Raoul

Raoul is a major character in the French thriller series Lupin. He is portrayed by Etan Simon.

The son of Assane and Claire, Raoul was born on the 11th of December, also the birthday of Maurice Leblanc. He is a quiet boy who enjoys reading and playing video games.

Part 1
Some time between Raoul’s birth on December 11, 2006, and October 2020, his parents split up. As a result, Raoul is currently being raised entirely by Claire, only seeing Assane on visitation days. On the day after the Louvre heist, Assane gives Raoul the book of Arsène Lupin stories that his own father had given to him twenty-five years earlier. Raoul becomes enthralled with the book, even managing to largely stop playing video games (much to Claire’s delight) due to his interest in the gentleman thief. During a later visitation with Assane, Raoul tells him that Claire is attempting to start a new relationship with a doctor named Marc.

On Raoul’s fourteenth birthday, Assane gives him a Lupin-style cape and top hat, and takes him and Claire to the scenic seaside town of Étretat, where a festival in honor of the birthday of Maurice Leblanc is being held. Raoul is amused by his parents’ playful banter on the train. When Assane asks about Claire’s love life and Claire replies that it is none of his business, Raoul reveals that her new relationship is progressing slowly, and Claire lightly scolds him for telling Assane about it. After Claire takes a selfie with Assane and Raoul, Assane notices that Léonard is also on the train, and loudly sings “Happy Birthday” to Raoul to create a diversion. At the end of the ride, Léonard sits down next to Raoul and the two strike up a brief conversation about the Lupin festival.

Although reluctant to put on the top hat and cape in Paris, Raoul enjoys wearing them in Étretat, where many people are dressed in similar outfits. After deciding to walk ahead on the beach in order to explore the Hollow Needle, a rock formation made famous in a Lupin story, Raoul is kidnapped by Léonard and driven away from the beach and his parents, who eventually realize to their horror that he is missing and begin a fruitless search for him.

Part 2
Léonard speeds out of Étretat with Raoul bound and gagged in the back of his car. He tries to call Hubert, but is unable to due to a lack of reception. Léonard decides to pull into the nearby town of Bourneville in order to place his call. To avoid attention, Léonard pre-emptively stuffs Raoul into the boot of the car. In Bourneville, Léonard is forced to buy a drink in order to use the phone; he quietly gives it to Raoul as he returns to the vehicle. After Assane and Guédira arrive in town, Léonard speeds away. Léonard brings Raoul to an abandoned mansion, and ties him to a chair. When Raoul hears Assane pull up in front of the property, he begins yelling for his father. Léonard orders Raoul to be quiet.

Some time later, Léonard locks Raoul back into the boot of the car. After Assane throws Léonard out of a window, the assassin struggles over to the vehicle, douses it in gasoline and sets it alight, with Raoul still inside. Raoul desperately yells for help as the heat inside the vehicle increases. Before any serious harm can come to him, Raoul is rescued by Guédira, who manages to open the boot and carry Raoul to safety. Raoul and Guédira race away from the mansion as Leonard shoots wildly at them with a hunting rifle. Upon reaching the car Assane had stolen, they get in and drive off.

In the car, Guédira tells Raoul that he and Assane are both passionate about Arsène Lupin. Raoul asks Guédira who his favorite character is; Guédira responds that it is Inspector Ganimard, as they are both policemen. Raoul says that his favorite character is Lupin himself, since he reminds him of Assane. Raoul tells Guédira that Assane is his favorite person in the world. Upon arriving back at Claire’s apartment, Raoul and Guédira are confronted by several undercover police officers waiting outside. One of the officers, Pascal Oblet, tells Guédira to bring Raoul to the Hyatt hotel at Dumont’s orders. Guédira is confused, but obliges.

When Guédira and Raoul arrive at the Hyatt, they are greeted by Dumont, who compliments Guédira for delivering Raoul to him. Raoul looks around as Guédira and Dumont discuss the plans that have been made for him. Although Guédira is suspicious of Dumont’s motivations, he leaves Raoul with him. Raoul says that he wants to return home to see his mother. Dumont smiles at Raoul, telling him that he will be able to do so soon. Once alone, Raoul manages to discreetly make a call to Assane, telling him where he is. Assane promises Raoul that he will come and get him.

Raoul is eventually brought to a meeting with Hubert, who tells him that he is organizing a foundation that will help children like Raoul whose parents are criminals. Enraged, Raoul asserts that his parents are not criminals. Hubert asks Raoul what his father does for a living; when Raoul is unable to respond, Hubert tells him that Assane is a thief, like Babakar before him. Raoul yells that this is not true, but Hubert goes further, asserting that Assane is an arrogant man who does not care about Raoul or Claire. When Raoul again shouts that Hubert is lying, the businessman takes on a menacing air, telling Raoul that he is in fact correct, as Assane is currently on his way to the hotel. Hubert then leaves Raoul alone with Dumont.

