An Era Ends! REDLINE's Takeshi Koike Says Goodbye to Lupin, Gushes Over Chainsaw Man!

Hold onto your hats, anime fans, because we've got some massive, bittersweet news coming from a true industry legend! Takeshi Koike, the visionary director behind the adrenaline-fueled masterpiece REDLINE and the gritty, stylish recent Lupin the IIIrd films, has officially announced that he is "closing the door" on the iconic gentleman thief. For fans who fell in love with his dark, kinetic take on the franchise through prequels like The Woman Called Fujiko Mine and Jigen's Gravestone, this marks the definitive end of an incredible era.

While it's heartbreaking to say goodbye to Koike's vision for Lupin, the director didn't leave fans empty-handed. In the same breath, he professed his immense love for a certain devil-hunting phenomenon: Chainsaw Man! That's right, the master of high-impact animation is a huge fan of Tatsuki Fujimoto's chaotic and brutal world. This revelation has sent shockwaves of excitement through the community, with fans immediately dreaming of what a collision of these two incredible forces would look like.

Koike's signature style—defined by its sharp, heavy shadows, breathtaking speed, and raw energy—completely redefined Lupin for a modern audience. Now, just imagine that same kinetic, hard-edged aesthetic applied to Denji's bloody rampages! The thought of a Koike-directed Chainsaw Man movie or OVA is enough to make any anime fan's head spin. While nothing is confirmed, this public praise certainly opens the door to incredible future possibilities. What a trade-off! We may have lost his Lupin, but the dream of a Koike-helmed Chainsaw Man project is now alive and well.