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{{short description|Stock character; a sophisticated and well-mannered thief}}
{{about||the group in Persona 5|List of Persona 5 characters#The Phantom Thieves of Hearts|the films|Gentleman Thief (1946 film)|and|Gentleman Thief (2001 film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}

{{multiple issues|
 {{in popular culture|date=November 2018}}
 {{more citations needed|date=August 2018}}
}}
[[File:André Brulé - Arsène Lupin.jpg|thumb|upright|[[André Brulé]] as [[Arsène Lupin]], a gentleman thief and master of disguise]]
A '''gentleman thief''', '''gentleman burglar''', '''lady thief''', or '''phantom thief''' is a [[stock character]] in fiction. A gentleman or lady thief is characterised by impeccable manners, charm, [[courtesy]], and the avoidance of physical force or [[intimidation]] 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 (character)|A. J. Raffles]] steals only from other gentlemen (and occasionally gives the object away to a good cause); [[Arsène Lupin]] 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 (character)|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:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Rocambole (character)|Rocambole]], thief, adventurer, and later hero created by [[Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail]] in 1857.
* [[A. J. Raffles (character)|A. J. Raffles]], and his accomplice [[Bunny Manders]], from the ''Raffles'' stories by E. W. Hornung, created in 1898.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.strandmag.com/htm/strandmag_raffles.htm |title=Raffles: The Gentleman Thief |first=Richard |last=Bleiler |magazine=[[Strand Magazine]] |location=United States |access-date=22 February 2014 |archive-date=28 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228142406/http://www.strandmag.com/htm/strandmag_raffles.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
* [[Arsène Lupin]], created by Maurice Leblanc in 1905.
* [[Flambeau (character)|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.<ref>{{citation|title=Uomini meccanici e matrimoni interplanetari: La straordinarissima avventura del cinema muto italiano di fantascienza|first=Paolo|last=Bertetti|journal=Anarres|volume=2|date=Winter 2013–14|url=http://www.fantascienza.com/anarres/articoli/32/uomini-meccanici-e-matrimoni-interplanetari/|access-date=21 November 2016}}</ref>
* [[Simon Templar]], also known as "The Saint" from the novels and short stories by Leslie Charteris, created in 1928.
* The Robber (unnamed) in <em>[[Jewel Robbery]]</em>  (1932).
* [[Bugs Bunny]] in <em>[[Looney Tunes]]</em>, introduced in 1940.
* [[Catwoman|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 (film)|''Casablanca'']] in 1942.
* [[Gentleman Ghost|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 (character)|Danny Ocean]] from the film ''[[Ocean's 11]]'' (1960) and the ''[[Ocean's (film series)|Ocean's Trilogy]]'' (2001–2007).
* Jimmy Bourne in ''[[The Happy Thieves]]'' (1961).
* Sir Charles Litton, also known as "The Phantom" in ''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|The Pink Panther]]'' (1963).
* Thomas Hewett Edward Cat from the TV series ''[[T.H.E. Cat]]'' (1966–1967).
* Thomas Crown from ''[[The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film)|The Thomas Crown Affair]]'' (1968).
* Sir Oliver from the [[Alan Ford (comics)|Alan Ford]] comics, created in 1969.
* Captain Feeney in ''[[Barry Lyndon]]'' (1975).
* Edward Pierce from ''[[The Great Train Robbery (novel)|The Great Train Robbery]]'' (1975).
* Miss Eula Goodnight from ''[[Rooster Cogburn (film)|Rooster Cogburn]]'' (1975).
* [[Bernie Rhodenbarr]], narrator of a novel series by Lawrence Block, created in 1977.
* [[Black Cat (Marvel Comics)|Felicia Hardy]], also known as Black Cat, from the Spider-Man comics, introduced in 1979.
* René Belloq in ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' (1981).
* [[Carmen Sandiego (character)|Carmen Sandiego]], the title character from the ''Carmen Sandiego'' franchise, created in 1985.
* Walter Donovan in ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'' (1989).
* [[Gambit (Marvel Comics)|Remy Etienne LeBeau]], also known as Gambit, from the X-Men comics, introduced in 1990.
* [[Garrett (Thief)|Garrett]], the Master Thief in ''[[Thief (series)|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 (character)|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 ''[[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]'' (2008).
* [[Neal Caffrey]] in the television series ''White Collar'' (2009–2014).
* David Goldman in ''[[An Education]]'' (2009).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/an_education_scherfig|title=An Education|magazine=The New Yorker|last=Denby|first=David|date=28 October 2009}}</ref>
* Lady Christina de Souza from the ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[Planet of the Dead]]" (2009).
* Pierre Despereaux, a recurring character in the television series ''[[Psych]]'', portrayed by [[Cary Elwes]], introduced in its fourth season in 2009.
* [[Characters of the Mass Effect universe#Kasumi Goto|Kasumi Goto]] from the ''Mass Effect'' video game series, introduced in 2010. Her name approximately translates to "phantom thief."
* [[Flynn Rider]] in ''Tangled'' (2010).
* [[Gru]] in ''[[Despicable Me]]'' (2010).
* Megamind in ''[[Megamind]]'' (2010).
* Michael De Santa and Devin Weston in ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'' (2013).
* The Four Horsemen; Dylan Rhodes, Henley Reeves, J. Daniel Atlas, Jack Wilder, Lula, and Merrit McKinney in ''[[Now You See Me (film series) | 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 (film)|Red Notice]]'' (2021).
* Loba Andrade, a playable character from the game ''[[Apex Legends]]'', introduced in its fifth season in Spring 2021.
* Diane Foxington, Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Shark and Mr. Wolf in ''[[The Bad Guys (film)|The Bad Guys]]'' (2022).
* [[Nathan Drake]] of the [[Uncharted]] franchise.
*[[Berlin (Money Heist)|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 (Shrek)|Puss In Boots]] in the [[Shrek]] franchise. Introduced in 2004 in [[Shrek 2]]
{{div col end}}