Several hours later, Dumont receives a phone call from Assane, with his voice disguised to sound like Hubert’s, telling him to remove Raoul from the building. Dumont is confused, but does as he is told, bringing Raoul out to the front of the hotel, where a large black van with tinted windows is waiting for them. When Raoul enters alone, he realizes that his “captor” is actually Assane. The two enjoy a happy reunion after they have safely left the Hyatt behind.

Raoul asks Assane if he is really a thief, and if this was the reason for his kidnapping. Assane grows somber and reveals the truth about his father’s death and his history with Hubert. Raoul asks Assane how far he will go to get revenge, telling him that Claire has said that he will never change. Assane promises that he will, once he has sorted out everything with the Pellegrini family. After pausing for a moment, Assane tells Raoul that if he wants him to, he will stop all of his criminal activity. However, Raoul urges Assane to see it through. Assane is elated by his son’s reaction, and drives him home to Claire.

Upon arriving at his apartment building with Assane, Raoul waves to his mother, who is watching him intently from the window with an overjoyed yet anxious expression. After Claire lets them into the building, Raoul runs up the stairs, calling to her. When he reaches the landing, Claire dashes out of their apartment and grabs him, hugging him tightly and kissing him repeatedly. Raoul is confused when Claire tells Assane, standing behind them and observing the scene, to run away. Seconds later, the undercover police officers who had greeted him and Guédira earlier burst through the doors and run down the stairs, searching for Assane, who has managed to hide in the ceiling.

When the police have gone, Claire pulls Raoul back into the apartment and breathlessly asks him if he was hurt. Raoul states that he is fine, and compliments Assane’s actions in rescuing him. Claire grows distressed, and tells Raoul that she cannot let him say that. Raoul is confused and asks why. Becoming highly agitated, Claire yells that Assane is a dangerous man who cannot be trusted, and that everything that happened to Raoul was his fault. She clings to Raoul, assuring him between sobs that Assane will never put him in danger ever again.

Claire cuts off all of Assane's contact with Raoul, and makes an attempt to pursue her relationship with Marc, the doctor, more seriously. Despite this embargo, Assane continues to call Raoul and offers him more Arsène Lupin books. During one phone call shortly before Léonard's murder, Raoul exhibits apprehension at Assane’s continuing criminal life, asking him if he will ever finish his plans. Assane laughs and tells Raoul that he sounds like Claire, but Raoul responds that he legitimately means it. Later, Raoul attempts to explain the plot of La Dame Blonde, an Arsène Lupin story, to Marc, who questions whether he is too old for the series.

At 9:30 PM on the night of Juliette’s benefit concert at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Claire is helping Raoul study history when they suddenly begin to hear a repetitive high-pitched noise coming from another room. The two search through the apartment looking for its source; eventually, Claire finds a small beeper underneath her bed. Raoul turns off the device's sound, at which point it reveals a message telling them to come to “Raoul’s Bridge” at 10:00. Raoul asks what this means, and Claire sheepishly explains that it is where she and Assane chose Raoul’s name in 2006. Raoul is excited by the notion of a visit with Assane, but Claire rules it out. Raoul defiantly states that he will go anyway, and Claire reluctantly follows him.

The two reach the bridge at 10:00 exactly. Soon afterward, they begin to hear the sound of a motor; turning in its direction, they see Assane sailing up the Canal Saint-Martin in a speedboat, beaming and waving. Assane gets out of the boat and walks onto the bridge, and Raoul runs into his arms, with Claire following behind more slowly. Assane tells Claire and Raoul that he is glad both of them are there, and explains that he has finished with the Pellegrinis, but that Claire was right about his being a danger to them. Claire, however, has a change of heart and tearfully tells Assane that she doesn’t care, as the only thing that matters to her and Raoul is that they don’t lose him. Assane hugs them again, promising that he will watch over them from afar and that he will return. Smiling, he assures them that he loves them, and runs off as police sirens grow louder in the background. Claire and Raoul watch as he disappears into the night. Soon afterward, the police arrive and give chase. Claire and Raoul cling to each other on the bridge as a line of officers runs past them.

Personality
Raoul is an introverted and thoughtful teenager. Like many of those of his generation, he enjoys playing video games and listening to electronic music. Raoul is blunt in speech and has a sarcastic sense of humor; this can most clearly be seen in his trolling Assane about Claire’s new relationship with Marc. He is also quite perceptive, for instance quickly recognizing that Assane was jealous of Marc and telling him to stop pretending that he wasn’t. Like Assane, Raoul has become a huge fan of Arsène Lupin.

