Kiyoshi Kobayashi, original voice actor for Lupin III’s Daisuke Jigen, passes away

Veteran voice actor 小林清志 Kiyoshi Kobayashi, known for his role as marksman 次元大介 Daisuke Jigen in the anime series based on Monkey Punch's Lupin III manga, has passed away due to pneumonia.

The Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, to which he belonged, made the announcement on its website today, August 8th, 2022.

Kiyoshi Kobayashi, an actor belonging to our society, passed away at 7:06 a.m. on Saturday, July 30th, 2022, due to pneumonia. He was 89 years old.

The wake and funeral services were held only for the next of kin according to the wishes of the deceased.

A commemorative gathering will be held at a later date.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation for your guidance and support of actor Kiyoshi Kobayashi over the years, as well as our deepest gratitude for the kindness you showed him during his lifetime.

Official website of The Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society

Beginning with the 1969 pilot film for the first anime, Kobayashi voiced the unparalleled gunman, aide-de-camp and best friend of Arsène Lupin III for over half a century, making his last appearance on October 10th, 2021, in Episode 0 of Part 6.

Many people in Japan and around the world have fond childhood memories watching Lupin III and enjoying Daisuke Jigen's adventures through Kobayashi's inimitable voice.

It goes without saying that his passing has already generated an outpouring of comments online from people saddened by the news.

Some of them were:

"I liked his deep, gruff voice... His Daisuke Jigen left a strong impression in my mind, which stays with me even to this day."
"I am sincerely grateful to him for his many wonderful performances."
"I was surprised and saddened at the sudden news of his death..."

We offer our deepest condolences to his family on his passing. May he rest in peace.

By - grape Japan editorial staff.