#yuji ohno

This came out of nowhere, man. RIP to the legend 🙏

FLY HIGH YUJI OHNO 🕊️💛💛💛✨✨

Normally, I wouldn't get this sentimental or personal online, but Yuji Ohno has been one of the most influential people in my life.

I don't think there's been a single day or nearly close to it that I haven't been listening to his music since 2022. Jazz has always been my favorite genre, but Yuji Ohno exposed me to the jazz/funk scene of Japan, and my taste was forever changed because of him. His music has continually been an inspiration and motivator for me to continue learning piano. I loved seeing the clips from his shows playing the piano; he was so into his own music, and I loved that and it made me want to be just as passionate.

His music had something special about it, and it brought emotions out in me that I don't get from a lot of other music. Although he was able to provide a full range of music, his more intimate and emotional works truly reached my soul. There was a sort of quiet solitude to them that I've never gotten from other music; it was comforting yet melancholic. I'm trying to do my best to describe how it makes me feel, but it's honestly such a visceral emotion that it invokes in me that it's hard to describe (Video linked highlights the kind of his music I'm talking about). A lot of these songs still make me overwhelmed with emotions and sometimes make me cry, no matter how many hundreds of times I've listened to them at this point, they're just that beautiful to me.

Even the more exciting of his works, I love. Bueno Bueno and songs like it are such a thrill and have some of the coolest keyboards that I've ever heard, and of course, credit goes to all the talented musicians he's worked with to make songs like that possible.

It's also because of him I've discovered a lot of other great work. I had a goal to watch everything he did music for, and things like The Inugami Curse are now one of my favorite movies, thanks to his connection. I don't really think it's necessary for me to go too into how impactful he was to Lupin, it's the reason I fell in love with his music in the first place, and he made Lupin so, so, so much better for it.

Lupin the Third Part II (1977) soundtrack album cover scan (Columbia, 1978)

Composed by Yuji Ohno and performed by ユー&エクスプロージョン・バンド You & The Explosion Band

Not sure how to link the entire album playlist, but it's on youtube:

Sources: Yuji Ohno official website, Anime News Network

Anime composer Yuji Ohno, best known for his work on the Lupin III franchise, passed away on May 4, 2026 from natural causes at the age of 84. He worked on many of the Lupin III original soundtracks from 1977 (beginning with Lupin III: Part II) through 2023 with his most recent work for the franchise being on the crossover movie Lupin III vs. Cat's Eye.

In the world of Tezuka anime, he composed the music for Undersea Super Train: Marine Express, A Time Slip of 10,000 Years: Prime Rose, One-Million Year Trip: Bander Book, and Fumoon.