Major League Baseball’s Latest Anime Crossover Teams Up With Slam Dunk’s Creator

In recent times, Major League Baseball (MLB) has been exploring the realm of anime quite openly. The Boston Red Sox have collaborated with One Piece for exclusive anime nights, and shows like Major, Cross Game, and Ace of Diamond have been instrumental in introducing baseball to the anime medium. Most recently, Shohei Ohtani, the star player from the Los Angeles Dodgers, has partnered with renowned manga artist Takehiko Inoue for a fresh project. This collaboration will see the creator behind Slam Dunk and Vagabond try his hand at baseball, creating a unique blend of their artistic talents in an exciting crossover.

Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ pitcher, has partnered with renowned anime creator Takehiko Inoue to design a fresh logo for New Balance. Sharing the logo on his Instagram account, Ohtani expressed gratitude towards Inoue with the message “Inoue-sensei, thank you for designing the logo, Pyong.”

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Ohtani has been involved in an anime collaboration; earlier this month, Major League Baseball collaborated with the Demon Slayer studio, Ufotable, to produce a special video. In the video, characters from the Demon Slayer Corps watched baseball games unfold, with Ohtani being a central figure in the collaboration.

Ohtani’s Love of Anime

During an episode of The Chris Rose Rotation podcast, fellow Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia shared his experience playing alongside Shohei Ohtani. He remarked, “He’s fantastic, and it’s amazing how ordinary he seems. If you’re just hanging out with him, he’s engrossed in anime, telling jokes, and always ready to laugh. He’s an excellent teammate, and I’ve learned a lot from him this year.

Slam Dunk & Vagabond’s Futures

Regrettably, neither of Takehiko Inoue’s most renowned works, Slam Dunk and Vagabond, currently have upcoming anime adaptations that have been officially announced. After the massive success of The First Slam Dunk in cinemas, Toei Animation hasn’t indicated plans to delve deeper into the basketball-themed world. Unlike Slam Dunk, Vagabond has never received an anime adaptation. However, the creators behind Arcane, Fortiche Studios, have expressed a potential interest in someday bringing the samurai epic to life on screen, but no concrete plans have been made public.

I’m thrilled to share that if you’re a fan of “Slam Dunk”, there’s an abundance of content beyond the latest movie! The original anime adaptation, spanning over a hundred episodes and streaming on Netflix, provides a richer backdrop for the characters who have earned iconic status in the sports anime realm. It’s no wonder that this basketball saga frequently graces the list of greatest sports anime of all time.

Read More

2025-03-12 22:39