Building the Ultimate Baseball Team with Anime Characters

[Maddie Landis]

Image courtesy of MLB

I have been a purveyor of anime for most of my adult life. (God knows I would be insufferable if I heavily consumed the genre as a young child.) Anime incites strong emotions – most people either love it or hate it. I think the genre is heavily misconstrued. The discourse centers on the otaku subculture and fandoms, not on the actual stories or the creative processes behind them.

Much to the dismay of my friends and family, I actively encourage them to watch anime. I have an agenda to push forward. There’s a show for everyone. If you are a big DC and/or Marvel fan, I recommend My Hero Academia. Looking for a romance anime? Watch Your Lie in April or Makoto Shinkai's Disaster Trilogy.  How about a space opera? Try Space Battleship Yamato. What about a figure skating anime? Yuri!!! on Ice debuted long before Heated Rivalry. Japan’s love for baseball, the most popular sport in the country, is reflected in Big Windup! and Ace of Diamond.

If you already watch anime, I hope you get a chuckle out of this. If you do not, maybe I’ll convince you to give anime a shot.

Owner | Tamaki Suoh - Ouran High School Host Club

I’m building this team from the top down, starting with ownership. I want someone with deep pockets, unafraid to dish out money on big-name free agents. Enter 16-year-old Tamaki Suoh from Ouran High School Host Club.

Suoh is the president of the secret host club at Ouran Academy, a prestigious private school in Tokyo. No, not that type of host club. This isn’t Euphoria. Imagine tea and light-hearted flirting over scones, biscuits, and finger sandwiches. As the heir to the Suoh empire (his father is the Chairman of Ouran Academy), Tamaki has enough wealth to pursue any player he wants. Flamboyant yet endearing, his charm easily wins over fans and players. He’s also smart enough to surround himself with capable peers who handle the day-to-day operations of the team. 

President of Baseball Operations | Kyoya Ootori - Ouran High School Host Club

Abraham Lincoln had David Derickson. Frodo Baggins had Samwise Gamgee. George Washington had Alexander Hamilton. Sam Breadon had Branch Rickey. Tamaki Suoh’s right-hand man is Kyoya Ootori. While Suoh serves as the host club’s spokesperson, Ootori works behind the scenes, fulfilling the duties of an entire C-suite.

Suoh and Ootori are a united front, with Ootori implementing Suoh’s long-term vision for the team. Ootori would be an elite data-driven executive. Not a single penny would go to waste. He’d ensure every player’s value is maximized and would avoid signing players to albatross contracts. 

Manager | Yang Wen Li - Legends of the Galactic Heroes

My knee-jerk reaction was to name Erwin Smith from Attack on Titan as the team’s manager. Smith is the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, an overburdened branch of the military with limited resources for protecting humanity against titans. He instills great loyalty in his soldiers, though I think his leadership style is best suited in a smaller market like the Brewers or Rays. There are too many divas on this team.

Ah yes. The classic sci-fi trope: an empire spearheaded by a dictator fighting a group of scrappy democratic rebels. Legend of the Galactic Heroes has a familiar setup with a twist. Yang Wen Li is a genius military strategist fighting for the Free Planets Alliance. The rub is that the Alliance is riddled with self-serving politicians who exploit democratic institutions for their own gain. 

Despite the corruption surrounding him, Yang is a simple man with no interest in climbing the military ranks. While Erwin’s soldiers follow his orders without question, Yang encourages his subordinates to think for themselves. He earns respect through trust rather than blind obedience. Because of this, he can easily get a star-studded team on the same page without stepping on anyone’s toes. 

Mascot | Princess Kenny - South Park

But South Park isn’t an anime! 

Technically, it isn’t. Season 17’s three-episode Black Friday arc features a console war (Xbox One camp vs Play Station 4 camp). Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny role-play as characters from HBO’s Game of Thrones series. Kenny somehow ends up dressing up as a Japanese princess. (Yes, there’s an anime scene featuring Trey Parker’s hilariously terrible imitation of Japanese.) This is close enough to anime for me. 

If you’ve never watched South Park, Kenny's death is a running gag on the show. This could be entertainment in between innings. Say, every time the middle of the fifth inning rolls around at a home game, Kenny-chan dies. He could be taken out by a foul ball or launched out of a t-shirt cannon – the possibilities are endless. The Washington Nationals' Presidents Race and Brewers’ Famous Racing Sausages can step aside.

Starting Pitcher | Yor Forger - Spy x Family

We all keep secrets from our families, right? Spy x Family follows the Forgers, who are a typical run-of-the-mill family. The dad is a spy, the mom is an elite assassin, and their child is a telepath. 

