The Lupin III franchise is active, with a new pachislot machine collaboration running through June 21, 2026, but the series has lost two key musical contributors in recent weeks.
Two major figures behind the Lupin III franchise's music have died within weeks of each other. Composer Yuji Ohno died on May 4 at age 84. He first worked on the series in 1977 with Lupin III: Part II, and his opening theme became the franchise's signature sound, persisting through decades of television shows, specials, and films. Lyricist Jun Hashimoto died on May 21 at age 86. Hashimoto wrote the theme song for Hayao Miyazaki's debut feature film, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro.
Despite these losses, the franchise continues to generate new licensed content. Sega launched a collaboration event on June 1 between its online mahjong game Sega Net Mahjong MJ and the Lupin III pachislot machine L Shuyaku wa Zenigata 5. The event runs through June 21, 2026, and includes a nationwide tournament and a gacha with themed items for both the app and arcade versions.
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BS12 Twellv's Sunday Anime Theater will air Lupin III vs. Detective Conan THE MOVIE uncut on July 12, 2026, and the TV special edit Detective Conan vs. Phantom Thief Kid on July 26. Both films are free-to-air nationwide.
GEEKS RULE is releasing 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'). The 15-color silkscreen print uses advanced color separation to reproduce the complex artwork. Priced at 12,100 yen, it goes on early sale June 20 at DOVER STREET MARKET GINZA, with a later lottery sale online.
GEEKS RULE announced a collaboration T-shirt for the 55th anniversary of the Lupin III anime. The shirt reproduces Monkey Punch's original theatrical poster for the 1978 film Lupin vs. Clone using 15-color silkscreen printing. It will be available for early sale at DOVER STREET MARKET GINZA on June 20, with a lottery sale later online.
Lyricist Jun Hashimoto died in a Tokyo hospital on May 21 due to liver cirrhosis. He was 86. Hashimoto wrote lyrics for the Galaxy Express 999 TV anime's opening and ending themes, as well as the theme song for Hayao Miyazaki's debut film Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. His family held a private funeral.
Sega has started a collaboration event between its online mahjong game Sega Net Mahjong MJ and the Lupin III pachislot machine L Shuyaku wa Zenigata 5. The event, running from June 1 to June 21, 2026, includes a nationwide tournament and a gacha with themed items for both the app and arcade versions.
Musician and composer Yuji Ohno died of natural causes on May 4. He was 84. His production company, Office Augusta, said he died after going to sleep with no change in his prior condition. A private funeral was held. Ohno is best known for his jazz scores for the Lupin III franchise. He first worked on the series in 1977 with Lupin III: Part II, the second television anime, and his opening theme became the series' signature, persisting through decades of television shows, specials, and films in his own arrangements. He performed the music in concert for years with his jazz group, originally called Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five and later renamed Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Six. Ohno taught himself jazz in high school and played in a university light music band before forming a trio with drummer Hideo Shiraki and singer Yūzō Kayama. After the trio dissolved, he moved into composing for film and television. His 1977 film scores included Kon Ichikawa's The Inugami Family and Junya Satō's Proof of the Man. He also composed for Captain Future, Space Adventure Cobra, and the Daicon films made by the team that later founded Gainax.