Japanese React To Ohtani's Success In The US 

The reason why he’s so liked here in the States is not only because he’s such a great player, but because he always seems to have a lot of fun while playing. MLB guys tend to be more boring...meanwhile Ohtani is always smiling and giddy. It’s great.

Ohtani is unbelievably popular in the US for baseball fans. I have never seen a sports superstar so loved and admired by his fans and supporters as Ohtani. People love him because he is so talented and a personality that is humble, respectful and wholesome.

"when was the last time that an asian athlete received this much attention in the US?" *Jeremy Lin flashbacks*

I’m Japanese. I want to add a little info that I want to share with you; there are many talented athletes who were born in 1994 in Japan, including Shohei. They are called “ Ohtani generation”. However, Yuzuru Hanyu is one of them, who is the two-time Olympic Champion of figureskating, and some people call them “ Hanyu generation”. They both met in person and were asked,“ Which name is correct?” They both became humble and answered each other, “My name shouldn’t be used, but YOUR name should be used!” 😂Their common personality is humble, sincere, respectful, hardworking, smart and polite. That’s why I believe they are loved by not only American but also Japanese.

Ohtani is a great athlete, but his kind personality is addictive ! I think the MLB will welcome top young players from Japan and the public will follow !

He’s the most exciting and talented player in baseball. Long time Angels fan, Ohtani is the new face of the organisation.

Love Ohtani from Taiwan. He's a talented,kind,and humble guy. Wish him to get MVP.

Ichiro was HUGE when I was a kid, but I am from Seattle so it probably wasn't Ichiro-mania everywhere :D Ohtani is a different kind of special though. I just hope he can have a long and productive career

He’s crazy popular. People who don’t normally go to their respected teams games go to them when they play the angels because they want to see ohtani so badly

At his peak Babe Ruth had 90 strikeouts, 60 home runs in the same season. In nearly 100 years no one has even come close. Ohtani already has over 109 strikeouts, and over 35 home runs this season (not to mention his speed). He is not only challenging the greatest baseball player of all time but arguably surpassing him. As much as people are praising him, I am not quite sure people realize the magnitude of this thing yet. Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth are often considered the number 1 or number 2 most influential American sports figures of all time in all of American sports (not just basketball or baseball). They did things that transcended sports. The top of the top. Almost mythical and legendary status. If he keeps up this play for multiple seasons and can somehow get on a good enough team to win championships, then that’s the level we are talking about for him. I wish him nothing but the best! 頑張れ大谷さん！

Shohei Ohtani has 100 strikeouts as pitcher and leads the league with 37 homeruns as a batter already. Also, I heard after games, he puts on a Mask with a Cape and stops bank robbers

Aw, I love how much people in Japan love Shoehei. We love him too! Thank you Japan for sharing such a great talent with the world!

Shohei is literally the MVP of the MLB right now, my man can pitch, hit, and he's amazing at both. Mad respect

Not only one of the best player right now, He's also the kindest person I've ever seen.

I went to an Angels game last week, and I was shocked how many non-Japanese fans he has too! I've never felt the feeling of seeing non-Japanese waving Japanese flags, wearing and holding signs with his name on it, trying to write in Japanese like that before. He's very embraced here, and it was a nice feeling that he's so respected and has many non-Asian fans!! Almost like a comforting feeling to me. And I'm so proud of him!

Ohtani actually got me back into baseball. I love the guy!

Great video! Ohtani speaks my language perfectly. That language is baseball, humility and respect. I was so happy when the Angels signed him. I hope that he is part of our team for many years to come, and I hope to one day visit Japan and learn about their amazing culture. Cheers from an American living in Australia!

Shohei is literally taking the US by storm. He is such a phenomenal player to watch Plus his walk-in song is Lost in Paradise(JJK closing theme song)

I saw him play on Tuesday night. When he stepped out onto the field, people went crazy with excitement! He even hit a home run that night!