Raoul is shown to have an impressive degree of emotional resilience. Despite having undergone a highly traumatic experience with his kidnapping and near-murder, he maintained his composure while being driven back to Paris by Guédira, while being held hostage by Hubert Pellegrini, and while being rescued by Assane, and was subsequently confused by his mother’s hysterical reaction to the event after he returned home. Raoul did become upset when Hubert insulted Assane, and was annoyed when Marc suggested that he was too old for the Arsène Lupin books; in general, however, he is unflappable.

Little is known about Raoul’s daily life outside of his interactions with Assane and Claire. It is unclear whether he has any significant friendships within his peer group.

Assane
Raoul admires his father greatly, even stating outright that Assane is his favorite person in the world. The nature of Raoul’s relations with Assane while his parents were still together is unclear. Following their separation, Raoul saw Assane on visitation days, which Assane apparently sometimes forgot about. Raoul took Assane's neglect of his paternal duties in stride, despite Claire’s worrying to the contrary.

In fact, prior to Raoul’s 14th birthday, he and Assane shared a robust relationship. On his visits, Assane sometimes took Raoul into the middle of Paris; other times, they visited Benjamin's shop; still other times, the pair played video games together. Their bond grew even stronger when Assane introduced Raoul to the world of Arsène Lupin. Raoul took to the books immediately, perceptively noting that the gentleman thief shared many similarities to Assane.

Unlike Claire, Raoul did not seem to blame Assane for his kidnapping, instead being enormously impressed with Assane’s rescue of him. After finding out about Assane’s criminal life, Raoul was not shocked or distressed, and even encouraged Assane to continue pursuing his quest for revenge against Hubert Pellegrini. The idea that life would continue on as usual for Assane and Raoul was, however, shattered when Claire, horrified by the events of December 11th, attempted to cut Assane out of their lives altogether. Even so, Assane continued to contact Raoul by phone during the “separation.” When Assane called his family to “Raoul’s Bridge,” Raoul was very eager to go, and was extremely glad to see his father again, but grew unhappy upon learning that Assane would be going on the run.

Claire
Raoul spends the overwhelming majority of his time with Claire, as she has custody of him. This means that Claire is responsible for attending to the practical matters of Raoul’s upbringing, such as preparing meals for him and helping him with his homework. Claire has also been open with Raoul about her recent steps back into the world of dating. After Raoul trolled Assane with this knowledge, he commented that “mom talks.”

Although Claire had originally intended for Raoul’s 14th birthday to be a moment of bonding between him and Assane alone, the pair convinced her to come with them to Étretat. Following his kidnapping, Raoul was very eager to return home to Claire. It is unclear whether he is aware of the lengths his desperately worried mother went to in order to recover him. Raoul in turn does not appear to have told Claire about his near-death experience, possibly out of concern for her clearly fragile emotional state in the aftermath of the event.

Later, Raoul was able to convince Claire to come to “Raoul’s bridge” with him, despite her initial negative reaction to the idea. Unlike Claire, who broke down in tears upon realizing that Assane was on the lam and pleaded with him to take care of himself, Raoul maintained a more stoic demeanor despite his own sadness.

Other
After Youssef Guédira rescued Raoul from Léonard's clutches, the two enjoyed a moment of bonding about their shared interest in Arsène Lupin. Raoul lightly mocked Guédira for choosing Inspector Ganimard as his favorite character, while Guédira in turn ribbed Raoul for picking Lupin himself. Guédira, knowing the full extent of Assane's obsession with the character, was amused when Raoul declared that his father reminded him of Lupin.

Although Raoul’s interactions with Hubert Pellegrini were brief, they were enough to ensure that he disliked the businessman, who accused Assane of not caring about his family to Raoul’s face. Raoul was also irritated with Dumont, and behaved in a standoffish and sullen manner around him.

Raoul was willing to share his interest in Arsène Lupin with Claire’s new partner Marc, but was annoyed when Marc suggested that Raoul was too old for the books. The points in common between Raoul and Marc seem to be few, resulting in a somewhat awkward relationship.

Appearances

 * Part One


 * Chapter 1
 * Chapter 2
 * Chapter 4
 * Chapter 5


 * Part Two


 * Chapter 6
 * Chapter 7
 * Chapter 8
 * Chapter 9
 * Chapter 10

Quotes
"My father is the person I like best."

- Raoul on his relationship with Assane

Etymology
Raoul is the French descendant of the ancient Germanic name Radulf, meaning “wolf counsel.” Alternate forms include the English Ralph and the Spanish Raúl. Raoul was Arsène Lupin’s middle name.

Diop is the second most common surname in Senegal, and the 15th most common in Mauritania. It originates with the Wolof ethnic group native to West Africa. The totem of the Diop clan is the peacock.

Trivia

 * When Claire told him she was pregnant, Assane proposed three other potential names for Raoul (“Maurice,” “Assane Junior” and “Arsène”), all of which Claire rejected.
 * Raoul is ranked as the 8th most popular character in the series on the online tracking platform TV Time.