The series follows the adventures of a thief named Joker, who goes around the world stealing treasures with his apprentice Hachi, while avoiding traps set by the police.

The chapters were collected into 26 tankōbon volumes, which were released under Shogakukan's Tentōmushi Corocoro Comics imprint in Japan, from March 28, 2008, to September 15, 2017.

A spin-off manga titled Mysterious Joker Encore began serialization on the Weekly Corocoro Comic website on April 15, 2024.

[11] A Nintendo 3DS video game based on the series entitled Kaitō Joker: Toki o Koeru Kaitō to Ushinawareta Hōseki (怪盗ジョーカー 時を超える怪盗と失われた宝石 Mysterious Joker: The Phantom Thief Who Crosses Time & the Lost Gem) was developed by Bandai Namco Games and released on June 25, 2015, in Japan.

[13] The series has received generally positive reviews, with praise for its art style, characters and unorthodox mix of light-hearted elements with dark undertones, but criticism of its pacing.