Badminton

Shohei Ohtani devoted himself to badminton in his childhood alongside baseball and swimming. This was largely influenced by his mother, who played on a company team, giving him an environment where he held a racket from a young age. It’s said that the agility to react quickly to a shuttle’s irregular trajectory and the full-body coordination needed to swing a racket powerfully helped build the foundations of skills crucial in baseball—dynamic vision, spatial awareness, and supple wrist action. It’s an episode that helps explain the extraordinary athleticism behind his two-way prowess.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Shohei Ohtani’s given name, “Shohei,” was chosen by his father, Toru Otani, in reference to Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who has ties to Oshu-Hiraizumi in present-day Iwate Prefecture. The character “翔” (sho), meaning to soar, was used with the hope that he would spread his wings and fly high like Yoshitsune’s legendary “Hasso-tobi” leap, and it was combined with the character “平” (hei) from Hiraizumi to form “翔平.” It’s an episode imbued with the history of his home, Iwate Prefecture, and his parents’ deep love in wishing he would grow into a person of great stature.

Iwate Prefecture

Shohei Ohtani, who is also making a big splash in the Major Leagues, hails from Oshu City in Iwate Prefecture. In the first-floor lobby of Oshu City Hall, there is a special support corner for him. Reflecting Oshu’s fame as a production center for cast-iron Nambu Tekki, there is said to be a life-size handshake sculpture of Ohtani’s right hand, cast during his days with the Nippon-Ham Fighters. It’s become a standard for fans to take commemorative photos while “shaking hands” with the sculpture.

Unicorn

A unicorn is a mythical creature, a legendary one-horned beast that does not exist in reality. Because Shohei Ohtani possesses extraordinary, out-of-the-ordinary talent—doing everything both as a pitcher and as a hitter—people use the term as if that legendary creature had appeared. He has even dressed up as a unicorn himself for a Halloween event.

glove

In November 2023, Shohei Ohtani announced that he would donate junior baseball gloves free of charge—three to each of the approximately 20,000 elementary schools across Japan, for a total of about 60,000 gloves. Accompanied by the warm message, “Let’s play baseball!”, these gloves were a gift born from Ohtani’s strong desire to help children discover the joy of baseball and to energize the future of the sport.

Let's stop admiring (others).

These are the words Shohei Ohtani addressed to his Japan teammates in the locker room before the final against the United States at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. They convey a strong resolve not to be intimidated by a roster of MLB superstars, but to believe in their own abilities and seize the world title.

Darvish of Michinoku

During his time at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture, Shohei Ohtani was nicknamed the “Darvish of Michinoku” for his powerful, downhill pitching style made possible by his tall frame and his overwhelming potential. Even in high school he excelled as the team’s ace, and in the summer of his junior year at the Iwate Prefectural Tournament he recorded a 160 km/h fastball—the first ever in amateur baseball history—making him a major focus of attention for baseball fans nationwide and professional scouts alike.