Yūji Ōno

• Name — Yuji Ohno • Native Name — 大野雄二 • Other Names — Mahou P., Peter Stone • Born — 30 May 1941 • Birthplace — Atami, Shizuoka, Japan • Died — 4 May 2026 • Place of death — Tokyo, Japan • Occupation — * Musician • composer • orchestrator • pianist • Years Active — 1968–2026 • Education — Keio University

Born in the founding family of Atami, Japan's Hotel Ohnoya, Ohno began playing piano in elementary school. He formed the group Junior Light Music with clarinetist and future NHK announcer Isamu Akashi, a classmate at Keio Senior High School. It was at this time that he taught himself jazz. While enrolled in the Faculty of Law at Keio University, he was a member of the big band Keio University Light Music Society. Later in college, on the recommendation of Kōji Fujika, he joined a quintet with Takeshi Shibuya.

Ohno made his recording debut in 1966 backing Hideo Shiraki and Yūzō Kayama on their record Hideo Shiraki Meets Yuzo Kayama. Around 1970, he devoted himself to composing after being invited to compose for television commercials, before expanding to TV dramas and films. Ohno composed the score for the 1976 film The Inugami Family. Kōji Ishizaka, who starred in the film, was a classmate of Ohno's at Keio High School and Keio University. The promotional literature for the theatrical release contains an article about Ishizaka's visit to Ohno's recording studio. In 1977, production of anime adaptations in the Lupin the Third franchise shifted from Yomiuri TV to Nippon TV, where Ohno was working on several TV dramas, and he was tapped to compose the score and theme songs for Lupin the 3rd Part II. Ohno later said he was excited to get the job because he felt he had to hold back for live-action dramas, where the music had to have something of a Japanese feel, but for Lupin the Third, he was told the music did not need to be tied to any specific country. He continued to compose every animated installment in the franchise, each of which featured a new version of Rupan Sansei no Tēma, and called it his life's work. Also in 1977, Ohno composed "Proof of the Man Theme" for Proof of the Man. The following year, he composed "Warrior's Rest", the theme song for Never Give Up. While working with Toshio Masuda, Ohno promised his friend Toru Murakawa that he would compose the music for his films once the latter became a director. Ohno fulfilled his promise on 1978's The Most Dangerous Game. He reprised his role for both sequels in what is known as the "Game Trilogy", The Killing Game (1978) and The Execution Game (1979).

On March 25, 2022, Ohno was hospitalized due to poor health. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Tokyo Anime Award Festival. Ohno resumed activity on May 30, 2024, with the Lupintic Six with Fujikochans concert at Billboard Live Tokyo. He then stopped participating in performances, and focused on arranging and producing. Ohno died of natural causes in his sleep at his home in Tokyo, Japan on May 4, 2026, at the age of 84.

• The Inugami Family (1976) • Proof of the Man (1977) • Lupin the 3rd Part II (1977–1978) • One Million-Year Trip: Bander Book (1978) – Television film • The Mystery of Mamo (1978) • Never Give Up (1978) • The Golden Dog (1979) • Undersea Super Train: Marine Express (1979) – Television film • The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) • Fumoon (1980) – Television film • Andromeda Stories (1982) – Television film • A Time Slip of 10,000 Years: Prime Rose (1983) – Television film • Lupin the 3rd Part III (1984–1985) • Mighty Orbots (1984) • Legend of the Gold of Babylon (1985) • Aitsu ni Koishite (1987) • Bye Bye, Lady Liberty (1989) – Television film • The Hemingway Papers (1990) – Television film • Napoleon's Dictionary (1991) – Television film • From Siberia with Love (1992) – Television film • Voyage to Danger (1993) – Television film • Dragon of Doom (1994) – Television film • Farewell to Nostradamus (1995) • The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure (1995) – Television film • Lupin III: Dead or Alive (1996) – Main theme only • The Secret of Twilight Gemini (1996) – Television film • Island of Assassins (1997) – Television film • Crisis in Tokyo (1998) – Television film • The Columbus Files (1999) – Television film • Missed by a Dollar (2000) – Television film • Alcatraz Connection (2001) – Television film • Return of Pycal (2002) – original video animation • Episode 0: The First Contact (2002) – Television film • Operation Return the Treasure (2003) – Television film • Swallowtail Tattoo (2004) – Television film • Angel Tactics (2005) – Television film • Seven Days Rhapsody (2006) – Television film • The Elusiveness of the Fog (2007) – Television film • Green vs. Red (2008) – original video animation • Sweet Lost Night (2008) – Television film • Lupin III vs. Detective Conan (2009) – Television film, with Katsuo Ohno • The Last Job (2010) – Television film • Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid (2011) – Television film • The Secret Page of Marco Polo (2012) – Television film • Princess of the Breeze (2013) – Television film • Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie (2013) – With Katsuo Ohno • Lupin the Third Part IV (2015–2016) – Japan only • Italian Game (2016) – Television film • Lupin the 3rd Part 5 (2018) • Goodbye Partner (2019) – Television film • Lupin III: The First (2019) • Prison of the Past (2019) – Television film • Lupin the 3rd Part 6 (2021–2022) • Lupin the 3rd vs. Cat's Eye (2023) – Original net animation