Baseball is his hobby. It is said that Shohei Ohtani has no hobbies other than baseball, creating a stoic image.
However, upon investigation, it seems that, surprisingly, this is not the case.
He occasionally mentions in interviews that he is addicted to the online game “Clash Royale” and likes the manga “Slam Dunk.”
Watching him interact with his teammates, he seems to have a sense of humor and mischievousness, so I am sure he likes to have fun.
In this article, we looked into Shohei Otani’s hobbies outside of baseball.
There is also a video of a rare Shohei Otani playing golf!
Shohei Ohtani’s hobbies include video games!
When Shohei Ohtani is asked in interviews, “What do you do in your free time?” he often answers, “I play games.”
“Clash Royale” is his favorite
He is especially addicted to the online game “Clash Royale.”
He had been enthusiastically playing the game with his teammates since his days in Nippon Ham.
He hardly thinks about anything but baseball, but playing online games only gives him a break—especially Clash Royale, which he plays daily.
(Quote: Josei Jishin)
Even after moving to the U.S., he played with his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and his teammates. David Fletcher, who is the same age as him and played against Italy in the WBC, was also a fellow player.
Who are you playing games with?
Fletcher!
These two are good friends!
Games improve English language skills!
In a 2019 interview, he told us that online gaming helped him improve his English.
It’s like we have a team, and we are always talking. They are always saying things like, “Where should we go next? I learn a lot of English by listening to them. When I didn’t understand what they were saying, Ippei would tell me, and I would say, “This is how it was,” It was a great way to learn English.
He can also turn the game into a learning experience!
Shohei Ohtani’s hobbies include manga!
His favorite manga is Slam Dunk
Shohei Ohtani’s favorite is the basketball manga “SLAM DUNK,” a masterpiece by Takehiko Inoue.
It is his favorite comic book, and he has read it dozens of times.
According to interpreter Ippei Mizuhara、 Shohei Ohtani’s favorite character seems to be Akira Sendo.
Shohei Ohtani’s words to the Japanese national team just before the 2023 WBC final game against the U.S. team became a hot topic.
“… If you admire them, you can’t surpass them. We came here to surpass them, to reach the top. For one day, let’s throw away our admiration for them and just think about winning.”
This phrase is used in the basketball manga “Kuroko’s Basketball” which is as popular as “Slam Dunk.”
A player named Ryota Kise, before a matchup with a player he had set his sights on, declares, “If I admire him, I will never be able to surpass him. I’m going to stop yearning for him,” he said.
Shohei Ohtani’s speech was met with an outpouring reaction from fans of Kuroko’s Basketball manga and basketball fans.
We do not know if Shohei Ohtani liked reading Kuroko’s Basketball.
He may be improving himself through his favorite manga!
Communicate with teammates through recommended cartoons
Ohtani also read “Demon Slayer.”
Demon Slayer is a very popular manga known to all Japanese.
An exclusive interview with Shohei Ohtani in the 2020 offseason. The interview was just the day of the release of the “Demon Slayer” movie, which became a hot topic of conversation. Ohtani said, “I know it’s popular. I have read the manga,” he said. He revealed that he loves reading the manga, saying, “I saw the movie a little, but I read most of it in the manga.”
(Quote: Shueisha Online)
Ohtani communicates with other players using manga, anime, and video games as everyday topics.
“Shohei got me into manga with Naruto. That manga was great. Next was Attack on Titan. I haven’t been able to read Demon Slayer yet. He also recommended Jujutsu Kaisen to me. And Hunter x Hunter. It was exciting.”
“Shohei is recommending the manga Kingdom right now. I hear it’s exciting. I want to watch everything he recommends.”
(Quote: Shueisha Online)
Shohei Ohtani has also read NATUTO、 Attack on Titan, Damon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, HUNTER x HUNTER, and Kingdom.
He seems to have read all the manga considered masterpieces in Japan!
Shohei Ohtani’s hobbies include sleeping!
Shohei Ohtani said in an interview that his hobby is sleeping.
In the handwriting of Shohei Ohtani, he was written in an advertisement by his sponsor, Nishikawa Co.
What I value most is my daily sleep. Shohei Otani
Ohtani himself stated that his hobby is sleeping. In one interview, he said that when he was in elementary school, he used to sleep from 9 pm to 7 am every night. The length of his sleep still seems to be the same today.
(Quote: Smart FLASH)
Sleep is Recovery
In the off-season, Otani does more than 6 hours of strength training and takes a 2-hour nap. After that, he eats and sleeps for more than 10 hours.
He calls his sleep “recovery” and spends half his day sleeping.
So sleep is essential for top athletes.
When he went to New York for a baseball game, he said he was more concerned with how much sleep he could get than sightseeing in the area.
The pillow is AiR SLEEPTECH, made by Nishikawa Co.
Shohei Ohtani’s favorite pillow is the AiR SLEEPTECH, produced by his sponsor, bedding manufacturer Nishikawa Corporation.
Shohei Ohtani’s hobby is golf
Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a golf competition hosted by the baseball team in 2013, his first offseason with Nippon Ham.
However, he holed out with a score of 146.
In his second year off, his score was 119.
Unlike baseball, golf is not his forte.
Shohei Ohtani made his golf debut at a Nippon Ham event in 2013 and struggled with a score of 146, but the following year his score was 119. The next year, however, his score was 119.” He said, “Golf is fun, so this time I’ll aim for 110,” but that didn’t last long as he decided to become a major leaguer.
(Quote: Smart FLASH)
Ohtani does not seem to play much golf in the US.
Shohei Ohtani’s hobby is music.
Shohei Ohtani often wears headphones around his neck.
According to information from our interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani listens to no specific genre of music.
Shohei is utterly indifferent to music and seems to have yet to have a favorite artist in particular. He seems to listen to music that he feels is good.
(Quote: Number Web)
According to information as of 2021, he was particularly fond of Japanese artists GLAY and Yonezu Genji.
He seems to listen to music but is not exceptionally particular about it.
Incidentally, Shohei Otani was training on Instagram on January 23, 2023, while playing the theme song of the movie “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK” by 10-FEET.
Ohtani may be feeling uplifted and motivated by music!