How the MLB has an influence on Anime

Over the years, the MLB has influenced many platforms such as social media and digital platforms for users to consume baseball related content. Players can connect with fans worldwide, and teams in the league can now utilize social media to engage with them to expand the fanbase, creating community while also promoting merchandise.  

MLB has a major influence in Japan due to Japanese players that grew up playing baseball and came to the MLB to showcase their talent like Japanese MLB star player Shohei Ohtani. Japanese players in the MLB have introduced anime on an international level that shapes how the sport is played internationally. 

Anime, as one of the most popular forms of media and entertainment in Japan, has also been influenced by baseball. Baseball's impact on anime is shown through storylines, themes, and certain characters that revolve around the sport.

Ace of Diamond Anime. Courtesy of The Limitless imagination

The Anime Ace Of Diamond has been influenced by the MLB, even though it's primarily focused on high school baseball in Japan. We are introduced to the main character, Eijun Sawamura, who is a talented but unmarked pitcher that reflects many aspects of baseball that are relevant to both the MLB and Japanese professional league of baseball (NPB- Nippon Professional Baseball). Although Ace Of Diamond is shaped by Japanese baseball culture, MLB’s influence can still be highly seen in a few key ways.

Pitching strategies and mechanics are shown as a major theme that revolve around the development of Eijun Sawamura’s pitching abilities and skills. Many characters aspire to become professional players, with the MLB often seen as the ultimate goal. The competitive aspect and spirit as known in the MLB is also displayed in Ace of Diamond, which highlights the pivotal stakes of baseball events in Japan. It demonstrates the competitive nature of high school baseball in Japan and how that intense rivalry can be translated and seen in the MLB.

Manga inspired portrait of Shohei Ohtani made it on the cover of MLB The Show 22. Courtesy of Crunchyroll.com

In 2021, Shohei Ohtani announced that he would be the cover athlete for MLB The Show 22 video game. The cover displayed a drawn manga of him.

Ohtani has addressed his love for anime and manga, especially the baseball series Major by Takuya Mitsuda. Major had inspired him to pursue his baseball dreams and aspirations. The Sony team thought this was a great way to collide the worlds of manga and baseball in order to present Ohtani in an unique fashion.

This can actually persuade anime watchers to start following the MLB and baseball viewers to watch anime. This creates a major influence in both baseball and anime areas.

The Anime Major. Courtesy of The Limitless Imagination

The baseball anime Major gained popularity in Japan during the 2000s and the early 2010s. The main character, Honda Goro was born into a baseball family, with his father being a professional baseball player in Japan. Goro trained everyday to be able to achieve the same greatness as his father.

The show included many baseball elements such as batting strategies, pitching mechanics, teamwork and competition, which is widely shown in the MLB. Goro Honda brings the baseball's technical side and also explores the emotional and personal growth that comes with being an athlete.

Edited by Elsa Olano