Raoul

Raoul is a main character in the first part of 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.

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. 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 one 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 refuses to tell him, Raoul reveals that her new relationship is progressing slowly, and Claire lightly scolds him for telling Assane her secret. After Claire takes a selfie with Assane and Raoul, Assane notices that Leonard is also on the train, and loudly sings “Happy Birthday” to Raoul to create a diversion. At the end of the ride, Leonard 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 Leonard 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.

Personality and relationships
Raoul is a quiet and fairly unemotional teenager. Like many of those of his generation, he enjoys playing video games and listening to electronic music. He tends to be blunt in speech and has a slightly dark sense of humor, as seen in his trolling Assane about Claire’s new relationship. He is also observant, and is adept at recognizing others’ motivations.

Raoul gets along well with his father, with whom he shares a friendly rapport and an interest in Arsène Lupin. Despite Claire’s fretting to the contrary, Raoul takes Assane’s tendency to arrive late (or not at all) for his visitations in stride. Most of Raoul’s time is spent with Claire, as she has custody of him. Claire is a loving and affectionate (if slightly over-protective) mother, caring for Raoul’s practical needs and monitoring his schoolwork and sleeping habits. She is also open with Raoul about her recent romantic engagements.

Appearances

 * Part One


 * Chapter 1
 * Chapter 2
 * Chapter 3
 * Chapter 4
 * Chapter 5

Trivia

 * Raoul’s name is derived from one of Arsène Lupin’s middle name, and one of his aliases.
 * 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.