This article is about the 1977 opening theme composed by Yuji Ohno. For the 1971 opening theme from Part 1 composed by Takeo Yamashita and shares a similar name, see Lupin the Third Theme Song I.
"Theme from Lupin III" is a song composed by Yuji Ohno and performed by Pete Mac, Jr.. The lyrics were written by Kazuya Senke.[1] The instrumental version was used for the first opening theme song and the vocal version for the second opening theme song of Lupin the 3rd Part 2.
Accompanying Lupin III in every media since the Part 2 series, it became Lupin III's primary theme, as well as one of the most recognizable pieces of anime music ever written. Since its first use in 1977, countless arrangements have been recorded and released under a plethora of titles.[2] In general, the year of release of new official arrangements is used in the title to make out the different versions (i.e. "Theme from Lupin 2015"). Over the time, variations of this song has been renamed to try unifying the title but it causes confusion.
Over time, a cover of this track made in 2002 (titled Theme From Lupin Ⅲ '78（2002 Version）) was used as the official Lupin theme in most TV specials from 2003 to 2015, with the three TV specials during/after Part 4 simply using a variation of this theme (i.e. Theme from Lupin Ⅲ 2019〜classical piano ver. for Goodbye Partner).
Opening[]
During the first opening, Lupin III, Daisuke Jigen, Fujiko Mine, Goemon Ishikawa XIII and Inspector Zenigata have a little presentation with the name of their respective Japanese voice actor shown (in the Geneon English dubs, it only shows the characters' names) unlike Part 1 where they were fully introduced by Lupin III himself through a voice-over introduction in the second opening. The second opening of Part 2 only shows one by one the skills of the different protagonists by using flashy colors and psychedelic backgrounds.
Instrumental version (OP1)[]
The opening starts with Lupin's gang, alongside Fujiko Mine, being pursued in cars by Inspector Zenigata in a middle of a desert (supposedly the Sahara Desert). The title card of the series appears and Lupin III fires it with his Walther P-38 and then continues to escape from Zenigata with the Giza pyramid complex in background. Then, the presentation of the characters of the series begins.
- Lupin III jumps through the window of the room where Fujiko sleeps. He tries to jump in her bed but the only thing he got is a punch in his face from a box glove coming from Fujiko's crotch.
- Daisuke Jigen runs from an helicopter, grabs a ladder behind the building and with one bullet, he destroys the helicopter.
- Fujiko fires at a wooden door where a man was standing behind trying to kill her.
- Goemon is shown sitting on a plane waiting for cutting in half an other plane in a desert area looking like the Monument Valley.
- Zenigata tries to capture Lupin when riding a giraffe in Africa, a motorbike (assumed to set place in Europe because of the blurry windmill behind) and a surfboard in some kind of tropical island.
The opening concludes where it starts in the desert but with Lupin's Gang and Fujiko finally escaping from Zenigata.
Vocal version (OP2)[]
The opening starts with spotlights turning on and pointing toward Lupin III who seems to escape from his crime scene. After breaking through the title screen, he stands on his foot ready to shot somebody. In the next scene, he runs with his gang in the background and then drives his famous Mercedes-Benz SSK into a psychedelic tunnel.
After showing multiple frames of Lupin III and Mine Fujiko, the complete painting is showed. Mine Fujiko turns around and opens her jacket to relieve another Mine Fujiko shooting with an automatic gun.
Lupin continues his trip in his car. Daisuke Jigen appears and shots at another vehicle from a drain. Then, he walks calmly with a gun sight pointing toward him and kills his aggressor. Goemon Ishikawa XIII is looking at the stormy ocean and in the next frame, he cuts an entire building with his sword.
Inspector Zenigata is then seen running toward Lupin III, kicks multiple doors down, and runs into a precipice that looks like a broken film roll. Then, he escalates a spiral staircase looking for the Lupin gang. Unfortunately, they use the escalator in the staircase to go down. Next, there are multiple scenes where Zenigata tries to catch Lupin III by crushing his car or following him with an airplane.
The opening concludes with a frame of the Lupin's Gang and the Inspector Zenigata.
