The Lupin III franchise is in a period of reflection following the deaths of two key creative figures, while merchandising and cross-promotion continue through a pachislot collaboration and a T-shirt release.
Two foundational figures of the Lupin III franchise died in May 2026. Composer Yuji Ohno died of natural causes on May 4 at age 84. Ohno first worked on the series in 1977 with Lupin III: Part II and his opening theme became the series' signature, persisting through decades of television shows, specials, and films. Lyricist Jun Hashimoto died of liver cirrhosis on May 21 at age 86. Hashimoto wrote the theme song for Hayao Miyazaki's debut film Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro.
Merchandising activity continued around the same period. GEEKS RULE released a T-shirt featuring Monkey Punch's original theatrical poster art for the 1978 film Lupin the 3rd: The Mystery of Mamo (also known as Lupin vs. Clone), using a 15-color silkscreen print. The shirt marked the 55th anniversary of the Lupin III anime. Separately, Sega ran a collaboration event between its online mahjong game Sega Net Mahjong MJ and the Lupin III pachislot machine L Shuyaku wa Zenigata 5 from June 1 to June 21, 2026.
BS12 Twellv's Sunday Anime Theater aired Lupin III vs. Detective Conan THE MOVIE uncut on July 12, 2026, as part of a free-to-air double feature. No new anime projects for the franchise were announced in the covered period.
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Jul 2
Gugenka has produced interactive content for Sanrio Puroland's 'Puroland Neo Natsu Matsuri III,' running July 10 to September 1, 2026. The offerings include a welcome monitor featuring Hello Kitty and Kuromi in futuristic Y3K fashion, and an MR shooting game called 'Pochacco's Cool Ice Festival' where players scoop ice cream in teams. A digital figure campaign via the HoloModel app will distribute limited-edition cards at the venue.
Jun 28
Dwango announced that Nico Nico Channel and Nico Nico Live Broadcast will stream the first episodes of 57 summer 2026 anime series for free, including "Saga of Tanya the Evil II," "Mushoku Tensei III: Jobless Reincarnation," and "Yani Neko." A total of 62 titles will be available, with most latest episodes free for one week after broadcast.
May 27
Square Enix announced on May 27 that the combined worldwide shipments and digital sales of the HD-2D versions of Dragon Quest III: And Into the Legend... and Dragon Quest I & II have surpassed 4 million units. The company shared the milestone via the official Dragon Quest PR X account. Dragon Quest III: And Into the Legend..., an HD-2D remake of the 1988 Famicom original, launched on November 14, 2024. It uses the HD-2D graphic style that blends pixel art with 3DCG and adds new content such as the Monster Wrangler class and extra episodes about the hero's father, Ortega. Dragon Quest I & II, a combined remake of the 1986 and 1987 titles, followed on October 30, 2025. Both games are available on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, and Steam. To mark the sales milestone, Square Enix is running a sale with 50% off the HD-2D version of Dragon Quest III and 30% off Dragon Quest I & II. The company also scheduled a YouTube premiere titled "Announcement from Dragon Quest" for 10:00 PM JST on May 27, promising new information about the series.
May 19
S14 displayed a colored prototype of its "COBRA + AIR BIKE 1/8" figure at the Shizuoka Hobby Show, based on the space pirate from Buichi Terasawa's "Space Cobra." The set includes a die-cast air bike and a poseable Cobra figure with a removable holster and lighter. Release is set for September at 44,000 yen.