Yor, the mom, is the team’s starting pitcher. Facing an assassin on the mound is almost as scary as seeing David Ortiz wearing a Yankees hat. Yor possesses superhuman strength and stamina, plus her kills are clean and precise. She’s an ace who has the horsepower to throw 100+ mph pitches without breaking a sweat, combined with elite command.

Closer | Katsuki Bakugo - My Hero Academia

In My Hero Academia, almost everyone is born with a superpower called a Quirk. Katsuki Bakugo sweats nitroglycerin from the palms of his hands and ignites it to create explosions. His fiery personality lends itself to dominating high-leverage situations. No stage is too big for him. One run lead? No problem. Bases loaded with nobody out? He’ll strike out the next three batters with ease. Bakugo comes in to close the game and doesn’t give a damn about anyone’s feelings. 

Designated Hitter | Dio Brando - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Dio Brando’s cockiness makes Juan Soto look like an altar boy in the batter’s box. He’s immortal, so he’s on the roster for life (or until he quits). His ability to freeze time would be used almost exclusively to torment opposing pitchers. The fact that it also lets him read every pitch and adjust his swing is just a bonus. Dio is an absolute unit, and he’d easily break Barry Bonds’ single-season slugging record. 

Catcher | Graveler - Pokémon

The ideal catcher has rock-solid defense. So why not put an actual rock behind the plate?

Graveler is a rock-type Pokémon introduced in Generation 1. Catchers are supposed to squat during the game, but at 3' 03" tall, Graveler could just stand. With four arms for framing and blocking, wild pitches and passed balls are a thing of the past. Moreover, Graveler is symmetrical, so it could switch hit à la Cal Raleigh or Adley Rutschman. 

Graveler Pokédex reads, “A slow walker, it rolls to move. It pays no attention to any object that happens to be in its path.” Good luck trying to tag it out at home.

First Base | Kenzo Tenma - Monster

First basemen are typically viewed as nice guys. Kenzo Tenma from Monster might be one of the nicest characters in anime. He sacrifices his career and life to hunt down a former patient turned serial killer, and touches the lives of everyone he meets along the way.

Tenma is a consistent, not flashy, player with solid defense. His primary value lies in his leadership, where he holds the clubhouse together while Bakugo, Mahito, Asuka, and Dio Brando are losing their minds.

Second Base | Mikey - Tokyo Revengers

Maybe it’s because he’s short (5’4”), but Mikey from Tokyo Revengers reminds me of Dustin Pedroia. He’s undersized, gritty, and will make you pay for underestimating him. His fighting style relies on his leg strength, so he’d make quick turns on double plays and explode out of the batter’s box. 

Shorstop | Mikasa Ackerman - Attack on Titan

Mikasa Ackerman is the strongest member of the Survey Corps and the MVP of this team. She’s a five-tool player with raw athleticism, speed, range, plate discipline, and the ability to hit for contact and power. She’s quiet and leads by example, but she’s also not afraid to step up and set someone straight when necessary. 

Third Base | Sailor Jupiter - Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon centers on a group of teenage girls who transform into magical warriors named after planets to save the world. Sailor Jupiter is the strongest of the group, with the arm strength and tough mindset to hold down the hot corner. 

Left Field |  Denji - Chainsaw Man

How do I describe Chainsaw Man without sounding crazy? Denji is a broke, orphaned teenager who bonds with his dog-like pet chainsaw and becomes a devil hunter. He’s driven by bare necessities: food, shelter, and obviously girls. He’s not refined, but he’s resilient and never quits. Denji doesn’t have the flashiest tools, but he puts maximum effort into every play. He’s the kind of player who sprints to first on routine groundouts. Think Shane Victorino, hustle triumphing over raw talent with a high upside. 

Center Field | Mahito - Jujutsu Kaisen

Rounding out the defense up the middle is Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen in center field. Mahito is a cursed spirit who can reshape himself and anything he touches. He’s the optimal center fielder because he can alter his body to make any play. If a ball is hit in the gap, he can extend his arms. If a ball is hit too high, he can grow a couple of inches. At the plate, this guarantees contact on every swing. He’s every pitcher's worst nightmare.

Right Field | Asuka Langley Soryu - Neon Genesis Evangelion

In Neon Genesis Evangelion, teenagers pilot humanoid robots to fight monsters. Among them is Asuka Langley Soryu. Similar to Bakugo, Asuka has a bulldog mentality. She’ll put up a fight every at-bat and packs an absolute cannon for an arm to nail throws to third base. Off the field, Asuka probably wouldn’t jive with Denji or Mahito. On the field, they push each other to make every play. 

Which anime characters would make your roster? Let us know in the comments! 

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[Michael Trzinski]

I must be old (I am) 'cuz I don't know any of them...lol.

But it 'sounds' like a 100-win team.