Ohtani is a once in a lifetime kind of talent we are seeing currently, and the best part is he plays the game with so much enjoyment he reminds us of what it is like to be a kid again

OHTANI SHOHEI ♡♡ LOVE FROM THE PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭🇵🇭

I’m surprised no one in the video mentioned Ichiro? he is definitely a world level star. But yeah, Ohtani is big everywhere, here in Taiwan as well! I hope he stays healthy for many years to come.

We love Ohtani in America. I always look at the schedule and see when he's coming to Tampa and I get tickets. 🇺🇸🤝🇯🇵

Ohtani-san 🇯🇵 & 🇺🇸 ❤️ you! Keep making us proud and win the World Series!

Shohei literally got me back into baseball and I’m so lucky I live right near angels stadium so I’ve been able to see him play in person he truly is INCREDIBLE

Love Ohtani!! Thank you Japan for Ohtani.

I am a Dodgers fan in LA, and im glad im able to go see shohei.

Literally how can anyone hate Othani he’s so damn good yet so damn humble and always has a smile on his face

Otani Shohei is an amazing athlete and he seems like a really humble and good person. I hope he continues to have success! 👍🏾

Why do you think he's so popular? jesus Christ not one person mentioned his GQ looks. Unbelievable!

I'm so glad they made this video. Othani is one of my favorite players now, such a good guy and athlete

As someone who watches baseball a ton, Ohtani is a treat. He's amazing to watch.

We need another Japanese react to Ohtani reaction video, following the 2nd MVP, WBC win, and record $700m contract

Just so people who are only an average fan of athletics or sports I want you to understand the importance for not only a country but sometimes an entire race of people having a superstar, talented and athletic excel in their sport. Like that one guy said "Baseball hasn't been as popular over the years but now because of Ohtani I see people gain interest again and start playing" . Literally one athlete could influence thousands of young kids to train, become great and chase a dream they otherwise wouldn't have and their lives will literally be changed for the better because of it. Sports are powerful in many ways man.

I'm from the Philippines, and Ohtani made me subscribe to MLB app to watch the struggling Angels. Just became a fan this year.

I was stationed on Okinawa for 2.5 years during the Vietnam war. I have the utmost respect for the Japanese people and all Asian people. Shohei is my favorite baseball player of all time. The whole world should be extremely proud of Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani saving baseball in America and Japan. Living legend.

I never interested about baseball before But since ohtani clip and jomboy media got recommended to me i started to enjoy and watching baseball

Asian-American here. I never got into baseball until Ichiro arrived in Seattle in 2001. When Ichiro took MLB by storm, baseball became my favorite sport because it was cool to see an Asian athlete succeed so well especially when Asians are significantly underrepresented in American sports even to this day. Seeing Ohtani do something that's never been done before since Babe Ruth is very special and makes me love the game even more than ever. I hope this can help inspire younger generation of Asian Americans to strive to play in professional sports.

I love these interviews and the Japanese people! ❤️ 🇯🇵

Japan has amazing and humble ball players.

He's a hero for a new generation of international fans

he embodies every thing great for baseball and Japan. he is respectful, humble, play the game the right way and counts as 2 players cause he pithces and hits on a regular basis. good looking big guy too.

Congrats to Shohei Ohtani. Biggest Contract of all time by a Japanese Asian descent 🎉👏

Even if I don't watch baseball but his name been everywhere I'm happy that Asians are starting being recognized for their talents despite the raise of hate crime towards Asians

I am not Japanese nor live in Japan but I love Ohtani❤️❤️❤️

Ichiro, Hideki Matsui, and now Ohtani

Ohtani’s amazing. I’m back watching baseball again because of him. ⚾️ ❤️

Never knew I needed this but THANK YOU!!!

Ohtani is one of those rare stars that will eventually go supernova in no time. Like Jordan and of course, Babe Ruth, Ohtani is becoming legendary and we are lucky to have him in this lifetime because this is a rare thing. He has talent, charisma and a sincere humbleness about him that attracts all kinds of fans...even those who don't care about baseball, can't help being attracted to him.

Thus far in his early career, he's doing a great job, almost unprecedented. He's competing favorably against the best in the Major Leagues. Does not hurt that he's tall, good looking and seems to have a personality that is likable. Hope he can keep up the enthusiasm and exuberance as his career unfolds. You know more about a person when things are not going well and having faced failures and roadblocks. His path may not be all rosy. But I wish him the best.

