Baseball fans are surely aware that the "World Baseball Classic" (WBC), Major League Baseball's premier international tournament, is set to kick off this March. Participating nations are buzzing with excitement, and teams like Taiwan are gearing up for the group stage to battle for advancement.
Yesterday (February 3), Netflix, the official broadcaster for the WBC in Japan, dropped a bombshell announcement: B'z frontman Koshi Inaba will be covering the iconic theme song "Touch" from the classic anime "Touch" as the official support anthem for the tournament! The news sent ripples of excitement through music and baseball fandom alike, with many praising the incredible coup of getting Inaba to lend his voice.
Originally released in 1985, "Touch" is the beloved theme song from Mitsuru Adachi's baseball manga-turned-anime, "Touch." It was a household name among anime songs back in the day, and given the anime's baseball theme, it's an incredibly fitting and familiar choice for Japanese audiences.
To amp up the excitement for the WBC, often hailed as the pinnacle of international baseball, this timeless classic has been given a fresh new interpretation by Koshi Inaba. Netflix's selection process for the support song carefully considered the inherent appeal of baseball, the song's enduring popularity over the years, and the world it evokes, ultimately leading to "Touch." And who better to reinterpret it than the powerhouse vocalist Koshi Inaba, who has lent his voice to numerous international sporting events?
Inaba himself commented, "While maintaining respect for the original work, I poured my passion into singing it."
■ Koshi Inaba's message regarding his WBC support song:
It is a tremendous honor to cover the classic song "Touch" as Netflix's official support anthem for the tournament. I approached this with utmost respect for the original, pouring my heart and soul into the performance. My hope is that this song will amplify and ignite the emotions of the players and coaches battling on the intense field, as well as the fans who eagerly watch and support them. I sincerely wish for the 2026 World Baseball Classic to be the greatest and most spectacular tournament ever.
With the tournament kicking off in March, Taiwan is grouped with Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Australia in Pool C. Preliminary games will run from March 5th to March 8th at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. So, if you're a baseball enthusiast or follow Taiwan's international sports endeavors, you definitely won't want to miss it!
via： B’z 官方X Netflix Japan官方X