Yuji Ohno

Early life

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 [ja], he joined a quintet with Takeshi Shibuya.

Career

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 "Lupin III Theme" (ルパン三世のテーマ, 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).

Final years and death

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.