A mysterious man of unknown origin, Pycal initially appears in episode two of the original Lupin III TV series, "The Man they call a Magician". Pycal appears to have vast scientific knowledge, as well as genuine magical skill, as he manages to craft himself a hardened second-skin to avoid burn damage as well as displaying the ability to fly and shoot fire from his fingers. While the crafty work of Lupin and Jigen initially prove his "powers" are nothing more than trickery, his reappearance in "Lupin III: Return of Pycal" hint that he indeed possesses otherwordly powers (as he returns after what seemed like an unavoidable death and can now teleport and telekinetically block bullets).

Pycal made his first appearance in chapter 7 ("The Hand is Quicker than the Spy") of the original manga series. He is notable for being one of the very few characters aside from Lupin's gang and Zenigata to appear in more than one incarnation of the series. In addition, his levitation trick is indirectly mentioned in "Lupin III: Mystery of Mamo".