Monkey Punch
Due to budget concerns, TMS decided not to employ the regular voice cast for the OVA, instead going for a slightly less-expensive yet still well-known Aoni Production cast. When the news was broken to Yasuo Yamada, it was not made clear who was responsible for the dismissal, leaving him with the impression that "Lupin III"'s creator Monkey Punch had lobbied the producers for a new voice actor. In reality, Monkey Punch was happy with Yamada's portrayal, but felt that he had no business in telling the production company what to do. Monkey Punch tried to reassure Yamada (with whom he had developed a friendship during the years of "Lupin" TV series) that he had nothing to do with it, and the regulars were reinstated with the first television special, "Bye-Bye Liberty - Close Call!". However, the relationship between Yamada and Monkey Punch was permanently strained by the casting substitution.