriated Zenigata so much that he left the Japanese Police Force to join the ICPO (referred to as Interpol in Pioneer's English dub), aiming to bring Lupin to justice.
Zenigata has made it his life’s mission to arrest Lupin. While he also targets other members of Lupin's gang, he usually ignores them when Lupin is around. Despite their adversarial relationship, there is a mutual respect between Lupin and Zenigata. Lupin often greets Zenigata with mock affection, but Zenigata is reluctant to acknowledge any form of friendship. He is often awed by Lupin's genius but refuses to show it. When he believes Lupin to be dead, Zenigata mourns deeply and sometimes isolates himself until he learns that Lupin is still alive. Zenigata feels strongly that no one should kill or capture Lupin except himself. For instance, in The Fuma Conspiracy, he briefly became a monk after believing Lupin had died.
Lupin respects Zenigata but is less emotionally invested. He is amazed by Zenigata's persistence and the complexity of his traps. Once, when he thought Zenigata was dead, Lupin sought revenge against the supposed murderer. Although Zenigata has some interest in capturing Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko, his primary target is always Lupin. Jigen, in particular, seems genuinely afraid of being caught by Zenigata.
In The Mystery of Mamo, it is mentioned that Zenigata has a daughter named Toshiko, though this detail is not further developed. His eternal pursuit of Lupin prevents him from settling down, and he struggles with relationships due to his singular focus. In emotional situations, Zenigata can be quite sensitive and often cries, especially when he thinks Lupin has shown consideration for him or when he finds out Lupin is safe after worrying about him. When he believes Lupin to be dead, Zenigata mourns more expressively than anyone else, partly from genuine grief and partly because he loses his purpose in life.
In The Fuma Conspiracy, Zenigata retires and becomes a monk when he believes Lupin has died, hoping that through prayer, Lupin will become a law-abiding citizen in his next life. He prefers when Lupin escapes custody because it means the chase continues. On one occasion, when he successfully captured Lupin and placed him in prison, he became frustrated after a year passed without Lupin escaping and wished for him to be rescued by Jigen.
Zenigata even goes so far as to cryogenically freeze himself to continue chasing Lupin in the future, although both his and Lupin's cryopods malfunction, leaving them stuck in the present. The foundation of their mutual regard was established early in the series when Lupin chose not to shoot Zenigata but instead wished him well before escaping. Since then, they have maintained an unwritten understanding that neither will attempt to cause the death of the other. They are best described as unacknowledged friends; several times, Lupin and his gang have aided Zenigata in life-threatening situations, such as avenging the murder of a woman Zenigata loved and pursuing an enemy who shot Zenigata.