I love how educated and chill everyone is in Japan. Really cool culture there.

He's the coolest in the world!! I love you so much💕💕

Ohtani being very good looking definately helps elevate his popularity in addition to his pure amazing talent...😉💪❤

I am a fan of Baseball.. and I am a fan Ohtani.. I'm not even Japanese or American.. I just love Baseball.. even though im Filipino. I came to love Baseball thanks to an Anime from Japan. so thanks Japan.. the anime was called "Major" (anime). Goro Shigeno(Major anime) does feel like Ohtani because they both competed from Japanese League to the Major Leagues and are both very successful.

From the perspective of an American, it's because he's excelling at two facets of the game that haven't been excelled at simultaneously in a century. That is what has caused his fame to truly explode this year. Though he is of terrific character, and very respectful to everyone. He's awesome. I'm a Red Sox fan, I wish he was on my team.

A lot of people I know havent really followed baseball for awhile now, but Ohtani has brought that energy and excitement back. We havent seen what hes doing in our lifetimes from both the mound and batter's box

We love him here in the states. He's such a cool guy.

THIS IS THE VIDEO I NEED

I agree that a lot of talented Japanese athletes don't get the recognition they should, I think it's just that they aren't seen on media that much. I have a couple friends though that are obsessed with Japanese boxing and kick boxing, they can't get enough of it!

I'm a Braves fan and I'm going to the Angels vs Braves game next year just to watch Shohei. Dude is such a fun player to watch and he's so humbled..

i miss japan so much...I'm glad Darvish is playing for my favorite team! I remember we had Makita-san for awhile, too!!!

Really well done interview! Very pertinent and interesting questions with everyone answering honestly and with depth and understanding. Really really enjoyed this interview! Gave me insight into the Japanese perspective. Insightful. Thank you.

I think his popularity here in the US is more due to his personality than his play. Not to diminish what he can do on the field, because he has an incredible amount of talent both pitching and hitting, which is truly something we haven't seen done at this level before. But we have also had a lot of stars who have either had bland personalities, or abrasive ones. From guys like Arod and Bonds, to even his teammate Trout, people are either forced into loving them or hating them, or just barely notice that they are around outside of when they are on the field. Ohtani just makes baseball fun to watch. He is always smiling, and always treats his opponents and teammates, and even the umpires with respect. I watched a video last week where he got rung up on a ball probably 10 inches off the plate, and he didn't get up in the umpires face and argue, or make a big scene about it like so many american players do. The way he plays the game just makes people love to watch him, and he is so talented in doing it that its impossible not to love watching him.

when ohtani is on the road, and the home team fans come out more to see him than their actual team, that tells you how much he is embraced in the states.

they all gave amazing objective answers

It’s very interesting to hear this because Ohtani has had to over come a TON of criticism, as many many sports analysts here in the states were saying there is no way Ohtani was actually going to be able to compete at the major league level in both hitting and pitching. And his injury early in his career only seemed to cement their criticisms. But this year he has proven that he is adaptable, capable of changing both pitching and hitting styles midseason to adjust to changes in the leagues approach to dealing with him. He has proven he is resilient as he has had some minor injuries that he has worked through this season, not to mention his recovery from Tommy John surgery. And he has proven that it is absolutely possible with enough hard work (and obviously talent) to not just be an elite hitter AND an elite pitcher in the MLB, but to also be an all around elite athlete capable of stealing bases and making plays in the field. Shohei Ohtani (and I gotta point out some other young talents as well like Vlad jr, and Tatis jr) has fundamentally changed the land scape of American baseball and I, at least, believe his impact on the sport will be seen decades, maybe more, after Ohtani eventually calls it quits (which hopefully won’t be for some time to come!).

This is the video I’ve been waiting for

Ichiro Suzuki is still loved and respected by U.S. Baseball fans but he was older and already had a reputation for being one of the best players in the world with Ohtani you have talent and youth and fans can see him playing for a long time

He's been way better than I thought. I didn't expect him to be able to pitch and hit as well as he is

Yes asian power ✊✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

He got me back into watching baseball again!