===Phantom thieves===
{{Anime and manga}}
{{Nihongo|''Phantom thief''|怪盗|kaitō|lead=yes}} is the term for the gentleman/lady thief in Japanese media such as [[anime]], [[manga]], and [[Jrpgs|JRPGs]]. It draws inspiration from Arsène Lupin and elements in other [[crime fiction]]s and [[detective fiction]]s.

Notable phantom thieves in Japanese popular culture include the following:

* [[Lupin III (character)|Lupin III]] (the grandson of Arsène Lupin, according to his creator, Monkey Punch)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lupinthethird.com/ |title=Lupin the Third.com |publisher=Lupin the Third.com |access-date=22 February 2014 |archive-date=20 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220055247/http://www.lupinthethird.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ww.yesmovies.ag |title=Yesmovies |publisher=Yes Movies.com |access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref> 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 (manga)|Cat's Eye]]'', introduced in 1981.
* [[Tuxedo Mask]], also known as Mamoru Chiba, and later the husband of [[Sailor Moon]], 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.
* [[List of Saint Tail characters#Meimi Haneoka / Saint Tail|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]]'', a spin-off of ''[[Doraemon]]'', 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]]'' (''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]]'', 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)|Trails]]'' series, introduced in 2004.
* Mask☆DeMasque, an ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' character, from the third game, ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations]]'' (2004).
* The Red Dozer gang from ''[[Drill Dozer]]''. Introduced in 2005.
* 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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fandompost.com/2014/06/27/mysterious-joker-manga-getting-anime-adaptation/ |title='Mysterious Joker' Manga Getting Anime Adaptation |date=27 June 2014 |publisher=The Fandom Post |access-date=2019-04-24}}</ref> 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.
* [[Kamen Rider Diend|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]]'', introduced in 2014.
* [[Joker (Persona)|Joker]] and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, from ''[[Persona 5]]'', created in 2016.
* Count Night from ''[[Beyblade Burst Turbo|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 (TV series)|Great Pretender]]'', introduced in 2020.
* The {{Nihongo|Bundoru Gang|ブンドル団|Bundoru-dan}}, the main antagonists of ''[[Delicious Party Pretty Cure]]'' (2022-2023).