Tracklist[]
Theme from Lupin III / Love Theme from Lupin III (1977)[]
- A-side: Theme from Lupin III
- B-side: Love Theme from Lupin III
Theme from Lupin III / Love Theme from Lupin III (1978)[]
- A-side: Theme from Lupin III
- B-side: Love Theme from Lupin III
Audio[]
| Version | Duration | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Instrumental | 3:17 | |
| Vocal | 3:17 |
Lyrics[]
Ending version[]
(Lupin The Third)
Makka na bara wa aitsu no kuchibiru
Yasashiku daki shimete kure to nedaru
Hitomi no oku ni emono wo utsushite
Sabishiku toikakeru ai no arika
Otoko ni wa jibun no sekai ga aru
Tatoeru nara sora o kakeru hitosuji no nagareboshi
(Lupin The Third)
Kodokuna emi o yūhi ni sarashite
Senaka de naiteru otoko no bigaku
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
真っ赤な薔薇はアイツの唇
優しく抱きしめてくれと願う
瞳の奥に獲物を映して
寂しく問いかける愛の在り処
男には 自分の世界がある
例えるなら 空をかける一筋の流れ星
(Lupin The Third)
孤独な笑みを夕陽に晒して
背中で泣いてる 男の美学
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
Full version[]
(Lupin The Third)
Makka na bara wa aitsu no kuchibiru
Yasashiku daki shimete kure to nedaru
Hitomi no oku ni emono o utsushite
Sabishiku toikakeru ai no arika
Otoko ni wa jibun no sekai ga aru
Tatoeru nara sora o kakeru hitosuji no nagareboshi
(Lupin The Third)
Kodokuna emi o yūhi ni sarashite
Senaka de naiteru otoko no bigaku
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
Shinju no iro wa aitsu no manazashi
Harukana shiawase o yume ni egaku
Itameru koto o osoreru amarini
Tsumetaku tsukihanasu ai mo aru sa
Otoko ni wa jibun no sekai ga aru
Tatoeru nara kaze o harai arekuruu inabikari
(Lupin The Third)
Tokai no yami ni karada o tokashite
Kuchibue fuiteru otoko no bigaku
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
真っ赤な薔薇はアイツの唇
優しく抱きしめてくれと願う
瞳の奥に獲物を映して
寂しく問いかける愛の在り処
男には 自分の世界がある
例えるなら 空をかける一筋の流れ星
(Lupin The Third)
孤独な笑みを夕陽に晒して
背中で泣いてる 男の美学
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
真珠の色はアイツの眼差し
遥かな幸せを夢に描く
痛める事を恐れるあまりに
冷たく突き放す愛もあるさ
男には 自分の世界がある
例えるなら 風を払い荒れ狂う稲光
(Lupin The Third)
都会の闇に身体を溶かして
口笛吹いてる 男の美学
(Lupin The Third)
(Lupin The Third)
Composition[]
Structurally, the song can roughly be described as two iterations of a modified "AABA" or thirty-two-bar form. The general structure of the song is illustrated as follows, where A, A', A'' and B each represent an 8-bar phrase, and the the phrases A, A', and A'' are variations on the same melody:
| Intro 1 | A | A' | B | A'' | Outro 1 | Interlude | Intro 2 | A | A' | B | A'' | Outro 2 |
Depending on the particular arrangement, the length of the intros and outros vary. Also, some arrangements insert a brief 1-2 bar bridge in between the second and third phrase of each four-phrase part.
The original 1977 version of the song and the majority of instrumental arrangements are in G minor, though arrangements in other keys exist. Notably, the 1977 vocal version in the second opening of Part 2 is in F minor.
Notes[]
- The entire scene where Lupin tries to jump into Fujiko's bed in the first OP is a reference to a similar scene in the Pilot Film made almost a decade prior. Both scenes were used in introducing Lupin.
Video[]
Gallery[]
Instrumental version[]
OP screenshot[]
Album cover[]
Vocal version[]
OP screenshot[]
Album cover[]
Booklet scans[]
External links[]
- ルパン三世のテーマ (Theme from Lupin III). Wikipedia (in Japanese)
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