This is some opinion. It is not the opinion of the Japanese as a whole. I think translators not only speak English, but also play a role in stabilizing Otani's spirit. Since he is a star player, he needs to be careful about the language, so I think hiring a translator is the right answer.

Ohtani as a good person and good player are why he’s loved so much in the States, Japan and the world. I like how diverse and interactive people are becoming because you can see how his countrymen enjoy his talent and admire how he’s a force of change for the narrative of baseball players and even Asian players. It opens the room for dialogue and gets people to be respectful and enjoy the games! And Ohtani is a great representative of a person and skilled player!

Don't forget Hideo Nomo!!

"When was the last time an Asian athlete received this much attention in the U.S.?" To answer your question, it was Jeremy Lin in 2012. Before Lin, it was Yao Ming in 2002. Before Yao, it was Ichiro Suzuki in 2001. Ohtani is the next face of Asian athletes.

Guy: "baseball isn't as popular now" Me looking at their packed baseball stadiums: 👁️🕳️👁️

I’m watching baseball for the first time because of Ohtani

Earlier this summer, I got to witness the brillance that is Ohtani hitting a HR at a homegame in Angel Stadium. The whole ballpark stood up cheering & fireworks were launched in return. Ohtani ran thru all bases with the stride of a man hustling on his grind & with pure heart, no cocky victory lap. A baseball legend in the making has arrived.

I’m the same age as him! Amazing that he’s already considered a top athlete at this age!

He is the face of baseball and probably will be for a long time.

Hideki Matsui is a legend! I remember how much praise he received!

I don’t even like baseball, but I check for updates on Shohei every couple of days. It’s just incredible what he is doing. Great pitcher, batter, and runner.

Otani is more talked about in Japan than they are talking about. Besides, in Japan, baseball is the second most popular sport after soccer.

The Japanese star of baseball so far has been Ichiro. For one thing, Ichiro and Ohtani have in common is that they both feel like extended baseball boys. He is very humble, polite, in love with baseball, and truly enjoys it.

This is awesome. Love seeing other countries tap in to baseball

Would be great to see an interview about Yuzuru Hanyu since the Winter Olympics is just a few months away.

Y’all don’t understand. Dude is humble, happy, and exciting to watch. He’s doing something not even Babe Ruth has. He’s the perfect face of baseball with Tatis Jr.

Never heard of that player before but going by the insane knowledge every interviewee seemed to have about him he must be quite the phenomenon in Japan. The story of the super excited mom gave me a flashback to my childhood^^

Very informative

Love this video!!

Even for people like me who never watch baseball before start to watch baseball bcoz of ohtani Love from Malaysia fan😘

I think Ohtani mixed with Japan winning Gold at the Olympics this year in both Baseball and Softball will rekindle Japans love of Baseball on a bigger scale. Atleast I hope so.

I see a shade of Sawamura from Diamond No Ace there Making the game alive by being fun and goofy MLB guys are actually very talented since it's a very precision based game but almost all seem to just focus on the play and don't liven up the audience This guy plays well as well is really good to see him smile and be joyful

He's universally loved!

Lmao the whole Japan are simping for shohei.. We all live in Shohei's world

The Japanese star players that have come to MLB always got their plaudits with Ichiro leading the way. I was a huge Ichiro fan but Ohtani is just on another level because of his game - power plus pitching. I wish Ichiro came at a younger age because his numbers would be ridiculous but even so still HOF level, Ohtani is super human videogame level with only the mythical Babe Ruth as a comparison. Perfect player for a time like this.

I'd agree we like him #1 - because he is good #2 - because he seems like a nice guy. I disagree that we look down on athletes because they are Asian. See #1 - if they're good we'll like them. (Ichiro, Matsui, Nomo, etc) And I don't think anyone cares if he uses a translator, we know its hard to learn a language.

They’re all saying westerners are bigger, but Ohtani is 6”4 😂😂

Y’all need to do your homework. Ichiro Suzuki is one of the best baseball players ever in baseball, and he happens to be Asian.