==Perceptions of real historical figures==
{{Cleanup list|section|date=March 2016|reason=cite references for examples calling the character a gentleman thief}}
* [[Black Bart (outlaw)|Charles Earl Boles]] (b. 1829; d. after 1888), known as Black Bart, was an English-born [[outlaw]] noted for the poetic messages he left behind after two of his robberies.<ref name="Hoeper1995">{{cite book|last=Hoeper|first=George|title=Black Bart: Boulevardier Bandit: The Saga of California's Most Mysterious Stagecoach Robber and the Men Who Sought to Capture Him|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3WgTe2HBtsC|access-date=25 July 2011|date=1 June 1995|publisher=Quill Driver Books|isbn=978-1-884995-05-7}}</ref> Considered a gentlemanly bandit with a reputation for style and sophistication,<ref name="Hoeper1995" /> he was one of the most notorious [[stagecoach]] robbers to operate in and around [[Northern California]] and southern [[Oregon]] 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 [[List of Cuba–United States aircraft hijackings|"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."<ref name="Gray-NYmag2007-10-21">{{cite journal
  | last = Gray  | first = Geoffrey
  | title = Unmasking D.B. Cooper
  | date = 21 October 2007
  | journal = [[New York (magazine)|New York]]
  | issn = 0028-7369
  | url = http://nymag.com/news/features/39593/
  | access-date = 24 April 2011
  }}</ref> He ordered a bourbon and 7 Up, paid his drink tab (and attempted to give a flight attendant the change),<ref name="Gray-NYmag2007-10-21" /> and offered to request meals for the flight crew during the stop in Seattle.{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|p=22}}
* [[Bạch Hải Đường]] was known as the ''phantom thief'' ({{langx|vi|siêu trộm}}) in [[southern Vietnam]] from 1970 to 1982. He was wanted by both the pre-1975 [[Republic of Vietnam National Police|National Police]] and the later [[Vietnam People's Public Security|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.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=The strange life of 'phantom thief' Bạch Hải Đường |date=11 December 2011 |url=https://vtcnews.vn/cuoc-doi-ky-la-cua-sieu-trom-bach-hai-duong-ar61572.html}}</ref> During one of his arrests, he confessed that he used all stolen money for himself.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=The battle against general of robbers Bạch Hải Đường (part 5) |url=http://www.petrotimes.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/truyen-dai-ky/2011/05/cuoc-chien-dau-voi-tuong-cuop-bach-hai-duong-ky-v |access-date=13 April 2024 |archive-date=24 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524091430/http://www.petrotimes.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/truyen-dai-ky/2011/05/cuoc-chien-dau-voi-tuong-cuop-bach-hai-duong-ky-v |url-status=deviated }}</ref> However, since Bạch Hải Đường wasn’t known to be a wasteful spender, there were rumours that he donated his money to [[Charity (practice)|charity]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Bạch Hải Đường: the "Big Brother" of robbers |date=9 March 2021 |url=https://ngoisao.vn/theo-dong-su-kien/tin-nong-trong-ngay/bach-hai-duong-dai-ca-cua-cac-tuong-cuop-58108.htm}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Gentleman detective]]
* [[Wuxia]], 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]] often of a [[Traditionalist conservatism|traditionalist]] Chinese religious bent, and often have brutal thief characters who steal and lie but still have a sense of honor<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Ni |first=Zhange |date=2020-01-02 |title=Xiuzhen (Immortality Cultivation) Fantasy: Science, Religion, and the Novels of Magic/Superstition in Contemporary China |journal=Religions |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=25 |doi=10.3390/rel11010025 |doi-access=free |hdl=10919/96386 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite book |last1=Himmelsbach |first1=Ralph P. |last2=Worcester |first2=Thomas K. |year=1986 |title=Norjak: The Investigation of D. B. Cooper |url=https://archive.org/details/norjakinvestigat0000himm |publisher=Norjak Project |location=West Linn, Oregon |isbn=978-0961741501}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=The Socio-Literary Imaginary in 19th and 20th Century Britain; Victorian and Edwardian Inflections|editor1=Maria Bachman|
editor2=Albert Pionke|chapter=Keeping Up Appearances; Criminality, Durkheim, and the Case of A. J. Raffles, Gentleman-Thief|author=Maria K. Bachman|date=2019|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9780429352829|doi=10.4324/9780429352829|s2cid=198795382 }}

==External links==
* [http://www.saint.org/ The Saint and Leslie Charteris]

{{Film genres}}
{{Stock characters}}
{{Animation industry in Japan}}

[[Category:Anime and manga terminology]]
[[Category:Stock characters]]
[[Category:Fictional gentleman thieves| ]]
[[Category:Film genres]]
[[Category:Mystery novels]]
[[Category:Gentry]]